Bag of the month:

Given my penchant for wearing blue these days, you have seen a lot of this little bag. I bought it after last Thanksgiving and have been carrying it almost nonstop!
It is called "Jane Leather Crossbody Bag, in Sapphire" and is from Badgley Mischka. Made of saffiano leather, it's a bit stiff. The shoulder strap is adjustable, removable and the logo can be detached too. It measures 6"H x 8"W x 3"H and has two small compartments inside of the fabric lining.
Yes, it's kind of tiny so I am forced to minimize the stuff I carry when using this bag. All in all, a pretty little bag which I'm happy to own!

Ballet beautiful

For watching a ballet performance of "Cinderella", I wanted to be dressed nicely but not too dramatic. This one definitely wasn't "Swan Lake" by a Russian Ballet troop but still demanding a bit of formality.
There comes in a trusty black dress and my default gold accessories. I styled my hair into a big ballerina bun, acknowledging the talented performers.

Creamy prints

This is not a particularly innovative or inspired outfit. It's simple but for a hot day (99 degree, darn it!) this was a cool and convenient outfit. Sometimes that's all it matters, no?

Ladies' lunch

These days, lunch dates with friends are almost nonexistent due to busy lives. So when one happens I treasure it!
No, this was not supposed to be a blue and white outfit... or even a blue outfit. The multicolored top was the focus, so let's pretend it's all about that top!

Laced and perforated

Deciding on not wearing blue and white might sound good in theory but when standing in your closet and all you can see (not really, just a mind trick, I'm sure) is blue and white, there might be a problem. I walked out of my closet, took a deep breath, went back in and grabbed the first items my hands landed on. It worked out OK!

For the sake of a print

I'm trying not to wear blue or white. Let's see how successful I'll be this week. So the first outfit is going to be green and tan, just because the pants' print says so!

Personal style: focal point

Imagine entering an event (a black tie party, a concert, a gala) in a beautiful designer gown (or cocktail dress) of silk chiffon and guipure lace in black, wearing a pair of jet beaded Christian Louboutin's and carrying a black Bottega Veneta knot clutch. What do people see? A woman dressed all in black. The average person spends only 3-5 seconds evaluating another person (something to keep in mind for job interviews) and usually doesn't see the subtle details. That means as beautiful, expensive and tasteful as your outfit is; it takes a 30 minutes intense looking at you for everyone else  to notice the details of your outfit.
If that's your style, then enjoy your beautiful tasteful elegant outfit.
But if you want to be noticde in a sea of other black wearing women, your outfit needs a focal point, something to draw the eyes of others and hold it. For our scenario, I suggest four different focal points as shown is the picture. I used gold accessories with black because that's my preference. You can pick silver, champagne, pink, red, leopard, white, blue, green,.... anything you like, EXCEPT BLACK... I repeat: NO BLACK!
1-Adding a statement necklace
Or 2-Adding a contrasting belt if the style of your dress allows it.
Or 3-Carrying a colorful or ornate or eye-catching clutch or handbag.
Or 4-wearing statement earrings.
Did you noticed the "OR" before each number? That's the whole point of having a focal point! Just one item for observers to focus on. NO more than one, really!

A closer look at the accessories:

The bijou:

The belts and bags:

Now, go out and have a great night!



Blue is for birthday

One of my little playmates turned four recently and we had a blast celebrating her birthday. I wore blue to her party although her favorite color is pink. She said she liked my outfit so all was good!

Railroad jacket

I fell in love with this railroad stripe jacket. What's not to like? Navy and white stripes, unusual cut, those grommet details... and I repeat stripes!!! If you haven't noticed I do love meself some stripes!
So... another blue and white outfit? Who cares, just look at that jacket!

Creamy textures

Although monochrome in first glance, this outfit was amazingly made of contrasts. The textural contrast: perforated pebbled leather, the diamond texture of skirt, the two finishes of the shoes, the almost invisible caviar texture of moto jacket. On the other hand it was a play between ultra feminine (midi skirt, girly bag) and the tough woman (snake print and moto jacket). Such a deep thought-provoking outfit!
Oh no, I usually don't think a lot about the message my outfit is conveying while getting dressed. These all comes to me after wearing the outfit!

Inky blue

Yes, as of the day before, still adoring jacket and pants combo. I am like a little kid, as soon as I buy something I look for an excuse to wear it... case in point: these inky blue cropped cotton pants. The fit is so perfect! The color... oh my gosh, the color... Blame the geeky student in me but the color is the exact blue of old fashioned Bic pens. I saw the color and instantly came up with 34 reasons why I should own these pants! Least of those being I can't seemingly stop wearing blue and white combos!!!

