Month: July 2013

Bohemian Chic: Printed Dress & Ankle Boots

Post author By Helen Hou
Post date July 11, 2013

Photos: Alessandra Ambrosio; Courtesy of coolspotters.com, starstyle.com.

When looking for road trip or festival outfit ideas, or just a bohemian inspired laid-back weekend look, I always turn to Alessandra Ambrosio for inspiration. She is such a free-spirit: neon colors, bold prints, cowboy boots, stacked bracelets and layered necklaces, along with her messy bedhead look and carefree attitude have become her signature.

Today, I featured two of her looks incorporated prints that are easy to recreate, perfect for hot weather and summer fun.

Juxtaposing girly dress against tough boots is not something new, but I like that by paying attention to details, Alessandra Ambrosio made this combo serve for different occasions:

For the first dress below with body-hugging silhouette and sweet colors, she picked a ladylike bag and styled her hair half up, with aviator sunglasses, gold watch, and dainty jewelry, the overall look is urban-bohemian, comfy yet sexy, great for a casual date, hanging out with friends, central city concert, or shopping.

1. Ray-Ban classic aviator sunglasses
2. Pencey Standard open back dress (also here)
3. Michael Kors watch
4. Gorjana ring set
5. Madewell perfect leather belt (on Alessandra here)
6. Rebecca Minkoff MAC bag
7. Isabel Marant studded wedge boot (featured here; similar here & here)

Compared to the first look, the second one below with blue printed tunic dress is more casual and laid-back. Accessorized with fringe bag, tortoise sunglasses and beaded bracelet, this look is great for a road trip, out-of-town music festival, or beach vacation.

1. Karen Walker sunglasses
2. Cara bracelet (more colors here)
3. Banana Republic floral shirtdress
4. Jennifer Zeuner Jewelry wishbone necklace
5. J.Crew leather belt
6. JJ Winters suede fringe bag (similar here)
7. Rag & Bone ankle boot (similar here & here)

Tags Alessandra Ambrosio, Ankle Boots, brown belt, fringe bag, printed dress, spring/summer, street style

CLOTHING

Sexy Slit: Asymmetrical Hemline & Ethnic Tie Dye

Post author By Helen Hou
Post date July 10, 2013

Photos: Halle Berry & Miranda Kerr; Courtesy of akmgsi.com, justjared.com.

Slit skirts/dresses are trendy but tricky to style. Today’s featured stars showed us how to pull them off at different ages: urban-meets-bohemian chic look for young ladies or elegant yet sexy ensemble for women over 40.

Halle Berry highlighted her artistic ombre asymmetrical skirt by keeping the rest simple: black top and city tote. I like that she chose a metallic sandal instead of black one. This season, metallic is the new black, but light, modern and summer appropriate.

1. Lionette Tribeca necklace (my favorite! lightweight and very comfortable)
2. Vince Camuto blouse (on sale here)
3. Foley + Corinna mid city tote (more colors here)
4. B Brian Atwood T-strap sandals (70% off now!)
5. Ray-Ban Vintage Oversized sunglasses
6. Helmut Lang ombre asymmetrical skirt (also here, similar here)

Miranda Kerr’s effortlessly chic off-duty looks are my favorite. A black side slit skirt can be easily dressed up or down. Here, she chose a tie dye t-shirt and studded buckle booties to make it daytime appropriate. The chic yet functional Givenchy Antigona spotted on her countless times really goes with every outfit!

1. Proenza Schouler tie dye shirt(on sale, also here; similar here)
2. Helmut Lang side slit skirt (similar here)
3. Stella McCartney oversized cat eye sunglasses ($16 here)
4. Givenchy Antigona satchel (also here; last seen here)
5. Chloé studded buckle boots (similar on sale here & here)

Tags asymmetrical skirt, Givenchy bag, Halle Berry, metallic sandal, Miranda Kerr, oversized sunglasses, split skirt, spring/summer, street style, studded boots, suede tote, tie dye

CLOTHING

Yellow Crush: From Lace to Silk to Jacquard

Post author By Helen Hou
Post date July 9, 2013

Photos: (clockwise from top left) Dawn and Jae Goodman, Miranda Kerr, Mena Suvari, Olivia Palermo, Jessica Stam, Olivia Palermo; Courtesy of vogue.com, instyle.co.uk, zimbio.com.

As you can see, I’m obsessed with the color yellow now. It’s so endearing and uplifting, universally flattering and incredibly versatile. It’s also a color that is ageless and seasonless.

There are so many ways to play with it. Start with shapes, you can find flirty peplum, dramatic ball gown, sexy bodycon or sleek sheath from the top picks featured below.

This buoyant color also adds its own spin to our favorite materials: It infuses youthful exuberance to delicate silk, livens up the mature jacquard or tweed, tones down the sexiness of lace…

Either wear it as a pop of color to your monochrome ensemble for a chic daytime look or team it with other primary colors or metallic accents for a glamorous evening look, have fun experimenting with your yellow pieces!

1. Alexis Bittar earrings
2. ISSA gown ($60 here)
3. Jimmy Choo metallic sandals (similar here & here)
4. Expressions NYC clutch

how to wear yellow dress; Featured: Dawn and Jae Goodman, Miranda Kerr, Mena Suvari, Olivia Palermo, Jessica Stam, Olivia Palermo; On Miranda kerr: Reem Acra yellow lace dress; Lanvin pumps; Alternatives: EMILIO PUCCIlace dress, Eliza J Lace Dress,