Thift & Vintage: Modernizing "Old" Fashion

My love for vintage and thrifting dates back to about year 2000. At that time, I loved being able to find things I liked and needed for a insignificant price point. Cha-Ching!! Well, now I tend to thrift for the fun of it. The thrill of finding cools things for cheap is my kind of shopping. Some people are scared to shop at thrift stores for fear of only finding dirty, old & “outdated” clothing. You can absolutely snag great items for less in the thrift store. If you love thrifting and/or saving money, this two part series is for you!!

I thought it would be fun to do a series that features items that are either thrifted or vintage to show these items can be styled to look youthful and modern. Eventually, I would love to do a video taking you with me on a shopping trip to find an outfit (excluding shoes & jewelry) for less than 15 bucks!! 

Anyhoo, on to the outfit and tips. Thrifted outfits do not have to look ragged, thrifted, nor “old lady” inspired lol. The key to shopping thrift is:

1. Look for items that have a detail that you can center an outfit around. (Ex, sequin, bold prints, etc.)

2. Try to find “timeless” pieces. These never go “out of style” and provide a nice base for a great outfit.

3. Vintage clothing “fits” differently than the current making of clothing. Only buy what compliments your body.*

*I will talk about wearing clothing that compliments the body in the very near future.* Feel free to check out my Instagram and hit that follow button! You never know when I may decide to post a look without blogging it! 

{shirt & shorts: Goodwill, necklace: H&M, shoes: Shoedazzle, handbag: gifted}

 

 

 

Overalls, Bodysuits & Rainy Days

I LOVE rainy days. Movies, snuggling, sitting in a comfy chair while looking out at the rain are all great variables for a great time at home on a rainy day. Days like this, I enjoy being at the movies. My outfit is comfy for relaxing in those big chairs but still fashionable enough for a “stylinista” like myself. Most days, I’m too lazy or I’m at the gym so I don’t dress up that often (although it doesn’t seem that way). Anyhoo, this crazy weather has confused my emotions about what I want to wear. Today was cold, warm, balmy, foggy, windy,  threatened by a tornado and rainy with late evening-like skies all day long. Smh. Crazy right?! Well, I dressed for it. I opted for an umbrella instead of a handbag due to this crazy spring weather and strappy wedges for comfort. The shirt around my waist is strategically placed just in case I got cold (I got warmer lol) and hardly any accessories except for my name necklace against my trendy overalls. Check out the pics below…

Necklace: (gifted)

Wedges: Aldo

Overalls: Forever 21

Bodysuit: H&M

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Grunge Rock Star Behavior

Whew hoo! Somewhat of a spring is finally here!! Remember the age old saying “April showers brings May flowers”? Well it was raining on day two of April without fail. I was hoping the rain would visit only briefly but hope doesn’t always float! Lol. Anyhoo, I dressed for the happy gloom of finally being able to go out without a coat due to temperature but kind of needing one because of constant rain. I opted out of wearing a coat for this outfit. Let me know what you think of my styling this time!

Hat: Gadzooks

Men’s Graphic Tee: Goodwill

Faux Leather Detail Pants: H&M

Fringe Clutch: H&M

Necklace: Jewelmint

Shoes: Sam Edelman

 

 

 

 

 

Style Series: (Sweatshirt) & Pumps

*Sings* “Just one of them days…” Well, not one of THOSE days but…

It’s one of those days that I don’t feel like dressing up, but I don’t want to be bummy either. Ugh, the dilemma right? I found this cute graphic sweatshirt in my closet and paired it with some cute jeans. I was supposed to upload this last Saturday but life, well, you know. Let me know what you think of my get-up!

Sweater: Vintage

Button Up: Thrifted “Ralph Lauren”

Jeans: Target

Shoes: Vivienne Westwood x Melissa Dragon Pumps

Clutch: Forever 21

Necklace: H&M

 

Style Series: (Sweatshirt) Chic

It’s starting to feel like spring!

To me, late winter/early spring is perfect sweatshirt weather. I decided to do a two-part style series showcasing sweatshirts. Sometimes sweatshirts get a bum rap but if styled, they can be very chic. The sweatshirt I purchased is not typical in thickness so layering worked. What I love is the obvious label of “sweat shirt” on the front.   Check out how I styled it and let me know what you think!

