What I Wore to PHXFW Shop Garment District

What I Wore- Blurry iPhone Picture Edition! Yay!

Ok so these are weird angles and bad lighting, but I have to work with what I got....

Black Pleated Cap Sleeve Dress - Gap

Silver Bangles - Jessica Simpson & Express

Green Croc Clutch - Target

Neutral Snakeskin Wedges - Chinese Laundry

Let's Talk Pleats

If you follow me on twitter then you've probably already seen this:

Yup, that is me in the dressing room at my favorite store--Gap (more Gap here & here). I originally went in to grab a pair of jeans (I've been wearing Gap jeans for 10 years...amazing I know), but when I saw this dress I had to try it on... Of course I fell in love and bought it! 

Now, I know to you it may look like a simple black dress and not at all Arizona-summer friendly; however, this is the kind of dress I die for. The structure, fit, and pleats = the key ingredients to making me look SKINNY! Not to mention I've been working out for a few months now, but more on that to come soon.

So you may notice this photo looks a bit altered, okay a whole lot altered and no I did not use the "slimming" filter. Rather I wanted the focal point to be the pleated skirt. I find the pleat classic and feminine  (unless of course you try the whole pleated grandpa pant look).

And it gives a simple dress like this just a bit of extra interest. 

If you are not at all a fan of the box pleat you could of course try the pleated maxi skirt which is a huge trend... I must admit I do have a black Vince Camuto one but have no clue how to wear it!

 *read: someone help!*

For a bit more pleat inspiration Click Below on my Style Saint "Let's Talk Pleats" Stylebook! And sign up and follow me!

A Very Fashionable Week

Last week, I got a little behind on blog posts and my reading plan, but I did get the laundry done (that counts for something right?). Beside washing piles of dirty clothes, I actually had a lot of fun this past week, here is a little recap.

On Wednesday night I hit up Scottsdale Fashion Square with one of my fave gal pals Hannah {of Heroine Chic}. We had fun mingling with the fashion crowd at Madewell and Ted Baker for a couple of private shopping parties. 

At Madewell Celine and Casey from ACI Nouveau gave us some summer styling tips...and the fact is that they both love denim and so do I!

Over at Ted Baker, Hannah and I had a good time with Ms. Scottsdale Fashionista herself scoping out handbags, dresses, cute boys... oh and Hannah met this absolutely adorable nude pink mini bowler bag. Happy Birthday again Hannah! 

Thursday I spent some much needed time with my bestie Vail, and while I was there we did a little hair makeover. So I present to you my copper balayage highlights. I'm in love! I wish I could get better pics for you but I'm sure you'll see more in the future. 

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Just wanted to wish you all a late Happy's Mother's Day... I hope all of you moms had a wonderful day full of love. 

Though I am not a mom (except to my pups Mingo & Moose), I had an amazing Mother's Day:

After church the family headed to Mother's Day brunch and I had myself some bubbles yummmm... 

Mom loved her Kate Spade wallet!!! It matches the Kate Spade crossbody I bought her last year :)

Again, not a mother, but I figured I deserved a gift too... I'm so guilty of buying myself a gift when I'm supposed to be buying them for others (justification = why can't we all be happy?)

Anyway I just couldn't say no to these Kate Spade 'mrs' earrings... and surely the husband can't complain... Now I'm doubly his. I also got my mother-in-law the matching 'mrs' necklace (also a big hit). So Thank you Kate Spade for making it the best Mother's Day and thank you again Hannah for helping!

What did you get for Mother's Day?

#ABC12 AKA Arizona Blogger Conference

On Saturday night I made my very first visit to The Saguaro hotel in Scottsdale. Let me just say that this place is amazing--the bright colored walls, the amazing cucumber water in the lobby (I'm a genuine hotel water connoisseur), the super nice and cute bartender who broke a $20 for Angela and I (errr should have taken a pic, so unlike me), and of course the cool atmosphere and contemporary furnishings.

This visit was set up by the Phoenix Style Collective for the 1st Arizona Blogger Conference (#ABC12). 

Photo: Brenda Eden

The evening started with a picture in front of the Madewell backdrop (after receiving an adorable denim polka dot Madewell tote). My blogger friend Angela was kind of enough to take a picture with moi. 

The Phoenix Style Collective team made sure that there was never a dull moment: friendship bracelet making (I gave up after row 1), a yummy spread of....spread and pickled beets, tomatoes, cauliflower and more, latte art via the Coffee Chop, and stylish vendors. 

As the evening continued bloggers got a special lesson from Agency Arizona model Aqua... as usual she worked it! And I have a few more poses to add to my repertoire.

