Jeggings!

I must admit, I have been hit by the jeggings bug! Some of you might be asking, what are jeggings, and in short they are jean - leggings, hence, jeggings! As, I am sure you are all aware, leggings and skinny jeans have taken over the fashion world, especially during these cold months. They are perfect to wear with sweaters and boots, and my-oh-my they are comfortable.
I feel like I came into the jeggings party a little late. At first I resisted the skinny jeans look, because frankly, I am not a size 2 and I really didn't think they would like flattering. So I purchased some Paige skinny jeans to test how I liked them and surprisingly they weren't too unflattering, I liked them with heels, flats and boots, but the problem was like normal jeans, they tended to stretch out as soon I wore them, which left for an unflattering look. So I tried once again and this time bought some Joe's Jeans jeggings, and I am in love! They are as soft as cotton leggings, yet have the look of skinny jeans. Perfect to wear with boots, as there is no bunching and with sweaters, or flowy tops.

Here are a some of my favorite jegging options...

James Jeans Joes Jeans Paige Premium Denim

Twiggy Idol Jeggings Black Corduroy Jeggings Contrast Verdugo Jegging

Happy Shopping!

Jackets, Jeans, and Boots... Oh My!

Fall is finally upon us and although I am missing the warm sunshine, I am pretty excited about wearing boots and jeans, and bright colorful jackets and sweaters. This Fall is all about jeans, skinny jeans, jeggings, boot cut, you name it! It's all about the dark wash jeans paired with tall riding boots, a shirt jacket or a sweater.

It's easy to create the perfect look this Fall by starting with a great pair of jeans, like these dark was skinny jeans from Paige. These jeans can be paired with a great riding boot, either in brown or black, or a pair of flats or even a pair of heels when going out. A great pair of dark wash jeans are a must have for the Fall.

After you have picked up the classic pair of jeans, next step is a great paid of riding boots. These classic Frye boots, are the perfect Fall accessory. They look great paired over the Paige skinny jeans. They are also the perfect fit for a tunic and leggings, or even to wear with skirts and dresses. Their classic style and lines ensure that they will never go out of line and can be worn all Fall through the Winter.

The final must have for Fall is this class swing jacket from Tulle. The zig zag belter waist jacket designed with cute front and back princess seams at front is the perfect punch of color for your Fall wardrobe. Plus at only $99 it's a steal! This great Hot Pink color can be paired with other bright colors underneath like chartreuse green, yellow, and blue. Feel free to mix and match this Fall.

Happy Shopping!

Velvet!

Everyday our team is hard at work in finding the latest and greatest clothes from designers throughout the world. They continually look for new and innovative, yet budget friendly, designers to add to our repertoire. Recently we started working with a design company called Velvet. They offer beautifully detailed feminine clothes at a reasonable price, and lately I have been loving their easy-to-wear dresses.

As we start to transition into a new season, cotton dresses provide the perfect summer-fall transition piece for your wardrobe. In the summer, you can easily pair with a great pair of metallic flats or gladiator sandals, and even a fun cardigan for cooler summer nights. Then, in the Fall, you can throw on a fun pair of knee high boots, accessories such as a long necklace or a belt and you have the perfect fall look.

Check out these fun options below:

Velvet Verlinn Dress

This easy to wear cotton dress, is shown in the color "shade" which is a light blue, with a hint of grey and perfect for Summer OR Fall. The v-neck dress, features a little bit of smocking detail right underneath the bust, which helps to create a natural waist while also flowing away naturally from the body. This dress looks great paired with metallic flats or brown or tan knee high boots!

Velvet Zaylie Dress

Another great look from Velvet is the "Zaylie" dress which is also made from a soft cotton, and features rouching around the dress. The cotton hugs the body in all the right places, yet the rouching helps to minimize any problem areas. Don't forget that even after Labor Day you can still wear white proudly. The Zaylie dress can easily be dressed up with a great necklace and short boots.

Velvet Kaja Dress

Possibly my favorite dress from Velvet right now, is this blue cotton dress named the "kaja". The wrap dress features great ruffled cropped sleeves, and a tie at the waist which helps to accentuate and define the waist area. The design of this dress makes it to easy to wear, and yet dress up or down for work, a reception, a picnic or just to run errands in. It looks great with just a simple pair of flip flops, or dressed up with heels.

