My love for chunky knits

So cozy--so pretty!

Rachel Bilson's chunky knit can't go wrong when paired with a pair of slouchy jeans-- perfect for a casual winter look

This chunky scarf is not only in style, but can keep you warm at the same. Who says fashion cannot be practical?

Adding of the belt to this chunky knit is unexpected, but definitely worth trying.

Love the overall look--very French!

5 simple ways to dress up your denim!!

1. Choose a boot-cut style (preferably darker wash) and pair it with a button down shirt or simply a blazer.

2. Choose a darker skinny denim and pair it up with a boyfriend blazer (choose various colors available) and a pair of sky high pumps to go with it. Necklaces are optional.

3. For a chic style, opt for a sequin blazer. When wearing one, choose a pair of skinny denim. You can definitely play with colors when it comes to picking a sequin blazer. The options are limitless.

4. I like how Zoe has chosen a pair of skinny denim with a nice fitting structured blazer that hits her waist. A blazer that hits your waist when paired with a pair of skinny jeans will elongate your overall look by giving you that slimming effect.

5. Another way to dress up your denim is by pairing it with a darker colored top and darker colored shoes. Add accessories like a scarf, a  headband or even  a nice long necklace to spice up your overall look.    

Holiday Style Guide

The holiday season is upon us which means:A lot of holiday parties to attend. As your winter calendar is getting filled up with holiday parties and holiday events, the quest to find that perfect "holiday-dress" is getting more difficult. With so many dresses to choose from, it is no exaggeration to say that the pressure to look good and festive can get stressful.

So, with that in mind, I came up with this trendy guide for my readers to help them find that perfect holiday dress that is festive and elegant at the same time. After all, we all deserve to look good!

1) Lace and ruffles are definitely making a huge comeback this season. So, wearing a dress with lacy details, sheer panels and well-placed ruffles can add that dramatic effect for your holiday parties. Don't be afraid to bring out the romantic damsel in you. When picking out a dress of such nature, keep it fresh and figure-flattering. The key is to look beautiful without trying too much. Therefore, keep your accessories minimal or simple.

My favorite Vintage Floral lacy dress from Ann Taylor-Ann Taylor
Lacy dresses are perfect with black tights and black pumps.

2) Black is that one color that can be worn all year around. However, when appearing for holiday parties, add a little hint of gold, some glitters and red to make it holiday ready. Try not to look too serious in a black dress for these parties. Play with some colors by adding a hint of your personality.

This dress from thisnext.com is so refreshing and so me.
Perfect for holiday parties.

3) Thinking about a fashionable entrance to wow the crowd? Then, go for a metallic dress in gold and silver. Look for eye-catching details to help define your waistline. When wearing a metallic dress, keep your makeup subtle because too much of makeup can downplay the dress. So, go soft on your overall look when choosing metallics.

This Christian Siriano's Metallic Dress is my personal favorite. Perfect for the holiday parties.
I would probably wear this dress or something with a similar style with my favorite black blazer.
For more info, visit renttherunway.com

4) Have you thought about stepping outside of your box this holiday season? Well, pick a dress that is vibrant, colorful and simply you. I personally love colors like purple, burgundy, green and blue. Think unique styles when choosing a dress in a vibrant color. Don't be afraid to embrace ruffles, drapes and pleats. You won't regret!

I love the color blue on her.
I like how she added an unexpected twist to the dress by opting for a yellow purse and a pair of purple pumps.
For holiday parties, you can add a pair of black tights and black cardigan or even a purple cardigan (as the same hue of the shoes) to look less done.
For more info, visit fabsugar. com

5) Another style that is currently popular is a sequin dress. Celebrities like Christina Aguilera,Camilla Belle and Molly Sims are one of the few celebrities who have shared their love for this style on various red carpet events. When choosing a sequin dress, avoid looking over-the-top. The subtle you are- the better.

Love this dress- love the cut, love the design, and love the color.
Try not to add too many colors to a dress like this. Think "monochromatic" when wearing a sequin dress.
For more info, visit moxiefashionista.blogspot.com

Headbands are here to stay...

Headbands are definitely creating some major buzz this year and looks like they will definitely transition into 2011.

The right kind of headband will complete your outfit, whereas the wrong one can definitely spoil it. Therefore, I advise to keep certain things in mind when looking for one:

1)    What’s your personal taste? (classic, trendy, bohemian or you like to make bold statements)

2)    What’s the occasion?

