Fashionably Fluent is officially one year old today!

 Thank you to all of  my readers that have kept up with the blog for the past year.  It has been fun bringing you and my world together!

Just for fun, I put together pictures from this past year along with some important fashion tips I’ve picked up along the way.

Thank you and enjoy!

FF Tip #1- When traveling, never under pack

FF Tip #2- Wear bright red lipstick at least once a year

 Tip # 3- Sunglasses should be worn all year round!

 FF Tip #4-  Wearing a black dress to a wedding is not boring!

 FF Tip # 5- Always fly in style (Louie Vuitton Carry on definetley helps!)

FF Tip #6- Shop on the streets of major cities- You will find cool stuff, especially accessories!

FF Tip #7- Own a pair of cow girl boots!

 FF Tip # 8- Wear Bows!

FF Tip #9- You can’t always be cool, Dorky is fun too!

FF Tip #10- Be yourself, have fun with your style, kick fashion ass!!

 Till next time!

xoxo

Dee

Summer is around the corner and we’ve been lucky enough to start feeling the heat in the metro NYC area. With the warm weather quickly approaching looking good never seemed so tricky. In the summer heat, sometimes the only thing that feels right is probably wearing close to nothing and that is not FF!

I’m not here to introduce the romper because I’m sure you all know what that is. I’m here to promote it just a tad because of how surprisingly comfortable, light and cute this garment is!

“If you try hard, you die hard,” and the romper definitely gives off the, “I’m not trying too hard vibe but I still look good”.

After all, rompers were specially designed for toddlers & children because they were light and loose fitting and easy for children to play in. They became pretty popular in France in the 1950′s and were mainly used for little boys. It wasn’t until 2006 that the romper made a come back in the high fashion world, after its first appearance in America in the 1900′s.

Flash forward to 2010 and a quick romper history lesson- you’ve got to check the romper out!

Below are a few that I found that are summer and pocket friendly:

Forever21.com-$14.50

Forever21.com- $8.80

Forever21.com-$10.90

Americanapparel.net-$38.00

Try a romper out! You wont be disappointed!

Xoxo,

Dee

Everyone knows Christian Siriano from Project Runway and we’ve all grown to love the man’s less than oridinary designs. Last year he collaborated with Payless and helped designed shoes and bags that would go on sale a few weeks after fashion week.

Christian Siriano and Payless have yet again collaborated and have designed what looks like an imitation of the 10 inch monster shoes created by Alexander Mcqueen. The shoes were shared with the world on his runway show during Fashion week, this week.  Behold the 2010 Spring/Summer Collection for Payless by Christian Siriano.

This just being a peek into the collection, I’m excited to see more! After last years runway show Payless definitely toned down the collection before letting it hit the market. Lets see what they do with these little creations this year.

Look out for the collection to hit Payless in a few weeks. If your still feeling the Lady Gaga inspiration heres your chance to do it for $79.99.

Always down to pay less,

Dee

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I went to Target last weekend and picked up two cool pieces from Target’s new line Rodarte. Target is known for picking up edgy designers and selling their lines for a season or two. What’s cool about Target’s designer lines is that you get very artsy, runway feel garments at Target prices.  Keep in mind that once the stuff sells off the rack you wont have a chance to purchase more.

The dress below is one of the garments I bought from Rodarte. The dress fits very flowy and you have to love this for the spring time with a pair of peep toe pumps. It easily transitions from day to night, and has many details like the embroidered flowers in the front and the lacy open back, this dress is not only terrific but affordable too! Just an FYI if you can’t find this on Target’s web site or at Target stores try Amazon.com, as the stuff is starting to flee the racks.

Back of dress:

Floral Wrap Dress-Target.com $39.99

Here’s the skirt I purchased as well. I wouldn’t pair this with black and in person the skirt is more mustard then this bright yellow that the picture is picking up. I would wear this in spring/summer with a white tank and chunky shoes add a long gold necklace to this and some bangles… Love it!

Tulle & Lace Skirt-Target.com-$29.99

 Good luck and as always Happy Shopping!

Fashionably Yours,

Dee

I am a huge fan of the flat- pleated skirt and I first saw this style of skirt at BCBG Max Azria and I absolutely loved it! As much as I loved the skirt, I am not  huge fan of the price tag…138 dollars.

Front and back pleasted skirt from BCBG:

FF has good news!!!

Thank Express for making a very similar skirt, check it out:

 Even better, the skirt has a zipper on the back which makes this one more likable then the one from BCBG…

 I had to zoom in on the zipper, I am really loving it!!!

 The best part is that  the skirt from Express is over 100 dollars less than the one from BCBG!

Go to Express and try on this skirt!!!

