Best Friend Bag

While I am in NY I have decided to give myself a little mission. I have been searching for a new go everywhere bag. I like to call it The Best Friend Bag. I think just about every lady has one or at least should. You know that go to bag that you always grab, the bag that you just pick up in a haste without even looking, the bag that may be falling apart but you refuse to let it go. Yeah, well my dear friend has had a hell of a run, but it’s time is slowly coming to an end.

So I spotted this magnificent beauty on Tumblr posted by Eva Chen. I may not have the funds at the moment for a Malandrino Bag, but I can’t be too far away from a look-a-like in a fashion capital like NY.

I’m only here or 5 days and have got a lot of ground to cover. I will be posting some pics of whatever I get and some of the places I go when I get back. Wish me luck!

Nothing but love,

Lola

Crazy, Stupid, Love Songs

While I’m on the whole movie kick, I thought I would let you in on my current Soundtrack Listening. I recently dragged a few of my best mates to go see Crazy, Stupid, Love with me simply because I am a romantic at heart and have a major weak spot for romantic comedies. The irony is that my friends left the movie in deep thoughts about their relationships and having major debates the whole car ride home, while I left happy and having a little more hope in that Crazy Stupid thing called Love.

Crazy, Stupid, Love Soundtrack

One of my favourite things about the movie was the soundtrack. I mean the music really made some of those scenes and I love whoever complied all those genres together so seamlessly. Every high, low, and frustratingly awkward moment was captured perfectly thanks to the tone set by the songs. There were the slow indie songs for the awkward moments, the ultra mode pop type songs for the club scenes, and the old school tunes to describe the old school swagger of Ryan Gosling’s character.

Sometimes I dream about being the person  who chooses the background music for scenes in shows and movies. I think I would be great for that job. At least I know I would be when it comes to any indy flicks or shows like Grey’s Anatomy. My friends are always calling me whenever they hear a song on a show that I forewarned them would be a perfect fit.

Now, I do not love every track on the CD, but I do love a majority of them. If you are into indie music, jazz, pop or just anything mellow I think you could enjoy it as well. The soundtrack just flows and went so well with movie. The songs definitely set the tone for some of the scenes and made them quite memorable. I will warn you that it’s not the happiest soundtrack compilation, if anything it would best be described as emotionally complicated just like love itself.

Currently I have been using this soundtrack as my background writing music. You know, for when you’re just thinking and you need something to get you in a particular mindset. It reminds me of some of my favourite playlists from 8tracks and the blogs I find on Hypem. 

Who knows. Maybe if this writing thing does not work out than I can just be a Music Director/Supervisor/Arranger whatever that job title may be.

With nothing but love,

Lola

500 Days of Summer Style

This movie is nowhere near new and has been out on DVD for almost a year now, but it’s one of my favourite movies and I can’t help but to watch it when ever I am in need of inspiration while writing or sewing. It’s one of those movies that always seem to get me out of a funk and gets my creative juices flowing. If you have not seen it, I would highly recommend you give it a watch. It’s a great quirky coming of age kinda of love story. The main character played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt had a bit of growing up to do and Zooey’s character played a big part in that.

I would give my left arm just for Zooey Deschanel’s wardrobe in this movie. As a matter of fact I think I would do that for just about her entire wardrobe point-blank period! Her style has the classic feminine touch that I aspire to create sometimes and I tend to look to her photos whenever I need help in that department.

 

 The wardrobe from 500 Days of Summer can best be described as clean, classy, and very feminine.  There is a touch of femininity in every outfit whether it’s the detailing, fabric, or even the color palette.

It’s almost impossible to be described as anything besides a lady when wearing any one of her outfits in this movie. Not to mention these are some great date night inspirations as far as what to wear on a first date. Heck, on even the 5th date. The tailored shorts are so great for a wardrobe staple because of their versatility. You could wear them to work, out on a  date, or even to a function.

What I love even more about the movie, is that it seemed like both characters were taken from another time. It was an age-old story, set in a modern time, with two lovely old souls. And yes, I even liked Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s wardrobe from the movie. Now normally I prefer a man who is well put together, because no offense, it makes it look like they actually care about something. In 500 Days of Summer, Joseph’s wardrobe was pretty disheveled and always looked like he had a hard day at the office. It took a turn for the utter worst when Summer left him(if you’ve not seen the movie I apologize for giving that away). Nonetheless, you can’t help but be a little smitten by a fella in a button up, vest, and rolled up sleeves.

I adore this red dress that she wore and I am trying to replicate it at the moment because I have not been able to find one like it anywhere all summer. Hopefully, I can have it done in time for those lovely Fall Nights Out. Can you imagine one of these dresses around autumn foliage, at dawn, out at a dinner party, with pretty little lighted trees… Yeah. Clearly I have gone a little overboard with my imagination on this dress. Fashion tends to do that to me sometimes.

