Show & Tell: Aldo Statement Necklace

So for this week’s Show & Tell, I admit I didn’t have any clue what I was going to cover! There were a few things I’ve picked up recently, including some fun dresses, but I couldn’t think of why it made sense to blog about them other than the fact that…well, I like them!

Then it hit me. There was one basic, sometimes outrageous, thing that I think every person should own: a statement necklace! It just so happened that I had also just gotten one on sale at Aldo just weeks ago and it stands apart as more than a little different from the other necklaces I own.

I’m a huge fan of statement necklaces, maybe it's just because I like my jewelry big. I have big necklaces and big rings... The two staple pieces I most like to wear. But for some people, statement necklaces can be intimidating, since of course, some are crazier and bigger than others!

Here are a few examples I collected from around the world wide web!

#1: Forever21 / #2: ASOS / #3: ModCloth / #4: Urban Outfitters / #5: ALDO

#6: Urban Outfitters / #7: Forever21

Notice how broad the term ‘statement necklace’ can really be! It’s pretty much exactly what it says: any necklace that makes a statement! The bigger the better! They’re generally very bulky, but that doesn’t mean every one of them is over the top. Take the vintage inspired necklace (#5) from Aldo for example; it’s really just a pearl-like necklace except with a few extra rows. (It's also featured in this month's Trendy Thursday: Rockabilly edition!) The colours are soft pastels, and although it’s large, it’s still simple. This is in complete contrast to the one next to it (#6) from Urban Outfitters; that thing has just about every metallic hanging off of it! It’s definitely got a lot going on in just one necklace. But in the right outfit, it always works!

My advice when trying these big necklaces for the first time is ro wear it with something very simple; your favourite little black dress, a strapless romper, heck, even a white t-shirt and jeans, just to take something simple and put it on a whole ‘notha level!

Another piece of advice for those of you who don’t own a statement necklace is to make sure it reflects your own personal style! Get one in similar colours that you wear, or something like #2, just plain gold, because if you’re just going to own one, make sure you can wear it with a ton of different things. Necklaces like #3 or #4 are a bit harder to incorporate into just any outfit.

Now, I bet you’re wondering about that Aldo necklace I mentioned I got on sale, well, don’t worry! You get to see it!

The necklace is a huge piece of beaded, pastel-y wonder! I don’t have any necklaces like this, but the fact I got it pretty much free off of a 2-for-1 deal really was what sold me on it. Here I wore it with a basic collared shirt and some paisley hot-pants that I got from H&M! This outfit made me feel super 70’s boho and I was totally cool with that.

Do you own any statement necklaces? How do you find you generally wear them, or have you even tried it out yet? 

- Rebekah Eden

The Velvet Team

Media Inspiration: RuPaul

It's the most wonderful time of the year!
With the drag queens out prancing
And in the street dancing 
Yes Pride fest is here!
It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Now if you're all ready to forgive me for getting sexy Christmas carols in your head, we can move on with the post!

In case you didn't already know, it's officially the two week Pride festival in Toronto! R.E and I have been going to the celebration for three years now, and the energy in the air always leaves us with a sense of overall well being, fabulousness and love for our fellow man. Whether you're L, G, B, T or any other letter of the alphabet, Pride is a time to feel a sense of overwhelming community, meet all kinds of different people, and oh yes, dress as glamorously as you possibly can. After all, the sun is shining, the rainbow flags are flying and the drag queens and kings are out in their full regalia!

In honour of Pride, glam, and all things completely showy, this week's media inspiration is brought to you by none other than international drag icon RuPaul, otherwise known as the man who wears stilettos better than I do. As much as I'd love to invite each and every one of you into my house for a pre-Pride bash and a marathon of his hit reality TV series, Drag Race, the video tells the story I can't. We don't have the time, the resources or the mental capacity to handle all of the amazing that it  would rain down upon us.  Gaze in awe upon those metallic gilded curves. 

 

Bold, beautiful, off the charts style and FABULOUS.  These are the reasons RuPaul is inspiration of the week! (Although, I think if you wanted to use him as a mentor for your life or maybe a spirit guide, that is also something that I could get behind.)

As a special treat, this week's outfits also include some makeup suggestions for an over the top drag show look as suggested by our cosmetician resource Sarah, who blogs over at A Brush With Beauty.

