I'll Be So Blue Without This Dress

I love Diane von Furstenberg. No wait, maybe you don't really understand what I'm saying. I LOVE DIANE VON FURSTENBERG!!!!! When I put on one of her dresses, I feel like a goddess. She knows how to hide those lumps that I don't want anyone to see. She uses vibrant colors and patterns that let you stand out without accidentally being the center of everyone's attention in a bad way.

This blue dress is great for almost all female figures. Why? The ruffly sleeves hide flabby arms. The sash gives you a waist and provides an hourglass effect even for ladies who don't have that shape. And the slight ruching at the neck brings the dress from ho hum smock to intricate frock.

It's now on sale for $262.50 (down from $375.00)

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Smitten

We are all guilty of fashion crimes in the winter accessories department. I personally can vouch for one I made in recent memory. Walking out of the house on the first truly cold day of the fall, I could not find any gloves. I stopped into a Duane Reade and purchase a pair of hot pink children's gloves. They clashed with my hot pink coat and didn't fit my hands. FASHIONFAIL!

Try to anticipate winter fashionwear crimes before they happen! Have these gloves ready to go at the first sight of snow! They are super cute. And they roll back so you'll have access to your fingers without removing the gloves! Oh Target, you are full of so many wonderful things.

Price: $10.99

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Black And White And Awesome All Over

AK by Anne Klein is one of the few shoe lines whose heels don't make my feet scream in pain after eight hours of wear. I've got a pair on right now and I've been wearing them all day! No pain. Any shoe I would use on a commute is decently comfortable. (My commute to work involves three different subways and multiple sets of stairs!)

While I haven't bought this particular shoe, I can guarantee you that my past experience with other shoes of the same maker have been wonderful!

I also love anything that is black and white. And I love the bow! And I love that the inner side of the shoe is open. It makes your leg look longer and your foot look sexier. I just like this shoe :)

Price: $49.99 (originally $79.00)

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GUYS BUYS: Fancy Dress Shirts

Hi boys! Have you heard of Thomas Pink? If not, here is some very quick background. Thomas Pink specializes in high quality, well-made shirts for men. Often those shirts are very expensive. But sometimes...they go on sale! Like this one.

It's hard to see the striping from the photo, but it's a blue shirt with yellow stripes. Very classic colors and design. If you're in the market for a dress shirt, this is a great addition to any wardrobe. This coloring especially works for guys with blond hair and guys with brown hair who have light skin or rosy cheeks.

Price: $79.99 (down from $180.00)

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Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

I've seen a lot of waterfall earrings lately, but these are different. The blue is a brilliant blue. There aren't a ton of stones on the earrings, so wearing them won't overwhelm the ear and neck. They are elegantly designed and carefully thought out. The earrings are not trying to be everything to everyone. They do their own thing.

Price: $40.00 (down from $46.00). I think the price is worth it considering how 1) they are handmade and 2) they are unique.

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Let's Polka!

I love polka dots, and I love lace, so you can take a wild guess as to how this dress made it up here.

One of my initial thoughts was: it's November, should I really post a summer dress? But then I realized...this is a dress for all seasons! What this dress needs to be a winter dress is opaque tights. Opaque mustard or red colored tights bring this dress right into the winter season. Maybe add a cute blazer or cardigan to keep you warm, and you're good to go :)

Price: $37.99 (originally $49.99)

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Back to Basics

The plain white tee! (Isn't that a band?)

Well, it's also something you, and every single person in America, should have in their closet. I'm not talking about a white hanes undershirt you've worn for years. I'm talking about a crisp, clean, form fitting white t-shirt. Tuck it into a high waisted skirt. Wear it with a pair of skinny jeans and pink heels. Put a cardigan over it with black pants and wear it to work. There is nothing more valuable than a nice white t-shirt.

Price: $4.50. You could buy three of them and a venti gingerbread latte and still be under $20!

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Ruffle Your Feathers

I'm sure you've noticed that these days, everyone is wearing feathers.  They are on earrings and dresses and headbands.  I am not against feathers generally, but too often people think that any bunch of feathers slapped on to just any headband in any arrangement is ok to wear with anything you want.  

This is TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY WRONG!!!!  

