LOOKBOOK: Jan. 31

I can't look at a fashion spread anywhere without seeing a pair of loafer flats. 

 

Call It Spring Edmerson Slip On, $40, JCPenney

These come in black and nude, and you can't go wrong with either color.  I'm loving loafers because there's just a bit more style to them than a basic pair of ballet flats.  You don't have to limit yourself to just black or nude, they come in leopard print, glitter, and any color you want including this great shade of fuschia.

LOOKBOOK: Jan. 28

More brights.  I can't help myself.

XL Fashion Clutch, $59.99, Zara

It says it's a clutch, but it's deceptively big.  A little something else than the usual Fossil you carry everyday.

LOOKBOOK: Jan. 27

 The perfect skirt for a night out.

Silence & Noise Lace Skirt, $59, Urban Outfitters

A neon-ish pastel? Check.
Textured in lace?  Check.
Some amazing drama on the back? Check.

Quite possibly the best skirt I've seen for spring/summer.  Not for the faint of heart.
Also available in raspberry and cobalt blue.

LOOKBOOK: Jan. 26

Striped Drapey Tank, $19.50, American Eagle Outfitters

This tank comes in several shades, but I love the bright colors on this one.  I love the back on these, it's interesting and unique. 

LOOKBOOK: Jan. 25

  L.L. Bean Rubber Moc, $69 and L.L. Bean 6 Inch Bean Boots, $89 

While many a West Virginian owns a pair of Bean boots, I know an equal number who shun them for being unfashionable.  As someone who lives in a flood-prone part of the state, dry feet beat fashionable feet.  However, these would fit in with all but the most feminine of wardrobes.  Pair the 6 inch boots with skinny jeans and a down vest, and pair the mocs with a bootcut and a striped sweater. 

LOOKBOOK: Jan. 24

Neon Ruffle Trim Cardigan, $49.95, Gap

Neon is hot for this spring, yet a lot of people avoid because they don't know how to pull it off.  This cardigan is perfect because it allows you to taste the trend without going overboard.  There is also a brown version with a neon pink trim that's equally cute. 

UP & down: Blue Polka Dot Dress from Old Navy

I mentioned earlier today that this feminine dress from Old Navy is one of the best buys you could make for spring.  I'm not kidding, there are so many different ways to wear this dress it's not even funny.  When I made the Polyvore set for this dress, it took me less than 20 minutes to make...and it usually takes me like 45 minutes to make one.  There's just so much available that looks amazing with this dress, and when it's warm enough to wear white again, the options will be endless.  Here are four ways to dress up or dress down this look.

Dress Up:
1. The first look utilizes black kitten pumps, a classic three-strand pearl necklack, and a black alligator clutch.  A good look for church, work, or a Junior League meeting (don't laugh, I'm thinking about joining).  Go for cherry red nails and simple makeup with lipstick and no gloss.  You can wear your hair as you like, just make sure it looks super neat with no flyways.
2. This look is a little more risque, and is best left to a girl's night out.  These sandals are almost $400, but they are incredible and just stand out so much.  When wearing shoes this loud, leave the other accessories simple, like a gold clutch and gold knot earrings.  Gor for red lips and a navy blue smokey eye.

Dress Down:
3. Trendy green loafer flats mixed in with a timeless bag and gold bangles are perfect for a Sunday brunch.  Simplicity is key here, and this could not be an easier to thrown on and head out the door.  Throw your hair up in a loose, messy bun and simple makeup and you'er good to go.
4. For an afternoon roaming Lewisburg or the Clay Center, I added a great pair of boots.  A simple canvas tote and gold necklace finish the look.  Once again, simplicity is key, and go for a low ponytail and polished makeup.

LOOKBOOK: Jan. 23

Pleated Chiffon Tie Belt Dress, $34.94, Old Navy

Flirty, feminine, and polka dots.  Spot on (ha.) for Spring 2012, but thanks to the classic styling of this dress, you can wear this through next autumn.  It can be dressed up with kitten heels or dressed down with flats or boots. If your budget is tight, this would be one of the best deals for your buck.

Come back later today at 1:00 to see four ways to wear this look UP & down.

LOOKBOOK: Jan. 22

I've been trying in vain to find stuff to feature, but it's really hard.  I hate to show to spring collections because it's nowhere near spring yet, but it's the current offering right now.  It also makes no sense to me to feature winter clothing that has been designated to the clearance rack with only limited sizes available.  Sigh.  So I'm going to try to find pieces that you can wear now and into spring.

KensieGirl Galia Wedge, $69, PiperLime

Wear with gray or dark skinny jeans.  Gray and light denim look meh together.  If you're going to wear these with a skirt, make sure you wear gray opaque tights or tights that match your skirt. 

2012 State of the Blog

Just a few quick things:

-Some of you may have been having issues with your RSS feeders or the wvfashion.com URL, the domain expired and I had to wait until payday to get it fixed.
-One of my New Year's resolutions is to update more...so swing by more often!

Also, I post every other Friday at WV Living Magazine's WV Living in Style blog.  Here are my most current posts:
     -Conquering The Closet:I give my advice on how to clean out a closet.  You're on your own for organizing it.
     -Trends for 2012: Mint green.  If you see it, buy it.

