It's About Time...

The other day a friend and I were comparing our watches. His was the notorious hip-hop inspired G-Shock brand and mine was the ALDO brand. The conversation primarily revolved around the aspect of a name brand legitimizing its quality. Personally, this proves my point that most people primarily buy designer items because of the label and status that comes along with it. I agree that some items are better to buy for quality purposes such as watches or shoes, but when you don't have that option, we must resort to the cheaper substitute. To find the substitutes, you must have good taste and know a good item when you see it. Being a college student, I would rather save some money and find cheaper solutions that look as if they are higher end quality items. I have recently been drawn to men's watches because the look of a large watch on a delicate wrist looks sophisticated. Menswear and watches are a fun way to up your status as a woman.

What I'm Wearing: Head to Toe

1. Forever21 oatmeal knitted hat
2. Charlotte Russe faux gray leather jacket
3. H&M black diamonds tank top
4. H&M gray skinny jeans
5. Forever21 green faux suede ankle booties

6) ALDO mens black watch

7) ALDO everest green purse




Don't be too critical when pulling together a look, steer from being too "matchy matchy." This is a rule many people play too safe with; you don't always have to match everything. A little something here and there to pull a look together is fine, for example my booties and purse. ((Note: I'm not matching the two shades of gray from my jeans and jacket)). I'm wearing several colors: Everest green, black, beige and gray. The use of the green balances the different tones of the outfit and helps to pull the entire looks together This purse was originally $50 but received it for $25 after my discount. In any case, this is a steal because the quality of the leather and the style is designer inspired. The proof is I have been asked numerous times what designer it is and have seen many surprised faces when they find out it wasn't an expensive name brand.

So keep in mind and you don't have to spend a lot of money to look like a million bucks. As long as you use a keen eye and good sense in fashion, you will always come out on top!

Hats Off.

In this picture I paired a knit hat along with a gold sequined shoulder cream sweater from H&M. I really love accessories and one of my favorites is a hat. They simply are an amazing way to spice up an outfit to totally change your look and can camouflage bad hair days. *PLUS, my grandfather said guys always notice a woman in a hat!* Celeb's have defiantly been influential and sought after for this ongoing trend.
When I was back home in NY for the winter, I got a lot of wear out of this hat. In this picture below it shows the other ways I played it down for a more casual street style look.

1) White V-Neck- Hanes

2) Green cargo skinnies- New York and Company

A New Year, A Fresh Page.

Happy New Years everyone! I've been all over the place on the East coast recently, including NYC. I rang in the New Years in a comfortable yet fashionable outfit that grabbed attention neutrally. I'm one for colors and patterns (always inspired by BCBG) but recently I have found that I have a growing appreciation for neutral tones, particularly this camel shade. (Michael Kors uses this palette quite often)
For this outfit I paired an oversized sweater with black leggings, neutral tone over the knee boots, arm length gloves and stacked bangles/bracelets.

What Im wearing...
1. Michael by Michael Kors sweater in dark camel. $99.50
2. Black Pink Rose Leggings $12.98
3. ALDO faux black leather gloves $20
4. Miscellaneous gold bracelets I have collected over the years and my mom
5. Dolce Vita Over Knee boots in Nantucket Tan

($130 but bought for $100 at DSW)

This outfit is more on the designer side but the idea is to pair the expensive items with the more generic names. The sweater is a basic that I think looks amazing on all body types. If I were to wear this sweater with a different outfit I would defiantly consider cinching the waist with a wide belt. Belts are always our friends! As for gloves, I love to wear them in the winter. The newest over knee boot trend has been something I saw coming ever since The Devil Wears Prada came out and Anne Hathaway rocked a pair of thigh high Chanel boots. Ever since, I have been on the search looking for the perfect pair, and now that they are popular they are in easy access. The Dolce Vita's boots were defiantly a splurge but I made sure to buy them at a location I could use coupons or find them discounted. As for my bracelets, I've collected many from ALDO, Forever 21 or Macy's, but some of my favorites are from my moms jewelry box : )

(these are the usual suspects in gold)

"Hey there S.t.u.d."

Accessories are defiantly one of my favorite aspects in fashion because they show how the addition of one something simple item or even an addition of numerous items can have an extreme outcome in transforming an outfit. I work in an accessories store, ALDO, so accessories constantly inspire me. Both of these items can be found at Forever21. The price and style are what compelled me to buy them, with a total under $25! This is an amazing steal because they have the appearance of high quality items for a cheap price. The faux leather doesn't look like "plastic" or "fake". The aviators take on the appearance of many designer shades.

