Friday Favs!

I was just going through my daily "blog surf" that I try and do every morning and I came across Lauren Conrad's (one of my few idols) Friday Fall Favorites post--I was inspired so I decided to keep it simple and give you a few of my favorite fall things because today is definitely a fall day here in Pittsburgh!

Favorite Fall Shoes: 

I love these Suede Desert Wedges from Old Navy. & they're only $30 right now! They're available in this gray, a camel and military green.

Favorite Fall Sweater: 

I love this combo of glitter and sweater plus it is a potential layering piece considering the short sleeves! This is from Forever21 and is only $23! Very functional and is long enough to be worn with leggings and boots! Comfy yet chic look.

Favorite Fall Drink:

Of course--Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks! The New Salted Carmel this season is delish as well! :)

Favorite Fall Fashion Concept: Color Blocking

I am a huge fan of the color blocking idea & these boat neck tees from Old Navy 

Just $18!

Favorite Fall Book:

For some reason during the Fall/Winter seasons i love to curl up and read a good book or magazine. This book 100 Ideas That Changed Fashion is on the top of my list! This book is on Amazon--I will be ordering it very soon!

 

There you go--a few fall favs! What are your favorite fall things to wear or do?!

(Love this fall scene!)

Tonight my parents, grandparents and my cousin Katie who is in town are going to the traditional fish dinner @ The Serbian Club in WV--yum! Tomorrow I will be blogging from my grandparents house in Ohio!

Happy Friday!

xoxoxo--

Etsy!

I am positive many of you have heard of the online boutique like shop called Etsy. Everything is handmade and totally unique! They have everything from purses to plants to toys to clothing! I was introduced to the site by my neighbor Amy (Hi, Am! I know you're reading this..) she finds the absolute cutest things and always has something new coming in! 

Looking through the site recently I saved some of my favorite items to share with you! 

Check them out:

How gorg?! & it's affordable! Click here to check it out and the rest of this seller's collection!

This is my FAVORITE saying! We all need to be reminded of it from time to time. This little necklace is only $22! I added it to my favorites and will be picking it up very soon :) Click here to see more!

LOVE these burlap pillows! You can get anything you'd like printed on them as well! Amy got one for her bedroom with J+A (Jay/Amy) on it for her bed! It's too cute. Click here for more details and colors to choose from!

Quotes and sayings are practically what make my world go around--plus, if Marilyn Monroe said it, that makes it 1000X better :) I love these wall clings. You can put them anywhere and they can be removed whenever you would like!  There are thousands on Etsy. They're perfect for a nursery, a dorm room, living room or a bedroom, really anywhere! Check a few out here!

I hope you guys enjoyed a few of my favorite things! 

Today I am really excited because my cousin, Katie from Arizona is flying in for a few days! I haven't seen her for a year...missed her so much! Will blog some pictures of our adventures:)  

xoxoxo--

Reflecting..

Today I want to go a little off topic and discuss my opportunities that I was given this summer being a merchandising/buying intern. Although I cannot disclose the name and extensive details of who I worked for and what I did exactly, I can reassure you it was an amazing experience with a fast paced and growing retail (public) company in my hometown.

The opportunity came to me a year ago, I went through an extensive interview process and was declined the internship due to my school schedule. With advice and determination in hand, I reassured myself that I would reapply in the spring for their summer internship program. With that, I reinterviewed and was granted the internship for this past summer--I was beyond excited and I was the youngest intern they had ever hired! I knew being an intern would gain you many opportunites and experience but I could have never imagined the amount of information, contacts, privledges and everything else in between I would gain through three short months.

(Not going to lie--I did do a little note taking, Starbucks runs, email answering! Fashion isn't always so glam!)

I would advise anyone going through college to experience at least one internship in their feild of study to reassure them of their career path and most importantly gain knowledge and hey--some internships lead into careers after you graduate! I am hoping that will happen for me. This being my first intern experience I hope to experience one on the other end of spectrum--working for a vendor (a company who researches trends, travels all over the world and seeks pricing, etc for clothing and styles and then reports back to companies they work with with samples and pricing). The extensiveness of the fashion industry is more than one could imgaine. The work and time spent on one article of clothing is mind blowing!

All in all, my experience at the company I worked for was one I will never forget. My mentors were amazing and I was honored when I was able to travel to NYC and experience the buyers in action. I was left speechless! I feel so blessed to have been granted this amazing experience this summer. Working full time was tough at times but at the end of the day I knew I was only bettering myself in the long road of life.

xoxo--

Glitter and...

Shoes!

Almost every girls two favorite things.. :) I am so excited that lots of glitter and glitz is in for the upcoming season. Any of these shoes will spice up wardrobes this fall/winter!

My personal favorites from Miu Miu! Pricey ($745) but a girl can dream...right?!

These Zara strappy heels are a little more affordable ($90) and would look great with any holiday party dress/outfit!

How about Marc Jacobs' take on these leather mary janes? LOVE! The glitter heel..just enough! ($679)

These Alice and Olivia platforms may be a little much BUT if you can pull them off--they make a statement, that is for sure.  These would be great with a little black dress :) ($295)

Happy Saturday, Everyone!

Tonight I am going to dinner with one of my dearest friends, I am so excited to catch up with her. Trustworthy and great friends are hard to come across these days. So, I am blessed to have a handfull of amazing friends in my life!

xoxox--

Oscar de La Renta..

