Favorite Things Tag

I was tagged by Candi to share my favorites:

clothing shop: Nordstrom for actual store, Revolve Clothing for online

city: New York

sweets: Sour Patch Kids or Hot Tamales

pastries: Doughnuts, especially from Top Pot

drink: Wine. love any type of Italian red wine, White Wine: Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc.

music: loving Lenka and the new Jenny Lewis at the moment

TV: I like Gossip Girl but quite honestly do not really make time for TV. I DVR shows like Gossip Girl and Lipstick Jungle but I don't get around to watching them until a month or two later. I'm always way behind. When J watches TV (mainly sports) I usually crochet, read or look on the internet when he's watching.

workout: Step Aerobics
I started dance lessons at 6 years old and was on the dance team and cheer squad in high school so I love to learn routines. We have the most awesome step instructor at my gym. Her routines are like hardcore dance routines but harder because you have to use the step. We are all dying after we are done with the routine but it is so much fun. Step is funny because it's like learning a new language with steps attached to it but once you get it down, it is a really fun workout. The hour goes by so fast!

coffee - illy or Trader Joes dark french roast at home, a nonfat caramel sauce latte, extra hot at the coffee shop. I love all my hot drinks scalding hot!

I tag all of you! If you feel like doing this tag, grab it and then let me know and I'll link you.

Update: Go check out upturned barbie and Lo Foolery for their tags!

Happy Halloweener!

Sorry for the double post for any Who's Your Dachshund readers but since I'm not dressing up this year I had to show off my doggies' costumes.
Happy Halloween!

On the Marc

I adore headbands and am glad that Gossip Girl has brought back such a great trend. I was wearing headbands about 4 years ago and at the time J made fun of me for buying so many but now that they are back in, all my old ones come in handy!

I just saw that Zappos put a bunch of the Marc by Marc Jacobs accessories line on sale, (yes they sell more than just shoes now!) including these adorable headbands. I just put in my order for the black and pink one on the bottom.

Marc Headbands by love_savvy

and then I put polyvore to good use and built an outfit around it.

Marc outfit by love_savvy

skinny jeans, plaid shirt, skyhigh Louboutins, pink pink nails, smokey eyes and nude lips. What do you think? I didn't want to put together the typical Blair Waldorf-ish outfit. Headbands are so much more versatile than that. I may have to try this outfit out in real life!

Q&A: Black Pumps

kay* asks: i've been wanting to invest in a pair of classic black pumps for the longest time and think i'm going to do so...i was thinking jimmy choo or louboutin - what's your pick for the best classic black pump (any designer..but not a round toe please)? would love to get your opinion!

Hi Kay*! I love this question because I am obsessed with black pumps. I seriously can not stop buying them, although I should stop because I think I'm becoming quite boring. Hopefully the Manolos I just bought will help bring color inspiration to my shoe wardrobe!

My picks for you!

I wasn't sure how high of a heel you were looking for so I just chose shoes that I would wear but most are in the 3.5 to 4 inch range.

Top Row:

Jimmy Choo
empire $485
tinsel $595

Jimmy Choo is hands down my favorite shoe designer. Their shoes never vary in size, when I'm ordering online, I always know that a size 5 will fit. All of my pumps by Jimmy Choo are really comfortable and I even wear them out shopping! The leather they use is really soft and basically molds to your feet.

You can go with the classic ones on the left which I think look great at the office but are also pretty enough to wear out to dinner. I'm a big fan of his cut out pumps like the ones on the right because I love that when they peak out of my dress trousers, you can see the bit of design at my toes.

Second Row:
Louboutin
Pigalle $585
Platform $700

Louboutin just makes damn sexy shoes. They just make your feet look gorgous. I don't tend to wear my Louboutins to work mainly for that factor. Especially being in a position and industry like mine (dominated by men), you don't want to give too many wrong ideas, but I do occasionally sneak them in when I wear wide leg trousers as I love the pop of the red sole as I walk.

Size wise, Louboutins vary within a 1/2 size for me so I've only ever bought them at the store because I need to make sure that they fit. Comfort wise, they are not the most comfortable because of that factor I mentioned above. The sexiness comes from the arch of the shoe which surely make your feet look hot but it's not a natural way to arch your feet for 8 hours a day. Also, Louboutins always give you toe cleavage which I adore, but I know some people hate.

