Holiday Gift Guide 2010: For the Conservative

I'm not talking politics here, ladies. I'm talking style. And everyone knows someone who is a bit "conservative" when it comes to their style. Maybe they are a teacher and need to have a wardrobe that's professional yet approachable. Or maybe they are just too practical to care too much about following the trends each season. Doesn't mean the conservative doesn't want to look nice! Pamper them with a gift that they'll wear over and over again and truly cherish!

Luxe

$250 Loft Gift Card/ Loft.com

Gift Cards may not be very exciting, but the conservative will appreciate going shopping and getting everything they want for a new winter wardrobe from a go-to store for pretty, practical pieces like The LOFT!

A little Less

Banana Republic Two Tone Women's Gloves/ $69.50 at Banana Republic

Everyone needs a warm pair of leather gloves during the winter months. She'll love this two-tone dark brown pair. The stitching and button detail add just a little bit of stylish flair!

Comfy, Cozy Winter Wear

Something about the cold weather and holiday season upon us makes me crave the following: Starbucks peppermint mochas, baking cookies, online shopping and of course wearing comfy, cozy sweats! The holiday season is definitely a time to hang in with the family, decorate the house and watch holiday specials on tv! Just because you are staying in doesn't mean you shouldn't look cute doing it, though! This year our favorite "mall stores" like The Gap, J. Crew, Victoria's Secret and the LOFT have cute "stay in" looks that would even do well out of the house!

Our Comfy, Cozy Look Breakdown (Clockwise):

• J. Crew Metallic Jersey Stitch Hat, $32
• Victoria Secret PINK NFL Collection New York Giants Bling Boyfriend Sweats, $59.50
• Gap Floral Applique Slippers in Lipstick Red, $29.50
• J. Crew Women's Sherpa Hoodie in Heather Grey, $55

Fall Trend Report 2010: Back to Black

Black is always in style, its a classic go to for any girl. Season after season, we see black as a staple trend we can turn too when quite frankly we don't know what else to wear! And if you are a New Yorker, like me, then its practically a uniform.

This season black returns with pzazz! Sequins, leather, lace (see: so lacey trend), snakeskin, patent - black is only good this Fall when it's got something stand-out going on! Don't be afraid to mix and match patterns and styles of black together for a look thats anything but boring...

We like the idea of wearing black mono-chromatically with just a hint of gold here and there to break the look up. Add a solid gold cocktail ring and studded earrings to complete this look.

Back to Black Breakdown

• Halston Heritage Carla Lady Flap Bag, $295 at ShopBop
• J. Crew Sequin Slouchy Pants, $195 at J. Crew stores and catalog
• LOFT "The Perfect Layering Tank" (not shown), $14.99 LOFT
• Alexander Wang Cropped Leather Jacket, $1100 at Net-a-Porter
• Yosi Samra Flats in Merlin Cracked Black Leather, $65 at Yosi Samra

Daily Bling - Thursday, September 2

The LOFT delivers again this Fall with unique, gorgeous jewelry that has me wanting more! This statement necklace the "Stone/Chain Tangled Necklace" is a gorgeous convo of gunmetal chains that have a "rose gold finish" with multi-metallic tones of agate crystals.

We think this is the everyday solution to Lea Michele's gorgeous Emmy's necklace. Wear it with a navy knit dress and channel your inner "Gleek."

The Stone/Chain Tangled Necklace is a must-have pick-up at only $69.50. It's available in-stores and at LOFT online.

Daily Bling - Tuesday, June 22

We love today's daily bling from Ann Taylor Loft because its got a little bit of everything - heavy metal chain, gemstones, lace, ribbon and tassle detailing! It's pretty but edgy and is versatile enough in color to be worn with many different looks. What's better is that right now when you purchase one full price item at Ann Taylor Loft, you can get a second item at 50% off. We just love an Ann Taylor Loft deal!

We think this necklace is the perfect bridge piece from summer to fall and would just love to see it with a simple satin dress for a summer wedding or formal event or with a blazer and jeggings for a night out in the Fall! Of course its an affordable luxury - its from Ann Taylor loft! At $39.50 this is certainly a steal of a piece that looks much, much more expensive than it is!

How I Wore It Weekend

This weekend I had a lovely family dinner to attend at the yummy and gorgeous Prime Restaurant on Long Island in honor of my uncle's 60th bday. What did I decide to wear?