To finish out my mini series of Fashion Week recaps I am ending on my favorite spring/summer collection, Oscar de La Renta.  The first few looks that hit the runway with the full bodied skirts are breathtaking. Also, the crisp whites add a great feeling in the collection's dresses.  If you notice, the models have on socks under their heels--this is a trend we will most likely be seeing a lot of in the near future, which in my opinion is such a statement.  Oscar also uses lots of greens, navy blues and browns. Stripes are another trend that were shown a lot as well as floral and aplique florals. The last few minutes of the show display the collection's evening dresses. Full bodies, flowy bodies, and big sleeves--amazing!

Check out the full show here!

xoxo-

Marc Jacobs...

This collection left me speechless.  Marc Jacobs creates such functional and fun pieces. The metallic toned shoes he chose for the runway models and most def the colors palette...he incorporates almost every major tone and hue.  I am loving the greens and the to die for structured bags he is showing--- and just about everything else in this show! Let me know what you think about his S/S 2012 collection!

Check it out!

xoxo--

Recap..

For the next few days I am going to be posting and recaping on my favorite videos from Fashion Week for Spring 2012! First up is Betsey Johnson.  I love her ideas and her Spring collection is going to be major!

Check it out on youtube here!

I would love to hear what you like from the recap!

xoxo--

Gloomy Day..

It's a gloomy, cloudy day here in Pittsburgh, you can really tell the Fall is in the air. With that in mind, all I can think about are the fun boots we'll be wearing in a few short weeks!  Hunter's are my personal favorite for the rainy fall--the pops of color can brighten anyones day!

http://www.hunter-boot.com/


xoxoxo-

Sunday Style

After a trip to a local dress shop (homecoming, prom, wedding..etc) with my friends little sisters in search of their homcoming dresses I found that Sherri Hill dresses were the only ones I was drawn too. She is a pure genius:

 

After all of these amazing dresses...I want to go back to high school so I can have an excuse to get one!

xoxoxox---

Nails...

Are you the kind of girl who always has her nails and toes done? (I am!) If you are, check out OPI's new collection for the fall called "Touring America." Needless to say, I cannot wait to get my hands on these new shades my next time at the nail salon! Pictured below are a few favorites from the collection:



Pictured from top left to right: Road House Blues, My Address is "Hollywood", A Taupe the Space Needle, Get in the Espresso Lane, I Eat Mainely Lobster & Suzi Takes the Wheel.

Check them out: here

xoxo--

Color of the Season...

Red is everywhere! Personally, I am not a fan of the color, maybe only in accessories. But, after seeing a whole section of it in my September People Style Watch for this fall--I think I may be able to pull off a few of the red looks. Wear it with different shades of red for a fashion-forward tonal look, or add black or metallic extras!

Colored denim is actually one of my favorite trends for this upcoming season.  J Brand is showing some amazing colors in every style and fabric, which are all genius. But with red being the color of the season- you better believe these will be in the closet of every fashionista this fall! (these jeans run about $178 a pair)



On a side note, if you love the red but don't want to make a $178 investment on them---try Old Navy they also have red skinnies in their fall line (they run $35 a pair):

"Little Black Dress?" How about a little red dress! This may be the new up and coming staple dress for woman to have in their closets.  This Lauren by Ralph Lauren Dress is found at Nordstrom and runs for about $180.  Easily accessorized and a fierce look to guarantee head turning with the intricate twist front.

Lastly, one of the boldest moves you can make this fall would most likely be a red handbag.  This bag can be found at Francesca's (my favorite boutique, ever.)  Adding this pop of red to your everyday look can easily achieve the fall trend!

I hope you find these bold red trends helpful! Now go out and find your perfect red item(s) to spice up your fall looks!

xoxo--

Missoni: Obsessed.

For those of you who know me personally probably haven't heard me stop talking about the Missoni for Target collection that launched on Tuesday.  I found the lookbook online a few weeks ago and totally fell in love--it's breathtaking in every way possible. From the socks, to the dresses, the totes, the scarfs, bedding, the luggage and the to die for shoes...I could go on and on!

But, to my suprise...I was in NYC last week for my birthday/fashion week/a little business trip (more about that in a later post!) with one of my best friends and low and behold sitting right there on a corner near Times Square was a pop up Missoni for Target store. I had passed it Wednesday and it didn't open until Thursday (which was Fashion's Night Out).  I knew it would be a huge commotion and lines out of this world, so we didn't bother to get there in time. But, when we were walking down into Times Square Thursday evening to do some FNO shopping, around 8:30 there was a line at least 3 blocks down, plus around a whole avenue, security everywhere--it was INSANE.  I later learned that the store was stocked for a 3 day sale--and it sold out completely in six hours. Below is a picture i snagged of the store--sorry for the bad (blackberry) quality! It had killer windows and displays--

 A taste of what I purchased at my Target (pictured below!) a "media box" whatever that means--ha! I will be using it to spice up my desk, a sweater box that I am transferring into a memory box, a tote that I am currently using as my purse, and a notebook (couldn't find a picture!). I'm bummed they didn't have much left when I got there after class around 10:30AM, but the new shipments should be in soon, or at least I keep telling myself that. I am dying for an online exclusive bedspread! Please tell me it isn't AMAZING!?

    

What do you guys love from the collection? I want to know what you purchased!

xoxoxo--