Fall 2013 Fashion Trends: (Faux) Leather

Leather was a huge trend last fall, continued into spring, and is back again.  While leather has been a perennial fall favorite for years, this season, colored leathers are a big trend.

Dress:  LOFT Petites
Jacket:  The Limited (Similar here and here)

I'm not one to wear leather.  As a vegetarian and animal rights supporter, I prefer to let animals wear their own skin.  Thankfully, there are a ton of "vegan" or non-leather alternatives to leather that offer the same slick feel without the questionable ethics.

Belt:  The Limited
Shoes:  Target

Clutch:  Target
Earrings:  Target

Deep blues, greens, burgundies, and pinks are big color trends for leather and faux leather this season.

Tracy Reese Fall 2013 look
Source:  HuffingtonPost.com

Rebecca Minkoff Fall 2013 look
Source:  HuffingtonPost.com

Bracelet:  Target

Ring:  The Limited (Available here)

Of course, black leather will always be a stylish option, so you can't go wrong.

Altuzarra Fall 2013 look
Source:  Harpersbazaar.com

For this dress in other looks, see here and here.
For this jacket in other looks, see here, here, here, and here.

Pssst.....Please don’t forget to vote here every day for Style Cassentials in the Saint Louis Fashion Blog Awards! I'm nominated for "Best Personal Style," "Best Delivery of Personal Style," and "Best Use of Facebook"!! While you're there, check out a very talented group of St. Louis area fashion bloggers!

Fall 2013 Fashion Trends: It IS Easy Being Green

Green, green, and more green...

Pants:  The Limited (Sold out on-line; available in stores)
Blazer:  New York & Company (Similar here and here)
Purse:  Express

Runways were awash in a sea of greens this season.  Emerald, moss, forest, and even the occasional mint were spotted on fall runways.

Since green is my probably my favorite color, this is good news for me!  I'm hoping to find a broader selection of green options to add to my closet this fall.

The military trend (more coming soon) brought a lot of lichen, moss, and olive greens; however, as Pantone's color of the year, emerald green continues to be quite popular (see more here).

Chadwick Bell Fall 2013 look
Source:  Style.com

Monique Lhuillier Fall 2013 look
Source:  MarieClaire.com

Prabal Gurung Fall 2013 look
Source:  Style.com

Color trends are often the easiest way for those inclined to incorporate trends into one's wardrobe.

I recently nabbed these green pants from The Limited and paired them with older pieces that I already had in my wardrobe.

Blouse:  The Limited
Necklace:  Forever 21
Bracelets:  Target, The Limited, Claire's
Shoes:  Target (Similar here)

Do you like the color green?  Does the popularity of a color have any bearing on your clothing selections?

For this top in another look, see here.
For this blazer in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Pssst.....Please don’t forget to vote here every day for Style Cassentials in the Saint Louis Fashion Blog Awards! I'm nominated for "Best Personal Style," "Best Delivery of Personal Style," and "Best Use of Facebook"!! While you're there, check out a very talented group of St. Louis area fashion bloggers!

St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards Official Nominees and People's Choice Awards

Source:  StLouisFashionWeek.com

The Official list of nominees for the St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards is in, and I'm nominated in three categories!  Thank you to all of you who nominated me!

You can vote at http://www.saintlouisfashionweek.com/bloggers/st-louis-fashion-blogger-awards/ for People's Choice Awards winners in each category!  

Please take a look at the nominees, and if you think I'm the best in my categories, I'd appreciate your vote!

Vote once a day through September 16th.  

Meet the bloggers of St. Louis Fashion Week here.  Many of them are nominated!  It's always great to discover new blogs.

Fall 2013 Fashion Trends: Lingerie-Inspired Clothing

Today's glimpse into fall fashion actually incorporates five major fall trends. 

Skirt:  The Limited (old)
Peplum top:  Ann Taylor Petites (Available here)

Lingerie-inspired clothing was a huge trend on fall runways, and I love this trend because I have always loved corsets and bustier-style tops, especially when worn with tuxedos.

