(Winter) Wardrobe: Vacation Anyone?

On Saturday in Des Moines it was in the upper 50's for weather. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday is was barely above freezing. Literally, barely above freezing with negative wind chills. Now, normally I'm a solid four season kind of gal, I even like winter--wearing layers, boots, snow even. But this cold is about 20 degrees too cold and my chilly toes are craving a nice warm spot somewhere with a margarita accompanied by a good book under the shade of a floppy hat. Is anyone else with me?

Here's what I'd pack for my (imaginary) tropical getaway.

Rare London bandeau dress, $24 / Rebecca Taylor silk top / H&M jumper sweater, $24 / Witchery slim jeans, $53 / Aaiko white shorts, $40 / J.Crew underwire bandeau bikini / J.Crew beach bikini / Superga lace up shoes / Vince Camuto buckle shoes / Kate Spade / J.Crew flower jewelry / Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses / Floppy hat, $150

Wedding Wednesday: Jessica Alba Inspired.

What's that you say? How could Jessica Alba possibly inspire wedding things? 

Well, there are so many ways! 

I'm willing to admit that I think I have a definite girl crush on Jessica Alba but its only because of her fabulous hair, perfect style and all the super solid causes she works for. 

But, back to the wedding. Wedding wise I find two of my bff Jessica's looks super inspiring,

The first is her look from the 2012 Golden Globes, specifically her hair. It is the perfect mix of natural and loose while still being put together. 

The second look that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE is her Golden Globes look from this year! 

That's right that stunning peach, super glam perfection.

I'm in love with the shape of her dress and the way it's styled. Wedding wise, I'm loving the statement necklace but also the timelessness of the sparkle. Is that a thing? Timeless sparkle. I'm saying yes. And I'm also pretty serious about at least  exploring less expensive options for a possible wedding accessory. 

Tumblr Tuesday

sometimes we all need a little reminder.

oh weather. 

can you get more casual glam than faux fur and a top knot? I don't think so. 

check out Heather Hearts: Serendipity for more tumblr fun!

What I'm Loving: Marvelous Mint.

Surprise! Pastels are in for spring. I bet you would've never guessed.

Mint has always been one of my favorite favorite colors to wear and use in projects or around the house and I am so excited that it is (again?) one of the seasons on trend favorites. 

Currently I have a mint cardi in my online shopping cart at J.Crew just asking for me to buy it, and a v neck pullover on the brain over at J.Crew Factory.

(so much temptation!)

I'm loving the idea of taking the monochromatic trend to a mint level, if you know what I mean; mint scarves, mint sweaters, mint tops, mint shoes, mint jewelry, mint everything!

Here are some of my favorite Mint things to help inspire you into spring:

PS: if you find yourself craving more mint check out my new Marvelous Mint Pinterest Board!

Wedding: Black & Gold, an adjustment.

I have this theory that the internet, Pinterest and even blogs aren't always the greatest thing.

What's that you say? How could I say such a thing?

Just wait a minute, sometimes maybe all of these photos and videos and collages of marvelous gorgeous things can inspire us, and sometimes I think they can make us dissatisfied with what we have and what is within our means.  I came to this conclusion because of chair covers and color schemes. Yes, I just said chair covers. 

I had in my head this vision of ivory, cream, white and gold for my wedding, but everywhere you go the chairs are dark (and reasonably so). But really you can't have dark chairs with this vision in my head so everyone says rent chairs! chair covers! Except, with a wedding on a budget are chair covers really where you want your money to go? For me, the answer is probably no. So maybe I just needed a vision adjustment. 

So, here is my vision adjustment. And I'm actually really starting to love it love it. 

If we start with a black table cloth base then the chairs already in the/most spaces will blend. 

From there we could add creative and fun gold elements like place mats, name cards, candlesticks and even glitter or confetti. We can also mix in the white/ivory/cream florals and wha-la! we have a whole new concept. I'm even starting to think this fits more/better with the concept of jewel toned bridesmaids dresses and a winter/just after new years wedding.

