A Monochrome Midi

I am one lucky girl. As much as my hunny works, he always finds the time to make Valentine's day special for us. After Thursday night's amazing dinner, we continued our celebration into Friday night when we went to see Les Miserables. I never got to see the play, so I was pleased to see it before heading to the movies to catch the film debut. I studied French in school and remember the story pretty well. It was nice to see it played out on stage.

For our second date night out, I opted for a monochrome midi skirt. What can I say? When I get into something, I get INTO it. I blogged about the monochrome trend for spring a couple weeks ago, and decided to go ahead and jump into it. No need to wait officially for spring.  I absolutely adore this skirt. The diamond black and ecru print is a nice alternative to black, and it makes a really bold statement. There isn't much you need to do to style this perfectly. The skirt really says it all.

People don't dress up for the theater like they used to, but that's not going to stop me from keeping it chic. I paired this bold skirt with a simple layering tee from COS, black pumps and silver jewelry for a little glam factor.  The thing about the mid skirt is that the wrong fit can make you look like a dowdy mess, so I went with a bodycon option and pointed toe courts to elongate my legs.

 These Christian Louboutin's are much nicer to my feet, so no need for flats in my purse that night!

I had to add a little sparkle for my date, so I broke out these Nadri bangles I've had for a few years. They worked really well with my Stella & Dot necklace and ring adding just enough sparkle to complete my look. Naturally my big lips clutch added a pop of color to bring everything together. Adore that thing.

Outfit::

Top: COS

Skirt: Asos

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Clutch: Charlotte Olympia

Jewelry: Stella & Dot necklace and ring, Nadri bangles

Stay fab! xx

Brocade for Valentine's Day

I am getting really into midi skirts lately...oh and prints. Brocade is so fun, and I thought it would be lovely for a Valentine's Day celebration with my hunny. I was in for a wonderful surprise on Valentine's Day when I enjoyed one of the best meals I've had since I moved to London. We dined on potted mackerel, steaks and incredible sides at Hawksmoor. I was particularly fond of the Champagne Charlie cocktail which featured champagne, gin and seasonal fruits. The seasonal fruits were beet root and blood oranges which made the cocktail and bright pink...perfect for Valentine's Day. Needless to say, my Valentine's Day was perfect. Give this girl a great steak and you've got my heart.

Thank God I wore a peplum because all that food definitely meant a food baby at the end of the night. The shape was definitely flattering, but more than anything I love the cut outs on this top. I wore a midi skirt on Valentine's day, so the least I could do was so show off a little shoulder.

It's been a while since I've worn this statement necklace, but it was perfect for the occasion.

I tweeted a picture of the end of my night where I was holding my shoes in my hand. I had a pair of flats in my purse because as much as I love these shoes, they hate my feet. Barely 4 blocks in these babies, and I think my feet were bleeding. I guess I'm as big an idiot for wearing these little foot murderers as the guy who made them. Anyway, these are date night shoes. They're meant to be under a dinner table or in the air...let's be real.

Outfit:

Top and skirt: Asos

Belt: H&M 

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Bag: Louis Vuitton

Jewelry: Stella & Dot necklace and bracelet, Frugal finds NYC ring

Stay fab! xx

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

Chocolate Tour!

Saturday afternoon I went on a 2 1/2 hour chocolate walking tour around west London. We visited a few chocolate shops, sampled some truffles, and learned all about the queen's favorite chocolate shops in London. I really loved the salted caramel filled chocolates at the Paul. A. Jones shop. We also stopped at Laduree where I got to get some macaroons....my favorite!

H&M Leggings and top
Topshop vest
Converse sneakers
Marc by Marc Jacobs crossbody bag
Stella & Dot fringe necklace

I threw on my favorite vest with a white tee and chucks for a comfy casual look. I opted for a crossbody bag so I wouldn't have to lug around my life all afternoon long. I just got this Stella & Dot fringe necklace earlier this week, and I am in LOVE. I love how it made this pretty low key outfit just a little more cool. Gotta love a good statement necklace.

