Fashion Hero

When it comes to fashion are you a follower or do you make the path worth following?  Following a trend can be interesting having to piece together different trends to create a signature look while making the path is almost like an adrenaline rush because you never know what the reaction will be.  Whenever I get dressed I like to try something new, something will turn have to turn someone's head so fast they get whiplash.  

The trick is to keep your idyll chatter to the lips of the fashionably ignorant and choosing the opinions that matter most.  But even with all that it takes a lot of courage just to be able to turn the door knob without scurrying off to change let alone walk out the door with your head held high.  Even with all that I summon the power of my fashion superhero Fran Fine a.k.a. the best nanny ever!

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I can only imagine the confidence it takes for this woman to wear whatever it is she feels suits her.  From the furry jacket to the kooky patterned suits, my favorite is the one with a brick pattern to it.  Really her style emulated her personality: odd, jaw-dropping, slightly nauseating, but in the just makes you laugh cause you can't help but love it.  

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Some people may not understand this but in the time of the show airing her skirts where too short.  Granted today girls just love showing off their bits and pieces but in that time she was really sexual and made a lot of innuendos that while we may not bat our eye lashes at it, back then it wasn't really tossed around much.

Confession: there are times when I have something that is so out there I refuse to wear something because of public opinion.  Gasp!  I know, I know, but then I channel in my inner Fran Fine and walk with a little bit more swing in my hips.  I will say she has inspired a few pieces in my closet such as, a jacket with blue chalk writing all over it, a plaid Jacket and a few funky dresses and a huge love of pantyhose.

What can we learn from Fran?  Crazy works, sometimes.  Not all her outfits are winners but you have to admit she had a way of staying true to herself no matter what the circumstance.  Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to keep a couple leopard pieces in the closet, a little skirt and perhaps a nice scarf?  Most of the time if I don't know how to wear a new daring piece all I have to think is WWFD?  Frannie would wear it with a big smile and sashay her hips around town.

Now who could forget this face?

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Hooped

Oh how I love long locks cascading past your shoulders and swishing to the side as you laugh.  Just being able to run my fingers from the roots to the tips.  Sike!  Nope I am blessed with an afro, short, sassy and believe me, when I walk in all eyes are on me.  

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With all those faces looking my way it is detrimental to understand just how to add drama to the hair.  Earrings are a must and the go to pair for me are the hoops, and as Nelly Furtado says "the bigger the better."  One of the best ways to add drama to a look is to go with hoop earrings and since my hair is very short one of the key pieces in my jewelry collection are my hoop earrings.  Some days are simple studs but some days call for something dramatic.

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Let me break it down for you when it comes to hoops, even though I'm rambling about how great they look with my short hair they work well for long or short.  They are an equal opportunity piece of jewelry but they have their own rules.  

#1: Hoops love being shown off therefore sweep the hair up and away from your shoulders.  Everytime I wear hoops I often refer to the picture of Hilary Duff on the right because she is the perfect example of what I'm talking about.  Hair up in a funky style with some dramatic hoops is sure to draw the right attention your way.  Maybe not red carpet attention but at least you look like you deserve red-carpet attention.

#2: If you want people to know your name either tell them or wear a name tag it doesn't have to be in the middle of your hoops.  No one has ever made that look cool and I highly doubt that it will ever be cool. 

#3: Go for the gold, a classic piece will always be a gold pair of hoops.  Just keep a simple medium sized pair for whenever you're running behind and you still want to look cool.  Everytime my ride threatens to leave I throw a gold pair of hoops in my purse to put on later.  Here comes my swan song: look at a thrift store first, often I've found new pairs for nothing simply because someone didn't like them.  If anything learn a great way to desensitize jewelry if germs are the problem.

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#4: Drama doesn't just belong on the stage there is space on your ears.  So may talented designers in the world have done us all a favor and designed really cool pieces.  Don't we owe it to them to at least get a few pairs?  Figure out the style you want to on a daily basis and work around that.  My type are the ones on the left, I find that having something simple and sleek draws the most attention.  The hoops are gold with a cool texture and a turquoise stone at the middle and they are just screaming my name.

