December Giveaway

Kristen Amato has created her own unique niche in the fashion world with her coveted jewelry collections under the name K. Amato. Accented by gold-filled chains, colorful stones, feminine filigree drops, and hammered geometric shapes, Kristen's jewelry offers the perfect blend of fashion-forward yet classic pieces for every wardrobe. Not to mention she is a local designer, here in Chicago, Illinois. Her pieces have been featured countless times in Oprah Magazine, In Style, Us Weekly, Lucky, Glamour, People, and many more, but you get the point.


This past weekend kicked off the Holiday shopping frenzy, and since we love our fans, we are giving away one K. Amato Monroe Initial Necklace, valued at $50.00. Showcased in People Magazine's Style Watch, this necklace features a small personalized initial that rests on top of a colored gemstone on a 14K gold-filled chain. The chain length is 16 inches.

You pick the initial and the color gemstone, and before you know it, you will be wearing (or gifting) this beautiful necklace. For color options, visit our site.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post, telling us what makes your personal sense of style unique. Please include your name and email address in the comment.

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*The last day for entry is December 17th, 2010. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to claim the prize.*

How to Wear Winter's Favorite Accessory: The Scarf

To get the most out of your scarves, we recommend wearing them a few different ways.

Launching for the Fall 2010 season, We Are Owls was dreamt up by three friends who always put fashion and art in the same sentence. The collection was designed to go beyond accessorizing and practicality, and becomes a reflection of emotions. Like the nocturnal owl, the founders find themselves awake at all hours of the night and embrace the beauty within dark obscurities. Emulating the birds of prey, We Are Owls brings us a sense of mystery and make their presence as alluring as it is chilling – as enchanted as it is haunting. The collection carries us into a fantastical world where the lines of distress and desire are blurred. Like its nearly silent counterpart, We Are Owls has caught us off-guard with a stunning collection of carefully developed printed scarves constructed with the finest of cashmere yarns.

We know this line will be in the spotlight for years to come. All scarves feature frayed ends, 100% cashmere, and are 3' wide by 6.5' long. $218, Basicboutique.com. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Belt it! Take the scarf and put it around your neck, even on both sides. Now, put a belt around your waist or above your hips. Great with leggings and boots!

Knot it! Tie the ends together gently, and wear it as an infinity scarf. Or, knot it throughout the scarf to shorten the length a bit. This adds a creative element to your outfit.

Wrap it! Wrap the scarf once around your neck.

Fold it! Fold the scarf in half, wrap it around your neck, and pull the ends through the loop. Great for wearing under coats.

Use it as a shawl. Let one side hang down the front, and the other side over your shoulder. Or wear both sides around your shoulders.

Get your We Are Owls scarf here.

How do you like to wear your scarf? Let us know!

-Trisha W.

How To Make Any Dress Appropriate for Work

We recently got a request from our Facebook fan page to discuss appropriate work attire. Specifically, Lexi wanted to know how to make any dress appropriate for your day job. Depending on where you work, your office probably has a dress code. In any case, I like to keep it simple and classy.

There are 6 staples I use to transform a look; Blazers, jackets, sweaters, scarves, camisoles, and tights.

Use common sense. If a dress is covered in sequins, it’s probably not appropriate for work. If it has an open back, cover it up with a blazer, jacket, or sweater. If it has a plunging neckline, wear a camisole underneath OR wear a scarf. Don't forget about your shoes. Try to keep heel height down to about 3-3.5 inches.

Tights are a great way to transform an outfit. Black Swiss dot tights are my current favorite. They add a little somethin’ somethin’ to that little black dress, but are also functional.

The general rule: If you wouldn’t wear it to your place of worship, you probably shouldn’t wear it to work.

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-Trisha W.

Favorite Items of the Week

I like change. In fact, I crave it. One week I'll obsess over sequins and the next week I'm wearing all black ensembles. If you know me (well), you know how indecisive I can be. So, for the time being...these are my favorite outfits!

Halston Heritage Strapless Ruffle Dress $295.00

Fully Lined strapless dress with vertical ruffle detailing.
Elastic banding at bust.
100% silk.

