- Tuxedo Blazer Meets the Outdoors -

When I found this blue The Row sweater on sale at TOOTSIES, I HAD to have it! The lightweight sweater was a great piece for the unpredictable weather of the South. The tuxedo blazer was a flash sale purchase from the year prior & has been a staple during cooler months for both work and casual. Pairing the two (sweater and blazer) with a small wedge boot and jeans was such a great option for daytime and running errands. The simple sweater can be adorned with a basic necklace like pictured for a casual feel or a great statement piece for evening with both over a black dress or with skinny black pants and heels.

Every woman can use a sleek tuxedo blazer in their wardrobe. It sounds masculine by name but can add some edge to any outfit. This ABS by Allen Schwartz blazer hits below the hips elongating the torso. A blazer of this length is very Kim Kardashian in my mind. We’ve all seen her rocking it on the pages of magazines - definitely a constant in her wardrobe. Throw a tuxedo blazer over a bandage dress with the sleeves rolled up, dress it down like above, wear it with black skinny pants for your own take on menswear chic, and even with a pretty blouse and pencil skirt for work. The look pictured above can be taken from an outdoor stroll to the grocery store. No picnic benches or timber necessary :)

*Beautiful photography by Christie of Christie Froom Photography

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THE LOOK:

Blazer: ABS by Allen Schwartz Tuxedo Blazer (similar below in SHOP THE LOOK)

Top: The Row Romford Sweater

Jeans: J Brand Skinnies

Boots: Loeffler Randall Wedge Boot

Necklace: Club Monaco Bronze Multistrand Necklace (see other Club Monaco here)

Earrings: David Yurman Cable Hoop

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SHOP THE LOOK (& similar):

Clothing: 

Accessories:

- Blazer and Blue -

A day in Texas can start off freezing in the morning and be scorching by noon. So, blazers have become a necessity for me in our so-called winters for layering. This navy J. Crew blazer pairs so well with jeans and flats, but throw on heels with the same outfit and it works for dinner with the girls, too. The Miu Miu flats have been a great purchase as I’ve worn them so many more times now than initially planned since they’re blue. The key to a casual chic outfit is finding a basic outfit made from staples from your closet and adding a couple of fun accessories. The simple top, blazer, skinny denim combo gets a little flare with the silver cap-toe blue flats, a long necklace, and silver antique style Kendra Scott earrings. Who doesn’t love a comfortable outfit that also looks put-together? I also love how simply changing the color of the top under the blazer can create a whole different outfit - solid, bold colors, muted florals, bright patterns… whatever fits your style!

**Christie Froom of Christie Froom Photography out of New Orleans, LA shot these photos at my in-laws home. She had a great eye for backgrounds that make the navy and blue outfit standout. Check her out on facebook!

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WHAT I WORE:

Blazer: J. Crew Navy Blazer

Denim: J Brand Skinnies

Top: Vince Cutout Back Dolman Top (no longer available)

Flats: Miu Miu Silver Cap-toe Ballet Flat (no longer available - similar below)

Necklace: Silpada

Earrings: Kendra Scott Carolina Earrings in Rhodium

SHOP SIMILAR:

- C’est La Vie: Paris - Part Un -

Paris was our last stop of the two week long Euro trip. We’d traveled approximately 3000 miles and seen so many great places. Arriving in the afternoon, we were entertained during a French dinner at the Moulin Rouge then to bed for the next day of adventure in Paris! We went first thing to the Eiffel Tower. I felt tres chic & Parisian in a Valentino pearl collared tee with jeans and sunnies (details at bottom). The Tower was a sight to behold in person! Unfortunately, the top of the tower wasn’t open as someone jumped a few days prior, but we were able to go up the elevator to the first level and take in the tres jolie (very pretty) views of the city of lights. A driving tour took us around to of all of the important things (The Louve, Notre Dame, etc) and a look at the Arc de Triomphe (pictured above - click a picture to enlarge).

