Saturday, January 27, 2018

Embracing Color in Fashion

Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography

Hello! An alternate title for this post could easily be "saying sayonara to your army of little black dresses" but I didn't want to scare anyone off before diving into the post. I want to start off by saying that four years ago, my wardrobe looked nothing like it looks today. Little black dresses, jackets and skirts dominated my wardrobe. I embraced prints but shied away from color. But for what reason? There are many reasons why it's easy to gravitate towards black garments: they're easy to style, go with everything and can work for many different occasions. But is wearing black all the time really that fun? Where's the excitement and creativity in that?

I moved back to Richmond about a year and a half ago and that's when I felt my color preference shift from black to dreamy pastel hues and other eye-catching colors. Moving back to Richmond inspired a rush of creativity and with that creativity came color. And with that color came happiness. It's said that wearing cheery colors positively impacts your mood and the mood of those around you; I certainly support that notion. Now I fully embrace and welcome vibrant colors into my wardrobe. You only live once, do you really want to live your life wearing black clothes everyday?

Now, I'm not saying to immediately rid your wardrobe of everything black but to give color a chance.  Wear that vibrant red dress every once in a while. Break free from the routine of styling ease and challenge yourself with color, see how it impacts your mood. And for me? I plan on saying "yes" to those vibrant hues and "goodbye" to a sea of black dresses more and more in 2018. 

Photos by Rachel Dwyer Photography. You can see more of her work on her website here or her Instagram here

Red, yellow and blue striped top: c/o SheIn
Red pants: c/o Shein
Platform heels: Jeffrey Campbell 
Yellow purse: Vintage
Glasses and sunglasses: c/o Giant Vintage
Cherry necklace: c/o Julbox

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Sunday, January 21, 2018

8 Ways to Stay Stylish on a Tight Budget

Photo by Alexis Locklear
Photo by Alexis Locklear
Photo by Alexis Locklear
Photo by Alexis Locklear
Photo by Alexis Locklear
Photo by Alexis Locklear
Photo by Alexis Locklear
Photo by Alexis Locklear

Hello! If you know me then you know that I'm pretty thrifty when it comes to fashion. My mom always taught me to save on fashion growing up and to this day, I still try to make the most out of a small budget.  Most people don't have a ton of money to spend on fashion (myself included.) And that's totally okay. You don't need to have a lot of money in order to dress well. You may just have to get a little more creative with your shopping habits. I actually cringe at any piece of clothing with a price tag higher than $25 (side note: I'm willing to splurge on the shoes.) Don't believe me? Let me do a quick run down on the cost of this look to kick off this post:

Vintage purple sequin dress: $14 at a local thrift shop
Faux fur leopard print coat: $5 at a flea market
Pink scrunchie: $4 via Etsy
Pink lipstick: $5 via ColourPop
Sunglasses: c/o Giant Vintage (sponsored)
Thigh-high boots: ~$200 (okay, okay, I get that $200 is a L-O-T of money BUT it's important to invest in quality pieces such as these boots that will elevate the style of the rest of your wardrobe.)

Want to know how I do it? Keep reading for eight ways to stay stylish on a tight budget:

1. Scour local thrift shops for great vintage finds. Learn if thrift shops near you offer discounts on certain days and take advantage of that- save every dollar that you can! Embracing your personal sense of style shouldn't have to break the bank. If you have enough free time, take a day and branch out to thrift stores in surrounding areas to yours; there may be a different selection of items to choose from. I've found that the further you go from metropolitan areas, the less picked over the selection is in thrift shops.

2. Do a quick google search to see if there are any consignment shops or resale shops in your area. These stores offer trendy items at prices much friendlier than the prices you see at the mall or in your favorite online boutique. You can also try to sell pieces in your wardrobe that you no longer love to these stores. Resale shops often offer more $ back if you accept store credit rather than cash which means that you can edit your wardrobe and update it with a couple new pieces at the same time while hardly spending anything.

3. Make a trip to your local flea market or hunt for your next favorite dress at yard sales and estate sales. Thrift shops are great but if you're looking to get the best bargain, turn towards flea markets and yard sales. Don't be afraid to ask for a better deal! You may have to dig deeper for treasures at yard sales as opposed to thrift stores but it's worth it. What's better than a cute dress? A cute dress that you bought for $4.

4. Invest in a few quality pieces that will elevate your personal style time and time again. Think about "cost per wear" when shopping. Wardrobe essentials are worth splurging on. Avoid items that you'll only wear a few times.

