A Diva State of Mind

Beyoncé stepped out for the Chime for Change one year anniversary party last night in a fabulous all white Gucci jumpsuit. The jumpsuit features a deep v-neck, banded waist and straight leg pant with pleaded pockets. She paired the look with platform ankle strap sandals and a gold box clutch.

You all have heard the phrase “less is more” and this is a prime example of that statement! Given the color and cut of the jumpsuit, jewelry isn’t really needed.  The look is fresh, simple yet chic. Since we are headed into the summer season, a jumpsuit similar to this would be perfect for an all-white party; especially for those who want to shy away from wearing a white dress. As I’ve mentioned before, jumpsuits are a great alternative to dresses and are becoming more and more popular!

I couldn’t find a DEEP v-neck white jumpsuit like this Gucci one online, but you can recreate this look with the jumpsuits below. Asos offers a v-neck Warehouse Jumpsuit. They only have a size 10 is the only size left.  Other brands to try for a v-neck silhouette include Rachel Zoe and Trina Turk.

ASOS

Rachel Zoe

If you want to add an all white ensemble to your wardrobe this season, recreate Beyoncé’s look with the jumpsuit, sandals and clutch selections below!

 

Feeling inspired to try a white jumpsuit this season? I love Solange’s look too. Another look for less coming soon…

Photos: YBF/Getty Images

Four years ago I wrote a post titled High End Designer Fashions At Affordable Prices. That post highlighted just a few online flash sale sites that sell designer pieces at a fraction of the price.  Since then, I have become more familiar with a variety of places where you can purchase designer deals so I wanted to provide you with an updated list. If you take the time to search and plan, you can find some great quality designer items for at a discounted price.

1. Sample Sales

Sample sales are a great place to purchase designer clothes and accessories for a fraction of the price. I attended the Monika Chiang sample sale I posted on the blog and scored this $575 leather and knit dress for less than $100! Designers use sample sales to move old inventory in order to make room for new items. NY Racked and 260 Sample Sale are popular sites to follow for information on NYC sample sales. If you’re NYC, you can also use the NYC Sample Sale App available on iTunes. LA Racked keeps shoppers informed of sample sales in Los Angeles. The District Sample sale is the largest sample sale in the DC area.  You can also shop some sample sales online.

2. Discount Designer Fashion Outlets

Designer fashion outlets have become more popular these days. If you are one who prefers shopping online versus in store, these stores and flash sales are the best places to look for designer pieces for less.  Of course some sites have deeper discounts than others, so where you shop will depend on what you are looking to purchase. Check these sites weekly for special sales. Stores like Last Call Neiman Marcus and Barney’s Warehouse often times offer an additional % off their discounted prices. Other stores to consider include Bluefly, The Outnet, Nordstrom Rack and Yoox.

3. Online Flash Sales

Online Flash Sale sites include the popular Gilt Groupe, Ideeli and Rue La La to name a few.  These sites have sales that start every day and normally last for a few days. Inventory is limited, so unfortunately items will be sold out if you don’t jump on the sale immediately when it starts. Gilt and Rue La La are great sites for both men and women’s apparel and accessories.

4. Consignment Shops

Consignment (and vintage) shops are very popular in the DC area.  Consignment shops will resell your clothes. Sometimes they pay you upfront. Other times, you receive a % of the sale price after the item is sold.  The most popular designer items I have seen at consignment shops are handbags.  Keep in mind, items at consignment shops are not new, so you’ll want to check the condition of the item before purchasing; although most stores only accept items that look brand new or are considered gently used.

5. Designer Resale Stores

Designer resale stores are consignment shops, however they ONLY focus on designer items. While consignment shops accept designer pieces, they may also take non designer items. Many consignment stores in DC take both designer and non designer items (i.e J. Crew). There are a plethora of designer resale stores. Some stores that I am familiar with include Decades in LA (you can shop online), Women’s Closet Exchange in St. Louis (I loved their show on the Style Network) and SNOBSWAP in DC (online only).

6. Outlet Malls

Outlet Malls are a great place to shop to purchase non designer items at a discounted price, so you can image the deal you will receive on designer items.  The outlet you visit will determine what designers pieces are available.  For example, there is a Barneys outlet store at an outlet mall in New York.  You may not find a Barneys at the Hagerstown Outlet Mall, so you’ll need to do a little research to figure out which outlets are the best to visit.