Versailles was next on the agenda & was more incredible than I ever imagined! It was absolutely beautiful! Gates trimmed in gold, ledges, roof edges, window sills in gold, and room after room of gorgeous chandeliers, paintings, and tapestries. Once we’d awed at the inside & absorbed Versailles’ splendor, we stepped into the gardens. The gardens are immaculate & exactly what you’d expect from a palace extraordinaire in that era. We learned more about the Kings who lived there at some point in history & how the building fared during the wars. If you visit Paris & don’t take the opportunity to see Versailles, you are missing out. I could picture walking around the gardens in a fancy dress and a parasol…. Forgive my moment of dreaming. Back to reality. Versailles was one of the highlights of Paris for me.

The second half of the day involved a river cruise & dinner in a CrOp by David Peck dress that’ll come in part two. So much to share, so little time :)

Jusqu’au plus tard (until next time)…

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WHAT I WORE:

Top: Valentino T-Shirt Couture (no longer available)

Jeans: J Brand Skinny Jean (similar here)

Bag: Marc Jacobs Cooper Crossbody

Sunglasses: Chanel

Sandal: Gucci (no longer available - similar below)

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* for Fall - add a velvet smoking slipper and a peacoat to complete the look for cooler Parisian chic

SHOP SIMILAR:

- Leaning Tower to Monte Carlo & the French Riviera -

Day 10 led us from Italy to France. Our first stop after leaving Florence was Pisa. The weather was still HOT, so the day’s attire consisted of a CrOp by David Peck sleeveless top in the “Birds” pattern with red J Brand cutoffs and the sandals I’d just purchased in Florence. (Links to the pieces & similar at the bottom of this post) When I say it was hot, it was almost unbearable just standing there by the Leaning Tower… hence the hair going up!

We saw The Leaning Tower of Pisa and took a few fun pics “holding it up” with whatever ideas popped into our heads. It sits in an area with the cathedral & baptistery. They have the grassy area roped off. If you try to get in the grass to take a picture, a uniformed officer starts blowing his whistle and walking over to make you move. I’m sure it sounds as though we know because we tried, but we only witnessed another tourist doing just that who also waved to the officer as if to say, “Hold on. I’m almost done.” That was not received well by the officer.

The Tuscany scenery was unbelievable! Taking in the gorgeous mountains and quaint villages on the edge of hills, we traveled to Monaco. We traversed a stretch of roadway that has at least 163 tunnels! And, I know for sure because I counted. :) Our guide told us the number & I had to find out for myself. I was just in awe of the picturesque views between tunnels as we journeyed along the Italian riviera (coast). We also could see where marble was being mined from the mountains. I was sad to see it distort a few landscapes, but there were definitely more undisturbed than being mined. At one point, the wooded peaks reminded me of Maui. One rest stop on the drive had nutella for sale in containers bigger than my head (see pic above)!

Arriving in Monaco is quite a sight! We rounded a corner and there was the bay with HUGE yachts & beautiful buildings and waterfront. There’s no way the pictures can do it justice, but we certainly have many of those. We had visited the smallest country in the world previously (the Vatican) and stopped next in the second smallest - Monaco - Home of their royalty - the Grimaldi family. Unlike most of the other european cities, you don’t have a million vendors selling you random bottles shaped like a landmark or country & t-shirts & hats & whatever else they can conjure up. The Grimaldi’s want Monaco to have a clean, safe image, so even if you sat on a corner, put out a hat, and played an instrument, you’d swiftly be escorted out by officers and brought outside the small country. It certainly appeals to the world’s rich & famous. We saw more Maserati’s, Lamborghini’s, Bentley’s, etc in just a few minutes of standing in one spot than probably ever. Not only was it full of those luxury sports cars, but most others were nothing less than a Mercedes, BMW, or Range Rover. These vehicles can all be put to good use on the roads through Monaco that are used for the world famous Grand Prix. We saw where it begins and the path the cars take racing through the wealthy city. We also had some time to check out the infamous Casino Monte Carlo. Neither of us did any gambling, but a few others from our group did who all walking away with extra money in their pockets. We enjoyed a lovely glass of rose in the bar area that overlooks the ocean. The casino is beautiful, but unfortunately, they don’t allow cameras. It is definitely a building to see someday. Monaco is also full of luxury shopping. Chanel, Loro Piana, and more for the wealthy who dock in the amazing country.

