If you are at all into fashion, you have likely picked up on the fact that leather is allllll the rage this season. Up until that point, I had seen a lot of other style influencers rocking their hot pants, and while I do like the look, I don’t see myself wearing them anytime soon (maybe in 2023?) if I was going to be out and about like we would under normal circumstances.
When I go shopping, I try to make sure that whatever piece of clothing I am buying matches my lifestyle. Much of 2020 was spent at home thanks the the COVID-19 pandemic and it is likely that 2021 will look the same. With that being said, recently, comfort has been key.
I purchased my vegan leather cargo jogger pants from Abercrombie for $89 back in November. At the time I wasn’t sure if they would be worth the money, but as a major Abercrombie stan, I had high hopes that I wouldn’t be disappointed.
While my pants are sold out in most sizes, Abercrombie sells a very similar pair for the same price that come in a teal green, a tan, and a black and are in stock in most sizes.
They are so chic, so flattering and comfortable that I cannot recommend them enough.
I have shared a few different ways that I have styled these pants. They are adorable with a sweater and chunky sneakers, as well as with a turtleneck bodysuit and suede booties. I’m excited to style again them in a couple of months with a crop top and heels for a night out.
Most of the items that I styled with my joggers are old or out of stock, so here are some similar ones to purchase if you are interested in stealing my style-
Hi everyone, Happy Holidays! With Christmas just behind us and New Years coming up in just a few days, retailers are taking full advantage of shoppers’ downtime and offering major discounts. As a trusted Nordstrom shopper, I wanted to highlight a few sale pieces that I thought were great finds AND were still in stock, since the sale already began a few days ago. Make sure you snap these pieces up if you’re interested, because the sale is only going from today through January 2nd. Happy shopping!
Marc Fisher LTF Oshay Pointed Toe Bootie Currently 47% off and available in lots of colors and sizes. Incredibly versatile heeled bootie that can be dressed up or down.
After having binge-watched Emily in Paris, I have been all over tweed like white on rice. This pattern is such a gorgeous and classic way to spice up any neutral outfit.
Sandy from Grease, who? This season leather pants are all the rage and are available in lots of silhouettes — from leggings to joggers, there’s something for everyone.
A fun cross between a “jacket” and a “shirt”, shackets have been worn all over Instagram for the last few months. They are super casual and versatile and look great when paired with your combat boots and leather pants.
And just like that, another year is behind us. For most of us, the start of a new year begins with reflecting on the past year: The good, the bad, and the ugly. I rounded up my favorite and least favorite fashion trends that have come about over the past year to do just that.
Here’s to a happy and healthy 2020!
Worst:
Biker shorts
Popularized by the Kardashian family, the biker short trend is simply not one I can get behind. I am a firm believer that leggings cannot be worn as pants, and feel that biker shorts fall into a similar category and overall are not very flattering or chic.
Tiny sunglasses
But, like, they don’t actually ~block~ the sun.
Transparent hand bags/shoes
Aren’t we trying to reduce our use of plastic, anyway? Also as a self-proclaimed hot mess, I don’t think I have it together enough to make sure my outfit is cute and ALSO the inside of my bag is cute. This trend makes no sense to me.
Dad sneakers
No no no. I love a chunky heel or boot as much as the next girl, but these sneakers are anything but cute. Yeah they might be comfortable, but you can buy a pair of platform sneakers that are just as comfortable but a bit more stylish.
Belt bags
To me, wearing a belt bag screams “mom at Disney world” but then make it fashion. While I definitely see the convenience factor of belt bags, I much prefer other styles.
Best:
Straight leg denim
Long gone are the days of wearing skin tight denim. Retailers have been recently began selling straight leg and boot cut denim for the first time since 2006, probably, and I am a big fan. I find straight cut denim to be more flattering and classic than skinny pants.
Animal print
2019 was the year of animal print. For a long time, I shied away from the loud prints, but fell in love with cheetah print and snakeskin and now view it is a staple neutral in my everyday wardrobe. Now we’re all taking outfit inspiration straight from Fran from ‘The Nanny’ and I’m not mad about it.
A more natural makeup look
In 2019, we favored a more natural makeup look than the last few years, which were taken over by ‘Instagram makeup’. The days of blinding highlighter and warm-toned cut crease eyeshadow looks are over, finally, and we are embracing our natural beauty. Hallelujah!
