Ahoy There, Nautical

As the warmer weather approaches, more Spring and Summer clothes start to blossom. A theme that has always been noticed to pop up here and there in Spring and Summer is the classy and casual, Nautical.

Nautical colors are usually associated with whites, navy blues, reds and maroons. As well as horizontal stripes on shirts and navy blue and white vertical stripes on pants. Over the past few seasons, many companies have begun playing around with the colors and even how they're worn. 


Classic Nautical: 
A classic nautical outfit is simply a horizontal striped shirt (blue/red with white) and white or khaki pants.  Flats look great with white pants because white makes legs look longer and with heels they may appear freakishly long. To the right is a good way to sport nautical and stay conservative.
For us on a small budget or just love to save, forever21.com has a huge collection of nautical themed clothes as seen to the left.






Dressy Nautical: 
A fancy edge to make nautical clothes pop is a small splash of red or yellow. Red, usually associated with nautical clothes, gives a highlight and is frequently used by designers such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. To add a larger edge to these stripes a nice gold or yellow really gives a big accent as seen to the right. 




But above all, the best part of the nautical theme are the anchors!
Necklaces, bags and rings all give a summer edge to all kinds of outfits. 

 

5 Rules for Suiting Up

Suits are always sexy 

(Especially on my favorite soccer yummy- Lionel Messi) 

5 Beginning Rules for Suiting Up

Rule number one: Skinny ties are in. Long black skinny ties are back on the rise and slim a man's torso and even give the illusion that he's taller (See left). Who doesn't like a tall and lean man? 

Rule number two: White shirts match any tie. When in doubt match with white. Black and white can be very plain. To spice it up for the less spicy person try a hue of blue or a nice stripped tie.

Rule number three: Shades go well between shirts and ties. Any pale color looks great with a darker version of color. (See right)

 

Rule number four: 

To make things more interesting try a striped shirt. They are not as hard to match as it may seem. Pick a striped shirt and squint. Whatever color pops out is the primary color but when you squint you can see the secondary stripes. That color to be safe should be your tie color. This also works in reverse. If there is a tie you like you can pick the color from the tie to find the shirt. (See left) 

Rule number 5: It's perfectly fine to go black on black and the best part- it looks good on every man. (See right). Bradley Cooper wears the suit without the tie, but even with the black tie the suit is classy and not an eye sore as it's contrary (white on white) is. Black is also extremely slimming.

5 Do's and Don'ts at the Workplace for Men and Women

I constantly find myself walking into professional establishments where the employees are certainly less than professional. Here's a list I composed of what you might think you should wear- but actually wear instead.

Men

Don't wear shirts where chest hair pokes out. Not only is it unsanitary it can be repulsive to customers.
Do wear collared shirts or button downs, they are always classy and give off a professional edge.

Don't let your fingernails grow above the skin of your finger.
Do trim them and clean out underneath-because nothing makes a girl cringe like man nails.

Don't wear flip flops to work. It can actually be annoying to hear the loud flip and flop of the shoes for customers or patients. Also, the same with the fingers- long nails and hairy toes are repulsive.
Do try out boat shoes that are light and comfortable on your feet.

Don't wear sweat pants or sweat shirts to professional jobs.
Do wear them for labor jobs.

Don't wear white socks with black or brown shoes. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
Do wear black, brown or argyle.

Women

Don't wear skirts shorter than three quarters down your thigh. When you bend over, we see all.
Do wear pencil skirts to the knee, its classy and still shows very nice shape in your curves.

Don't wear open toed shoes and pantie hose.
Do wear close toed shoes to eliminate frequent pedicures.

Don't wear thin strapped tank tops.
Do wear thick straps and a cardigan.

Don't wear low pants without a short shirt. Low pants are very comfortable but its not so you can show your mid-drift-it is very unprofessional and unnecessary.
Do wear low pants with a long shirt.

Don't wear heels higher than 4 inches. It is so hard to believe you can wear those heels all day unless you're sitting, and if you are sitting all day-what's the point? Save them for the club.
Do wear heels to make you feel confident but make sure you can walk and express it comfortably.

Foam- for your dome!

The newest in hair coloring: FOAM


Late last year, a hair color company "Samy" had a brilliant idea for people who are constantly covering their grays or changing their style up. This great idea has sparked in sales and has even inspired major companies such as "Nice N' Easy," "John Frieda" and "Paul Mitchell" to copy. 
The great idea?
FOAM hair dye. Easy to apply and less than one-eighth the mess.
Genius.
In only 5 months hundreds of thousands have been sold and leaving the company to expand and sell from salons or hair stores to Walmart, Target and supermarkets across the country.
The product still must be mixed like regular dye to active the color. It comes with gloves and a pump top to excerpt just the right amount to fit in the palm of your hand. When the foam sits on the hair for 5 seconds it melts and spreads much easier than the goopy at home kits or the salon- ensuring more coverage. Application however is said to take the same amount of type (depending on color).


