Skool Daze Remix - OOTD

Don't you love when you breathe new life to a garment in your closet? I get excited when I can create a new look with old pieces that I find in my closet.  I have some "faux" leather cognac shorts from Lauren Conrad's line at Kohl's which I love. But, I haven't been able to wear them because I was missing a vital piece. Wednesday, I went to Target to buy some navy blue tights. I envisioned wearing these tights with the shorts but I didn't have the whole look complete in my mind. After browsing through my closet the outfit came together harmoniously when I gathered inspiration from a school uniform.

I love the navy and khaki color combination that school children wear. SO, I grabbed my leather shorts from Kohl's, my navy tights from Target, my favorite go to piece, my denim button up from Target, my navy blue cardigan (with a lace detail on the back) from Charlotte Russe, and some chocolate riding boots from Old Navy to conjure up this awesome look. I topped it off with a brown leather jacket from Forever 21, a knit hat from Forever 21, my Louis Vuitton Speedy bag, Lock & Key Charm Necklace from a mall kiosk in Detroit, Bronze Earrings from the Baltimore Flea Market, and my Gold Men's Watch from Target.

So there you have it. My Skool Daze Remix. I just wanted to post this quick OOTD before the "world ends" lol. Just kidding. My Bible say no man knows the day or the hour when Christ will return so I'm sticking to it :) *Let me get off my soapbox*

Have an awesome weekend subbies!

Xoxoxoxo

-Ali

Pocahontas Chic

The thing that I love most about fashion is the fact that you can be who you want to be. Your clothes speak without you having to open your mouth and express languages of creativity, inspiration, and courage. The fact of the matter is one day I can wear sneakers, a hoodie, and jeans then the following day flip the script and come out in a fitted dress with killer pumps. It works because you are the artist and your clothing is your blank canvas awaiting for you to create a masterpiece.

What a difference a day can make! Monday I wore a fitted cap, chunky knit sweater and scarf. Tuesday I channeled my inner Pocahontas. This is why I LOVE fashion :)

Yesterday, as I was browsing through my closet I wanted to wear something which I hadn't worn in a while. I chose a silky burnt orange cape-esque top as my focal point. For some reason that color prompted me to grab my beaded feather earrings (which give off a Native American vibe). To complete the look, I grabbed a white button up, some distressed jeans, and my fringed cognac boots. I added my hobo bag, a gold ring with jade detail, and used a braided belt as a head band. I've named this look "Pocahontas Chic!"


POCAHONTAS CHIC

Burnt Orange Cape-esque Top: Forever 21
Distressed Jeans: TJ Maxx
White Button Up: Old Navy
Cognac Fringed Boots: Kmart
Hobo Bag: Charming Charlie's

ACCESSORY OVERLOAD

Skinny Braided Cognac Belt (Worn as Head Band): H&M
Gold Men's Watch: Target
Beaded Feather Earrings: Forever 21
Gold Ring with Jade Details: Forever 21

The moral of this post is to show you the difference a day can make in fashion. You make a conscience choice everyday to be who you want to be and express who you want to be known as by what you wear! So don't be afraid to explore and really find things that fit you, your personality, and fit into your style log.

SN: I want to give a shout out to my awesome husband, Derrek who doubles as my photographer. In order to bring you these Outfit of the Day post I need someone to take my photo. My husband is so sweet he provides me with my mini photo shoots daily. So I just want to publicly thank him. I love you honey ;)

Chunky Knits - OOTD

All my subbies know that I recently moved to GA. Being back down south during the winter months is a blessing and a curse. Coming from windy IL makes me greatly appreciate the sunshiny low 70 degree weather in December. HOWEVER, by having warmer weather than I am accustomed to during this time of year limits the clothing and fabrics I can wear.

Yesterday it got fairly chilly (and rainy) for the first time since I've been here. I was actually excited to break out my heavy duty knit cream sweater from H&M with tribal black detailing at the bottom, my gray knit scarf from Forever 21, my black tights from Target, and my long sleeve Danceskin black shirt from Walmart, and my knee high black leather boots which I purchased in Harlem, NY a few summers ago for...$10!!! This outfit was very comfortable, warm, and stylish without trying. I love taking simple basics (leggings, long sleeve tee, sweater etc) and creatively layering them. I added my husbands Seattle Mariners fitted cap to give off a more rugged look, adding an element of surprise if you will!

I actually really love this look! I will definitely be using this look in the future. How do you like to rock your chunky knits?