Third Row:
Burberry
Studded Heel $495
Stud Plate $595

Burberry has been killing it with their shoe collection this season. I have been loving everything from their boots to their flats. These pumps are perfection with the little bit of detail added. Although I adore leather pumps, I believe every girl should also have a pair of patent pumps. Sometimes you just need that extra bit of shine in your day.

Fourth Row:
Cole Haan
Carma $295
Gucci
Roma $565

Cole Haan is my go to shoe for traveling. I do not believe in traveling in sweats and tennies, even for those 19 hour flights to Singapore. I like being well dressed at all times but of course I want to be comfortable on the plane as well. These shoes are part of the Nike Air line that gives them the cushioning that they use in the Nike shoes. They really are that cushy, what a genius idea to combine the two right? Another great thing is that the price of their shoes is fantastic for the quality.

Gucci always has a brilliant twist on their pumps like the bamboo detail on the heel of these shoes. Love the platform front too, it makes wearing that high of a heel just a little bit easier. One thing to watch, Gucci sizing is a bit wacky. Sometimes the fit is right, but then it's too tight in the toes, so I always recommend trying them on in person or if ordering online order your size and the half size up, just in case.

A great trick that works for me when the toe part is a bit too small is I stuff it with gym socks for a few days and the leather will loosen up and you'll be able to get your foot in comfortably.

One thing that I do to almost all my designer shoes is to resole them after a few wears. I don't know why but I like to wear the original soles for a little bit and then take them in to get resoled. But make sure to do it while they are relatively new! Don't wait until the soles are completely weared out or else they might not be able to do it. I take almost all my shoes to Nordstrom, even if I don't buy them there. They just do a great job and are relatively fast. If you don't live near a Nordstrom, I'm sure you could find any shoe repair store near you to do it. The cost is usually less than $20 and worth every penny.

Kay*, I hope this helps you and come back to let me know what shoes you end up getting!

lookbook: Little Red Dress

This little red dress is pretty cute on it's own but I wanted to funk it up so added the belt and tights. I liked the new look it gave to the dress.

What I'm Wearing:
Dress: Karta
Tights: DKNY
Shoes: Jimmy Choo

Here is a bad cell phone picture of what it looks like unbelted. (this is what I do while J is in the dressing room, take pictures of myself. ha! j/k. I was taking pictures of my Louboutins to send to a friend who wanted to see)

And then I had to top it off with a side ponytail a la Lauren Conrad

I know, twins right? ;)

I love the studs on this dress but the little prongs that hold those studs get hooked to things really easily. When wearing such a dress, don't go hugging anyone wearing a sweater. You may become stuck together.

I am loving the new collection from Karta where they combine the print with the stud embellishments. Cute but at $300, I think I will wait until they go on sale!

images by J
LC via popsugar
karta at Revolve Clothing

oh BABY!

I have to do a special post to my very good friend and grand lil sis (that's sorority speak for all you non greek people) who just had a baby this morning!!!

Jen is a huge fan of my blog (she told me she's mildly obsessed with it) so Jen, I know you can't read this right now but I know you will eventually! :)

I did a photo session last week with her and her husband. Looks like we were just in time!

Congrats Jen and Jake and welcome to baby Alicia!

go here to see more pics

Questions and a Giveaway!

I was going to start preparing posts for the week that I am in Jamaica but have run out of ideas, so I thought that I would open this up to any questions you might have and I'll post the answers while I'm away. You can ask me questions about myself or if you have fashion/style questions, whatever, I'm open to it!

And so I don't look like a loser that doesn't get questions, I'm going to entice you with a giveaway! Yes, you can be the proud owner of your very own Style-ish handmade turtle! Just leave a comment or email me your question and at the end of the week when I am back I will do a random drawing! I might even make two turtles for the winner!

I am only going to be taking questions until Tuesday 8pm PST so all other questions after that may get answered later but will not be eligible for the giveaway.

So... ask away!

p.s. hello to all of you that came over from Ben's featured blogger post! I ♥ Ben!

*sorry to my international readers but the giveaway is open to US readers only. I will still answer your questions though! Standing in line at the post office gives me a headache and I can't send packages outside of the US without going there.

Maid of Honor

I let my sister pick out her Maid of Honor dress and it is absolutely fabulous. I'm a bit jealous, I kinda want to wear it! It's the Diane von Furstenberg that Leanne created on the Project Runway challenge!

