With the holidays upon us, I was excited to team up with Nine West for a fun little segment that I’m calling, “Home for the Holidays.” Seeing that I am headed back to Seattle in a week, I began thinking of all the festive parties and events coming up. There is one in particular, which is being thrown by my parents as a little welcome home soiree for me and “A” and I am really looking forward to it. Nothing over the top, but it will definitely be a good time, as my Mother is the ultimate hostess and is a genius at creating subtle yet creative details all throughout the house. I have seen her do this for many years now and always wonder if I will ever have the patience and talent to pull it off.

So, seeing that this little party that is quickly approaching, I decided to create my ideal ensemble based around my new Nine West pumps and sparkly clutch. I love this dress (it’s definitely on my wish list!) and decided to keep the outfit playful and creative by mixing patterns. Then to ground the outfit, I kept the rest of the look chic, by opting for black accessories and a moody “Sable” lip by Revlon. Here’s to the holidays! xo

Here are a few entertaining and decorating tips from my Mom:

~ Think about lighting. Candles add their own special touch and white italian lights wrapped holly inside a glass bowl instantly add a festive touch.

~ Always play music in the background but don’t let it overpower the party.

~ As for food, make sure there is something there for everyone. Serve things that are good for your guests but that taste good too. I always invest in quality cheeses, breads, fruits and veggies. Hot soups are fun too!

~ Most importantly, make sure everyone feels welcomed and that the atmosphere is celebratory. During the holidays, it’s all about getting together with loved ones, enriching relationships and embracing the season.

Thanks Mom!

Earlier this month, I went behind the scenes and saw a bit of CitizenGlam’s inaugural campaign, which helps raise awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge in NYC. This time, they teamed up with YouTube makeup artists,Leesha and ItsJudyTime, to support and raise money for the ACS’s Eastern Division Wig Program. I was blown away by the special campaign and took a few photos myself, but I don’t feel like what I captured did any of it justice. Instead I would love for you to check out the video above, and watch even more footage on their site!

You too can join the Rally for Hope Lodge, which started on October 17th. For more information on Citizen Glam Social Media, you can visit the follow sites! xoxo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citizenglam
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/citizenglamhq
Tumblr: http://citizenglam.tumblr.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/CitizenGlamHQ
Landing Page: http://citizenglam.legacyconnect.com/

The other day I saw this sheer, long flowy dress on my good friend Krystal’s blog and loved how she paired it with an army jacket and suede ankle boots. It got me thinking that sheer, summery dresses don’t always or only have to be worn just in the summertime, but can be quite versatile and brought out during slightly crisper weather as well. I think you could even get away with a similar look if you slipped on some tights underneath to keep warm once the temperature really starts to drop.

Anyway, what it comes down to is this: I am a huge romantic at heart. I love cheesy, girly, mushy movies, and sweet, thoughtful gestures, and flowers out of the blue, and love notes and all the little things that make your heart and stomach go flippity flop. So, when I saw this dress (on sale for $15!) I felt like it embodied romance and romantical ideals (yes, romantical) with its sweet pink color, sheer layers and pretty detailing around the neckline. And, I absolutely love how it swishes and floats around me when I walk down the street.

Needless to say, I felt very girly and feminine in this dress, but not wanting to go overboard with a sugary sweet look, I paired it with a tougher, more structured utilitarian jacket, along with a tartan plaid button down (something else I saw on Krystal’s blog), a classic braided belt, striped socks (obviously) and some flat rustic-looking ankle boots, in order to avoid making the dress seem too light and summery. The finishing touch was my new favorite F21 find, which added some much needed sparkle. After all, you can never go wrong with wearing diamonds. xoxo

HUDSON Collin Signature Skinny Cords in Stormy / Zara Blazer (boy’s dept) / J.Crew Top (Mom’s/thrifted) / Roberta Chiraella Necklace (gifted)

I am a huge believer in positive thinking and positive energy and think it is extremely powerful and effective. Recently my Mother’s very good friend was diagnosed with breast cancer and instead of keeping the news to herself, she told everyone she knew so that she could immediately begin receiving all the good thoughts and positive energy she could get to help with her diagnosis.

Now, seeing that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I teamed up with HUDSON to help spread awareness and raise funds toward finding a cure…for every pair of HUDSON jeans sold during the month of October, $5 will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. There are so many ways to get involved, so I urge you to find what works for you and go for it! { You can visit BCRF to find other ways to get involved, and visit Susan G. Komen for more information on where to get screened. Be proactive! } xoxo

Urban Outfitters Earrings / H&M Bracelets, Belt and Sunglasses / Coach Watch and Shoes / Zara Pants / Lucite Bangle (unknown)

For those of you that follow me of  Twitter, I’m assuming you already read about my amazing blue palazzo pants. I’ll admit that I was unsure of them at first and almost returned them. I mean, they probably aren’t the most flattering pants I own and they reminded me a lot of Jasmine’s pants in Aladin. But after putting them aside for a day, then retrying them on for the millionth time, I decided to embrace them and bolding wore them out for a day of running errands.

