I'm in Wanderlust...

My fiancé and I had planned to go to New York today but decided to wait until the weather gets a little warmer so we can really enjoy ourselves. I have a bad case of S.A.D. and my shopping potential is only at about 35% right now; which I guess is a good thing because I don't have any money to spend (or magic cards to swipe) anyway. I'll have to treat myself when we go... maybe hit up the monstrosity that is FOREVER 21 in Union Square. Until then, my online dream shopping will suffice. ;)

I typically don't start an outfit with the shoes, but once you see these Amiclubwear heels, you will understand that they need to be properly introduced before we can move on with the outfit. GAAAAH!!!!! I WANT I WANT I WANT!!! $27.99!!! If you aren't totally crazy about them, then I'm putting you in time-out with them for 30 seconds. If you don't love them after looking at them for 30 seconds, then... well, I just don't get it... because they are amazing. I know my mother will say they belong on a street corner, but it's just the style, Ma!! Get with it!! :)

Next, we have these J.Crew Ankle Stretch Toothpick jeans. We needed to work our way from the bottom to the top here, because I wanted to make sure to find pants that wouldn't compromise the brilliance of these shoes, yet still be a great fit and work well with the outfit. They're also perfect with any boots since they are shorter and you don't have to tuck your pants into your socks!!! Or am I the only one who does that??... umm... nevermind.

And I'm SO excited to tell you about this great company, WANDERLUST!! I read about Wanderlust on Daily Candy and I just LOVE this woman's story. Here's the excerpt from her website... LOVE IT!!

"This is a true story.

Girl lives in new york. Girl loves fashion, color, art, 5 inch heels and travel. Oh yes, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Girl works at big fashion mags and later, huge global fashion design companies. Girl travels around the world in search of the cool and the new. Girl grimaces every time she sees a tourist jamming a conical hat, a cheongsam, a fez or kimono into the overhead compartment. Girl knows that these coveted souvenir-y items will never see the light of day once unpacked (except maybe at halloween). Girl resolves to open a shop someday in some cool place that carries only clothes that speak a global language, stuff that translates everywhere and anywhere. Girl goes to Cambodia, and falls in love. Falls in love with the country, the beautiful faces, the charming french colonial houses of Siem Reap; she is head over 5" stiletto heels with the colors of this country, the smell of lemongrass, the sunset warming the verdant rice paddies, the yves-klein-blue shade of the sky. Girl goes back to new york, ditches her job, sells her furniture, packs a few inappropriate but necessary heels, and heads back to the allure of Siem Reap, Cambodia. Spends golden dawn to glowing dusk working side-by-side and hand to-hand with Leng and her master seamstress team, tripping through the local markets to find prints and cottons that shout, “happiness!”, cheering on the kids at Anjali’s house as they tie dye tees (www.anjali-house.com), crunching on khmer snack foods like spiders and crickets, pushing a stick through a teeming, steaming brew of natural dyes with the folks at CFI (www.cfi-asia.org) to create handwoven ikats, sketching and watercoloring designs poolside at the golden banana resort (www.golden-banana.com) while sipping mint infused green tea, scouring the vibrant countryside for creative handicrafting geniuses, teaching english to monks and kids, never forgetting to say “ar-kun!” (‘thank you’) every step of the way, exploring every cave and lotus field and coffee shop and BBQ joint and pagoda and roadside stall, being warmed by radiant people. and the result is wanderlust, a lifestyle concept dedicated to giving girls gorgeousness, beautiful things handmade by the beautiful people of this beautiful country, beauty that easily translates to Budapest, Boston, Battambang, Bolivia, Brighton or any beautiful place they call home."

HOW GREAT IS THAT?! I want to go to Cambodia and meet this incredible woman!! SO INSPIRING!

On that note, here is our fantastic Wanderlust Cambodian top...

On to the jewelry!!

These Forever 21 bangles. $4.80. Beat that. Yeah, ya just can't. They're great. :)

This Forever 21 Triple beaded necklace is $7.80. Let's see if we can keep the jewelry under $20. Time to find some earrings...

We've done it!! I looked for a pair of black studs to match the earrings on Forever 21 but didn't find any, and I thought of using silver hoops, but just didn't think it would work. I found these on Charlotte Russe for only $4. I figure the black ones are close enough to a match, right?

And finally.... the bag. :)

I found this Twisted Hardware Doctor Bag at Urban Outfitters. It's a great match with the shoes and a nice big everyday bag for all your things. No MD required. ;)

This outfit will not be complete without a smile! :)

Take care and happy fashion!

