NY State of Mind

TGIF! Here it is again, the weekend. Being in the teaching profession, summer is like "one long weekend" for about two and a half months. My days start to run together, I don't get as dressed up as I should would like & I should be saving money .. not spending it. HOWEVER, I DO have a "mild" clothing addiction, so there's that. Anywaaaays, for all you hard working people doing the 9-5 (per say) weekday, CONGRATULATIONS because you made it to another F.R.I.D.A.Y! YOU ROCK!

Let me give you a mental image of my view for the next 8 hours: SEQUINS, black&white, bags, SHOES, jewelry, LEATHER, sparkle, maxi dresses, flowing blouses, mannequins, champagne, PEOPLE ...did you guess yet?!? DING DING DING .. you know .. Lotus, my happy place. What a beautiful view I have .. YOU should come check it out if you live ANYWHERE near Charlotte, NC. For those who don't, no worries, just go to www.lotuslook.com! You'll thank me later :-)

Now on to the outfit I chose this morning when getting ready to 'Walk it Out' here at the store. "NY State of Mind" is the perfect title for how I'm FEELING today. In 36 days (marked on a calendar in my purse) I get to travel with my fashion sisters friends (also bosses) to NYC to embark on my FIRST EVERRR buying trip in The Big Apple. Basically I get to travel around NY, spend days around/on/behind/under fashion in shows. I get to learn, explore and help make choices on things I adore: CLOTHES. I need to insert a HUGE SHOUTOUT to my loves, Jackie& Effie. I mean ...they're taking me to NEW YORK. Love you ladies..for more than one reason!

I woke up feeling like I needed a little edge. I hadn't put on makeup this week; I was trying to be all "sun kissed" and natural, which I do love, BUUUUT today I wanted to be all black on black on black. Que the title because obviously people in NY only wear black (you can laugh here), but it's what I like to imagine. Just go with it? Thanks! Soooo below you will see what I "thought" would make me feel like I was ALREADY in the Big Apple. Maybe I'm just trying out outfits for when the trip actually comes. WHO KNOWS! I threw put on my "go to" leather leggings paired with an oversized boyfriend tee, my new black weave loafers and some statement jewels. When I got to work, I tried on this AMAZING blazer with black&gold detail. It's PERFECT & available for YOU! Ohhhh I almost forgot ..the oversized black sequin bag with chain straps and detail .. that's ALSO available at LOTUS and it's pretty much the "ish". Enjoy your weekend & as ALWAYS, thanks for reading!

Blazer&Clutch: Lotus

Sequin Bag: Lotus

Black&Gold detail

Relaxed outfit paired with sequin bag

Statement gunmetal

 

 

 

Ps- another shout out to my sister for coming in & shopping ..then taking these pictures for me!

 

xox Krista 







The BLING Ring

Hiiii world & happy Sunday! I have spent most of the morning and part of this afternoon debating on whether I wanted to make a blog post today. My Sunday outfit is just OKAY, so instead of showing you my tank top with tie-dye jeans, I'm using the notorious "Bling Ring" movie (opened in theatres Friday) & real life Celeb scandal to highlight on another favorite accessory: RINGS.

For those of you who don't care about OBSESS over celebrities or their issues, the Bling Ring is inspired by actual events. A group of fame-obsessed teenagers, use the Internet to track celebrities' whereabouts in order to rob their homes. Celeb victims included Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Megan Fox, Rachel Bilson, Audrina Patridge, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr. The whole scandal was named "The Bling Ring" rightfully so. Side note: don't steal, EVER. I do believe in karma and working for what you NEED want. However, I am going to see this movie, it's intriguing.

Anyways, I thought I was being creative in making today's post ALL ABOUT RINGS, Bling rings specifically. I LOVE stacking rings, using over-sized rings as a "centerpiece" for an outfit orrrr just throwing them on with a fitted tee and skinnies to add a bit of glamour. DO NOT be afraid to mix-match rings, colors or prints. Stacked rings are BEAUTIFUL and a "hot trend" in magazines. I suggest having AT LEAST one or six statement rings that are versatile and can be used as a "go to" when in need of a little something extra. My go to rings are "gypsy" inspired with rose gold and a distressed center stone. If you check out my "Pocahontas" post, you'll see the rings stacked in one of the pictures. BAM, hellllllo Bling Ring.

Below are a few from my personal collection and a few from ... wait for it ... LOTUS. Check them out & AS ALWAYS, thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 





xox Krista

 



Color Combo: Black&White

I want to start by saying, "HAAAAAPY FATHER'S DAY" to all the amazing men in my life: Hammer (my dad), boyfriend (not a father, but a cool dude), brother-in-law (dog daddy), friends, uncles .. you get where I'm going with this. A shout out to all the awesome guys out there that put up with more than necessary :-). NOW ON TO FASHION ...