Hoop earrings
Earrings are a fun accessory that can easily spice up an outfit. I love hoop earrings because they come in so many sizes and designs so you can always find something that fits your taste.
Sustainable fashion
Recently, fast-fashion retailers, sellers of clothing with a short life cycle, like Zara and Forever 21 have come under fire for their clothings’ negative effects on the environment as well as the mal treatment of employees, from hazardous work conditions to low wages.
Consumers want to purchase from brands that they feel they can trust, so sustainable brands like Everlane and online consignment/thrift shop ThredUP have gotten a lot of traction over the past year. Sustainable clothing brands focus on variables such as avoiding the use of hazardous chemicals, cutting down on waste by using recycled materials and using high-quality fabrics that will stand the test of time which grants consumers a higher cost per wear.
Psst! For more information on sustainable fashion brands, I found this great read on Good Housekeeping.
Hi everyone! I hope that you’re having a fantastic Tuesday!
I came up with three outfit ideas inspired by the changing fall leaves’ color palette. These looks are pretty casual considering that’s how my own family chooses to dress for Thanksgiving Day. Why dress up when you’re just going to fall asleep on the couch anyway? Of course, adjustments can be made by playing with pieces you have in your own closet. If you love how you look in pink, wear pink! If you want to be extra comfy, for example, switch out heeled booties for a flat pair, or leggings for a pair of jeans. I hope that this gives you some outfit inspiration for Turkey Day!
I’ve been on the hunt for a pair of corduroy pants to wear to work, but have been unable to find a pair that I loved. This red pair is so fun and pairs perfectly with the creamy sweater. How cute are those balloon sleeves?!
This season, snakeskin is considered a neutral, so I knew I had to throw in a pair of snakeskin shoes in this post. Finish the look off with a gold accessory and you’re ready to go.
I am a biiiiig fan of off the shoulder sweaters. I love that you’re cozy but also a bit more feminine by showing off that declotage. This one is from Free People and so stinking cute.
Tuck the sweater in a pair of straight leg jeans, (way comfier than skinny jeans), then pair with a leopard belt and tall beige boots for a cute but casual look.
A sweater dress is perfect because it doesn’t cling to your body, making it ideal for wearing to a big meal. If you live in a colder climate, like I do, pair this look with tights.
Which look is your favorite?
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If you’re need of inspiration of a slightly more formal outfit, here’s a photo of what I wore this past weekend at a Friendsgiving in Philadelphia.
Friendsgiving outfit details:
Booties: Old from Cole Haan but you can find them on Amazon here!
Dress: Purchased from The Pink Lily Boutique and is unfortunately sold out right now but check out the link here if you want to join the waist list! They also have a few other animal print dresses listed on there if you want to find something similar.
I hope everyone has a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving!
When I graduated from college (you can see what I learned over my four years here!), I had my sights set on working in New York City. Having lived in New Jersey and New York all of my life, I never had given another city a second thought. Why would I work elsewhere if the greatest city in the world was a short train or ferry ride away?
But securing a job in New York City a la Carrie Bradshaw is not as easy as it seems. The greatest city in the world has a competitive job market, especially since I was in a state of confusion because I had no idea at all what career path I wanted to pursue. This led to my blindly sending out applications to any job that even just slightly appealed to me. I applied to roles in social media, media planning, public relations, copywriting, marketing, and even event planning, because those were roles that most logically paired with my communication degree.
After recieving quite a few rejections and entertaining some phone screenings and in-person interviews, with a heavy heart I decided to take a step back from NYC and apply to a few jobs locally just as a way to get work experience and a paycheck. I, again, applied to jobs blindly — to be a barista, a retail associate, and as an assistant in the activities department of a nursing home. Anything to get myself out of the house and make some moolah.
I was accepted for the activities role and have worked there for the past twelve months.
I so badly wanted to work in a role similar to that of my peers that was being shown off on Instagram–to ride the NYC subway to my trendy office, work the classic 9-5 job in something I was passionate about, and afterwards attend happy hour with my fellow young and hungry-to-work coworkers. It all seemed so glamorous.