Follow the link to check out the colors of "Samy" brand foam or to learn more about coloring with foam dye. 

I scream, you scream, we all scream for lace!

As if lace wasn't rising in sales this past winter, the Academy Awards confirmed- lace is in. Many of the leading ladies including Mila Kunis, Hailee Steinfield and Scarlet Johanson rocked the lace in various colors. Many believe that lace especially in black has a sexual undertone- I will not pretend that it doesn't sometimes- but it also can be very flattering. Kunis (left) reveals in both her chest and thigh, but the lavender lace makes her skin illuminate absolutely complimenting her complextion. Hailee (middle) is a nice representation of the innocence of lace; the cream color of her skin and the pale pink of her dress make her glow from her bun to her toes. Johanson (right) also wears her lace in a color that compliments her without making her too racey. If her dress had been a more firetruck true red, it would have given off a sexual vibe, but I believe her maroon shows off her assets without making us condemn her as satan.

There are many ways to wear lace off the red carpet

Lauren Conrad (left) wears her lace in white. The best time to wear white lace is Spring; it gives off the vibe of doileys and delecacy. However, LC is from Cali, where she sees a lot of sun. For us in the North East, we should tone down the white for our pale skin and wear more pastels such as pale yellow, pink, purple, green or even a cream. LC's dress is a nice example of how to wear the lace without the judgement. Her dress does not cut down too far and the lace accents her collar bones and shoulders making her look slimmer.

Another great example of lace is Jennifer Hudson (right). She has a nice mixture of silk cream and black lace balancing out sweet and sour. Her lace does not cover her goodies so it stays innocent and flattering. The silk sides flatter and make us oogle at her curves as well as the black lace in the middle visually flattens her tummy.

But lets face it: we're not celebrities or going anywhere fancy- so how do we wear it normally?

The best way to wear lace on a normal day is in a shirt. Lace is also available at cheap prices and should always be bought cheap. Lace does not last forever and no matter how much you spend it will eventually still tear or stretch with wear and wash. For women on a budget the most affordable and fashionable shopping is at Forever 21.

The shirt to the left is a flattering color for any complextion. The baby pink brings out the cheek bones and lips in a flattering way. The shirt is scoop neck and a very comfortable length. The girlish frills at the bottom slim the waist by coming out further. On colder days the best way to wear this is with a nice cardigan especially a black, white, cream, pink or purple. What makes it even better is it has potential to be fancy or casual suiting any daily adventure. It could be worn with a blazer for an interview or out with a motorcycle jacket- whatever your day entails.

To purchase this shirt for $24.80 follow the link to Forever21.com.

Get it while you can- and cheap

Top 3 Things to Buy on Clearance - Now

Christmas has come and gone as a new year is beginning. This is the best time of the year to start scoping out the items you oogled over all winter because they are all marked down. With spring approaching stores are pushing all their old items to the back with the little red tag that makes me swipe my credit card faster than a kid to candy. 


1. Boots. Boots are now marked down to 30-35% off in most big stores. The best part about shopping now is that boots can be worn throughout spring with dresses, skirts, stretchies, jeans, and in some cases even shorts. The unpredictable weather moving from winter into spring gives you the opportunity to wear the boots now instead of having to wait until next year. 


2. Rain Coats. If you remove the lining from the inside, the jacket is not going to smother you with heat. It's a good equivalent to a sweatshirt except it makes you look more sophisticated and formal. And as we know April showers bring May flowers, so it's okay to buy the rain coat in preparation. 


3. Scarves. In many stores now the nice cashmere scarves are up to 50% off- the real ones. Scarves can be worn without a jacket so as we grow near to cooler weather it's easy to keep warm with less layers. 

"Get 'em while the gettin's good!"

Happy shopping

The Answer to Valentine's Day: Shoes.

Why guys should buy shoes for their special someone on V-Day

Fact #1: Women are always self conscious about their weight.
Fact #2: Most men do not know their girlfriends size.
Alas! Do not buy her clothes unless you would like to have a very angry girlfriend. Imagine if you bought clothes for your girl on the most romantic day of the year and she loved them- but they were too small. Do you think she wants to dive into that box of chocolates you bought her? Sounds more like she's going for the tissue box because she thinks she's fat (even though you think she's perfect). On the other side of the spectrum, you try to play it safe and buy a size too big. I hope you brought your helmet because if your girl wears a 4 and you buy her a 10, she's going to be throwing some serious punches.

Over generations jewelry has become one of the most popular Valentine's Day gifts because there is no size to guess. However it can burn a hole in your pocket- very fast. Diamonds, gold and silver are all very nice expressions of your appreciation but what if there was a cheaper way to make your girl feel good? Shoes.  

