Fall Menswear and A Puffy Vest

We recently decided that my husband Jon needed some new clothes to update his wardrobe, both work and weekend.  So I decided today that I would browse what is trending for fall right now.  I could go on for days with cool looks that I found.  But I picked this one because I bought Jon a really cool puffy vest for a steal and he has yet to wear it.  He tried to tell me that it wasn't "his style."  Well I disagree...clearly cause I bought it!  When I saw this look below on the Nordstrom website I had to use it.  How cool does this dude look?  Ladies, am I right?  Of course I am!  The only problem with it is the price...so I decided to look around for some more affordable options.

I immediately thought of the Gap when I went looking for some cool cargo pants.  These from Gap are slim fitting for $60.  The also have similar styles without the cargo pockets if that's not your thing.

The vest I bought Jon is green with a hood from JC Penny, but I looked and they don't have that style anymore. Old Navy has some great deals right now on vests and outerwear.  This orange one, which comes in a few other colors, is only $20 right now!  I love the color!  But if its too bright for your taste, they also have it in grey, black, and maroon.

Since I chose the orange vest, I decided to roll with it and find a plaid shirt with orange too.  But if you had a different color, this plaid shirt from JC Penny comes in so many colored patterns.  And bonus...its only $15!

Now I know my husband and he would not wear the sweater in the top photo so I searched for one that was a bit more plain.  I really like the shawl collar look on men's sweaters.  This one is from Macy's by American Rag for only $35 right now...plus an extra 20% off!  Really, for this look, you could wear just about any sweater over the flannel.  I would be willing to bet that most men have something already in their closet for most of this outfit.

We are at a stale mate in the Franklin house over shoes like these Steve Madden boots.  I love them and think they are so cool.  Jon thinks they are horrible and won't even consider wearing them.  These exact ones are $75 from Zappos.

If you really can't get down with the boots, these Timberland shoes are great too.  They are from Macy's for $80, with an extra 15%off right now.  And...waterproof!!!

My Consignment Store Score

I found this consignment store over by our condo recently, Consignment Clothiers, and decided those kind of stores can be more fun than regular stores at the mall.  I love the thrill of the hunt...searching through racks and racks trying to find a new piece.  I love the thought that what someone else didn't want could be your new favorite piece!  Which is exactly what happened when I went back the second time.  I found this great skirt by Adrianna Papell.  It was only $17!!!  I tried it on and it fit perfect...score!  I was dying to wear it as soon as I bought it, so Marci's candle party seemed like the perfect time.  I tried to dress it down by pairing it with a plain white tee.  Here is the end result.

The skirt is from the resale store so I searched around for some similar options.  This one is from Nordstrom by Topshop for $60.

This one is really cool with the stripes and pattern.  Its from Piperlime by Jack by BB Dakota skirt for $59.

You can find a plain white t-shirt anywhere, but I really love mine from The Loft.  Its so soft and comfortable.  This one from Ann Taylor Loft is $25.

I wore the same point toe black pumps from my other post.  These are great from Lord and Taylor by BCBGeneration for $89.

My Blue Blazer and New Hibachi

Happy October everyone!!!  I am dedicating my first blog of October to our amazing friend Scotty and his new wife Qiao. We have been dying to meet her ever since he first came home and told us he met a girl.  They are finally home for a visit so we headed out to dinner at this new hibachi restaurant in Novi.  First of all, she is beautiful and it was a great night!  But I found myself unsure what to wear to meet someone's wife for the first time.  I didn't want to overdress, as I have been accused of doing in the past.  But I like to dress up for dinner, especially when I am meeting someone new.  My rule is always that its better to be overdressed than under dressed.  But I didn't want to make her uncomfortable either.  So I decided it would be the perfect situation for a blazer and jeans...my go-to outfit for any occasion.  And I spiced it up with my cobalt blue blazer for a pop of color.  Here is the result!