Stripes

This airy looking floor length gown is striped with bright vertical stripes, a large white belt and warm pink makeup. I thought the dress was pretty unique and the look channels something like an ancient Roman muse, punched up with warm summery pastels that obviously worked for inspiring yours truly!
DIY

Dress: Modcloth Eyeshadow: Smashbox 'Shades of Fame' Envelope Clutch: Dorothy Perkins Eyelashes: E.L.F Armor Ring: Forever 21 Eye Crayon: NYX Cosmetics

Bling

Ru also loves all over metallic, which we can totally get behind. The more bling, the better! However since Pride is a (mostly) outdoor June and July festival, I went for a shorter more summery interpretation of this blinged out ensemble.

DIY

Dress: ASOS Heels: ModCloth Cuff: Forever 21 Headband: Sephora 'Melange' Lip Tar: OCC Cosmetics Glitteratzi Eye Glitter: Hard Candy

This sequin and mesh masterpiece from ASOS mimics the idea of the dress, covered in gold, right down to the v neck cut. Instead of the tie around the waist, the cut outs (in season, hollah!) work to emphasize the waist and the curves of the body. It's blinged up with long lasting OCC Lip Tar (which  comes in a literal rainbow of colours including green, blue and purple) as well as dramatic red eye glitter to pair well with the gold in the outfits.

I can only hope that these outfits would be Ru approved! Sorry to be a drag, but I've got no outfit pictures today... However, R.E. and I are planning on having a blog post of our Pride outfit escapades next weekend, so stay tuned for that!

-Riley

The Velvet Team

Trendy Thursday: Longer Lengths

While on the same delightful thrift store shop that Riley and I went on where she found a killer pair of leopard print capris, I found a few fun little things of my own. The haul included a palm tree printed dress, some pieces of jewelry, and my first ever midi skirt. For those of you who are uninformed, a midi skirt is the length between mini skirt and maxi skirt. Of course, that’s a very extreme gap, but I classify midi from anywhere just below the knee to about mid-calf. Here are some wonderful examples from the Burberry Prorsum S/S 2012 runway:

(Photo Credit: Fashion Review)

The first thing that always comes to mind when I think of midi skirts is the 1950’s, where poodle skirts and mid-length skirts were being worn by everyone and their mother. It’s such a classy but playful look, but the problem I always had with midi skirts was my proportions. I don’t think height should stop anyone from giving things a chance -- I’m pretty average at 5’6” -- but the problem is my legs are definitely shorter  in proportion to my torso, and the midi skirts always just seemed to accentuate that in the worst way possible. But I love them; I just didn’t want to spend the money on something that I may not wear often.

But then this beauty appeared to me in the form of one $7.99 flowery garment, and I just couldn’t resist for a price like that. Have we mentioned how much we love thrift stores? Because we love thrift stores.

Romper (under skirt): H&M / Skirt: Thrifted / Shoes: Aldo / Sunglasses: H&M

All other accessories: Thrifted

There are a few reasons I love this skirt, beginning with the bright flowery print. Ever since I wrote that post about mixing patterns, I’ve had a love affair with florals that I’m hoping will never, ever go away.  I also love this skirt because it wasn’t too long. My thoughts with past midi skirts on chopping my already short legs down a few more notches have been silenced. The problem with many that I’d tried is they were too long for my legs. For those of you with legs that go on for ages, not only am I jealous of you, but also those mid-calf midi skirts are definitely made for you. This one is cut just below my knees, which still lets most of my calves show. And, let’s face it: I need all the leg I can get!


Side note: I’m definitely cheating a little here, as platform wedges will give anyone a longer leg-line! For those of you afraid to try this style, pair a midi skirt with a pair of heels or wedges and see if that helps!


But don’t worry girls! The midi-skirt is not the only thing I’m covering today. I also want to cover a style that women of all ages have adapted to like ‘fabric’ is their middle name. The maxi skirt, or full-length skirt, is one of those reoccurring styles we always see when summer hits. Everyone seems to become these fabulous bohemian princesses as soon as the temperature rises. I have to say, a few years ago, maxi skirts were the last thing on my mind. But the more I saw them, the more I began to fall in love with one of the most comfortable yet classic silhouettes there is.

