Tag: how to

Friday Comfort: (Style How To)

Posted on by The Style Cake

Sometimes we have a lot going on in life and we just need a breather. Knowing that, we are drawn to more comfortable clothes to be in more of a relaxed state during stressful periods. Even beyond stress, in warmer weather it might be essential to chase comfort over strict style. But who says you can’t be stylish AND comfortable? 

One thing that is comfortable is a dress. Now of course most people don’t think of a dress being comfortable. The idea of dress sort of links with dressing up. Not so much. If you have a flowy, rather loose fitting or a fit n flare style, it can be pulled off. Maxi dresses can also be cozy. The idea is to wear the dress that doesn’t need constant readjustments and allows you to move freely without restrictions. I opted for a fit n flare dress since I’m a bit bottom heavy. This type of dress doesn’t restrict my body nor show too much if you know what I mean. I feel the comfort of the dress around my waist so I’m not bothered by friction from the fabric. 

When you’re looking for a good fit n flare dress, I suggest looking for one with seams that accentuate your shape or give the illusion of. My shoes are skin tone bit are comfy, although they are heels. I have a pair of flats with the same design if chose to get even more comfy. I added a different toned orange with my clutch to grab the essence of warmth and relaxation. Anyhoo, it’s Friday and I gotta get outta here but check out my pics and let me know what you think! 

Happy Friday!!! 💋

Dress: Old Navy. Shoes: UrbanOg. Clutch: Forever21. Headdress: Purple Love. Arm Candy: Aldo & Layered Chains. Necklace: Aldo Accessories. 

   

   

    
    
    
 
 

The Concept of Color Block

Posted on by The Style Cake

So with the back and forth of warm and cool weather, dressing and planning a look is like playing the guessing game. I like to keep a good coat in my wardrobe in case of style emergencies so I grabbed a trench I had to round out the concept of this look. 

One of the hardest concepts to pull off successfully is color blocking. Why? Well, it’s definitely easy to pile on too many colors and to appear too matcha-matchy. The key to color blocking (for beginners) is building around a color that you want to “pop” or stand out with neutral colors. I would suggest grabbing a color that is your favorite bold color and allow that to take “center stage” while blocking with colors that are absolutely neutral. I say absolutely because nude is neutral however it has “tones” that can be hard to figure out which goes well with your own skin tone. Try starting with black, white, or another primary color. If you are unsure about color blocking, you can also contrast colors for ease of manipulation of color. If you have a question, please ask me! (smile)  I’ll explain more in my pictures….

Later Cupcakes 💋

   

    

    
 

Five Online Shopping Tips 

Posted on by The Style Cake

Frequently, I love to shop online. I mean honestly, how could I not? Let’s discuss the pros: you can shop in pajamas, hold a glass a wine while you shop, comparison shop and best of all, you can find the best coupons and deals. Who doesn’t love relaxation, wine and good deals? Lol! I’d like to offer you a few tips to make your online shopping experience not only more fun but more fruitful. 


1. Always Have a Goal

Sometimes this can be a fairly difficult task if you are emotional shopping. Let’s admit it, we’ve all done some shopping when we were in an emotional state of mind. I’ll be brave enough to admit first then lol. Nevertheless, shopping without a goal can promote over spending leading to buyers remorse and regret later. Who wants to feel bad about shopping? Know what you are looking for also eliminates the frustration of missing out on items that end being out of stock. That’s not fun nor productive is it?

  

2. Always Use Discount Codes

No ifs, ands or buts about it, we all love to get a great deal!! Well, shopping online offers exposure to more deals than in store a lot of times. There are tons of websites that offer promotional codes to save money. Also, signing up for email promotion usually offers the benefit of being the first to know of sales as well as getting “secret” promo codes for a percentage or dollar amount off. Shopping is definitely more fun when you can save! If you can’t find a code to reduce the original price, try searching for codes on social media sites. You’ll be surprised how you can find more ways to save by being social with the company. 

