Big Kiss

It takes a lot for me to abandon my massive hadnbags. I prefer to have my bags double as luggage in most cases. However, when I saw the 'Big Kiss' clutch by Charlotte Olympia I couldn't pass it up. 50% off the original price helped quite a bit as well! I absolutely adore this clutch. It's red lips so naturally we're a match made in fashion heaven. It has a little strap, but I have yet to use it. I like holding this little baby in my hands.

For an evening catch up with my cousin, I wore an oversized jumper with my go to faux leather pants. I'm by no means a sample size, so I didn't think I'd be able to pull off a full leather pant, but after purchasing this affordable option I'm kind of in love with them. This was definitely a lesson for me as it should be for everyone, don't knock it until you try it! If this trend sticks around long enough I might just snatch up a real leather pair. I love these as a chic alternative to jeans.

I've never been a fan of Aldo shoes because they're unreasonably uncomfortable, but I do love these Aldo wedge booties. I can do quite a bit of walking in them without wanting to cut off all my toes which is pretty much my number 1 concern when buying heels to stomp around London in. I'm not sure that I'm completely sold on Aldo at this point, but these will do for now.

I said that I would start playing with lip colors this year, so here we go! I kept my eyes bright and simple and went for a deep plum lip. I am obsessed with the Nars 'Train Bleu' velvet matte pencil. It's really dark, but it looks fantastic on. It's also quite versatile. I've worn it with my 'Dragon Girl' pencil for an ombre look and with glosses to sheer it out a little bit. Last night I wore it with Nars Larger than Life gloss in 'Rouge Tribal'. I loved the look and will definitely be rocking it again soon.

You may have noticed that I got a hair cut. It's a new year, and I got tired of managing chemically relaxed ends and new natural growth. Now it's all gone. I'm still getting used to the look, but I love the lower maintenance!

Sweater: Whistles

Faux Leather Pants: Topshop

Booties: Aldo

Bag: Big Kiss clutch by Charlotte Olympia

Jewelry: Stella & Dot and Tiffany & Co. bracelets and ring, Zodiac watch

What do you think of the new look?

Stay fab! xx

Style Repeats

Whistles dress
H&M belt
Sam Edelman sandals
Prada shades

I blogged this dress a few weeks ago when I wore it to church. I pulled out my hot pink Whistles dress again for an afternoon at the hair salon and a late lunch with my hunny. I just adore Whistles dresses. They're so chic and versatile. I always feel like it was money well spent when I can wear a piece multiple ways to different events. I love the bright hue of this dress against my skin tone. Perfect casual fit for a warm sunny day!

I like being at least a little glam when I head to the hair salon. I always have a little boost of confidence when my hair is whipped, so I like my look to reflect that. I had a Brazilian blowout done this week, and I really like the results. My hair is straight, full and bouncy. I'm not sure if this is cheating since I'm supposed to be ditching chemical straighteners, but whatever. I like the way my hair turned out. I think I'll stick with this for a while.

Tall Girls Love Their Heels Too

I ventured out to the Westfield shopping center in Shepherd's Bush for lunch with a fellow American and some window shopping. Yes, window shopping. I wasn't particularly moved enough by anything to make any fun purchases. I pulled out this dress from Whistles for my day out and about. I added my go to neon belt to bring my waist in and add a pop of color. I typically wear my Pegasus necklace against plain tops, but I thought it would be fun to add it to a printed dress for a different look.

Whistles dress
H&M belt
Jeffery Campbell platforms
Stella & Dot Pegasus necklace

While I walking about this guy decided to get all into my life and ask why I would wear heels when I'm already so tall. Being the nice person that I am, I asked him why he didn't wear them too since he's so short. I think the argument against taller women wearing heels is interesting. Most women wear heels because they're uber feminine, improve your posture, elongate your legs, etc etc. Why would a taller woman not want to take advantage of those benefits? I know that some tall women are insecure about their height and prefer not to wear heels. That's fine. You should wear what makes you feel comfortable. I feel comfortable wearing high heels. The higher heels, the closer God. High heels, high hopes. All of that. There's nothing more irritating then someone projecting their insecurities on you.

When I was living in Chicago, my little boss made several comments about my height. He even went as far as to ask me not to wear heels when we went on meetings together. Despite him being 2x my age, he was concerned that people would think that I was the manager. I was new on the job, and still trying to decide if my boss was a jackass or not, so I went along with it and wore flats when we went on meetings together. In the back of my mind I always wondered how many people had this same way of thinking. Celebrity stylist June Ambrose whom I adore even tweeted once that taller girls should stick to lower heels. I was really disappointed to hear that since she's such an advocate for personal style. Why should taller women stick to lower heels? To make shorter people feel better? If that's the case, then should short women wear really high heels? I think everyone should wear what they feel comfortable in (within reason of course) and everyone else should keep their opinions to themselves.

Neons and Brights

Whistles Dress
H&M dress
Topshop commuter shoes
Stella & Dot Bahari Necklace

Taking pictures at sunset kind of altered the real color of this dress

Apparently there were some changes in jet streams or something, so the temperatures shot into the 80s this week. Yay! I am a summer baby, so I'm almost skipping around the city these days. 

It's obvious how much I love hot pink, but I love this casual dress from Whistles. I adore anything with pockets, so this dress has a few of my favorite things all knit into one. One of the main things I look for in a dress is versatility, and I like that I can wear this with pumps, but not look totally frumpy when I have to slip my commuter flats on! Nothing like a dress that easily transitions from casual to smart!