Let's talk black & white. What or who comes to mind?
Professionals, stylists, teachers (that's right), salon techs, HIGH FASHION, Nicole Richie, Rachel Zoe, Chanel and Calvin Klein to name a few .. BLACK&WHITE is iconic. From tops to dresses, striped pants to high heels, black and white will forever be a staple for fashion and presentation. I'm not AT ALL saying a little POC (pop of color) doesn't add a "little somethin' extra", but daaaaang I LOVE black & white together, separate , top or bottom .. I'll take it. Not to mention black is ALWAYS usually slimming for the body and who doesn't love like that? Look chic, slender and "pulled together" all while rockin' one kick ass combo.

I've put together a few of my favorite black&white combos at the moment. Below is everything from shoes to blazers and all of those other pieces of clothing in between. Annnnd to those who say "black is boring", and I've heard it before, you OBVIOUSLY don't follow Rachel Zoe on twitter, Instagram orrr watch her show. I'm not obsessed...am I? Just saying :-)

Happy Sunday fashionistas!

 



 

                                                                                                                                  

 
*check out Lotus for the black&white jewels and clutches displayed above!

xox Krista



"Pocahontas"

Before I really get into what this whole blog is about, FASHION, I want to take a moment to explain the title, "Pocahontas." I put together an AWESOME, outfit (in my mind) that pretty much sums up my style ..for the moment anyway. My seeester, Heather, saw me all ready to go and said, "Little Pocahontas." I smiled so big on the inside & outside. Then in a FLASH I thought, "YES my title for the blog today!" I always want to get clever with titles and well sometimes the titles simply end up being pretty straight forward. I have a good feeling todays title was a mystery into what this fashion post was really about .. or not.

ANYWAYS, back to the outfit I may wear everyday for the next 7 days. ONE OF MY FAVORITES ( and if it isn't one of yours, just pretend please) :-). I've paired my NEW Jeffrey Campbell lace up boots with a tan, long sleeved romper, gypsy rings and a turquoise stone necklace. Very easy and comfortable while staying "on trend" according to Rachel Zoe. I just might sleep in these boots until the lace imprints on my skin. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. If you like em' they come in two colors; the ones I'm wearing are Auburn and the other color available is tan. I scored these online from Urban Outfitters, but they also have them online at Nasty Gal. I may be able to pull off Pocahontas pretty well. When I got to work at Lotus, I grabbed a cream envelope clutch (available NOW) to add an extra BAM! Okaaaay so FINALLY below is the outfit I've been bragging about. Pretty simple, but awesome at the same time.

Cream Envelope Clutch: Lotus

Stone rings: Lotus

 

Jeffrey Campbell Boots

 

Turquoise Stone Necklace

 

Pocahontas with a Twist

 

Mirror shot because it's just the EASIEST .. and my sister left so I had no one to take the picture

 

 

 

xox Krista 



 



Statement Necklaces

Haaaaaappy Saturday world! I hope you all had a beautiful week of work, vacation or relaxing ..whatever may have been your life for the past 6 days. I have spent this past week debating on what fashion topic I wanted to focus on for this post. I was torn between rings or necklaces. I LOOOOVE both, but chose to highlight STATEMENT neck candy NECKLACES for today. You can probably guess there WILL BE a statement ring post in the near future.

I'm at my happy place this evening, Lotus, surrounded by at least 1,000 800 of the most beautiful necklaces you will ever see. Turquoise, mandarin orange, neutral, sequin, neon pink, floral, distressed stones ..I think you know where I'm going with this. HOLY SHIPMENT that came in this week. It's easy to have inspiration for this post while staring at all of the neck candy. It's always easy to go broke .. so I'll just stick to this post instead of trying on everything in the store.

When it comes to jewels, my motto is the "bigger the better." ESPECIALLY when it comes to necklaces. I can take a tee shirt and throw on a over sized stone necklace ...BAM dressing up a tee. SIMPLE. Thanks for the inspiration, Nicole Richie. Take a maxi dress, pull your hair into a top knot then add a bubble necklace .. or two. Remember that article from my last post? "The 26 Fashion Rules you Should Break Immediately." I already knew layering was in, but I also learned layering different prints & patterns with jewelry was OKAY too. SCORE! Pile those jewels on and ROCK IT. People will take notice of your outfit ..and YOU. If you don't yet have a STATEMENT necklace, let me help you find one! Below are a few of my favorites from my personal collection.

 Mermaid inspired stones with gold detail: Lotus

 Neon stones paired with simple rhinestones: Lotus

 Layered rainbow strands: Aldo Accessories

Alice in Wonderland rhinestone roses: Lotus

 

 Turquoise coral: Handpicked

Gun metal chain with oversized tear drop: Lotus

 

 



xox
Krista