Getting Inspired

I love looking through magazines, looking online, and observing different television shows to gather fashion inspiration. I don't think it's good to copy something verbatim but, I believe that getting inspired from images you see to polish your own look is perfectly fine. That is how your persona fashion evolves and continues to grow. I was doing some browsing this past week when I stumbled across a photo on Instyle.com entitled "Fave Jeans."

 I always like to challenge myself by taking a look I see and searching my closet to recreate a "similar" look. Instyle's "Fave Jeans" outfit consisted of a red blazer, light denim button up, rolled up relaxed fit denim jeans, leopard pumps, a blue clutch, a silver watch (with a brown leather band), and a string of pearls. I was able to recreate a look that resembled this look with an Ali twist! Check it out below.


SUNDAY'S BEST 
I wore this casual, yet chic look to church on Sunday. I love it because it is comfortable yet polished enough even for service. 

My look consists of a red blazer from Forever 21, a denim button up from Target, Supreme Curve ID jeans from Levi's, Vince Camuto leopard print booties, brown Snakeskin clutch from TJ Maxx (I think), a silver rope chain from Forever 21, and a silver Michael Kors watch from Macy's. You may say that my outfit doesn't exactly reflect Instyle's, but that is the whole point. I pulled this look just as a focal point or guideline to help me formulate a foundation.

I took my bit of inspiration one step further, keeping the same foundation (the red blazer, the denim shirt, and the dark denim jeans) to switch up the look a bit. For this second look, I took a page from Beyonce's book. Again, this look is a mere draw of inspiration not a photocopy!

As you can see Beyonce's look is very close to Instyle's original look. She swapped the denim shirt for a white blouse. She interchanged the leopard pumps for a leopard printed scarf, and some wedge boots, all while keeping the red blazer and dark denim jeans. Here is my interpretation of the look!

AFTER CHURCH FLOW
I chose to keep the basis of the outfit the same. I just changed the accessories to create a second look. 

I changed all my accessories to the following: Vintage Timberland Wheat Tie Up Boots (gift in high school), brown suede cross body bag from Old Navy (I've had it for more than 4 years), my leopard printed scarf is from Charlotte Russe, my gold men's watch is from Target, my my charm bracelet is from Juicy Couture, and my bronze earrings are from the Baltimore Flea Market.

I challenge you to begin to gather inspiration from images you see around you to rev up your style! Will you take the challenge?

Sweat It Out On 12.12.12

It's been five long days since I've blogged last. I went to Florida over the weekend to attend a baby shower of one of my good friends from college, Brittney! It was a nice breath of fresh air to be able to travel, enjoy new scenery, and reminisce with an old friend. But as you can see, I haven't quite gotten caught up on my blogging since the new week has begun. In honor of December 12, 2012 (12.12.12), a day which we won't witness for another 100 years, I had to do a blog post to leave my stamp on this monumental day.

Today's post is called "Sweat It Out (On 12.12.12)." I know you may be wondering "why"? Are we going to discuss exercising tips? Nope! We are going to tackle #dope sweatshirts that I've spotted over the course of the last few weeks. As I've stated before, sometimes I don't feel like dressing up in heels and a dress. So what better way to showcase your swag than with a sweatshirt! Yep, you read that right. I said a sweatshirt. This is not your average primary color sweatshirt that your mom bought you when you were 12. Sweatshirts have gotten an upgrade adding leather accents, fur trim, and words to inspire ya.


WORD UP
These sweatshirts offer words (of wisdom). Whether it be "Fresh!" "Fly!" or "Work, Party, Repeat!"

This "Fresh" Prince Sweatshirt is from sexysweaters.com 

This "Fly" Sweatshirt is from Chargrel's Couture (chragrelscouture.com)

This "Work, Play, and Repeat" sweatshirt is from Gifted Apparel NYC

LEATHER OH MY
These sweatshirts have leather details which upgrade the overall lax look. You can get leather detailing on the bodice or the sleeves. Which ever you choose, I'm sure you will be pleased :)

This sweatshirt was found on Etsy (etsy.com) 

This leather sleeved sweatshirt was found on Etsy (etsy.com)

FLY & FURRY
When I first saw this sweatshirt, it immediately went on my "got - to - have - it" list!!! I love that they take a classic sweatshirt and add an unexpected detail of fur on the sleeves. 

