Accessorize Your Summer Wardrobe

Posted on June 27, 2011 by

From headbands to gladiator sandals, raffia to snake skin, there are hundreds of ways to use accessories to finish off any summer outfit. These little details can take a simple white blouse and black pants from ordinary to extraordinary in no time at all. Dresses and skirts can morph into new and unexpected outfits with little to no effort.

First…headbands and sparkly pins and barrettes. You’ll find fabric, flowers, feathers, and lace on all the coolest heads this season. A polka dot scarf wrapped around your head can take a striped shirt and full skirt from so-so to a fantastic 50’s inspired outfit. Add espadrilles and cat eye sunglasses and you’re on your way to the fashion forefront. Updo’s get extra polish with rhinestone encrusted combs and your everyday look gets special treatment with small glittery barrettes.

Next, a colorful cardigan. Orange shades look great with neutrals, especially browns and navy, and anything electric neon pairs wonderfully with a little white dress and both are hot right now. Not only do these great little sweaters provide warmth in an air conditioned office or home, they can also make an after hours dress more appropriate for daytime wear as well.

Finally, try some snakeskin (real or synthetic) on a clutch, sandals, purse, bracelet, belt or even a…headband. This summer you can find this trend in every color under the sun. Make sure to keep this your focal piece and keep it to one item at a time. Try a white button up with a thick acid green python belt to cinch in the waist. Or slip into your favorite faded blue jeans with a pair of blue snakeskin sandals.

The lesson to be learned here is to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. If you are a little more reserved try one new thing, a neon bracelet or snakeskin ring. More adventurous? Grab a black skirt, white t-shirt, neon pink cardigan, black snakeskin ballet flats and bracelets, and a black ribbon tied into a headband. Keep trying until you find something that just feels right.

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What’s Your Style: Classic vs. Trendy

Posted on June 22, 2011 by

Have you ever wondered what your own style is? Do you look at celebrities and think that you could never pull off the trendy outfit of the moment? Is your go-to outfit jeans and a t-shirt or slacks and a white blouse? Whether you are a classic or trendy fashionista, learning to use elements from both will help you keep up with styles of the moment without emptying your bank account.

Let’s define classic style. A-line skirts just above the knee, black straight-legged pants, button up white shirts, wrap dresses, cardigans, sheath dresses, stillettos, knee-high boots, and ballet flats are all part of a good classic wardrobe. Pearls, sparkly studs, hoops, and bangles accessorize the traditional fare. Black, red, white, gray, tan, and navy keep it easy to mix and match pieces.

What about trendy? Pretty much anything that doesn’t fall into the classic category can be defined as trendy. Classics are always that—classic. Trends come and go, reinvent themselves, and come again. Shrunken jackets, neon colors, flower patterns, ruffled skirts, jewel tones, studs, bandage dresses, booties, thigh high boots, bustiers, and maxi dresses have all been front and center on the fashion front more than once and then disappear for a couple of seasons, years, or even decades (think fringed boots and purses).

Now, how can we put them together? The easiest way to incorporate both styles is to use classic pieces as the basis of your wardrobe and try one or two trends to freshen your look each season. Color blocking is hot right now so grab a navy sheath and pair with a skinny hot pink belt and kelly green heels. Or look for a tangerine cardigan to throw over a brown and cream print wrap dress with nude sandals.

Whether you consider yourself more classic than trendy or the other way around incorporating elements from both groups will give you more choices and help you get excited about getting dressed. One rule of thumb to never forget:  investment pieces should have classic traits, either in color or cut, that will withstand the test of time.

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Colors of Summer Fashion

Posted on June 20, 2011 by

Every fashion season, ie. Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer, there are colors that any respectable fashionista incorporates into his or her existing pieces. The hues change from year to year and season to season. Using color to update your wardrobe is an easy and affordable way to update your closet without spending a fortune to do it.

