A Fashion Fiend

My favorite things from Stella and Dot

Hi Lovelies! I was recently asked to pick some of my favorite items from the Houston Fashion Blogger, Stella and Dot online trunk show. This collection has so many super fun and cute pieces, it was so hard to narrow down my list! These are my absolute favorites and the prices are too good to pass up!

Oval Mom Charm – I love how personal charms are and this oval Mom charm is adorable. Its small enough to wear as everyday jewelry and has a whole lot of meaning! Another two toned piece so it matches your entire wardrobe!

Love Always Necklace – I chose this necklace for my teen daughter from the Girls Collection. I love how dainty the necklace is, perfect for a young girl to wear!

Selby Fridge Earrings -Tassels are great embellishments that are easy to make your outfit look chic without trying to hard. Easy way to dress up a ballerina bun and hit the town! These earrings go with everything because of their silver and gold accents.

How Does She Do It & Hang On Travel Case, navy – This travel bag is perfect for the jet setter like me. It is great to use as a weekender bag or a carryon. The matching folding hanging travel case makes it easy to see and keep your toiletries organized. The resort style pattern is super cute!

Shop the entire Houston Fashion Bloggers Stella and Dot Trunk Show, http://www.stelladot.com/ts/0dzv5

Meet Stella and Dot founder tomorrow, 2/13/14!!

Teen Style Tuesday-Snowboarding!!

Hello friends!! Great to be back in Houston, I had an extended holiday and went snowboarding in Utah! Always a great time with my cousins but I unfortunately broke my wrist! Eeek! The worst! So I was in a cast for 4 weeks and now I’m in a brace for the next 2. I’ll be back to my normal routine soon but for now I’m going to enjoy my break from piano, violin and swim team!! Hope you’re all staying warm!

~Taylor

Golden Globes 2014

Golden Globes 2014

Last night’s Golden Globes proved once again showed us so much amazing fashion. No dress was bland or boring. Jewel embellishments, high low, off the shoulder and mermaid styles were in abundance. The ladies came out with color and the pregnant bellies made the red carpet glow. Beards were a hot accessory for the fellas this year and I approve. Some guys went for classic menswear while others opted for bright colors and fancy pants. The red carpet held fast as the leading ladies and gentleman dazzled us. Here are the best trends of the night.

Off the shoulder

Pregnant Beauties

Black out- favorited by Jadapa

Stand out Styles

Beards

Dapper Dudes

Best Dressed

A Fashion Fiend’s Christmas List

As the years pass my Christmas list seems to get shorter and shorter, and as I get older I start to really get into the sprit of giving. This year, however, I was lucky enough to be invited to create my list for this holiday season for a couple different sites and wanted to share it with all of you!

My Christmas list choices this year are definitely items I have been eyeing for the past several months. Have a happy holiday and enjoy!

First, I chose this Zara checked studio cape because of the current plaid trend. I am a huge fan and love the shape a cape gives over an outfit. Instead of the same coat, cape style outerwear still provides warmth but makes your ensemble so chic.

I am finally spending time in the snow and saw these winter white boots while browsing Polyvore.com and knew they would be perfect. They are a snug, comfortable fit but don’t look like your typical snow boots. The classic black/white color combo looks amazing against the snowy mountain scenery, and they match almost all of my cold weather gear.

These tees are made from local Arizona designer, Greg Kerr. His clothing line, Miles To Go, lends a creative print to clothing t-shirts, bags, and belts. His inspirations are from works like The Great Gatsby, Harry Potter, Moby Dick, the Buddha, and movies. The tees are made from 100% cotton and are ridiculously soft. I asked for these two new styles.

The Urban Decay Naked3 is perfect for a girl like me that doesn’t wear a lot of makeup regularly. The rosy hues in this palette are perfect for shimmering up your eye area but still looking natural. The colors are easily blended and layered for deeper shade. It can be dressed up by adding some eyeliner and a few coats of volumizing mascara! Perfect for New Years!

The final item on my Christmas list is really the most important, because it has to do with keeping my body healthy. Switching to clean eating has truly made a huge difference in the way that I feel. I have more energy, a slimmer waist, and clear skin. All major pluses in my book! I usually shy away from any type of dieting to keep my meal options open. I like to cook, so generally I am able to make pretty healthy meals. After following recipes I found on the internet, this cookbook came highly recommended from people that follow a clean eating lifestyle. You are what you eat so keep it clean!

Happy Holidays!

To Plaid

I love the winter weather but keeping warm is a constant battle. I’m a desert girl and growing up we rarely had any winters that would require more than a light jacket. I’ve become a huge fan of winter white and think it adds such a stark contrast to the darker colors that are associated with the cooler months. Lately the 90’s have brought on so many street style looks and as a huge 90’s fan, I was in. I dressed up my over sized, grunge inspired plaid shirt with some faux leather pants and Voila! Outfit nirvana. This white trench spoke to me, it is so fresh compared to the black coats I usually wear. The coat brings out the more subtle colors in my shirt and ultimately brightens up the whole outfit. I’ve worn this ensemble on two different occasions; lunch meeting and dinner in the city. Both times I was comfortable, warm but mostly I looked great with very minimal effort. Great day to night outfit.

tp10 cropped — coat-Phoenix, shirt, heels & sunnies- Nordstrom Rack, faux leather pants- Target, clutch & leather bracelet- Nordstrom