 The price tag- $34.50. You cant beat that!!!

Fashionably & Economically yours,

Dee

Kourtney Kardashian gave birth to a healthy baby boy this week and I wanted to take a moment and show off her incredible style over the past 9 months. I’ve mentioned that Nicole Richie is the essence of being fashionably pregnant, but watch out Nicole cause Kourtney definitely came strong with an adorable  maternity wardrobe to show off her glow…

Here are a few Kourtney inspired maternity FF finds:

Pea in a Pod Long Blue Dress- $89.99- DestinationMaternity.com

Light Olive Tunic-$22.80-Forever21.com

Blue Scoop Neck Sweater- $9.99- Sears.com

White Button Down-$17.99-Target.com

Black Leggings-$5.80-Forever21.com

Shiny Leggings- $34-AmericanApparel.net

Off the shoulder top-$35-AmericanApparel.net

And remember you don’t have to shop at maternity stores, to keep things cost effective your best bet is to shop at your favorite stores and go up a size or two…

You too can look fabulous up until labor!

Good luck!!!

Fashionably Yours,

Dee

It’s a honor to be a part of a couple’s wedding but the cost can get somewhat out of hand. With the Bride & Groom in over their heads with wedding plans, sometimes they don’t realize the cost for the bridal party.

Fortunately, the last wedding I was a part of, the bride ( my best friend) , was aware of how financially burdening a wedding can get for the bridal party.  She did the research for me and found that a toddlers tux (for the ring bearer) is $140 to rent at Men’s Warehouse, to buy a tux at Sym’s $20 (one of the reasons we are friends).

The ring bearer was looking so sharp in his $20 tux, you would have never guessed it had I not told you, check him out:

Bottom line, don’t let the traditions of a wedding cloud your judgment. There are ways to cut cost and still look good.

Are you a part of a wedding and are afraid of cost getting out of hand? Suggest saving alternatives to the couple, nip the spending issue in the butt!

Get your ring bearers tux at Sym’s. FYI-They have men’s tuxedos too.

Saving money never looked this good!

So I have been debating buying a fake leather jacket vs. a real leather jacket for about a week now, and  have come to terms with the fact that pleather is not FF.

Although, it may seem like the only alternative for those of us who can not afford a real leather jacket, the difference in feel and look is obvious.

I went to Express, and tried on their “minus the leather” jacket and I’m not going to lie, it fit really cute, I was almost convinced that it was my only alternative to buying a real leather jacket… The cost of the jacket was $118 plus a 25% off all outerwear sale coupon, the jacket would have cost me only $88! Check it out below:

I then went to Macy’s, and  tried on a $400 Michael Kors leather jacket and the difference was immediately noticed. The material is so much softer and the look was chic, it wasn’t shiny and didn’t feel like plastic. It was heavier so it would be good for cold months, but of course, the major difference was the price tag.

So, I walked out of the mall, pleather-less & leather-less. I went onto Overstock.com to find that  they carry fashionable and pocket friendly REAL leather jackets. I found this Michael Kors one for $170:

So here’s the deal, with leather jackets, either save up and get a real one or try and find yourself a good deal online. Leather minus the leather doesn’t look good, feel good and although it’s pocket friendly, it isn’t fashionable. A leather jacket is a wardrobe classic, spending the money today will pay off tomorrow. You will most likely have it for years and years to come, that is, of course if you don’t lose yours like I did, now here I am in the market again!

Good luck leather lovers!

Happy Savings Spending!

Can’t get enough of infinity scarves! I know, I have already posted a blog about the infinity scarf BUT I had to put this one on a blog of its own.

I was at Macy’s (25% off Friends and Family this weekend only) headed for the door, when this scarf yelled at me, from the display table, to try it on.

Animal print is really cool, especially in the winter months, and the fact that they put it on an infinity scarf  (my obsession still) was a no brainer, it was a must add to the collection.

Don’t you love the different ways you can wear it!

If you are digging my new scarf you can get it at:

roxy.com- $28.00

Or go on over to Macy’s and get an extra 25% off like i did!

FYI- H & M has infinity scarves for $9.95- Just got one in a grass/olive green color.

Fashionably Yours,

Dee

Over the knee boots, named one of People’s must have winter pieces.

I’ve seen this look before BUT I can’t say that I’ve seen it pulled this well off, the way Penelope Cruz has below:

As long as you keep it classy, don’t be afraid that you’ll look cheap, with the right pieces this is a fab look.  

Get your own! Check out the ones I found below at reasonable prices:

Diba OTKB-$99-Zappos.com

Suede OTKB-$89.95-DSW.com

Good Luck my fellow shoppers!!!

XOXO

Dee