{shopping} white blazers...

i need a white blazer and i can't decide which i love more.

this one, with its fun peplum hem

or this one...

they both would do what i love a good blazer to do, cinch at the waist and showcase my curves.

so i just can't decide! hmmm...maybe the second one...it's such a classic shape...but the peplum on the first one is such a cute touch...LOL...decisions, decisions...

{shopping} in the stores...forever21+

after seeing this deco feather dress on forever21's website the other day, i fell in love with it and had to go and hopefully purchase one.

the good: the colors are just as pretty in person as they are online

{#fbff} oh you fancy huh?

it's been a minute since i have added my 2 cents to an FBFF post but this weeks topic was one that i thought would definitely bring about some interesting opinions so i am throwing mine out there as well.

apparently some bloggers are posting about only rockin items once, so this weeks topic is "The One-Time Use Phenomenon". why this is being called a "Phenomenon" i don't know, but it inspired my title of this post, so, roll with it...

1. Are you a one-time wearer? - no & yes. if i have rocked something once, it definitely wasn't because i have an issue with repeating. most of the time it could have been fit or it turned out that i just didn't love it as much as i thought, or hell it could have just gotten lost in the closet cave after the first wearing.

2. Do you feel the need to purchase something new for an evening out or a special event? - it depends on the event but most of the time i can usually find something in my closet but if nothing is working for me, i will go on the hunt to get something that does without hesitation.

3. Re-mixing is something a lot of bloggers are proud of being able to accomplish - are you a re-mixing pro or do you shy away from posting items frequently? Why? - well if i posted OOTDs more often, you would see a slew of remixing because i have some things that i really love, so i rock them way hard. like this incredible jacket here which i am going to wear till the threads run bare.  and my black sequin skirt, which has made a few appearances, like here and here i wear it day and night. dressy and casual.

{rock} that pop of color & polka dots...

i love my white jeans but i always like to add a nice pop of color when i rock them to set the look off.

so since it was a bit chilly out i wore the fab coat that the folks at Penningtons sent to me. (thanks guys!)

it is such a fun color... it has an almost neon vibe to it, which i think my love of is well documented ;).

{shopping} Clements Ribeiro for @EvansClothing

If you are like me and your love of flowers, hearts and whimsy on fashion is blooming more and more every day, this is the collection for you.

I have featured Evans plenty of times here on le blog, and wanted to share their latest collection, Clements Ribeiro Swan (which i got a little sneak peek at while in NYC).

Clements Ribeiro is a London based couple/design duo who are a celeb favorite and this their first collection for Evans, is true to their brand's eclectic and feminine vibe.

The male 1/2 of the duo, Ignacio Ribeiro, told British Vogue that the goal was to create a collection that was "far from being apologetic or patronising" and that they wanted to "celebrate.. curves and voluptuousness"

Kudos!

The collection is trendy with a vintage flair.

love this!

{shopping} strapless...color blocked...fab...

i tweeted this forever 21 dress earlier but thought i would share  it on le blog.

i love the colors and the fun way that they are feathered out.

{life} getting organized...

For years I had hoped to attend an Oprah show. Back in the day, I would call the number over and over and NEVER got thru and when they switched to online submissions, I was there. But once again...nada.

So low and behold, I can not believe that I got tickets to the Oprah's Lifeclass Tour in St Louis, MO!

Fab right?

{events} @RandolphMarket Spring Fling

Geeked that the fabulous folks at Randolph Street Market have added an early Spring market to their calendar!


Spring is the time to shake off the winter months & for me that means changing out things in my wardrobe and round the flat.

This Saturday & Sunday folks in Chicago can expect to do just that and more!

Like snag some jellybean bright flora, fauna and tulips and decorative goodies.

There will be also be entertainment tips and floral arrangement demonstrations by Style Guru Ramsey Jay Prince.

And of course there will be eats! chocolate bunnies (yumm), Easter eggs, and a visual and edible shopping feast!

And while the grown folks get their shop on, the kiddos get to check out the Easter Bunny.

And as if all that wasn't enough, there will be hidden Easter eggs containing Market Bucks, Summer Season Passes, sweet treats and more!

I can't wait!

Get more info and discounted tics in advance here.

{rock} i had to have these!

their cool tropical breeze pulled me in...and the sale price didn't hurt either!

{events} i am a citizen of the planet...

This is the title of one of my favorite Alanis Morissette songs but as I wrote previously, it is very appropriate for today.

Today is World Water Day.

It is the day that the U.N. designates as the day to remind us that much of the world still faces a global water, sanitation and hygiene crisis.