My blazer is from Lord and Taylor but its no longer available.  I found a similar one at Macy's by ECI for $45.  It has a button closer so you can wear it open or closed, but I almost never button my blazers.  Mine is also a bit more cropped, but you can get the same look with a waist length as well.

I wore my favorite peplum top underneath for some shape since my blazer and jeans were both slim fit.  I love this top because it is so flattering and it goes with everything from dress pants to pencil skirts to skinny jeans.  This one from Mango is perfect and only $50.

Pointy toe heels are so huge right now!  I can't think of anything sexier for your feet!  I got mine by Nine West for a steal and I wear them all the time. You will too...they are totally worth the investment.  You can find them anywhere right now...Macy's, Lord and Taylor, Amazon, Zappos, and so on.  I like these by Calvin Klein from Zappos for $70 with free shipping.

I feel like I have talked about black skinny jeans a ton of times so I am not going into that again.  But just to make it clear...you should get a pair!  I also like this outfit a ladies night out.  You can always take the blazer off if you get too warm while out dancing the night away!  Its also a great way to change up your LBD by just adding a jacket.  So fun and so versatile!   

Sunglasses

While reading through Lucky Magazine recently, their was a Michael Kors article about his Top 5 Fashion Must Haves.  I thought he gave the best tip about sunglasses so I decided I would pass it on.  He said "Aviators are the fastest shortcut to glamour  Put on a pair of aviators and suddenly you look like a movie star at the airport".  They look great on all face shapes and go with just about every outfit, just try on a few different sizes to find the ones that work for you. Michael suggested making it look like you borrowed your boyfriends, that really sexes it up! They help hide a late night out the next morning.  Or they can help you look cool as you drop your kids off at school in your sweats (don't judge...its very early!)  I have a thing about mixing gold and silver accessories, like necklaces and belts and such.  So I bought a pair with gold trim and silver trim.  It really does work!  I always feel significantly cooler wearing my aviators, or avs for us really cool folks.  I mean how cool do Jon and I look here?  (This was 5 years ago...so ahead of our time!)

Here are some pairs that I found!

These are from the Nordstrom Juniors department for only $12.  Now for most people, these won't look like you too your boyfriends because they are a little smaller.  But I have a smaller, narrow head so they work perfect.  They come in both golf and silver.  The silver ones have mirrored lenses!

These are from the grown up ladies department at Nordstroms!  A little more of a splurge...from my man Michael himself!

Amazon has tons of choices!  The only risk with an online store is that they might not be exactly perfect for your face.  These ones are Steve Madden so I would be willing to bet they are sold at most department stores.

So go on...buy some avs...be glamorous...be a movie star!  I know I am!!!

Wine Tasting and A Fur Vest

We spent this past weekend in Traverse City, with our awesome friends Gil and Sue, wine tasting up and down each peninsula!  I think we hit 7 or 8 wineries in total and had some awesome wine...and cider...and brandy!  (I thought it burned but the other three liked it so much that Gil and Sue bought a bottle!)  The views from the wineries are so gorgeous with the trees starting to change color and the water all around.  But sadly, the weather was pretty gross the whole weekend.  It was never over 55 degrees and rained on and off all weekend.  I do not think I was dressed warm enough the entire weekend, but I did really like this outfit I came up with so I wore it anyways ;-)  Forgive the poses...I am working on this modeling thing!

 

The key piece in the outfit is the fur vest.  I bought it a couple years ago so its not available anymore, but I did find some similar ones at reasonable prices.  This one from Nordstrom is on sale for $79 and its a great taupe color.

This one by Dollhouse is at Macy's for $60.  It zips instead of tying or hooking closed.  Its has a cool, funky vibe to it!  P.S.  LOVE the layering look in this photo from the website.

The blouse under my vest is a silk blouse from Victoria's Secret.  They have it in so many colors so if the blush pink isn't your style, they have reds, blues, and neutrals.  I love the blush color because it works great with everything in my closet!  Its $80 right now, but they have free shipping.