Over the course of the last twelve months on the activities team, I have gained an immeasurable amount of soft skills that can be applied to just about any job. I have strengthed my interpersonal skills by building positive relationships with residents and families, learned how to remain calm under pressure when coworkers called out and I was to run entire social and recreational programs by myself, and sharpened my eye to detail by creating daily and monthly print activity calendars. I even made ammends with a seemingly “difficult” coworker on my team that few people thought fondly of, who told me that she believed that I would be a fantastic Activities Director.
Looking back on where I started, it is crazy to think that this job that originally began as something temporary is one that I have grown to love. I LOVE that I am able to build relationships with my sweet residents and make an impact in their lives by going the extra mile to make their day that much brighter. I enjoy hearing their stories of what kind of work they did, where they grew up, and how much things have changed since their days as young people. Truly a blessing in disguise.
As I mentioned earlier, is so easy to compare yourselves to others. For a very long time, I didn’t allow myself to be happy because I so heavily correlate happiness with landing a “good” job.
We all say it- “I will be happy when…” You fill in the blank.
“I lose ten pounds.” “I fall in love.” “I get my dream job.” Blah blah blah.
We as a society are so heavily conditioned to believe that what we do for work is an extension of our identity. This, paired with the fact that we live online today, makes it SO easy to compare ourselves to those who look like they’ve got it all figured out…. we tear ourselves apart because we aren’t where society might think we should be. Jobs do NOT define our self-worth.
When it was announced that the Jonas Brothers were to record their MTV Video Music Awards performance at the Stony Pony on Sunday, 8/25, in Asbury Park, I was already plotting out my trip on Waze.
If you haven’t heard (or just aren’t from around here), the Stone Pony is a famous and historic music venue in Monmouth County, NJ that has allowed for major New Jersey musicians, like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, to get their start. Located just a block away from the boardwalk and beach, it’s a crazy-cool outdoor venue unlike any other.
Once a Jonas Brothers super-fan, I was excited to see my boys live, about thirty minutes from where I lived on the Jersey Shore. Rewind back to 2008 when I was convinced Nick Jonas would be my husband.
Although only a select few fans were offered tickets to watch the Jonas Brothers’ actual set inside the Stone Pony, they sang a few songs afterwards on a stage facing the Asbury Park boardwalk and beach for the public, for FREE. That meant that mere mortals like my boyfriend and I could see them in the flesh.
The entire area was absolutely MOBBED. According to New Jersey 105.1, over 8,000 people showed up to watch. Ocean Avenue, which was a block away from the venue, had been blocked off. Showing up about 45 minutes before showtime, my boyfriend and I luckily sought out spots on the boardwalk, which houses plenty of restauraunts and bars, nearby the stage before it was baricaded off.
The crowd clustered further down the boardwalk, while others camped out in beach chairs blankets on the sand and even more watched from the Watermark Bar nearby.
The set-list was short, and unlike a lot of fans wanted, they didn’t play any old favorites and only sang a few songs (“Sucker”, “Cool”, “I Believe”, and “Only Human”) from their newest album release, Happiness Begins.
The set was finished off with a fireworks, which was the cherry on top of the summer night. After the crowd dispersed, Tanner and I headed to Pop’s Garage, a nearby Mexican food spot, for tacos and margaritas. All in all, not a bad way to spend a Sunday night!
Who’s watching the VMAs tonight? I’m not a huge award show fan usually but I’m considering watching this year to hopefully catch a ~*glimpse~ of myself!
“You shopped where?” My mother inquired, eyebrows raised, as I opened up my huge mail-order package with “Nasty Gal” stamped on the front.
Whether or not most of us have actually shopped this popular retail site, most twenty-something females have heard the name “Nasty Gal” thrown around. Famous for its controversial CEO Sophia Amoruso (author of “#Girlboss”) and frequent flash sales, various popular fashion and lifestyle YouTubers like Danielle Carolan have posted Nasty Gal haul videos over the years that have piqued my interest.
As a recent college grad, I am most definitely ballin’ on a budget when it comes to shopping, so Nasty Gal definitely appealed to me because it offers fashionable clothing items at reasonable price points.
So what did I think? Would I shop there again? Let’s dive right in!
SHOPPING EXPERIENCE As a whole, I did not find the shopping experience on Nasty Gal to be enjoyable. The site layout was kind of complicated and was not organized in a way that seemed efficient.
