splendor & folly

Inspiration for a good outfit can come from anywhere. To help yourself get out of your own fashion rut, stop and really analyze someone you admire and what they are doing. Don’t think of it as copying, think of it as being inspired.

The other day, my hairdresser was wearing the most adorable outfit. A long fitted striped dress, topped with a turquoise necklace and denim vest. These are items I would never normally wear, but she inspired me to think outside my own jeans and  tee shirt box.

In addition to replicating her look, I’ve also made a different version perfect for cooler months. Don’t forget to always keep your eye out for your own fashion inspiration! 

Cocktail Dresses by Rare
Boots at Endless.com

Hey Everyone,

As promised, here is the dress from LuLu’s in real life:

My first reaction when I tried it on was that it was waaay too short. I was set on returning it when I remembered I am headed to Vegas in July which is the only place I can think of where this would not be inappropriate. Thoughts?? Is it too short? Why didn’t it look this short on the model?

I’ll start p0sting more often now (I hope) and will have something new to talk about – wedding planning! I am engaged!!!  Most of you who read this blog already know about it, but I’ll post more about it soon.

Love, Leah

I am not one of those people who hates their birthday, hates getting older, would rather just avoid it all together. I love my birthday! Here is a little something I bought for myself to celebrate :)

You can purchase this and more cute dresses from Lulus.com. Be sure to use promo code xoxo for 15% off!!

When it comes in the mail, I’ll show you what it looks like in real life. I may or may not wear it to a wedding next weekend.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!!

You know how everyone is obsessed with the sound of their own name? Well, I also realized I’m obsessed with items of clothing named after me! I came across this Black Halo ‘Leah’ tiered dress while perusing Chloe’s picks and was like ‘Wow! It’s named after me, it’s meant to be, I should totally buy it!’

Then I actually clicked the link and realized that its also $375 so I will most definitely NOT be purchasing. But it did lead me to search for other items with my namesake…check out these awesome finds and then search for your own!!!

A couple more cute dresses by Joie and Grey Ant:

A floral romper by Yumi Kim:

This gorgeous bag by Julie K:

And even a denim vest by True Religion:

Remember back when I tested you to see if you could figure out which sunglasses were cheaper?  Well I thought that was fun, so I figured it could be its own little feature called ‘Guess Which is Less’.  So here we go again, one of these dresses is $30 and the other is $190. Which is which??

Did you get it right?? Was it too obvious?? Let me know if there are certain items you would like to see featured in future ‘Guess Which is Less’ posts!

Have you ever heard of ASOS? I’ve recently come across this online retailer that seems to be out of the UK, but they do ship to US for flat rate of $6. I currently have these three items in my shopping cart, just for fun (uh, yeah, thats it) and all of it totals $80 with shipping! That’s crazy! They have soooo much stuff, I could probably spend hours just looking. My only reservation is the sizing, their clothes come in  UK sizes and I’m not sure which size would fit best on me. Hmmm….

you can click the pics to purchase

So lately, even though I haven’t been adding much to my wardrobe, I’m beginning to think I would like to switch gears.  I want to move more toward quality, investment pieces rather than cheapy throw-a-way items that start to unravel after the first wash (yes, I’m talking to you Forever 21). The only problem with this is my budget. Its really hard to justify spending hard earned dollars on clothes when there is always something more ‘practical’ to spend them on.

Thus I feel like I am having a Britney Spears moment. When it comes to shopping: “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman” (Please sing this in your head for the full effect). I’m kind of over Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe but can’t yet afford the offerings of Nordstrom, Shop Bop, and other higher-end stores and boutiques. I’m not saying I’m above shopping at certain stores now, I’m just going to try to buy only things I truly love. And if I’m buying less, I should be focusing more on quality.

Where do you like to shop? High-end? Low-end? Thrift? I’m ready to take suggestions and re-think my shopping just in time for spring!

 And with that, I’ll leave you with some gorgeous spring dresses on my ‘maybe someday’ list. They are by Shoshanna who I had never even heard of before today (see? I have a lot to learn!)

This is the first edition of my weekly Holiday Handbook series, which will give you helpful advice and tips to navigate through the holiday season with style and ease! Look for upcoming volumes of the Holiday Handbook each Friday from now until Christmas (which is not very many Fridays away…where did the year go??)

Today I’m sharing lots of options for what to wear to those upcoming social events.  Whether its the office Christmas party or just egg-nogging it up with friends, you always want to look your best.  Look for dark jewel tone colors, rich fabrics and metallic accents. Here are a few that won’t break the bank!