25 Most Stylish Awards

Photo Apr 13, 7 34 46 PM

Photo Apr 13, 7 34 46 PM

Saturday night I had the opportunity to get dressed up and go to Charlotte STYLES "25 Most Stylish Awards" (you know, since I write for them for free). It was hosted at Suite, which has a really great outdoor area with a decent view of the city around you.  Perfect for a warmer spring night.

I wore my awesome. sequined Tracy Reese for Target and Neiman Marcus shirt and these heels that matched perfectly, but were a hazard to the well-being of my feet.After a snafu at the front door/desk, where I was not on any list I was told I would be on, it was decided I looked trustworthy enough and knew all the right names so I could go on in.

Not actually knowing anyone there, since I do all my interacting with the editors online and through email, I sat down and made friends with some people for the hour we had to wait for anything to happen.  One pair of girls were social workers who knew one of the past members of the 25 Most Stylish and another pair were aspiring jewelry designers that I suspect made their way through the door because their friend was manning it. Totally acceptable in my book. This falls under Faking It Till You Make It.  I totally would flaunt their  work, but I think their card actually fell out of my butt pocket and off a balcony...

While we waited, we had different foods from around the Epicentre. Lots of them were not finger foods, but were disguised as such.  It's hard to daintily eat a "Roast Beef Bruschetta" when the roast beef is trailing more roast beef after you bite into it. Or ribs (enough said about that). The food was pretty delicious though, if largely not vegetarian.  I was 'forced' to drink a beer by the waiting around and about halfway through it a group of very talented girls from the EleKtriK Dance Company started performing to a mashup. They even customized their own white button down shirts for the performance, giving them leopard print cuffs and collars.

Sorry, I failed on pics and video.  I had a sneaking suspicion that my camera and my deeply uncomfortable heels would not get along.

After the dancing we were allowed to mosey on into Suite and stand about for another 10 minutes before the real show started.  I literally mean stand, my feet were so unhappy.

Photo Apr 13, 6 29 06 PMedit

Photo Apr 13, 6 29 06 PMedit

The show was certainly fun, with people cheering on their friends (You guys should totally nominate me for next years 25 Most Stylish). I would like to know the process after nomination though.  Is it a popularity contest or do you actually get evaluated on style and what you're bringing to the community?

One of the makeup artists that works with me got chosen.  YAY JAIME! She's adorable and incredibly nice, so go her!  She told me today that she doesn't actually remember walking down the catwalk.  She got off and was wondering if she tripped or smiled enough.

After the showing of the 25, there was a couple of fashion shows. The Impeccable Pig and Mae Vivid (which I wrote about here). The Impeccable Pigs show was definitely something every preppy southern girl wants to know about and something every other girl needs to know about so they can mix and match.  Mae Vivid was much more "out there" with his show.

Photo Apr 13, 8 16 01 PM

Photo Apr 13, 8 16 01 PM

It featured a legless bodysuit with large sculptural shoulder pads and a sheath dress that went straight down to the floor, forcing the model to do a nice little geisha walk down the runway. Then they had a Junior League of Charlotte fashion show with things one can find at their store.  Some of the proceeds of the night went to support the organization.

After the shows, my feet made me peace out.  So it certainly goes to show you shouldn't always go with fashion over comfort when going to supremely stylish events.

Too Mod to Handle

Too Mod to Handle


Bailey 44 shift dress
bloomingdales.com

MSGM floral blouse
kirnazabete.com

Vince camuto top
vincecamuto.com

Raoul silk shorts
my-wardrobe.com

Senso high heel shoes
solestruck.com

Worthington
jcpenney.com

Tory burch handbag
toryburch.com

St John st john
nordstrom.com

Alexis bittar
alexisbittar.com

Gorjana stud earrings
piperlime.gap.com

J crew bangle
jcrew.com

Cuff bracelet
misskl.com

Flower Power

Flower Power


Flower Power by addynik featuring a lost

Blumarine long sleeve top
marissacollections.com

Simone Rocha sleeveless top
$445 - farfetch.com

Short mini skirt
$520 - farfetch.com

Lost
tillys.com

2b boho sandals
2bstores.com

Patent handbag
boohoo.com

Marni floral earrings
net-a-porter.com

Amen studded jewelry
$350 - farfetch.com

Baublebar jewelry
baublebar.com

Trends: Black, White, and No Need To Skin Pups

Trends: Black, White, and No Need To Skin Pups


Gucci blouse
net-a-porter.com

Peter Pilotto printed shirt
matchesfashion.com

Theory
matchesfashion.com

Elizabeth and jame
thecorner.com

Topshop
topshop.com

Acne zipper boots
mytheresa.com

River Island white slipper
$30 - riverisland.com

Miu miu tote
miumiu.com

Leather bag
boticca.com

Lanvin
lanvin.com

Vince camuto jewelry
shoptheshoebox.com

Rebecca minkoff jewelry
rebeccaminkoff.com

Kate spade bangle
katespade.com

Patchwork Blocking

Cutout and Classy

Prancing in Peplum

Prancing in Peplum


Givenchy sleeveless dress
bergdorfgoodman.com

French connection
usa.frenchconnection.com

Topshop
nordstrom.com

Stella McCartney long pants
matchesfashion.com

Tory burch
mytheresa.com

Club monaco
clubmonaco.com

Aldo shoes
aldoshoes.com

Emilio pucci
stylebop.com

Clare Vivier leather coin purse
$180 - farfetch.com

Armenta
ylang23.com

Isharya
net-a-porter.com

Venessa arizaga
shopbop.com

Charlene k
maxandchloe.com

House of Harlow 1960 navy ring
shopthetrendboutique.com

Red stud earrings
baublebar.com

New Year's Styling Excursion

Anita came to visit me for New Year's and wanted me to take her out shopping and style her. Apparently, she has not gone shopping for four years and she threw out most of her clothes... Then realized she had nothing to wear. We went on a quick adventure and came up with a few different options before our adventure was cut short and we had to go fix my car. She got an AWESOME vintage sequined shirt (which she left here along with her shoes), some Free People black jeans (a staple) along with a shirt and sweater from them, two dresses, and a cream-colored silk shirt that buttons up the back. Not too shabby for a couple of hours of thrifting and shopping.