Women love shoes: that's a fact. 

Fact #3: "While sales of most things have plummeted thanks to the recession, footwear sales have gone up compared to the same period last year" (Cosmo).
Fact #4: Not all shoes are expensive. Stores such as Forever 21 and websites like zappos.com have cute shoes for cheaper prices in this recession.
Fact #5: Shoes make women happy-it's scientifically proven (as if it even had to be).
When women put on shoes it raises their self esteem by the body's release of dopamine (one of the bodies "happy" hormones). It instantly spikes a release of happiness to the woman. As well it also gives women a feeling of power. The actual added height makes women feel more powerful as well as feeling like the sexiest thing alive. What is better than making your woman feel happy and sexy all on Valentine's day? You get to watch her and that happiness rubs off on you.

The goods.

For less than 20 dollars, the shoes to the left from Forever 21 ($17.99 on clearance) will make her drool. The black heel matches almost everything she could wear on Valentines Day (which will probably be red or pink).

But if your girl is more of a brown lover (right) try these, (Forever 21) booties. They have a small heel for a girl that doesn't love the extreme or doesn't want to stand out. ($17.99 clearance).

These are just some of the fabulous shoes for low prices. There are so many out there and Valentine's Day is Monday so get shopping.

Don't know how to get her size in shoes? No problem, try this conversation with her next time:

"Your feet are so small and cute next to my huge feet? How small are they?"

Trust me the mixture of the compliment and question, won't make her think that's what she's getting.

Single?

Shoes still make a woman feel good. SO forget about men and treat yourself to a less-than-$20 pair. You'll thank yourself when you're out with your girlfriends Monday and you feel super confident.

How low can you go? No really.

How low is too low? 

And who sets the bar?

Apparently it is Sesame Street. On September 23rd, 2010, Katy Perry was turned down for her low cut out-fit by Elmo for being too revealing.
The episode was supposed to be shown for the New Years Eve  Elmo Special but after review was edited and completely cut out Katy perry and her low cut top. 

The too-low-cut outfits really hit the world at the 2005 Grammy's when JLo wore a dress that showed all. Though she has the assets, her outfit was completely inappropriate. 
Beyond the cut in the chest, the slit went all the way to her hoo-ha; nobody wants to see your hoo-ha JLo. In addition to the revealing of, well, everything, the dress is sheer. We can see she's not wearing a bra and her very white underwear. 
This display by Jennifer Lopes shows she may have been Grammy worthy, but no fashion award can celebrate this outfit.


Here we have a nice figure on Rachel McAdams but the low cut just does not compliment her. She's tiny but the low, is too low once again. The low cut does not flatter her because it makes her even smaller. Women these days do not take pride in their shape and this is a prime example. McAdams obviously girl next door gorgeous, is turning herself into a flat plank instead of showing off some curves. As well as the color makes her bland tough she was shooting for a black and white elegant look. The low cut was supposed to make her stand out but the attention she is drawing makes her look small and flat.

We have found her- the low cut queen!


She rocks the low cut, the curves and the elegant black. Mila Kunis, another girl next door featured in both serious and funny broadcasts and films, lights up the bold red carpet at the Writers Guild Awards in 2010. By wearing a not so low, semi-revealing, classical cocktail dress showing curves and cleavage she reflects herself as sexy and classy. Thank you Mila Kunis.








So in response to Lil' John when he so elegantly stated "Get Low," we take a stand in fashion and say, not too low ladies. 

Cowboy Boots and Scarfs- A Love Story

Cowboy boots dress up a simple outfit and give it a touch of real style. Scarves do the same. When we put them together, one messy outfit tranforms to a chic day.

The best colors to buy Cowboy boots in would be brown or black. Other colors are too extreme and draw the wrong kind of attention. The brown looks really nice with a sun dress or a pair of jeans. Black cowboy boots are best worn with jeans and a tank top/sweater: Kate Beckinsale (left). But the two best thing abouts them are: they're comfortable and they look even better with age. Cowboy boots don't all come with heels, they can be bought flat or with a kitten heel (1/2"-1" tall). They are supposed to look rustic and slightly dirty so the more you wear them, the better they will look!

Cowboy boots are something different from the usual Uggs and sneakers during the colder seasons. They have the potential to dress up what could be a sloppy outfit of jeans and a large t-shirt versus a pair of Uggs. When you look good you feel good and cowboy boots boost the ego because your self-esteem is high. So when you buy your pair make sure you don't just wear them you rock them.