Such a pretty purple. It goes so well with the varying shades of purple and pink that we are incorporating. I just adore the ruffles in the back as well. She is going to look spectacular! My mom is also wearing purple, adore that everyone is going to be color coordinated.

Here are some other delish purple numbers from DVF.

Sigh. I adore Diane Von Furstenberg. Everything in her collection is always so pretty.

Random story, I met Diane when she came for an appearance at Nordstrom a few years ago. I was standing there with one of my girlfriends feeling a bit shy, when she walked up to us and said "Hello, I'm Diane." and shook our hands. I was beyond ecstatic. She was so gorgeous and so lovely in person. And yes, I am a nerd and got her autograph. It is one of my prized possessions!

The Project Runway dress is available here.
The rest of the images from style.com

I may be busy...

But I always make time to buy shoes!!

I was trying to stop buying shoes until after the wedding but yesterday I bought these Manolos at Neiman Marcus.

and today I scored these Sergio Rossi's on Gilt.

originally $965, I got them for $298. I love Gilt!

I was so bummed when I first got on the site because someone else had it in their cart but I clicked on "waitlist" and when I got the email that they were available, I pounced!

Oh, I hope these are good buys. Will let you know how they turn out!

Two Weeks...

It's two weeks before we leave for our wedding in Jamaica and I am in full on crazy wedding mode! Our place and my mind is a disaster zone so bear with me until I have some time for a proper post.

Loves to you all and so sorry I haven't gotten around to reading and commenting on your blogs but will be back soon!

safety cone and pictures by me

Lookbook: Layers

The weather is turning cold here so out come my layers and boots!

This has become my go-to outfit on cold days. The annoying thing about the cold weather is that it is so cold outside but when you get inside, the heat is usually turned up so you get hot again. Layering is the perfect solution to this. I never shop in Express but they love to send me coupons/discounts to shop in their store so I stopped in one time last summer and found these mini dresses that were perfect to throw on when I was traveling. I bought them in 3 different colors and turns out they are one of my favorite little dresses! I used to just pack away my summer dresses when fall came along but lately have been trying to incorporate some of my summer wardrobe and make it wearable into the fall. Adding the leggings and the shawl cardi was the perfect solution.

What I'm wearing:
Cardi: Michael Stars
Dress: Express
Leggings: Forever 21
Boots: Aldo

I'm also not an Aldo shopper (this is my first pair of shoes from the store) but I was looking for flat boots for the longest time and spotted these in there. It was just the right amount of scrunch I was looking for and the best part is that there is actually a wedge hidden inside, so although it looks like I'm wearing flats, I still have a bit of height! Yay for secret wedges!

I know everyone wants one of these shawl cardis lately, I got mine at Revolve Clothing. You can still buy mine here, I also bought the purple one. I love these! they are the best to just throw over every outfit but still look cute.

The good thing about taking pictures of your outfits is you can really see the flaws. Since the dress and the cardi are so baggy, it made me look rather chubby. Next time I wear this, I'll probably wrap a thin belt around my waist to give me more definition and not look as boxy.

I've been playing around with ShopStyle and I put together a similar look for you!

And I just had to have the added bonus of Savvy lookbook:

What she's wearing:
Hoodie: From Brass Plum dept. at Nordstrom
Collar and Leash: Juicy Couture

look how cute the bow is!

The pink thing I'm holding is the scarf I made for her. Yes, I am the girl that dresses up her dog, but Savvy actually enjoys wearing clothes. J always says he can't believe that I found a dog that was so perfectly me.

Shopping for Shoes

I get a lot of questions through email or in the comments of my posts and I usually answer them individually but this one was going to be a long answer so I thought I'd post it and hope that it's helpful for others as well!

Lo asks: where do you shop for shoes?. I'm in the south, so we have a few specialty stores where we can get Stuart Weitzman and the like but do you order online. If you do what your experience been?

Hi Lo! Although I'd rather purchase my shoes in a retail store as I love being pampered by my sales associates, I do shop for shoes online frequently. I rely heavily on customer reviews for online stores so I'm glad that you asked this question. I am happy to share!

Here are the ones I frequent the most:
Endless - Although they don't have the higher end shoes that I typically buy, they have great selection and you can't beat FREE overnight shipping and returns. I also like the way they organize things and you can select by size, color, heel height, etc... I have yet to have a bad experience with them.