White on White

Embellished and Eyecatching

Embellished and Eyecatching


ISSA London gold dress
matchesfashion.com

Leather dress
topshop.com

Peplum shirt
$32 - newlook.com

Mango biker jacket
$160 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Lanvin mini skirt
net-a-porter.com

L Agence metallic legging
matchesfashion.com

Short skirt
$130 - topshop.com

Red Or Dead mini skirt
$80 - bankfashion.co.uk

Platform heels
nordstrom.com

ALDO hi top sneaker
aldoshoes.com

Michael kors handbag
neimanmarcus.com

Lenox black clutch purse
fashion.ebay.com

Lanvin heart jewelry
$2,100 - farfetch.com

Pamela Love purple jewelry
forwardforward.com

Alexis bittar jewelry
alexisbittar.com

Kate spade earrings
couture.zappos.com

Suits From Sun to Stars

Sweater Weather

Sweater Weather


Alexander wang
net-a-porter.com

Alice Olivia sequin top
net-a-porter.com

T by alexander wang
lagarconne.com

Striped sweater
nastygal.com

Orla kiely
orlakiely.com

Kenzo pleated skirt
$455 - farfetch.com

Santoni wingtip shoes
$690 - farfetch.com

Anya hindmarch
$1,600 - farfetch.com

Owl jewelry
scullyandscully.com

Dannijo
dannijo.com

Chunky necklace
fantasyjewelrybox.com

Aso
asos.com

Adia kibur
metroparkusa.com

Digital Printastic

DIY #2: Jewelry Display Frame

Well I came back from NYC with a whole bunch of jewelry and nowhere to put it (although, let's face it, this is not a new problem).

Ever since college, after I saw the idea at my friend Kelly's apartment, I have wanted to incorporate a screen into storing my jewelry. I did want it to be a little more aesthetically pleasing than just a window screen placed on a wall. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. First, I went thrift store antique shopping. Where, with the help from my mum, I found an awesome wire bird-cage as well as this "primitive ladder." No lie, that is what it was called on the tag.<a Then I went to Home Depot and picked up some chicken wire with the appropriate size mesh (whatever you personally think will work best for your purposes). I then took the wire home and cut it (with wire cutters) to the dimensions of the insides of the primitive ladder so the wire doesn't interfere with hanging it up later. Then I laid the wire out over two pieces of wood in the back parking lot so it would not touch the ground. You might have to hold down the wire with something heavy (like a brick). If you want both sides to be evenly painted, then cut the wire after you spray paint. I learned this in retrospect. Having a little extra wire around the edges lets you hold it down without compromising the space you want to spray paint. While the wire was drying, I took the ladder outside and drilled two holes into the bottom rung of the ladder (two were already drilled) for some cabinet knobs which I picked out at World Market. The knobs definitely match my room and my personal aesthetic. The knobs and whatever color you paint the wire, as well as what you use to hold up the wire is what personalizes the project for you. After the wire is dry, either staple or screw it into the wood. I had to use screws as the wood was too dense for staples. I screwed the wire into each run of the ladder to keep it secure. The rungs also allowed me to hide the screws, and keep them away from the back where they would get in the way of hanging the ladder on the wall. After attaching the wire, I then attached the knobs. Extra washers were needed to keep the knobs in place and farther from the wood of the ladder so that bracelets would hang on them properly. This is something to think about when buying the frame. Is it too thick for attaching knobs, or can you make it work. I ended up with this! I honestly probably still need more room for all my jewelry, but at least i have a way to display the pieces I wear most in a pretty and organized way. I used small S-Hooks to hang necklaces, a few rings, and bracelets. Larger S-Hooks were used for the big-mama necklaces and bracelets. I placed teal little bowls of varying sizes inside the birdcage to hold rings and other smaller types of jewelry such as watches. This had the added benefit of balancing out the earrings that were hung from the wire on the front of the birdcage.

Paint it Red (DIY #1)

Being at home and mostly unemployed has afforded me the chance to do a bunch of DIY projects I've been thinking about for a while now. The first being the lovely (and easy) project of taking some old red jeans and turning them into new red shorts!I went about this in a pretty devil-may-care way. Laying them out and measuring at the outside seam about how long I thought I would want them. And then I added an inch. The extra inch was so I could roll the bottoms up twice instead of doing a proper hem. So far it seems to have worked out nicely, though I will say I haven't washed the shortened version yet.

20120728-212500.jpg

20120728-212648.jpg

How do they look? What are some DIY projects you've meant to try and just haven't figured out how to do yet?

Leather and Lace

Leather and Lace


Lover scoop neck dress
$1,025 - shopbop.com

H M short sleeve shirt
£20 - hm.com

Alexander McQueen lace top
$891 - net-a-porter.com

Helmut Lang knit shirt
$423 - mytheresa.com

Anna Sui sheer shirt
$165 - stylebop.com

Giuseppe Zanotti high heels
$2,210 - luisaviaroma.com

Giuseppe Zanotti leather sandals
$895 - giuseppezanottidesign.com

Rebecca Minkoff evening handbag
$595 - rebeccaminkoff.com

Fendi leather bangle
€110 - pret-a-beaute.com

Sandy Hyun red earrings
$52 - endless.com