Bay Area Fashionista

Jewelry trends: Layered Necklaces

 in Eco Chic / General Fashion / Jewelry / Local Designers  tagged necklaces / spring 2011 / twisted silver by

The spring 2011 runway collections showed bold sized jewelry that looks amazing on stage, but when the bold pieces arrived on store shelves, they had a hard time making onto city streets. The idea of Chanel’s shoulder dusting earrings from the runway seemed fabulous at the time they were first spotted, but very few people actually buy and wear earrings that are the same size as the ones seen on the runway. Many jewelry trends start on the streets, because jewelry needs to be functional and fashionable at the same time.

Fashion-savvy jewelry lovers look at what was shown on the runways and then they look insides their jewelry boxes to see what looks similar, or can be mixed together, to create the same vibe as the one from the runways. When a trend or look is not already in one’s jewelry box, then a Fashionista will run to the stores and find something that is similar and fits into the runway trends without being too over-the-top. There is nothing more annoying than wearing jewelry that gets in the way.

The necklaces that were shown on the New York, Paris and Milan spring 2011 runways were bold and large. On most people, these types of necklaces appear overbearing, not to mention overdone. In order to create the same, neck-filled look as seen on the runway, Fashionistas everywhere are layering necklaces.  

Here are three trends which have been spotted on the street as well as on Paparazzi shots of celebrities out and about:

1)      Mix three or four dainty necklaces together. This fills up the neck and collar bone area while remaining understated.

2)      Wear a pendant necklace under a rough or artistic gemstone necklace. This creates texture and can be customized to fill space left open from any neckline.

3)      Bold on Bold. Mix a chunky chain with a chunky pendant. This creates the look of the large bold necklaces from the runway without being huge and clunky. You can mix any amount of necklaces you want; two, four six or even eight! Fabulous!

Necklaces can easily be layered using fine jewelry, silver jewelry or costume jewelry. Jewelry can easily be layered with or without gemstones. There are so many possibilities when you layer necklaces.

The layered necklace trend is the perfect opportunity for shopping your jewelry box and re-inventing necklaces you have not worn in a few years. An out of date piece can instantly be updated when layered with other necklaces.

You may find you have a necklace in your jewelry box that is begging to be layered yet you do not have the proper necklace for layering. Never fear! Fabulous shops are near  Great online shops, which stock necklaces that are perfect for layering include; Twisted Silver at twisted-silver.com (use code INSIDERS for a 15% discount) and Fablogue.com.  Happy shopping and stay fabulous 

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Twisted Silver necklaces: Contessa Necklace with specia, one-of-a-kind Twisted Silver necklace. Photo: Jefra Starr Linn for Twisted Silver

Acme Made Lombard Sleeve for Mac is fabulous and practical!

 in General Fashion / Handbags / Local Designers  tagged acme made / laptop cases / spring 2011 / tech gear by

Bay Area based Acme Made has done it again! The laptop, camera and lunch case company has designed a MacBook sleeve, the Lombard Sleeve, which not only protects your MacBook from the world, it looks fabulous and on-trend for 2011.

The Lombard Sleeve has a pretty antic design which is soft white and black with purple interior. This makes the Lombard Sleeve easy to wear with spring 2011’s bright and bold colors as well as the all-white trend. Since the fall 2011 runways are close to being over, we also know that colors, especially red, are not going anywhere.

Another trend from the fall runways is wearing black and white in the form of large color blocks, or wearing a black top with white bottoms; or vice-versa. The Lombard Sleeve will easily compliment an outfit that is black and white for fall as well as full of color, without clashing.

Most sleeves need to be tucked into a tote or held like a large clutch. The Lombard Sleeve by Acme Made comes with a handy shoulder strap that is detachable, allowing the sleeve to be worn as a laptop case or slipped inside a larger tote. The Lombard Sleeve is made for the MacBook Pro in either 13” or 15” sizes.

For more information about the Lombard Sleeve by Acme Made, please visit acmemade.com.

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Photos: c/o Acme Made Lombard Case. $49.95 at acmemade.com. Photos: Bay Area Fashionista

Shopping tips after losing weight

 in General Fashion / Shopping  tagged tips by

Losing weight is usually a happy time for a Fashionista, until one realizes everything in the closet is way too big! Although this is a good problem to have, most peoples’ wallets are not too pleased about the problem. Aside from the expected expense of buying an entire new wardrobe, the tiresome task of doing some major shopping can not only seem time-consuming on paper, it can seem downright daunting.

Since buying a new, smaller size wardrobe is supposed to be fun, here is a checklist for making the most of your time and money while shopping for the new, small you!

Plan of attack: Before you hit the mall, you will need a plan of attack. 

1)      Check your budget. The last thing you want to do is go crazy at the mall and exceed your budget. Look at your monthly income and expenses and calculate your disposable income. If you fear it may not be enough, it is OK to take a small amount from your savings-as long as you do not “blow the wad” on your shopping trip. Just remember, the last thing you want to do is run up credit card debt.

2)      Take a day off work: Week-ends and evenings are the worst times to shop. The best time to shop is on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the stores open. So treat yourself to a day off from work and arrive at the mall when they unlock the doors. Not only will the mall be fairly empty, the sale associates will be well-rested and be able to give you individual attention since they will not be juggling week-end crowds.

3)      Wear comfortable shoes. As fabulous as wearing a new pair of dress shoes (men) or a pair of hot new Louboutin’s may seem, your feet will hurt and your shopping trip will be cut short. Go for flatter shoes that you could walk for miles in; literally.

4)      Wear clothing that is easy to take on and off. If you wear several layers that involve buttons, zippers and ties, you will get annoyed taking them on and off every time you want to try on clothes. Wear something light and easy to take on and off.

5)      To bring a friend or to not bring a friend, that is the question. This is an individual preference. Do you have a friend who will focus on YOU and not her boyfriend who is cheating on her? Pick your shopping buddy carefully. This day is all about YOU, so if you bring a friend, make sure s/he will concentrate on you and give you an honest opinion about what you try on. Do not bring more than one person with you if you decide to buddy up. Too many cooks. . .well, you know the saying!

6)      Get help! Sales Associates are more than happy to help you out. Make sure you explain that you have recently lost weight and are looking for a new wardrobe. Also, let him or her know about your budget so that s/he will suggest items you can actually afford. A Sales Associate will also help you get new sizes when you are half-dressed in the fitting room. So luxurious!

7)      Try everything on! Do not buy something because you think it is cute and you may be able to fit into it. Try everything on, especially since you may not know your current size. Also, take several sizes into the fitting room with you and do not be afraid to ask the sales associate to bring you new sizes. They will be more than happy to help you and trying on several sizes will help you discover your new “tag number range.”

8)      Do not concern yourself with the number on the tag. Every designer, brand, cut and style will fit differently. You might find yourself wearing size 10 Gap jeans, size 12 Bebe trousers and size 6 Ann Taylor khaki pants. The size means nothing; it is all about the fit.

9)      The Shopping List: This is the most important part of your trip. You need a skeleton wardrobe to start off your new small you, so make sure you do not impulse buy while you shop! Make a shopping list of items you know you live in and will need the most. Stick to buying basics the first time around such as jeans, black pants, a navy suit (men), little black dress (women) etc.

10)   Have fun! This is the new you and this shopping excursion is a celebration of how hard you worked to lose weight and how fabulous you are inside and out. Cheers and enjoy your new wardrobe!