Fashionista of the Week!

As promised my fashion loves, I have selected yet another Fashionista of the Week! This week's pick is not only a friend of mine, but a fellow fashion lover, entrepreneur, and sweetheart as well! I love the way that the colors she chooses to wear always complement her great skin tone...and similar to myself, she's a classic kind of girl that adds accent pieces for flair. So I introduce my Memoirs of a Fashonista followers to Abby Coker (cousin to the wonderful creator of Muti Designs):

I absolutely LOVE the way that this cobalt blue dress compliments her, and the shoes are to die for! Mixing animal print with solid stand out colors is always a recipe for success!

I also had the pleasure of attending her surprise 25th birthday party, and although she was surprised, I wasn't at how FAB she looked walking in!
I mean really...what isn't there to love about this outfit? From the hair to the pocketbook and everything in between (I really wish I could have captured the shoes as well!) she looks so well put together without being over the top. Who would have guessed that our shopping adventures as Freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University would have evolved us into the fashion gurus that we are today? Either way, hats off to you Ms. Coker, and keep inspiring us all with your awesome fashion sense!

Until next week's post! <3 ya,

C

*One of a Kind*

Happy Summer Fashionistas! While I hope that all of you fabulous gals and gents are keeping cool during this heat wave, I have something hot you all to check out! If any of you are like me, I adore owning unique, one-of-a-kind items that make heads turn...whether it be a piece of jewelry or a sizzling pair of shoes. Well, a fashionable and talented friend of my by the name of Asisat (Lola) Edu has launched her own handbag line named Muti Designs (which is named after her mother)out of Maryland, and owning any of her purses is a guaranteed way to get yourself noticed. Muti Designs features hand made clutches, hand bags, brief cases, messenger bags (for the fellas!) and much more...but what makes her designs even more unique is her use of traditional Nigerian fabric in her designs, which adds flair and flavor to everything she makes! Here's one of my favorite clutches from her collection:
Perfect to wear with neutral colors (you know I love my neutrals!) or even an orange or yellow top to be daring (I would love to see this with something off of the shoulder), this clutch is the perfect accessory to any outfit.

Ms. Edu also provides her shopper with the option to not only pick a bag from her Spring/Summer 2010 collection, but to build one from scratch as well (traditional Ankara fabric included) for a reasonable price. You can get photo updates of your bag being made and get it shipped to you if you (like I do) live outside of the Maryland, Washington D.C., Northern Virginia area...how awesome is that?! All of the bags featured in her Spring/Summer collection are between $30-$70 dollars and are well worth the money. So my fellow fashionistas, visit Ms. Lola's website at Http://www.muti-byasisatedu.com for all of your handbag needs. I'm off to make my purchase now, Happy Shopping!

C

Fashionista of the Week!

Happy Summer Fashionistas-to-be! Because I love giving kudos where they're due, I've decided to give someone special recognition every week for putting together a great look. It doesn't matter if it's causal or dressy, "club wear" or otherwise, a great outfit is a great outfit and I just love fashion inspiration! I hope to put some folks that I've personally styled on the blog eventually, but for now I'll be looking for my fellow fashionistas to send me some photos! So my favorite look for this week happens to come from my cousin who has always been fashion forward...



I absolutely love everything about this outfit from the color and style of the romper, to the way in which the neutral color was added in for flair. She also has just the right amount of accessories on, because too much accessorizing for this outfit would have taken away from the creativity of it. Perfect for her body type, this outfit just screams fashion magazine. So Kudos to you cousin...and fellow fashionistas, any recreation of this outfit would definitely give you the style thumbs up! Need some ideas on where to start looking for these pieces? Follow me on Twitter @Phi_Fashionista for updates on stores that have great finds! Until next time loves!

C

Earrings and Bracelets and Shades, Oh My!

Evening fellow Fashionistas! I snapped this picture of myself the other day in the car, and it reminded me of my love affair with accessories!! Anyone that knows me (or is getting to know me through my blog ; ) ) knows that I ADORE accessories, and don't leave the house without at least an arm full of bangles and a cute necklace. Accessories add spunk to any outfit and if done well, will definitely catch the eye of admirers...both men and women alike.

The accessories you wear should be tailored to where you're going...you never want to be under or overly accessorized. Whether it be to the office, a nice restaurant, or a day event such as a cookout you always want your accessories to compliment your outfit and not look like you tried really hard to put it all together. For example, here's how evening wear + accessories can be paired together for a night out on the town:

The accessories were just right for the occasion and compliments their outfits wonderfully.

And for a daytime look, less is sometimes more as far as accessories are concerned. Shopping on Rodeo Drive a couple of months ago, a friend and I paired our outfits with a few pieces (a scarf, charm bracelet, shades and accent belt for me) that pulled together a cool and comfortable outfit to run errands in that was still fashionable.


But ladies, please don't spend all of your money on accessories...we still have shoes and purses to buy! My favorite place to find cute and unique accessories are thrift stores because you can find one of a kind pieces for reasonable prices. Impact Thrift Store in Norristown, PA and Buffalo Exchange on Chestnut St. in Center City are two of my favorites...I know I'll always walk out of there with a bag full of accessories and money still left in my checking account. Ready...set...shop!

