DailyBuzz Style 9×9: Runway to Real Way

As fashion week winds down, I’ve been having a blast looking through all the slideshows from my favorite designers’ presentations. Just as fun, at least in my opinion, is looking through street style galleries. You see some truly zany things (um, this coat, anyone?), but for every crazy outfit, I can also find one that I think is super inspired.

When DailyBuzz Style put out a call for participants in this month’s 9×9, with the theme of “Runway to Real Way,” I had an idea: find four of my favorite street style looks, then find pieces that could let anyone recreate them!

Being that it’s February in New York, it was no surprise to see most of the fashionistas bundled up against the cold. But, there were still tinges of spring here and there — floral pants, a blushing polka dot shirt, or a vibrant, multi-colored maxi skirt. What I like most about the above outfits is that while every single lady looks ready to attend a fashion show, they’re all still ensembles that the rest of us can wear anytime, anywhere.

Check out how to get the looks, with shopping resources, right after the jump! (more…)

Newly Minted

One promise I made to myself when I decided I’d work from home is that I would still get up everyday and stick to a routine. Make the bed, have some tea, and yes — shower and get dressed. After several years in a traditional office environment, it’s no surprise that most of my duds are pieces meant to be layered and paired with simple black or gray pants. I feel slightly ridiculous getting into that kind of garb when I’m sitting in my home office, and instead have been gravitating towards casual pants or jeans and simple Ts.

Problem: My cute, casual T Shirt collection is no longer what it once was in my college days (and I’m not exactly rushing out to buy the young-ish graphic Ts I used to don back then). Solution: StyleMint. You’ve probably heard of all the ‘Mint’ brands by now — ShoeMint, JewelMint, and BeautyMint, but with my current predicament, getting my hands on some stylish Ts I could wear around the house without feeling like a slob was the biggest priority. I’ve ordered the Lenox, Fuller, Venice, and Bleeker, and can’t wait to receive them!

New to StyleMint? It’s simple. You just sign up to gain access to the collection (which is free, and your one login will also give you access to the other Mints), then shop away. New styles are added monthly, and you’ll be notified when they debut. All the Ts are $29.99, and they ship for free! The collection is designed by Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, and has their trademark cool girl-chic.

Not convinced? StyleMint has been kind enough to offer vmac+cheese readers a 20% discount on their first T Shirt purchase. Just use the promo code CHEESE when you checkout. The discount is good until 2/29, so (s)hop to it!

Disclosure: T Shirts provided to me by StyleMint gratis. By signing up and/or purchasing products from StyleMint, I will receive an affiliate fee.

 

I’m Loving…

1. Burt’s Bees Lemon Cuticle Creme — I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m one of those unkempt girls who doesn’t get manicures very often. This cuticle balm keeps things from getting too out of control. When I got engaged, I started adding it to my nails double time.

2. J.Crew Tillary Tote – Inspired by the Celine luggage tote? Maybe. Still effortlessly stylish and a probable classic for years to come? Definitely.

3. Madewell Film Noir Pump – I’m loving the punchy jade green color on these shoes! PS — they also come in leopard. This is one thing I’ll miss about an office job. Clothing purchases are much less justifiable.

4. Almond oil — I’ve discovered my favorite hair oil treatment ever. And surprise, surprise, it’s natural! I comb about a tablespoon or so of almond oil through my hair, put it up in a bun, and let it hang out. I’ll clean the house, cook dinner — whatever. Wash it out (sometimes it takes two shampoos), condition as usual. When I blow it out and iron it, it’s frizz free and super moisturized. Note: my hair type is thick, wavy, slightly prone to frizz.

5. Spider Mums — I bought a couple bunches of these two weeks ago, and they look as fresh as the day I got them. Here’s to flowers that are inexpensive, interesting looking, and last forever!

6. Diamante Boxes from Plantation — I purchased the larger size of these boxes from my local Plantation store last year. It’s floated around my apartment a bit, and had recently been living on my cubicle desk at the office. This week, as I re-configured and re-organized my home office (a mini-clean out was in order!), I decided to put this box front and center on my desk. It’s got a whole new lease on life!

You know what else I’m loving? The new layout changes here on the blog. They’re all thanks to the wonderful Lisa from Elembee Creative. She was so easy to work with, put in extra hours over the weekend to help me get things up and running, and answered every little question I had. If you’re in the market for some graphic or web design work, be sure to check her out (she blogs too)!

A lot of the impetus behind the changes was to begin a sponsorship program. If you’re interested in having your brand featured here on vmac+cheese, stay tuned — advertising info will be available soon!

Happy Monday, everyone!

{Image Credit: Spider Mums from Martha Stewart

 

It Girl: Hanneli Mustaparta

Are you following Hanneli Mustaparta’s self-titled blog? I wasn’t. In fact, I didn’t even know who she was until I spotted her fresh face on WHO WHAT WEAR last week. “Who IS that girl?” I thought to myself. A quick Google search, and I had stumbled upon one of the most gorgeous street style and inspiration blogs I’ve come across in a while. But apparently, I’m waaaay behind the times (like, embarrassingly so), because Hanneli is hot. In more ways than one!

Hanneli is a blogger, photographer, and of course, model. She contributes to Vogue every now and again. And she has style. Oodles of it. And it’s attainable. I’m loving seeing how she mixes fairly basic pieces throughout the seasons:

Click through to see even more Hanneli fabulousness…and a familiar surprise I came across on her blog (Austin friends, this may interest you): (more…)

Feeling a little regal and…

I loved this color post so much, I was inspired to do another one! I’ve never really gravitated towards purple, even though I’m often told it looks good on me. Lately though, for whatever reason, I just can’t seem to get enough! Isn’t it funny how we go through color phases like that? My favorite purple piece as of late has been this silk shirt I was gifted for Christmas. I’ve been mixing it up with turquoise and even red accessories. Perfection!

Cardi, Target | Snood, InterMix | Earrings, Banana Republic |  Gloves, Target | PS1, Barneys | Dress, TopShop | Cami, Rebecca Taylor | Ring, Stephen Dweck |  Denim, Yoox

And if you’re here to read about my big news…just scroll down a bit! The announcement went up earlier today! (Squee!) I’ll go into a bit more later this week, but let me just say: thank you ALL for the overwhelming support this morning. I won’t even lie — I got a little emotional at work reading through everything. Big hugs!

{Image Credits: Stockholm Street Style; The Sartorialist; Furnishism}