RichGirlRealGirl

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Holiday outfits from Forever 21

I put together some looks for gorgeous holiday outfits at any budget!

$55.36

$80.92

$82.02

Holiday 2011

I can't believe the holidays are upon us once again! I have no idea where this year has gone.

It's about that time where everyone is scrambling to finish shopping, cooking and decorating. But don't forget about your fabulous self! If you're like me and don't haven the time (or money) to go out and buy a new holiday outfit, look for things you already have in your closet!

But if you're lucky enough to have some money left after buying gifts here are my favorite holiday outfits that are sure to make you shine brighter than the star on the tree.

I found this amazing vest at Goodwill for $3 and it looks perfect with some black skinny jeans and heels

If you're thinking something a little more dressed up I think you'll like this (the entire outfit was around $43).

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Follow my friend's blog

My friend Susan created this awesome blog. If you love fashion and if you're vegan it's a must read! Even if you aren't vegan or care about animal rights it's a really great fashion blog!

Click to read my fashion article

It's a revised version of the one below! I think everyone will really enjoy it!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

It's More than Fabric: A Fashion Feature

It’s 1986, and Dillard’s is having a contest called Design Your Dream Dress. A then 8-year-old girl from Arkansas named Susan Gail Taylor wins and the department store makes the dress she sketched.

It was only the beginning of a life long adoration for all things fashion. “Could I draw as an eight year old?” she said, Yeah sure. Can I draw now No! Fashion design is not where my heart is,”

Instead of being the next great dressmaker, Taylor grew up to be a Ph.D. student studying rhetoric and composition at the University of South Florida. She wanted to view fashion at a different angle, “providing a more meaningful perspective through writing about fashion, and writing about what it means to people, more like telling people stories,” she said.

Taylor has been working on her dissertation which focuses on the elite of the fashion world. Holding her hands above her head, she said “I see fashion up here in this realm and it trickles down lessons for us to take and do with it what we will. I want to know what goes on up there.” Taylor is also a graduate teaching associate and uses fashion in the classroom to teach about semiotics and visual arguments and has started her own fashion blog.

Her mother died when she was nine, and she grew up with her father and brother who helped her develop her own style.

“Here I am left with two guys who know nothing about clothes, so I had to learn real fucking quick,” she said. “When I started picking things out, then I started defending them. if I had to defend it then that means other little girls probably had to defend what they wanted to wear.” she said, “and that’s where I started wanting to write about fashion.” She not only became obsessed with writing about fashion but also going to different events around Tampa that celebrate fashion including the ones at International Plaza.

The high-end mall has had a string of different events in September to commemorate Fashion Week, which is held in New York and many cities around the world including Milan and Paris. Thursday Sept. 8^th was the kickoff to Fashion Week with an event called Fashion’s Night Out. Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour of Vogue helped create Fashion’s Night Out to help the economy grow. International Plaza went all-out for the event, hosting various events at the department stores. But the fashion show hosted by icon, Tim Gunn was the most anticipated event with more than 200 people in attendance, according to mall officials.

Gunn is the chief creative officer of Liz Claiborne, which own Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand and Kate Spade, all of which were featured during the fashion show. But he is best known for his role on “Project Runway”.

Fans of Gunn lined the white catwalk and crowded the otherwise spacious Grand Court, located in the middle of the mall’s first floor between two escalators near the doors to Bay Street. The upper level was not immune either, dozens of fans, including Taylor, stood against the ledges to witness this event. In order to get the right shot, many guests rode the escalators up and down to snap a picture of Gunn.

Having Gunn in the back of her mind Taylor set off to find the perfect outfit to wear to Gunn's appearance. She chose a black A-line cotton lace mini and black vintage inspired shirt with the words “Couture is Here” she said she chose this not only represent and respect the brand Gunn heads but “I felt like it was Juicy, I felt like it was representative of Juicy.” she said, “I wanted him to see, yeah I know about fashion, I respect where you works and the brands that you represent.” She added her own edginess to the look with zippered heels and her tattoos and piercings complimented the all black attire.

Taylor had the once in a lifetime chance to meet her style idol after the fashion show he hosted and received a photograph capturing the moment she never thought would come.

“Don’t be a trend follower be a trendsetter, set one for yourself.” she said, “It takes some power to walk out of the house and wear what you want to wear and be able to say I want to wear this because, fill in the blank.”