Stella & Dot and Topshop Arm party

Stella & Dot Fringe Necklace

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.

I Guess I Got My Swagger Back

Topshop top
Joe's Jeans
Saks Fifth Avenue brand wedges
Kooba bag
Prada shades

 I finally found someone to do my hair! I got my hair blown out today at the Patrick Ludde salon, and Vernon is now my favorite person in London. I am so happy to finally have my bouncy hair back! I'll be saying bye bye to my hair extensions now. I've missed my little bob. Anyway, today was a really casual day of pampering for me. After enjoying some lunch, I got my hair whipped in Mayfair before heading back to my side of town to get a pedicure. I must have been on a winning streak today because my pedicure was also excellent. (I've been to 4 crap nail salons prior to today) I wore a sweatshirt top with distressed sleeves, skinny jeans and wedges. The sun was in and out so I kept it douchey and left my shades on all day. I don't have time for the on and off game.

Mac Amber lights and Nars Brousse shadow duo
Bobbi Brown gel liner
Nars Exhibit A blusher
Nars Red Square Velvet Matte Lip pencil (Mac Redd lip liner)

Stella & Dot and Tiffany's arm parties
Stella & Dot Odette earrings

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.

Stylist Chronicles: Mr. Appletree Video

On set

One of the many things I love about styling is traveling to new parts of London! Last week I spent some time in East London to style songstress, Meleka, for her Mr. Appletree video. The song is really cute, and after hearing it 8973598350855 times it was stuck in my head for quite a few days. I'll post the video once its released!

I was very excited to get Meleka into some Stella & Dot pieces for her video. All of you know how much I LOVE a statement necklace. For Meleka's performance look we put her in a little black dress with thigh high boots. The pegasus necklace really popped with this look. Just another reason it's one of my favorite pieces. We also put the chantilly lace cuff on her for a little extra pop. Everything looked absolutely fabulous against her complexion.

What do you think of her look? 

Pegasus necklace and Chantilly Lace Cuff

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!

Basics for Hoopla!

Joe's Jeans
Banana Republic Blazer
Topshop shoes
H&M tank top
Stella & Dot Pegasus necklace

I spent all day Sunday and Monday at a conference for Stella & Dot known as Hoopla. This was the first annual Hoopla for the UK since they just launched towards the end of last year. I was so excited to go because I wanted to see the Autumn collection which just launched today for the UK. It is EVERYTHING. I spotted a few statement pieces that I'm dying for. I can't wait to order a few.

Because I knew we would be seeing the new collection, I kept my outfit simple. I always wear a basic white or black tee to try on jewelry. I can play around with colors and prints once I decide I like the piece. Any excuse to wear black and white is always a good one for me anyway. I wanted to play with head wraps some more, so I tied my favorite silk scarf into a turban. I added a statement necklace and a pop of color with my hot pink shoes and orange bag for a chic take on an otherwise classic outfit.

I have no idea why these pictures came out grainy/blurry, but I didn't realize it until I uploaded them to my computer....love myself.

If you're in the UK, you can check out the Autumn collection here. (My US peeps can check it out here)

New Gigs

I am no longer a Real Housewife of London! I am officially selling Stella & Dot jewelry in the UK, and I couldn't be more thrilled! I own a couple of pieces which I've worn and showcased here quite a few times in the past, so this is the perfect fit for me. I fell in love with the line when I attended a trunk show last year, so I'm more than happy that it's finally available in the UK!

You can expect to see a lot more Stella & Dot pieces in my future posts. They make such wonderful statement pieces! I don't wear a lot of understated jewelry, but perhaps I'll force myself to now that I'll be modeling my own product.

Now when people ask me what I do all day, I hand them my card and tell them to buy some jewelry or mind their business. (Only kidding...maybe)

Here's a link to my website. Please let me know your thoughts on the line!