Band of Outsiders has a few long lengths in their runway, mixed in with midi skirts, rompers, hoodies and collared shirts. But Band of Outsiders is so hip and bohemian, I knew I had to give you guys a little view.

(Photo Credit: Style.com)

Over the past two years I’ve had a few maxi dresses, one tragically lost to a stain from a shawarma (R.I.P). I invested in two more for this summer, one a basic jersey number with a funky back, and the other was a strapless royal blue dress with a huge tulip skirt. I’ve been able to wear my jersey one a few times, but I hadn’t yet gotten to wear the other, so I thought I would use it here!

Dress: Marshalls / Sunglasses: H&M / All other accessories: Thrifted

The best part about maxi dresses is they pretty much make an outfit themselves. You can choose how much or little you want to accessorize. A plain jersey dress can go from comfort to super chic just adding a necklace and a belt. This one I just kept simple, with a chain necklace and a few bracelets.

I think the best part about these longer length skirts, whether you go midi or all the way down to maxi, is they are just so elegant. It’s one of those instances where you don’t have to show a bunch of skin to be sexy and posh, but it’s all about how the fabric covers you. You can do as I did and go a little more revealing by going strapless, or you could pair them with a fun t-shirt, like I have in the outfit below!

Skirt: ModCloth / Shirt: Forever21 / Wedges: Lulu's / Purse: ASOS

Sunglasses: Aldo / Earrings: Forever21

So many younger women or girls think of their grandmothers when these think of wearing anything below the knee, but I disagree; they can be as fresh and young as you allow them to be! Here I matched up this kelly green midi skirt with a bright t-shirt and a cute little purse. Now, look me in the screen and tell me that’s something your grandmother would wear. If you can honestly say that, then, congratulations, you have the most fun grandmother out there!

Do any of you own maxi or midi skirts/dresses? What draw you to them? How do you find yourself wearing them in this hot summer heat?

Show & Tell: (Not) Sorry For Party Rocking

Every now and again Rebekah Eden and I get bitten by the thrifting bug. The mall is great, sure, but after a while it can get boring, repetitive and pricy. With our credit card bills already bringing us to tears and a whole summer ahead that has us scrambling for spending money and wardrobe updates, the thrift store is the perfect stomping grounds to get our shop on. Saturday afternoon, we hit the racks at our local favourite spot to search to our heart's desire. Thrift stores are a treasure trove of unique pieces you wouldn't find anywhere else, and in no time we had a shopping cart piled high enough that the change room attendant looked at us with either horror of  our conquest or admiration of our stamina.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Toronto, LMFAO were getting ready to host the 2012 MMVAs on Sunday night, which is where this thrifty Show & Tell is headed. Confession: I like LMFAO. They are completely ridiculous and, no, their lyrics aren't Byronic odes of love. Their music isn't going to win Grammys or change the world. In fact, the only thing it's is going to do is encourage people to party hardy, go hard, and wear more skin tight neon. You know what, good for them! They're not Leonard Cohen or Elton John and they don't pretend to be. That's what makes them amazing. In fact, after seeing their "Sexy and I Know It" video, I'm pretty sure Redfoo and Skyblu are men without fear or limits, especially when it comes to fashion. Who the heck doesn't want that? The super power to wear whatever you want without freaking out about what  your hips/arms/legs/stomach look like in them. Confidence, baby! It's always fashionable!

If you're wondering where this is all headed, let me finally, last-but-not-least make my way to the point. When I was at the thrift store, I happened upon a pair of leopard print capris. Black and white and high waisted all over. VERY high waisted, in fact. They were sold to me for a whopping 8 bucks, and I still took them home with lingering doubt that I would ever wear them, even though it was love at first sight, in a very Byronic way.

Sometimes, though, you just have to throw caution to the wind.  You have to wear the skyscraper waisted pantaloons, refuse to apologize for party rockin, liking LMFAO and making chronically dorky "RAWR" faces in your outfit pictures. That's why this week's item is, you guessed it, leopard print bottoms!

Animal Print Pants Outta' Control

Shoes: BCBG / Capris: Thrifted / Shirt: Thrifted / Bracelet: Forever 21
 Earrings: Thrifted / Lipstick: MAC in 'Morange'

This outfit is simple on the accessories just because the pants take up so much of the detail just by being LOUD. The draping in the shirt, the gold bracelet and some bright orange lipstick pump up the volume, as well as these giant white disc earrings I got on the same thrift trip. Not gonna lie, I felt pretty freakin' sexy and I knew it in this outfit. FIERCE.

