Using Pinterest to buy gifts

We have a joke in my family about not knowing who I get my style from. My parents and my sister have no interest in fashion, but I’ve always been into it.  Naturally, clothes end up making good gifts for me for Christmas and my birthdays, but for as long as I could remember, I have rarely liked the clothes my mom has picked out for me. Until now!

She’s a pretty tech savvy mom, not only on Facebook, but also on Twitter and Pinterest. So this year for my birthday she bought me this striped shirt, the first piece of clothing she has given me that I love! Right when I opened the box, I realized I had pinned this shirt onto my “what to wear to work” Pinterest board. She’s a pretty smart lady looking at what I had pinned to pick out something that I would like. So if you’re ever stumped for what to get someone for a gift, look at their Pinterest boards!

work outfit

 

Carrie Underwood wears red skinny jeans

This time of year is really confusing for figuring out what to wear to work. It’s too cold for a dress or skirt with bare legs, but too warm for tights or leggings. So between the seasons, I end up wearing a lot of pants to work. Because I’m not a fan of standard business work pants, I end up wearing pants in different colors, like the mint jeans I wore the other day. Carrie Underwood’s outfit here in red J. Brand skinny jeans is a good example of an outfit to wear to work between the seasons. And I love the name of the color of these jeans – lipstick!

carrie underwood outfit

Isabel Lu gray 3/4 sleeve sweater / J. Brand lipstick skinny jeans / brown cowboy boots

Carrie’s pic from denim debutante

Tips for using Instagram

Last month I went to the Boston Bloggers Style Summit where I met other fashion bloggers and attended sessions on various aspects of fashion blogging. One of those was hearing from local photographer, Smita of Hogger & Co., about getting the most out of Instagram. I didn’t really pay much attention to that network before, but since hearing these tips, I’ve come to really enjoy it.

1. Don’t feel like you need to center the focal point of your photos. Follow the “rule of thirds,” which is to divide the photo into 3 sections and place your focal point in one of the left or right thirds.

2. Use hashtags and comment on photos. It’s so easy to double tap and like photos, but like any social network, Instagram is a community so letting people know why you like their photo will help build a following. Using hashtags helps too.

3. It’s ok to only like a couple filters. If you find that you always gravitate towards a few of the Instagram filter options, that’s ok. Personally, I find myself using “rise” a lot.

Any other Instagram tips you have to share?

Here are some of the photos I’ve posted to @KristenD56 since the Style Summit:

photo copy 2

Let me know what your Instagram username is so I can follow you!

How to wear mint green pants to work

There’s something about mint green that I love. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of my favorite ice cream..mint chocolate chip! Anything in this color is perfect for the spring and summer..whether it’s a mint green necklace or these Blank NYC jeans I got from Marshalls that I’m wearing here. Have you worn something mint green to work?

mint green pants

What is a skater dress?

I’ve been noticing this term, skater dress, a lot lately while browsing around online. Skater dresses are perfect for women like me who are small on top with curves below the waist because that’s exactly how these dresses are shaped: fitted on top with an a-line skirt. These are great for work as long as you find a dress that’s not too tight on the top or too short. (Aim for a dress that is no shorter than 1 or 2 inches above the knee.) ASOS has a ton of skater dresses! I bought this blue lace ASOS skater dress a couple months ago..although I will say it’s a little too short for work, but I’m keeping it for a date night.

skater dresses for workcolor block Express skater dress / black White House Black Market skater dress / MinkPink striped skater dress / pink 3/4 sleeve ASOS skater dress

 

FAQ job interview outfits for new grads

Congrats to all of the new college graduates! As someone who graduated college years ago, my advice is to enjoy your summer and don’t stress too much about finding a job. You’ll get one and then you’ll be working everyday! My other advice is to take your job interviews seriously and dress appropriately. Here are answers to frequently asked questions about job interview outfits:

For women

job interview outfit

(Read below to find out where to buy these.)

1. Do I need to wear a suit?

It depends on the job, but for most jobs, the answer is yes, especially if they are in an office. Even if it’s a casual place, like an advertising agency, where you won’t be wearing a suit every day, you should still invest in one. I bought my first suit at Express. Look out for sales and buy a black suit that will last you years.

2. Do I need to wear nylons?

Again, this depends on the company. If you’re working somewhere corporate like a bank or a law firm, it’s a good idea to suck it up and wear nylons for the interviews until you figure out what the rules are. At non-coporate jobs, you should be ok without nylons.

3. Are open-toe shoes ok?

Not really. For the interviews, you should find some closed toe shoes, like these from Nine West. If you’re wearing heels, make sure they’re not too high and you can actually walk in them!

4. What kind of jewelry is appropriate?

Keep the jewerly to a minimum wearing a subtle necklace, like this triangle Gorjana necklace,  and subtle earrings, like these from A.L.C. Do not stack on the bracelets showing off your arm candy. That will be very distracting to the interviewer.

