Belt It Out

Maxi Dress: Black Swan "Silver Soul Maxi Dress" here

Heels: Jeffrey Campbell "Hough" 

Belt: Express

Necklace: Vanessa Mooney

Bracelets: Vanessa Mooney & Luv AJ

Clutch: Vintage

In my opinion, belts can almost always upgrade an outfit! This skinny black leather belt really completed my whole look! Before I accessorized and added the belt, this dress looked like a massively oversized and colorful potato sack...which did NOTHING for my figure. But by adding the belt, I instantly appeared thinner and taller.  Because it accentuated my waist and broke up my upper and lower body, my waist appeared smaller and my legs appeared longer. Try out this quick and easy tip and see what a huge difference it can make for you too! 

See how unflattering this dress is on these gorgeous models when styled without a belt: here!!!!

Stripe Hype

Striped Top: Bec & Bridge 'Elements' Top (on sale from $125 to $84 here)
Silk Shorts: Parker 'Pacific Kane' (on sale from $223 to $78 here)
Wool Blazer: Joe's Jeans 'Meredith Blazer' (on sale from $278 to$139 here)
Shoes: Dolce Vita 'Elka' Heeled Sandals (on sale from $170 to $118 here)
Leather Backpack: Stela 9 ($224 at Revolve Clothing here)
Necklace: Chan Luu (similar here for $155)

What's the hype with stripes you ask?! They're simply a perennial and versatile staple. You can style them with just about anything all year long ...which means more bang for your buck! Plus, they can easily be dressed up or down. 

That's why I'm currently obsessed with this Bec & Bridge 'Element' top. It's my ultimate go-to piece at the moment. When I'm feeling lazy, I just toss on this top and pair it with some jeans, shorts, skirt, or pretty much anything. It honestly goes with everything! Unfortunately there aren't any pictures showing the back, which is what sets it apart from other simple black and white striped tank tops. It has an adorable open tulip-style back with contrasting stripes, which shows just enough skin to keep it classy and a little bit sexy. 

Choosing and Styling Horizontal Stripes:

1) Choose a top with thinner black stripes than white stripes. This will help counter the illusion of making you look wider when wearing horizontal stripes. 

2) Break up the stripes with solids. As the name of the top suggests, use the stripes as an 'Element' of the outfit because full stripe outfits will create the illusion of a wider frame. For example, I added my solid black blazer to break up the impact of the stripes, which helped slim my figure a bit. 

So just remember that horizontal stripes are not the enemy. If styled strategically, it could easily become one of your favorite go-to pieces too. Andddd...this amazing top is on SALE! So hurry up and get yours before it's sold out!

*Just as a side note, this was taken while I was in Portland where the weather was significantly cooler than Los Angeles. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a wool blazer in LA right now...it's too damn hot!!! 

A Hot Mesh

Mesh Crop Top: LF Stores

Chambray Skirt: For Love & Lemons

Hat & Belt: Vintage

Laser Cut Booties: Jeffrey Campbell 'Produce' (here)

With summer starting to really heat up, its mandatory to find ways to shed as many layers as possible without looking too scandalous. Lately I've been combating these high temps with one of my favorite summer trends....MESH! Obviously mesh can be a little tricky to style because if done poorly, you could quickly go from being cool and sexy to just a plain hot mess. Below are some of the tips I used when putting my outfit together.

Styling Tips:

1) A little skin never hurt nobody. Mesh Fabric + Crop Top combo seems a little daring but I styled mine with a high waisted skirt in order to show off just a sliver of midriff. Since my top was already sheer, I tried to avoid exposing too much skin. The key here is balance.

2) Layer wisely. Again, anything sheer can easily turn too sexy if you don't layer properly. Covering your little lady bits is a MUST! So I would suggest layering your solid mesh top over a cute bralette or bandeau but if your mesh has embroidery or designs like mine, you can just opt for a simple slip or nude bra.

3) Never forget that nude shoes elongate your legs! For shorter people like me, this is a very important rule to get dressed by. In this outfit, my skirt hemline is a little longer than other miniskirts that I'm used to so I completed my outfit with these Jeffrey Campbell nude booties to help create the illusion of longer legs.