• White Ruched Sleeve H&M Tee Shirt
• Ann Taylor Loft Grey Embellished Cardigan
• Aqua Silver & Lucite Statement Necklace
• J. Crew Poplin Wednesday Skirt
• Silver and Lucite Nine West Open Toe Pumps (3 seasons old and in again!)
• Marc Jacobs Classic Blake Leather Bag in Natural (not shown in this pic)

I'm pictured here with my chic cousin Lauren who is wearing the gorg. Free People Lace Layered Skirt. How cute is she?

What I Wore Weekends

It's been a busy weekend but I think its safe to say wedding season has begun! We have two (count it), two bridal showers this weekend - one on Long Island and on in NYC.

I dont usually like to do posts featuring moi, but my weekend escapades inspired me to start a new series on the blog called "What I Wore Weekends" where I break down my fav. looks from my weekend, how I wore them, accessorized them and where I went with them.

Its a challenge to have two bridal showers in a row, as I had to plan two cute (similar) looks to wear back to back. My challenges? Unusually warm weather in the New York area and skin thats peeling like woah after my sunburn from St. Lucia. I solved both by wearing cap sleeve sundresses and purchasing an Ann Taylor cardigan with elbow length sleeves (although it was too hot to wear today!)

Shower 1 was a beautiful Long Island shower at an adorable eatery out east. The shower was for a very good friend of mine from high school and I wanted to look put together yet still casual and country-ish. I opted for a Marc by Marc Jacobs cotton sundress in liliac from last season and accessorized it with the thin cardigan from Ann Taylor with crystal buttons, long layers of pearls and silver chains and blush colored ribbons, my bone "bow" sling back nude pumps and blush Marc Jacobs bag. I dont have a great picture yet but here is a snippet of the look below. I'm calling this look "vintage chic."

I'm on the right in both pics with my friend from HS, Lindsey...

For bridal shower #2, my college friend, Lindsay's, at the swanky Gramercy Park Hotel in NYC I opted for a bolder, more dressed up look. I paired my silk chiffon tiered Ombre Madison Marcus dress I got at Intermix two years ago and am still L-O-V-I-N-G with black CL pumps, my black Chanel quilted bag, and layers of gold and crystal J. Crew long necklaces and Michael Kors gold watch. I'm calling this one "city sophisticate."

On the Left in the first image and center in the second with friends Molly and Amber

All in all, I think both looks were appropriate and fun and very me! And now off to the bachelorette parties!

Shoe Trends from High to Low

There are so many cool, new trends for Spring shoes. From clogs to wedges, studded gladiators to open toe booties and much more - Spring's shoes trends are a little tougher then what we have seen in the past few seasons, but super fun and very unique. Furthermore, we are seeing these hot trends come right off the runway and hit our local malls faster than we ever thought possible!

Below, we breakdown some of our fav. shoes of the season and the equally chic "deal" version because let's face it these trends are sure not to last many seasons more then this one.

Trend 1: Glam Jellies

All the top designers did a jelly this season from Stuart Weitzman to DVF to Tory Burch. But guess who else did? Aldo!

• "Low" Version on Left: Aldo Poduska Flat/ $40
• "High" Version on Right: Stuart Weitzman Blingy Two Piece Jelly Flats/$158

Trend 2: Studs are showing up everywhere for Spring - our fav way? In gladiator style atop of a sky high wedge!

• "Low" Version on Left: Ann Taylor Loft Studded Wedge/ $89
• "High" Version on Right: Tory Burch Studded Wedge Sandal/ $325

Trend 3: One of the most "out there" trends for Spring is the utilitarian-inspired open toe bootie. Its partially grunge, partially function but has the most staying power of all three - lace up booties were all over the runways for Fall!

• "Low" Version on Right: Nine West "Buren"/ $139
• "High" Version on Left: Giuseppe Zanotti Lace Up Open Toe Booties/ $875

All styles can be found on their individual brand's e-commerce sites, with the exception of the "high" versions which all can be found on Shopbop.

The Daily Bling - Monday, April 26

In the spirit of providing you more affordable options in bling I draw inspiration from Ann Taylor Loft's spring sale going on now online and in stores.

I did some major Ann Taylor shopping this weekend with my mom and on a side note from this daily bling it must be said that I love, love, love their line this Spring. Yes, of course, it reminds us of J. Crew but they also have some other different looks (like super cute leggings and long jersey vests) that you wouldnt find from J. Crew. They also have some great wedges very Tory Burch like in style that we may or may not be purchasing soon.

Today's bling is obvi Ann Taylor Loft and very, very gorg and different if you ask us. We are loving the lariat trend in jewelry for Spring as we are also loving the agate/druzy gemstones we are seeing and this necklace has both. The color of lavender of these agate stones is just stunning and we also love the detailing of the chain - strands of big and small chain links make it very hip. You can scoop this up and more from the Spring Sale online now but you better hurry before it all sells out!

