Outfits

My favorite season staple: The blanket scarf

As the new season gently settles in, there are more and more reasons to stay warm under cozy layers. Wrapped up in soft cardigans, tall boots, shirts or sweaters, we often choose to add a blanket scarf to our fall outfits for an extra layer of cozy. Even during colder months, accessories really are the easiest way to diversify any look and add dimension and structure to your outfits, so of course we couldn’t leave scarves out of the layering clothes equation!

I am pretty much in love with blanket scarves lately. They are such a chic and versatile piece that you can easily add to any outfit and outerwear combo. I think that with one or 2 great scarves you can pretty much redefine your fall outfits, not to mention that they’re soft and warm and can also be worn as capes over cropped jackets or cardigans.

This aztec navy and burgundy blanket scarf is the only scarf I’ve purchased this season and I am already making most of it, wore it so much already! I personally believe that scarves should be one of those investment pieces, so instead of buying lots, stick to just one or 2 fabulous ones – a colorful one and one neutral one would probably get you more bang for your buck.

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Bag , Jeans (similar here) , Sweater (similar here) , Leather Jacket (similar here), Scarf (similar here and here), Flats (similar here).

 

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Design

Living Spaces – Why I Said Goodbye to Flowers and Hello to Potted Plants

I’ve always been absolutely in love with flowers in all shapes and sizes, all colors and fragrances. In the last couple of years, I’ve even been a regular flower bouquet buyer. Come weekend I would make it a must in the usual brunch rush. I love to see flowers in my house, beautifying my makeup table, end-tables or the coffee table in my living room. I’ve been decorating my place recently and with new things I’ve added here and there, I felt the need for a more permanent green element.

So lately, instead of seeking clothing stores, I’ve been browsing green houses. It’s funny how our focus changes and refines through the years and we end up liking things we’ve never looked at that carefully before. New times bring new ideas and in this particular situation it made me completely reconsider my current living space.

Potted plants and apartment plants in general, are not nice to have, they also have the coolest benefits. First of all, compared to flower bouquets that are alive for just about a week, potted plants last longer! (If you take care of them that is, I am still to discover why my orchid hasn’t bloomed for ages).

Apartment plants such as cacti and succulents and other big leaf types also make your house friendlier, they go perfectly with neutrals and they improve the air quality by producing oxygen. I really like how the approach to apartment plans has changed throughout the ages and there are lots of ways to decorate with plans nowadays.

These are some of my favorite ways to decorate your house with plants.

The Bookcase Guest

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The Shelf Accompliceapartment-plants-design-ideas1

It’s a partyapartment-plants-design-ideas1

A piece in the puzzle

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Welcome to the Playground

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The Usual Suspects

anthropologie-planter-animalsAnthropologie – Wild Wanderer Planters

The Green Backdropapartment-plants-design-ideas1

Can you see me?apartment-plants-design-ideas1

You sure can see me now!apartment-plants-design-ideas1

Perfect Cornerapartment-plants-design-ideas1

The Green Wrapperapartment-plants-design-ideas1

Look Upapartment-plants-design-ideas1

Lean on Meapartment-plants-design-ideas1

Take me to the Spaapartment-plants-design-ideas1

Images: Pinterest

Outfits

Fall Outfits: Playing With Classic Neutrals

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I love a good classic trench coat for my fall outfits! It’s a timeless outerwear that makes any outfit effortlessly chic. It can be easily worn with a cocktail dress, paired with structured trousers for office or with jeans and sneakers for a casual look.

I try to make the most of this statement piece before winter arrives and all we can wear are our parkas and wool jackets.  A good strategy to keep warm and stylish with your trench coat on those chillier fall days is to get creative with layers.

Sometimes it can be hard to get that creativity and fashion inspiration rolling early in the morning, so I always tend to choose neutrals for my fall outfits. I know I can’t go wrong when I mix three of my favourite outfit palettes together: camel, beige and grey (black is the 4th in case you are wondering).

I decided to add some dimension to the look by adding a stripped top as a base for all the layers. Adding a classic pattern is a good trick to prevent a head-to-toe neutral outfit from looking too plain. I was pretty satisfied with the results of this classic combo!fall-outfit-classic-neutrals-2

Ray-Ban sunglasses, Zara Trench Coat ( similar here and here), Forever 21 scarf /cardigan (similar) ,   Club Monaco top,  Zara jeans (similar), Steve Madden boots & J-Crew tote bag (similar).

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Outfits Style Know-How

Layering Clothes for Cold: Make The Most Out of Fall Outfits

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I have to confess that nowadays all my mornings include at least 10 minutes of Pinterest inspiration before getting dressed. Guilty of it too, right? It feels like the fall season came all of a sudden and with its chilly temperatures, it now takes longer to figure out what to wear! (I am planning a new pop-up yard sale soon, so hopefully things will be easier in a few days. Stay tuned for a full briefing!)

Although the sun is not managing to shine hard enough and seems like he’s wearing not all is lost! Good thing is we can still wear lighter jackets or parka coats and flats, even though gone are the days of bare legs and flowy dresses.

In my search for the perfect work outfits, looking through an endless feed of glamorous or casual outfits, I’ve realized that clothing relies so much on proportions, and that having the right pairing of items and silhouettes becomes essential. This got me thinking about how this has been applied throughout the years and how each fashion era has nevertheless played with proportions and gave them its own twist.

This unique mix of shape and silhouettes takes us to our topic: layering clothes. A well-played, smartly layered outfit will keep you warm and also adds substance and personality to your entire look.