Possibly the most important color to possess this summer is tangerine. This color is bold and bright. Depending on your style you could wear it as a silk shift with jeweled gold gladiator sandals or a demure cardigan over a graphic print mini and nude stilettos. Even nail polish makes a statement in this extra bright color.

Another beautiful look this summer is blush, a color somewhere between pale pink and champagne. To make it more trendy and less girly vary textures within the ensemble; a chiffon skirt with a sequined jacket or silk maxi dress with cashmere cardigan. This hue pairs well with neutrals like gray, black, and camel and can act as a neutral itself. Gold sandals, camel t-strap heels, or nude espadrilles help keep the look current.

Color blocking is also another hot fad for the season. Try choosing colors close to each other on the spectrum or opposite each other on a color wheel.  If you’re hesitant to try this trend start with an outfit whose pieces are all in the same color family like a baby blue top and cobalt skirt and accessorize with green wedges and a red purse. For the more adventurous type a royal purple top, teal shorts, and tangerine (see earlier trend) platform sandals complement one another beautifully. Just make sure colors have the same intensity.

Whether you want to add just a few pieces for a quick update or are looking for a complete closet overhaul, experimenting with color is worth the trouble. Try a little at a time and before you know it you’ll have a diverse collection with every color of the rainbow present. And don’t forget attitude and confidence are what makes any trend work. Love what you’re wearing and it will show.

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What’s Hot In Swimwear This Summer?

Posted on June 15, 2011 by

We are officially in the “less is more” season where the swimsuit reigns. Vacations, either a week long or just a weekend, require the perfect suit. There are many different styles that are popping up on the beaches of the world making it easy for all of us to find one that works for us.

The 50’s are the inspiration for many poolside designs this year and that’s good news for most of us. The bottom has more coverage and comes up past the bellybutton. Tops have sweetheart necklines and cute details like bows tied at the cleavage or ruching all the way down both sides.

Big sunglasses, slip on heels, and a sassy attitude are all that is needed to pull this style off.

Just like on the runway, color blocking is big in swimwear too. Use this trend to strategically hide your problem spots. Make sure the brighter colors are highlighting you favorite body part and the darker colors are hitting you in the torso area to help whittle your waist and make you seem bigger up top.

Halters are always a hit especially if you are top heavy. Look for halters in all styles this year. A belted suit with a halter top can make you feel like a Bond girl. Dainty floral fabric can make you feel pretty and feminine. These pieces are great for swimming because of their ability to keep everything in place, even through a dive.

Stripes are everywhere, on and off the beach. The idea that all stripes make you look bigger is not always the case. Try a tankini with navy blue stripes an inch thick on the front and ½ inch thick on the sides. This creates an illusion that makes your figure curvy in all the right places and cinching your waist in.

Whether heading to the water park or getting ready for a trip to the beach, these styles will take you through summer with flair. Make sure to pack plenty of sunscreen and a big floppy hat to finish any of the looks off right. Try any of these trends and you’ll experience this season in a completely new way.

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Sports and Exercise—Wear the Right Shoe

Posted on June 13, 2011 by

When considering sport shoes online, remember wearing the right shoes when exercising or participating in a sport may give you the edge you need to be the best, or at least the coolest. Online shoe stores are the easiest way to see all that is offered these days. Whether you are taking a casual walk in the park or participating in a fast paced game of soccer or basketball, the correct shoe for the job is essential in performing and looking, your best.

Mexican shoe brands online are offering so many choices in athletic shoes you won’t have to go anywhere else to find them. You will find men’s, women’s, teens’, and children’s shoes of every shape, size and color imaginable. Skateboarders will find the wide soled shoes, lace up or slip on, low or high top, necessary for the stability required.  Soccer shoes give players a lightweight spiked tread give the extra traction they need to run fast and maneuver quickly on the field.  A wide array of colors also allows players to match shoes to team uniforms as well. Basketball players, both casual and competitive, can find the high top shoes that keep ankles stable and help prevent strains and runners will find the lightweight supportive shoes needed to absorb the shock of their feet pounding the ground over and over. You can even find the popular rocker bottom shoes for women that tone your glutes with every step you take. All these types of shoes can help you be the best, healthiest you that you can be.