3)    Is price a factor? (I personally don’t believe in spending 50$ on a hairband. The maximum one should spend is probably 20 $)

4)   What’s the length of your hair? (headbands usually look good on short to medium size hair, but that does not mean people with long hairs cannot wear them- it depends how you wear/style them)

5)  Are you planning on emphasizing your headband when you walk into a room or are you simply adding the headband as an accent? (if your headband is an attention-getter, then go subtle on your outfit)

Classic

If you’re a classic person with an uptown personality, then I’d stick with basic silk headbands in various colors- like black, blue, pink, beige, etc.

You can also try headbands that have embellishments on them for an evening get together. Don’t be afraid to try on bright colors in various shapes and forms.

Try stores like Claire, Forever 21, New York and Company and Charlotte Russe when choosing one.

Bohemian

If you are more into boho fashion, try headbands that are thin that fall onto your forehead. Wear these headbands with your hair down and wavy. Celebrities like Nicole Ritchie and Vanessa Hudgens are huge fans of such headbands.

You can wear thin headbands on your forehead to emulate the bohemian look. Your local drugstores like Walgreens and even Walmart will carry them in various colors. If you’re looking for trendier ones, try Etsy.com. (headbands in Etsy are little pricey, but definitely unique), Urban Outfitters, Anthro etc.

Trendy

If you are a trendy person, who does not mind experimenting with the current trend, I would definitely suggest getting styles that are different and may be in more than just one style. Peacock themed headbands are definitely trendy and work for all hairstyles.

You can get these headbands at stores like Claire and Charlotte Russe for a cheap price.

Risk taker

If you are bold like Blair Waldorf from the show Gossip Girls, then go ahead and have fun with headbands that scream: attention!!

When wearing such headbands, keep your makeup and outfit simple and subtle. Even when you’re wearing these dramatic headbands, the key is to still look presentable. Therefore, don’t over accessorize…

Usually huge funky flower headbands work great on people who are not afraid to be bold and daring with their styles. You can find these headbands at stores like Wal-Mart and Forever 21. Or, simply go to a craft store and buy one of these flowers and stick them on a thin headband.

Olivia Palermo for Mango Winter Campaign

Guess what? Mango has released their new winter catalog and it doesn't surprise me that Olivia Palermo and her model boyfriend, Johannes Huebl have been chosen to campaign for it. Obviously, the chemistry between them is great and they both never fail to look spectacular together on red carpet events.

Recently, Olivia who is a socialite and a buddingTV star from the reality show, 'The City' has been getting a lot of  buzz from the fashion industry for her unique style and taste. When it comes to fashion, she has a way of mixing unexpected prints and style together and still making it work on the red carpet.

Her effortless style combined with an uptown feel makes her a perfect pick for Mango Winter Campaign.

Meet the future queen of England

My Tuesday morning started like any other mornings until my friend sent me a text message on my phone rearding the news announcement on the engagement between Prince William and Kate Middleton.  I had always admired Kate’s style, but it wasn’t until this very morning that I felt this strong urge to write a blog entry on this future queen of England.

The name Kate Middleton is not anonymous to people or to fashion industry in particular. She has been receiving widespread media attention for not just dating the most desired bachelor out there, but it is her impeccable style and graceful presence that has caught the attention of fashion industry. As a result, this fresh-faced beauty has been featured numerous times in fashion magazines across the globe for being an embodiment of true elegance and style.

To me, Kate’s style is very understated, yet very refined. She knows what looks good on her and is not afraid to mix high-end style with street fashion. It would be no exaggeration to call her a poster child for European version of preppiness. She manifests her love for Euro-preppiness by opting for items such as structured blazers, pea coats, polo necks, hats, riding boots, loafers, cable-nit cashmere sweaters etc.

May be it is her elegance combined with a dose of preppiness that makes her my favorite "it"girl for November.

Trend alert: Embrace the nerdiness!!!

Who would have thought that nerdy glasses that you hated and made fun of back in the days would make such a huge fashion come back? It seems like the nerd appeal is making a bold statement in the fashion industry and the look has been highly embraced by everyday people. And, let's not forget celebs like Scarlet Johanson, JT, Jay-Z are seen parading this look even on red carpet events.

