Outfits Not Just Clothes

Style.com's trend report here showcases a variety of new trends for Spring, one of which is active wear.  I have to admit I'm not a fan.  Even though I want to be, especially after discovering Sweaty Betty   But the idea of sportswear as an OUTFIT boggles my mind a bit. Of course this could be an opportunity for me.  You see I work out, almost everyday, but I don't really have workout outfits (shocker I know!) Usually I'm just in sweats and tees.  Of course I don't wear these things outside of the gym.  I pack up my real outfit and then change back into it once I'm done pumping iron. But it might be time with this new spring trend on the horizon to invest in some quality active wear like this: Puffer Vest-- James Perse Or this: jersey hoodie- Sweaty Betty If I had some nicer pieces to wear to the gym then I could stop lugging around extra clothes and feel confident that I don't look like a total slub.  Of course I'm not suggesting one ...

Piggy-backing off of yesterday's style profile I had my friend Kayla do my makeup. Inspired by the recent gift of an Elizabeth Arden cosmetic case seen here , I had Kayla go wild. The Goods: We start with a blank face: Then we went to town: This is my Kayla face: Here we are sans fake-hipster glasses: So yeah, I won't be rocking this makeup at work, but it was fun to play around and try out a different style.  Kayla is hardcore as you could probably tell from yesterday's profile and she's unapologetic, the girl loves her eyeliner and blue shadow and doesn't give a f*ck what you think about it.  It's that kind of brazen confidence we could all use more of.

My good friend Kayla came to town and stayed with us for a few days and we decided to take some outfit pictures.  She has a great sense of style and isn't afraid to express herself.  She doesn't try to fit any kind of norm, but goes for things that inspire her, that she can appreciate on an aesthetic level.  She's not afraid to be ironic and have fun. Kayla enjoys a lot of ring action! And she has one of the coolest cigarette cases I've seen in a long time. You may remember this blazer from here .  I lent it to Kayla to play around with and I love how the same garment and can work for two very different women in very different ways. More ring action and some major bracelets, but the crochet vintage purse gives this a bit of sweetness. According to Kayla if you're going to wear skull jewelry, then you better bring it the f*ck on! Skull necklace AND earrings. After our outfit shoot we decided a beer was in order: As you can see Kayla use...

shorts / blouse -MikkatMarket, cardigan-Free People(similar here ), vest-Zara(similar here ), boots-Forever 21(similar here ), bracelets- JewelMint , necklace- Cookie Lee c/o Debra Reed I got these great shorts as a Christmas gift and decided to slap on some tights and layers to wear them during the winter.  Now most people would stop with the cardigan, but I wanted to amp it up a notch in tribute to how badass these shorts are, hence the vest. The trick is having the right vest. This one is worn open and is longer in the front, which plays off the hem of the cardigan, which is longer in the back.    And I like to button up the cardigan to give myself a bit more shape. 

With the holiday madness over I've had some time to browse through more of the Pre-Fall 2012 collections.  You my recall my initial "review" here.   Coming into the new year all eyes will turn toward the Fall collections showing in the New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks next month and do the Pre-Fall collections give us a hint of whats to come... who knows?  I always enjoy Pre-Fall, which is less about making a runway statement and more about presenting clothing to retailers, which for me provides more realistic inspiration in building outfits. Two looks from Alice + Olivia I really enjoy the styling of this collection, the "French Girl" of 2012.  The beret is a bit literal, but the vibe is there to take inspiration from. Of course you can't review fashion with a capital "F" and not mention Chanel : What I take away from these looks are the two-toned pants and the general ease of the pieces.  The idea of flowy tops and easy ...

This skirt is surprisinly slimming. shirt- Ralph Lauren , sweater- H&M , skirt- Mikkat Market , shoes- ShoeMint , cuff-Martin&Osa, ring- JewelMint , necklace-Anthropologie (other necklaces here ) This skirt is so amazing, its fitted without being tight and adds some much needed edge to this shirt/sweater combo. As soon as this skirt came in the mail my immediate reaction was to pair it with stripes to play up the leopard print while also playing down its va-va-voominess. I'm always more interested in wearing pieces against type, pairing the punky with preppy, the sexy with the tomboy, the hard with the soft.  With that being said the necklace adds some art-deco glam to this sex-kitten-on-the-bottom-librarian-on-the-top ouft and was a last minute thrown on when putting this all together. And I can't even begin to explain how sickening these wedges are.  They make my feet look like hoov...