Within minutes of swishing down the sidewalk, I fell head over heels in love and instead of feeling like Jasmine, I felt chic and graceful, strutting through the Soho streets. So much so, that I couldn’t bear to take them off and continued to wear them to an evening event for One Kings Lane at The Standard Hotel. Clearly, the pants are the statement piece here, but I added a few subtle pops of orange to my bangle stack for a bit of contrast.

For the other half of this ensemble, I opted for my new favorite sequined top once again, (yes, I wore it multiple times in a very short period of time, that is how much I love it) but can’t wait to wear a peach or green blouse with these blue billowing beauties for some real tride and true color blocking. Bring it. xoxo

P.S. Thank you to the gorgeous Emily from Into The Gloss for wearing these pants in the first place and inspiring me and Karen to desperately want them. And thank you to Karen for persuading me to buy them!) xoxo

RayBan Wayfarers / F21 Shirt / J.Crew Necklace (gift) / Banana Republic Sweater / Need Supply Shearling Jacket (first worn here) / Target Jeans / Not Rated Saddle Boot

I cannot tell a lie. This outfit (and hair) was once again inspired by the stylish Blair, of Atlantic-Pacific. I put my own spin on this ensemble, but what drew me to this look in the first place was the buttoned-up blouse and how she paired it with something as simple a basic gray crewneck sweater creating a chic, ladylike combination.

But last weekend when I walked into the bedroom, wearing my blouse buttoned up all the way with my bejeweled neck decoration tied just so that it fell right beneath the collar, and asked A what he thought, he looked at me and said, “What’s up man-shirt.” Men and women really do have different ideas about what’s stylish. Le sigh.

But, I can’t really complain, because lucky for me, A does in fact recognize when something is stylish in the fashion world even when/if it’s not his favorite thing in “real life.” In the end, I do my best to always try and mix it up to create a happy medium.

I’m curious…does your boyfriend ever balk at anything you wear?

***Disclaimer: Don’t worry, A is extremely supportive and always makes it clear that he does not care what I wear as long as it makes me happy, but that if I ask his opinion on an outfit, he will always tell me his honest opinion no matter what. Gotta love an honest guy. :)

RayBan Aviators / UO Earrings and Flats / F21 Denim Shirt / H&M Anorak / LuLu’s Paislyn Sheer Maxi Skirt / Coach Watch and Bag (c/o) / Ariel Gordon Silk Friendship Bracelet (c/o via giftcard)

I am in love with this hairdo. I think it looks so chic and fresh, so when I got dressed to wander around the city on Saturday with A, I was determined to recreate the look the best I could. It took a few tries and I still need some practice, but I was pretty pleased with the final outcome.

As for the outfit…I paired my new sheer maxi with denim and army green, but am looking forward to lightening it up with a cropped tee and woven wedges. Hurry up, spring! xoxo

*On a separate outfit note, I meant to post these leather trench photos last week, but I guess better late than never, right?

(Click here to see how I wore this same trench with Converse high tops!)

Urban Outfitters Earrings / Vintage Bird Blouse (20Twenty in Ballard) / H&M Belt / F21 Skirt / Black Tights / Aldo Shoes (c/o)

This outfit was directly inspired by what Kendi wore yesterday. Is that creepy? I hope not, because I am constantly inspired by my blogger buddies and this time was no different. That is how smitten I was over her outfit. Also, I love black and tan together, as well as animal printed blouses, so I dug around in my closet and this is what I came up with.

P.S. I now need a shirt with foxes on it, like this one!

Here are two looks I plan on recreating. The first photo was shot by The Sartorialist and I haven’t been able to stop coming back to it. I think it’s because I own Dansko clogs and used to wear them as a waitress back in college, so I always forget that they can be worn in different ways besides just for food service purposes. However, in reality I should really be taking style cues from my Mom who rocks these clogs like no other, so I’ve decided I am going to as well. Definitely looking forward to this outfit recreation.

The second image I found on Pinterest (I love this site—check out my profile—and you should join if you haven’t already!) via Poppytalk. What an easy and chic outfit! I have similar jeans from Tory Burch that are loud and extremely patterned and I have been trying to think of creative ways to style them up. Miss Moss gave me just the inspiration I needed. Stripes! Stripes seem to be my answer to everything when it comes to clothing. Good thing I own a lot of these types of tops…