I am getting really into bright colors this season, so I wore the Stella & Dot Bahari necklace and grabbed my new go-to orange bag for a fun summer look. Naturally I threw a little neon into the mix. Fashion is a funny thing. Had I walked out of the house in this 15 years ago everyone would have said I clashed. Now it's called color blocking. I love it.

Head Wraps + Saying Bye Bye to Hair Extensions (for now)

Whistles jumper
H&M leggings
Jeffrey Campbell booties

Nude lips: Bobbi Brown 'Burnt Sugar' Lipstick and Petal Pink Gloss

I've been wearing hair extensions for the past few months as I let me relaxer grow out. I decided to give my hair a one week break from the braids, so Friday the hair extensions came out and I roller set my hair. I feel weird not having a head full of weave anymore, but it's a nice break. Because I'm now rocking two hair textures, I've been working head wraps like it's my job. I tied my favorite silk scarf into a bow to give this look a cutesy edge to it. I love this oversized jumper from Whistles which I paired with peep toe booties for a fun, casual look.

So funny story...the reason I have a stain on top of my right boob is because I tried to push open a door that should have been pulled. I was holding my purse, my latte and croissant when I violently rammed into the door which didn't give the way my latte did all over my stuff. Sometimes I really love myself. The best part was the faces of the two guys who were coming in as I was walking out. They were nice enough not to laugh in my face as they opened the door to let me out.

I'm still struggling with my hair care/maintenance here, but I'm trying someone new this week. I can't wait to see him work his magic! I desperately need a hair cut and a protein treatment. If anyone has advice on transitioning from relaxed to natural hair, please leave a comment!!!

All About Big Cats

I was all about the big cats on Tuesday apparently. Leopard  scarf, tiger top...all about it. Anyway I pulled out some really chunky Jeffrey Campbell platform sandals for a day of lunch, shopping and blogging. I purchased a few really great dresses from Whistles before having lunch and people watching on the patio at Strada. I'm working on keeping the posts more consistent, so I blogged quite a few posts in Starbucks later that afternoon!

Whistles top
H&M Leggings
Jeffrey Campbell Platforms

I like making casual looks a little more fun and I think the turban and shoes did that for this fit. I was just happy to break those shoes out again. I've worn them once since I got them like a year (maybe 2) ago. 

Who Do You Think You Are?!

For day 2 of Hoopla, I wore a bright red dress with a pink blazer. I was color blocking for my life. I wore another turban and my Marc by Marc Jacobs saddle shoes to complete the look. I felt kind of obnoxious in this when I left the house, but by the time I got to the tube station I felt fabulous! I really want to wear this look again like right now, but I guess I'll wait a couple of weeks...

Whistles blazer
Asos dress
Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes
Stella & Dot Sierra necklace

So since I touched down in London, I've just been running away from my comfort zone. It's weird. It's like I became a new person once I got here. I'm not a big risk taker and it takes everything in me to reach out to people. I moved to London and started reaching out to people, talking to strangers, wearing bright colors, rocking sneakers and making moves to become a stylist. I don't know who I think I am, but I love it. Life is constantly changing and I'm just trying to keep up!

Two Tones and the Christian Louboutin Exhibit

The two toned Whistles blazer I've been lusting for is finally MINE! It was marked down in the sale, and they had one left in my size. I think it was fate. I know it was fate. Anyway, I finally pulled it out this weekend. I loves myself a structured blazer, but this one just made my heart sing. I love the color and the two toned lapels. I picked up this orange bag at T.K. Maxx, and everything just came together so wonderfully. Nothing like a little color block to brighten your day! I went to see the Christian Louboutin exhibit on Saturday afternoon since my hunny was working most of the day.

Whistles Blazer
Joe's Jeans
H&M tee
Stella & Dot Bahari Necklace
Salvatore Ferragamo flats

 If you're in London and didn't get a chance to see the exhibit, you missed out. It was amazing. You got to see so many of Louboutin's fabulous designs, but you also got insight into his inspirations and his process. They also had a 3D hologram of Dita Von Teese doing a burlesque in sparkly Christian Louboutin pumps. My favorite section was the Fetish area where shoes were designed more as sculptures than as a wearable shoe. Two dancers from the Crazy Horse were chosen to model them in a shoot for the particular arch in their foot. The photos were provocative in nature, but really fabulous works of art. Unfortunately, I could only take pictures outside of the exhibit. The museum had a strict no photos policy which they enforced almost ridiculously. My phone was still in camera mode from taking photos outside when I walked in and one of the employees rolled up on me like a shoplifter to ask me to put my phone in my pocket. I made several unsuccessful attempts at taking pictures before eventually giving up. This is all I could get for you guys...

Don't mind if I do!

Blow the Whistles

Angel is a really cute little area that's just a short walk away from our flat.  Despite being here for a month now, I've only walked through to hit the gym which is right in the middle of that area. After brunch today I spent some time browsing the shops and finally made it into Whistles. OH MY GOD. Now all I want to do is shop at Whistles for the next 3 years. 

Kanye West has a line in "Champion" - "when you see clothes, close your eyelids." I feel like I had one of those moments when I stepped into Whistles. I had blown off so many beautiful pieces all afternoon, but found myself almost in tears as I browsed the wonderfully crafted pieces. I snapped a few pictures of some pieces I will be going back for (hopefully). More than anything I need that pink blazer with the two toned lapels in my life. The blue tote would complement that beautifully. After all, nothing is bigger than color blocking this year! Now all I need to do is figure out how to justify a £195.00 jacket to my hunny...Suggestions???