Annie Clay

*Old Hollywood Glamour*

I hope you've all had a great week. Time to go out and celebrate all the good things in life; God, family, friends, work, great clothes, snowflakes that stay on your nose and eyelashes, yada, yada, yada. Life is GOOD. And we need to go out and enjoy it. This next outfit will go great with a glass of champagne...

This little black dress from Lulu is only $25.00! The bold shoulders make it stand out; and the fact that it has pockets just sealed the deal for me. It also has a sash that ties in the back which is shown in the second picture... I LOVE IT! Now we need to spruce it up a little...

Nothing makes an outfit go "blah" to "ah!" like the color RED. These suede peep toe ruffle heels are a perfect way to glam it up. They are $24.99 and definitely worth it... even if they are cheap knock-offs... everyone will be fooled. :)

Again I'm plugging the bangle look. This Banana Republic Alethia Cuff Bangle is a nice touch.... don't have a lot to say about it other than that. It's $39.50 which isn't uber expensive, but you probably wouldn't see me buying it even if I had the money. I'll stick with my cheapy stuff for now. I'd totally get it if it was 50% off.

How great is this Marc Jacobs Totally Turnlock necklace watch? It's nice and long which will will help add some pizazz to the dress. How often will we be checking the time on it? Probably never. That's what cell phones and laptops are for... but we'll take it nonetheless.

I love these Banana Republic swirl earrings. They are $25.00 which is pretty reasonable, and they're fairly simple but stand out more than your average studs and will surely get you a few extra compliments.

Next, we have this Badgley Mischka Mini Leather Satchel. It's $195.00 which for Badgley Mischka isn't bad. It's tiny but will hold all of the essentials for a night out; and it will look amazing on your arm. It looks a little bland in this picture, if you go to the link you'll since it's actually a lot bolder of a red. :)

And you had to have seen this one coming... we wouldn't be complete without this bold Youngblood vixen lipstick. We are going ALL out here. Don't be afraid to scream glamour... well... not literally (unless you really want to). ;)

Until next time, loves!

Annie Clay

xo

Everybody's Free to Wear Makeup

Before we get to today's outfit, I need to tell you about a bad experience I had yesterday... a girl's worst nightmare. My only consolation in telling you this is knowing that you may learn from my mistakes and not have this same thing happen to you. And yes, I'm totally being dramatic. ;)

Ok... deep breaths... As I was headed to work yesterday, I met this really outgoing and charasmatic woman. She looked like she was probably in her late 50's or early 60's and couldn't have been nicer. I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, this is such a blessing that I met this woman today. She is so wonderful and positive. She's made my day!"... and then it happened. Just as I'm taking in all her words of wisdom... she guessed my age. She guessed WRONG... 6 years wrong... in the WRONG direction. I wanted to slap her.

Of course she instantly came up with 100 reasons why she could have ever guessed that... "Oh, your hair is pulled back", "Those glasses just make you look so sophisticated", "You're just so mature"! I graciously accepted all of her excuses and went on my not-so-merry way but I couldn't stop thinking about it! When did I crossover into the "I don't want anyone to know my age" age? What was it that was making me look so old!? Someone, CARD ME!! Please!! I'm desperate! This can't be happening!

Later in the day, I looked in the mirror. I was wearing NO makeup. As much as I try to be consistent in getting my makeup on before heading out the door everyday, sometimes I'm just TOO tired and I forget. I am rushing to get ready and I just don't have the time. And that needs to stop now. I'm TOO OLD-LOOKING not to take the time!! I guess what I'm trying to say is that 2 minutes of your time could save you at least 6 years on your life. A little eyeliner, mascara, blush, and lip gloss goes a LONG way. Don't let yourself become a victim of a heartless lady like I did. :(

Ok, now to the clothes!!

Look at this Banana Split dress from Lulu! Isn't it so pretty? I just love it... the length, the style, the fabric, everything. The tights below are from forever 21. They are mesh tights but you can't tell by the white mannequin legs that you'll be showing some skin, too, and you will see the cute flower pattern much more clearly.

I hesitated to throw a blazer in the mix with the dress because it's so perfect on it's own, but I actually think this blazer from J.Crew would look really nice with the dress.

And I'm loving these awesome Charles David Meghan shoes! They are originally $145.99 but are now "on sale" for $131.39. Does that sound like a great sale to you?!?!?! NO WAY. That's not even 10% off. LAME. Nevertheless, they're really cute.

I found this great necklace from Nordstrom. It's the perfect color to match the dress and I love the layers.

