Calling ALL Comments

To all my followers, I would like to encourage a slight adjustment in my blog. Versus me just speaking to you, I want to hear what you think. I want you to comment and respond to my posts. You can tell me what you like, even what you don't, ideas for posts, or the things that inspire your fashion selections.

To help catalyze the movement ... Are Bermuda shorts still a fashionable summer piece or have they returned to their previous stuffy, mom status. I personally love them on a comfort level. I get adequate leg coverage and I can still relaxingly sit cross-legged on the floor. These navy, cuffed Bermudas paired with a simple white tee create a simple boyish look that is offset with bright, focal accessories.

Pretty please tell me what do you think? Are Bermudas a no or still a total go?

(Tee - Kohl's, Bermuda shorts - Kohl's, custom made necklace - Adornments, wedges - Mason's,)

Color Blocking

Versus letting a print on a single garment bring a spectrum of colors, Mauriahh uses two separate pieces with different colors to create a dynamic ensemble. Her easy, juicy orange cardigan and breezy, fuchsia maxi dress develop striking blocks of color. The secret to her success is the colors coordinate, but don't match, yet have similar levels of brightness and richness.

What other colors would create a successful color block?

(Dress and Cardigan - Old Navy, Necklace - Target)

What's Yellow and Gray and Fabulous All Over?

I have an extensive love for certain colors, including cream, navy, turquoise, grass green, and my favorite neutral, gray. For this summer, I seem to be drawn to everything that not only has gray in it, but also a bright, sunshiny yellow. There is something about this color combo that is so clean and fresh and radiates a warmth that has me dreaming about the beach, fruity drinks, and flip flops. What makes this color partnership even more indispensable is that it can stretch the gamut from traditional, feminine florals to funky, geometric patterns and still look absolutely perfect.

I am drooling over everything that uses an orange and gray combo too!

Ultra Studios

I met Brooke as a funky jewelry designer about a year ago . Since then, she has taken on much grander initiatives and is working to open her own studio on May 11th called Ultra Studios (118 West South Street, Fayetteville, 479-236-8570). With her artistic heritage and her love for fashion and design, she has merged her passions into one concept with plans to host local artists and local clothing and jewelry designers in her unique warehouse space in South Fayetteville.


But, before the official grand opening, you can get a sneak peak of Brooke's studio and her own personal clothing designs at a charity fashion show on Thursday, Aprill 30th with 100% of proceeds benefiting the Children's House. Her theory and inspiration for the fashion show is the "evolution of fashion", where the audience will get a glimpse of the anatomy in the process of design from ideation, preliminary patterned muslins to the final wearable designs. In addition to the fashion show, the night's agenda includes cocktails, hor d'oeuvres, special guest speakers, make-up tips by MAC make-up, a silent auction, and authentic Native American dancers. Go to http://www.ultrastudios.org/ to purchase tickets ($50).

And Brooke manages to make herself look great, while she is designing great looking fashion for everybody else.

Sweet and Sassy

So much about executing a successful ensemble is about balance. When I go big with one portion, I equalize it with simplicity through the rest of my outfit. Jaclyn does exactly that with a sweet, but simple, argyle sweater vest that screams innocent school girl. But then she punches up the whole look with her sassy red boots. Keeping with the simplicity theme, she enhances her look with a vintage looking rhinestone necklace and breezy drop earrings. Ahhhhh .... I feel I have found balance.

Adornments

Saturday morning I made my way to Bella Vista to visit a friend who has recently started to make and sell her own jewelry. I had seen some of her pieces online so knew her design style had a sophisticated yet organic feel. But when I walked in and saw all the tempting beads and stones and simple, intriguing designs, I felt like a kid in a candy store. From wooden beads, to jade, coral, and even marble stones, her necklaces and earrings can serve as foundational jewelry in any wardrobe from funky to classic. She has long necklaces great for layering and short necklaces that act as statement pieces.

There are two things that make this situation even better: one, the amazing prices and two, she does custom orders! Check it out for yourself at her website - Adornments: unique handcrafted jewelry.

The Mad Hatter

Hats are typically a scarcity in my wardrobe. In the past, I would wear the occasional knit beanie in the frigid cold, a floppy straw hat on Beaver Lake, and a baseball cap on a desperately bad hair day. But now, I see them everywhere in NWA, so I think I want hats to help mix-up my arsenal of accessories. I want fedoras in all colors and materials, an extremely wide brimmed floppy felt hat (like this one), a newsboy cap, and of course we can't live in the South without a cowboy hat. But the likelihood of hats becoming a permanent staple in my accessory rotation (like belts and scarves) is slim, so I don't want to invest. Forever 21 will be my best friend to fill my current hat craving.

Before I become the mad hatter, I want to make sure hats are wearable in my everyday wardrobe. Because, like platform shoes, I am unsure how appropriate hats are in middle America's professional space. What do you think?

Fringe Benefits

Whether it is reminiscent of Pocahontas or the Roaring 20s, fringe is a fantastic accessory to this season's best accessories. I have seen it on shoes, purses, vests, dresses, earrings, and of course, scarves. Fringe is a way to take a piece from expected to unexpected. And fringe gives any outfit a playful movement. But since fringe can be bold, my plan is to keep the rest of my outfit simple and streamlined.

Fringed scarf - TJ Maxx, white tank - Target, Marcus Madison leather jacket - Ropa (3201 Market St, 479-273-0022), Diesel jeans - Soho Clothiers (5204 Village Pkwy # 1, 479-271-8453)

Mix, Don't Match

I am a very big believer in mixing coordinating colors instead of matching the same color, creating visual layers in an outfit. Lately, I have been experimenting with that same philosophy using prints. Teesha has inspired me to be more aggressive in my efforts. Her mixing of florals with the small, subtle neutrals in the dress and the brighter, bigger print in the scarf creates a bohemian yet feminine feel. She contrasts the complexity of prints with simple, sleek jewelry.

The ingenuity of this look doesn't stop with the mixed prints. Teesha cleverly identified one of the key accessories of the season, the scarf, and made her own collection. She simply finds beautiful fabrics, cuts them into a stretched triangle, makes perpendicular cuts along the edges to create the fringe, resulting in a truly couture scarf.

Dress - Old Navy, Bracelets - Old Navy, Fabric for the Scarf - Dollar Saver (101 E Walnut St., Rogers, 479 636-7269)