Have you ever found yourself obsessing over a $200 pair of shoes? Well, consider how many times you'll wear that pair of shoes- likely a lot if you're that in love with the shoes. For this situation, let's say that you'll wear the shoes once a week for half a year; that's 26 wears. Take 200 and divide it by 26- that's $7.69. This faaaabulous pair of $200 shoes only cost you less than $8 per wear. I'm gonna go ahead and say that's a pretty damn good buy. Now, let's look at the same idea from a different perspective. Have you ever found yourself buying a shirt you so-so like at a store like Forever 21 or H&M for no reasons other than that it's relatively cheap and you want something new in your wardrobe? Let's say you wear that $25 shirt once and then discard of it several months later. That shirt cost you $25 per wear- not a good buy.

5. Embrace second-hand fashion as much as possible and try to avoid fast fashion when possible. Fast fashion isn't worth it. Stop buying that $20 Forever 21 tee or that $70 Zara dress. Costs of fast fashion are much higher than the price that you read on the price tag. There's an article here that sums up the downfalls of fast fashion quite nicely and I'd recommend giving it a read if you have a moment.

6. Try your luck on Poshmark. Poshmark is an app that you can download on your phone; it lets you buy and sell clothing in a unique marketplace. I love buying and selling on Poshmark for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons that it's great for staying stylish on a tight budget is because Poshmark offers prices similar to those at consignment and retails shops but you can search for exactly what you want. For example, if you want a green Free People dress for half the cost, it may be hard to find in a brick and mortar thrift store because they don't always necessarily have what you're looking for in stock. However, with a huge marketplace like Poshmark, you can find exactly what you're looking for at half the retail cost. I've written more in depth about my love for Poshmark before on my blog here if you want to check it out.

7. Host a clothing swap with your friends. Gather up the pieces of clothing in your wardrobe that you're no longer loving, invite a few friends to do the same, meet up and swap pieces among each other. Voila! New-to-you clothes at no cost.

8. Raid your mom's wardrobe (or your grandmother's!) Both my grandmothers and my mother have handed pieces from their wardrobes down to me and some of those pieces are my favorites in my wardrobe. One of my grandmothers gave me the most gorgeous cream-colored jacket that I love to death and I've worn my mom's vintage little black tassel dress more times than I can count. You never know what rad vintage pieces your mother or grandmother may have hibernating in her wardrobe from back in the day.

Do y'all have any other tips for staying stylish on a tight budget? I'd love to hear them- leave a comment below!

Photos by Alexis Locklear. You can browse through more of her work on her Instagram here (heads up- NSFW.)

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Sunday, January 14, 2018

Romantic Valentine's Day Dreams: 5 of the Prettiest Pink PromShop Gowns

Pink Dreams: 5 of the Prettiest Pink PromShop Gowns


Hello! With Valentine's Day now about a month away, I've been dreaming about feminine frocks for the occasion. Bring on the lace and pale pink hues! I decided to check out PromShopAu.com for their selection of gowns for the holiday. For those of you who aren't familiar with PromShop, they're an online fashion retailer who specializes in evening dresses, cocktail dresses, prom dresses and wedding apparel. And boy do they have a beautiful selection of the dreamiest gowns! While browsing through PromShop's website, five pink gowns caught my attention in particular. Keep reading to browse through my favorite pink dresses that PromShop carries: 

1. Attractive None Floor-Length A-Line Natural Evening Dress. The breathtaking pink hue and interesting bodice of this evening dress instantly caught my eye. I also love its flattering silhouette and flowing design. 

2. Fashionable No Pearl Pink Natural Elastic Woven Satin Prom Dress. Wow! There's something incredibly striking about the clean cut silhouette and pale pink color of this formal dress. Its open back style adds to its charming appeal. 

3. Fashion Floor-length Lace Pink Sweetheart Bridesmaid Dress. Pink  + lace + a sweetheart neckline = the best Valentine's Day style combination. Add a pretty shade of pink lipstick and your look is good to go. 

4. Saoirse Ronan Zipper Vintage Long Satin Celebrity Evening Dress. The feminine pink color and flattering silhouette of this dress whisper of romance and love- could there be a more perfect Valentine's Day dress? 

5. Hot Sale Chiffon Ruffles Natural Short Sleeves Bridesmaid Dress. Who could say "no" to the vibrant pink color of this evening dress? 