Events like the fashion show and Fashion’s Night Out are intoxicating to those who really respect the art of fashion. Thousands of followers around the world congregate to events like these with hope to see new trends they can emulate and hear new insight from the upper elite in the fashion world.

“Events like this, yeah, it is almost like a religion because you can come together and when you really get the right mix of people who care about fashion, who care about the trends, the classics and the designers and care about the future of fashion, and it’s not just this big bitch fest of hating on each other, it can really work,” she said. But Taylor has low hope for this ever happening because she says people in fashion like to be better than each other and create a hierarchy.

Even though Taylor is a devout fashionista she does not agree with everything these godly designers do. “I don’t see fashion like everybody else because it’s just like going to the grocery store; I don’t see food. If I were to walk down the meat aisle I see a line of dead bodies, she said, “when I walk into a store and see leather, fur, wool, silk, I see dead bodies.” Taylor is a vegan and says being one makes it difficult sometimes to shop but she does praise designers like Marc Jacobs and Betsey Johnson for making vegan options that are fashionable.

Taylor wishes more people could understand where their handbags and clothes were coming from but knows people will continue to buy them to stay on top of trends. "Do they want to think about the process of the slaughter and the--oh my God look what this girl is wearing right here--do they want to think about that?" she said. A girl walked by wearing an unflattering dress that was unsuitable to Taylor's standards for this mall. “I'm such a hypocrite,” she said.

Taylor described her fascination with the top of the fashion realm from a scene in the fashion movie “The Devil Wears Prada.”

“The scene with the cerulean blue sweater and Andy’s laughing at high fashion and she (the editor-in-chief) tells her who decided that color would be fashionable and how it ended up in the little dime store bin for her. I wish people could understand that and why they like certain things,” she said, “do we really think about who’s telling us to like this color and who are they telling to like it, who are the customers?”

Taylor may not yet know who is deciding what we wear but her idol validated her entire life and her dissertation by telling her to “make it work,” and to stick with everything she’s doing and letting her know how interesting her dissertation topic is. “I can’t believe I just told Tim Gunn I’d make it work and he said it back to me,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Lucky Brand: Look For Less

This was my favorite Lucky Brand look from the runway show. But it would cost hundreds at the store. The dress alone is $130! So this look for less is a steal!

Jacket: $50 Old Navy

Dress: $34 Miss Selfridge

Boots: $40 Tilly's

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Monique Lhuillier: Look For Less

I love this runway look so much I had to recreate it for a lower budget!

Cardigan: $15 Forever 21

Top: $19.99 Charlotte Russe

Heels: $50 Bakers

Trousers: $30 H&M

ENJOY!

I'm taking requests for other outfits to recreate!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

What I wore: Tim Gunn

Sorry it's kinda crappy I was running late and shot this quickly with my phone!

Dress was $20 at Urban Outfitters, flats were $5 at UO, bag was a gift, bracelets $12 each at BCBGeneration (reg. $18), watch $65 Betsey Johnson (my only full priced item of hers).

My hair was worn in a bun as usual with a bow. My signature hair look.

Hey girls!

If you or anyone you know could help me design a layout that would be fabulous! I've only taken 1 design class and I have no clue what to do. I'll pay them!

I'm messing around with some free ones so bear with me!

Tim Gunn-International Plaza

I went to International Plaza today to see a fashion show that Tim Gunn hosted and got to meet him afterwards with the amazing Susan! How rad!

The fashion show had designs from Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand and Kate Spade. I got there 10 minutes late because of traffic but I didn't miss much. Below are photos from the event.

Mr. Gunn had some amazing advice for everyone: "Take risks and do everything 110%!" When asked how to get into fashion. He also doesn't believe in chasing trends, "Ask what do I need...buy what you want." Well said Mr. Gunn!

I really loved the Juicy runway collection it showed that they don't just have velour track suits and bags. They really have come a long way in fashion design and I would wear a lot of what I saw today. Minus the price tag of course. They had an amazing trench coat I wanted to rip off the model! But it's $200 (on sale) yikes!

The trench!

I'd wear this in a heartbeat!

I really liked the pop of color in this.