It has to be the RIGHT arrangement of feathers.  You can't have too many, you can't have too few!  And you have to have the RIGHT embellishments.  And you can't have the wrong combination of feather colors.  Like you don't want peacock feathers with a red rosette, otherwise you'll look like some sort of homage to Christmas themed birds.

I can't tell you how many feather headbands I looked through to find one I really liked.  And then when I found this one featured here, I found that the creator, Holly G. Hargrove, had a good understanding of how to best work with feathers.  Her Etsy page is full of wonderful feather headbands.

This wonderfully classy accent piece is only $10.00 ($5 shipping).  Wear it to jazz up a white t-shirt and jeans.

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Fashion On The Fly

Sometimes the biggest way to make a statement with jewelry is to wear a pendant that stands out.

I was drawn to this unique dragonfly necklace because I loved the amount of detailing on the wings.   The bronze material and coloring make it appropriate to accompany a variety of fall and holiday reds, browns and greens.  It's also a conversation piece.  How often do you see beautiful dragonfly necklaces?

Price: $14.00 ($5 shipping).

Made by China Cherie.  Visit her Etsy store here: 

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A Clutch Situation

There is something about this bag that is mesmerizing.  Is it the brilliant Yale blue color?  Or the sleek lines?  Or the classic design?  Or maybe it's the fact that it's a clutch and I am currently obsessed with clutches?  It's also convertible to an over-the-shoulder bag, should your arm get tired of clutch carrying.

This Kate Spade bag, the "Oakville Paola," is named after a small town near Napa.  I see zero relation between the bag and the town, but I love both. 

Originally $425, it's down to $255 with free shipping.  

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GUYS BUYS: The Polo

After multiple requests for some posts that cater to men's fashions, I have decided to post one menswear item per day, under the heading "Guys Buys."  For the inaugural Guys Buys post, I have decided to go with something every man should have: the polo shirt.

Most guys have at least one polo.  But do you have a RED polo?  Probably not.  Most boys have polos in white, black, blue, and maybe green.  How...muted?  Red is a good color for almost anyone.  Boys: don't be afraid to wear a little color!  As Mystery says in that dating show on VH1, there is no better way to "peacock" than to wear a bright colored shirt.

J.Crew is running a sale on polos.  Normally $39.50, most colors are $24.99, with some at $19.99 and even $9.99.  If you are a polo wearer, this is the time to stock up!

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Desk Vixen

I hate the phrase "day-to-night."  It sounds like you can wear something to work, and then you spin around a few times and fog appears and there is some sort of light show and then all of a sudden you are ready for an exciting night on the town!  The reality of it is that most stuff you wear to work, no matter how stylish it may be, is not necessarily stuff you want to wear out to a dinner with your significant other, or to a club to go dancing.

Stylish shoes, however, can often find a place in your work AND play outfits.  It's easy to hide super sexy black heels, like the ones above, under wide leg suit pants!  Or with a super conservative grey wool dress.  Your feet spend most of the day under a desk where no one will see them.  Then when you're ready to go out, take off that conservative garb and throw on a sexy silk dress and some flashy earrings, and walk out the door, in the same shoes you wore all day.  It's just so easy.

Price: $49.99 (originally $79.95)

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Everyone Loves A Party Dress

When it comes to fashion, I'm a bit of a girly girl.  I love big poofy party dresses.  The poofier, the better!  When I saw this dress, I immediately fell in love.  Nice and poofy :)

The dress is made by independent designer Priscilla Dawn.  The best part about this dress is that it can be custom made to your size, and if you want a different color, she can arrange that, too.  My favorite part is the lace trim on the top of the dress, so whatever you choose to do, keep that embellishment!

It's $78.00, which is a great price for a custom made dress.  Plus, you know the chances of being someone's dress twin at a party are much slimmer if you buy a dress from an independent designer, and that's always a confidence booster.

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See Priscilla Dawn's Etsy store here.

That's A Wrap

I love clothing that you can wear in more than one way.  It's like buying five shirts for the price of one!  It also just makes your clothes more fun, and that's what fashion should be, FUN!

Victoria's Secret is selling "The Soft and Sexy Wrap," a long sleeve wrap they claim you can wear in six different styles.  They also have easy to follow styling instructions on how to wear the wrap.   I chose to feature the vibrant blue here, but they have another fifteen colors to choose from.

It's on sale from $58 to $39 just until Wednesday.

