back to blogging...

it's been a while since i've blogged. ok, ok, ok, before a few days ago it had been a year and a half. what can i say? life got in the way, but i'm happy to be back to blogging!

since then, i've had a few life changes. i ran the boston marathon, moved to the beach, did my first triathlon, had nine friends announce they were pregnant - and then five of them already had the babies - and had several more get married. oh ya, one thing i forgot... i replaced my bcbg studded skull ring with a tiffany & co. solitaire and a pair of black and white diamond bands (i still wear that skull ring; just moved it to the other hand)!


needless to say, wedding planning may have also had something to do with my lack of blogging too. the one thing seems to remain the same is my obsession with teen stories. the only difference is that it changed from twilight and "gossip girl" to hunger games and "pretty little liars." they might be silly, but at least they all have good style!

over the next few weeks i'll catch you up on the past few months and more of my new loves in between other regular posts, and i bet you can guess what one of those recent additions is if you've read my last two posts...

in the closet.

so doing this in my closet with the pretty bags and boxes that i just can't seem to let go of from my first louis vuitton speedy, tiffany & co. engagement ring, calypso clutch, kate spade bracelet and prada purse. and let's not forget my shopping bags from milan, little palm island and london...i think i'm going to need a bigger wall.

thanks again pinterest!

fashion line of the day # 11

"a watch really doesn't go
with this outfit, daddy."
~ cher, "clueless"

i pinned this tokyo crystal wrap watch a while ago on pinterest from shopbop, but it doesn't make me want it any less now! it's listed at $165, but i found a much thinner, brown version at loehmann's a couple months ago for only $15...which normally runs $135!

prêt-à-porter palm beacher meets the frugalista

another fashionable friend of mine at the palm beach post, aime dunstan, recently asked me to be one of her "fru-gals" in the shop style section of the paper for one of the $100 challenges. a chance to shop and challenged to create the most stylish, least expensive outfit?? of course i was in.

* photo credit: ray graham from the palm beach post

in the end, i didn't win, but i did end last week with not one, but two theory dresses for only $5.99 each from goodwill - which is just plain ridiculous...and lucky - and a slew of accessories and extra pieces gathered from shops around cityplace. i also didn't hate my posed photo in the paper, which i think is a first!

check out the story to get my full scoop and how much i spent, plus find out about the girl who did win, and see what other "fru-gals" put together.

lulu love: 1 dress, 20 ways

all of my running buddies know that lululemon athletica is my brand of choice...i like to run in style. i don't look so hot (ok, ok, maybe i do temperature-wise) after my three-hour runs, but as least my plaid and pastel shorts still do after logging in 20+ miles.

because the brand is a little pricey for athletic apparel on my low budget - though 100% worth it as it's cute and holds up time after time - i never ventured much farther than the run: speed shorts or run: swiftly racerbacks. i might have to make an exception after this popped up in my fb newsfeed from the the lululemon athletica at The Gardens page today...

the renew dirt dress.


i love it.

the company's main website says you can wear it three different ways, which is great already, but my lovely lulu gardens girls found 20 different ways to wear it! 20! that means you could technically wear the same thing every day for almost a month! it comes in black & white, wish blue & citron, and coal & pig pink, which is by far my favorite (who would've guessed?).

which of the 20 styles is your favorite?

fab find: "what's that? a hat"

"crazy funky junky hat. overslept, hair's unslightly, tryin' to look like kiera knightley."

ok, this is not the disney channel so i will stop quoting "wizards of waverly place" now and get to the point...

urban outfitters got me again yesterday, with mention of their ridiculously good sale that popped up in my facebook feed yesterday. i shopped online and then a little more in the store. bought a few things, but the purchase i felt the best about this straw boater's hat in black. and for only $4.99, why not?
even though i don't wear them often, i've always loved hats, for a bad hair day (flashback to the wisdom of selena gomez), protecting your face on a day in the sun, or simply stepping up your accessories. the flat-top boater's hat is perfect for this, flattering to almost all faces and hairstyles, and while still current, not as trendy or overplayed as the fedora.
apparently my sis and my guy do not agree, however, as witnessed when they both laughed as i modeled it last night.

so tell me, what do you think? i'll post pics of my self in it later for further review.

fashion line of the day #10

"smiley faces are like the capri pants of e-mail.
women wear them and men wear them,
but men never should."

~ from my work roommate and the office's creative director.
more of his words of wisdom at 27collective.com.

fashion line of the day #9

"i think you're destined to have a good day
when you're wearing red shoes ;)"
~ my friend chrissy 's facebook status

i liked this little bit of fashion wisdom from my good friend chrissy today, and wanted to pass it along. red is good, but it doesn't hurt when they're pretty cute too!

i must agree with her. there's something that just feels special about red shoes (check out my red shoe post from about a year ago if you don't believe me...). i have red sandals, red round-toe pumps and more, but these are my favorite:

what shoes make you feel special?

got shoes?

as mentioned in yesterday's post, i was happily surprised to have a little fashion worked into the already-amazing conference i attended for my job tuesday. i should've known...it was in the fashion capital, nyc!

one of the most exciting parts was listening to the afternoon key note speaker, zappos.com ceo and therefore shoe (and hats, and sunglasses, and clothes...) god, tony hsieh. he told the story about running what is one of the best companies in the world to work for, and how the secret recipe is to sell customer service rather than shoes because "happy companies make the most money."

wow. what a cool guy, who also happens to be funny and smart. it's no wonder the company does so well. my only other thought?

i figured he'd have better shoes.

fashion line of the day #8

"telephone, telegraph, tell a woman."