*Try dresses and tops with mesh inserts if solid mesh is a little too scandalous for your taste. Or even try out one of my favorite mesh accessories...mesh heels! These can instantly add sexiness to any outfit without running the risk of exposing too much.  So no matter what your style is, know that mesh can easily be incorporated into any wardrobe. Stay cool by trying out this hot mesh trend with me this summer!

Slit-ther

Another "fashion rule" people are scared to mess with is "never mix black and brown". I think this is just silly so I decked myself out in black and brown from Head to Heels in order to prove that it can be done without looking like a hot mess.

I wore this black asymmetrical side-slit maxi skirt with a black and brown striped silk tank top. I accessorized with a brown floppy hat, black strappy heels, and hints of gold jewelry.

After playing around and experimenting with different shades of brown, I found that medium to light browns pair better with black than a darker chocolatey brown. You want to make it evident that you're sporting both black and brown. If your brown is too similar to your black, it'll just appear as if you failed at matching your all-black outfit and you may have possibly gotten dressed in the dark?! Lol. I'm probably being a little too harsh, but I'd just stick to lighter shades of brown to be safe.

Below are some additional simple tips for learning to break free of this silly "fashion rule". 

Tips:

1) The easiest way to try this look is to probably stick to a solid medium to light brown top with a black bottom or vice versa. Or if that's still a foreign concept to you, try a solid black or brown dress and contrast it with a belt in the other color.

2) If you're feeling a bit ballsier, try adding some prints or texture the way I did. Make sure that both your brown and black pieces aren't printed or that could create one huge disaster. I added a brown and black striped tank top rather than a solid brown top and kept my skirt a simple solid black.

3) Make sure to tie in black and brown accessories in similar shades to bring the whole look together, which I did with my brown hat and black heels. I simply tied my outfit together from Head to Heels with my accessories. Just remember that when you look at your outfit in the mirror, you want everything to simply flow together.

4) I personally think that gold goes well with both black and brown, so why not add a little gold bling to this brown and black ensemble?! I kept it pretty tame with the jewelry and embellished my outfit with a gold chain necklace, a gold cluster ring, and a set of black and gold bracelets.

If you already know how to style these colors together like a pro, feel free to leave more tips in the comments for myself and others!

P.S. this post is dedicated to a good friend of mine, Chris, who likes to give me crap for pairing black and brown together! :P

Tank Top: Sam & Lavi Los Angeles

Asymmetrical Skirt: LF Stores

Floppy Hat: Free People (here)

Shoes: Dolce Vita 'Elka' heeled sandals (here)

Necklace: Vintage

Bracelets: Vanessa Mooney (here) and Jenny Bird (here)

Ring: CC Skye (here)

Skirting the Issue

I've accumulated dozens of awesome midi and maxi skirts in the past couple years and I kind of forgot about them this summer. After packing and unpacking my clothes from boxes during the move, I found some hidden gems that I haven't worn in ages including this super cute MinkPink midi skirt.

I knew I was going to be out running errands all day in the crazy heat so I decided to wear something that would keep me cool and comfortable. And this outfit did just that! I was out and about from 9am to 5pm and didn't even have time to head home and change outfits before heading to dinner with my boyfriend and friends in Pasadena. 

I paired my midi skirt with a fitted Theory tank top, some comfortable Seychelles flats, and my Chloe purse. I'd typically wear midi skirts with heels to elongate my legs but I broke my own rules all for the sake of comfort. 

Tips:

Don't skirt the issue, people! Pulling off the midi/maxi skirt look isn't as hard as you may think. People are always worried that these skirts could potentially swallow you whole if you're not a model...but not all long skirts are evil! You just have to find the right length for your height! It really is a trial and error process...so be patient! There isn't a set rule on how to choose a skirt length but I recommend hemlines that hit the part of your leg that begins to thin out. That way your legs won't appear short and stumpy.

Try lighter fabrics before it gets too cold and slowly transition to thicker and heavier fabrics for fall and winter! Have fun with it and soon enough you'll find a perfect length for you!

Tank Top: Theory (similar here

Striped Skirt: MinkPink (here)

Flat: Seychelles (here on SUPER SALE)

Purse: Chloe

Bracelets: Vanessa Mooney (here), Cartier, and vintage

Necklace: Charlene K

 

We went to Slater's 50/50 for burgers and beers.

And finished off our night with some gourmet ice cream at Coolhaus (which is my absolute favorite ice cream place with my favorite gross sounding but heavenly tasting flavor--fried chicken and waffles!)