Jacket:  Forever21+ (Available in pink here)

Tuxedos and new, ingenious takes on the tuxedo continue to be popular this fall, as does leather, real or faux.  Peplums remained a strong trend on fall runways (More on the leather and peplum trends coming soon).

Surprisingly, pink, in just about every shade, is also a major color trend this fall.  

Ring:  Earthbound Trading Company (Available in stores)
Handcuff bracelet:  The Limited
Earrings:  Target (Available in stores)

Clutch:  Target
Heels:  Prabal Gurung for Target

 From the runway:

Nina Ricci Fall 2013 Lingerie-Inspired Look
Source:  Huffingtonpost.com

Nina Ricci Fall 2013 look
Source:  Style.com

My favorite lingerie-inspired looks came from Nina Ricci, but silky pajama dressing was also a big trend.

Louis Vuitton Fall 2013 look
Source:  Style.com

Bracelet (left hand):  The Limited

Today's outfit incorporates the lingerie trend through the bustier top, the corset-like seams on the pencil skirt and the lace-up booties.  I love that each piece is a nod to lingerie without being overly frilly.

Would you wear the lingerie trend?

For this skirt in another look, see here.

For this tuxedo blazer in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Source:  SaintLouisFashionWeek.com

P.S.  The Official list of nominees for the St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards is in, and I'm nominated in three categories!  Thank you to all of you who nominated me!

You can vote at http://www.saintlouisfashionweek.com/bloggers/st-louis-fashion-blogger-awards/ for People's Choice Awards winners in each category!  

Please take a look at the nominees, and if you think I'm the best in my categories, I'd appreciate your vote!

Vote once a day through September 16th.  

Meet the bloggers of St. Louis Fashion Week here.  Many of them are nominated!  It's always great to discover new blogs.

Fall 2013 Fashion Trends: Classic Prints

I have noticed over the last several seasons that the trends tend to be getting more classic and wearable.  In fact, a lot of the fall trends seem to simply be repeats of last fall.

On one hand, it's disappointing to not see more new, creative ideas being offered.  On the other hand, being on-trend is becoming easier and less wasteful.

Blazer:  The Limited

This fall, classic prints were all over runways.  Houndstooth plaid was probably the iconic print of fall 2013 (see a recent look here), but leopard print was a close second.  

Billy Reid Fall 2013 Houndstooth Look
Source:  Harpersbazaar.com

Peter Som Fall 2013 look
Source:  Vogue.com

While naturally colored leopard prints will always be a popular classic, this fall, leopard prints in bold and bright colors felt new.

DKNY Fall 2013 look
Source:  Glamour.com

Shell:  The Limited (Available here)

Satchel:  Express

I wore this silky leopard print tank recently with neutral basics for a polished and sophisticated work look.

Shoes:  Target
Necklace:  Target

The weather in St. Louis has been all over the place this summer.  Weeks of cool weather has made me more than ready for fall, but now it's back to sticky sweatiness.  I wore the outfit below to dinner last night with the family.  It has a fall feel but was still breezy enough to survive the heat.

This red leopard print scarf hits on the colored leopard print trend for fall 2013.  

It's always great when you can be trendy while shopping your closet for a piece that's two years old. :-)

Scarf:  The Limited (old) (Similar here)
Tank:  New York & Company
Earrings:  Target, The Limited

Skirt:  The Limited
Sandals:  Target
Purse:  Target (Similar here)

For the camel blazer in other looks, see here and here.
For the faux leather skirt in other looks, see here, here, and here.

Don't be Scared...Answers to your Halloween Costume Dilemma

Halloween is my favorite holiday.  I just love dressing up and being someone different for a night!

Sonsi.com recently reached out to me about their fabulous line of Halloween costumes.

This year, they are offering costumes in fourteen different categories to find just the right costume for you!  Costumes are available in sizes 12-28.