Flipped

Ever been to a locker room or a nasty hotel and you knew you were not going to have any personal contact with anything?  How do you shower or walk across the floor?  That's right wear your flip flops on the nasty floor but only on the nasty floor, when it comes time to hit the town leave them at home and slip on something cute.

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Those cute little flip flops you bought and wore to the beach let me tell you a little secret about them, they suck!  Over 18,000 bacteria live on just one pair, if I'm correct it should be approximately 18,100 germs just ready to enter into any cuts or scrapes... ewwww.  I will confess I wore flip flops often when I needed a break from my heels but lately I only wear them around the home and now that I've found out about all those germs looking to destroy my life, the flops will remain firmly planted at home.

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If I can't wear flip flops what can I wear?  Lets start with sandals, they've staged a huge comeback in the past four years and for the most part it's been pretty interesting.  Not all sandals are winners and not all sandals are meant to be worn on a day to day basis so be careful when spending your money.

Do not be a plain Jane when getting sandals really take the time to pick a cute pair.  Why would you ever allow yourself to be plain just to be comfortable, if you want to spend your money make sure the loss is worth it.  For starters I recommend trolling around the local thrift stores first, some people do give away brand new shoes for reasons I don't know or really care about.  If a shoe is perfectly fine but needs a good polish it won't hurt to polish it and save money, I speak from experience.  Make sure to keep your sandals clean on a regular basis, this is your item and your responsibility to make sure your things are kept top notch and respectable.  Remember one of the first things people notice is your shoes so leave a long and fabulous impression.

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Sandals can only go so many days without being worn down so remember to have another back up plan in your arsenal.  Flats are a tall girls best friend and a short girls frenemy.  But I will always be loyal to flats simply because they go with absolutely everything that I ever want to wear.  From running around campus to girls night, or dinner meeting with a future employer they always have my back.  Don't be lame and get a boring pair of flats pick up a cute color like the powder blue pair in the photo above.  There is nothing wrong with the classic black but if I had the money I would honestly pick up a color I don't see everyday just to keep things interesting.

Duchess Katherine, I must say I am a big fan of her wardrobe especially before she became the duchess.  Something I absolutely love is the pair of wedges she's normally seen in.  They seem to go with everything in her closet so seamlessly and they look comfortable.  I absolutely love when fancy items take me everywhere and watching people's expressions because they think I'm over doing it.  If they only knew just how easy it is to look cool without having to wince every time you walk.  My favorite is paring it with a grey cigarette pant with sleek grey tank top and a navy blazer with gold buttons.  One day I'll have my dream closet but I'm getting there.

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 Sneakers come in so many different forms and a lot of those forms are ghastly.  The Tory Burch sneakers on the left are a great example of the kind of sneakers to gravitate towards because they give a sense of polish and at the same time seem relaxed.  I am always a big fan of blue jeans and a white tee, but with shoes in that style I really like to pair it up with black straight leg jeans and loose white t-shirt.  Sneakers are great for stomping around town or just heading out to the movies, a fashionable pair pulls a casual look into a posh look.  I'm the kind of person who freaks out over airport attire because I like to be prepared for anything from having to run around to an unseasonably cold plane.  Having a cool pair of sneakers gives the illusion that I'm not secretly freaking out.

Let me know how you shop for shoes or a great day to day look that's easy to pull together.

I'm With the Band

Throwback: that was right before my high school prom and my favorite part about my outfit was my headband.  I was very nervous to wear it because it is a statement piece and can draw the wrong attention but it ended up making my outfit and I received a lot of compliments.  Perhaps it was because my prom happened right after the royal wedding and everyone was obsessed with statement hats and my headband was a suburban statement.

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I am a big advocate for headbands especially on days when my hair decides it doesn't care about my reputation, my headband's got my back or rather my head.  I love headbands so much I once splurged over $40 bucks on hair bands, clips and pins!  The headband on the right is only $4.00 at Ulta, when I worked at Ulta I helped a girl pick out that exact one for her prom.  Bet she turned a few heads as well.  For a great and more affordable store I highly recommend Ulta, when I would walk by the hair accessories rack it took a lot to not spend my entire paycheck.