Aqua

Finally we got to hear from some local business owners, entrepreneurs, and expert bloggers. They shared tips on how to better blog content, pictures, creating a niche, and staying true to yourself:

Sarah Rhodes, Arrow & Apple
Katie Leavitt, Running on Happiness
Chelsea Brown, Tea Talk
Georgeanne Bryant, Owner of Frances Vintage and Smeeks
Margaree Bigler, Local First AZ


It was a wonderful night and I can't wait for the next event so I can meet everyone I didn't get to this time around!

Amazing Phoenix Style Collective Team! Photo: Brenda Eden

B Brian Atwood Launch Party

On Thursday night I was invited to attend the B Brian Atwood Launch at Saks Fifth Avenue- Phoenix. I was joined by two of my favorite local bloggers Forward Fashion Diary and Fabulously Average. Our evening included  champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and of course shoes.

Fall '12 Fortosa $450

The B Brian Atwood collection is an affordable array of fringe, glitter, suede, snakeskin, crystals, and more. As I browsed I easily found 5 to 6 pairs to put on my wish list. Not only did we get a chance to see the most recent Spring collection but we also got a preview of both pre-fall and fall collections coming in May and July/August. 

Pre-Fall '12 Baccina $395

These were no doubt among the favorites last night, the hand-placed crystals combined with a classic suede pump is the perfect edgy-classy combo... and the berry color is Brian's personal favorite {and mine too}. 

Fall '12

Atwood certainly knows how to do a purple heel. 

Spring '12 Luciana $350

Snakeskin and fringe plus a laquer heel...I don't think a shoe can be more exciting and fun. This pair is part of the Spring collection available in stores now and on Saksfifthavenue.com

Guests and bloggers enjoyed drooling over shoes while listening to Brian Atwood's playlist and of course we can't forget our new favorite model Alex from The Agency Arizona! I am most certainly looking forward to future events.

Thank you Amy Videan and the Saks Fifth Avenue- Phoenix team for a wonderful evening!

Be sure to visit Saks Fifth Avenue at Biltmore Fashion Park 

2446 East Camelback Road

Phoenix, AZ 85016

For more about Briant Atwood Shoes visit: brianatwood.com 

PSC Launch Party

On Friday night I helped celebrate the launch of Phoenix Style Collective at the Grow Up in downtown Phoenix. The goal of this stylish group is to link the tastemakers in the Phoenix Fashion and Style businesses. From the look of the crowd that attended the party,  PSC is off to an excellent start: bloggers, stylists, photographers, artists and I'm sure the list goes on.

My outfit for the evening...I was talking so much I forgot to take one at the party!

Jacket: My mother's closet haha

Shirt: Disneyland

Jeans: Target

Heels: Kenneth Cole Reaction

Our lovely hosts & the PSC creators: Courtney of Phoenix Is Haute , Kara of Sunshine Cupcakes , Chelsea of Tea Talk , Katherine of A Bit of Sparkle Farkle , and Josh from the Grow Op.  

I was being a sneaky. Courtney looks great! 

The party getting started.

So cute and PB & J Cupcakes... so unique.

Loved this food truck... Hubby had a carne asada torta and I had the carne asada quesadilla... 

mmmm mmmm mmm! 

Congrats again PSC... can't wait for the next event!!

Rioux Leroux Outfit

Thanks to my blogger friend Angela I have a picture of what I wore to the Rioux Leroux Show. Be sure to check out her blog Forward Fashion Diary  for a detailed recap of the show and the collections!

Dress - Gap {I can hear you all saying "OF COURSE!"}

Sheer Polka Dot Tights - Banana Republic

Shoes - Kenneth Cole Reaction

Jewelry - Forever 21 {I know you can't see the earrings}

I debated on whether or not to wear all black but in the end I figured my polka dots would kind of break it up... plus I wore my favorite red coat! 

Coat - Banana Republic

Purse - Zara

Nails - OPI {I can't find the name anywhere on the bottle!}

Intern Queen Inspires ASU

As you may or may not already know, I am a current Campus Ambassador for Lauren Berger, the Intern Queen. I've only been an ambassador for a couple of months, so I was extremely excited when I found out that ASU's Undergraduate Student Government was bringing Lauren to speak on campus.

Though I was looking forward to hearing her speak--I was more excited to get to meet up with her and the other ASU Intern Queen Campus Ambassadors and her ASU Intern for coffee before hand.

CAs & Intern Queen

We had a great time getting to know each other and talking internships, careers, and education. She is not only extremely knowledgeable about all things internships {I mean she is the Intern Queen after all}, Lauren was hands down one of the most friendly and down-to-earth people I have ever met. Her genuine desire to help others succeed is contagious and motivating.