Sweatshirt- SheInside
Distressed Jean Vest- Gadzooks
Fur booties- Shoedazzle
Skirt- Boohoo
Necklace- Jewelmint
Handbag- Justfab

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Stylewatch: Designer Collaborations Spring 2015

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Geez! It seems that winter has been lingering like a pesky, unwanted houseguest. I’m so desperate for spring that at this point, when we reach 20 degrees F, I’m ecstatic! Lol. Anyhoo, I’m uber excited about some designer fashions that are set to debut this spring. Most are set to be available during March and April but some may make an appearance in stores later towards the summer. I’ve mentioned the ones I’m most excited about below. I’m most excited about Milly for Kohl’s. I will seriously stalk Kohl’s lol. Which ones are you looking forward to? Get ready to make a list a wish list… 

 1. Target X Lily Pulitzer

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2. Kohls X Milly

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3. H&M X Coachella

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4. Aldo Rise X Misha Nonoo

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5. MAC X Mia Moretti (Coachella Theme)

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6. Athleta X Derek Lam

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Blogging In Detroit: The Lip Bar Event

If you are from Detroit you know there were a ton of popping events going on this weekend. One of the best happens to be The Lip Bar launching at none of other than Thrift On The Ave (located on Cass Ave). I am too excited that I was able to attend. The event was AWESOME!! If you don’t know about The Lip Bar, let me give you a brief overview. The Lip Bar was created by a woman by the name of Melissa. She comes from a background of the corporate world where cosmetic creativity is stifled…among other things. Anyhoo, she thought that women should be able to create lipsticks they love without compromising color, quality or individuality. This company has been featured on the hit show Shark Tank. The Lip Bar travels by a mobile truck to accommodate clientele. To learn more about The Lip Bar, check them out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram…all under the name @thelipbar (except for Facebook which will exclude the @). You can also get the ultimate experience at the company’s website: www.thelipbar.com. So now that you have been introduced to the company by a friend (me lol), let me describe my experience.

Thrift On The Ave was an absolutely a gorgeous place to not only shop but also to host this event. As guests, we enjoyed champagne, as well as the fine opportunity to get The Lip Bar experience through information and demonstrations. Lastly, we all got to network with other ambitious and driven, fabulous women. YouTube guru Chanda was there looking stunning and is just as beautiful on the inside. Side note: Thrift On The Ave definitely gave me an invitation to go back and shop because their clothes were calling my name honey!! Lol. I digress. Check out my pics below and definitely follow me on Instagram so you can see more candid pics and let me know what you think below. Be sure to check out The Lip Bar online as well as Thrift On The Ave the next time you are in Detroit!

My review on the lipstick:

I tried on the lipstick Sweet Shiraz and I loved the color so much that I bought it. The formula is between the Retro Matte of Ruby Woo by MAC and a “regular” Matte MAC lipstick.* The color is full on and wears for hours. I wore mine for about six hours and it stayed put regardless of my eating and drinking. The packaging is absolutely gorgeous and unique. The price point is $18.00/lipstick and you get 3.5 grams.* That’s about 0.5 more product than a regular MAC lipstick. All in all, I am very happy with my purchase and will make another in the future.

*MAC mentioned for reference, not comparison*

Fur, Velvet, Snow & Such….

I’ve been apprehensive since I started this blog about posting fashion looks. So, I’m being very transparent in this post when I say that I have a fear of failure and not being able to measure up to myself and what I expect to become. Welp, I’ve decided this year that I need to be adventurous and willing to take risks! So….here I go! The weather is not necessarily permitting but this snow is not going anywhere anytime soon. I decided to incorporate a little velvet (velour), fur, leather AND of course, snow! Please let me know what you think of my first fashion post/ootd! Peace!

P.S. I was an event for The Lip Bar.
(Blog post on the event will be up Monday).

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Stylewatch: Minimalist Jewelry

For most of the country, we could care less about showing off any form of jewelry. It is so frigid outside, the only accessories we care about wearing consist of scarves, hats, gloves/mittens and any other piece that can keep us warm. Welp, there is nothing wrong with preparing for warmer months when we can actually see one accessory in particular: jewelry.

Knuckle Rings, toe rings, slave bracelets, anklets, chokers and such are of some of my fave pieces of jewelry. The most growing popular trend is the minimalist trend. With all the various fashion trends that are emerging this year in the spring and summer season, most involve plenty of detail that beg for only simplistic style of jewelry. Never over-power an already decorated outfit with excessive jewelry, accessories nor shoes. Doing so takes away from the look. No need to paint the peacock right? In fact, even the most basic outfit looks a bit classier with dainty jewelry. Remember, minimalist can mean both the style of jewelry (less gaudy) and the amount of jewelry worn.

Celebs are rocking the minimalist jewelry trend as I have noticed in recently red carpet events and runways are putting less gaudy jewelry and accessories on display. Check out the pics of my teeny tiny haul of minimalist jewelry below and let me know what you think. Ciao!

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Fall Makeup Shopping & Trends

Autumn happens to be my absolute favorite season and when I see the red, berry and plum lips colors I get excited! One trend that is sexier than ever for the fall are nude lips and nude eyes. I still am quite obsessed with berries, plums and red for lip color. I’ve done some shopping and posted pics below of my haulage. Some old goodies and some new finds of newly released collections are all mixed in. Have you played in makeup lately? Have you made any good beauty purchases? If so, share what you got…I may be inclined to purchase based on your suggestions! Lol.