Think you can sport this look? Well, stores like Urban Outfitters, Anthro, and even Hot Topic are selling these glasses for a fairly reasonable price- so no need to break your bank for it.

You can pair these glasses with a wide range of clothes from casual floral dresses to skirts and jeans (depending upon your mood and personality).

Have fun and when you're wearing one- please don't take yourself too seriously!!!

stay fashionable. stay connected.

Lanvin For H&M: Am I hearing this right?

Creative exploration

 

Fashion has no boundaries and limitations. It can be expressed in many different ways and creative forms. It is not only limited to tangible items and goods. As Coco Chanel once observed, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only; fashion is something in the air. It’s the wind that blows in the new fashion; you feel it coming, you smell it ... in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

Fashion, in that sense has been able to provide a creative platform for artists and designers all across the world to demonstrate their imagination and connect with their audience physically and virtually. In a similar manner, after stumbling upon artwork of Ju Duoqi (a Chinese artist who won the first Prize of Art Creativity category during China International Ecosystem Photography Festival), in creating the vegetable art masterpieces to bring art and life together inspired me to look at fashion through a different angle and rekindled and regenerated my sense of wonder at the same time.

For more information, visit  http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/ju-duoqi-the-queen-of-vegetable-art.html

Meet Jameela Jamil

With a name like “Jameela Jamil,” you can never go wrong. Recently, I came across this British beauty in a fashion magazine and I was completely in awe of her style. This dark-eyed ex-model, who is also the host of Britain's Freshly Squeezed and T4 presenter has an impeccable sense of style and is not afraid to experiment with her quirky personality.

May be it's her unexpected style, fierceness blended with her exotic Indian roots and London upbringing that makes her an upcoming hip “it girl” for street fashion.

Style guide for young male professionals

After few requests from my male friends to come up with a blog entry on style guide for young male professionals, I finally did some research on current fashion trends for men and used my own knowledge based on fashion and style to come up with this style guide. Hope this helps!

When it comes to fashion and style, no man should ever say, “I don't have one.” Developing a sense of style is important no matter what gender and background you come from. There is no denial that there is something about a put-together man in his clean crisp suit that makes him look powerful on a subconscious level.

While there are different industries and businesses that people work in, when it comes to dressing up for a professional environment, it really depends on the environment of the office you work for. Another important thing to keep in mind is your body frame and structure. Your clothes should represent you and it shouldn’t overwhelm you. For example, if you are an average built man (neither tall, nor short; neither heavy, nor too thin) - you can get by with a lot of things. However, if you are a tall man- horizontal lines and stripes look good, but make sure that your stripes are spaced farther apart from each other.

Here is a guide to follow when it comes to dressing up:

Short Man- A short man should avoid horizontal lines period. It will make them even shorter.  Thin vertical lines work the best for men of this stature. Solid dark colors can create a slimming effect while light colors can do the opposite. Therefore, it’s important to keep the colors and texture in mind when choosing clothes.

Heavy Man- Firm-fitting clothes do not compliment men of this built- it will only make them look heavier. The trick is to find darker colored clothes in vertical lines- which give the illusion of thinner silhouette. Make sure the pants are worn higher than the hips to avoid the midsection area from looking even larger. Layering clothes will work best for men with this stature.

Thin man- A thin man should absolutely avoid vertical lines. He should explore horizontal lines and fabrics such as tweeds and plaids. Too slim of a cut can make a thin man look even thinner- therefore, try avoiding clothes in that respect.

Muscular man- A man with heavier muscles should avoid tighter clothing. He can still find clothes that are well tailored, but have ample amount of room at the same time. A man with this built should focus more on accentuating their lower body vs their upper body. Suit coats, sports coat, and most shirts should be tailored to follow the 'v-shape' of the torso on the muscular physique. A muscular man should go for darker colors to strike a balance.

Lean muscular man- A lean muscular man should avoid wearing baggy clothes. Someone with this stature should find clothes that are structured and well-tailored to accentuate their overall look. V-neck styles work the best for men with such figures. Dark blue, black, beige, brown are some of the basic colors that look good on these men.

Some classic, timeless pieces every young professional should have in their wardrobe

1.   A classic suit- A black suit is always in fashion no matter what. However, you can never go wrong with grey, tan and dark blue suits either. Make sure your suit is well tailored and fits you perfect. There is no excuse for looking frumpy in your suit. A well tailored and a classic suit can make you look powerful and confident at the same time.