What are your thoughts? Do you love or hate this black and gold concept? 

I think I'm loving it!

What I'm Loving!

Here's a few of my favorites from around the interwebs and blogosphere recently. 

Check 'em out!

1. These Citrus Margaritas from Iowa Girl Eats Friday Favorites look just perfect, don't they?

2. Jennifer Lawrence's Golden Globe Hair. I'd say this is totally wedding worthy.  

3. These Nordstrom's Friendship bow bracelets. I'm in love.

4. These Limited Edition Word TShirts from Manifesto are simply marvelous. and I love how Jessie from Style and Pepper styled hers.

5. This gold polka dot vase from Bradley, of Luella and June's apartment. I also love the bright pop of color from those flowers. 

6. This Black and White striped skirt from Banana Republic is perfect. Perfect I tell you, Perfect.

Thanks for reading! Come back soon! 

Shoe of the Week: Growing Up?

 

Do you know what a business casual work environment means for this young style blogger?

An excuse to buy new shoes of course!

After four years of college life, and 21 years of not grown-up life, making that grown up transition in my wardrobe is definitely a challenging process. I still want to dress in a young and stylish way but I also need to be taken seriously. So after wearing my bright pink loafers with my dress pants this week (whoops!) and after realizing that my bar-flats are not also business flats (whoops x2!) I decided it was time to invest in some chic, professional but still stylish and certainly not boring, brown flats.

Brown (and not awful) flats are kind of hard to come by, I discovered this week. So I resorted back to my online shopping ways and hit up Sole Society.

I found these beauties , the Martine and new I had a winner. Wearable with jeans, skirts and yes the dress pant. I just love the look of a pointy-toe flat with dress pants, when something works, it just works. You can check out these and other Sole Society Beauties here!



image via Sole Society

PS: If you want a snazzy discount, use the code in this link  before this weekend is over!

Tumblr Tuesday!

It's back! Tumblr Tuesday, sorry it's been away for so long!

auto reblog all Mumford & Sons.

a little sparkle goes a long way. 

YUMMMMMMM.

Don't forget to check out Heather Hearts: Serendipity for more fun!

Winter Wardrobe: Yellow.

Winter can be rough for style. I mean really rough. It gets cold, (at least in the Midwest) and it's like when the cold comes all motivation to look nice or cute or stylish just flies out the window in favor of a cozy sweatshirt. While I think it's important to have your cozy sweatshirt days it's also a good idea to mix things up and keep your wardrobe fresh. 

I fervently believe that you color is not exclusive to spring and summer but should be worn year round, just in different ways. 

Here's a little inspiration to put some sunshine back into your wardrobe.

Inspiration via Go Chic or Go Home

Photo

To keep this sunshine-y color from shining too bright, tone it down with warm neutrals like tan and brown, but mix in a little rule-breaking black to keep things interesting. 

J.Crew j crew, $150 / Max Studio hand knit sweater / J.Crew knit sweater / Giada Forte knit sweater, $300 / J Brand / 3.1 Phillip Lim silk skirt / GAP knit tight / Frye knee high leather boots, $485 / rag & bone studded heels, $555 / Chinese Laundry flat heel boots, $110 / Coach leather handbag / Julie Tuton Jewelry filigree jewelry / Kate Spade earrings / Topshop / H&M , $9.61 / Burberry

Winter Wardrobe: a winter look.

just a few of my more recent faves...

Polka dot shirt / J.Crew pea coat / AG Adriano Goldschmied / J.Crew j crew / Coach cross body handbag / Asprey diamond stud earrings, $21,685 / Butter London nail polish

I'm loving the shape of these Coach totes (and in SO many colors!) so you might be seeing them more frequently around the blog :)

Winter Wardrobe: a lesson in layering.

If you ask me, layering is the key to making it through the long winter months in style and happiness. When you layer not only do you get to wear some of your favorite pieces year round, but you also get to stay warm and cozy in the winter wind.

Even though it's winter patterns, prints and vibrant colors are still stylin' so here are a couple of my favorite ways to layer up for the chilly months ahead.