As always, Happy Shopping!

Fun Gift Ideas!

The creativity of others never ceases to amaze me, especially people who can make things with their hands, whether it be from baking or sewing. I personally can barely sew a button let alone crochet a blanket, or create a quilt. However, I am fortunate to have a lot of friends in my life though that possess these skills, never know what you might need them to make for you! :)

A friend of mine has been crocheting for years and recently after the birth of her adorable twin girls, she started her own little business called, "Two Cute Boutique". She makes crocheted hats and bows for babies and children. Just

check out some of these adorable hats and hair pieces for little ones! They are all handmade and one of a kind custom orders. Also, they make great gifts for friends and family members.

As a fellow small business owner, it never hurts to help spread the word about a great new company. So if you get a chance go to her shop website at: http://etsy.com/shop/jenniferjudy and check out all of the great pieces she has to offer. Plus, she does frequent giveaways as well, so spread the word to your friends too!

As always, Happy Shopping!

The Perfect Day to Evening Look

I love this time of year, when it's actually still light out when I get home. It always makes me feel like I somehow have more free time to get things accomplished at night (this isn't really actually the case, but it still makes me feel better). I love being able to go to dinner with friends after work and actually be able to see them in the daylight. The added hours of sunshine also mean it's a lot more feasible to convert your work clothes to an outfit for an early-dinner or after work drinks with co-workers (i.e. throw on jeans, put on flats, etc).

It's very easy to get in a rut when it comes to work clothes and then "going-out" clothes, so I put together a sample outfit. Something you could have on during the day and then easily modify for a night out.

Daytime

Always a great starter is a clean white shirt. Perfect for the office and very easy to dress up for a summer evening dinner. This ruffled shirt from Paperwhite, offers just the right amount of detail and flair with the ruffle bib detail. You can either leave it untucked like in the image to the right, or you can tuck it into a more high waisted skirt. Another fun way to play up a basic shirt is to add a belt on the outside of the shirt while leaving it untucked.

This shirt is great layering piece also, and would like great underneath a bright colored cardigan, like this multi-colored sweater from Charlotte Tarantola. Again, you could easily tuck in the white top and have the sweater unbuttoned over the top, or you could leave the top untucked and just loosely button a few of the middle sweater buttons. Either way, feel free to mix and match to whatever feels the most comfortable for you. Also, don't forget to accessorize! Play up the great colors of this cardigan with a new pair of crystal earrings or even a longer gold dangling necklace.

To complete the daytime, office wear look, I would suggest pairing the sweater and top, with a great black pencil skirt, like this one from BCBG. Besides being very in-style right now, pencil skirts are very flattering on most shapes. They help to de-accentuate the stomach area and also slim the thighs, especially true for black skirts. This whole looked could be topped off with a great pair of black summer heels or wedges (see my previous blog for suggestions). It's very work appropriate look yet has a great deal of edge and sophistication.

Evening

The great thing about this look, is it's very easy to go home, exchange out a few elements and be ready for a night out on the town! For starters, you can keep the crisp white shirt on, as it's always a good look in the day and in the evening. You may also choose to keep the sweater on as well over the top just to add more color to your outfit. Next, exchange out the black skirt for a great pair of dark wash, boot cut jeans, like these ones from Michael Kors. A dark wash is a very flattering look for any body type, and the boot cut is great for those who are looking to balance out larger hips too (not that any of us struggle with that area).

After you've got your great jeans, top and sweater (maybe) on it's time to finish that look, and head out the door for your night on the town. For those of us in cooler climates, even during most summer nights, I take a jacket or sweater out with me at night. And what I love about this coral colored jacket is the punch of color it gives you no matter where you are. This Kenneth Cole trench coat, looks amazing paired against the dark wash jeans as well as the multi-colored sweater and crisp white shirt. It looks so great on and is so comfortable that you can easily wear it throughout the night too. Finish the outfit off with a great pair of metallic flats (or heels, depending on how your feet might be feeling that day), and enjoy your night, knowing that you look fabulous!

Happy Shopping!

Shoes.. the PERFECT accessory!