I'm going to try to focus a bit more on fashion this year than I did last year.  Since I've been losing a lot of weight I really haven't been looking at clothes too closely because I'm afraid they won't fit in a few weeks.  I started dieting last March after a nasty bout of food poisioning  and since then I've gone down three sizes, not to mention a shoe size.  While I'm happy to be able to buy smaller clothes, I'm even happier to be able to walk into a store and buy size 10 shoes.  While I've gone through my wardrobe, I need to go through my purses and shoes as well.

I'm also curently banning myself from buying anymore nail polish or cosmetics.  I spent a fortune on the Chanel spring collection (which I have yet to wear...but it's not even close to spring), and I really haven't been wearing a lot of nail polish lately, which is due to my own laziness.  I'm currently trying to save money and since I have just about everything a woman could need, I don't see the reason to keep buying things I'm probably not going to use.

Best of 2011 to Start 2012

I'm mildly obessessed with those end of the year lists that you've probably seen in the past few weeks.  I was starting to make my mental list as soon as I reached consciouness yesterday when I had another thought.  Would something declared the best of 2011 still be relevent in 2012?  Obviously there's stuff like events I can't do anything about, but what if I found an amazing product, say a face wash, does the calendar turning to 2012 make that item any less great because I discovered it last year?  Am I supposed to promote the latest and the greatest even if it's a crap item?  I cried for a bit, because that was just way too much thinking at that moment.  Then, I took some Aleve, drank a Gatorade, and prepared my list for you to enjoy:


1.  Say Yes To Blueberries Age Defying Wipes.  These wipes remove all your makeup, smell great, and really do brighten your face.  My skin looked amazing after just two days of using these.  What's not to love?
2. L'Oreal's Youth Code line.  I bought the sampler set, and while all the products worked well, the Day to Night lotion was amazing.  It moisturized and brightened my skin. 
3. Olay's Pro-X Cleaning Brush.  My skin has never looked better, nor have my large pores looked smaller than after I started using this spinning brush. 
4. Nivea Happy Sensation Body Lotion.  I hate thick and smelly lotions--Bath and Body Works I'm looking at you--but this has a light, clean, citrusy scent.  It's also super light on the skin, sinks in quickly, and is non-greasy. 
5. Rare Minerals Blemish Remover.  This is a sulphur-based powder you apply with the included brush on acne, and is the best pimple zapper I have used in years.  It does smell strongly, but when you see visible results in mere hours, you'll get over it quickly.
6. Dove Winter Care Body Wash.  My skin always dries out in the winter, and the Olay body wash which was supposedly moisturizing was actually making my skin worse.  The Dove body wash is almost like a lotion and really doesn't lather but it moisutrizes so well I sometimes don't have to put on lotion afterwards. 



Having gone on a makeup shopping spree back in '10, I really didn't have the need to buy a lot of makeup this past year, but I did have a good record for buying some great products.

1. Milly with Clinque Pretty Prints Pallette.  Unfortunatly, this was a limited edition, but this set has the perfect blush and eyeshadow shades that look wonderful on everyone.  I use this set if I'm in a hurry or want to look extra pretty. 
2. Tarte's Airbrush Effects brush.  This came in the QVC set I originally wasn't thrilled with back in March, but since then I've come to embrace the brush.  In combination with the next product, it's phenomenal.  As long as this brush holds up, I'll never use a sponge or any other brush to apply foundation.
3.  Make Up For Ever HD Foundation.  After dealing with some meh foundations this past year, I bought this on impulse and have been delirousily happy with it ever since.  It evens out my skin tone, and covers acne scars.  Perfect!
4. Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blush in Glisten.  This came in the QVC set that I got the above brush in, and I wasn't fond of it at first.  However, I was too lazy to go out and get something else and I came to really love the color.  Unfortunately this was a limited edition, but thankfully, Nars Orgasm blush is very similar. 



Nail Polish, oh nail polish.  What colors didn't I buy this year?

1. Deborah Lippman's Happy Birthday.  Colorful!  Sparkly!
2. Chanel Black Pearl.  My first Chanel polish, which quickly led to an addiction of $25 nail polish.  I love this color for it's elegance and sophistication.
3. Chanel Morning Rose.  This has been the polish I have worn ever since I got it in July. I've used up a quarter of the bottle, which is rare for me.  This was a limited edition and I'm kicking myself for not buying another bottle.
4. Nars Jungle Red.  The perfect deep red as it doesn't border on the maroon/brownish border that a lot of deeper reds do.
5. Nars Purple Rain.  This was one of the hot colors for 2010, but I continued to wear it all of 2011.  Just a great shade.
6. L'Oreal Limited Edition Project Runway in Owl's Night.  I had originally bought this trying to dupe Chanel's Peridot, but I didn't even come close (I did buy Peridot later).  This has a black base with a burnished gold with a hint of green sparkle in it.  Very pretty.

Anybody have any bests they want to share?  Just because it's 2012 doesn't mean it's too late to try a great product.