Lucky was a lot more miss than hit. A lot of it had me saying "who would wear that?!" Some of the brand's stuff is okay but I'm not really a fan. They were talking about how you don't have to be a size zero to wear skinny jeans or great clothes, but then they put the woman in some ugly blue sweater that just drowned her and made her look even bigger. I was really disappointed! I know Lucky is all about the boho vibe but I didn't like the way these were styled. It didn't give the clothes justice.

The ugly blue sweater

I only like the jacket minus it being leather

I like the dress but I'd never wear cowboy boots!

This just seemed really comfortable!

I just love these boots!!

Kate Spade on the other hand wowed me! I loved every piece that walked down the runway. The bright pink was really gorgeous and everything was structured nicely. I would wear it all. What I really liked about Spade's pieces are that most work well on any age and they are transitional; day to night work or play. A business woman could wear the pieces or a 22-year-old college student like me.

To die for

I love all 3!

Love this dress so much!

Of course Mr. Tim Gunn!

I'm so inspired by this fashion show so I'll be making some 'looks for less' so stay tuned!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

FNO Tampa Bay: part one

As everyone knows FNO was September 8th! I went to the one at International Plaza and it was spectacular.

Water and hors d'oeuvres greeted the guests at Dillard's; the smell was intoxicating. It was a mix of the food and hints of perfume from the counter and somehow it just worked. Even though it was the mall you'd think it was the streets of NYC, women dressed the part in sky-high heels and mini skirts, music blasting from a DJ booth located in the center of the shoes. As many worshipers flock to the holy land the same was true for those faithful to fashion. International Plaza had become the mecca of all things fashion, if only for one night.

Dillard's really made this a night to remember. Outside of the level one entrance they had a fashion show set up, guests filled the seats anxiously awaiting what fall trends they would be met with this year. As the models strutted down the runway oohs and ahs rang out from the audience. Some designs were gorgeous like a one shoulder silk chiffon sequined number while others, like a certain long blue dress resembled that from a prom and missed the mark. My only critique of this fashion show is that the models walked way too fast down the runway.

Dillard's also had a fall make-up session where guests paid $50 a seat to learn about new trends and received a goody bag and entered a contest. You could also stand behind the velvet ropes and watch. Jose Perez from Chanel was there and talked about how the company invented lipstick and has the perfect red (I agree). At least for me I would never pay $50 to hear this presentation because most of it became one huge "I knew that" moment but the guests enjoyed every moment. Pictured below is Perez.

As the night was one, there was no sign of a recession, no distress. Bags filled the arms of women and men alike, we were in our own little utopia; a place where fashion reigned and money flowed. Every purchase made added a little more happiness and peace to the world. This night gave retail therapy a new name; with 9/11 looming on the horizon, all the wars and market failures, Fashion’s Night Out proved to be an epic success.

Now time for some pictures!

FNO Tampa: Neiman Marcus

Remember the girls I told you about in the sneak peek post? Well this is where I met them.

Brigitte Stanley is 24 and is studying Fashion Merchandising at the Art Institute in Tampa. (I was going to go there but long story short I didn’t). Now this girl is obsessed with fashion and it showed. She created this beautiful look of a sparkly sequined skirt topped by a gorgeous shade of green bowed blouse and a coyote fur vest. Any girl would look amazing in this! Of course she was dressed to perfection as well! I can always tell when someone loves what their doing when I ask them “why” because their eyes light up like a kid on Christmas and they get so excited to tell me. Brigitte was no different. As she said she loves to “Create something out of nothing” and “See what ordinary people don’t see” she can get inspired by the littlest thing and in her own words “That’s what fashion is!” I’m letting you know right now that this girl is going places.

Simone Fratus is 21 and also goes to the Art Institute for Fashion Retail and Merchandising. Her enthusiasm for fashion almost knocked me off my feet! She also created a gorgeous, gorgeous piece for this contest. Her look consisted of these great burgundy trousers grey top and faux fur vest (yay fake fur!) As with anyone in this business she loves fashion and loves to dress mannequins. She told me she worked a retail job but wanted to make her own schedule while still doing what she loved. As a former child psychology major, Simone made a great choice to switch her major. She said she’s really into “Being behind the scenes” and loves to communicate with people, she’s insanely career oriented and I know she’s going to make it big. Both these girls are absolute sweethearts and I’m so glad I stopped to talk to them.