Most would take one look at my feet and proclaim them to be fairly unattractive, yet that doesn't stop my from embracing Summertime and all of the fantastic open toed shoes! In fact, I was in Southern California last weekend, and was shopping down by the beach and looking for the perfect pair of summer flip flops. They seem to be a staple for anyone living in one of the beach towns.. so I of course, had to buy a new pair immediately to take home with me. Now it seems like buying a pair of flip flops would not be too difficult but because my feet are less than attractive (well, mainly it's my larger than life "big toe") every pair that I picked out and tried on, my boyfriend would so eloquently look down at my feet then up at me and tell me, "NO". After several stores and many pairs of shoes, at long last though, we found a pair that actually complemented my feet! Hallelujah!

Along the way though, I couldn't help but notice all the great styles out right now in preparation for the summer season. Sandals seem to be everywhere, and this year the more unique the better! I also stumbled across Elle Magazine's latest guide to summer shoes: CAUTION: there's some pricey ones in here. But it does provide a great overview of the trends for this summer!

Here's the link to the online story: http://www.elle.com/Shopping/Elle-Shops/Summer-s-Best-Shoes

What I love about this Summer sandals is you aren't just limited to flats. Heels and wedges are making a great comeback as well. Plus, there are so many fun gladiator sandals that are great with dresses, skirts, jeans, shorts, you name it!

Franco Sarto is one of our favorite shoe brands at Tog + Porter. They offer great quality shoes, in all the latest styles, that won't break your bank. These black strappy heels, are a great summer shoe. This summer the shoes are bold and big, so don't be afraid to wear that higher heel or something a little bit more bold than you are used to! These heels would look great with a pencil skirt at work, or even a sexy black dress or shorts for a night out.

Gladiator sandals are the must have shoe for this summer! The strappy flat sandal comes in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and just about every company is knocking out a version for themselves. If you're looking for more of an everyday sandal, I would tend to stay with a more simple style, not so many straps or designs and in a neutral color. This Sam Edelman sandal, has a simple, jewel design, in a great basic neutral perfect to carry you from Spring to Fall. They look great with a pair of jeans rolled up a bit, a fun skirt or even shorts on the weekend.

A sandal that is always in style is the wedge. The wedge sole provides a little more support then a basic heel, yet can still provide you with the height you want to make your tan legs feel long, lean and sexy in the summertime! The black wedge heels with the strappy design from Franco Sarto are a perfect compliment to any wardrobe. Besides, from being very comfortable they are also very versatile and could be easily paired with a black dress for at night, or dressed down with a pair of shorts.

Last but certainly not least, are the always comfortable flats. Its' hard to go wrong with a great looking pair of flats in the summer. I love this pair from Sam Edelman because they combine two great summer trends: metallics and flats. Just because it's summer doesn't mean you have to pack up all of those great metallic shoes. The colors can easily be used as a neutral and paired with many different summer outfits from skirts to dresses and jeans for those cooler summer night. They are so comfortable and can be worn all year long!

Alright, off to the salon for that pedicure...

Happy Shopping!

Dresses, dresses, dresses...

This time of year always gets me excited for the chance to wear new dresses! And this season there are so many dresses with fun patterns and colors, that you can easily dress up with the right types of jewelry and heels or even dress down by pairing them with a fun belt, and a great pair of flats.

This Dolce Vita dress is the perfect dress to exchange with a chunky brown belt in place of the waist tie belt and a pair of flats for a weekend look. Or dress it up with heels, a great necklace, and a cardigan for a work appropriate look. The material is a lightweight silk that makes wearing this dress a breeze!

Another great dress for the Spring, comes in the form of the Evelyn style dress from the Velvet brand. The v-neck style with twisted knot underneath the bust is a flattering fit for all women. The fabric is a sleek rayon material that flows away naturally from the body. The black and white pattern provides a great day to evening look as well. Place a great structured black blazer over the dress and you're all set for a night on the town.

This season Susana Monaco once again put out a great line of sleek, comfortable, yet sexy dresses. This belted, empire waist dress, is the perfect look for a Spring or Summer wedding, yet comfortable enough to wear out on the weekends as well. The material is so lightweight, and flattering against any body type. The passion color will brighten up any day and can easily be paired with a great metallic pair of sandals.

Have a great Spring and happy shopping!!