 

This look is perfect for an office environment that calls for professionalism, but not too formal



Single-breasted suits are more trendy and popular among young professionals

2.   White dress shirt- Every man irrespective of their age should own couple of white shirts. A classic white shirt goes with every suit, with a nice dress pants or with jeans for a casual Friday. You can choose a white shirt in various details and textures. Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore.

3.   Dress pant- A dress pant is a capsule piece for any wardrobe. It can work for a day at an office or for a formal dinner. A solid black dress pant is a MUST have item. However, if you would like to own more than one dress pant- you can definitely try colors like grey, tan or even brown.

4.   Sport Coat/Blazer- A good sport coat or a blazer is definitely an investment. You can wear this on top of a dress pant for professional meetings and seminars, while you can pull this blazer with a pair of khaki for a networking event or even with a pair of denim for a night out with friends. This is an item that cannot go wrong because it falls under that middle ground between being very formal and wearing a suit and being casual and wearing a sweater.

A classic sport coat works for a lot of ocassions

This look can work for Fridays at work or even during the weekends
the trick in looking good is- use one color (preferably darker color) as your base color and add accent colors to give a contrast like the mustard colored V-neck cardigan

5.   Jeans- A professional man should at least have two pairs of denim in his wardrobe. Darker denims work for an office look on Fridays, while a lighter denim is perfect for weekends. A darker washed denim is flattering on most people and can make a person look taller and can give a person the slimming effect, while lighter denims have that “cool-vibe” and work great for a dinner-get together or a happy-hour during the weekend.

The darker denim witha  sport coat is great if you don't want to look too formal, yet look classy and bold

See how a lighter denim works great for a casual look.



6.    T-Shirt- Even though the power and versatility of t-shirts are often overlooked by most people, I think that owning few nice quality t-shirts are very important. It works great inside a sport coat or a blazer and can also be paired with dress pants or jeans. When buying t-shirts, go for solid/basic colors- preferably darker hues.

7.    Tie- A good classic tie can make the overall outfit look great. It is also a form of self-expression. Therefore, have fun with it, but at the same time keep your personality and career in mind. It is not OKAY to come to your job with a polka-dot tie. A classic black silk tie is always in fashion. You can also definitely go for colors like blue, dark brown, beige, silver, and red.

8.    Shoes- A good pair of shoes can either make your outfit or break your outfit. Every young professional should at least own a black pair of leather dress shoes. You can definitely play with designs when it comes to shoes. Here is a quick list of what every young professional should own when it comes to shoes:

·         The sneaker

·         The casual shoe

·          The black dress shoe

·         The brown dress shoe- an acceptable alternative color

·         The ankle boot

9.   Classic Cashmere cardigan/sweater: A V-neck classic cashmere cardigan/sweater not only keeps you warm, but looks great inside a pair of suit or even with a sport coat for a casual day at work. If you’re office is not too traditional and conservative, sometimes a nice classic cashmere sweater can be an alternative to a suit. It also works well with a pair of tie and even with a shirt and khakis/jeans for a casual weekend. You can definitely have some fun in terms of colors and style when it comes to a cashmere sweater. Go for something that works for your personality and lifestyle.

Have fun with colors when picking out cashmere sweaters. They work for casual wears and at the same time work very well for a formal get up

10. Watch- A classic metal watch is a staple piece for a young professional. It can prove a great accent to your overall look. It is one of the most important accessories a man will ever invest. Go for a classic look and avoid too much of design on it.

11.  A cashmere scarf- A good classic black, beige or even a brown scarf can make your fall and winter look sophisticated and professional. A scarf can be worn outside a trench or a suit. A good woolen scarf is the way to go.

12. Trench Coat- A nice classic trench is definitely a great item to invest despite your career backgrounds. Even though a timeless trench is little expensive- it is definitely a "must-have" item for your wardrobe. Camel colors are definitely the way to go when it comes to a trench, but a black one isn’t a bad idea either- if you are more of a classic person.

13. Leather Jacket- When it comes to a leather jacket, either it can give you a professional and a tough attitude or it can make you look like a “biker gone wrong.” Therefore, picking the right leather jacket is tricky. Stick with colors like black and dark brown when buying one. Make sure your leather jackets hits your waist when getting one. The trend of wearing a longer leather jacket is dying out. So, don’t make the mistake of looking like a spy from the 70s.