My new fall addition is the booties I have on in the picture.  I blogged about these style boots before...they are so huge right now!  I found mine at Marshalls for $30!  They have them everywhere you shop right now, from under $50 to over $200, depending on your budget.  I found some on Zappos for $50 by Gabriella Rocha.  I haven't worn this brand before but the reviews sound pretty decent for the price.

Black skinny jeans are so easy to find.  I have blogged about them a few times so I won't go into too many details again.  But I have to repeat...fit is key so find some that work for your body type.  And for skinny jeans, buy them really tight, like borderline too tight because they will stretch as you wear them.

Happy Fall Everyone!!!

Wedding Style

In honor of tomorrow being the 4th Anniversary being married to the man of my dreams, I thought I would dedicate this blog to our wedding.  I was determined to make it a wedding to remember and it was!  It was a very unique wedding and that is exactly how we wanted it.  I wouldn't change a thing.  It was the best day of my life and I will always celebrate it to the fullest...eating pizza with my husband!  (Our wedding day was 5 years to the exact date of our first date...how frickin cool is that?)  My life is completely different now than it was when we got married, but in the best of ways.

And my style has evolved since then too, but as I look back, some of it was pretty rockin!  I read that Eva Longoria wore white the whole week before her wedding and I loved the idea so I wore white everyday that week.  And I found the most perfect white sheath dress for the rehearsal.  (Thank you to Janelle for the rehearsal veil too!)

(How stylish is my dad in his Tommy Bahama!)

My other unique style choice was pink flats under my wedding dress instead of wedding shoes.  I found them on the clearance rack at Nordstrom for $50.  They were the most comfortable shoes I have ever had and I wore them til they literally fell apart!  You can see them here as we rode the chair lift up...yes we took the chair lift to the top of Crystal Mountain for the ceremony!  Even all our 80 something year old Grandmas!

And our greatest discovery for the wedding was our clear tent for the reception!  I will always love this tent!

"Once in awhile, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale."  And we lived happily ever after!  I love you baby!

Leopard shoes!

For those who don't know, it was New York Fashion Week last week.  Someday I will be able to sit in those tents and watch the new collections rock the runway.  But for now, I just look at hundreds of pictures online.  Besides the looks from the different collections, there is also tons of pictures online of what everyone was wearing to attend the shows.  And so many of them were bloggers!  How cool is that!  I decided to take my inspiration for this blog entry from one of those who was attending the shows.  I love this look for two reasons...its so simple to put together and I LOVE leopard shoes.  I have actually been eyeing this Jessica Simpson pair for a few weeks so I decided I will base the outfit around the shoes, just like in this photo from NTFW.

Here are the Jessica Simpson heels that I coveting.  They are on sale at Lord and Taylor for $56 with free shipping if you buy them online.  (I think its a sign I should buy them!)

I found this really sexy red lace top at Victoria's Secret for $50.  Its a bit more fitted than the one in the above picture, so if you like the looser fitting look, just order this one size bigger.  I also really like that this top is a darker red, which is so big right now for fall.  I would also layer this lace top with a simple black or red cami underneath, unless you are headed out to the club.  A way to get more from this look is to simply add a blazer over top if the weather is getting too cold.  The blazer is also a good way to take this look from day to night.  Just take the blazer off after work and let the sexiness of the shirt take over!

Black skinny jeans are everywhere!  You just need to find the right pair for your shape and budget.  I just found a really great pair by J Brand on ebay that I am so excited about.  But I know ebay jean shopping is not for everyone :-)  The Gap always has a great variety because they come in petite and curvy, and they always have them on sale or clearance.  My favorite skinny jeans are from Armani Exchange.  They are $98, which sounds high, but you will get so much use out of these for years to come.  And they are actually very comfortable.  If you are willing to splurge, Nordstrom has a a great selection of designer jeans for $150-$200.

 


 I found a great little cross body purse to complete the look from Macy's for only $26.

Have fun!!!