After coffee we all headed over to the ASU campus for the talk. Over 200 students showed up to listen to Lauren give invaluable advice on internships. Students who live tweeted the event couldn't stop gushing about what they learned and how they were ready to put her advice to work!

Lauren and I

One of the favorite quotes from the night was, "Don't go after what is available, always go after what you want." If you weren't able to attend the talk and need advice, if your looking for your dream internship, OR you want to bring Lauren to your school visit www.internqueen.com >> You won't be disappointed!

Ashley, ASU Student

Okay also how cute is this student who attended the talk? According to her this is her "I have three exams tomorrow look," in which I exclaimed, "I wish I looked like that when I have three exams!"

I'm a Gap Girl

So this weekend I went shopping to add a few things to my fall wardrobe at my favorite spot--Gap. Now most of you already know that I have a borderline obsession with Gap.

Though I love the high fashion you see on the runway and in magazines, the über-chic styles of the myriad of style bloggers, and the fun, quirky fashions snapped by street style photogs...that's just not me. I'll probably never sport a top-knot, an arm party, or wear a mini with sky-high wedges. That's why I love Gap's classic silhouettes and clean pieces ....and why I love style because everyone has their own. 

{Of course I probably shouldn't say never... in 4 months or even 2 weeks I may just be spotted wearing the highest top-knot you've ever seen...}

My Weekend Purchases:

Tri-blend Slub T $22.95 in Deep orchid - purple  & eclipse - grey {in pic}1969 Always Skinny $69.95  Dark {in pic}

Paper Bag Waist Dress $59.95

Twisted flutter-sleeve T $29.95

Tuscan red

Leather tie-back ballet flats $32.99

Get these looks and more at www.gap.com 

A Leopard Kind of Weekend

So this past weekend was one of the best this year. I got to attend Phoenix Fashion Week to support a dear friend who was walking for one of the designers. She did a great job! I also got to meet a few other bloggers, which is always nice and always semi-awkward hehe {it was still great to me you guys though!} 

I also got to tell one of my new favorite designers JeeHee Han of Evan Golf how much I loved her line and she was an absolute sweetheart! 

Here are a few pics of myself and my friend who walked that night... I'm a total minimalist and so I went with the a tiered black dress from Forever 21, Chinese Laundry leopard pumps {which were the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn!}, and some sparkly costume jewerly {you know like the awesome pieces your grandmother owns}. 

Then Saturday I got to see a longtime friend get married to the love of her life and her best friend {awww I just love LOVE}. The wedding was outdoors at a country club and it was gorgeous. The weather was so perfect that I managed to wear the dress that I bought from AE without getting cold! Although my leopard pumps were extremely comfortable I opted for my Kenneth Cole Reaction leopard flats instead because I figured I might do a little dancing and if that were the case I wanted to make sure I didn't fall on my butt in the event I decided to try a highly technical dance move. {totally kidding}

Anyway, so I managed to somehow not take a picture of my outfit so this will have to do...but if you want to see the dress and shoes take a peek at my Back to School Purchases post here.

My Back to School Purchases

 So as you know my fall semester {does anyone else want to capitalize the seasons?} started last week and of course I had to purchase a few new pieces. I wanted to share my exciting purchases with you, but first I had to make sure that I truly loved them...  here they are.

American Eagle Raw-Edged Corset Dress, $49.50

Though I'm not generally a fan of AE, mostly because I'm not 12, I couldn't help but try this dress on when I saw it. The printed silk gives it a very feminine feel.

Banana Republic Sheer Dot Tight, $22.50

I don't have $88 to invest in a designer pair of sheer dot tights so I went with the next best thing and I am more than satisfied.

Gap 1969 Always Skinny Jeans, $69.95

I am a huge fan of Gap Seriously Straight Jeans so I wasn't quite sure how I would like these, but I was pleasantly surprised with them. I think I might have a new fave.

Gap 1969 Lightweight Skinny Boot Jeans, $69.95

My adventurous attitude continued when I purchased these Skinny Boot Jeans. I can never find a pair of black pants that makes my ummm....tush look good. These, however, do the job.{hehe}

Gap Soft V-neck T, $15.00 {got one in navy too}

My style is classic and minimal and therefore I love these Soft V-neck Ts.

Unlisted by Kenneth Cole Save The Day Flats, $45.00

How can you go wrong with a pair of flats that have a flower on top? Even more so, how can you go wrong with leopard flats that have a flower on top?

P.S. All of these are linked to their appropriate websites :)