This furry sleeved sweatshirt is from Dear Envy (dearenvy.com)

SHEER GENIUS
This sweatshirt takes sheer details to add a softer, romantic upgrade.

This gorgeous sheer sweatshirt is from Asos (asos.com)

RUFFLES
This is one of my favorite sweatshirts that I've spotted over the net. It is custom made by Chargrel's Couture. I am a sucker for ruffles so to combine ruffles and comfort gets an A+ in my book!

This ruffled cut out back sweatshirt is from Chargrel's Couture (chargrelscouture.com)

You may be saying, these sweatshirts are pretty dope, but how to I style them? I'm glad you asked! I know the obvious choice would logically be to pair them with sweatpants. But you don't have to be so matchy, matchy just because you are wearing a sweatshirt. You can pair sweatshirts with leggings, army fatigue pants, denim shorts (with tights), jeans or even skirts. For footwear you can wear sneakers, boots, and even dress it up with pumps. It really depends on your mood, how you want to style it. There is no wrong answer. Play around with it and have some fun.

Happy Hump Day! Enjoy your 12. 12. 12

Bejeweled: Jewel Tone Color Blocking OOTD

I've realized as I've gotten older I tend to reach for my black as I select my outfit of the day. Lets face it, I love to throw on neutrals (blacks, grays, browns, tans, etc.). It is so easy to come up with a cute outfit by going neutral from head to toe. But sometimes, those colors can be a little drab. I've always loved bright bold colors since I was a kid. I will never forget, each school year I picked my signature color scheme. My 7th grade year I was head over heels for lime green (don't ask me why). I had lime green hoodies, boots, Sauconys (who remembers Sauconys lol) and much more. The point of this story is I'm no stranger to color. But in my old age I tend to go where I'm comfortable.

Today's post will explore the deep, dashing Jewel Tones (I have an older post about Monochromatic Jewel Tone looks that you can check out). Just for a refresher jewel tones include the likes of colors like: Jade Green, Teal, Fuchsia, Plum, Burgundy, Orange, Cobalt Blue etc.

Yesterday as I was selecting my outfit of the day (OOTD) I wanted to wear my teal spiked wedges. I decided to create a color blocked outfit using two beautiful jewel tones: teal and cobalt blue.

The foundation of my outfit was a black boyfriend blazer from Forever 21. I also combined the blazer with a cobalt blue blouse which was thrifted (at a thrift store in Belleville, MI), a pair of black leggings from Target, my show stopper teal spiked wedges from www.GoJane.com and my teal ribbon necklace (I don't recall where I purchased the necklace from). The sunglasses were thrifted as well about 4 years ago from a thrift shop in Tallahassee, FL. The silver hoops were from Charlotte Russe, and my Michael Kors watch is from Macy's. Lastly to round out this color blocked jewel tone look I decided to wear my Kate Moss Rimmel Lipstick 04 in "Rosetto." This plum lip help to bring out the other jewel tones and created the picture perfect finish (the lipstick is pictured below).

I hope this post inspires you to throw on your jewel tones this weekend! Don't be afraid to rock out and be bold! Have a great weekend, I'll see you on Monday :)

Same Girl Different Hair Review/OOTD

As a one out of millions of fashion bloggers I like to view other fashion blogs to celebrate the differences, to gather inspiration, and to support others in a field which I adore...Fashion. When I stumbled on Confessions Of A Glamaholic (check it out at: www.confessionsofaglamaholic.com) almost a year ago I was very impressed and intrigued by one of my native Michiganders (a Detroit native),  who happens to be a young, African American woman doing her thing! She (along with her Glamaholic Team) created a blog that is hip, informative, and spot on with today's trends. Mia Ray, has created an empire. In just two years, she's started her blog, her Glamaholic Lifestyle (a space where you can shop all things Glamaholic), and her ever growing brand "Same Girl Different Hair" which now offers hair extensions.

I follow Mia through her blog, on Instagram,  and Facebook (I promise I'm not a stalker lol). She is such a kind soul. Very real and down to earth. Her personality is infectious. Although I've only met her once, I feel like I've known her forever. So, I felt it was only right to support her as she launched her newest project...hair extensions. For all that know me, you know I love to change up my hair, explore different trends, experiment with makeup etc. So I highly identified with Mia's slogan "Same Girl Different Hair." I've never liked to be thrown in a box when it comes to my hair. I like to experiment and have fun. I was growing tired of my box braids (lets take a moment of silence for them...they served their purpose for 3 long months) but I was missing my old friend - the sew in lol.  So I decided to give Same Girl Different Hair extensions a try. I purchased two 18" bundles (each bundle roughly contains about 4 oz of hair) of Brazilian Deep Wave . The hair is naturally curly. It has a thick/full texture (which blends well with my naturally thick hair) yet it is very light and bouncy. I am highly in love with this hair.