 Those are my 6 places to shop for designer deals.  Are there any other places you  suggest for designer fashions for less?

Guess who is 29; where did the time go?!?!

Last week, I celebrated my birthday and since it was the beginning of the last year of my 20s, I had to put my best foot forward. I decided to step it up and wear an old turtleneck crop top I had for years from Forever 21 and pair it with a high waisted pencil skirt.  Since the skirt made such a statement, I decided to keep the jewelry simple and seal the look with a red lip.

I received a few inquiries about the skirt when I posted a picture of my birthday outfit on Instagram. The skirt is from Express. I purchased the skirt two week ago so it is still available in-store and online. The stripes are great for women who want to create curves (raises my hand) or women who need to balance out their top half of the body. If you’re bigger on bottom, I would suggest pairing a solid color high waisted skirt with a printed top in order to balance your shape.

If you want to recreate the look, check out the options of skirts and crop tops below.

High Waisted Pencil skirts

 

Crop Tops

 

Depending on the skirt, shapewear may be necessary to create a smooth look no matter your size. For high waisted pencil skirts, look for half slips like this one from Spannx. Kohl’s is a great place to shop for shapewear; they usually have them on sale!

The fabulous and stylish Kelly Rowland was spotted shopping with Tina Knowles aka Ms. Tina in LA in a $359 6397 Hidden Placket Denim Jumpsuit (originally $595), $1,250 Tom Ford Ankle-Wrap Pumps and a leather cap. While I was able to find a plethora of denim overalls (yes 90s fashion is making a comeback), there aren’t very many denim jumpsuit options available at a lower price point. I did find two and of course one is from Zara. They are always so on trend!

Zara offers a denim jumpsuit for $119:

 

Nordstrom offers a Citizens of Humanity denim jumpsuit in a darker wash for $298:

You can recreate the rest of the Kelly Rowland’s look with these pieces below:

 

 

Based on the price, the denim jumpsuit will be an investment for many, however it serves as a great option for the spring and fall season. You can pair it with heels to dress it up like Kelly did. The jumpsuit would be a great outfit to travel in and can be dressed down with wedge sneakers or flats. I really like the pants rolled up; very similar to wearing boyfriend jeans.

Heidi Klum wore the 6397 Hidden Placket Denim Jumpsuit with sneakers back in October:

 

What do you think of denim jumpsuits? Would you wear Kelly Rowland’s look?

Besides all the drama on the show, Scandal is known for Olivia Pope’s wardrobe! For the past 30 episodes, we have all drooled over her leather gloves, white trench coats and structured jackets.

Last week while watching the season 3 premiere, my friend Jasmine requested I feature a post on how to dress like Olivia Pope for less. After all, the Burberry white trench coat she wore during the premiere was HOT, but everyone doesn’t have $1,000+ to drop on a coat.  So this post is for all of you Scandal fans that want to dress in Olivia Pope chicness without paying the high end designer prices.

Keep in mind the outfits below serve as INSPIRATION! All pieces featured are under $500. If you see pieces here you like, check your wardrobe to see if you have anything similar that you can put together. If you don’t, create a shopping list to shop for similar pieces. If you want the details of any pieces featured below, click on the image. I’ve also included links for some of the must have Olivia Pope wardrobe items. When shopping or putting together looks from your wardrobe, keep in mind that the foundation of an Olivia Pope wardrobe is neutrals and structure.

Once thing Ms. Pope loves is a structured jacket. Whether it’s a tweed, peplum or has an asymmetrical zipper, the structured jacket screams authority and chic at the same time.

Shop for structured jackets with interesting details. If you notice the jackets create shape. Pair them with neutral pants; here the grey tweed jacket is paired with black trousers and the cream jacket is paired with grey trousers. When it comes to jewelry, Olivia Pope isn’t flashy so keep things simple with stud earrings, a watch and a ring. Complete the look with your favorite lipstick. Shop LOFT, Loehmann’s, JCPenny, and Dillard’s for tweed jackets.

One neutral Ms. Pope loves to wear is white! Last season we saw her wear a fabulous Tori Burch white trench coat and this year everyone was drooling over the Burberry Spring 2013 White Caped Dust Coat she wore during the season 3 premiere. We also see her wear a lot of blouses with one or two strand necklaces and dress pants.