<3,
C

The "Man Cave"

So ladies, I usually cater my blogs to helping you find the hottest and latest shoes and clothing, but today I felt like my fellas could use a little bit of extra attention *wink wink*. During my usual websurfing for the latest sales, I came across some footwear that I know I would love to see in a man's shoe collection and that I'm sure a lot of other women would too! All of the featured footwear is under $200 (which I have discovered is a good price for men's shoes)and easily attainable. So you want to hear it? Here it goes!

Every man should have a nice trendy sneaker in their arsenal, and my favorite is from Diesel:
Although you can't wear this sneaker with everything, it's a shoe that can be worn with a plain outfit to give it a pop of color or worn with either gray or blue (please don't wear both colors together AND the sneakers!) for a well put together look.

I also like these choices for a "trendy sneaker" from ProKeds & Aldo:

Scotty - Aldo
Royal Plus Hi-Tops (LOVE these!!) - ProKeds
Royal Plus - ProKeds

And for dressier occasions, I adore these loafers and sneaker/shoes from Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, and Coach:
Terence Venetian Driver - Polo
Otto Gary - Aldo
Jackson Boat Shoe - Coach
Del Rey Sailing Loafer - Banana Republic
Barx Deck Shoe - Polo

Well fellas, get to shopping! And when in doubt take your girlfriend, best friend, heck take your mother if you need to in order to pick out acceptable footwear. The ladies are watching...

C

Memorable Memorial Weekend Moments

Bonjour Fashionistas in Training!

With the opportunity to be out and about during this past holiday weekend, I got the chance to witness (and be a part of, naturally) some awesome outfits, accessories, shoes and more! BUT, on the other hand, I also witnessed some major fashion faux pas...especially committed by my fellow plus-sized divas. It definitely is harder to be fashionable as a woman that may not wear the "conventional" size 5, but that doesn't mean that it's not possible. No worries though, I'm here to help! There are a couple of looks that can make any body type look good, and with the addition of an accent piece such as a belt we can be just as fashionable as everyone else...trust me, I know ; )

One of my favorite sites to find trendy clothing for the plus-sized diva is Forever21. Not the Forever 21 that caters to the sizes we were in high school, but they have an awesome line of clothing called Faith 21 that carries up to size 3X! I love the site because it features some cute, curvy sistas in clothing that fits them very well and provides us with a lot of different options for clothing from party wear to everyday tops and bottoms. For example, I love these dresses featured on the site for a night out on the town:
(Center Ruched Dress, $27.80)
(Retro Dot Halter Dress, $27.80)
(I actually wore the black version of this dress on Sunday to a party, Cinched Peplum Dress $22.80)

And they also have cute casual skirts (I'm the ultimate girly, girl...love skirts and dresses) like:

(Silken Bubble Hem Skirt, $15.80)
(Short Striped Skirt, $10.80)
There are endless options on the website, and in the store although the Faith 21 line isn't carried at all locations (closest to Philly is at Cherry Hill Mall). I can't stress the importance of shopping in places that actually carry larger sizes because there is nothing worse than a plus-sized girl wearing junior sized clothing!

Another site/store combination worth checking out is Ashley Stewart. Even though all of the clothes aren't as trendy as Faith 21 (and are a little pricier), you can add some staple pieces to your wardrobe and pair them with tops/bottoms, shoes, or accessories from more popular stores for a well put together look.

(Deep V-Knot Front Dress, $49.99)
(Straight Leg Capris, $19.99)
(Tiered Tunic, $34.00)
(Chambray Belted Ruffle Blouse, $29.99)

So my plus-sized sistas, although we may not be able to wear everything we see in the fashion magazines, we can still be dressed fashionably and trendy without breaking our pockets. It is important for us to have good quality clothing that can last us and doesn't look cheap (man I hate when clothes look cheap) since it does require more effort for us to look put together. Well ladies...until next time!

C

Neutrals Are The New Black!

Ok, so I've always been a fan of creme, gray and different shades of brown for clothing and shoes; especially on men and women with darker skin tones. But after my shopping expedition this weekend on a search for a couple of items to wear to a party (My Philly folks...take a trip out to Menlo Park Mall in NJ when you get the chance!), my love for neutrals has been validated! Neutrals work so well as a basis for any outfit because they are classic in any fabric (I especially love them in linen, cotton, and wool) and work well with a pop color to make an outfit interesting. I love these dresses from Banana Republic ($97.00 on www.Bananarepublic.com)and the Steve Madden website



Pair with Turquoise, Cobalt Blue or Red heels and accessories, and you have a perfect outfit for a night out with the girls!
(<3 the color & shape of this bag...matching shoes would complete the outfit!)

And fellas, I haven't forgotten about you! Wearing neutrals can help you to look polished and stylish at the same time...and also help you catch the eye of that special young lady! This linen plaid shirt and chino combination from Banana Republic (this outfit is less than $100!)

while simple can be worn casually as shown above, or with a bold tie to make a statement. Both burgendy and green ties would go well with this combo:


So with that said ladies and gents, I'm off to put my neutrals together for work tomorrow! Happy Shopping ; )

C