This is probably something that we never think about as we sit in our homes or even when we are out and have access to fresh water whenever we want.

I for one know that there are times when i am not conscious of my water consumption. I have a bad habit of turning the water on in the bathroom, dropping my towel in the sink and walking out.

So I appreciate this day, where water and how truly precious it is is brought to the forefront, it reminds me to be aware and so grateful and motivates me to try to do my part to help those who don't have water pouring from their faucet on command.

You can get involved by sharing information and you can even DONATE YOUR VOICE by allowing messages to be posted to your twitter or facebook feeds.

Learn more here and follow the World Water Day Twitter streams #WaterDay or #WorldWater

{events} Get Cheeky w/Real People of Style @900Shops

Cheeky Chicago is putting on it's 3rd Annual Real People of Style Spring Fashion Show.

It will feature some cool Chicago folks from various industries struttin their stuff down the runway in some of Spring's it things from various 900 North Michigan Shops.

{rock} kiss jeweled nail strips...

of course it's no secret that i am a huge fan of the sally hansen salon effects polish strips (seen here, here and here) but i also have a bunch other brands of instant nail art in my arsenal.

the latest that i rocked is the kiss nail dress fashion nail jeweled strips.

{diy} spring organizing...

this fabulous early spring weather has me making changes around my flat to remove the weight of winter.

i am putting up lighter curtains, i purchased some tangerine paint and i have already started painting a table and there is no telling where it might show up at :)

as i was organizing my desk today, which has a tendency to become a dumping ground for most things, i decided that i really needed a place for my henri bendel pop phone.

although i am not a major fan of talking on the phone, i love this thing with its' signature bendel stripes and it really has come in handy and made me actually use my iphone for more than tweetin while in the flat.

i couldn't find the bendel one online but the pop phone comes in so many fun colors and i would seriously love this fabulous one.

anyway, the solution that i came up with for storing my pop phone was to take one of the many glass containers that i have and cover it in faux black leather contact paper and it was pretty easy.

{rock} OOTD: flowers and sequins...

today i attended another feast on fashion at the waldorf astoria
and  i took one of my favorite style combinations to the nth degree!

(another fun floral jacket | sequin skirt, previously seen here and similar one
  london fog bag | gomax wedges | watch | sunnies

{entertainment} my #fashionstar live tweetin recap...

i live tweeted the premiere of fashion star last night.

here are some of my highlights:

the good:

there is a plus size designer who's design was picked up by macys but there is a sidebar (see below)

oscar and his crying and drama

the bad:

oscar and his crying and drama

that arrogant, ridiculous nicholas...

the side show dancers...uhh why?

it was major disappointing that macys and the plus size designer (who talked about not being able to find clothes that fit), released her chosen design in sizes small thru xl.

part of my disappointment stems from the fact that i am a major macys advocate and post about them regularly here on the blog.

and i am always pushing them for plus size shopping.

and if you follow me on foursquare, you know that i shop there almost weekly and i am always posting about deals and sales while there.

i was actually there yesterday buying a blazer.

so the fact that they chose to only go up to xl at what could have been a huge opportunity for them to show how much they really are for all women, is personal for me.

and i along with others tweeted them about it.

and while of course this show has been in the works for months, so whatever they were going to make, they have already made, i would hope that they really would take this feedback to heart.

{shopping} chevron love...dresses

chevron is everywhere!

i am rockin it and loving it,

i especially love the colors they have used for the style on these dresses

Ruched Maxi | Wrap Style | Flutter Sleeve Maxi | Kimono Style

{events} we came, we saw, the SodaStream'd #CBNSodaStream

this moment right here had me sweatin (and messing up my record 

of really great self taken iphone pics - bwaa!)...

and mind you i am not the star struck kind of girl but i have always loved me some her.

{events} 2012 Green Festival Chicago

One of my favorite events the past couple of years has been the Green Festival.

This year it is taking place in Chicago, May 5th and 6th at Navy Pier.

There are also dates scheduled for New York in April, Washington D.C in September and San Francisco and LA in November, so if you live in either one of those cities, make sure you check out the Green Festivals website to get more information.

If you are wondering about some of the things you can expect to see and participate in at a Green Festival, check out my previous recap.

As you can see, it is fun and full of great green and sustainable products, from food to fashion.

There are also workshops, entertainment, demonstrations, a green marketplace and interactive fun for kids and adults.

I am a member of the Host Committee and part of the media team, so you will see posts here on my blog and tweets about the upcoming events.

One of the cool things about an event like this, is that everyone can be a part of it by volunteering.

Volunteering opportunities are available in a host of different areas, from street team to box office to bike valet and everything in between.

