Thursday, January 31, 2013

Wednesday's (Late) Look For Less

Holy smokes. Yesterday was Wednesday and I FORGOT! Today, I bring you Wednesday's Look for Less one day late. Sorry about that but hopefully this one is worth the wait!

Do you love lucite? I sure as heck do. I used to think a lucite clutch was a stupid thing- why would I want everyone to see my purse bits? But then I realized that lucite goes with everything, is always in season and there are clever ways to disguise the surprises inside. Consider this an opportunity to flash your cool coin purse or a snazzy iPhone case.



These lucite clutches have a retro vibe but also feel thoroughly modern. Would you ever be able to tell which of these is $900 and which is $90? The answer might surprise you. The bag with the bamboo pouch (see- clever way to disguise your goods!) is a Charlotte Olympia creation for a whopping $895. The $98 option by Collective Habit is the clutch in the middle. I happen to love its gold clasp. And if you want to opt for a bag that costs somewhere in between, the orange CC Skye bag rings up at $255. From those descriptions, does my choice seem transparent? (Bad pun alert.)

How do you feel about a lucite clutch? Is your love for it as clear as mine? (Badum-ching!) 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Pin Me Take Two


You guys have been so responsive about the Pin Me Maybe post from the other week. Thank you so much for your feedback! I didn't even know that my profile couldn't be found on Pinterest and I still don't know why. BUT I added the "Follow me on Pinterest" button on the right hand side of the page. I hope that helps! Also, here's the web address to my account: 

www.pinterest.com/focusonflair/

It's been so fun finding y'all on Pinterest. Thank you to those who found me and I hope you see where I followed you back! 

Let's get to pinnin'! 

Mint Accent

If you are from the South and say, "Mint accent" out loud,  then it rhymes. If you don't have a thick southern accent, then I'm sorry the title of this post didn't seem as clever.

At any rate, in the midst of winter doldrums, a pop of mint green against soothing neutrals provides just enough springy optimism to make us happy but still appear in-season. It's also just as refreshing when used inside the home. 


personal photo

via Daily Look

via Of All The Fish In The Sea

These photos have me craving some mint accents for my house, my desk and my wardrobe! Here's a smattering of minty freshness available now...



Maybe mint is "so last year" but I'm still holding strong! What about you? 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

This Little Light Of Mine


Happy Tuesday, everyone! I'm so sorry for the long delay since my last post. My beau and I headed out for a quick vacation to Texas, which was great fun, and when I returned, I started straight back to work on a new project. I won't bore you with the details but I went through some heavy stuff last week and made a bold career choice. All I can say is that sometimes in life, you have to decide what is worth fighting for and you must go about it the right way. In the end, all is well but my motto:

 Let your light shine! 

At my high school graduation, Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry gave the keynote speech based on the classic hymn "This Little Light of Mine." He encouraged us to always shine through the hardest of situations. The real world can suck but it needs and deserves everyone's light! Now I try to remind myself, my friends and my family of this important message as often as needed. Sometimes we need it more than others...

With that being said, here's a little more sparkle for you- the fun and potentially frivolous kind! 


Pure Barre Wilmington has recently started selling Lily & Laura beaded bracelets handcrafted by women in Nepal. Proceeds from each purchase of a bracelet go toward improving the lives of the women and their families. Each bracelet is unique and they come in a huge variety of colors. It was hard to choose just three! At $12 each or three for $30, you might be able to get away with not narrowing down your selection. I mixed mine with two gold Stella & Dot Renegade Cluster bracelets and the teeny Stella & Dot Love bracelet. I'm slightly obsessed with these new gems...

Hopefully you stuck through the negativity at the start of this post and enjoyed the sparkle at the end! Here's to letting our light shine every day! And when that feels a little bit tough, here's to fun baubles that cheer us up.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Pin Me Maybe


Happy Friday!!! Let's keep it light today, shall we? After the stress of yesterday's car and house insanity, Friday feels like passing "Go" and collecting $200...without collecting that $200.


So are you on Pinterest? I am and I would love to follow you! This site offers a multitude of information and inspiration but I find that it's hard for me to find people I like. Luckily, the site has started recommending pinners based on our pins but I'd love to know if you're out there from you. Please leave me a comment and let me know. I'll try to keep my pins high quality and interesting for you.

Happy Weekend!! 

Thursday, January 17, 2013

High Five!

Wendy Whiner here! Sorry for venting my frustration about the house earlier today. It's not all bad...a problem will be solved and I will be able to sleep at night without worrying about leaking fixtures and high water bills! 

In the midst of my complaining, I forgot to express my excitement about a belated Christmas gift my beau sweetly gave me yesterday, an iPhone 5! You must understand that I've been rocking the 3GS for nearly three years now and it was high time for an upgrade. (Did you know you can sell your old smartphone on Gazelle.com? You might only get $9 but every penny counts!) 