Here are some of their great costumes:

To see all of Sonsi's Halloween costumes, just click here.

P.S. This is not a sponsored post.  I just really love Halloween, and Sonsi.com has a wide range of costumes available for a wide range of sizes.

Cassential Links 8/24/13

I'm still really bummed that I lost all of the great links that I had planned to post last week.  Of course, I couldn't remember or find most of them again.. Here's this week's crop...

Women are often photoshopped to appear thinner and more "flawless."  Due to our increasing emphasis on thinness, sometimes women are photoshopped to look fuller, to cover up the scary health and physical effects of extreme thinness.

But who created the idea of such aspirational thinness?  This article discusses the evolution of the "ideal" female through fashion illustrations.

Not much I love more than a leather and lace combo.  Allison gets it so right, as usual!

Tutu? Leather? Fab hair? Yes, please!

An interesting feminist and sex-positive take on Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines"

Rules, rules, rules..seems like we're hit with a lot of rules about how we should look in this age of internet and self-policing.  

The problem with skinny shaming.  All women are real women, curves or not.

Speaking of...I don't care for the language in this article which I find derogatory to thin women, but the subject deserves a mention

An attempt to de-sexualize vaginas and encourage more open dialogue is censored. 

Love this mix of black and blush pink, and that top is so cool and interesting!

Oh to look so fierce in a bathing suit...Nadia is killing it!

Black and White Cutouts

Hope you've all been having a great week!  It's Thursday, which means the weekend is soon, and I, for one, am ready!!!

Blouse:  Ann Taylor Petites (Available here)
Jacket:  LOFT Petites (Available in regular sizes here)

Today's look is a recent work outfit.  I love this top with the cool cutout detail along the yoke.  The varied lines in the cutouts are pretty bra-friendly too.

Pants:  The Limited (Available here)
Heels:  Target (Available here)

I wore the outfit with black pumps and jacket for work.

Purse:  The Limited (old)
Ring:  The Limited (Available here)

The neon yellow pumps add a fun pop of color that would work week for after-hours.

Earrings:  The Limited
Cuff:  Express
Heels:  Target

For this blazer in other looks, see here,  here, and here.
For more on spring/summer's black and white trend, see here.

Wedged Between...

I can't decide how I feel about today's outfit.  I like each piece individually, but I'm not sure how well all of the pieces blend together as a cohesive look.

Skirt:  Torrid (old)
Blazer:  New York & Company (Similar here)

Maybe it's me, but the outfit seems a little disjointed?  The top and blazer say business, but the skirt and boots say casual.  The boots say fall, but the blouse and skirt in this particular outfit read a little more summer to me.

Tank:  Old Navy Petites (Similar here)
Blouse:  The Limited (Available here)

Boots:  Target (Similar here)
Clutch:  Target

Any one of these pieces could work in any season.  Any one of these pieces could go casual.  Somehow, together, the individual pieces seem a little mis-matched.  

Bracelets:  The Limited

What do you think?

For this blazer in other looks, see here, here, and here.
For this skirt in other looks, see here and here.
For this blouse in other looks, see here, here, and here.

Taste of Fall

Blouse:  New York & Company (Similar here and  here)
Blazer:  New York & Company Petites

I'm sooo ready for fall fashion, so lately, I've been incorporating more fall prints and colors into my clothing selections.

Pants:  The Limited (Similar here)
Tote:  New York & Company (Similar here)

Shoes:  Target (Available here)
Ring:  Earthbound Trading Company

The outfit blends a summery peachy pink with fall-ready houndstooth and burgundy heels for a fun and easy work look that has been perfect for the cool weather we have been having.

Earrings:  The Limited

Are you a fan of houndstooth print?

Stay tuned next week for the start of two full weeks of Fall 2013 Fashion Trends!

For this blazer in other looks, see here.
For this blouse in other looks, see here, here, here, here, and here.