~ estee lauder

the conference i attended for work this week - the word of mouth supergenius conference - was based on building creative grassroots campaigns, so although i knew i'd learn more about social media and other ways to enhance my clients and my own blog, finding actual fashion content was unexpected.

...which is why i jumped on the afternoon session run by marisa thalberg from estee lauder companies. she mentioned this inspiring quote by ms. lauder herself, who thalberg called the first word of mouth marketer.

just tell a woman and you know it'll get around. i love it.

i ♥ ny...and h&m

i heart new york, but h&m is my true love of the city (which could be because i haven't been there for longer than 24 hours since i was nine years old, but that's another story...).

so obviously i was excited when i arrived in nyc for a conference tuesday, and the girls in my office and i made it to h&m within the last hour of being open. until the gardens mall store opens, living in south florida only gives me a few chances to shop at the cult-like retailer, so i was as happy as a kid in a candy store.

out of everything in the packed three-story shop, i walked out with three military-style pieces, a style i didn't even realize i liked before, and i was still very happy with my choices as i put on my khaki michael jackson-esque top to go to work this morning.

i guess this was all just practice for what's to come at the upcoming opening of the gardens h&m...can't wait, even though i'm sure my bank account can!

can't read my gerber face

if you've been following for a while, you know by now that i am obsessed with lady gaga and her wacky style...which is another reason why i had to post a photo of this little lady who is also dear to my heart. so let me present to you...

baby gaga

my cousin sent this photo of her daughter - my goddaughter - to me yesterday with the following note:

"she has on a shirt, leg warmers, a headband, a ring and a pirate eye patch, but nothing on her bottom. i love her sense of style!"

i knew she'd take after me soon enough. maybe this year we can both dress up as lady gaga for halloween!

more futbol meets fashion

if you weren't convinced by my last futbol meets fashion post that soccer is the world's most fashionable sport, then maybe yesterday's world cup finals changed your mind. the physical world cup itself traveled in non other than a luxury louis vuitton carrying case, and was originally presented by fifa officials and supermodel naomi campbell on tuesday.


ahh two of my favorite things in one...i love my louis and that shiny world cup. probably didn't hurt either that the cup was brought on the field by the gorgeous and sharply dressed italian captain, fabio cannavaro!

fab find: extra 50% off at loft

i'll admit, i haven't been the biggest fan of the ann taylor brand in the past. i'd pick up a printed cardigan here or there, but never came out with much more. lately i've noticed that both stores, ann taylor and loft, have seemed to step it up a notch though, especially in the accessories department.

since i don't go in loft that often, i almost missed a couple great finds this week. luckily for me, the palm beach post fashion piece in monday's business section mentioned the retailer's extra 50 percent discount on sale items, and included a photo of this gorgeous dress, which is now only $50...just the style i had been looking for to wear to my cousin's wedding in august.


unfortunately the gardens mall store didn't have my size when i visited last night, and now i waited too long to buy it online, but i might try to scoop it up at wellington tonight if you ladies don't get there first! act fast if you want it, because the girl at the store told me i was not the only one who asked about t"he dress from the newspaper." plus, a lot of the smaller sizes are moving quickly in all the styles, so better hurry if that's what you're looking for.

so i didn't get the dress, but what did i end up leaving with? two drastically marked down necklaces full of jewels, ribbon and femininity, and an embellished tuxedo tank for a total of only $37.

futbol meets fashion

this time can i blame my lack of recent posts on the world cup?? always an excuse i guess!

but back to the world cup, in order to combine a few of my favorite things - clothes, soccer, and ok, soccer players too - here are a few hints to help you get both your fashion and futbol fix, all in time for the spain vs. germany game (vamos espana!) today and the finals on sunday:

even though the united states may not get it, soccer is the biggest sport in the world, and since with the game often comes some fantastically athletic bodies, world cup players make perfect male models. giorgio armani picked up on this a few years ago when it first chose david beckham to pose for its highly successful underwear ads, and in may i noticed my "boyfriend" cristiano ronaldo in nothing but his armani briefs while i walking through the rome train station...and then turning around and walking back to see it again.


and we can't forget the vanity fair shoot with annie leibovitz featuring ronaldo and some of his opponents down to their underwear...

want to know what other high-end brands capitalized on the largest sporting event in the world? check out fashion dude rod hagwood's story from the sun-sentinel to learn how louis vuitton and ralph lauren got in on the action.

so you've seen enough futbol fashion (or lack thereof) and want something to wear to the games? take tips from some of last year's "monday morning quarterback" posts to re-vamp that shirt you bought overseas for 5 euro, or snag your country's colors locally for cheap.

want the real thing? do what i did and purchase a youth jersey for close to half the price of an adult size at the striker soccer supply store on okeechobee or northlake, and pair it with some skinny pants or tuck it in a cotton high-waisted skirt to make it a little more feminine. already have an official jersey? belt it and add some colored leggings to freshen it up.