QUALITY While I kept my standards low to match Nasty Gal’s low price points, this is not a place I would shop again for basics. The two bodysuits I ordered were not up to par with what I wanted in terms of quality. I like a bodysuit to be a thick material and these were just too thin that they weren’t flattering/showed every bump and lump. I also ordered a few blouses and chose to return them because they were just too thin.
However, I was pleasantly surprised upon opening a skirt and faux leather jacket I ordered. The skirt had a sturdy zipper and was also very flattering. The faux leather jacket was high quality but not overly expensive, perfect if you’re forgetful like me and see yourself losing it haha.
FIT/SIZING My biggest tiff with Nasty Gal was how inconsistent their sizing was. I felt that many of their clothes did not run true to size…most fit too big and a few too small/short to be worn.
THE FINAL VERDICT
Because of these given variables, I believe Nasty Gal to be kind of hit or miss. With that in mind, they are similar to other fast fashion stores like Zara and Forever 21, in that you definitely get what you pay for.
However, I was very happy with two of the items that I purchased from Nasty Gal — these being a snakeskin skirt and faux leather jacket. Whenever I have worn either piece, I have recieved compliments and definitely felt very on trend and liked that either piece didn’t break the bank.
So, would I shop there again? Sure. But it definitely is not my new go-to spot for shopping, because of its inconsistency in sizing and quality.
While I cannot say that I am a beauty guru by any means necessary, I can say that I have acquired some tricks of the trade over the course of the last few years by watching various YouTube makeup tutorials. I am the kind of girl who prefers a natural makeup routine most days but will definitely amp it up for a special occasion or night out with a dark smoky eye or a statement lip.
Wet your beauty blender/sponge and then ring it out on a towel to get rid of excess water.
I’ve used my sponges dry and soaking wet, but wetting in then ringing it out is how to make your makeup adher best to my skin. Spray your sponge with setting spray to further extend your face makeup’s life!
Foundation is meant to be used sparingly.
At this point in my life, my skin is pretty clear, so I work with what God gave me and I work to enhance that. For this reason, I wear a high-coverage concealer under my eyes every single day and skimp out on wearing foundation on the rest of my face, just using powder, blush and bronzer to make me look more ~alive~.
I will wear a tinted moisturizer sometimes, because I like the way that it simply evens out my skin tone and contains SPF and doesn’t make me look cake-y or unnatural.
Prevent mascara mishaps by applying it in a handheld mirror, s-l-o-w-l-y.
The key to doing your mascara effectively is taking your time with it. I find that whenever I am rushing, I get it all over the place and have to do major clean-up, which just ends up taking more time and (Q-tips).
Blend, blend, blend and then blend some more.
If you are not satisfied with your eyeshadow has turned out, just keep blending around the edges. When in doubt, add a dark brown on the outer corner and just keep blending. It makes a WORLD of difference. To blend the edges of your eyeshadow even more seamlessly, pick up a bit of your face powder on an eyeshadow brush and blend up toward your brow bone.
Apply your eyeshadow before your face makeup.
This is especially applicable when using dark colors, so you are able to easily wipe away fallout under your eyes without messing up the beautiful ~canvas~, for lack of a better word, you’d just created.
Hand too shaky for liquid liner?
Use an angled brush to apply a dark shadow to your lash line in the place of eyeliner. I love how much more easily it is blended.
And those are my best makeup tips! If you liked these tips, please share with a friend!
I’d like to finish off this blog post with a question: What is your ride-or-die makeup product?
Hi everyone! In March, my family and I took a mini vacation to London, England for a few days. My younger sister is currently studying abroad in Florence, Italy (lucky girl!), and we set off to visit her in Europe during her spring break. After having caught the traveler’s bug following my own semester spent studying in Florence, I was pumped to go back to Europe for a few days, get my mind off of work and just soak it all in. I had visited London before and LOVED everything about it–the history, the architecture, the music…
Because we only had about three days to see London in its entirety between having to leave for flights, our trip was jam packed. With this being said, there were some parts of the trip that weren’t captured, because some of the sights, like the Crown Jewels, didn’t allow photography, and because I wanted to live in the moment and get away from my damn phone/camera.
We stayed at the Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair, London, which is an upscale area known for its beautiful homes and shopping. We ate breakfast there every morning and thoroughly enjoyed the food and stay as a whole.