Recreate the looks above by pairing a neutral pant with a light color top. Complete the look with neutral accessories and a white trench coat. You can shop Bon-Ton, ASOS, Zappos, White House Black Market (also available in Petite) and 6pm for trench coats.

If you’re going to dress like Olivia Pope, not only do you need a white trench coat, but you also need a fabulous coat with a drape or wide collar. This detailing takes the presentation of the coat up a notch by adding some visual interest.

Search for coats that have a similar detail. I immediately thought of Olivia Pope when I saw the OASIS Short Drape Coat featured in the look below. The site actually has a few drape coats that will surely take your outerwear to the next level. If you can find a short sleeve drape coat, you can pair them with a long leather gloves (like the ones we couldn’t stop talking about on the show last year)! Of course, the palette underneath the coat is neutral, which allows the outerwear to be the statement piece. Shop OASIS, ASOS and Banana Republic for drape coats.

The final Olivia Pope inspired look had to include the long leather gloves! I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t feature them here! Ms. Pope is known to wear her gloves with 3/4 length jackets, either dressed up or dressed down (she’s holding them in her hand in the picture on the right).

Although we see her dressed up 90% of the time, there are a few times when she dresses a little more casual. To remain just as chic in a more casual outfit, you can pair your favorite skinny jeans with a short sleeve sweater and booties. Complete the look with a 3/4 length jacket and long leather gloves in the color of your choice.  Shop Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, Max Studio, Mango for gloves.

 

What do you think of the looks? Feeling inspired to dress like Olivia Pope?

P.S. How crazy was the season 3 premiere?!?! I’m looking forward to this season!

Kelly Rowland defined casual chic while celebrating Michelle Williams birthday last week in LA. The gorgeous songstress attended the birthday festivities in a t-shirt, leather skirt, Giuseppe Zanotti Metallic Pumps and Alexander McQueen clutch.

I absolutely love this look; I’d wear it in a heartbeat!  It’s soooo effortless and easy to create. My go to for a casual chic outfit is usually a blazer and skinny jeans, but thanks to Kelly Rowland, I’m inspired to wear my leather skirt with a t-shirt (I need to purchase some metallic pumps)! If you’re inspired to rock this look too, check out these pieces below to create the look for less:

 

 

HOT!

The queen of the Kardashian clan, Kris Jenner, was spotted out in LA in a $1,128 Dolce & Gabbana Striped Sleeveless Dress, $1,195 Valentino Rouge Patent Leather Rockstud T-Strap Pumps and a $2,995 Valentino Rouge Rockstud Chain Flap Bag.

This is a great example of how to incorporate a trend (black and white) into your wardrobe effortlessly. She can wear this dress for multiple occasions and the a-line silhouette won’t ever go out of style.  This outfit is great for a day wedding, lunch meetings, an outdoor event (like the Kentucky Derby paired with a black hat) and much more!

If you want to recreate this look, check out these pieces below!!

 

Photo: Fashion Bomb Daily

A turtleneck dress is a simple way to stay warm and look sexy this fall and winter season.  A few weeks ago, Khloe Kardashian wore a Skait Taylor turtleneck dress and $790 Gianvito Rossi Two Toned Pointed Toe Pumps while hosting X-Factor.   She completed the look with silver earrings and a red lip!

If you’ve ever considered wearing a turtleneck dress, let this look be your inspiration. Check out these pieces to recreate Khloe’s look:

 

While reading my favorite blogs, I came across this picture of singer Tamia wearing a $295 Aidan Mattox Feather Printed Hi-Lo hem dress with silver bangles, camel peep toe pumps and a thick gold belt.  She wore the dress to Russell Simmon’s Art for Life benefit.  The dress is gorgeous and as always, Tamia looked fabulous.

Later in the day I found myself on the Dorothy Perkins website thanks to Comme Coco and came across a printed hi-lo hem dress. The first thing that came to mind was “this reminds me of Tamia’s dress!” So of course I had to share this “look for less” moment with you!

Ladies if you want to achieve Tamia’s look, check out this $35 Dorothy Perkins Billie and Blossom multi colored floral dress.  You can wear it with a pair of nude pumps like the MICHAEL Michael Kors ones below, gold hoop earrings, a gold belt (the one below is from ASOS) and silver bangles.

 

I know some may be wondering; yes you can mix metals!

I may have to purchase this Dorothy Perkins dress. It’s great a option to dress up or down during these hot summer temperatures!

What do you think of the look?