No matter your athletic shoe needs, you will be able to find them at popular international shoe stores online and have access to any size, shape and color from your own home. And just because you don’t play a sport doesn’t mean you can’t LOOK like you do. The comfort of athletic shoes is what they have to offer everyone and the details of each type of shoe are what they have to offer the athletes. Stay healthy and hip—Mexican shoe brands can help you do that.

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Decoding the Wedding Invitation: Clothes and Shoes for Any Occasion

Posted on June 8, 2011 by

are in the season of weddings and receptions and online shoe stores are essential to finding the perfect pair, no matter how formal or informal the gathering. The first step is to identify the formality of the engagement and go on from there.  A proper invitation will most likely specify the attire for the even and most weddings fall into one of three categories-formal, cocktail, and beach casual-although there are numerous others. Let’s see how we can take a simple floral-print sheath, a big thing this summer, and change it up to work in all three categories.

For a formal wedding, black satin strappy heels, a shimmery matching clutch and sparkling jewelry will take your dress from casual to dressy in no time at all. A smokey eye and red lips, a slicked back chignon, and a killer color on your toes tie this evening look together. If a late afternoon wedding is what the bride and groom have chosen we can take the same dress and pair it with a hand bag and drop earrings in a color found in the print of the dress along with a very light weight cardigan in a complementary color and neutral heels. Makeup should be subtle but using color for eyes can give it a little pop. A low ponytail is perfect for the afternoon especially if the wedding is outdoors. And finally, the beach casual look. This fad requires earthy accessories which can include a straw handbag, stacks of bangles and big hoop earrings. Finish your outfit off with a pair of sunglasses, the bigger the better, and a substantial wedge in a warm brown leather or synthetic material, easy for walking in the sand or along a pier. A shimmery bronzer swept along the cheekbones, down the nose and at the temples gives you a beautiful glow. A couple of coats of mascara and nude gloss and your ready.

Although these are the most common types of wedding there are others which included Black Tie, White Tie, and Festive. When in doubt a little black dress works for all but it’s much more fun and creative to pull different looks out of the same dress. Changing your shoes is the easiest way to do that and nothing beats the new Mexican shoe brands in quality and price which makes trying ALL the looks possible.

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Colors and Patterns of the Season and the Shoes that Pull Them Together

Posted on June 6, 2011 by
2011 has been a year full of crazy patterns and color combinations due to media icons like Lady Gaga and Ke$ha and online shoe stores can help you recreate their looks. The fashion world has followed suit. It’s all about the bright popping colors and crazy wild patterns that make your eye wander all over the outfit. But the point of this style is to look outrageous and yet still look put together. 

The idea is to look thrown together and stylish at the same time. For example a black and white floral print dress with bright electric pink tights and black stilettos is a fun choice if your going out dancing but also work for the office if you lose the tights and throw a black cardigan over your shoulders. Or a bright green top with a zebra print knee length skirt and purple shoes. Coordinating the outfit is the key to pulling off the look. The pieces should match. Shoe color and style should go with the print or the color of the clothing. You can put relaxed outfits together or go all out for a night out. There are also professional ways to pull these looks together. It’s suggested that for a more professional look to top the outfit off end with black shoes that will pull any pattern and color together in a sophisticated way.

Bright colors can also be coordinated in the outfit through shoes. A black and white patterned outfit with bright shoes can be just as appealing as crazy clothing and plain shoes. It’s hard to find these types of shoes in everyday shoe stores. You can find virtually any type of shoe. Printed shoes or brightly colored shoes can be found to match any outfit. The trick is to find the right site for the type of shoe your looking for. Mexican shoe brands online are right at the top of sites that carry the latest styles. So get out there and be brave and bold with your look—both in patterns and colors!

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