This bangle from Forever 21 is only $5.80!!! Chunky bangles are so hot right now, and Forever has an amazing selection of them.

Speaking of Forever 21 accessories, here are some great sunglasses, ALSO FOR $5.80! I am amazed by their prices. If you are like me and lose your sunglasses all the time, stick with these cheap little cuties and you won't have to feel bad if you step on them, drop them, lose them in the ocean, etc. :)

And to complete this look, we have this lambskin leather shoulder bag from Etsy.com. I love Etsy. And someday when I add "become crafty" to my list of things to do, I will sell my own handmade things on the site.

Sleep well and remember to love your face... MOISTURIZE!!!

XOXO

Annie Clay

Shorts in Winter? Yes.

Hi, dolls!

I'm sure you've been seeing more and more of this look lately. It's now totally acceptable to wear your shorts in the dead of winter with tights underneath. I'm cold just thinking about it, but we're going to try it out today. Bear with me here as we bare it all, because I've never done this before.

Let's start with this lovely "short and sweet" ruffle blazer from Anthropologie. I know... I'm obsessed with anything with ruffles. Like yesterday's denim jacket, this also has shorter sleeves so we can show off our fabulous accessories.

This white racerback tank is from Charlotte Russe. It's simple, yet feminine and flattering. It works well with the blazer since it's length goes a little past the hips, while the blazer will probably only go just above your bootie. This way the "short and sweet" blazer won't leave you looking too SHORT... but we'll keep the sweet. :)

And now for the shorts... I was torn between black shorts and denim. When I picture the whole look together, I think these denim short short short shorts would look the best overall. However, if you're trying to be a little less casual, you could do black shorts also. These ones are from Charlotte Russe for $22... not too bad, but you sure aren't getting a lot of fabric out of it.

These sheer black tights are from Urban Outfitters but you can get them a lot cheaper anywhere else... like Rite Aid. Save your $ for your statement pieces.

I LOVE these Fergie black gallop boots! They are great quality, too. You can tell even in the picture that these will last you a long time and stand up to a lot of wear and tear.

I've been wanting to use this jewelry for so long but didn't have the right outfit to go with it. This necklace and bracelet are from J.Crew. Aren't they just fantastic? A little on the pricier side but they would go great with this outfit. It brightens up the black and white look, and turns it from bland to glam. I'd just match this up with some simple stud pearl earrings.

And finally, we can head out with this Metallic Beacon Tobo from J.Crew. It has a nice little gold shimmer to it, but it's not overwhelming. Classic and Elegant.

More tomorrow!

Peace and Love,

Annie Clay

xo

White Roses...

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I hope you've had some sunshine moments to get you through this awful rainy day. Just when I think we are done with snow, I now hear that we may get ANOTHER FOOT in just a couple of days! I think the blog may need to take another tropical trip ASAP. I am boycotting WINTER... quite possibly for the rest of my life. :(

Anyway, I LOVE this dress from Mod Cloth!! It is so versatile. It can be dressed up or down, and can be worn with any color. It's a blank canvas. That's is why I made it my first choice for today's outfit. It was really fun trying to think of great ways to put the look together.

I thought we would dress it down a little bit with this denim jacket from J.Crew. Ignore what she's wearing... we're just using the jacket here. Cute though, right? I typically go for a darker wash denim, but I like the lighter blue with the dress. And it's cropped so there is plenty of room to show off some bracelets or a fabulous watch!

I found this zodiac sign necklace from Urban and I love it. I'm an Aries and although I don't follow astrology at all and don't really believe in it, I'm amazed at how much I'm like a stereotypical Aries... so I feel connected to being an Aries, just like I feel connected with my birthstone, diamond... must be why I love wearing them so much, too! ;)

These earrings from Urban are a great touch, too. They're just ehh though... cute, but nothing special.

These grey tights are from J.Crew... sheer tights are the way to go right now. I got a bunch of pairs of different patterned tights in the beginning of the winter but I just get TOO COLD and end up wearing 3 pairs of pants instead! Once it starts getting warmer I plan to break them out.

I love these boots from gojane.com... super tall as usual. 5 inches to be exact. :)

I'm still not %100 sure how I feel about the look of the platform. I've been seeing a lot more shoes like this lately, and it's starting to grow on me.

And lastly, we have this little clutch wallet from TARGET for only 12.99! Who would have thought?! Target is kind of hit or miss with anything, but I love the feeling of being there to pick up some basic household things and you come across a great wallet, shoes or an item of clothing at an amazing price!

That's all for now!

Check back tomorrow evening for Wednesday's outfit!

xo