Because I got these item in a thrift store, and they're  some wacky nameless brand made in Canada, I can't give you the exact way to get your hands of a pair of these babies without conducting a Mission Impossible style raid on my closet. As entertaining as that might be, with one pair to go around, we all could get pretty tired of sharing pretty fast. So here are three affordable alternatives and variations to explore!

Skirt: Forever 21 / Capris: Yesstyle / Leggings: ASOS

So what are you waiting for? Go wild!

-Riley
The Velvet  Team

Media Inspiration: Picasso

This week I decided to switch up the inspiration a little bit by choosing a well-known artist, Pablo Picasso. I wanted to choose something completely different from the past two, one being based off a movie, the other based off music, so I thought, why not painters or other artists? They can be just as inspiring as any other media.

The main reason I chose Picasso, other than the fact is he’s commonly known, is because his work is currently being displayed in Toronto. For those of you who live around the area, I thought it would be interesting to feed off of what’s happening close-by! His artwork is coming all the way from Museu Picasso in Barcelona, which is currently under construction. So if you’re near-by Toronto, or planning a trip there soon, I highly recommend going to the AGO to see his amazing work in person.

I was lucky enough to see some of his paintings when I went to New York a few years ago, along with many other artists of his caliber, at the Museum of Modern Art. It’s one thing to see pictures, but to see these paintings up close, in all their glory. I was never a big follower of more modern surrealist paintings, but that really changed my view of them. You see the size of the paintings, or the details of the brush strokes, or even the amount of paint on the canvas, and you realize it’s not just something to throw up onto a white board. It’s much more complex than that.

Picasso has many different periods throughout his life. He began under the training of his father, and actually started as a realist painter. It wasn’t until about after 1901 that he started developing the more surreal style. What many people don’t know is he is actually one of the founding fathers of the cubism movement. One of his most famous paintings, and one known as a major step in the beginnings of cubism, is a painting called ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’. Since it was such an influential piece in the history of his work and cubism, I thought I would start with that!

(Photo Credit)

Shirt: Forever21 / Skirt: ASOS / Purse: Lulu's / Shoes: Call It Spring / Belt: Charlotte Russe

Bracelet: TopShop / Ring: TopShop

The fun thing with translating paintings or artwork into fashion inspiration is picking out things from the piece that can be translated into clothing. Of course, colour is the simplest way to collect inspiration from art, but there are many other principles that work in both fashion and art. For instance, I chose the skirt because, not only was the colour perfect, but it also has an oblong shape, that much resembles the curvature in the arms and legs of the women. I also loved this top because the imperfect stripes almost look like brush strokes – how cool is that??

Another painting I chose, from his later years, was one called ‘Rembrandt Figure and Eros’.  This one, while very abstract, had amazing colour that I just couldn’t pass up! It also has little intricacies to it. I knew as soon as I saw it what would be the main piece I’d wear for this outfit.

Dress: Forever21 / Scarf: Thrifted / Clutch: Vintage

Belt: Thrifted / Shoes: Thrifted

I bought this dress a while back at Forever 21 and haven’t really worn it very often. But after seeing this painting, I knew that it was perfect for this. The scarf is a bit of a throw back to Thursday’s post all about Rockabilly, but I tied mine into a little bow. That scarf I just bought yesterday when we went out to the thrift store! It was perfect, as not only is an abstract pattern, but it also has almost the exact same reds, purples and golds as this Picasso piece! What a find!

I wrote this post mainly to show that inspiration can come from literally everywhere! It could come from a song, a movie, a TV show, celebrities, painters, photography, anything! The best part of inspiration is it’s all for you. Sometimes it’s a colour scheme, sometimes it’s the repetition, the pattern, and sometimes, it’s just the feeling or emotion it makes you feel. Don’t be afraid to try putting new combinations together, because generally if you love the look or feel of it in a painting, you’ll love it just as much in the clothing you wear. Inspiration from different media is all about inspiring you to try something new!

Have you ever found inspiration in an interesting place? If so, where? And how did you capture it?

- Rebekah Eden 

The Velvet Team