Work It: Casual Thursday

I have a confession. This post was almost titled "Ridin' Hound & I'm Gettin It!". Yes, inspired by my houndstooth blazer, riding boots, and words from the poet whom we all know as 2 Chainz.  Some days it is just too cold to wear slacks and dress shoes, so I moved casual Friday to Thursday and pulled out the boots and (not quite) jean skinnies.

Blazer: New Directions (similar) / Cardigan: Old Navy / Turtleneck: H&M / Pants: Old Navy / Boots: SM New York (similar)

Selecting A Statement Coat

Yellow trench coat
cyfashionc.com

Pink coat
banggood.com

Double breasted wool coat
udobuy.com

Emilio pucci
stylebop.com

Matthew Williamson neon belt
net-a-porter.com

Chill Weekend

I think I am the very last person in the blogosphere to use Polyvore, but that's OK. I've finally bitten the bullet and joined and I have been hooked ever since. This past Friday there was snow (!) and sleet :(  in NC so I was cooped up in the house, bundled up trying to stay warm. I wanted to create some outfits for the weekend, but out of sheer laziness I found myself using Polyvore to come up with looks based on items in my closet instead of going up to my actual closet.

Here are the inspiration looks I came up with...

...and here are my actual looks from this past weekend:

Work It: Snakeskin & Oxblood

I thought I got home too late in the afternoons to take outdoor pics, but I guess I was wrong! I was able to catch the last little bit of light for my mini-photo shoot. This is another work outfit featuring a pair of oxblood ankle trousers by Merona and a New Direction snake print blouse from Belk's.  Trousers always make me feel a bit bigger, so to counter that I  accented my waist with a skinny belt and added a black cropped cardigan.  Silver jewelry completes the look.

Blouse: New Direction (similar) / Pants, Belt: Merona (Target) / Shoes: Michael Antonio / Cardigan: Ann Taylor Loft (similar) / Watch: NY & Company / Earrings: The Limited (similar) 

OOTD: Layers & Prints

Denim Shirt: JCPenney / Sweater: Forever 21 / Jeans: Bisou Bisou (JCPenney) / Booties: Steve Madden / Clutch: The Limited / Necklace: Amrita Singh

A denim shirt has popped up several times on my blog, but it is one of the most versatile items in my closet. For this look, I layered it under a striped sweater paired with oxblood skinnies and accented with a leopard clutch. I love layering shirts under sweaters because it is a great way to add a subtle  pop of color, texture, or a print to an otherwise blah outfit. I wore this outfit to dinner and a movie with the boo. We finally saw Django Unchained, which was so good! Hope you all had as good a weekend as I did! 

Pocket Full of Leather

Blazer: Old Navy / T-shirt: Dorothy Perkins / Jeans: Old Navy / Shoes: Onitsuka Tiger by Asics / Necklace & Earrings: Asos / Watch: NY&Company

Work It (OOTD)

Blazer: JCPenney / Dress: Old / Tights: Hue / Heels: Sole Society "Alison"

God morning! I don't know about you, but I'm still recovering from the holidays and trying to get back into the groove of 40-hour workweeks. Starting on January 1st, my job implemented a new office dress code so I'm adjusting to those changes as well. With the new dress code, I can no longer dress in jeans everyday (Friday only) so during the Christmas sales I had to buy some slacks, skirts, and other work appropriate items.  This look was actually created with clothes already in my closet-- except for my new pumps from Sole Society! They are so cute and comfortable!

In the future, I will be posting more of my work looks on the blog.  Hope you enjoy!

OOTD: Comfy Casual

When I'm just running errands or having a lazy Saturday, I opt for a super casual look--minimal makeup, sneakers, 5min hair, and definitely something oversized! I fell in love with this printed sweater from JCPenney and I have paired it with everything from leggings, a pair of shorts and tights, and even a dress. This time I threw it on over a basic white tee and some skinnies. 

Sweater: i Jeans by Buffalo / Tee: Target / Jeans: Old Navy / Shoes: Onitsuka Tiger by Asics / Necklace: Asos

A Ladi's Tresses: Bantu Knot Out Attempt

It's a new year, so I decided to try something new with my hair. I've seen many natural hair bloggers/vloggers create cute, curly styles by creating bantu knots.  After watching a handful of YouTube tutorials, I attempted a set.  

I started by lightly spritzing the ends of  hair with a water bottle to make it slightly damp. 

Next, I pulled random sections of hair and applied  Beautiful Textures Curl Control Defining Pudding to each section.

Taking one section in my hand, I began to twirl the hair around itself; as the hair becomes twisted, it starts to curl around itself to begin forming the bantu knot. When I got to the end of my hair, I took the last inch or so and wrapped it around the knot and tucked the end to secure the knot.  Some naturals begin by creating a two-strand twist and then wrapping it around itself to form a knot, but I chose not to because I wanted to see what kind of curl pattern the bantu know would create on it's own.

After completing my whole head section by section, I ended up with 10 knots.

I kept the bantu knots in overnight to set the curls. The next morning, I sprayed my hair with
Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Reconstructive Elixir Spray and took aloose each knot.  I was happy with the curl pattern produced by the knots, but as I started separating and fluffing my hair I realize that my sections were too big, and I may have used too much product. At some places, the curl at the root was much looser than at the ends, and the hair at the back of my head  was still damp so the curls hardly set at all. I ended up just smoothing my hair into a curly ponytail.

I will definitely be trying this style again in the future, probably using about 20-25 knots.

What do you think? Have you ever tried a bantu knot out? 

Spring 2013: Duro Olowu for JCPenney

In 2012, JCPenney completely overhauled it's image to transition from your mother's favorite store of yesteryear to the modern, trendy retailer offering the latest styles at great prices. The retailer faced some challenges and outright backlash behind changes to their pricing strategy and even their advertisements, but I have a feeling that 2013 is going to be a better year!

For Spring 2013, JCPenney is stepping it up in the fashion department by offering an exclusive collection from London designer Duro Olowu! Born in Nigeria, Olowu creates magic by fusing African prints, impeccable, and feminine detailing to create colorful, jaw-dropping pieces. This entire line for JCPenney--which includes clothing, accessories (shoes, handbags, jewelry), and housewares--is droolworthy! The best part? Everything is under $100 with most clothes items under $50! Take a look at some of my favorite looks:

Are you loving this collection as much as I am?!?

*All photos from JCP Media Room.