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I love seeing so many girls take risks using headbands, headpieces, scarves and pins.  One thing I would advise against is getting something too big that it sticks out against the outfit you're wearing.  Remember to compliment your look not make people scratch their heads wondering what happened.  Starting with the everyday look of jeans and a basic tee, a statement piece can still work with a pulled back hairstyle.  You can still keep the look casual but appear romantic with just a stunning touch.

Based on your personality it can be a fun home project for you alone or with few friends to spend time on.  Adding some chunky crystals and beads to a headband makes the look interesting and completely unique to you.

Avoid the flower halo trend the best that you can, it's too big and only really works well during music festivals.  While some flower halos are cute (the tiny side halos), I understand the want for the look.  For me it reminds me of the wedding wreaths in pictures I would see as a little girl but now I don't want to wait for a special occasion to put on a cute headpiece.

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Add a piece just for fun, just add a simple touch like the one on the left.  Instead of the messy look opt for a more sleek look with your hair just brushed straight back.  No matter how you look heading out for whatever event it looks cute and simple which adds a certain allure to a woman.

So many styles, feel free to let me know you're headband experiences.

Dive

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Ssalamu Lekum(hello Moroccan Arabic style), just sitting on my yacht writing this latest post overlooking the Mediterranean Sea... in my dreams.  Seriously I would give anything to be sitting off some gorgeous coast starring into water so blue it reminds me of ink, ahhh.  But alas I have no yacht, not even a toy boat nor have I seen any large body of water remotely in any shade or tint of blue in months.  The closest I'll be getting  to Monaco or blue at this rate is Monaco Blue one of colors of the year.

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Is it possible to be excited about a color?  Because I am close to jumping out of my skin I'm so excited, I've loved this shade of blues since I was a wee little thing.  What I absolutely love is that blue is a very relaxing and cool color, and this shade of blue is in the darker spectrum also representing knowledge, power and integrity.  When wearing this color do it with freedom don't over-think things and just dive in and go with the flow.  Usually I'm always saying how to incorporate colors in small doses through accessories or embellishments but not this time, this time I say dive right in.  Remember to wear the blue on your clothes but skip matching the accessories to the clothes it's just becomes tacky.  Rather chunky accessories play very well with this color surprisingly especially those that are clear.  Layer on different pieces from beaded to pearls one over the other, this color would be a perfect stepping stone into breaking out that new jewelry you might be skeptical about or saving for a very special occasion.  A surprise twist is adding a touch of red either with one necklace, bangle, or ring on your finger... always keep them guessing.  Specifically I speak on my taste when I say pull the hair back, expose your shoulders and pop on some hoop earrings.  Why not add some healthy drama to your look?

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Looking through my closet I have a lot more Monaco Blue than I thought, let me count the ways: a boxy blazer with matching knee length, pleated and baggy shorts, and most recently have two throw pillows sitting pretty on my bed.  Did I mention I was excited about this color?  Anyways I promise to post pictures of me incorporating this into my closet.  I've found that blue looks really great with my skin tone and the dark blue compliments me.  Not only on darker skin but also compliments pale skin.

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Pick up a maxi dress or bohemian skirt, maybe even a pair of bold shorts and when in doubt match it with a white tank top.  This is a relaxing color so let yourself relax knowing you look amazing and just let your steps become lighter.  To me this is a very fearless color when I wear it and I notice my back gets a little straighter and my walk a little stronger whenever I wear this shade.  My dream would be to have an ankle length t-shirt dress that fits me perfectly.  Pair that with a pair of black wedges and I could just see myself taking on the world.  My dream Monaco Blue shoe?  Blue suede pumps.

This color works so well on it's own it doesn't need a loud buddy to make it look good because it is a very independent color.  Just putting on a t-shirt in this color with white shorts will pull out a high fashion vibe when matched with a cute pair of flats.

With all that said and done, lla yemsek 'la khir which means good night in Moroccan Arabic.