The Daily Bling - Friday, April 23rd

Ann Taylor Loft has some of the best affordable jewelry of the season and we love the newest items they added to their website for Summer. Inspired by the "islands" this collection especially spoke to me as I am holding on to my St. Lucia vacation memories for dear life at this point...

Today's Daily Bling is called the Mesh-Colored Gem/Disc Necklace and it's the perfect beachy statement necklace if you ask us. With its earth tone scheme and natural materials it would make a great piece to accessorize the new neutrals we have been seeing for Spring. At $44 its a great, affordable piece to spice up your Spring/Summer wardrobe with.

Check it out and all of Ann Taylor Lofts chic pieces for Spring here.

The Daily Bling - Saturday, March 13th

Today we are back to our regularly scheduled Daily Bling. I had a lot of fun covering the Oscars trends but I am excited to be back to featuring more realistic options for your Daily Bling.

Today's bling is the Ann Taylor Faceted Dome Ring. At $48 its a far cry from the Cartier and Tiffany pieces we have been recently showing, but its just as classy if you ask me! I know we have been beating a dead horse about our favorite spring color, blush, but if you do take our advice and shape your Spring wardrobe around this updated neutral, you are going to need a go-to piece to round-out these looks. And this ring is just that!

Rose gold complements blush and flesh-tones beautifully but it can be hard to incorporate this metal into your wardrobe because you probably have mostly a yellow gold palette you are working with and sometimes when you mix these metals they sort of clash. We love this ring because the peachy/pink tone of the stone is set in yellow gold tone metal so its a good piece to marry both of these shades with. We also love the tiny pave crystals around the stone because it gives the ring a more dressed up, high end look!

You can purchase the Faceted Dome Pave Ring at Ann Taylor Online.

Fashionably Yours,

H

Spring Neutrals Decoded

We have been hearing a lot about the neutral, monochromatic trend for Spring. We are seeing the high-end and affordable stores showing a lot of blushes, khakis, lights grays and metallics layered together. As we divert from our basic winter black I thought I'd help decode how to wear these monochromatic looks without looking too matchy-matchy or too clashy-clashy. When done right, you will be looking nifty in neutral for Spring!

Look 1: Golds and Khakis

The key to complementing a simple khaki shift is with touches of white and gold. We've brought this simple Ann Taylor loft dress to life with gold embellishments and a feminine necklace that makes this outfit the perfect updated work look.

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes: Miu Miu

Necklace: J. Crew

Bracelets: Kendra Scott

Bag: J. Crew

Look 2: Greys and Silvers

Grey is still an it color for Spring but instead of your winter charcoals it’s a lighter, airy version of itself. White contrasts beautifully against this light grey shade and silver gives the look a punch. Love this for birthday lunch with a group of girlfriends or at a more casual, creative work environment.

Blazer and Tee Shirt: BopBasics, ShopBop.com

Pants: Tibi

Necklace: Ann Taylor Loft

Bag: Botkier

Shoes: Rachel Rachel Roy

Look 3: Blush and Nude

Blush is my absolute favorite color for Spring. It’s a cooler version of pink, feminine yet not girly, this dusty shade looks relaxed and pretty. I love the idea of matching this silk blush top with casual denim shorts and scarf and dressing it up with a pair of sexy pumps and small clutch to take the look into evening.

Top: J. Crew

Shorts: J. Crew

Scarf: J. Crew

Earrings (remember these?): J. Crew

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Bag: Marc Jacobs

Fashionably Yours,

H

The Daily Bling - Thursday, February 25th

Today's Daily Bling is courtesy of my very fashionable grandmother who recently gave me a little tip that Ann Taylor Loft's jewelry line for Spring was worth checking out. After browsing their website I have chosen my favorite spring piece in the collection to bring to you, my lovely readers. (and believe me it was tough because there are so many affordable and gorg options to choose from...)

They are calling this necklace the Pink Stone Necklace with Ribbon Tie and you can check out all the details on it here. The best word to describe this necklace is pretty. I think if you tie it on, you will feel immediately girly and sweet. The peachy/pink shades and crystal and pearl detailing give it a decidedly happy vibe and I could just see it laying gorgeously on a crisp white summer sun dress. And doesn't that just sound nice?

The Ann Taylor Loft Pink Stone Necklace with Ribbon Tie is available at www.anntaylorloft.com for $39.50.

Fashionably Yours,

H