Style Crush | Lucy Mecklenburgh

One of my absolute guiltiest pleasures and favorite shows ever would have to be The Only Way is Essex. The Only Way is Essex (or TOWIE for short)  is a reality show based in Essex, England, and if I had to compare it to a show here in the U.S. it would be a cross between The Hills and The Real Housewives. I'm aware of how odd of a comparison that may be, but I promise you, it is deliciously good.

TOWIE has seen many cast members come and go (and come and go again...) but Lucy Mecklenburgh has been there from the beginning. So she may have come on to the scene as a bit of a home wrecker, but that's not what we are talking about here! It's all about her style, and she's got it. Whether she is dressed up or down, in jeans or fun, flirty dresses, Lucy always looks so effortless and polished, no matter what she's in.

Monday Mantra

With a few of my friends graduating this past week and weekend, besides reflecting on my own graduation, I can't help but flip through one of my favorite books/the book I love to give for graduation, Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. No matter how many times I look through this book, something new always strikes me and it is always so relevant. While it may be considered a "book for children," I love how anyone journeying through life can connect with the story, no matter what their age may be. 

If you want to read it, click here.

What is motivating you, mantra or otherwise, for this week? 

Color Crush: Yellow

Every now and then, I find myself being drawn to a color, without even realizing it. Currently that color is yellow. 

Yellow is a color I have always avoided. At 5'9," I just always envisioned myself looking like Big Bird. As I was headed to the fitting room while shopping in H&M a few months ago, I randomly picked up a beautiful chartreuse dress to, you know, try on for funsies. Well, funsies turned into a purchase because I absolutely loved the way I looked in that dress! It's truly a shame I've avoided the color for so long, because it is such a beautiful compliment to my skin tone. You live and you learn! 

What's a color you can't get enough of at the moment?

images via: Oscar de la Renta (style.com), Pinterest, Beautiful Portals, A Cooking Mizer

Spring Inspo: Dolce & Gabbana S12

One look that I am mildly obsessed with for spring/summer (to say the least) is a crop top with a sweetheart neckline. There is something about that teeniest bit of exposed midriff that is a bit cheeky, yet tasteful (when done right of course).  Even though this is an "old" collection in the fashion world, I still absolutely love the way Dolce & Gabbana did this look in the majority of their Spring 2012 collection. 

Looks I Love for Spring

images via: 1/2/3/4/5/6

Can you tell I love my jeans and blazers? These images contain looks I am absolutely loving for this season from blush tones, white on white, to white and gold. They also contain some of my favorite items and trends for this season which include a white blazer, a pair of super flare leg jeans and colored denim. 

What looks are you loving and hoping to pick up for spring? 

Inspiration

It's amazing how something as sad as death, can be inspirational and motivational at the same time.

Realizing (at the 99th hour that is my senior year, I know) that I'm not really cut out/in love with my major as I had previously thought, has had me in a rut and doing some major soul searching. After missing the train Tuesday, I decided to skip class, and went back home to take what ended up being a two day mental health vacation (it would have been the whole week, but I had presentations due).

When the news broke Wednesday night, that Steve Jobs had died, I was begrudgingly preparing for the rest of the school week. I was shocked and saddened. My sadness, however, soon became inspiration, when CNN played a clip from a speech Steve Jobs gave in 2005. It then clicked:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Steve Jobs was nothing short of a genius and as everyone has been saying, a  true visionary. He had successes and he had failures. He had dreams and ideas so big, that many just couldn't fathom them. Yet, no matter what, he let nothing get in his way. For that I am grateful, because I can't imagine my life without my Macbook, my iPhone, and most certainly not my iPod. 

So thank you Steve Jobs, for sharing not just your wonderful inventions and products, but also your passion, with the world. 

Lastly, I wanted to share this clip I saw earlier today. What a great sense of humor Mr. Jobs had. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! :)

Meditation at the MET

Whenever I get the chance, I love going to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Even though walking in feels like a game of Frogger to avoid everyone hanging out on the steps, once inside, its a great escape from the hustle and bustle. 

The Greek and Roman galleries are my favorite. Its definitely the gallery I visit the most, and some how always find something new, that I missed the previous trip. Seeing the human body in its purest, most natural form, is really fascinating. Well to me at least. Especially when it comes to the female form and seeing what was considered beautiful then, and comparing it to what people consider beautiful now.

While this recent trip to the MET was brief, here are a few favorites, old and new.