Two breakfast option at The Beaumont Hotel
One of the first stops in our Tour de London was Buckingham Palace. Convenently located nearby our hotel, Buckingham Palace is a spot you simply cannot miss while visting London.
I had the chance to watch the Changing of the Guards while in London both times and looking back, I’m not sure if I had to see it at all. It is difficult to find a good spot to watch the actual ceremony because it gets so crowded and also only occurs on certain days of the week. Definitely research which days the ceremoy is occuring beforehand so you can show up early!
The next stop was the Tower of London. It was built in the 11th century by William the Conquerer and is known for housing and torturing famous and infamous prisoners during the 16th and 17th centuries, mainly royalty. It also houses the precious Crown Jewels, which is a collection of beautiful crowns and outfits worn by past royals.
Before we headed off to tea, we walked out of the Tower of London to get a view of Tower Bridge, which is hands down one of the most iconic landmarks in London. It runs across the River Thames, which we took a boat cruise on later in the trip to see London from a different perspective.
What’s a trip to London without attending high-tea? Not a very fun trip to London, I’ve gotta say. We attended tea at The Savoy Hotel, and were given three courses, along with our choice of tea. I picked the Vanilla Black tea and it was delicious! We were also offered a wide array of finger sandwiches as a first course, salmon as a main course, and scones with clotted cream and jam for dessert.
Attending afternoon tea was one of my favorite things that we did in London. It was what 5 year old birthday party dreams were made of! Except this time, I could drink champagne 😉
Here is one big thing to know about the British: they love a nice, cold pint. As per our concierge’s suggestion, we checked out the Grazing Goat, a gastropub, for a pint and a piping hot plate of fish & chips. Delicious! We also checked out a few other pubs while there, to really live like the Brits do.
One of my favorite pubs that we visited was called The World’s End. It is located in Camdem Town, which is where the rock music scene in London is. Amy Winehouse, David Bowie, Queen, The Sex Pistols and The Rolling Stones all came from Camden — just to name a few. We were surrounded with people who had mohawks and piercings — very cool and reminded me almost of Brooklyn. **Insert playing of “London Calling” by The Clash here**
Upon visiting Westminster Abbey, a church where a large number of past kings and queens have been buried, we crossed paths with the global student Climate Strike happening at that time. British students marched up the street and up towards Parliament, completely blocking traffic. It was pretty cool to see, knowing it was making headlines on Twitter.
Once we finally got past the crowd of students, we passed a nearly unrecognizable Big Ben. Big Ben is currently being renovated and at the moment is completely covered by scaffolding. Set to be up and running again in 2021, Snapchat created a Geofilter for the time being so onlookers could see what Big Ben would look like once complete.
One of my favorite places we visited in London was St. James’ Park. It was like walking in a dream — I loved how green the grass was, thanks to all the rain in London, along with all the freshly planted flowers. It was refreshing to see some greenery in March, as everything at home in New Jersey was brown.
On our last day, we visited Notting Hill, which is a gorgeous neighborhood in London made famous for its brightly colored Victorian style houses, and of course, the Hugh Grant film under the same name.
On Saturdays, you can visit Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill, which is a one of the world’s largest antique markets. Vendors set up tables for blocks and blocks and sell anything and everything from records to jewelry to cutlery.
No visit to Notting Hill is complete without taking a tourist-y photo in front of the famous “blue door” from the classic 90s film Notting Hill, which is where Hugh Grant’s character lived. It was a shame to see that the door had been graffiti’d on — my sister and I expertly covered it with our stance. Someone’s not a big Hugh Grant fan, I’m assuming?
Now please enjoy some random photos I snapped —
Went to get Indian food 🙂
One of the many food markets we visited
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace
Covent Garden, a popular area for shopping
I bought my sick white platform sneakers in London from a UK retailer called Russell & Bromley and have been living in them because they’re SO comfy! Sadly, they’re out of stock right now 😦 They are definitely a dupe for this pair of Alexander McQueen sneakers that are way too expensive but check out this pair of Adidas I found online if you want a similar more affordable option 🙂
And that’s it! My time spent in London was like dream — one, because it was amazing, and two, because it was too short. Here’s to hoping I can go back to England again some other places I didn’t get to see, like Stonehenge.
Friend of the Trends 