V-Style

Best Running Shoes For Street Running

blazer: ZARA, tank: BAR 111, jeans: GAP, shoes: Nike

I've searched extensively for glorious ballet flats and boots that embody stylish comfort in walking heavy cities like New York and London. It is amazing the collection of beautiful yet comfortable footwear I have acquired, but it turns out stylish footwear deteriorates quickly when you try to, basically, use them like athletic shoes. My AGL's were not made to lasts numerous hikes across Manhattan and London. Needless to say, it is not cost effective to keep purchasing fashionable flats to use as walking shoes. I have finally accepted that some days do call for an authentic athletic shoe. My shoe search started anew for a cute sneaker. After ten try-on's I selected Nike's 'Free 3.0 v5' running shoe. The comfort and fit was spot on, but it was the lean shape and bold color that sold me.

When styling my new running shoes, it was important to create an outfit that worked with the tone of the shoes without creating a gym outfit. Inspired by Amid Privelege's post, I paired them with rolled up jeans. For the first time in my entire life, I feel stylish in sneakers. This look is perfect for a day of exploring a new city on foot, or working on set. I planned on wearing this on Monday when I dayplayed for the new series, The Last Ship, but ended up going with a warmer outfit as the 5am call time was quite brisk. 

This post could end here, but it doesn't. I packed these cute shoes for my trip to London intending to use them only for stylish purposes, but in my packing frenzy, I forgot to pack my actual running shoes intended for running. When I realized this, I simply threw on the new purple Nike's and proceeded on my run. It turns out these actually are running shoes. Not only that, the best running shoes I have ever had. 

A little background, I have been running for 16 years. The only break I took was when I was thrown from a horse and couldn't walk, let alone run. Otherwise I run around 3 miles four to six times a week. Throughout my running career, I have tried a lot of different shoes. At one point I was running in shoes from Target and wondered why my feet were hurting. It turns out your shoes matter. And now I really get it. These shoes are incredibly thin and light weight, yet I can't feel any hard impact from the street. I feel like I am running on air. Another contradiction, you'd think the thinness would be a bad idea in London's cold, but my feet felt amazingly protected from the chill. The shoes seem to keep your feet at the perfect temperature because when I then switched to San Diego's unexpected hot weather last week, my feet were still  at the perfect temperature. I am wildly impressed. 

Photo Credit: Robin Dayley of Dayley Photography

My product reviews are my honest and personal opinion. This shoe was not gifted, it was purchased at full price. 

Flattering Lighting

Left: Before GE Reveal, Right: AFter GE Reveal

In early 2007, Congress addressed the problem with inefficient light bulbs in the Energy Independence and Security Act. They passed measures to phase out traditional incandescent light bulbs for alternatives that use at least 30 percent less electricity. I'm sure you have heard about it. Maybe you even watched traditional incandescent light bulbs fly off the shelves, not to be restocked. Taking their place has mostly been the compact fluorescent light bulbs. Being environment minded, I have always been interested in the energy efficient bulbs, but I have been really unhappy with their lack of brightness, and weird orange or blue glows. It has seriously bummed me out. It is especially irritating because the bulbs last so damn long. If you select bad lighting you're stuck with it for ages if you don't return it to the store. I finally ended up with the least offensive dull bulbs. You can imagine my delight when GE approached me about reviewing their energy efficient Reveal lightbulbs with Halogen technology. Is lighting fashion oriented? Well, you can't put it on like a pair of pants, but you certainly wear it. When you are covered in bad lighting it can mess with the color and angles of you and your outfit. But more importantly, it affects our mood and nothing is less stylish than a dull spirit.

Pictured is the result: a bright clean white light that most definitely lifts my mood. I'm very pleased. If you want to try, here is a coupon. 

My product reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I never accept payment for product reviews although I am given the sample to keep. If I am sent something that is unimpressive or boring I don’t write about it.

Men's Neckwear on Women

scarf: PUCCI, top: J.CREW, shorts: AQUA, shoes: GUESS, studs: BLOOMINGDALE'S

I styled a wedding recently and wanted to perfect a quick double windsor knot. You never know when you need to tie one quickly at an event or shoot, and it had been a while since I had to be rapidly skilled at the double windsor, so I practiced on myself. I haven't seen a tie on myself in years. I suddenly felt like joining the party again. I love men's neck wear on women. I love the neatness of it, the juxtaposition, and the warm of it when the temperature drops. 