Good luck to both of you!

Simone and Brigitte! Amazing, gorgeous and talented!

Here are some more pictures from Neiman's and Nordstom's

How cool they even had a red carpet!

Signature pose?

Thursday, September 8, 2011

What I wore:FNO

So many people thought I spent a ton of money on my outfit! Little did they know (well until I told them) it was relatively cheap! 'Cause that's how us Real Girls do it!

The shirt was from Kensie and originally $50 I got it for $15 thanks to a sale and a discount code! The skirt is from H&M full priced at $34.99, the shoes are from Nordstrom Rack for $20. The purse was a gift and my necklace is from Galibardy and was $25 (I believe).

This proves that you can still look FABULOUS at a low price! Shop on girls!

Fashion's Night Out

Just got home from Fashion's Night Out at International Plaza in Tampa. It was so amazing!

I'll be writing a full article on it tomorrow But I wanted to give you a little preview!

It started at 6 pm and I went in through Dillard's because they were having a fashion show and a makeup show. It was intoxicating walking through those doors. You know when you get that feeling of home, like this is where you belong. Well that's the feeling I had. I live, breathe and eat fashion.

I don't want to give too much away but every store we went into was fabulous.

Neiman Marcus was my favorite because I met the most wonderful girls there, Brigitte Stanley and Simone Fratus these girls are so talented and so amazing. Look out fashion world! They go to the Art Institute and had mannequins they styled at Neimans, they were spectacular! Wait for the full story tomorrow! But trust me you'll want to read it they are fabulous!!

Below is a picture of all the wonderful things I got for free (minus the Juicy stuff). If you tried on Betsey Johnson shoes you got a great makeup bag free! SCORE! They also had places set up to get your picture taken so of course I had to do that! My mom and aunt came with me and I made them get their pictures taken!

Here's All the Free stuff I got!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the full review!

Friday, July 22, 2011

American Pride

I can't help but notice the overwhelming amount of Old Glory gear popping up on the Internet. It seems everyone is feeling patriotic, even those not from the States.
Wanna rock this trend without buying $130 platforms? I got you covered!

To properly wear this trend without going overboard don't wear head-to-toe flag gear, use one piece and incorporate the colors into the rest of the outfit.

If you want to sport the flag on your shorts and don't mind cutting up a flag buy a cheap one from the dollar store cut the stars off and the stripes and sew the stars on the left side of pair of jean shorts and the stripes on the right side instead of paying $60 for designer ones.

Try these red white and blue gems:

This $13.80 F21 shirt is perfect for hot summer days.

This is from the guy's F21 section but for $15.90 anyone can rock it.

This $20 tank from UO adds a vintage feel to Old Glory.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

If I've learned anything from my years and years of shopping there's one thing I want to talk about.

Don't limit yourself to a certain type of store. When I was 13 I thought I was so super cool and punk rawk and would only shop at Hot Topic and Angry Young and Poor. Thankfully I grew out of the weird angsty teen part of my life and developed a better sense of style.

Shop where you want to shop NOT where it makes you look cool. Believe me I know plenty of people in their 20s who will only shop at Urban Outfitters and Nasty Gal because it's "In" and the super cool hipster thing to do, cause God forbid you shop somewhere other than Urban.

It's kind of like music, if you listen to punk you're expected to only listen to punk or else you're not punk enough. Or Indie or whatever. Expand your fashion knowledge as well.

I don't care what the label says if I like it I'll buy it no matter the store name.

Get your Swim On!

Swim suits, bathing suits, whatever you call them it's never a bad idea to stock up for summer!
There's no need or reason to spend $100s on something made out of a few inches of material, if you take good care of a swim suit it can last a long time!

A plain black bikini like this $9 one from F21 is never a bad thing to have! Stock up on solid color bikinis!

This floral bikini top from Hollister sets you back $24.50 but it is a push up for those of us with a smaller bust.

I love these bottoms from Abercrombie! On sale for $23.80 and the ruffle accentuates your bum!

Summer Lovin'

I absolutely adore summertime! Although it always feels like summer in FL There's something about the time after the 4th that really makes it feel like summer!

The weather is usually in the mid to upper 90s but that doesn't mean sacrificing style for comfortability!

Here's a few of my favorite inexpensive summer MUST HAVES!