PS- My beau still uses a flip phone. We're so techy.

Professional photo featuring case and professional manicure

Of course, my main concern after making sure the phone functioned properly was getting a chic case. Thank goodness our AT&T store had a leopard print one that I think is super cute. (Turns out, I'm still obsessed with leopard.) But it got me wondering, what other case options are there these days. Take a look at some of these fashionable phone finds. 

1- Iomoi Personalized Case (so freakin' cool)

Who knew accessorizing your cell phone would be this interesting?? I feel like I might need different cases for different events, outfits, times of day, etc. Excessive? Certainly.

By the way, the phone is great. Last night I used FaceTime to chat with my parents and this happened...


That's my dad. This phone is the jam.

Reno Woes

via Houzz

If you have a bathroom that feels like a spa sanctuary, then consider yourself LUCKY. I'm jealous. It turns out that I can only dream about one. At this very moment, two plumbers and a tile guy are pulling my bathroom apart and I'm hearing a lot of "Oh Lord" and "That's not good." Great. Pretty much everything that could go wrong has gone wrong this morning. I'll spare you the details but let's just say I'm about one more ounce of bad news away from a panic attack. If you have something bad to tell me, please tell me tomorrow.

Feel free to send good vibes my way this morning...or Xanax. Either one works.

And I won't even get into the what the car dealership told me this morning...

Bring on Friday!

Monday, January 14, 2013

Razzle Dazzle

The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place last night in good old Hollywood. For the fashion obsessed, awards season is like the Super Bowl of style. However, last night, there were a few too many fouls on the play. What's with all of the mock turtlenecks? (I made my dad throw his away about 10 years ago.) And just-outta-bed down 'dos? And every single woman displayed a smokey eye? Wow...groundbreaking. As I watched with one of my Wilmington gal pals, we decided that the matronly effects resulted from the "Downton Abbey" syndrome. It's 2013 people. We know there aren't many angels on the Red Carpet. So let's get real.

via US Magazine

My top picks from last night's Red Carpet were the ladies who chose to razzle dazzle us with sparkle, shine or, at the very least, impeccable tailoring. Kerry Washington rocked my favorite look from head to toe, looking beyond in a beaded and blush toned Miu Miu dress with sheer overlay, Cleopatra-esque fringey hair and glowing skin. I love the risky length on her and, surprisingly, those full coverage pumps. On someone else, this look could have been a huge miss but on fashion-forward Kerry, it works!

via US Magazine

Winner Anne Hathaway always brings it full force on the Red Carpet. This year, she looked amazing in a two-piece Chanel number. Thank you, Anne, for not letting us down!

via US Magazine

Isla Fisher rocked the sheer cap sleeve and crystals on this Reem Acra gown. The nude color was ab fab on her and did anyone else notice her heavy brow? That's a beauty trend I noticed on several starlets last night. Paging Brooke Shields! 

via Huffington Post

"The Sessions" nominee Helen Hunt looked so soft and feminine last night. Her all-out glamour was a huge surprise to me and I love her for it. Kudos to Dolce & Gabbana for creating such an amazing piece and props to Helen Hunt's stylist for adding the perfect hair, make-up and accessories.

Beyond the sparkle and on to the tailoring, "Game Change" winner Julianne Moore wore a Tom Ford stunner with Bulgari jewels, of course. Predictable? Sure. But it works for her and stood out from all of the pink and pouf that everyone else wore. Kate Hudson also wore a beautifully tailored black dress but her down 'do and flyaways kept me from adding her to this post. Sorry, girl. 

via US Magazine

Super secret hottie Amy Poehler was another pleasant surprise to me. She rocked the Red Carpet in a Stella McCartney tux (sans shirt!) and amazing Chopard necklace. She looked STUNNING. I would only say that the length of her pant made her look a little short to me. I think the hem should have been a teensy bit longer to elongate her frame. Otherwise, the hair, make-up, clothes and accessories were perfection!

via Huffington Post

Finally, for a dose of color, I loved Jennifer Garner in oxblood Vivenne Westwood. She looked soft and lovely with the perfect amount of jewels, tailoring, structure and make-up. Congrats to her hubby on winning Best Director for "Argo!"

via Perez Hilton

I don't mean to leave all of the other dresses in colors off of this post but I just cannot promote busty crumb catchers and droopy chest draping. Sorry, ladies. You are gorgeous and talented and we just don't agree on your choices. 

Who were your favorites last night? Surely I've missed someone so let me know!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Constructive Criticism Plus a Few Tidbits

There are a few things about my own blog that really annoy me. Two of those things are the lack of photography NOT pulled from Pinterest and the complete void of giveaways. For being such loyal readers and standing by me through my growing pains, you're going to (hopefully) notice my efforts to improve in those areas...starting now!

First, I want to share a few pics of my master bedroom redo. It's nowhere near complete yet but the room has vastly improved already. It used to look like this...