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Bling Blang Boom!

Jewels are everywhere these days.  A lot of those jewels are on bracelets.  Ladies, why do you so often clothe your body but leave your wrists naked?  Cover those girls up!  Preferably with a blinged out bracelet.

Wearing this bracelet glams any outfit up.  It takes a boring cardigan and makes it sparkle.  It's the perfect partner to the little black dress.  It will make you want to go dancing!  

Price: $8.80

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Think in pink.

I know this shoe is not for everyone.  I get it.  It's pink, with a giant black jewel embellishment.  9 out of 10 of you will say that this shoe is not for you.  But one of you is gonna go nuts for it, like I did.  So this is for the fashion forward!  The folks who can see the potential for this shoe.  This pink ballet flat is for you!

PRICE: $25.00

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BLACK FRIDAY DEAL: Cheap Jeans!

I don't really care what you think of Old Navy as a store.  When they are selling traditional skinny blue jeans for $15.00, you should buy them.  Maybe they won't fit you right?  Maybe they'll be too long?  SO WHAT!  Take them to have them tailored to perfectly fit you and they will become your new favorite jeans!  Who doesn't want custom tailored jeans?

This is definitely the best black Friday deal out there.

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BLACK FRIDAY DEAL: Fashion Bright In Winter White

There is nothing in fashion I am more against than a black winter coat.  Sure, December is full of wondrous holiday joy, but once we hit January, and everyone realizes how much they spent at Christmas, MAN is that depressing.  And if you own a black winter coat, it's not fun to wear.  It's just boring and sad, like the rest of January.  People see you in your black winter coat, and it makes them sadder!  And the whole world walks around in black winter coats, feeling sad sad sad.

But what if you wore a white winter coat?  Or a pink winter coat?  Or a blue winter coat?

In an bright winter coat, each January day would see....brighter!  Other people would look at you and you and your ivory coat would be the bright spot in their drab winter day.  Don't you want to bring joy to the world?  Don't you want to brighten the world?  

I own this coat in a ridiculously bright pink, and I love it.  I bought it with the thinsulate and it's extremely warm.  The fit is great.  It wears amazingly well.  If you need a new coat, don't go plain...get this in the ivory or a bright color.  Being different will make you happy, and I promise, you can pull it off!  And this kind of sale will mean the coat is going to sell out quickly.

Price With Thinsulate: $259.99 (down from $328.00)

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BLACK FRIDAY DEAL: Classic Cardigan

Today is black Friday! YAY!  The high holy day of shopping!  As part of black Friday, there are truly ridiculous deals around the internet.  I'll do my best to bring them to you before I myself brave the shopping madness!

A lot of Forever 21 clothing is made of mystery fabric combinations (like a dress that is 68% nylon, 28% rayon, 2% cotton, 2% spandex...say what?)  Don't get me wrong, I love the mystery fabric hybrids because that is what makes those trendy dresses so cheap.  But when Forever 21 has 100% cotton cardigans for $7.00 each (down from $11.50) in five different colors (pink, white, ivory, cornflower blue and black), you should get to their website as fast as possible and buy this cardigan.  I chose to highlight the pink cardigan because I love the soft pink color and the versatility of a light pink cardigan.

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Festive Holiday Attire

The holiday season brings decorations, cookies, lights and...holiday parties!  As the invitations for these events start to roll into your inbox, the next (and all important!) question is: what should I wear? 

The holiday season is shiny and bright and wonderful! Shouldn't your holiday party dress be the same?  (Don't forget you can re-wear that gold dress to weddings and cocktail parties galore.)

This Nicole Miller dress, ORIGINALLY $440.00, but now priced at $263.90 at Saks Online and $308.00 on the official Nicole Miller website, is more than just an ordinary gold dress.  It's a muted gold, which makes it appropriate for a large range of events.  

I love the brocade, and the twist front detailing around the bust will make your girls look good no matter what God gave you :)

BUY IT AT SAKS

BUY IT AT NICOLE MILLER

Put Your Neck Out

Pearls and beads and stones, oh my!  

I love jewelry that is a compilation of many different things that come together into a beautiful mosaic of wonderful. 

I particularly like this necklace because of it's ability to stand alone as the star, or to work together with whatever fashion team you assemble the day you wear it.  Either way, the necklace makes you a winner :)

(I should also be upfront with you all now and come clean about my obsession with the color green :p)

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Made by Heart Design Jewelry, which you can find on Etsy here.

