life has been...

pretty intense to say the least..

the struggles that my family has had with heart disease came crashing in last week and my mom had to have emergency heart bypass surgery.

i wont go into all of the details, i am just glad that although she had some complications post surgery, she is today on her way to recovery.

i am just checking in and on my way to the beach, a little later than i normally like to go but i just want to hopefully find a quiet spot and do some reading...

i am currently reading the south beach heart health revolution.

it's not fun, summer reading but i started reading it weeks ago and feel like after all that has happened, that i really need to get more on top of my own health.

on a happier note, i got this bag in the mail the other day and i love it...it really made me smile when i really needed to smile...

it's the lyon bag from shoedazzle....it's no longer available but here is a similar bag.

today is one of those days...

with temps over 100 degrees that in order to get thru, you need to move slowly, speak softly and have a sense of humor and good music...





stay cool people!

it's that time of the summer...

when the temps rise and so does my desire for the cooler days of autumn...

rich, delicious reds, oranges, creams, browns, blues, greys and greens are dominating my color inspiration board...

i am looking forward to all of the heavier textures and warmth of the colors and fabrics 

here are some of the items that are all about autumn for me...

sexy steve madden suede platform

haute juicy couture red snakeskin

steve madden lace jacquard jacket

rich chinese laundry chocolate snakeskin

classic asos curve pleated orange midi

gorgeous michael kors chain link watch

calvin klein python print sheath dress

my fab tommy hilfiger weekender bag

i am getting so excited!

Chicago Fashion Connect Fashion Industry Mixer

I attended the Chicago Fashion Connect Fashion July Industry Mixer the other evening and although I normally am not a big fan of these types of meet and greets, because it usually just feels like a bunch of people shoving cards, I actually enjoyed it very much.

Chicago Fashion Connect founder Raven

It was a smaller crowd (which probably has a lot to do with why I enjoyed it) with interesting people from a variety of industries, from designers, to stylists to bloggers, like moi.

with Lisa from 312 Style

the guys from Left of Trend and BriteChicago

The next mixer is August 2nd at Citizen Bar. Details can be found here.

City Chic Bloggers Lookbook

A while back the folks at City Chic invited me to be a part of their new bloggers lookbook and because I like the brand, I gladly agreed.

The lookbook features a bunch of bloggers rockin some of their favorite pieces from City Chic's collections.

Because I really dig this flower mesh contrast dress that I got from City Chic last year, I chose to wear it.

Here are some of the pics that I took.

I mixed it up a bit with knee high boots, open toe booties and peep toe heels 

and a bunch of different handbags.

Check out the Lookbook and if you haven't before, check out Chic TV for some glam runway looks that I hope will be on sale here in the states soon!

rockin kmart...yes kmart

i have always been a kmart shopper and even been sucked into a blue light special or two in the past.

historically i mainly purchase home goods, undies, electronics (i got my new camera from there) and food stuff from them but rarely clothing because let's be frank, the plus size dept has historically been, well, whack.

i am glad to say that they have upped their game with the launch months back of their LYS line and even the jaclyn smith plus size line is slowly losing some of its grandma edge.

i have purchased several pieces of the LYS line this year and i made one of my weekly jaunts to kmart sunday and they were having a sale and most of the LYS was 50% off.

here are a couple of pieces that i own.

i wore this dress yesterday...

it's a very relaxed comfortable dress and i will probably wear it with leggings and flats and maybe even open as a jacket at some point

dress: kmart LYS | shoes: payless LES that i have had for years | 

bag: coach | jewelry: random

and here is a snapshot of one of the other pieces that i own that i took on the fly while out shopping one day...

this dress comes to my ankles and it's summer perfect..

i have been searching for the perfect corset, ie comfortable enough for me yet strong enough to do the job at hand, so that i can wear more of my strapless dresses with ease because my girls are major.

in the meantime, i tend to use tops or sweaters as wraps to add more support.

i also always check the "straight" size dept because the right cut on a piece in an XL can work for me.

a month or so ago, i got a cute dress from the attention line that i will hopefully get to rock at some point this week...i love the colors and pattern

rockin the red...the white...the blue

i have a fun filled celebration on tap and i hope that you do too!

one of the dresses that will be helping me do it!!

happy independence!