SUSPENDERS

 

On a typical day, black and white pieces are my quintessential closet staples. Don't get me wrong, I love color but I can only handle color in minimal doses. It's quite a problem, every time I go shopping I always go straight to the vibrant section. The magnificent, over-the-top, vibrantly original, the black and white section! It's quite bright over there, most people can't handle it. It's this odd reflex, all of a sudden I see that arm raise up and immediately grab a piece that is black, white, or neutral. Some may say it's a problem and that I need some form of color therapy. 

On the days where I can step out of my comfort zone, the color I would typically go to spice that color palette of mine would be navy or red. I adore the two and I could have it but not everyday, occasional if you will. So, lately I've made an attempt to shake my fashion core and wear COLOR! I took a couple of my closet menswear staples and mixed it with this luscious vintage Elie Tahari skirt & Gucci flats.  

I'm wearing: 

Elie Tahari skirt

DNKY blazer (similar)

Trafalgar suspenders (similar)

Alexander McQueen sunglasses

Gucci flats

Chanel bag

Concord watch

BLACK AND WHITE

By now I've been overly obsessed with menswear that I, myself can't turn down a fabulous piece that screams out, "Nicoleee...Niccooolleeeeee...Nicoleeeeeee!!" I believe that it's one of my top weaknesses and I probably should get help. In my mind, I'm thinking that guys can wear all of these fabulous pieces and why not me? Female. Woman. Lady. Wear the same thing. I saw these cuff links and this mens tuxedo shirt and thought, why not? So I paired it with one of my favorite oxfords that I bought when I was 18. These Gucci leather and metal darlings were tucked away in my closet collecting dust and it was extremely unfair for them to not come out on a cold and cloudy day.

Now on to the WOC (wallet-on-chain), I've had a post awhile back on making your wallets into something that you would want to wear. I had a larger wallet that was just impossible to put into my tiny bags, and now this smaller wallet I could proudly add to the list of wallet to WOC in my closet. It's actually quite nice, I don't have to worry about it and you could have fun with it. Carry another clutch or even wear it by itself. With a cute WOC that looks like it's part of your outfit, it's not as heart breaking when you ditch the clutch.

I'm wearing:
David Donahue mens tuxedo shirt
Zara shorts (similar)
H&M rings
Gucci wallet (similar)
Gotham Decay clutch
Gucci oxfords
Fendi sunglasses

QUICK ERRANDS

The month of December calls for hectic schedules and last minute holiday errands. So, the question is, what do you wear? Even for that quick errand that you know you'll be back home in 20 minutes. The errand where no makeup nor hair product will be touched, let alone be glanced at. So, what will it be? 

I'm a true believer in looking presentable even on your quick errand runs. Not because of who I might bump into, but the fact that I, myself DO NOT want to look like a complete and utter bum. It's just not in my book, PERIOD. So, when a no makeup and no hair plug-in operated product is in order, I love to throw on that beat up baseball cap. To you know...hide the necessary. It changes lives, I'm tellin' you! You don't want people to see the no make-up effort so what better way then to hide just a bit.

From the neck down, it's a different story. Oversized men's sweater and fabulous boots. Simple, yet to the point! I mean, you're running an errand for goodness' sake. An all black comfortable yet chic effort and a hat, and we have here a fantastic "I'm in a hurry, gotta do this quick errand" look.

I'm wearing:
Zara coat
Calvin Klein men's sweater (similar)
Tart leggings (similar)
Chanel WOC bag
Gucci boots

GREEN COAT & OXFORDS

 Southern California - weather forecast has been wishy washy throughout the month of December. Normally for us ladies here, 60 degrees is FREEZING! Yes, so sad...I know! While other locations on the globe, 60 degrees is warm and people are ready to get their beach towels to layout in the sun. However, lately it's been quite cold, so when my weather app tells me that it's going to be in the mid 60's, you bet your ass I'm going to have em' stems out. Sunny and warm, yet cold so it's only appropriate to wear a thick warm coat and expose the legs that yo' mama gave you. Can you blame me? Just trying to take advantage of the warm weather. 

Pairing an all black number with a touch of green is something I'm all about. I'm usually parading in neutral colors every single day, so a majestic deep green coat is absolutely perfect to brightened up my wardrobe. This coat actually was my mom's in the 80s and I went "shopping" in her closet one day and just grabbed a bunch of fantastic finds. I'm telling you, NEVER toss anything out! I would underline 'never' 5 times if I could, just engrave it in your mind! I paired this vintage babe with some modern pieces and this coat instantly came back to life. 

One of my favorite, I mean FAVORITE styles at the moment, is menswear inspired clothes and accessories. There's something about masculine pieces on a feminine frame that intrigues me. To me, it's extremely sexy for a gal to rock actual menswear pieces or inspired items. Playing with oversized and tight clothing, and integrating it into one outfit is a style that is simple, minimal, and feminine in opinion. It's absolutely classic.

I know you're thinking, feminine? Well, ya!

I've written a post in the past (here), about masculine clothes on us gals and I'm tellin' you it's extremely chic. 

Oh, and not to mention the oxford babes I got recently from Mango. Babes, right? I was searching high and low for the right pair and somehow I magically found it and it was like a perfect match in shoe heaven. It literally was love at first sight, and so far I've paired it with EVERYTHING, literally. It's a great investment, but unfortunately during Cyber-Monday they were completely sold out in every size. Just keep searching if you're looking for a pair, they'll come to you.

I'm wearing:
Halogen sweater (similar)
H&M skirt (no longer available)
Vintage Michelle Stuart coat (similar)
Mango oxford shoes (no longer available)- similar
Chanel bag
Fendi sunglasses

ALL BLACK

An all black number is always right for the chilly season, at least in my opinion it is. An all black look with little bits of color here and there, and you have yourself an easy and effortless outfit. The great thing about black is that it's easier to put things together and you're able to mix and match old with new  pieces without it being overly noticeable that you're rocking something that's perhaps a decade old or even older. Recycling old items and mixing it with new pieces is my ultimate style philosophy. Becoming versatile with old pieces and revamping your style over time with new items, and yet still appear timeless is the name of this style game.

I'm wearing:
Zara leather jacket
Fendi sunglasses
Zara top (similar)
Zara pants (similar)
Trafalgar belt (similar)
Zara heels
Chanel WOC bag