New Designer Crush {Vivian Chan}

Have you guys heard of Vivian Chan?  She's a fairly new designer based out of LA and I just recently discovered her and officially fallen in love with every piece of her Spring Collection.  The looks are so feminine and chic and I love the neutral colors (especially that nude color!) which let you focus on the cut and fit of the garment-- which are impeccable, of course.  

 This skirt is my absolute favorite of the collection -- blush color, midi length, and sheerness of the fabric are all completely on trend for spring & summer!

Shop all pieces here!

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Wardrobe Essentials {No. 1. White Button Down}

The best way to wear a white button down ... a la Audrey Hepburn ;)

 Now that I'm officially done with grad school and have entered the professional world for realsies (and will hopefully soon embark on a teaching career)- I figure it's time to quit the habit of shopping at Target and Forever21. Their clothes just don't stand up to the test of time.  Instead, my ideal wardrobe is now one filled with quality staples and classics, things to invest in and ones that I can mix and match to create endless outfits.  The pieces in my closet need to be versatile {i.e. appropriate for work or the weekend depending on how I style them}, they need to last a long while {think many seasons instead of just one}, and they can't break the bank {I mean, come on, I just graduated from grad school, I'm living off of boxed Mac and Cheese!}.  

For the first installment of Wardrobe Essentials we're talking about the classic white button down. 

Why it's an absolute Wardrobe Essential ...

* It's versatile enough to work from 9-5 to a night out to casual weekends!

* It transitions from winter to summer effortlessly

* It's a blank slate to build any outfit from

*White will never go out of style

 Follow along with me on my quest to build my perfect wardrobe-- one staple at a time!

The possibilities are endless ...

Silk Options {High to Low}:

Theory Aqualina B Shirt {$325}

Joie Marlo Blouse {$218}

Equipment Signature Blouse {$208}

J.Crew Silk Pocket Blouse {$138}

Everlane Silk Blouse- no collar {$80}

Everlane Silk Blouse- round collar {$80}

Cotton Options {High to Low}:

Theory Jolyon Luxe Shirt {$245}

Theory Larissa Luxe Stretch Shirt {$215}

Equipment Margaux Shirt {$168}

Thomas Mason x J.Crew Boy Shirt {$148}

Ann Taylor Covered Buttons Shirt {$80}

J.Crew Stretch Perfect Shirt {$72}

Everlane Box Shirt {$55}

What do you guys think-- have a favorite white shirt of your own? How do you wear yours?? 

  

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Splurge. Spend. Save.

Isabel Marant Play Leather Sandals $800

Alexandre Birman Suede Tie Sandals $595

Mango Bow Suede Sandals $120

Happy Monday! While browsing the new arrivals at Mango I found their bow suede sandals-- I couldn't believe how similar they are to the highly coveted (and only affordable if I win the lottery) Isabel Marant sandals!  So sexy! :) 

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Springtime with Boden

Spring is in the air!  Well-- kinda.  Guys, it's raining, raining, not snowing!  So, I was browsing the Boden website this morning looking at some of their new spring arrivals and I fell in love with quite a few looks.  If you haven't heard of Boden before- they're a clothing company based out of London and sell "modern British" apparel for women, men, kids, and babies (so the whole family basically, except the dog!).  Sometimes it's hit or miss with Boden as some of the women's clothing can be a bit too preppy mom for me-- but these looks are simply spot on for this spring/summer!  Floral, polka dots, stripes of course, and a dose of bright hues-- just what the doctor ordered! 

Check out my picks below!

Left column :: navy stripe slingbacks // breton tunic dress // sun hat // yellow sweater // chinos // breton tee // color block cardigan

Right column :: polka dot dress // polka dot slingbacks // cork platforms // audrey sunnies // stripe sweater // papaya long sleeve breton // floral skirt

The mix and match possibilities of these items is endless-- I'm already planning my summer wardrobe in my head-- especially that blue striped tunic dress with the yellow polka dot flats and the floppy hat + sunnies for day and switch out the flats for those sexy red platforms for night! What are your favorites??

Peplum Skirt

images via Atlantic-Pacific, Hallie Daily, Late Afternoon,  Moiology, A Little Dash of Darling, and Fashion Blender

This skirt has been popping up on fashion blogs left and right! 

It's the Premium Pencil Skirt in Scuba with Peplum Hem from ASOS. 

 It comes in :: black, lime, color block (my favorite), light pink, or floral!  I'm probably too short (5'2") to pull this length off so I might try one of these shorter peplum skirts from ASOS- this or this one.

What do you think? Will you try this skirt out this spring? 

Bring it on Spring!

In preparation for better weather just around the corner (wishful thinking) I put together an outfit for spring!  Spring can't be that far off can it?  I mean it's above freezing today so miracles do happen!

I would tuck the blouse into the high-waisted trousers and pull my hair back into a casual french twist (like this) for a look that's appropriate for work.  The low heel on the Coach sandals make them comfortable and wearable all day and the blue-striped trench is practical yet chic for the cool and wet weather of spring (and the sunglasses are wishful thinking for sunshine!) ...

Sister Jane Blouse // Sister Jane Trousers // Gap Trench // Anthropologie sunglasses // Coach Pexton sandals


Think warm thoughts!

Spring/Summer Shoes

A round up of some of my favorite shoes for this spring & summer -- all under $100!!!

Row One :: One // Two // Three // Four // Five

Row Two :: One // Two // Three // Four

Row Three :: One // Two // Three // Four // Five

Row Four :: One // Two // Three // Four 

Row Five :: One // Two // Three // Four

Row Six :: One // Two // Three // Four

Row Seven :: One // Two // Three // Four

Row Eight :: One // Two // Three // Four

Row Nine :: One // Two // Three // Four

Happy Shoe Shopping!

xoxo,
j.

NY Fashion Week

My Five Favorite RTW Collections from NYFW

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week officially ended last week in New York.  Designers got to show off their collections for Autumn/Winter 2014 as we all wished (maybe for just a minute?) that it was next autumn already so we could try some of the trends from the runway!

Even though I wasn't lucky enough to go to NYFW I still stalked the rebroadcasts of the runway shows and Style.com for all the collection photos as soon as they were released.  Below were my top five favorites for RTW (Ready to Wear) collections this year ...  

My absolute favorite RTW show by far was Theory (who knew grey/charcoal could be so beautiful?!). I couldn't narrow it down to just five looks-- I loved every single look that came down the runway!

images from WhoWhatWear and Style.com 


xoxo,
j.