Bonjour Paris!

I am finally in Paris! After falling off the face of the earth for orientation and settling in, I'm BACK! I hope you are all as excited as I am to explore the endless possibilities of Parisian fashion! YAY. From the moment I landed at Charles de Gaulle, I have been soaking in every sequin, zipper, and red lip I have come across in Paris - so don't worry (I know you were), I have TONS to report. For now, I am going to take advantage of the first day I have free to GO SHOPPING (thanks Dad!). Stay tuned, there is SO MUCH to come!

Sh*t Fashion Girls Say

How to Wear: Neon

So the other day I went shopping with some ladies. Throughout the day, it seemed as though the more I said neon is awesome now, the more we saw it in the stores, and the more inclined my shopping companions were to jump on the neon bandwagon. Inevitably, I helped one of best friends pick out this awesome neon bag. At first she was hesitant to purchase said bag, but when I told her I'd go back to her place later (winky face) and show her how to wear it... she was sold. My excited little model gave me free reign of her suitcase (she's only home for break) to pick out two outfits, one for daytime, and one for the evening...

For the daytime (on the left)... we decided on her favorite black riding boots, dark skinny jeans and a hole-y cream sweater to pair with the neon bag. To incorporate this loud trend, we thought it best for this lovely lady to wear an average-ly adorable outfit and let the bag stand out! I suggested when she goes back to school to try this ensemble out with a printed scarf or leather jacket.

Pour la nuit (on the right)... we decided to take a similar approach.  This time we paired the neon bag with black skinny jeans, black pumps with a chunky heel, and a ruffled neutral top. We both loved the girly-ness of the bag matched with the flirty top. Here, a big 'ol gold necklace would be awesome. I also told her if she is feeling cray cray out at school to go buy herself a cool neon top in a pink or orange to wear with the bag.

Now you try!

Bring in the New Year with a YAY

There comes a time, once a year, where girls all around the world ask each other, "What the (insert choice word here) do I wear for New Years?!" Next usually comes one or more of the following questions... "Skirt? Dress? Heels? No heels? Is there such thing as too much sparkle? HELP?" Gosh, no way! I have the answers to all of these questions! Let's organize this post by venue. There's all types of things you people will be doing tonight so I will do my best to try to cover all of them.

Can I get a basement party for 100? There is no shame in hanging out in one of your besties basements on New Years. Many a wild night has been held in these sub-terrain spaces. However, dressing for these parties can be tricky... "Is anyone going to wear heels? I don't want to wear heels and be the only one wearing heels!" Brain blast... Wear boots.  Boots with heels are casual enough that if no one else is wearing a heel, no one will notice! Flat boots are awesome too though.  Stick with dark jeans and a festive, sparkly top. No sparkly top you say? ZOMG accessorize! Bracelets, necklaces cool big earrings. Do it. (Also applies to: hanging out in someone's non basement living room)

Are you doin' the bar thang? Dark jeans work great here also! Although if you want to dress up more a skirt works, but don't leave the house without... say it with me... tights. Here I say wear heels, who cares what your friends are wearing? Wedges are perfect for long nights like this filled with... champagne. Ha, who am I kidding? I mean sparkling cider. P.S. don't forget sparkles! (Also applies to: loft parties and going to your boyfriend's friends party)

Oh you fancy, huh? Going clubbing ma'am? Dress up! And seriously don't forget to wear at least one item that is sparkly. Sequin dresses, beaded skirts, light up shoes... all great options. I'm serious about the light up shoes. New Years doesn't, and doesn't have to mean tacky. Keep that on your radar while you are piling on the bling. You want to look festive, not flammable or cheap. If you think something could have the potential to look, for lack of a better word, trashy, don't wear it! You can dress for the night in something a little more plain if you dress it up with awesome jewelry! I don't think I have to say it but... heels, duh.  Make sure they're comfortable, you don't want to be that girl walking home barefoot.

I hope everyone promises themselves to floss in 2012 and follows through this year!

(left to right) top:forever 21, jeans:7 for all mankind, boots: madewell
necklace: topshop, silver blouse: nastygal, jeans: 7 for all mankind, booties: dv dolce vita
dress:alice + olivia, heels: piperlime