More beautiful mountain and ocean views took us 40 minutes from Monaco to the port city of Nice - also on the French Riviera. The water here is so clear & yacht after yacht greeted us in Nice as well. We had to transition from “Ciao” & “Grazie” to “Bonjour” and “Merci”. I did still find myself wanting to say “Grazie”… I mean, we were in Italy for 5 out of 10 days we’d been on vacation.

I can’t wait to share Nice with you! I fell in love with France.

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SHOP THE LOOK:

Top: CrOp by David Peck ”Birds” print sleeveless top

Shorts: J Brand Cutoff Shorts in lipstick was $158, on sale $47.40 

Sandal: Bought in Florence - similar from Zappos, Christian Michael, and Naturalizer

Handbag: Marc Jacobs Cooper Crossbody Bag (shown in black here), similar from Dorothy Perkins and Kate Spade

Sunglasses: Chanel in nude (similar David Yurman here), more affordable similar tortoise here $9.99

Swiss Bliss: Europe Trip Day 5

The fifth day of our adventure took us from Germany into the Alps to our home for the day & night - Lucerne (Luzern), Switzerland. The day required strategic wardrobe planning as the weather in town was perfect, but our mountain top excursion would be so cold! I decided on some J Brand skinny jeans with a fantastic wool Elizabeth & James blazer which allowed for comfort if it became too warm in town with the layers. I opted for my Chanel espadrilles since they are closed toe but not too heavy.

Upon arrival, the first stop was a monument called “The Lion”. It’s what you would think, a lion, carved into a huge sandstone wall as a tribute to soldiers the Swiss lost at war. As we all know, Switzerland doesn’t usually get involved in the world’s conflicts (last war they were in was in the 1500s), and the special forces from Switzerland are only hired by other countries (pretty expensive) if they really want them. So, this was in honor of those special forces lost.

We took some time to check out some Swiss-made watches where we found one my husband loved for his birthday - Swiss watch brand Tissot! Then we walked around the beautifully charming town of Lucerne with its swift river and gorgeous buildings. We absolutely LOVED Lucerne! There’s two well-known wooden bridges in Lucerne: chapel bridge and mill bridge. Both have ornate paintings of various scenes overhead as you walk through while swans swim around in the river.

Following our leasurely stroll around Lucerne, our guide took us up on mountain gondolas (seen in a photo above) to the top of Mount Pilatus (7000 ft). The 7th picture which is of my husband and I is at the top of Mount Pilatus. I was happy i wore the blazer & only wished I’d brought warm gloves :) Our descent from the top was on the steepest cog-wheel train (third to last pic). That was an adventure. I’m pretty sure we took as many pictures from up the mountain to all the way down as we had the entire trip so far. You felt like “Heidi” would walk out from one of the cute little cabins where cows and sheep grazed on the mountainside, cowbell and all.

Once at the bottom of Pilatus, we boarded a lake cruise on what is called The Lake of Lucerne, but is properly known as a really long Swiss-German name. We saw some of the wealthiest people in the world’s homes (many have homes on that lake) like the creator/owner of Heineken and a hotel where the likes of Bridget Bardot, Nixon, and Audrey Hepburn stayed in the past. There’s actually an elevator in the mountain. Beautiful scenery.

The evening took us to a traditional Swiss show where locals dressed in their traditional garb and yodeled, played spoons, played the saw, the broom, a ceramic bowl with a coin spinning in it, bottles with different water levels, bells, etc. It was very entertaining! My husband actually was chosen as a participant to blow the Swiss horn ( the long one on the Riccola commercials). He did much better than most of the other guys that tried :) My daytime attire transitioned wonderfully into the evening’s festivities without needing any changes. Although, I considered throwing on pumps.