And now this picture: 

Notice the security guard on the left. 

I was trying my hardest to get the shot right, and here he comes giving me his best Top Model pose. 

Ruben Toledo

Before I even knew who he was, I was obsessed with the artwork of Ruben Toledo. The obsession began with the arrival of the Nordstrom catalog to my house, for which Mr.Toledo would do the cover art and drawings inside. I would thumb through the catalog twice: once to look at the clothing, a second to look at Mr.Toledo's sketches. When I would go to the doctors with my parents, I would look through fashion magazines such as InStyle, looking solely for a Ruben Toledo illustration wether in an advert or to accompany an article:

I always enjoyed looking at the sketches of these glamorous creatures. These women were who I aspired to be. I was going to be one of the well dressed, uber fabulous women in the Toledo sketches.

(True story: As a child, I lived vicariously through my Barbies, and was obsessed with the Fashion Avenue collections , because they looked most like the clothing in the Toledo sketches.)

To this day, any time I get a catalog or mailer from Nordies,  I save them. And besides being on my to read list, one of the reasons I bought all of the Nina Garcia books in the Borders sale was because Ruben Toledo did all the illustrations for the books. They are simply amazing.

Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff is one of the few celebrities I get actual outfit inspiration from. I love that her outfits are simple, yet sophisticated, and she maximizes by accessorizing, especially with one of my favorite accessories: scarves! Here are a few of my favorite looks from Hilary:

Lauren Conrad

Whether she is dressing up, or dressing down, Lauren Conrad is one of my favorite celebrities for style inspiration (icon is reserved to the one and only Victoria Beckham). No matter what she is wearing, she always looks so chic and put together. And I totally want to steal her Chanel.

In addition, I absolutely love her line at Kohls. Especially:

Asymetrical ruffle dress

Floral Dress

Rosette sweater

Im a creeper

So guess who has the lucky task of Jury Duty!!!?!?!?!?! I had to let my inner Sartorialist out and snap a pic of this outfit. If you click to enlarge the image, you can see the detailing around the neckline, and the belt. So chic! I immediately obsessed over this lawyers outfit because it was such a breath of fresh air from the sea of pants suits and skirt suits that I have been seeing all day, everyday in the last few days. I love when people take risks with their style!

Style faves for the week

Cameron Diaz

Cute and casual in the city. No one does casual better then Cam.

Victoria Beckham

Her style has no limits and I love her for it.

Jessica Simpson

The perfect summer look. 

Fergie

I have been intrigued to say the least with this outfit. Do not ask.

*pics via People Style Watch

Lauren Conrad

Lauren Conrad. Her style is the perfect balance between casual and classy, and no matter what she is doing or where she is going, she always looks her best from head to toe. 

Unfortunately for her she had to attend the Speidi spectacle of a wedding over the weekend, but she looks just absolutely stunning doing so in a blue Valentino Red dress, Christian Louboutin pumps and that fabulous Chanel bag! I am especially loving this new do of hers, definitely a nice change from her usual curls.

In other news, come October, Lauren will be introducing a new line for Kohl's. The price point? $20-$80. Now this to me makes sense. Hopefully the line will still reflect the style we have come to know Lauren Conrad by, and not a complete train wreck. 

Reason #909239283 Why I love Marc Jacobs

"We broke all the rules that season. I had been told we were not allowed to change the monogram ... I had been trying to follow the rules and do what everybody told me until it got to the point where I realised that's not why I was brought in here. I'm here to do something to make this young and cool and contemporary and of the moment. I wanted to use Stephen's graffiti specifically because it meant something to me. Stephen as an artist, Stephen as a New York figure. It had the credibility of street, but also this sort of style of somebody who was a fashion designer."

-Marc Jacobs in a recent interview with The Guardian on the new Stephen Sprouse collection for Louis Vuitton

On a witch hunt.

I really love Kim Kardashian's style. The whole Kardashian clan as a matter of fact are very stylish women. I love the way they put outfits together and I would def love to raid their closets one day. Recently, Kim posted on her official blog about a photo shoot she did with a high school friend who is now a stylist. She put up some of the pics from it and all I have to say is that I'm OBSESSED with this outfit she wore. I'm not sure if its a dress or a top and a skirt, but either way I WANT IT!!! Its just so fun and hot and i neeeeeed it! After all, my 21st birthday is coming up in a few months, and that outfit just screams PARTY!!

*photo source: Kimkardashian.com