When wearing a men's neck tie, I recommend wearing a collared shirt. It could be a sleeveless collared shirt, long sleeved or rolled sleeves. I'm not going to like short sleeves as much. I also recommend using a skinny tie. Once you have your shirt and tie, embrace the versatility. You can pair it with shorts, pants, skirts, or throw it on a collared dress. My only request is skip denim. Keep it chic, and a little dressy. As for patterns, go ahead and mix them. You can see I mixed a red and navy checkered shirt with a navy paisley tie.

If we are talking about ascots, you can wear a proper ascot, or you can cheat by using a 16-inch scarf, fold it diagonally, place the points at the front of your neck and then tie the corners at your back. As pictured, you get the esence of an ascot look without having to run out and get one. Again, pair the ascot with a collared shirt of your choice. 

Photo Credit: Robin Dayley of Dayley Photography

top: J.CREW, vest: ZENANA OUTFITTERS, tie bar: J.CREW, pants: J.CREW, boots: NAYA, ring: BCBG

Photo Credit: David McClory

Take Your Vintage To The Tailor

After

When purchasing a garment, three things are essential: fabric, style, and fit, with fit being the most important. Nothing worse than an ill-fitting garment, but off the rack clothes are not made for our individual body types. Yes, there are brands and silhouettes that seem to cater to us, but half the time, the clothing we love needs a tweak. A hem here, shorten the sleeves, nip in a waist here, and take up the shoulders of a sleeveless top or dress is a just a few of things I have my tailor do for my clients. These are the basics. Other times I need my tailor to do more than a tweak, I need lots of tweaks that sometimes border on reconstruction.

Recently I took my client, the brilliant Katie Farris, to alter numerous vintage dresses. She has been collecting vintage pieces for ages and couldn't quite figure our why they weren't working, so she brought me in to solve the issues. Some of them just needed the right styling, but most needed altering. We removed buttons, changed the bust, brought up, took in, added patches, and more to a series of fabulous pieces. 

So often we are drawn to vintage clothing, but more often than not, something isn't right. Sometimes it can be costumey and other times it fits a different decade of body types, but this is no reason to skip the vintage goodies. It can be saved by a trustworthy tailor. It is amazing how absolutely fabulous a vintage piece can be after a tailor session. I repeat, half the issues we run into with beloved vintage clothing can be fixed by a tailor. The only thing I recommend skipping, in general, is an item that is too small or a dress or top with sleeves that is too big in the shoulder. Unless you are working with a blazer or a top with a center seam on the back, a shoulder seam cannot be fixed smoothly. This tailor tip is actually in reference to all clothing.

In the three examples pictured, my tailor, Maria Louisa took up the hem and took it in under the arm of both these dresses for a more modern look. I will be featuring other pieces we altered in future posts. 

After

Before (no pins in place)

After

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Before (no pins in place yet)

Before (pinning is in place) 

Dress For Success San Diego

Last night I attended San Diego's Dress for Success Moonlight Chic event at the 4th floor roof top of Kimpton's Hotel Palomar. I was more than delighted to attend. Not only do I support this non-profit's focus on helping low income women acquire jobs, build careers and improve their quality of life, they throw a fabulous party. The live acoustic music performed by the lovely Kayla Hope, wine, fashion, scrumptious food from Saltbox restaurant (seriously yummy, seriously), and warm San Diego air absolutely made my night. Especially since I rarely go out mid-week these days. Not that you need to hear about my awesome time. Let's talk style.

The fashions were provided by Loft, which I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the looks. The last few times I have popped into Loft, I wasn't blown away, but last night, I pointed out more than a few pieces and ideas I want for myself and my clients. My favorite is the use of neutrals. I love an outfit that sways from whites and creams to light greys. The almost monotone look is farmer's market fresh and always chic. I also absolutely adore the dressy sweatshirt. This is something of a new bit in fashion. Before now, if you wanted a bejeweled sweatshirt, you used a jewel gun with your mom... and you're nine. Now, between J.Crew and Loft, we have access to chic dressy sweatshirts. I'm not sure how long it will be available as a trend, so buy now. They are so fun. 

My other lusty item, the booties. Although they could have been styled in a more flattering way, I love a bootie. Particularly in San Diego when you don't always need the full coverage of a standard height boot. I recommend pairing a bootie with tights or a quality complimentary sock. When you connect a short bootie on a bare leg it cuts off the leg and can create a cankle affect. You need dimension and texture to smooth out the sudden stop between the ankle and the boot. I will cover how to wear booties in the near future. 

