Crop Top Summer

I am anxiously awaiting the return of crop tops. I love them. I am all about the early 90's fads this summer but I'm staying away from plaid and boots and those ugly floral dresses. No, thanks. Instead, I will be embracing crop tops, high waists and clogs. Alicia Silverstone, here I come!

To be fair, high waists and cropped tops weren't exactly born in the 90's.

It's outfits like these that make me wish I lived in the 40's. They could get away with the craziest stuff back then! All those bizarre hats... but I guess I should just accept that I live in the year 2011. Anyway, here is my crop top inspired outfit for summer.

La Bohème by SillyHeart featuring leather tote bags

It would be great to have that giant hat, too. Very 40's crazy.

<3

More Dear Creatures

Dear Creatures is torturing me with more sneak peeks of their spring line. This looks like it might be the best one yet! I cannot wait to see it all.

Now I am just dying for summer. In fact, I made a summer outfit inspired by the Dear creatures sneak peeks.

Can't Hardly Wait by SillyHeart featuring bikini bathing suits

I am totally going to rock the striped bikini. If only I could rock it in Paris...

Class in the Closet

Okay, Okay so NYE has already passed for most of us but the Chinese new year has not happened yet, so I am going to use that as an excuse to write about NYE fashion.

The best thing about NYE fashion is that it is a time when you can go wild. It is a time to surprise, glitter, and pretty much go all out. You don't want to ring in the new year in sweat pants. Try ruffles, glitter, shoulder pads, faux fur, Zorro masks, head bands, brocade, hats, red lipstick! Whatever you wear, keep in mind the real element of a fashionable New Years look is class. For that reason, I usually air on the side of vintage for NYE parties because let's face it- that was the last time anyone in America had any class in their closet.

Party Dresses by SillyHeart featuring summer floral dresses

Most NYE dresses are black, silver, or gold and there is nothing wrong with that but let's not forget, with the right accessories there are a lot of other colors that can be worn on NYE. 

Personally, I like the element of surprise. Sometimes the girl in the purple dress outshines the one in head to toe glitter, if you know what I mean. Here is a tip for going with an unusual color: If you want to rock a different pallet, try to conform with the dress shape; that way you won't be a total oddball.

Some classic NYE shapes are: slim and shapely (for example a wiggle dress), a full skirt (poof!), a sweetheart neckline, or dramatic shoulders. Other classic NYE dress elements not pertaining to color are sheer fabric, ruffles, and shimmer. I tried to include these elements in my dress picks above. See if you can spot them all.

So what about the guys? If you're of the opposite sex or lucky enough to have a man in your life who heeds your fashion advice, read on.

In general, men's wear is less expressive than women's so, it can be a fine line between stylish and ridiculous. My advice is to pick 1 or 2 loud elements and then keep the rest neutral.

Dress Your Man by SillyHeart on Polyvore.com

In these looks, the 'loud' elements are the shoes, the neck wear and the plaid shirt. Take note that these pieces are not really loud on their own, but in the context of the rest of the outfit they become interesting. You don't want to pick accent pieces that overwhelm your outfit but then again, you don't want to look boring.

So, how do you know where you can get bold and where you can't? A good rule of thumb is to pick exciting shoes. You can get away with a lot in footwear because it's hard distract from that far below the line of sight. If you have interesting shoes, it will set the tone for your outfit but not overwhelm it. Another thing to note is that it can be tempting to go with a bold necktie but it's very easy to overdo it- so, unless you're confident in your taste, stick with neutral neck wear and pick an exciting pattern for your shirt instead. It's harder to find an overdone dress shirt than it is to find an overdone tie so probability will be on your side.

Au Revoir, party people.

Tropical Bathroom Remodel!

The bathroom at my Dad's house is in a poor state and it has been for like 15 years. I have taken it upon myself to redecorate it. Hopefully, I can transform it. My vision is a sort of Art Deco Tropical theme. I've got the paint down, it's a wicked shade of pink. My wall paper and fixtures are supposed to arrive today, I can't wait! Here is the visualization of what I want to do. When I finish, I will put up before and after pictures.

Tropical Bathroom Remodel by SillyHeart on Polyvore.com

I heart Dear Creatures

I Feel Pretty

Have you seend Monique Lhuillier's Spring 2011? Well let me enlighten you... lighten is the optimal word here because these pictures are about to make you feel light as a feather. Feminine, floaty, glittery... I want to spend all day looking at these pictures in an ethereal daydream. Behold:

Oh, I want to die! Can I please have that sparkly tule one? Oh please, oh please world? How killer would that be as a wedding dress. Or for any ocassion really? Happy Friday, everyone!

Peacoats in a pod.

Woo, so I have been a very bad blogger lately, I know. I am very surprised to see that people are still looking at my blog even though I have not written in it forever. In fact one more person is following now? At any rate, I thought I would start up again. Summer is sadly over and it feels very much like Fall. I feel like this happened very suddenly this year but what will be, will be. I do love Fall clothes and also holidays. Right now I am plotting my trip to Chicago, where I will spend Halloween weekend. I am brewing all kinds of excuses for clothes I "need" to buy for the trip but mainly I just really want this peacoat:

It's from J Crew and so hard to resist. I want it in this exact color because it will look good with my hair. Another Fall item on my list is sweater dresses. What could be better than covering your entire body in sweater material? The answer is nothing. Especially if this is what it will look like:

Thank you Dear Creatures for this trinket of genius and your unrelenting dedication to sailor inspired cuteness even into the Fall. I really thought it would be a summer only trend but you found a way. Next up on my fall wardrobe check-list is boots.

Some people don't like booties but I am into them. They are a lot less restricting. I like the black ones pictured above. Super cute fringe and you can fold them to make them different heights. Check them out at the Anthro website.