Perfect with Black, Navy, or Gold shoes





Loeffler Randall Sequin Shoulder Coat $595.00

Lined Loeffler Randall textured wool jacket.
Zipper front and side pockets.
Long lantern sleeves.
50% wool, 30% acrylic, 15% polyester, 5% other.

Wear with a dark wash jean and a shoe that highlights the sequined shoulders



Madison Marcus Lash Dress $282.00

Lined print silk dress with scoop neck.
Black contrast beading at shoulders and waist.
Exposed back zipper.
100% silk.

Perfect with a pair of Black patent peep toe pumps or dark Brown suede pumps



Vena Cava Fiberworks Dress $473.00

Ruched stretch detailing throughout.
Jewel neck and sewn short sleeves.
Hidden side zip. Lined.
92% silk, 8% spandex.

Works well with Silver, Black, Grey, Sequined, or Navy shoes




What are your favorite pieces this season?

-Trisha W.

If You Can’t See It, It Doesn’t Exist

How to Organize Your Closet

“I have NOTHING to wear!” How many times have you said, heard, or thought this? You probably have more options than you think, but if your closet isn’t organized it can look pretty empty. Here are my personal tips for organizing your closet.

Step 1: Take everything out. If you can’t see it, it doesn't exist.

You just became Leonardo with a blank canvas. By taking everything out, you are able to see the amount of space you have. You can also weed out what you no longer wear. My general rule is if you haven’t worn an item in 6-8 months, it's time to donate, consign, or sell it.

Aside from a few items, I generally purchase pieces I can wear year round. This forces me to be more creative with my wardrobe. If you do have seasonal clothes, whether its sweaters or summer dresses, I recommend storage bins that fit under your bed or in your closet. For budget-friendly storage solutions, check out IKEA, The Container Store, or Target.

If you are anything like Carrie Bradshaw, your idea of a perfect closet is one that has a place for everything. The reality is that not everyone can afford a custom built closet of that magnitude. Elfa closets are a great alternative to design your own space or to better organize your existing space. Though Elfa closets can be expensive, I promise that you will have them for a lifetime- even if you move. One of the best things about Elfa closets is that the shelves and rods are all adjustable, making it easy to rearrange. I am the kind of person that needs change every couple months, so Elfa closets are perfect for me.

Step 2: Decide how you want to organize things.

I alternate organizing between color coding and garment size, but I always keep my bottoms (dresses, skirts, and jeans) and my tops (tanks, blouses, blazers) separate. I keep sweatshirts, pajamas, casual clothing, and workout apparel in my dresser.

If you like to pick out your outfits by color, Color-Code your closet.

Organizing your closet by color is an easy way to see how much or how little you have of any particular color. I tend to wear a lot of blue, purple, and pink. It’s easy to buy what we like, but sometimes we need to branch out and try new things. I like to organize each color by going light to heavy: tanks, tops with short sleeves, tops with long sleeves, sweaters, etc.

If you like to pick out your outfits in layers, organize by garment size.

I use the light to heavy method for this as well. Example: tank tops first, then t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, light sweaters, heavy sweaters, blazers, and lastly, jackets.

Shoes:

There are several ways to organize shoes, but it all depends on how much space you have. I keep the shoes I wear often in an over-the-door rack, and my expensive shoes in their original boxes. You can also use shoe racks that sit in the bottom of your closet.

Sweaters:

If you don’t have nice padded hangers, fold your sweaters. This will maintain the shape of your sweaters and any other delicate fabrics. As much as I love a good dry-cleaner hanger, they can leave marks on your clothes. Try not to keep dry cleaned sweaters or any other item in the plastic they send you home with. The plastic emits chemicals onto your clothing that can trap moisture and yellow your clothing over time. Instead, try using garment bags. They will compact your clothes and keep out unwanted odors, dust, and pests.

I keep handbags, scarves, gloves, and any other accessory on the shelves above my hanging sections.

How do you organize your closet? Share your tips and tricks in our Comments section.

-Trisha W.