If you recall from my Brussels post, we still had to settle the battle of the chocolates - it ended in a draw. Ben preferred Belgian chocolate, and I went with Swiss. My husband’s rationale was that Belgian chocolate was available in so many forms (many truffle flavors, covering almonds, covering nougat, etc) while Swiss chocolate was mostly found in the bar or simple truffle (Lindt Lindor truffles we find so often during the holidays) form… Which is why I preferred Swiss - for the simple goodness of the chocolate by itself. So, no winner from our perspective on the Swiss vs Belgian chocolate debate. We both thoroughly enjoyed some Swiss chocolate ice cream, however!

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What I Wore:

Jacket: Elizabeth & James Sue Wool Blazer
Jeans: J Brand 910 Ankle Skinny Jeans in indigo

Shoes: Chanel Espadrille (sold out)

Shoulder bag: Marc Jacobs Cooper Crossbody Bag

Sunglasses: Chanel

Necklace: Purchased at Elaine Turner in Rice Village (Houston, TX)

Girl’s Night Out (Shopping, of course!) My dear friend Monica of Classy & Fabulous hosted a lovely evening at Bevello in River Oaks last month! Monica (pictured above in the white & orange sheer blouse from Bevello) and the fab Bevello ladies poured champagne while we shopped and mingled for their “Lights, Camera, Fashion” event in the chic boutique. The navy dress with the flowers was part of my purchases from the night, and my friend Magen of Mmm Style bought the fantastic orange statement necklace she’s wearing above. You can see the multiple colors of denim Bevello carries and some of the shoes in the background of the pictures.

Check out the River Oaks location or check for a Bevello near you: http://www.bevello.com/store-locations/tx/houston/river-oaks Classy & Fabulous: www.classandfab.com

Mmm-style: http://mmm-style.tumblr.com/ ———————————

What I wore: Top: Forever 21

Jeans: J Brand purple twill skinnies Necklace: A purchase I recently made in Florence, Italy

Wedges: Stuart Weitzman

- London Bridge is…. -

Well, on our first day in London, we didn’t see any falling of said London Bridge. However, we did do some serious shopping! We walked from the Chelsea Futbol Club to Harrod’s and back, so comfy shoes were a must! The pale pink Miu Miu oxfords were perfect! This was a “no sleep during a 9 hour flight, but we’re not missing out on a day in London” outfit. Chocolate from the candy section of Harrod’s, TopShop shopping, strolling down the beautiful streets, and store after store of gorgeous fresh flowers filled our London day.

Trendy London shoppers wore dresses with flats and tights as they hurried home from work in the afternoon clad with various colors and styles of the ever-so-popular Mulberry handbags and often walking their dogs. Little did I know day 1 marked the beginning of my “Chanel spotting” in pretty much every city we visited on our Europe whirlwind trip.

What I wore:

Top: Nation Ltd tee

Scarf: Leopard print scarf

Jeans: J Brand 910 Ankle Skinny Jeans

Shoes: Miu Miu pale pink oxford (sold out)

Handbag: Louis Vuitton Speedy

Sunglasses: Chanel

- J Brand Fits at Tootsies -

Tonight, there was so much fun going on at the J Brand event at Tootsies here in Houston that I will have to share it all in two parts. First, let’s focus on the main event - J Brand Fit Specialist Oscar Adames and J Brand’s fantastic jeans!

At the J Brand event that included cocktails, a station from The Do Bar to style your hair, an eyebrow station, models throughout the store, cupcakes, and a DJ; I had the pleasure of visiting with the wonderful Oscar as well as witnessing his consulting with ladies trying on J Brand twill skinnies in a wide range of colors. In the second picture above, Oscar told me about all of the great (on trend for spring) neons available from J Brand like the electric blue and pink we’re holding as well as yellow. Other popular colors I saw flying off the rack were white and tan. Oscar and I were able to help my friend Paula (pictured with me in the last two pictures) purchase the white J Brand twill skinny jeans… She was definitely converted to a J Brand junkie! As Oscar said tonight, J Brand jeans are like a push-up bra for your behind. They really do lift and hold everything to make anyone’s backside look fabulous!

