Free Shoes Giveaway Winner: Lataura Williams

Happy Friday! Thank you to all who entered our weekly Free Shoes Giveaway. Congratulations to this week's winner, Lataura Williams! To enter our weekly Free Shoes Giveaway, visit our Facebook and follow the instructions. Link does not work on mobile devices. Good luck!

Victoria's Secret Nail Polish Debut

Well it was only a matter of time, I suppose.  She dominates the sexy side of runway, plays a big role in our boudoir behavior, and men and women smile at the sound of her name... and now miss Victoria has a big secret she just can't keep anymore...

Victoria's Secret is launching their very first nail polish collection, making your nails a whole lot sexier.  The collection features a whopping 21 pieces, 2 of which you already saw live if you watched the fashion show in December.

The collection is filled with hues that span quite a spectrum, from soft pinks and nearly nudes (no pun intended), to bolder fuchsias and glitters that pack a punch.  

They'll be priced around $10 a bottle and launch at the end of this month.  So what do you think?  Will you dress your nails in VS?

Posted by:  Spankie

(photos: Victoria's Secret)

Look We Love: Peplum & Patterns

If there's one thing, and one thing only, that we've learned over the past year, it's that peplum is hot-hot-hot!  Not only did peplum see a huge.... um..... pep.... boost in it's popularity in the fall, but it is carrying strong to be a hot topic in close of winter and spring in this new year.

And it's easy to tell why... its versatility.  Plain and simple, peplum is the "every woman's" top.  It literally has a way of making pretty much every body type you could think of under the sun look amazing.  And we love that.  And just how does it do this magical wonder you ask?  

Well, it's simple really.... peplum comes with a built in waist cinching silhouette, and a flare at the hips.  Whether the flared "peplum" skirt portion comes right at the natural waist or slightly below, because of this natural flare, it give any waistline the appearance of being oodles smaller, and creates an hourglass shape, and we love when our body can tell the time. Whether you have little to no curve in that area, or have plenty of curves to accentuate, peplum manages to play up your curves beautifully.

Solid peplum tops are classic, and when paired with fun prints or geometric patterns, the flirty nature of the top can become quite elegant, structured, or ultra feminine depending on your mood, which makes the top work well with tons of bottom options.  Skirts, pants, some leggings, shorts, you name it....

Pair the look with some killer heels and you're all set!

What do you think of peplum?

(photo: Chictopia - Micha)

Kate Middleton's Royal Portrait Unveiled

Yes indeed, we can all agree that the way of the royal world is a bit different from world most everyone else lives in.  And that's what keeps the world so intrigued.  

And this little bit of news is no different.... the official portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge was just unveiled in the National Portrait Gallery in London.  It was created by Paul Emsley, a South African raised artist who apparently spent more than 3 months working on the piece, which is a work of 2 sittings he had with Kate last year, in addition to analyzing photographs he had taken of her at the same time.

And the reviews have been great.  "I thought it was brilliant" Kate Middleton was quoted as saying, and Prince William thought it was "beautiful."

So what do you think of the portrait?  I was kind of surprised by it to be honest, and had mixed ideas, but overall think it's a very honest potrayal of the lovely Duchess.

Posted by:  Spankie

(image: Paul Emsley)

OPI to Release OZ: The Great and Powerful Polish

Just when you thought they had covered all the lacquer bases, OPI comes out with another magical surprise that you can literally have at your fingertips, with a splash of Disney and a heap of winterized colors.

In honor of the upcoming film featuring James Franco entitled: "Oz: The Great and Powerful" OPI is clicking their little sparkly heels and prepping up to launch a 7 color nail polish collection to capture the essence of the film.

Filled with whimsical delights and a broad range from pretty pinks to darkened golds, the collection is meant to capture the feeling of magic and sorcery.  And there's also a bit of magic in the formula, as the collection will feature OPI's new Liquid Sand effect that creates a matte pebble texture with small glitter particles... interesting indeed.  

Preview the collection here before it hits stores in March, priced about $9 a bottle.

 

 

Posted by:  Spankie

(photos: OPI)

Look We Love: Patterned Sweaters

 

One of my favorite fashion pieces for nearly all seasons of the year (sorry Summer, this time you'll have to take a back seat) are sweaters.  A girl or boy can never have enough sweaters in their arsenal, be it chunky knit for the uber cold months, all the way to a lightweight crop for spring.

So one of my current obsessions are sweaters with bold patterns or graphic prints.  They take a typically baggier piece, which may envelop a frame, and add a whole lot of pop and spice!  Something I like to call: Sweater Sass!

When working with patterned sweaters, they really do most the work for you in an outfit, and you can easily pair them with simple solids in order to maintain all the attention on the sweater like the looks above.  Utilizing some neutral colored shorts with tall socks is a perfect look for the spring and fall months, and pairing with darker leggings or leather pants works wonders as the temperatures drop.

Contrastingly, you can get a little more playful and rework the patterns and prints in your sweaters over another patterned bottom to create a far more artistic and whimsical look, like the one below:

The key ingredient is the color palette.  Make sure there are unifying colors tying the 2 pieces together like the pinky-beige of the skirt and skulls, and the maroon tights which work well to compliment the sweater.  Accent with solid neutrals like these black leather booties, and if you really want to add a snazzy splash, wrap your waist with a bright colored skinny belt for a pop.

So what do you think?  How do you like to wear your sweaters?

Posted by:  Spankie Valentine

(photos: Chictopia - Michaela_773, Leatherlaceandvelvet, & Kittenhood)

Dior's First Ready to Wear Campaign with Raf Simons!

It's a new year, so why not take a new direction?!  We're all familiar with the ultra dramatic, elegant, and simply vonnegutesque Dior advetorials under the vision of John Galliano.  Well this year, Dior has shifted gears into the ready-to-wear variety, featuring a new collection of images comprising their new ad campaign for the every day woman.

Under the direction of Raf Simons, the collection is portrayed in a slightly surrealist light while maintaining a more relate-able tone to the fashion conscious woman.  And one other change this year:  we've been used to seeing fashion model Karlie Kloss dominate the images of Dior's ready-to-wear campaigns for the last 2 years, but that too has changed.

Taking her place are Daiane Conterato, Marie Piovesan, Daria Strokous, and Anna Martynova.  Brava!  

While the new ad campaign is taking a moment to grow on some with its sharp diversion of what we're used to seeing, we're digging the direction.  

What do you think?

Posted by:  Spankie

(photos:  Dior)