Anyhow, this is a pretty awesome movie with a great wardrobe to inspire the senses. Your eyes will be wooed by the color palette and soft feminine details, while your fingers are itching just to touch the tempting textures, all the while your mind is taken to memories of relationships past, present, and future. Hope you enjoy the movie as much as I did.

Nothing but love,

Lola

App-ropriate Essentials

 

So here a few Apps that I can not seem to stop using lately. It is insane how much technology becomes so much apart of our lives. I seriously can not remember what the hell I was doing with my life before I got my own laptop. Much less my first smart phone. Anyhow, enough with the ramble. Time to get to the matter at hand. Apps! Now a days just about every 20 something and up, even the youngins who have not hit puberty seem to have a smart phone. And the whole reason why more than half of us have them are solely for those Apps. So I thought to share a few of my essentials when it comes to the Apps on my iPhone.

If you had no idea before now, let me warn you. I’m a fashion fanatic. I read it, study it, even attempt to make it. There’s no question about it that I have quiet a few Fashion based Apps.  You should definitely look for apps like Hautelook, Gilt, EBay, Groupon, etc. Simply for the ease of access to good deals. That way you will never miss a good deal no matter where you are.

Hipstimatic App

Hipstimatic is for when those ordinary photos just won’t do. My friends know me  as a photo fanatic. Not the type that has to be in every picture, but the type that is never far from one because she has to catch life as it happens.  Now instead of just saying you had to be there to understand, you can take them to those memories and share the moments. Other great photo taking Apps include Camera+, Color Splash, and 8mm Vintage camera. I have a thing for vintage style photos and videos. Don’t judge me! hahaha

And of course I had to include a few music ones as well. Seeing as how I live my life with an infinite loop of music in the background. What can I say. It helps keep my sanity. One of my favourite streaming music websites besides the original Pandora is 8tracks, so the App was a must for me. Then there is also Ministry of Sound, Hypem, Spotify, and Shazam of course.

 

Glamour App Style.com App

 

StyleScout App

And last, but certainly not least, the blogging Apps. I had to have the WordPress,Tumblr, and Twitter Apps on my phone. That way I am never far from comments or putting up new posts. There are also tons of Apps by some of my favourite bloggers that I love to keep up with like Sartorialist,Style Scout, Style.com, and BlogLovin. It’s important to support our fellow blogger, no? I also have Apps by some of my favourite magazines and fashion websites to keep up with the latest fashion news and trends.

 

I know that was barely a taste of all the Apps that are out there for any of these categories, but I thought I would share a few of them with you anyway. Oh! And if you know any other good ones that I may have missed please let me know! And no worries for those without iPhones, because most of these Apps can be found in the App store for other smartphones and tablets. Hope you all have a great weekend!!

 

With nothing but love,

Lola

Pretty Hot Damn!

It’s summer and I’m not quite sure where you live, but here in Florida, it’s BLAZING!! And the heat has a nasty way of draining the life right out of ya. I mean you have this whole outfit planned out in your mind the day before, then while getting ready, your reminded of how the moisture caused the fabric to stick to you. Then defeated, you go for a less appealing, but more comfortable option. Recently, I have been noticing on my favourite fashion blogs there some women that make the most of this heat. They use it to be a little more creative with their outfits. And look pretty damn good doing it. Like this post from Stylescout.blogspot.com. This young lady has decided to take a hint of sunshine with her while staying cool with the thin chiffon material and still manages to look hot.

Owned by Stylscout.blogspot.com

Owned by Stylescout.blogspot.com

I am a bit ashamed to say that I have gotten lazy in the styling department. As much as I love layering and scarves they just aren’t practically for 99 degree weather that I live in, but these women know how to dress around the weather and still stay fashionable while doing so. The lady above from Stylescout.blogspot.com looks utterly refined in her tan polka-dotted romper. Its lack of sleeves and short hemlines make it perfect for this the heat.

And of course here’s a page out of looking hot in the heat by our lovely celebrities, Halle Berry, Rihanna, and Taylor Momsen. These ladies know how to rock the hell out of a sundress and made me realize something. Sundresses are great ways to be lazy, yet stay cool, and still look stylish. Now of course it can not be just any old sundress. Which is why I would suggest that you invest in a few good ones.

Summer Dresses

Here are a few that I absolutely adore that will be great for summer, because of their light airy materials, and their lovely pop of color look amazing taking in the fun of the summer light. Below I have a few dresses that I plan on ordering from Asos.com not only for the fact that they are all gorgeous dresses made for warmer weather, but because they are all on sale right now.

