Beach Weekend Inspiration Board #1

Beach Weekend Inspiration Board #1 by kristenalyce

So, I am going to the beach with my family in two weeks and I don't even have a bathing suit that fits...SHOPPING TIME!! We will be spending four days and three nights at a resort in Myrtle Beach and although I plan to be on chill mode the entire time, I still have to chill out in style. Lightweight pants and breezy summer dresses, cool, comfortable and cute! I'm going shopping next weekend! I can't wait!

In the meantime, here is a little inspiration board I put together to help me have a general idea of what to pack, such as my music, camera, and journal = NECESSITIES; what to put on my shopping list, such as the purple striped cover-up dress from Target and a new pretty beach bag (since my original pretty beach bag still hasn't made it here from Doha); as well as what to put on my birthday wish list, such as that orange cut-out dress from Quiksilver and those Irregular Choice espadrille wedges that just SCREAM Kristen! Just LOOK at them!

These seriously have my name written all over them!

"Kristen...Kriiiiisteeeeen!!"

I am really looking forward to this beach trip, though, and pray that everything goes beautifully! I haven't been to the beach since July 2010...I think a trip is well overdue. I will be making my "Fun in the Sun" iPod playlist over the next few days and when it's done, I will share with you all, of course!

Until then, I'd like to take this time to welcome you to June, my birth month...the most awesome month of the year! Keep cool in the heat, my dameys! We'll talk fashion again soon!

Love,

K.

Nia Fashionista Birthday Set

Nia Fashionista Birthday Set by kristenalyce

Happy Birthday to Nia Fashionista!!

So, today is my little sister Nia's 22nd birthday and how honored I was to help her via Skype to pick out her birthday outfit! It was so fun! Gotta love technology...playing dress-up through the computer! Who knew!

So because it is her birthday, I told her she needed to be as bright and colorful as possible! The first thing that came to mind was the  neon tank that we got her from H&M in D.C. Remember this?

Click here to see the post where I styled her before with this tank.

We first paired it a pretty purple skirt, similar to the skirt shown below but much shorter and without the black belt:

You have to imagine this purple with a neon green tank; the tank above is not an accurate representation.

I really liked the two colors together; and how she had the shirt tucked in made it look like she was wearing a a cute color block dress. But then we thought about the shoes she had to match with it (the neon Jeffrey Campbell platforms) and it would have been too matchy...and we didn't want to do too matchy for the b-day.

Additionally, I think for a day out in the city, the skirt may have been a bit too evening wear; and we wanted to focus more on comfort.

So the next thing she tried on were a pair of linen pants in a lovely deep sky blue; this isn't a clear photo but they are similar in color to the pants below:

Let's try to imagine these pants without these awful shoes; check the shoes below.

I knew instantly that they would be a hit with the neon tank, but again the Jeffrey Campbell's were in my mind and I just wasn't feeling it. It would have been neon-blue-neon. Again, too matchy.

Then I remembered the orange and deep coral striped Mary Jane style pumps from Poetic License that she had there with her:

My mother bought these shoes for Nia; you see where we get our style from, right? ;)

I had her try on the shoes with the pants: an instant hit. From there, the ideas just flowed. I was like, "Put on the neon tank." Instant hit. Then I was like, "Okay now put on the coral necklace I got you from H&M." Instant hit. The end result:

The Birthday Lady!

Doesn't she look adorable!!?? Her boyfriend is in New York with her all the way from Luxembourg; his first time in the states and they are currently out and about roaming the streets of the city! If you have Instagram, check her out @niag or click here to see her images on Copygram. 

Also check her blog page Nia Fashionista; the photo above is from Instagram, however she has posted more photos of her look (such as the two below) plus some fun ones of her and her boyfriend! 

The ring is also a gift from big sis, courtesy of H&M...another instant hit!

Loving this color combination!

In the meantime, I am off to create a Polyvore set inspired by her look! Be on the lookout for that!

Happy 22nd Birthday, Nia! Big sister loves you! And thank you for including me in your birthday celebration...even if it was only through helping you assemble a super cute look! Smooches!

Here's to 22 Years of Awesomeness!

Love,

K.

 

Fashion Journal Entry #7: The Lunch Date

Polyvore set inspired by what I wore out to lunch with my friend yesterday afternoon. See post below! :)

It's been a while since I did a set like this, in terms of "decorating" it with makeup (in the colors I wore with the look, naturally). It's overdone a bit but I still like it! Hope you do, too! :)

Oh, by the way, some of the items used in the set simply represent ideas of inspired looks; for example, the cropped pants shown are actually wool pants. Not really summer friendly. But the cut and shape of them are just perfect so I had to use them. Let's just pretend they are linen!

The bag as well. Because I carried my Jessica Simpson purse, I decided to stay true to brand on at least ONE item in the set and this tote coordinated beautifully. However, it's a bit large; definitely too large for a lunch date but we are going to keep playing pretend and imagine it about half its actual size!

And finally, just as I wore my outfit both with and without the button-down blouse, this is set has been designed the same way. The coral shirt I used (from Pinterest; I wish I knew the brand/designer as I think it's an awesome top) would look great alone with the cropped pants. The blouse I used would look great alone with them as well. Paired together, obviously, the blouse would have to remain open, especially since the tank is a bit extra but in my mind, it still works! 

Be sure to visit the actual Polyvore link for more details and links for the items used in the set! For example, you must see those shoes in other angles. They are pretty bad-ass! And the detail on that bib necklace is just gorgeous!

By the way, I think I am going to start calling these sets: "How I Would Have Rocked My Look If I Were Super Rich!" I rarely look at the price when creating these sets. I just see something similar to what I wore and what I like and use it. It's normally AFTER I am done and view the details that I see the price; and then I'm all like, "Whoa."

Like those $8700 earrings I used: "Whoa." Especially when paired with a $7 ring! :p

For the next set I create, I will adjust the price settings before I start my item search to see what I find within a more reasonable budget! This should be interesting! :)

In other news, I still can't wait to show you the skirt I bought yesterday, and I bought a top from TJ Maxx today that I'm looking forward to playing with! So stay tuned! More glimpses into my style-life coming soon! :)

Love,

K.

Fashion Journal Entry #7: The Lunch Date by kristenalyce