Best Time To Shop

 Leith $28

I am trying to please too many clients at once. Often I am forced to take three clients in one day. This is hard on the brain and the body, but I can't say no to my clients, especially when they have trips planned. Everyone seems to need something for a trip and I am trying my damnedest to get everyone squared away before my own travels to London. All this haste and cramming usually weakens the glory of my service, but not right now. I couldn't do a bad job if I tried, the shopping is that good. Between the economy on the up and fall being the best season to shop, I highly recommend hitting the stores. People are calling me magic at this point. Here are some of my favorite items available for sale right now.

This freakishly soft lengthy long sleeve tee is absolutely fabulous for my clients looking for tops to go with their leggings and skinny leg pants. I recommend this for average height clients, but it really is long, making it a fantastic option for my tall clients. If you are on the shorter side, pair it with itty bitty shorts and wear it as a mini dress with lots of necklaces. I recommend the shorts as it will surely be dangerously close to exposing your bum due to the light weight of the fabric.

Lucky Brand $59

This Lucky flat has yummy cushion and a luscious feel in general. This a a versatile flat that comes in a bunch of useful colors. 

This leather jacket is beyond delicious. The fit is perfectly flattering, the feel is butter, and the color is wildly versatile. It can be paired with earth tones and blacks. 

Vince $995

You know how wool itches? Well, J.Crew's light weight merino v-neck sweater does not. Now, bare with me,  I don't like wool. I even have a cashmere sweater I regret buying because it really does itch. Still, I am open, so I walk into J.Crew and try on a cutie merino wool something. Immediately upon putting it on, I tear it off my body and stomp it out like a fire because it itched me so much. Then I touched this v-neck sweater pictured below... it must not be wool, I thought, but I was wrong. It is indeed 100% merino wool just like the other sweater I tried on, but it did not itch, at all. Excitement ensues, because now I am one step closer to being warm in London. This also makes me look like a wizard to my clients when I show them the magical, affordable wool sweater that won't itch them.

J.Crew $79.50

I adore this schoolboy blazer. It is comfortably flexible, fun, and fresh when placed on someone with light colored hair or light skin. This is such a fun piece over a tee and paired with jeans. Heels will dress it up, flats will make you look cool.

Halogen $128 (currently priced at $76.80)

This Lafayette blouse is stunning in it's printed silk delight. It works on so many clients and can be paired with slacks, jeans, and tucked into high waisted skirts. If interested, order a size down if this is your first time wearing this label. It runs big.

Lafayette 148 New York $328

When To Use Waterproof Mascara

Photo Credit: Total Beauty

I adore waterproof mascara, but it is not for everyday. It can dry out your eyelashes and the effort to remove it can irritate and aggravate the eye and the delicate skin around it. It is also discouraged by doctors if you wear contact lenses. Generally, I wear non-waterproof mascara on shorter work days or if I have been make-up free all day and start getting ready for a night out. This accounts for about half of my make-up life. The rest of the time I am brushing on the waterproof.

Crying

I cry in every single movie. I see them so rarely, I sometimes just cry because I am impressed by the cinema, so heading to a movie involves waterproof mascara. As do weddings, and emotional events. 

Pool Party, Beach, Rain

It is shocking how well a waterproof Mascara can hold up to water. I have been thrown into a pool and it simply made my eye make-up glisten.

Long Day

On the flip side of avoiding waterproof mascara after 6pm, if I am getting ready for a long work day that falls into late appointments or evening plans, waterproof is my go to. I need stubborn lash decór to stick with me all day.

With all these incredible pros, it is tempting to wear it everyday. If this is the case you especially need a peaceful way of removing the powerful chemical. Standard make-up removers from major make-up companies are controversial. I personally use coconut oil. It is the most simple of the effective ways to remove waterproof mascara. If it feels a bit oily after using it, take a tissue or soft facial cloth, wet it with cold water, and gently wipe the excess off.

Cole Haan Boots Fall 2013

Cole Haan is kind of my boot bitch. Every fall and winter, Cole Haan makes a boot that I must show a handful of clients as it speaks to numerous personal styles. This year, I am thinking the Air Cara will be my go to brown heeled boot for dressy occasions and cold days you just want to be fabulous. Yes, it has a tall heel, and ordinarily I would only look at it and move on, but Cole Haan makes heels comfortable. Maybe it's that Nike Air sole, but I think their thicker heel and solid platform is also working in our favor. I say brown, because the black just isn't doing it for me. The chestnut brown looks luxe, feels fresh and it is that perfect not too dark, not too light brown. It is not going to fade into your brown leggings like some dark boots do. 