I wanted to give you a quick glimpse of the hair and show you my chill OOTD.

"SAME GIRL DIFFERENT HAIR" HAIR EXTENSIONS
Here is the hair in it's natural state. It has a wavy curl. It looks awesome but it feels even better. I even heard one of Mia's followers refer to it as "silk!"

THE INSTALLATION

Here is a collage of my hair after getting the extensions installed. They were installed by a wonderful stylist by the name of Shyanne. Follow her on Instagram at thee_stylist. I left the perimeter of my hair out so I can pull the hair in a high ponytail (if I choose too).

THE FINAL RESULT
I'm thoroughly pleased with the hair and the installation. The hair is perfect. Just check the pics, it looks like I have a fan blowing the hair lol. But it's just plain ol' good hair.

OOTD - TOMBOY CHIC
Ok, I felt like rocking my J's yesterday. I thought I was cute after getting my hair done, so here's what I came up with. I wore a faux leather blazer from Forever 21, a denim button up shirt from Target, some faux leather denim jeans from Forever 21, my all black Jordan's (IV), my heart charm necklace, heart charm bracelet, my silver hoop earrings, and my silver Michael Kors watch.

If you don't get anything else from this post, check out www.samegirldifferenthair.com for some awesome hair extensions. I promise you won't be disappointed. 

Hot Mama: Maternity Chic

It seems like this year was the year of weddings and babies. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm getting older and it's just about that time, but it seems like every time I log onto Facebook someone is announcing that they are with child :)! What a blessing! I'm not there yet, but I told my hubby when I'm preggo I want to look and feel like a "Hot Mama!" So to all my mothers to be out there, who said "you have to look wear over sized, baggy, frumpy clothes just because you are pregnant?" Today's post will give you some style tips from Hollywood's cutest mommy's - to - be (while they were/are carrying their bundles of joy)!

KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN
Kourtney has always been a girly girl. Being pregnant did not stop this pint sized diva from keeping her girly attire. She is so cute pregnant. She loves to pair flowy blouses with blazers and leggings, fitted long white tees with a vest, jeans, and pumps. She even will throw on a fitted wrap dress or a blazer and a maxi dress to spice it up. Whatever she steps out in, she lets mommy's across the world know that its okay to showcase your feminine beauty all while your body is amazingly changing to adapt to the growing baby inside.

She sticks with neutrals here in romantic, flowy materials. She also uses leggings and blazers as her go to pieces.

Here we see Kourtney is all about comfort. Maxi dress with sandals and a bright blazer, Sweater with leggings and boots, and striped blazer with white tee and black jeans with ballet flats. Comfort is key (I would imagine) while being pregnant.

TAMERA MOWRY HOUSELY
Tamera is one half of the famous twin duo "Tia & Tamera." Tamera recently just had a baby boy last month. But while pregnant Tamera loved to rock fitted dresses, blazers, and maxi's. I would think a dress would be the easiest thing to slip on while being pregnant, allowing your legs to be free :)

Tamera likes form fitted dresses (in jewel tones) but on the flip side she likes sheer blouses and jeans.

MAMA B AKA BEYONCE'
I know Blue Ivy is probably quickly approaching 1 by now. But Beyonce's pregnancy is the epitome of being a "Hot Mama!" She did not let the fact that she was pregnant stop her from wearing sky high pumps, wedges, sexy - flirty dresses, and sequined jumpsuits. She let her glamorous side shine through during her entire pregnancy.

Heels, Leggings, Prints, and Neutrals these are things that describe Mrs. B whether she is pregnant or not!

Printed dress and Blazer, Jeans, and Scarf cute pieces that create a closet of fab maternity wear!

As you can see from all three of these ladies, although your body is going through major changes it doesn't mean that your wardrobe has to suffer. Celebrate the beauty of change so you can come off as one "HOT MAMA!" A very special shout out to all my subbies who are pregnant especially Tashauna, Brittney, and Mashira!!!  For more cute maternity looks check out: Target, Jessica Simpson's Maternity Line at Macy's, and Motherhood.