  

3. Cross Reference 

Sometimes it can be difficult finding a particular item. Companies that are resellers may change the “name” of an item on their site to try and create a non-generic “feel” to their site and items for sale. This can make it hard to search for the same item on a different site or a search engine. Look for tag information or the item description that may have the manufactured item name so you can use that information for cross referencing. You will be surprised how this technique can lead you to find an otherwise out-of-stock item! 

  

4. Know Your Measurements 

This is something enough of us are not even aware of but this helps when looking to purchase clothing and shoes. It’s easy to want to avoid this aspect of shopping but it’s vital to having a successful online shopping trip. If you know your measurements, you are less likely to have to make exchanges/returns, you can easily cross reference sizing information across international retailers’ sizing charts. I’ll use myself as an example. I wear a U.S. size 8, 29 (or sometimes 30 because of my hips/thighs/butt) and a medium shirt. Because I know my sizes I can find my measurements and also I know what sizes I wear in european sizing. I also know what size to pick when I have to size up or down depending on the manufacturers admonition. The same goes for shoes in which I wear a 7.5 or 8 (U.S.). 

  
5. Create a Wish List 

Like online window shopping or on a tight budget? Create a wish list! Wish lists help you see exactly what you want in the near future in correlation to availability. Wish lists can even be created on the websites in which you are shopping on for your convenience. You can easily add items from your wish list to your shopping cart! Creating a wish list helps with creating a budget, keeping in mind what you’re looking for as well as maximizes time management. If possible, use old fashioned pen and paper  to be sure you always have your wish list at your convenience. 

  

These five tips should help your shopping trip be productive and fun without any regrets! Do you have any tips? Which of these tips do you think would be most helpful to you?

Later Cupcakes! 💋

Easy Does It…

Posted on by The Style Cake

On Fridays I usually try to incorporate a casual look because most of us are either relax, go grab drinks or can better dress emotionally since we feel so relieved. That being said, I am not relieved that it’s Friday but I’m ready to grab drinks AND relax lol. The downside is that it’s quite cold here (not even 50 degrees) and I’m ready to burst out into color like song lol. I have looks planned out for at least 3 weeks in advance at all times because I’m always creating ideas in my head but I was starting a transition of winter to spring wardrobe. What’s a girl to do? 

Well when life happens, we make the best of it. So I mixed spring and fall wardrobe to create an easy look. I know we’re all ready to hang so I’ll be brief. I needed that “pop of color” so I decided on an all black ensemble with a bright turquoise flare tank. Under the tank I’m wearing an off the shoulder body suit. I know, you couldn’t really see the bodysuit. No worries, you’ll be seeing it in a couple of weeks, (insert winking emoji). My pants are ankle pants. Although considered more of a fall or winter color, the ankle length aspect nibbles at the appeal of spring. I opted for my leopard print Zara booties. They accent my tank AND the black quite nicely, creating balance and cohesion. Being that leopard can be used as a neutral, it doesn’t take away from the boldness of the tank. It actually helps the color to pop. My choker and earrings are easy and simple. That’s the essence of the entire look. How do you dress when you’re trying to be simple but still stylish? 

Happy Friday Cupcakes!!! 

Pants: H&M. Shoes: Zara. Shirt: Urban Outfitters. Tank and Jacket: F21. Necklace: Neon Wild. 

    

   

     

Color Pop!

Posted on by The Style Cake

If you’ve been following me for a little while then you know I am a true fan of color in my wardrobe. In today’s fashion however, for some reason it seems that color is avoided. A lot of people are wearing black only or only muted tones colors. Now don’t get me wrong, I love black. In fact, I wear a lot of black. I’m wearing black with this look today. The thing is, it’s not the only color that makes up my wardrobe. Color truly is your friend when styling. You can find a colorful statement piece that you can build your look around. For a styling newbie, this makes styling a lot easier. Statement pieces can include but are not limited to: necklaces, bracelets, shoes, bags, shirts, pants, skirts and the list can go on and on.

Don’t ever be afraid to grab a bold statement piece for your wardrobe and style around it. In my opinion, searching for those statement pieces helps a person individually define his or hers style. You begin to figure out what colors you’re more drawn to. You also see what patterns you like and if you like patterns at all! These statement pieces allow muted colors to be accents instead of the colors that looks are built around. I will talk more about this in a “how to” coming up but for now, let’s talk my look. 