Which dress above is your favorite? I'm not sure if I could choose a favorite amongst the five dresses- they're all so beautiful! You can browse the rest of the dresses that PromShopAu.com has to offer here

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***Disclaimer: PromShop provided monetary compensation for this post but I wrote the actual post and all opinions written in this post are mine.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

5 Tips on How to Develop a Memorable Sense of Personal Style

Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography

Hello! There's a distinct difference between simply getting dressed in the morning and taking the time to style a look that reflects your personal aesthetic. I've been working on developing a memorable sense of style for as long as I can remember. I recall looks from my high school years that now make me cringe but the rocky journey to your best personal style is worth it. After playing dress up for 22 years, blogging about fashion for about seven and a half years and getting my bachelor's degree in fashion merchandising, I'm finally satisfied with my personal style. My looks are now more memorable and more true to myself than ever before and I can happily say that getting dressed in the morning reigns as one of my favorite parts of my day.

Before delving deeper into this post, I want to state that there's also a distinct difference between personal style and fashion. And I'm here to talk about personal style rather than fashion. Personal style doesn't necessarily have to be fashionable; you don't have to rock the latest trends or heck, ever pick up a fashion magazine to develop your own personal style. Your personal style impacts how others see you and even how you see yourself- which is why it's so crucial to hone in on developing a memorable sense of style. However, it's not always easy but not to worry, I have a few tips and tricks to help you along your style journey, keep reading to check them out:

1. Wear what you truly love. Go for the pieces of clothing and accessories that are calling out to you. I often hear women say "Oh, I love that but I could never wear that because..." Girl, no. You are F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S, wear whatever you love and wear it with confidence. Just because you've never been that into vibrant colors doesn't mean that you can't rock that bold red dress you spotted in your favorite boutique. Often, confidence matters more than what you're actually wearing. You could be wearing a potato sack but be walking around like "bitch, I own this place" and make more of a style impact than the girl who is wearing a chic dress but slouching into the corner.

And if you struggle with confidence? As cheesy as it sounds, fake it until you make it. No one will know. And as you rake in the style compliments, that faked confidence will slowly develop into real confidence.

2. Think about the adjectives that you'd like to use to describe your style and chase after those. Once you know what you want to achieve with your personal style, it's much easier to reach that. Stop buying pieces that don't line up with what you want your personal style to be. It's probably been about four years since I've bought a pair of pants and I couldn't be happier. I'd like to describe my style as "feminine, retro, Barbie-esque and unique" and pants just don't fit that bill; lots of mini dresses and platform heels do though and you can find those in spades in my wardrobe.

3. Don't be scared of what anyone else may think; embrace what makes you different. Do you love vibrant colors? Mixing prints? Loud silhouettes? Go for it, babe!

4. Throw the fashion rule book out the window. Rules take all the fun out of fashion! Do you want to dress like everyone else? If you're still reading this blog post, I'm guessing that you're a little more forward with your personal style. Wear whatever you want, take risks, break rules. Want to wear a pair of colorful socks with your favorite sandals? Go for it. Throw caution to the wind and remember to enjoy yourself. Fashion should be fun and when you start trying to follow the rules in some imaginary book written by Miranda Priestly, it loses some of its magic.

One of the things that I love about fashion in general is that it's weird. And that's okay. Not normal is just fine. Wear weird things. You can literally wear w-h-a-t-e-v-e-r you want and I've found that I always feel better trying out a new style even if I end up hating it rather than sticking to a "safe" look.

5. Frequently incorporate at least one of the same elements into your looks. It could be a color, silhouette, texture or accessory. You could always rock a bright shade of red lipstick or carry a statement handbag. Key pieces will define a memorable sense of style. For example, my looks always involve ridiculous shoes and statement sunglasses. Seventies-inspired aesthetics, vibrant colors and feminine silhouettes also make my style memorable.

I hope that y'all find these tips helpful! As always, if you ever need style advice or assistance, please feel free to email me at tori@fashiontrendsmore.com with any questions.

As an added blog post bonus, I'm sharing a few of my absolute W-O-R-S-T looks from the past eight years or so. Be prepared to laugh, y'all: one, two, three, four, five, six. Side note: I don't regret any of these looks, I wouldn't be where I am today without a little style experimentation.

Photos by Rachel Dwyer Photography. You can browse more of her work on her website here or her Instagram here.

Statement dress: Vintage
Thigh-high boots: Jeffrey Campbell
All sunglasses: c/o Giant Vintage
Orange hoop earrings: Vintage
Peach lipstick: ColourPop
Rings: Vintage
Psychedelic suitcase: Vintage
Silky scarf: Vintage

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