I had ONE pair of cheesy Target drapes hanging even though I had two windows. LAME. And they were definitely hung too low. The room was a bit dull...I was going for "soothing."

In researching bedroom designs, I fell in love with one Kelly Wearstler room in particular. The brass, the color palette, the patterns...I'm in!


 With a little Christmas cash and a huge sale from an online fabric store, I bought a few yards of one of her fabrics...I call it the "Oh the Places You'll Go" fabric because it reminds me of the illustrations in that Dr. Seuss book.


I also picked out some new drapes and Euro shams from Blue Hand Home here in Wilmington. (Love them!) Hanging curtains is my absolute least favorite thing to do. I'm short and not blessed with much upper body strength. Today, I hurt. And my trusty old drill died yesterday so I learned how to use this new one.


Turns out this drill is wayyyy lighter than my old one and I only ended up stripping ONE screw! Yay! 

So here's how the room looks today. More room for improvement (nighstands! lumbar pillow!) but I am pleased with the progress so far. 


If you've seen all of the pics on my Instagram already, I apologize. If not, come follow me at iluvsavoirflair!

I promise to keep documenting the changes in case you are interested. This blog obviously focuses on (FLAIR for) style but every now in then a little project is fun to see. As for that other self-critique, stay tuned for a giveaway soon. It's gonna be good. 

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Bend It Like Beckham or Own It Like Olivia

Most of us style lovers (or at least those of us who visit this realm of the blogosphere) envy Olivia Palermo's style. Her NYC street style has been pinned up and down and chronicled all over. I love when I find an image of her and it almost seems achievable! Today I wanted to share with you an image I came across last night and the pieces you can use to achieve her look. 

image via Rags To Riches
Striped Tee (on sale!)
Shorts (on sale!)
Flats (on sale!)

While you may be saying to yourself, "But it's winter time," you might want to check the weather where you are. In the South, our weekend forecast shows 70's! An outfit like this one is the perfect option for a warm winter day or a great transitional look come spring. A boatneck striped tee is a classic along with the contrasting red nail polish and tortoise shell link cuff. You'll never tire of any of those pieces. Then inject a little interest with high waisted shorts, a studded bag and an unexpected pop of color at the feet. Tres chic!

Hopefully you also notice that many of these pieces are on sale sale sale! Who loves you, baby?? And I couldn't withhold this valuable piece of information from you: the flats are an actual Olivia P. pick from Piperlime and everything on the site is 20% off TODAY ONLY with the code 24HOURS! Check it out before it's over! 

Happy warm winter weekend to some of you! To others, layer up (with great sale finds).

Monday, January 7, 2013

Leopard Lair

via Cupcakes for Breakfast

unknown

Nanette Lepore's Dressing Room via Elle Decor

via Palmer Weiss

Lilly Pulitzer Home via Apartment Therapy

Do you have a slight fear of leopard print like I do? I've made no secret on this blog that I struggle to feel like myself when wearing this particular animal print. It's not that I don't like it- I love it! It's just that every time I put it on, I feel like I should be going to da' club. 

BUT a little leopard in the home is something that has really been catching my eye lately. Hey, if the princess of preppy Lilly Pulitzer can make it work on her wall, then so can I! The key to making leopard work without creating a full-on boudoir? Create unexpected contrasts like Nanette Lepore did by using leopard upholstery on an elegant lucite chair with an over-dyed rug. Check out a few fabulous finds and tell me if you can hear the call of the wild.


Some of us may never master working leopard into our wardrobe but tossing a leopard throw pillow on a chair or couch...we can handle that. Just look at my couch with the (photoshopped) lumbar pillow!


Om, yes, I think I can live with this little pop of animal print.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Wednesday's Look For Less: Studded Flats

via Tumblr

I have been in loooove with studded flats ever since I saw this image of Alexa Chung at Paris Fashion Week. What's not to love- their shape is classic while the studs lend with just the right amount of edge. Most of us can only dream of  having an extra $900 to spend on shoes but who are we kidding! That's why today's Look for Less is so exciting- you CAN get this look but at a fraction of the price. Can you even tell which of these options below is the budget buy and which is the splurge? 



Okay, so when you put them side by side, it's probably fairly obvious. If you guessed that the pair on the left is the less expensive option, then you are correct. The Valentino knock-offs can be found on Piperlime for only $49! They look awfully similar to their high end inspiration, which ring up at $595. Maybe one day these shoes will either go on sale or I will win the lottery and not feel guilty about buying expensive flats. Until that day comes, you can bet I'll be wearing the less expensive version. What about you? Have you seen any similar styles for good prices? 


And while we're on the subject of good deals, I suggest you check out the Shopbop sale RIGHT NOW. All sale items are an additional 20% with the code EXTRA OFF. There are some really fab pieces that you don't want to miss!

Okay, 2013, you're doing us right so far. Keep it up!