Stylish In Wonderland: September 2011

Wedding Chic

I wore this little number to a good friends wedding 2 weekends ago. First, let me just say that the bride was gorgeous! So beautiful and elegant she really did look amazing. I was soo happy and excited to attend the celebration. The wedding was as you can imagine somewhat fancy. My only dilemma... what to wear?

Now I'm not gonna say that I didn't have anything to wear because I did. I just didn't want to wear anything I had. It pains me to say that I, like many other young fashionistas out there was on a shopping budget. I wanted something new but didn't want to spend a lot.

I decided to check out J.C. Penny's where I successfully found this awesome dress. As soon as I tried it on I knew this was it. It said classy wedding guest all over it. I loved that the leopard print was only a small portion on top.

Once I had the dress situation figured out I had to plan the accessories. At first I was a little leery about doing snakeskin wedges with a leopard print dress. After several shoe changes, I figured it was safe to do since there was enough of a distance between the shoes and the top of the dress.

I went with black and silver accessories as a way to add a little shine to the overall look. Because the wedding went from day to night I kept my makeup simple with just a light smokey eye. I definitely didn't wasn't to be too flashy during the day portion.

My look hair and makeup included even lasted me the whole night. I had so much fun! The wedding was the most perfect way to put a cap on the end of summer for me. Special thanks to JoAnn & Karen for snapping my pics.

Dress: J.C. Penny's

Necklace & Rings: Forever 21

Earrings: From a vacation to Atlanta

Shoes: Christian Siriano for Payless

Polka Dots

I was looking through my photos the other day when I noticed these shots that I had taken a while ago but never posted. My lovely photographer Iiona and I had a successful impromptu photo shoot on a rare day when I actually wore pants. I can tell it was a while ago cuz I'm wearing pants and a wool jacket.

I bought this top for super cheap sometime last year. I'm taking dirt cheap, I think I paid like $2 for it during a massive end of summer sale. So basically I had to grab it and hang onto it til this summer before debuting it.

The shirt is actually a tank top which is why I added the wool sweater. I really adore the keyhole cutout on the chest. It's such a subtle detail that adds a little something extra. I never like to be too over the top with my details.

This was my first go with polka dots and I really like the end result. I think I'll be wearing much more of this outfit come fall and winter. I belted the whole thing and threw on my wedges, done and done. Thanks for reading.

Top: Old Navy

Wool Jacket: Gifted

Pants: Burlington

Wedges: Payless

Fashion Week!

Horray! Today, New York Fashion Week is here! And if you don't know what Fashion Week is or you've never heard of it then, where have you been!? This is the event in fashion! It's what all the hard work and hoopla are for. Basically it's a really big deal and I couldn't be more excited to see and be inspired by all the new collections.

This year you can watch several runway shows streaming live on you tube! I know that I definitely gonna be checking some shows out all week long. The first live show which will be Nicholas K streams today, Thrusday September 8 at 9am.

For a full list of shows and live streams click here.

My Birthday!!!

I had my birthday back on Aug 21, and I'm just now getting around to posting some of the shots from the night. Special thanks to my mom for snapping my pics. These were some shots I took before heading out for the night with my sis and some friends for dancing and drinks. It was such a fun night I am very thankful for my wonderful friends and family! They made my birthday weekend absolutely fantastic :)

I bought this dress way back in April. I got it on sale for like $20! It's got that Herve Leger signature bandage look goin on. Normally I don't buy dresses like this because as a curvy fashionista I don't love clingy outfits. I like things to fit (key word... fit) and not be too tight. But for 20 bucks I figured I could afford to take a chance on something new.

I kept saving this dress for a special occasion and what better time to break this out than on My B-Day! I must admit I am in love with this dress. I thought it may make me look like a bumble bee but no I looked like a very stylish birthday girl at least I did in my head.

I added some bling embellishments, an awesome metal fringe purse that I scored for $8, my wedges and I was ret to go.

The next afternoon my mommie made me a fabulous b-day lunch (mmmm) that me and the rest of my fam thoroughly enjoyed. It was a perfect way to end a perfect weekend. Thanks for reading...

Dress: Torrid

Cardi: Old Navy

Necklace, Rings & Purse: Forever 21

Earrings: Got these on vacation in Atlanta a few yrs ago

Wedges: Steve Madden

Celeb Trending: Oxfords

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend. When I did my last post about oxfords I could just hear some of you not being convinced of how to incorporate a pair into your everyday life. Don't brush off this trend without thinking if these classic shoes are right for you. Trust me, oxfords can and will work for you in multiple ways:

1. They're flat!

2. They come in multiple colors, patterns and styles.

3. They can be dressed up or down.

4. They can work year round from season to season.

Janelle Monae gets all fancy with her oxfords in signature black & white looks

Sienna Miller keeps her oxfords casual and comfy. Add a cardigan and this is a perfect outfit for transitioning from summer to fall

Lala Vasquez dresses up her spiked Christian Louboutin's with skinny legs, a wide blazer and a silky cowl neck halter top

Blake Lively shows how Gossip Girl Serena wears em in city chic and preppy ways

Rosario Dawson does a everyday version with her oxfords by pairing an oversized sweater and cuffed slouchy boyfriend jeans

Taylor Swift opts for heeled versions to complement her fall looks

Rihanna does this trend in both casual and dressy looks

Gimmie Gimmie: Oxfords

In the spirit of Back to School I decided to do a post about a classic type of shoe that always brings to mind thoughts of teachers, back packs... and homework, ugh (not looking forward to that at all). Currently I'm thinkin Oxfords!!! Why would you pick oxfords you may be asking of me. Well, cuz oxfords sure aint what they used to be. New styles give this classic shoe a modern twist, yet they remain stylish and oh so cool. You can get them in a wide variety of styles including colors and prints as well as heels and wedges. Plus you know you've spotted your fab celeb in em' and you secretly loved the look (more on celebs who rock oxfords comming soon).

Here are some of the oxford styles I'm craving... enjoy!