Teen Style Tuesday- Home for the Holidays

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, my friends!! My fam is heading to Az for Christmas and I can’t be more excited!! I haven’t been home in 4 months which is like a world record for me. My entire family is in Arizona and the holiday season is such a great time to see everyone, party and exchange (but mostly receive) presents!! Travel during this time of year, is always stressful and I hate sitting on a plane, crammed next to my parents. So to pass the time, I zone out with my iPod blasting One Direction. I make sure and dress as cozy and airport functional as I can. I actually bought this hoodie from Sky Harbor Airport when I left back in August, it’s so cozy and soft. I got it a size up so I could snuggle with it blanket style on my flight. I tossed a beanie on to keep warm without having to add another jacket. My relaxed style Abercrombie jeans fit snug but are super comfortable. I added my slip on, half calf boots to get off and on easily through security. My outfit choice for the plane is simple, keep it comfortable. Thats it. Safe travels!

~Taylor

Az8 — beanie-The Hat Club, hoodie-Sky Harbor gift shop, jeans-Abercrombie, boots-Bearpaw

Pantone Color of the Year 2014 and Holiday Sales!

Pantone has just announced the new color of year 2014, ORCHID!! If the 2014 Spring runway shows were a forecast to this gorgeous hue then I am not surprised at all. This tone was used in so many beautiful floral prints during the shows. Moving away from the rich Emerald of 2013, I think Orchid will be a refreshing color for the year. With purple and pink undertones, Orchid is a delightful color to wear and flatters a wide variety of skin tones. It is feminine without being overwhelmingly girly. This flirty tone can be paired with bold red to sister hues like lavender. It also accents the popular color, olive, as well as turquoise. Orchid can also be used as a subtle change in place of plain old neutrals.

Holiday Deals!

Houston – David Peck Annual Studio Sale Dec 6-8

Online – Shawl Dawls Dec 6-7 ($30 off $100, with code shawliday)

Online – Ja’ire International Couture Dec 8-9 (30% off with code phxfw13)

Happy Shopping!

Teen Style Tuesday- Turbo Turban

Hello, hello! I hope all of you had an amazing Thanksgiving! Mine was pretty low key, just my parents and I. We stayed home because our dog just had puppies and we couldn’t travel with them back home to AZ. But it was cool, the food was delish and the puppies opened their eyes over the weekend so I was pretty happy we stayed. I was given this turban recently and wasn’t sure exactly how to wear it. I’ve seen it in Teen Vogue but I didn’t know how it would look on me. Turns out, it looks so good! I love the navy and grey color combo, especially in these cooler months. And the turban actually helped keep me warm! Grey is one of my favorite colors so any chance I can wear it year round, I will. Since it’s sweater weather, I dressed up my outfit a little by adding this super cute hig-low skirt. I wore this little number to my informal piano recital. The little skull embellishments on my flats give me some bling cuz I’m not all the into jewelry. Hope you guys are feeling the holiday spirit as much as I am! Have a great week!

~Taylor

photo (46) — turban- c/o Francesca’s, sweater- Abercromebie & Fitch, skirt- Aeropostle, flats- Rock & Republic

Tootsies- Talking with jewelry designer, Roni Blanshay

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I had the exclusive opportunity to briefly chat one on one with celebrity jewelry designer, Roni Blanshay. I loved talking with her. Roni is so sweet and so passionate about her collections. I loved the pieces that were showcased at Tootsies. A model walked around displaying some of Roni’s best. Before the cocktail party, catered by Epicurean Market, I sat down with Roni and we chatted about her start, inspiration and her latest collection.

AFF: How didi you get started in the industry?

Roni: I started my fashion career in the denim industry and transitioned into jewelry. I don’t have a formal education in fashion design but my creative passion for design helped drive me through the industry.

AFF: Why did you make the change from clothing to jewelry?

Roni: I was constantly making “crazy” designs, like lace eyelets in denim. It was so unique but time consuming. I wanted to specialize and scale down my pieces. It was a natural transition into jewelry. My ideas were bold, sparkly and unique, perfect for costume jewelry.

AFF: What inspired your latest pieces?

Roni: Everything. None of my pieces truly go out of style. I keep what is popular in the collection. I add new pieces whenever I create one. I am inspired by everything.

AFF: What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry without and formal background or education?

Roni: To stay true to your passion and creativity. Nothing will hold you back if you are truly dedicated. In this industry it is about your drive to succeed. People can feel your desire within your work. Talented people will recognize your talents. Now that I have been worn by Oprah and the Real Housewives, my life has changed but never my drive to create something beautiful.

Thank you so much to Tootsies for this opportunity!

Teen Style Tuesday- Gift Guide

Hey friends!!!

I can’t believe it’s already the Holiday season. With finals coming up, I started getting my gift list in order and I thought I would share my top picks. And with Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up, getting these gifts at a great price is going to be easy peasy!

For Sisters or BFF’s– Love this lip color from Catbird. It can jazz up any boring outfit and looks so good on everyone!

For Mom and Grandmom’s– For the mature ladies in my life, I choose these super soft, cashmere lined gloves. They are on sale and compatible for tech savvy Grandmom’s that take way too many iPad photos. (Love you, MomMom)

For Him-I saw these custom hats and knew they were the perfect gift. You can add your guys favorite colors and letter. Super personal and from the heart.

Hope this helps a bit with your holiday gift guide! Let me know if you need any other personal shopping advice! I’d love to hear from you! Have a Happy Thanksgiving! I’m so grateful for you all!

~Taylor