For men

what to wear to a job interview men

(Read below to find out where to buy these.)

1. Do I need to wear a suit?

For most jobs, the answer is yes. Even if you wouldn’t be wearing a suit every day, it’s best to dress to impress during interviews. Suits are expensive so buy a black suit that you can wear for years. Men’s Wearhouse has a good selection of suits for reasonable prices.

2. Do I need to wear a tie?

You should wear a tie, especially if you’re wearing a suit. Go with solid colors or subtle prints, like this striped Brooks Brothers tie. Keep your fish print tie at home during interview time.

3. What socks and shoes do I wear?

If you’re keeping it simple with a black suit, wear black shoes and black dress socks. It’s ok if the socks have a subtle gray print on them. Although bright socks are really popular right now, you don’t want to wear bright socks that are going to distract the interviewer.

4. What kind of bag is appropriate?

You should bring copies of your resume, so you’re going to need something to bring them in. You can buy a nice leather folder to carry or a bag, like this leather Banana Republic bag, that you’ll end up bringing to work each day once you get the job!

Nia Vardalos is work ready in a bright pink dress

In honor of Greek Easter which was on Sunday, I thought I’d feature fellow Greek Nia Vardalos in a color very appropriate for spring this year – bright pink! If you’re looking to spruce up your work wardrobe, I recommend you find a dress in this color. It’s very pretty and flattering. ModCloth has a lot of cute bright pink dresses (one of which is below). I also bought one from Marshalls (seen here) last week!

nia vardalos pink dress

Want to buy one of these dresses? The middle dress is from ModCloth, upper right is Rebecca Taylor, and bottom right is Hugo.

The Great Gatsby clothes

If you pay attention at all to pop culture, you know that Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby premieres Friday! The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time and I’ve watched Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge multiple times, so I have a good feeling about this movie.

Here are a couple fun facts related to the fashion in this new rendition of The Great Gatsby (from PSFK):

  • Brooks Brothers produced all of the men’s clothes in the movie, designed by Catherine Martin
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald was a lifelong Brooks Brothers customer

So naturally, Brooks Brothers is now selling clothes for men inspired by the film in their The Gatsby Collection. They have a lot of good stuff (some of it at a steep price), like the brown wing tip shoes for $598. If you want a piece of the collection, the accessories are a little bit more affordable, like $98 for a gold stripe tie.

brooks brothers gatsby collection

Clothes I bought in April

I almost made it through April without buying any clothes, but a few days before the month ended I went into Marshalls to browse the shoes and came out with shoes, dresses, pants and a shirt. I don’t feel bad though because they were all good deals of course and I had a $100 gift card to Marshalls from Christmas (thanks mom!), so my total spend after the gift card was $135.94..under my monthly budget of $200!

Here’s what I bought:

April clothes shopping at Marshalls

Yellow Gaimo espadrilles - I’ve been looking for wedge shoes that aren’t too high so I’m not wearing my brown or nude wedges all summer.  I love the yellow in these – they’ll be a fun pop of color to add to outfits.

Kenar blue print wrap dress – This dress will go well with my new yellow wedges!

Jones New York pink business dress (originally $128!) – I was looking for summer dresses for work, so this one is perfect. I was originally going to buy the light blue dress since I always buy blue clothes, but I thought I’d take a risk since this is for the summer and bought hot pink.

Ellen Tracy print pleated dress – I’ve been wanting a pleated dress, so I was happy to find this. There is a button missing around the chest so I’ve never done this before but I asked the cashier if they could give me a discount since I’ll have to bring it to the tailor to add that button back in and they took off $3.99, which was good enough for me.

Cynthia Steffe lace peplum top – Lace and peplum. Can’t go wrong with that combo!

Lucky Brand ikat flats – I’ve been looking for some neutral flats so I’m not wearing my plain black ones all of the time. I love the ikat print on these.

Gray Cynthia Rowley capris – I tried on a mint green version of these, but they were a size too big. I went back to see if they had a pair in my size in mint green, which they didn’t, so I bought this gray pair in my size instead.

This post is part of the Budgeting Bloggers group..join in!

Angela & Roi handbags that give back

angela and roi handbagsI love so many things about these handbags from Angela & Roi that I have to list them out:

  • The bags are adorable. The vintage-inspired looks are so classic and will be in style for decades.
  • The company’s mission, Donate by Color, revolves around donating a portion of each bag sale to a non-profit health organization to increase awareness of each cause by color. For example, buy a pink bag and Angela & Roi will donate $5 of the sale to support a breast cancer research nonprofit.
  • The bags are made of vegan leather and made to last. Read more about their craftsmanship process.
  • The company is based in Boston.
  • It was founded by a couple, Angela and Roi.

Please look around their online shop and let me know if you love the bags as much as I do!