(Just on that note of expensive appearance, one day college I wore these aviators and a student asked me if those were the new Dolce & Gabbana aviators.)

The sunglasses were only $6 and are a replication of designer hardware and lenses. I bought a similar pair of aviators for over $20 and I LOVE the $5 ones more. The tortoiseshell adds style and a chic classic feel.

Black is Back!

You know what they all say, “Black is slimming.” Well its true and one of my favorite colors to experiment with. There are 3 advantages to creating a black on black look from head to toe:

1) It allows little things to pop such as jewelry, shoes or a purse (think of it as a blank canvas)

2) It elongates or creates an illusion of being taller because the color isn’t being cut off.

3)Its slimming (confidence)

Tip) This illusion can only be achieved if you don't break the continuation of black with a section of skin. So maybe black opaque tights are a better option if your leggings don't go all the way to your ankle. (HUE tights-these are the best and are the ones you see models wearing in fashion editorials, can find at Macy's). Another way to create this long leg illusion (especially good for my shorter girls) during the warmer seasons is to work a bare leg and pair it with nude pumps. The heels provide you with extra height and length and add tone. The nude pumps allow the leg to look continuous as if they go on forever. If you don’t own a pair, I suggest you invest since they are a staple piece!Note: In the midst of traveling but if I had access to my closet I would have worn black ankle boots to achieve the all black look.

Above I'm wearing an H&M black cotton dress with embellishments on the shoulders. Pink Rose black spandex leggings, (these are the best affordable leggings I have found, find at Macy's) light sand colored knee high socks pushed down and necklace from ALDO. This necklace can play up any neckline and turn the ordinary into extraordinary.

Comfort is one of my main points I stressed in my introduction. This post is primarily to show you how to create a comfortable look from a stylish approach. Leggings have always been my go to when it comes to comfort.

Trends shown

1. Embellished shoulders: I LOVE this trend. The padded shoulders and embellishments create broad shoulders and gives off the illusion of great posture. (Shoulders back!)

2. Statement Necklaces: A lot of amazing designers have been shown using this trend and of detachable necklaces and bibs.

3. Beanie hats: These have been in for a few years and I don’t see them getting the shaft anytime soon. They provide form and function. If your having a bad hair day, throw on a hat and no one will know, all they will know is you look fashionable.

4) Light pink lipstick: I love this shade, it compliments many skin tones and is a fun youthful color. (MAC in Snob)

5) Knee highs: I've seen a lot of boots this season with knee-highs included already in the boot. This keeps your feet warm and looks really cute!

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Remember I think buying cheap is best... and I find Chanel's simplicity and classic look amazing, so while in NYC I got a knock off Chanel charm bracelet which is cute in itself.

Every Day Is A Fashion Show

Introductions are Cordial…

To start off I would like to give a little background on myself and fashions influence on me personally. Growing up I was never obsessed with fashion, unless you consider a young girls wardrobe consisting primarily of Limited Too to be a fashionista. Fashion wasn't prominent in my life until my entrance into high school my freshman year. This was when I came to realize how I could incorporate all my creative skills I built over the years into my outfits. This was where my relationship and love for fashion began.

To Me...

Fashion is a way of expression. It’s an outward manifestation of ones feelings or emotions and the indicator of ones personality. To me, fashion has always been a creative outlet for visualizing a look, finding inspiration or using it to create transformations. Clothes and fashion served as my foundation of confidence and composure Commit. Take Risks. Be Confident. These three tips are the golden rules to fashion and are important in efforts to pull of ANY look. Everyday is a fashion show, dress to impress! This creates admiration and focus directed towards you, what girl wouldn't love that? On a serious note, we all like our comfy days, and honestly comfort is very important. Even if you opt for the casual day, there are still stylish ways to adapt a comfortable look. The more comfortable you feel, the more it will show.

You Look Like a Million Bucks...
Rules to abide by
1) Look for the STEALS&DEALS-Much of my wardrobe consists of Forever21, H&M, vintage, and my moms closet. Many people assume much of the clothing I own is designer. False.

2) Confidence is shown primarily reflected by the way you pull off your clothes whether they cost $10 or $100. You wear the clothes; don't let the clothes wear you. (Eh hem...CONFIDENCE)
3) Be Different- this is always important in order to stand out. Don’t play it to safe and follow the rules, walk on the fine lines or maybe even break the rules.
4) Be Smart- It's not all about designer thread. If it's cheap but looks expensive its a STEAL. If you find something expensive and it's discounted, it's a DEAL.

Remember always to constantly DEFINE.DESIGN yourself,
Morgan Leigh