Asos.com

The cutouts on the back of this blue floral dress make it perfect for showing a little skin and getting a bit more breeze in humid climates.

Asos.com

Now I will warn you at hand that I am a Bohemian at heart and could not help but include this flowy number. The cut of this dress makes it flattering for most figures while allowing room for creativity. You can add a belt around the waist to create a more hour-glass figure or to just show off one that you already have.

Asos.com

I thought that this one was great for work, going out, picnics, and even just for lunch with the ladies. Or if your work did not have an extremely strict dress code you could also wear it to work with a cute fitted linen blazer and heels to dress it up. I love the versatility of this dress!

As for my ladies who are not crazy about dresses and would still prefer your t-shirt and jeans combo, you can always opt for a chiffon,linen, or some sort of light fabric top to dress up your outfit. As well as, by adding a pop of color, and a few accessories can definitely turn up the dial on the usual boring outfit and make it Hot! Hope you were inspired as much as I was by these lovely heat proof clothing. It’s forced me to get out of my lazy style rut and find new ways to beat the heat while looking sweet.

Much Love.

Lola

Florence Gets Fun with Fashion

While reading last months issue of Glamour I was delighted to see one of my favourite “It Girl” on the cover, but was absolutely beside myself when I found out that her best friend, my favourite singer, actually interviewed her. If you are completely unaware of Blake’s Bestie, I’ll bring you up to speed.

There’s this magnificent singer that you may have heard of. She has one of the most amazingly original voices that has ever graced my ears. She hails from South London. Her album ‘Lungs’ went quadruple platinum, so if you haven’t heard it yet, your truly missing out. Her song, Dog Days, was featured in numerous shows and movies like Eat, Pray, Love, and Glee. her last names Welch, but she ain’t from Wales. If you could not tell by the title of the Blog and me just giving away her last name, it’s non other that Florence Welch. The lead vocals of Florence and the Machine.

Life is truly unfair putting these two women in a star-crossed friendship, which would eventually make them one of the most influential duos in fashion. I mean, Blake is a Muse to Chanel and Stella McCartney. Blake is notorious for her sense of style, but even more importantly for the fact that she’s her own stylist. Yes, Ladies and gentleman, she was born with the lovely gift of beauty,to behold beauty, and create it. As for Florence, she  is magic in the form of a woman. Her song can take you to some of the most elusive visions of heartbreak and heartache. Her music transcends your typical genres and her lyrics could be compared to great literary works. Florence has created her own.  She not only is known for her remarkable voice, but for her own unique sense of fashion. Just as her music, she loves the drama, and is never scared to be daring. She exudes confidence, all the while still carrying herself like a lady.

I have known few  artists to be as eccentric as her at the moment. And as if her vocal abilities weren’t a blessing enough, she to, like her best friend, has an incredible eye for style. Very few would dare wear half of the things that she has. Florence is practically walking art at it’s best.

She is real in everything that she does and marches to the beat of her own rhythmic drum. A drum that rattles slightly with an odd beat that you just can’t quite put your finger on, but all you know is your entranced. Completely, engulfed in the story of her outfit.

Even though Florence’s style may be out there for some, there is something that can definitely be learned from it. She has fun with fashion and is not afraid to wear what she feels best describe her. Quite often, people get caught up in the trends missing the whole reason fashion was created. To express oneself! Now, I’m not knocking all trends, because they have given way to some pretty great pieces that I now consider staples. It just breaks my heart to see everyone look the same. Like walking industrial clones! So I say, let’s take page out of Florence’s book, be a little more daring, let your clothes say who you are, but above all else, have fun again.

Nothing but Love,

Lola <3

The Ever Classic Oxfords…

 

There is something about the classic Oxfords that make it so timeless. Maybe it’s the fact that it has been around since the early 19th century and is still being worn today.

To me there are few things more classic and timeless than the ever chic Oxfords. It can take any outfit from plain to stylish, from boring to eclectic. Maybe this is why it transcends so many different genres of style. Everyone from the eclectic indie scene to the upper crust socialites can be seen rocking a pair.

 

 

I now have 3 pairs. A black, a brown, and a grey. And yet I feel like my collection is nowhere near complete. Now I gotta  have a pair with a colorful pattern. One with a unique texture that you often don’t see on Oxfords. Not to mention the infamous Black n Whites.

Next time your trying to spruce up an outfit, or just trying to take your basic jeans and T up a notch, throw on some Oxfords, dress socks, and cuff the legs a bit. And voila!! You went from everyday humdrum to Clever little Stella , who looks put together with minimal effort.

 

Nothing but love,

Lola <3