Holiday Bling

One of the many benefits of holiday season is that you don't look as over-board if you walk down the street in bling bling at day time. Sequin pieces tend to add urban chic to every outfit as long as you keep the rest of the outfit simple and elegant. Now that Christmas is only steps away, strolling down the street with a cute sequin mini skirt sometimes seems just the right thing to do!

Express has quite a few cute sequin mini skirts this season. I picked one with tribal pattern in neutral tone. It absolutely brightened up my past weekend. Check them out!

Silk sweater: Joie (also seen in this post)

Sequin mini skirt: Express (here, similar, similar, similar, similar, similar)

Downcoat: Burberry Brit (also seen in this post) 

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Mink infinity scarf: bought from Neiman Marcus years ago (similar, similar)
Leather arm warmer: Vince Camuto (also seen in this post) 

Purse: Chanel Large Camera Bag

Over-the-knee boots: Stuart Weitzman 5050 in black napa leather (here, here, here, here, here, ) 

Feeling Chanel?

There is nothing as ladylike as a classic tweed piece. After borrowing a tweed sportswear from a male friend, a Duke to be exact, Chanel was enchanted by this comfortable and supple fabric that was exclusively used in menswear at that time. In 1924 she enlisted a Scottish fabric factory to produce her iconic tweed fabrics for everything from sportswear to suits and coats.

Nowadays quite a few mass production brands offer decent tweed pieces, but the texture and weight are still the key elements some brands have not mastered. It seems to me that JCrew tweed has done a good job in its price range, with its soft texture, right amount of weight and clean cut. This blue jacket is one of the JCrew tweed jackets I've collected in the past a couple of years. I feel so Parisian whenever I throw it on, either over a skirt/dress or a pair of jeans. This season, JCrew has a similar tweed jacket in stripes that fits just like this one. Check it out!

Tweed jacket: JCrew (similar)
Dress: Theory
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength
Pumps: Stuart Weitzman

DVF Selene Ruched Silk Jersey Dress

Yet another DVF dress. Compared to the New Della dress seen in my previous post, Selene has a looser fit around the waist -- New Della has a tie at the side and you can achieve a more fitted look by adjusting the tie. However, Selene still fits well and makes a perfect shift dress that is low-key, professional and feminine. The silk jersey is stretchy and comfortable as usual. Here I picked the more conservative color "Jungle Diamond" for office. It goes really well with a black blazer and a pair of bronze heels.

Dress: DVF Selene Ruched Silk Jersey Dress in Jungle Diamond
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength
Pumps: Stuart Weitzman

Red + Green = Christmas Tree? Scratch that!

Abstract

How to wear red with green without looking like a Christmas tree? It's actually easier than you might think. 

• Play with brightness and saturation. Furious red and blinding green are simply, er, furious and blinding. Mute one of the two colors and let the other one shine. That's the way to make it "pop", not "clash".
• Play with area. Usually it's safe to let the muted color dominate in terms of area. Balance is the key, isn't it?
• Use neutral color(s) to soften the look. 

Simple rules, right? Let's give it a try!

This is a quick flashback from 2012. The green top is from JCrew. I simply love their Perfect Fit Ballet Button Tee. I have ~20 pieces in different colors and sleeve length. I got the skirt from Anthropologie and flats from Stuart Weitzman. Cute stuff!

俗话说：＂红配绿，丑得哭。＂不知什么时候开始，红色和绿色放在一起成了村姑的标志。其实，红有各种红，绿有各种绿，如果自然界的红花绿叶美不胜收，为什么我们就不能把这两个颜色搭得赏心悦目呢？

今天放个flashback，以前搭过的一身儿红绿配，被很多人夸奖过，包括同事朋友，也包括街上的陌生人。正好来讲讲如何撞色 －－ 撞色搭好了，会有意外的惊喜哦！

首先，我们知道颜色除了有色相，还有亮度明度灰度饱和度。我不是专业人员，这些名词一直稀里糊涂的，但是我的眼睛告诉我，鲜艳明亮的红色和鲜艳明亮的绿色在一起是很可怕的事情，所以这两个颜色一定要有主次之分，有明有暗才能有主有从。比如这身搭配里面，绿色是暗沉的背景，红色是那点活泼的splash。

其次，相撞的两个颜色面积上也要有主次之分，一个大一个小。一般说来，暗色偏大，亮色较小，这样才显得生动活泼，而不是哗众取宠。万绿丛中一点红，就是这么个意思。

第三，利用中间色过渡，通常可以使画面更和谐自然，比如这里使用的白色。

挺容易的，对不对？

这是2012年的图了，上衣是JCrew的Perfect Fit Ballet Button Tee。我特别喜欢他家的这个tee，弹性非常好，颜色也很多，长袖短袖我收了~20件吧？裙子是Anthropologie的。鞋是Stuart Weitzman家的。