I decided on this vintage and thrifted collarless blazer. It totally steals the show of this look. The bold colors and abstract print reminded me of an abstract painting in an art gallery. The print is defined by the color black and I wanted to help further define the other colors and print so did so with black pieces. My tank is a simple black one from H&M coupled with my black platform sandals from Fashion Nova. I didn’t want this look to be “dressy” so I opted for jeans. Since the  blazer is so bold, there was no real need for accessories. I didn’t want the look to be junky. Try statement colorful pieces for yourself!! Let me know what you think!! 

Blazer: Thrifted (similar type here). Pants & Shoes: Fashion Nova & (here). Tank: H&M. 


  

 
        

   



How to Tuesdays: Mix Trends into YOUR Style

Posted on by The Style Cake

With Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner being such style icons to so many these days, it’s hard to see what differentiates style from trends and fashion from style. Let me explain. Kim has obviously made a statement regarding her style. I remember the days that she would dress with much of her wardrobe based from stores such as Bebe and Aldo. Now it seems that she dresses in an array of basics in neutral colors. The basics could include (most spandex) midi and maxi skirts/dresses, tanks, tees, cardigans, high waist pants and minimalist jewelry. It seems that everyone has followed in her fashion footsteps (as it were). Most styles that are appreciated are those that incorporate her style which has now become an all out trend. So the question remains, how does one incorporate a trend into his/her own style without losing individuality? How can you avoid being just like everyone else that is following the “style” of one person?

MY DEFINITION OF STYLE: “YOUR personality expressed in what you wear”.

Wardrobe Foundation Basics:

Everyone needs items in their wardrobe that can easily make the basis for a fabulous outfit. These items would include (but are not limited to) tanks, tees (loose and fitted), graphic tees, camisoles, turtlenecks, jeans, pencil skirts and slacks and a pair of leggings.

What Is Your Favorite Color?

We all have that color that we are slightly obsessed with and that we love so much. How many of those colors d you have? What is that color? Decide what that color is and make sure that it is complimentary to your skin tone and that is “your” color. The color will do the job of making sure that your outfit pops and give it that edge in any type of setting or season. For instance, if you love orange, there are various different shades of orange. Bright orange, neon orange, pale orange, etc. Exactly which color shows up best on YOUR skin? you will have to do some comparing. I recommend going to the paint section of your closest big box retailer home improvement store and getting paint color cards for accurate comparison.

Accent Pieces:

Every outfit needs an accent. It’s like the finishing touch that we all need to sort of “top off” a look. You don’t need a lot but having variety is always the spice of life lol. I recommend an infinity scarf, a statement and an understated necklace, pearls, hoop earrings, stud earrings, statement earrings, a hat that you love and some great leg wear (stockings tights). There are other great things that can be used but it’s totally up to you. You can use variances. These are not the only pieces, of course you would possibly need a handbag but sometimes you may not…its totally up to you how you want to present your self.

Trend Shopping:

So these trends come and go and end up back around again decades (or just a few years) later. Do I think that it is not okay to choose an item that is trendy to wear? No, not at all. You will have to shop your trends. Just as you would go in the store and be very picky about what it is to buy, be just as picky on what items you would like to incorporate in your wardrobe. Don’t pick something that you really don’t like just because it is on trend. Make sure that it flatters your body size, shape and height. Fringe skirts may make someone that is under five feet look frumpy (this is just an example not an actual observation) so if this is the case, skip the fringe trend or maybe get a fringe handbag instead. Get it? Hopefully this all makes sense. Lastly, don’t buy anything that you are not DEFINITE about. Some things we see we think “I kinda like that” or “eh, maybe it will look better at home”. Don’t buy it! Don’t buy it just because you saw it on IG or Youtube. It may not flatter your tone, shape and make make you look stumpy.

Midi skirts are not for everyBODY. Some people should stick with maxi or mini while others should stick to midi length clothing or mini lengths. It all depends upon YOU. This means that you will have to do some research. Spend some real time figuring what works for you and play in your closet. I will give some ideas in Part 2. Really basic, but you get the point!

Till next time…bye cupcakes!