Bay Area Fashionista

Beach bags for summer 2014

 in General Fashion / Handbags / Swimwear  tagged beach / casual style / summer 2014 / totes by

One of the necessities for summer 2014 is a fabulous beach bag! When the sandy beach calls, the last thing you want to do is bring your prized designer tote to the beach where it can be bleached by sun, filled with sand, get wet; or who knows what?! Beach days call for a beach tote which is playful and reflective of the fun times that can be had while playing on the sand, in the water, and around a beach town.

There are so many things to look for in the perfect beach tote. The main features a beach tote needs for the summer season is to be sturdy, roomy, easy to wear over the shoulder (never know when you need to free up your hands for a boogie board, surf board, cooler, etc.), colorful, and lightweight. For summer 2014, there are many beach bags on the market which fill these needs. Since this is the case, it is time to start looking for a pattern, print, color combination, and style which fits your personality; and your hot-off-the-runway beach-wear!

For summer 2014, beach bags are being shown with classic nautical stripes, in bright colors, clear PVC, with playful prints, catchy sayings and in timeless straw. Since beach bag styles for summer are a little bit different than the trends we saw on the runways, they are not in line with the trends we are seeing in swimwear and beachwear for the summer 2014 season. 

When wearing beachwear or swimwear in graphic prints, stripes and with sporty inspiration, look for a solid colored beach bag, clear PVC, or one with a solid background and kitschy saying in one color. This way the beach tote will stand on its’ own without competing with your overall ensemble.

If you are going for a classic, all-black look on the beach, or a brightly colored ensemble in solid hues, look for a beach bag with stripes, a playful print or straw. This will add dimension to your solid hued look and make your beach bag a focal point in your overall look. Love that!

I found a few fabulous beach totes around the web for summer 2014 and assembled them into the shopping widget below. I hope you love them! Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 😉

What are your favorite beach tote styles for summer 2014?

Essie Ruffles & Feathers summer 2014 nail polish review

 in Beauty / Nail Polish  tagged essie / green / reviews / summer 2014 by

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Pictured: Essie “Ruffles & Feathers” nail polish from Essie’s Summer 2014 nail polish collection. Shown with two coats color and one base coat. No top coat.

One of the big trends in nail polish for the summer 2014 season is green! This is a great lead into fall 2014 as one of the most important colors for autumn will be hunter green. Although falls’ green will be dark, summers’ green is a great warm-up for getting into the green spirit 🙂 

When I spotted Essie’s “Ruffles & Feather’s” while shopping at Target, I was immediately drawn to the slightly blueish tint to the otherwise classic green hue. I love how the green color is cool and looks more blue when placed next to ocean hues and shades of pinks. I also love how when next to neutrals and black, Essie’s “Ruffles & Feathers” takes on a more classic green hue. It is such a beautiful color!

I applied two coats of Essie’s “Ruffles & Feathers” with one base coat, and no top coat. The nail polish is extremely long lasting and has lasted nine days without chipping! Love that! I am shocked the nail polish has not chipped; especially since I did some house-cleaning and swimming!

My apologies for my sample photo, I seem to have applied Essie “Ruffles & Feathers” a little too thick, and as a result, I have some bubbling on my nails. Despite the bubbles, you are still able to see the true color and how pretty it is!

Essie’s “Ruffles & Feather’s” nail polish is limited edition and part of Essie’s summer 2014 nail polish color collection. “Ruffles & Feather’s” by Essie can be found online here, here, here and here. Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 😉

Office appropriate

 in General Fashion  tagged asos / classic style / fall 2014 / office attire / outfits / summer 2014 / valentino by

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Pictured: Earrings: Kathy Kamei (old, similar here)/ Lipstick: c/o Dolce & Gabbana “Petal” / Blouse: River Island / Skirt: Banana Republic / Handbag: Chanel / Bracelets: Love Heals (also love SAVE or SPLURGE), c/o Twisted Silver (use code INSIDERS for a 15% discount) / Nail Polish: Essie “Ruffles & Feathers” / Shoes: Valentino

If only we could wear avant-garde attire to the office! Alas, this is only reality if you work in an extremely creative environment where dressing creatively enhances your career. In the rest of the corporate world, there is casual, business casual and business attire. Ho-hum.

When dressing for a corporate environment, I try to stay conservative and express myself through color, or by downplaying a runway trend. Black and white together is a huge trend in 2014. It also happens to be considered classic, therefore, it is a great trend to wear to the office, since it has conservative, timeless appeal. I decided to bring white into this outfit through this blouse by River Island. The back of the blouse offers a wide, tired design which drapes down the back and has a slightly relaxed fit. Although the blouse is wide, and can easily be worn with jeans, heels and a clutch for an evening out, it is also understated enough to fit into an office environment with a business dress code. Love that!

Although this blouse is a new favorite of mine for both work and play, the real gem in this ensemble is what I am wearing on my feet! Imagine my surprise when I arrived home last week and found a box on my doorstep from Neiman Marcus. What could it be? I was confused when I saw it sitting in front of my door, after all, the only thing I had purchased from Neiman Marcus in the past month had been a pair of fall 2014 Rockstuds by Valentino; and they were not being sent to me until October 2014!

Excited, I opened up the box, and much to my surprise, they were the Rockstuds! How could this be?! I was not expecting these beautiful shoes until October, and here they were, in my hands during the month of June! Of course, I cannot wait until the fall season to start wearing them, so naturally I paired my new fall shoes with my office-appropriate black and white outfit! How could I not?

Have you ever pre-ordered an item for an upcoming season and to your surprise, received the item early? If so, please share your story!