Bring Spring to Work

Bring Spring to Work by style-mi-vida featuring leather heels

Finally a warm day! My legs have come out to play in this almost knee length, flowing dress from Target. I love wearing print and pulling out one of the more subtle colors from the piece to add to the ensemble. The blazer gives the outfit more structure making it office appropriate. I might wear this dress on the weekend with some flip flops and a scarf or white denim jacket. Paired with the pumps and statement jewelry, I am ready for a day at the office!

I put together some fun samples that show you how mix different colors, patterns and textures. The first dress is a retro, florentine print from Nordstrom. I paired this with a cardigan with the same neckline and some fun pointed pumps. The silver in the pumps in echoed in the collar necklace. This adds a bit more formality and flair to the outfit. 

The second ensemble is edgier with the neon yellow ruffled dress against the bright blue pumps. I wouldn't pair this with a blazer that is too structured because it would stifle the ruffles. The kimono style blazer is perfect to let those ruffles move about.  In the third example, I used the very popular animal print but in a monotone print.I love pairing anything coral with black & white. The gold accents in the shoes and necklace work perfectly here. Finally, the forth ensemble takes a super casual, solid color, cotton wrap and pairs it against a printed silk blazer. The shoes and statement necklace borrow colors found in the blazer and bring the whole thing together. That's it for now, enjoy!

Closet Style | Get The Look

Casual Punk Inspired Outfit by style-mi-vida on Polyvore

Today's outfit was inspired by my radiant red lipstick. I like to take a style and really play it down so it can only be detected in minor details of the ensemble. I used various subtle studded elements like the ankle boots and collar of the blouse. These contrast against two pops of color, the red lips and a clutch (or in my picture, the blazer cuffs). The FUNBUN is essential to show off your stud earrings, embellished collar and red lips. A high, sleek pony tail will also give the same effect. Here are the elements you need to create this look. 

1 - Red Lips - I used Urban Decay lip color with the Sephora Waterproof lipliner.

2 - Studs - Any studs will work. It's hard to see mine in this photo, but there are grey & silver studs I found on sale for $10 at Banana Republic. I LOVE BR's sale section - I try to never pay full price there.

3 - Black & Silver Bracelets - Mine are the cheap kind from H&M.

4 - Embellished Short Sleeve Blouse - I picked mine up at TJ Maxx a while ago for about $15. I really like the one I picked out for this set from Forever 21. It has some nice contrast and the embellishment isn't overwhelming

5 - Dark/indigo Skinny Jeans - The darker the better in this case. Contrast is important when you are pairing it with a grey blazer.

6 - Grey Blazer - Any grey blazer will do with or w/o lapels. I got mine at H&M a while ago but you can find similar styles currently at H&M, Charlotte Russe and even F21.

7 - Black Ankle Boots - Mine don't actually have any studs or embellishments on them, but in my fantasy world, I would have wore the ones I picked for this set. I like that it mirrors the punk on my arm and collar.

8 - Bright Clutch - Finally, you want a bright pop of color somewhere on your outfit. Just the right amount is the size of a clutch or a belt. In my case, the insides of my sleeves give me some color.

Show me your style! Did you try this look? What is your take on all the studs and spikes all over everything these past seasons? Enjoy :)

Closet Style | Spring Transition

It's the second day of Spring and I donned my new sheer maxi with an infinity scarf and white denim jacket. The t-shirt underneath is Theory and actually has some lop-sided dots on it. A striped or Chevron t-shirt work work equally as well. I spent the day at the park with my handsome fellow - my dog - all the while wishing I would've worn flats! I paired my outfit with a medium, black Coach satchel filled with doggie treats and toys!

Actual brands: Scarf - H&M | Maxi - Forever21 | Denim - Ann Taylor Loft | Shoes - BCBGeneration | Braclets - Forever21 | Belt - Target | T-shirt - Theory

Man-tastic Monday

What is more pretentious than a woman who is obsessed with men's fashion? My boyfriend is generally mortified when I try to style him, but this weekend he "let down his hair" and I got to play dress up with him. I paired a checkered GAP button-up with his ONLY pair of jeans, rolled up those sleeves and faux-hawked his hair to the best of my ability. He refused to leave that second button loose and left the house with less than ideal shoes: a beat of pair of blue canvas Sperrys.

He generally lacks a "queer eye" and frankly so do I, so I spend quite a bit of time browsing men's fashion blogs for inspiration when it comes to his wardrobe. Let's face it - I do most of his shopping for him. What pretentious girlfriend wouldn't? So here is some Man-tastic Monday inspiration for helping any man in your life (or youself) get some style on. Have a great week!

Source: http://yellowasian.tumblr.com

Aside from that top button and the ill-tucked shirt, we got the look.

Friday Food Porn

Friday is for food...not just any food, but food truck food. So here is some food porn to start off your weekend right. Unless you've been living under a rock you have probably heard about the rising popularity of gourmet roach coaches. Right? OK, if not check out this article and find the nearest movable feast near you. Otherwise, enjoy this bit of heaven that I pretty much inhaled this afternoon from Mogo BBQ - Hawaiian inspired Korean short rib sliders. Mogo has 2 trucks which have daily stops in the South Bay Area -check them out here.

Pretentious Kitchen

So you heard about this whole Peruvian cuisine trend right? Here is my fresh take on an ancient ingredient: quinoa. Quinoa is a super-food (or so I've read) and pairs great with crunchy lettuce and hearty garbanzos. The great thing about this salad is how you can store your cooked ingredients for a few days and mix them up for a quick dinner or on a picnic. Our fresh salad has three components: quinoa, dressing, and garbanzo beans.

1. Quinoa: rinse your quinoa properly and boil in 2 parts water. Before you get your boil on, add in lemon juice and/or zest, salt and splash of EVOO. Boil that baby on MED until the water drops to the quinoa line, reduce heat and continue to boil until it's soft and fluffy! Cool your cooked quinoa in the fridge for any amount of time you would like. 2. Garbanzos: Preheat that oven to 375 F and while you wait, toss your washed garbanzos with EVOO, any flavor of balsamic, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper - to spice up your life. Foil line a baking pan and spread the dressed beans evenly. Roast those babies for 15 min and let them cool off in the fridge. 3. Dressing: (skip this step if you are not pretentious enough to only consume homemade salad dressing) Whisk equal parts EVOO and balsamic with a dash of your favorite spices. I use: salt, pepper, paprika, lemon juice, and a dash of truffle oil - mostly because truffle oil is super pretentious. Salad: So once all your hot ingredients have cooled, wash up and chop that crisp romaine head - toss in large bowl with fresh red onions, and your cooked quinoa & garbanzos. Finally top it all off with the dressing and freshly shredded aged asiago cheese.

Enjoy with a glass of crisp white white such as Jessup Cellars buttery Chardonnay! Questions anyone?? Class dismissed!

Closet Style

This is my first "closet style" post. My photography-loving co-worker found this pretty cool backdrop in the ruins of our work parking lot...so this will be standard. Anyway, I plan to feature at least one outfit a week from my personal closet and design a Polyvore set of how to get the look. Pretentious right? I just assume everyone wants to dress like me...but seriously...people do ask frequently...so I am here to tell. Today was a bit windy, but warm so I layered a sheer Forever 21 chevron print blouse with my khaki boyfriend blazer, bright blue skinny jeans and my new Coach sandals. My dream closet would have afforded some MOSCHINCO pants with nude MK flats and bright orange leather satchel. I used contrasting orange in my dream set, but in reality I just paired my outfit with a gilded Coach tote. Enjoy!