Fit tips from Oscar Adames, J Brand Fit Specialist:

 - The “sausaging” or “smile lines”, as the lines in the jeans on your upper hamstring and below your behind were referred to, does not mean the jeans are too tight when you’re trying on. As the jeans stretch out, these lines will smooth out.

- If you are concerned about gapping in the back of your jeans (at the top… the problem some women have when the waist is a little big), a little give when you pull on them is just fine. If there isn’t any room, then your jeans are too tight and will cut into your waist. Basically, if they lay flat without you touching them, the waist fits.

Not a J Brand follower yet? I highly suggest you go to your nearest retailer (Tootsies is a great place to start) and try on a pair. You won’t be disappointed. I personally own at least 4 pairs of the brand because I know the fit and I know that I’ll love them :)

Like so many, you may think J Brand is only about denim… check out their entire ready-to-wear collection at www.jbrandjeans.com

*Tomorrow, more from the fun event including a new skinny cocktail we loved and Fascinators (find out what these are!).

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My outfit:

Top: Miu Miu

Jeans: J Brand

Shoes: Miu Miu

Handbag: Miu Miu

(No, it was not a Miu Miu conspiracy… I just loved the pieces with these J Brand jeans!)

- Like Kate Middleton’s Tangerine Skinny Jeans? -

- Houston Rodeo Time -

It’s time again for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo! If you’re not familiar with it, people from all backgrounds come from all over for the carnival, concerts, rodeo, and World Championship BBQ Cook-off! Thursday through Saturday kicked off the rodeo with the cook-off and parties at tent after tent at Reliant. This is the time of year I dust off my cowboy boots and join many others in eating some delicious BBQ and seeing concerts like The Black Eyed Peas or Zac Brown Band. We were able to partake in Saturday’s festivities at the Adobe Equipment tent with great BBQ, premium bar, DJ, and a band. The Houston Rodeo is the one rodeo I would say everyone should attend once whether a cowboy or a city slicker. Putting on my personal version of cowgirl chic, my outfit of choice for the chilly night included my go-to J Brand skinnies, a sheer Joie blouse, a leather jacket I purchased in Italy a few years ago, Marc Jacobs bag, my trusty cowboy boots, David Yurman hoops, and an awesome rough turquoise necklace borrowed from my friend Sunnye. With so many rhinestones and cowboy hats, revelers use this time of year as an opportunity to dress as your stereotypical Texan - big belt buckles, boots, hats, tight jeans, and studded snap button shirts. Of course, none of these are required. So, use this as a chance to wear your best cowgirl attire or stick to your own personal style, but be sure your boots are made for walking (all around Reliant). Just a few of this year’s Entertainment line-up include Alabama (Feb 28), Lady Antebellum (March 1), John Legend (March 2), Enrique Iglesias (March 6), ZZ Top (March 8), The Band Perry (March 14), and many more country artists. For the entire lineup, go to www.rodeohouston.com/concerts. Show up a little early for any of the concerts to catch a glimpse of the rodeo events in action.

P.S. Didn’t Emma Stone look amazing on the Red Carpet at the Oscars tonight in Giambattista Valli? Love! So many great red carpet looks!

Bergdorf Goodman was posting a new “J Brand for the Holidays” look every Friday leading up to Christmas. This is one of my favorites! This is J Brand’s Major in Coated Black (a high waisted version of the coated skinny jeans from a previous post of mine), Haute Hippie Capelet, 3.1 by Phillip Lim blouse, DVF clutch, and Kate Spade stilettos!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Leather pants a little too avant-garde for your taste? Or, not wanting to dish out the dough for real leather skinny pants or leggings? Whatever the reason, here’s an alternative! Get a similar look in a comfortable denim. Pictured here are two different waxed denim pants. I own a pair of leather skinny pants, but sometimes (in our unpredictable South Texas winter) they are too hot. The J Brand waxed legging jean is on my list for a toned down look that still adds some edge to your outfit. It’s still fun to rock the leather, but these are definitely more practical for daily wear. 

Find the J Brand 901 Waxed Legging Jean at http://www.shopbop.com and the Paige Denim ‘Verdugo’ Coated Stretch Denim Jeans  at Nordstrom.com