Zappos - Fantastic selection. I like that they have a Couture section now. They have a ton of brands that I usually only see a few styles at the store but Zappos has all the styles. I am particularly fond of Alexander McQueen shoes and they are the only place that I can see the collection. Free Shipping and Returns is also an added bonus. Oh and it says that shipping takes 4-5 days but I think almost every time I've ordered, they've upgraded me to overnight shipping. I only wish they would get in my staple brands like Jimmy Choo.

Neiman Marcus and Saks - I'm grouping these together because I usually find the same styles here. If I'm looking for a pair of shoes and one doesn't have my size, I can usually find it on the other site. This is where I buy my Jimmy Choo's, Gucci's, Louboutin's etc... Shipping and Returns are meh-okay only. The wait time for shipping can be excruciating long sometimes but other times it ships quickly. I hate the waiting game of online ordering. Sometimes you can score great designer shoes on sale but you have to be quick because their sizes go out fast.

Eluxury - Great brands. They have a lot of styles that I never get to see in stores. Not a fan of the high shipping cost ($13.95 for most things). Return policy (60 days) is alright. I like places that just have automatic return labels that you just stick in the mail. They require you to go to USPS/FedEx, etc. to return it.

For shopping in retail stores my best tip is to befriend the sales associates. They will do wonders for you. I rarely buy my designer shoes full price. The only ones I do are the ones like the Louboutins below that I know will never go on sale. I have specific sales associates at certain stores that will tell me when and what is going on sale. If I don't have a sales associate that I always buy from then I just ask any sales associate if they know when the next sale is. If the sale is close my next question is if they know what is going to be on sale. Most of the time they do. I've had sales associates walk around the floor with me and told me to pick out which shoes I want and they'd check if they were going to be on sale or sometimes they just bring out all the shoes of the brands that I like in my size. I do most of my sale shopping this way as I don't have to fight the crowds and I get first pick of my small shoe size. It is a win win situation for both me and the sales person!

Hope my shoe shopping tips have helped! Now go out and buy some shoes! ;)

Wanted: Color

Our place has been looking a bit drab lately. Aside from our awesome new dog bed (oh and a way cool wine rack!) we haven't done much to our place. J and I were thinking that we needed to add color so I've been searching for prints and other things to decorate with.

I recently ordered this calendar...

and these wallflowers from Delight.com. I am way excited to get them!

On my search, I found tons of great prints but I fell in love with this one by madebygirl

which then reminded me of one of my favorite prints from Village.

I love how they kind of go together but don't. I am planning on getting both prints and hanging them up in different rooms. Maybe one upstairs and one downstairs.

Any other ideas for me? How do you add color to your rooms?

Please go check out Who's Your Dachshund today for the guest post from Barb Techel about Frankie, her little Walk N'Roll dog. It's a must read for any dog owner! And don't forget to leave a comment so you can win a copy of her adorable children's book!

DIY Style

I had a few requests on how to make my DIY scarf and then the very nice Cindy over at DIY Style let me know that they had a how to video! I had to share as it is probably better than any instructions that I can give since I totally whipped mine together on a whim and didn't do any measuring.

The difference is that their version is a bit longer so you can leave long or wrap around twice. I like this idea and may have to try it out next. Mine is just one small circle that scrunches.

Just a note about mine: I bought a 1/2 yard of fabric and cut it so it's a bit smaller than 1/2 yard. It really just depends on the look you are going for but I wanted to keep mine so that it would peek out of the collar of my coats but not bunch up.

Go here to see the video and here for the instructions at DIY Style.

My latest creation! I am really into plaid lately. It's such a great print to add to your outfit.

I couldn't leave Savvy out, she had to have one too!

picture 1 via DIY Style
picture 2 by my hubs
picture 3 by me

New Shoes!

it's been some time since I've shared my shoe purchases so here we go with two of my recent faves...

My new Diors

I love every single little detail of these shoes. From the straps to the dots, to the mixture of the black and white and even the funky curve of the heel. J'adore Dior!

I have professed my love for gray shoes before and never have I found the most perfect pair of light gray patent leather heels.
They were mine the minute I laid eyes on them.

Both are good for work and play. The Diors are a bit hard to walk in but they sure do look pretty and that's all that matters to me!

all images by me