Those I would advise against this boot is anyone under a 30-inch inseam (shorter legs). With a 15.5 shaft, your legs need to be of average length or longer so it does not bump into your knees. Other than that, the calf circumference has a 15-inch opening that should work fine for skinny calves once they are clothed in pants, and work wonderfully for those with a 14-inch circumference calf. You generally want a boot opening to be about one inch wider than your calf to allow the pant to fit comfortably. If your calf has a circumference of 15-inches or wider, skip this boot. I will recommend some wide calf boots later this season. 

The Patterned Short Suit For Cooler Days

short suit: J.Crew, bangles: Ralph Lauren, Wedges: J.Crew, bag: Cole Haan

San Diego is still toasty, while most of the stores are chilling out, literally. They are selling us fall wear and blaring the air conditioning. During fall, San Diego is an interesting temperature that ranges between a light sweat when moving around to "maybe I should have worn pants" when your movements are still. This becomes a problem when stores are still operating like it's summer (or maybe they just want to encourage sales of the cold weather clothing.) I head to the mall, in professional bare arm looks that feel great in the outdoors, and end up shivering once in the stores. In the summer the chilly air was a great relief from the stifling outdoor heat, but right now the outside is perfect. We don't need man made machines to alter our body's temperature. I am not the only one with a cold work environment. Many of my clients have this problem with their office space. 

The solution to overzealous air conditioning is lightweight layering. There are a variety of ways to cover-up lightly. An easily folded up cardigan is perfect. Just throw it in your purse when you leave the cold buildings. For a more fun idea, wear a short suit. With fall wardrobe moving in, you will be able to find them on sale at Nordstrom Rack, Loehman's and other discount retailers that take a lot of the clothing that didn't sell this summer. 

When wearing a short suit, anything goes... you can wear a tank, a blouse, heels, flats, whatever you like. You can dress it up or dress it down, just be ready to be on attention. A short suit is both rare and stylish, inspiring many eyes to connect with your attire. 

Photo Credit: Robin Dayley of Dayley Photography

 

Where To Find Statement Necklaces

Kenneth Cole $45

A simple dress, an exposed neck, a high neckline or a love for fabulosity calls for a statement necklace. I love when I get a client that is ready for such neck decadence. When these accessories are needed, I have a handful of go-to stores. Macy's is my number one for gold statement looks at reasonable prices. For a lot of my clients, large neck decor is new, so a tame price to go with the wild piece is welcome. A big help here is the website's organization. I can search very specifically for what I want. I go to jewelry, click on fashion jewelry, click on necklaces, and then click on "statement" in reference to the necklace style I am seeking. Once there I click on the color gold, and a plethora of gold statement necklaces are exposed to me. I recently recommended this stunning gold piece above to a client in Canada. 

J.Crew (sold out)

If our budget is higher and my client is adventurous, I go to J.Crew for statement necklaces. While in New York, a woman stopped me on the subway to compliment me on my jewelry, and when I told her it was from J.Crew she smiled, but looked a little puzzled. It pushed me to tell her I always go to J.Crew for unique necklaces. She showed her true surprise, "J.Crew? But they are so boring... and sporty." Not for years, was my reply. My clients are always surprised when I walk them into J.Crew. It amazes me how many people are unaware of it's transformation. My most recent J.Crew statement necklace favorite is the  spiky rope necklace. I have recommended it to two clients, and dove in myself. A tip about J.Crew, about every other month they offer 25% off your entire purchase.

J.Crew $128

Another source for fabulous neck wear is Anthropologie. They have some incredibly unique pieces from large necklaces to pendants. They explore different mediums and various styles. Although most of it has a bohemian edge, there are simply chic pieces as well. I do warn against the quality. Some of their pieces are a bit cheapy. Don't get drawn in by the stunning ambiance. Look at the piece, test it and make sure it is the piece you want. I recommend shopping online with Anthropologie as it takes away the influential styling of the actual store. The bummer is no free shipping on the website. That always irritates me. If you want to get around it. Go into the store, look for the necklace you want. If they don't have it, tell a sales associate and they will ship it to you for free. 

Anthropologie $78