Scarves come in all colors so it's hard not to match. Also, scarves can be so cheap especially when in Manhattan (Canal St. "cashmere" scarves- 3 for $10). The even better thing about scarves is the endless way to wear them:

-tied and laid down

-folded and tucked into a loop

-tied left/right

-wrapped around once with end in front & back

-wrapped around once with ends in front

-tied like a cowboy

 

Scarves and boots boost confidence in an outfit without dragging a person out of their own realm of style. Though the cowboy boots add an edge, the scarf gives a sophisticated and elegant touch to an outfit. It's great in the work place because it eliminates sexy outfits by covering the chest and neck- in addition to its main purpose of keeping the neck warm.

Notice that person is in italics in the previous paragraph. Women are not the only ones who can pull of scarves! Men do it on a daily basis and it is a trend that decreased and now on its way back up. It is not questionable for a man to wear a scarf. It reflects a man is confident in his sexuality and likes to keep his neck warm. Jay-Z has 99 problems but his scarves ain't one so boys lock and load your scarves.

20 Things Not To Wear Over 20

Magazines can lead us the wrong way, but there are some fads that need to be put to rest because they rarely flatter anybody. However 20 years old is a deciding time for women and men, where style can get confusing transferring into the next decade of their lives. The top 20 in my book of things I really see people wear are dying to be dug a grave:

1. Hello Kitty Accessories: Why not? Because its a cat without a mouth designed for little girls. Maybe a key chain or something that could be small and hidden is an acceptable thing to be seen with but if your car looks like this, it's time for the Hello Kitty Intervention, I'd tell your friends but you probably don't have any.



2. Jellies are shoes made by the devil for little girls. Not only are they unappealing on any ones feet, but they'll give you a blister worthy of leaving you a scar--put the Jellies in the attic (I prefer them in my garbage).

3. Sillybandz- one package is roughly $4, the addiction is costly and cause so many fights in school many have banned it.  I just don't know why anyone hasn't figured out it's a bunch of rubber bands...

4. Purple pants- purple is a challenging color to wear in the first place but to put it on pants is adding about 10 lbs to your thighs. Fergie doesn't look like she's "been up in the gym working on her fitness" for a while. 

5. Bedazzled jackets- the 80s called; they're cold, they want their coats back. Bedazzling anything to begin with is the habit of a 14 year old girl but to wear it on your back, you might as well have put a kick me sign back their instead.


6. Extreme hair dye- Everybody likes to change your hair and I'm just as guilty. But, your hair should never be all green, blue, or any bright color of the rainbow.  If you're looking for a change with a little color, try semi-perminent highlights or clip in color is available for less than $30 on hairextentions.com. (We all remember how cute Rachel McAdams was for breast cancer awareness with pink highlights).

7. Chains on your pants- Yes, it is so difficult to keep track of your wallet and there are millions of pick pocket-ers but the chain is never fashionable.

8. Names/teams/countries shaved into the side of your head-Will Smith pulled it off because the 80s and 90s were clueless, but these days girls like a little locks, it doesn't make us feel special to put our names on the side of your head.

9. Pinky rings- fo-ged-aboud-it.

10. Name earrings- if I wanted to know you're name I'd ask you, even if I forget your name- I'd ask you. The only purpose name earring serve to the world is if you lose them- but hey you might be better off not getting them back.


11. Leopard Tights- I get it-life's a jungle, but no one can take you serious when wearing leopard tights (that also goes for zebra even if black and white is elegant!)

12. Uggs and shorts- well Uggs are for when it's cold, and shorts are for when it's hot, so what temperature would this be appropriate? 

13. Fanny Packs- the #1 accessory for Mom Jeans. There are so many nice purses in the world why settle for a fanny pack? Some people need it to keep their stomach's separate from the floor, but for most of us- stop being lazy get a purse.

14. Bellbottoms-If the tag says flare you're okay! But bellbottoms went out for a reason, they're distracting and on a windy day you might just take flight, or trip over them.

15. Parachute Pants- Sloppy boys wear big pants, it's not a statement on fashion, its a statement on your lazy personality. 

16. Crocs are a good idea for doofy kids who trip over their own feet and scrape/break toes, but if you're still as doofy as an adult you might need to get checked out. Also, big Crocs aren't cute they look like clown shoes. 


17. Belly Chains- leave them to the gypsies and Bollywood, they wear them right, chances are good you don't.


18. Speedo Bathing Suits-Speedo makes their money off little swimmers and dedicated swimmers. They are not ideal for the beach or vacation pool. Colorful tankinis and cute one pieces are available- no matter what your size is. 

19. Belly Shirts- great bellies come out at the beach and in every day life are shown with slight mid-drift. 


20. Intense Black Eyeliner- Make-up was created to enhance your naturally beautiful features, not abuse them. Eyes are very tricky to make pop but black eyeliner is the equivalent to scribbling on your face- it is unflattering. Outline your eyes to give them shape like Rachel Bilson (right).