There is truly something for everyone. Oh and the kids can come along and volunteer as well for those of you who have kids 10 and up.

And of course groups are welcome as well, so if you have a bunch of folks who like to give a little back, this would be a good time to put in a few hours for a good cause while having fun with your crew.

Check out the PDF of Job Descriptions for specific volunteer jobs information.

BONUS: When you volunteer, you get free access to the show the entire weekend and more great benefits (check them out here)!

There is a lot that goes into making this a successful event, so volunteers are needed starting NOW, and we would love to have you on board.

Please leave me a comment or tweet me any questions that you may have.

{rock} sally hansen salon effects spring collection

my love for the sally hansen salon effects is no secret, as shown in my many posts about them, so needless to say, i was excited to see the their spring collection.

{Featured} How I Rock My Jeans...

This series is brought to you by Levi’s® Curve ID. Find your custom fit at Levi’s® stores or Levi.com

When I worked in corporate America, I mainly wore skirts and dresses because that was the dress code unless it was casual Friday.

Now most of the time I dress pretty casually because my day to day consists of running around town either to a client, getting a little shopping therapy in or taking care of the never ending list of errands that I have.

Over the years I have come to love rockin jeans more than ever.

Partly because there are so many more styles and options available in my size.

But mainly because it is so easy to throw on a fab pair of jeans with the right top and some haute shoes and BAM, I am ready for any occasion.

Sometimes I want to actually jazz it up a bit, so I pair my jeans with a fancier top and say a pair of fantastic platform booties.

booties | top (thrifted)

I love those occasions when I am going out to an event or a nice dinner and I can rock this kind of look.

{shopping} plus size on blast

I am always happy to see plus size fashion being touted on national tv. Hopefully the more exposure the more options to come.

Today Bobbby Thomas centered her "Bobby's Buzz" around her picks for fun, affordable plus size fashion.






The conversation started off with the never ending, never to be defined question: "what is plus size?"

{elevate} International Women's Day

Today March 8th is International Women's Day!

It's a day to celebrate women and all that we contribute and are.

I was looking over my previous post celebrating this day and decided to link to it, because I think the questions that I am asking myself and suggested that others ask themselves are always relevant and worthy of asking at any time.

But I also wanted to add something that I am sure you have seen all over the internet and on posters and other things, the Holstee Manifesto.

It sums up life and living in a pretty fantastic way.

So hopefully today, if you are are a woman, you will take some time to celebrate yourself and the other women in your world. And perhaps take some of the Manifesto and apply it to your life.

And even if you are not a woman, hopefully you will take a moment to celebrate women, even in the smallest of ways today.

Happy International Women's Day.

{life} hiding out in the big apple...

here are a few of the many snapshots of my latest new york jaunt...

the energy of the city balances me...
so much so that i wont even go into how/why i missed my flight home,
lest it taint my good memories...

{beauty} giving you face

i don't write about it nearly enough, but i love makeup.

I remember being like 9 years old hanging out with a friend playing with the stuff and just being fascinated with what you could do with it.

Like how a few swoops of black liner can either make you look demure or badass.

And how mascara made my lashes pop. How eye shadow was like crayons for your eyes. All the fabulous colors and all the fun you could create with them!

It was all child's play but it cemented it in my mind, the magic of makeup.

Recently I was going thru some boxes and came across old pics of myself and they got me to thinking about how my look has changed over the years.

As i have gotten older, i have gone from what was my signature look:

{celebrities} shutter perfection

This past awards season has been a fantastic time for a couple of our favorite plus size actresses, who were constant fixtures on the red carpet

Of course there is multi award winner Octavia Spencer (see my feature on her award style here).

And just as prominent on the scene was Melissa McCarthy.

Needless to say, there has been a lot of debate about Melissa McCarthy's fashion choices on the red carpet and while a few of the dresses just didn't do it for me, this look is perfect for her body.

[similar here, a lighter color here and a fab longer gown style here}

It fits her body and shows off her shape and the shutter pleats drape any areas that she might want to camouflage.

A definite winner.

{shopping} plexi-land...

i love this fun pendant that purpleandlime sent me to thank me for being featured on Rack Chicago via my The Chicago Fashion daily.

the owner of purpleandlime Rebecca, obviously has a great sense of humor and her work speaks to it.

{rock} Rachel Roy Ghana Clutch

i love when something that i love, that being fashion can be used for the greater good 

and the pretty much sold out Rachel Roy Ghana Clutch is just that.

the statement says it all.

the net profits from the sale of the clutch benefit OrphanAid Africa, 

a non-profit that supports children in Ghana.