Price: $12.90 ($5 shipping).

Boardroom Chic

I love bright colored totes.  And I'm a big believer that you can wear a purple or blue tote bag almost anywhere...EXCEPT to work.  

It's not that you can't wear great accessories to work.  But in a bad economy, no one wants to be known as "that girl with the loud, purple bag."  And if you are noticed at work, wouldn't you want to be noticed for a super classy, office appropriate tote?

The black snakeskin texture and gold detailing make this bag the perfect addition to your already stellar boardroom presentation or court appearance.

And it's on sale for a more than affordable $27.98!

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Bright Color + Silk Cami = Awesome

I am so tired of hearing "orange doesn't look good on me" or "oh no, I can't wear orange." What you're REALLY saying is: I'm afraid to wear a bright color.

Let's get over this now, together, with this dark orange silk camisole from J. Crew.

This shirt looks great under a suit. Or tucked into a high-waisted skirt. And the ruffles + buttons make for a great day-to-night turn (button up for the office, but unbutton for the night!)

It's on sale for $69.50 (down from $88.00) and probably won't go lower because it's silk. You probably don't have anything in your closet that looks like this, and that is precisely why you should expand your collection and take a risk!

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Dressy Jeans

I know it's pretty much acceptable to wear a nice, no-rips, well tailored pair of jeans just about everywhere. But sometimes, I feel regular old blue jeans are just...well...not dressy enough. Even the expensive designer blue jeans. But I love jeans! I feel most comfortable in jeans.

Enter: Levi's {Capital E} Low Rise Skinny Jean, in black. Dressy black skinny jeans ready to be paired with a flashy ballet flat or a bright colored stiletto. Look dressy and feel comfy all at the same time.

You're thinking: "Black jeans fade if you wash them too much!"

My response: You wash your jeans often? I don't. I hate stretching them out again. The jeans won't fade.

You also could be thinking:

"Oh no no, skinny jeans just aren't for me. I don't look good in them."

My response: First off, you're wrong. But more importantly, have you tried them in black, the most slimming color possible? It might change your feelings on the all evil skinny jean.

There is a phenomenal sale on the jeans. They have been marked down from $158.00 to $99.90, with free shipping. And if you spend over $100, you get $20 off, spend over $175 and get $50 off, you get the picture.

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Don't Be Shy, Stand Out In That Crowd

ATTACK OF THE GIANT FLOWER HEADBANDS! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!

Be not alarmed by the size of the flower attached to this headband. It is meant to be that big.

It is meant to get noticed.

It is meant to be the conversation of your dinner party.

It is meant to get you off a long line for a hot bar ahead of everyone else.

Why? Because wearing a headband with such a big flower screams "I HAVE CONFIDENCE!" Everyone can wear this kind of headband...it just takes some courage!

And at $4.80, shouldn't you give it a try?

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When you are standing in the mirror with the headband on, just keep chanting "yes we can!" till you walk out of your house.

Never Underestimate The Power Of a Black Patent Leather Pump

I know what you're thinking...a black patent leather pump? You come here for STYLE! You come here for FLASHY and DIFFERENT. A black patent leather pump is BORING Fashion Diva.

But wait! NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A BLACK PATENT LEATHER PUMP!

It is the "everywhere" shoe.

You can wear it to the office, a bar, and church, all in the same day. Few shoes are so versatile. Few shoes can adapt to complement their surroundings, but the Patent Leather Pump can!

Nine West is having a great sale on, you guessed it, our friend the pump. Once you add it to your cart, the $69.00 black PLP becomes a sweet $48.30, with free shipping! Nine West shoes are very well made and meant to last a long time. Great deal for those who can get to it before the sale ends.

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Tis the season for classy, yet affordable, earrings

Thanksgiving is not a holiday that is generally associated with high fashion (I remember some Thanksgivings as a kid where I ate in my pajamas!) But for those of you traveling to your significant other's home to meet the in-laws for the first time, or for those girls with a family who wants to leave the kitchen untouched and head out for the annual turkey feast, these cluster pearl earrings by Sora Studio are a great companion to any Turkey Day attire.

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Price: $28.00

Made with genuine freshwater pearls.