Mixing spruce and gray

I love a jeans and blazer outfit... no, make that "it's my ideal outfit". Good thing the nights are still cool enough to wear this soft jacket. To make it casual for a stroll and fastfood dinner, just add sneakers!

What I liked this month:

-Estee lauder pure color envy sculpting lipsticks. Thanks to my friend for gifting me a set of four colors. I've fallen in love with the intense colors and creamy texture of these lipsticks.
-Red bikinis. My body may still not be ready for pool season but I can prepare my wardrobe, right?! Plus, my new theory is: if your swimsuit is cute enough, no one would look at your muffin top!
-A white perforated leather bag. Looking for something smallish in size. But the style of the bag is not important as much as the feel of the bag. I want something summery and happy!

Colorful flowers

I couldn't let this cool weather passes without pairing my leather skirt with this floral bomber jacket. I just had to, you know!

Colors in the rain

If nature thought a whole day of rain can stop me from wearing eye-catching colors, she was sourly disappointed! In addition to my plaid coat and plaid bag, I wore my poppy red lip color cheerfully!

Colored dots

This abstract brushstroke silk tee with its multicolored dots is easy to match with almost any bottoms. But I like black the best, specifically a silky pair of black joggers. Comfortable but also pulled together...and I tried to repeat the dot motif throughout the outfit but the leo print tote was a mistake.
In total honesty, I needed something roomy!

Colorful extras

A softer (and much less eye-catching) way of wearing multiple colors in the same outfit is going for accessories. By making sure each piece shares a couple of dominant colors, we can create a coherent outfit.

Spring colors

I love colors but when the weather heats up you find me in mostly whites and blues... or monochromes. This time I've decided to indulge in color... hence finally wearing this cute silk top from Kate Spade Saturday. Amazingly it goes great with my hard to match Pilcro Stet Chinos from Anthropologie.
Be advised: Despite the photos and the name of the color (Honey), these chinos are more of dirty greenish mustard color in real life. But the fit, the fit is perfect!

Midnight blue

The temperature officially went above 90 degree which to  me means skirt season! I celebrated this fact by wearing this old sailor denim skirt. The denim fabric is too heavy and the cut too form fitting for warmer temps but... yeah, I'd missed it!

Floral blue

Stylish, simple, comfortable... and most importantly easy to put together outfit for a day of above 90 degrees temp. That top is sheer silk chiffon and the pants are lyocell-linen mix. Great fabrics for hot temperatures!

Indigo blue

A relaxed and comfortable outfit for a little stroll around downtown and a burger dinner. Sometimes you want to crawl into your cave and not come out. My cozy striped cardigan was the equivalent of that crawl!

Western blue

The 13th of the new year is a time for a traditional picnic with family and friends. It's a happy time, emphasizing the importance of nature. It usually coincides with April's first!
My vibe for this year's picnic was a bit western. I blame the wide leg cropped jeans.

Deep blue

Navy is my power color. In the form of indigo, it is also comforting. These days I need both apparently.
...and no, I'm not saying anything about the square patterns!

Personal style: Bijou

One of the major breakthroughs in developing personal style is being honest with oneself. Case in point, loving the idea of an item or a style of clothing but never wearing it (or being very uncomfortable wearing it). I discovered my problem with skirts after years and years of buying and storing skirts. Now with that insight to draw upon, I have identified another fantasy item in my closet, something much more costly than skirts. Drumroll please... I give you: bracelets. I have a nice collection of bangles and bracelets, both costume and fine, which I rarely wear. The proof? Look at the outfits in this front page alone. Do you see any bracelet? Yeah! Well, I have decided to stop buying them entirely. I also try to incorporate those that I own in more of my outfits.
Since we are being honest here, I confess to developing problems with rings too. I blame the heat of Arizona. It makes me want to take of anything confining or unnecessary.
What am I still wearing? Necklaces and earrings. Now these are the pieces I have to invest in. They make me happy. Current trends? Hoop earrings, statement shoulder grazing earrings and multi layer necklaces.

Casual blush

No casual Friday is complete without an equally casual outfit. However our weather cooled down and clouds and winds started to show up and it all made wearing a coat unavoidable. Good thing I still haven't packed away some of my winter coats!
Also, I could have titled this post "Cloudy blush" and it would have been more accurate!