Check out how to supercharge your fall outfits with these layering clothes techniques, plus our curated shopping tips.

1. Pair a jacket with a longer cardigan for a casual, yet polished look.

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Jacket Bershka (similar) – Jeans H&M (similar)- Boots Ash – Cardigan BCBG  – Bag Celine – Scarf ZARA

2. Use Scarves to give deepness and warmth to your fall outfits.

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        Bag – Boots Acne Jensen – Jeans – Hat – Sweater – Scarf

3. Wear a vest over a leather jacket to turn it into a whole new outerwear.

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Vest – Jacket – Sweater

 

Bag Madewell – Jeans Rag and Bone – Jacket One Teaspoon(similar) – Top Brandy Melville – Vest Danier.

4. Layer a dress or a tunic shirt with a sweater for a girly yet cozy look.

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Sweater – Dress – Boots

5. Layer a shirt with a cape or oversized sweater for a relaxed yet structured look.

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Sweater – Shirt

6. Jacket over a longer cardigan or sweater for an smart office vibe.

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Jacket – Sweater – Jeans

7. Coat with denim shirt and crew neck t-shirt for the cool girl look.10-denim-shirt-sweater-jacket-layering-clothes

Coat – Shirt – Crew neck

Most Wanted

Lace-up Flats : Transitioning from Fall to Winter

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There is one particular style of ballerina flats that has been turning the heads of fashionistas all over the world. The lace-up flats were first seen in the 2014 Spring runways and quickly won the attention of fashion bloggers and style influencers.

Instagram feeds and Pinterest boards were filled with amazing street style outfits featuring the strappy flats.  We couldn’t help but get our own pair (or pairs) during summer and haven’t spent a week without wearing them since.

If you have been silently watching them, but have not put your hands on a pair yet, there is still time! The lace-up flats are the perfect shoes to wear during the transition from fall to winter. They look fabulous with chunky sweaters and distressed jeans, with a suede mini skirt for a feminine look or with skinny pants and a structured coat for a classic outfit.

There is a variety of styles, brands and even budgets for you to choose from. What’s your favorite?

Here are our top picks and some inspirational outfits for you. Lace-up-flats-top-picksAquazurra, Aldo, Asos, Old Navy, Top Shop, Loeffler Randall.

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Local Flavour

How to Organize A Fashion Pop up Yard Sale

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As minimalist lifestyle concepts strike deeper into our system, we cannot help thinking of how everything we own impacts our lives, our homes and most of all, our closets. Living a beautiful life is not about owning beautiful things anymore, but feeling and experiencing as much beauty as possible.

With summer being in full blast, we thought of organizing a series of closet cleaning pop-up events. As we don’t really own any actual back yard or a garage, we thought of adding a twist to the classic yard sale and make it more modern and fashionable.

This is how we came up with a more stylish approach and actually had our own fashion pop up yard sale for the day. We’ve designed some nice posters, flyers, bought balloons and organized our own little outdoor store on a neighborhood corner. Of course this was no easy task, but we’ve kept organized and flexible and everything turned out amazing. Plus, we had a blast!

Here are some of our tips when it comes to organizing the perfect yard sale.

1. Location. Identify the place where you want to do your yard sale.
– Crossroad, residential area with lots of people passing by
– Nearby other events location (street festivals or farmers markets)
– Ideally in the shade, on a grass side walk

2.  What to bring
– Table, blanket or  floor mat
– Rack of clothes
– Chairs, umbrella/tent for yourself
– Balloons to decorate
– Signs and flyers
– Speakers  and a cool playlist
– Refreshments or treats for your clients (lemonade and flavored water are great ideas!)

3. How to Display
– Be organized – Make it a pleasure for customers to walk around your pop up yard sale
– Leave space between the areas where you have the products exposed – you want to have as many people there as possible
– Make your products attractive by washing and ironing clothes and also cleaning used shoes
– Have a system to showcase the clothes: group by tops / bottoms, seasonal items, size or price
– Align shoes and accessories, bring boxes and hooks to display small items

4. How to Promote
– Design your own posters and signs for the Pop-Up Shop ( we recommend using  Canva )
– Print flyers to distribute to your neighbors
– Use light poles in nearby crossways to display your advertisements
– Print labels or write your own price-tags
– Create an online event on Facebook and ask your friends to share it
– Use a personalized hashtag for Instagram and Twitter
– Ask your friends to share the posts a couple of days before the event

5. Prices and Payments
– Mark all items with a fair value according to used condition
– Research online what other people are charging for similar items
– Create price tags prior to event date –  people don’t usually like to ask about the prices
– Be open to negotiate – better to sell them than to bring them back home
– Bring a diversity of cash for change or use Square Reader for debit/credit card purchases

6. On the Day of the Event
– Complete a check-list of what you need (download our event check-list here )
– Pack a big suitcase with the items already organized for and easy set up
– Check the weather to make sure it won’t be raining
– Ask your friends to pass by and create a little buzz
– Bring bags for your clients’ purchases
– Greet people on the street, engage in conversations and smile – this day is also meant to be fun!

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Carolina is wearing: Urban Outfitters denim shorts,  hat,  Club Monaco top (similar), Forever 21 flats (similar). Liza is wearing : BCBG top (similar),  Mango jeans,  Urban Outfitters flats (similar).

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Outfit details: Club Monaco Vest (similar item), H&M Jeans (similar), Michael Kors watch.

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Outfit details: One Teaspoon Denim jacket (similar), tassel necklace (similar) .