J.Crew j crew sweater / Black blouse / Uniqlo crewneck sweater, $96 / Current/Elliott corduroy jeans / AG Adriano Goldschmied denim skinny jeans / Lanvin knee high leather boots / Marc by Marc Jacobs hobo handbag / Coach leather handbag / J.Crew necklace / Kate Spade stud earrings

Shoe of the Week! Shearling Bridal Booties

Guys, I'm really really sorry there hasn't been a shoe of the week for so long (November 30th...whoops!).

With the end of the semester and the holidays and wedding planning things have been busy!

But never fear! Shoe of the Week is back! and looking rather fabulous if I do say so myself.

This week shoe is brought to us from the marvelous minds at Martha Stewart Weddings.

Jennifer, a Vermont Bride wore these chic and cozy shearling booties with pink laces while taking outdoor photos for her wedding! 

Needless to say this winter-wedding-loving-gal is totally smitten with that idea and these booties!

Image Source

You can check out the rest of Jennifer and Tyler's lovely Vermont Soiree in the most recent issue of Marth Stewart Weddings or at MarthaStewartWeddings.com, here.

You can also find more of my favorite boots and booties here!

Winter Wardrobe: Florals

Here we are in the heart of January and it seems like everyone is already dreaming of spring. One slid on the ice or morning where you have to dig your car out of the snow and no one wants winter anymore. I think that it's probably still a little too early for spring spring clothes but you can incorporate hints of spring into your wardrobe! This inspiration photo is one of my favorites floating around Pinterest. The concept of a darker floral doesn't seem that new and exciting but I love how fresh it looks. 

Tone down the sweetness of the florals with more winter-y and classic but edgy elements like a leather jacket or black skinnies. 

Inspiration: 

And here's how you can put this trend into the mix with your winter wardrobe:

Peter pan dress / H&M jumper sweater, $24 / Old Navy short sleeve shirt / A|Wear floral top, $56 / Dorothy Perkins biker jacket / Studded jacket / Dorothy Perkins black skinny jeans / Monsoon floral print skirt / Zara black pantyhose / A|X Armani Exchange nylon stocking / Chinese Laundry flat heel boots, $110 / Sam Edelman flat boots / Platform boots, $320 / Coach genuine leather handbag / Black shoulder bag, $155 / Tommy Hilfiger floral scarve, $72

Wedding (Wednesday): shades of Plum, Sangria & Gold.

So last week I posted about some Wedding Color Inspiration with Emerald, Gold & Blush. But I have to admit, I have abother color inspiration crush. I'm pretty sure that I've narrowed the options for our wedding down to these two combos but now I'm feeling very torn.

This combo of Golds, Blush and Ivory Florals, and shades of Plum and Sangria is more reflective of my orginal idea for our Winter Wedding. I love the idea of having all the bridesmaids wear the same dress (long chiffon anyone?) but have them wear a few similar shades.

I think this works really well with shades of purples and blues as well as in pastels for spring.

For my own wedding I would love to take this idea and use it with shades of plum, sangria and cranberry.

What are your thoughts? Would you do different shades of bridesmaids dresses?

Wedding: Bridesmaid Chic.

Picking the right anything for your wedding can get a little overwhelming at times, but I think it's especially important to pick the right style for your bridesmaids. 

Not only do you want the right color, length, style and shape but you want your girls to look great! 

Here are some of my favorite bridesmaids looks:

Wedding (Wednesday): Color Inspiration.

As you guys already know I've been really loving the idea of using metallics (gold, silver, copper) and soft pinks as a part of a winter wedding color scheme. And I also really loved the idea of throwing a rich burgundy or wine color into the mix as well. But lately I've been falling for the Color of the Year, Emerald. 

Sometimes I think green can be really awkward in weddings, too much isn't always good. But I really love the idea of pairing a bold emerald hue with soft pinks and a little bit of glitter gold. 

What do you think? 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Curly Haired Chronicles! 

I wish you all the best in 2013 and hope you continue to follow the fun here on the blog!