And The Winner Is...

Congratulations, Beth Giordano, on winning our first monthly giveaway! We all want to know what shoes you're going to get, so please post a picture of them after you use the gift card! :)

Everyone else, keep an eye out for next month's giveaway!

Going back to our contest real quick, I wanted to share a couple of Ben Taylor's videos with you! He was the answer to the 2nd question, and he's the extremely talented son of James Taylor and Carly Simon.

Here's a video for his song, "Nothing I can do"...

And here he is as a teenager with his mom, in the video for "You're the Love of my Life". Carly wrote the song for the movie, "This is My Life", but she said her children were really the inspiration for writing it. How cute! Like many other 20 somethings, this song will always remind me of my mother, who, to this day, still sings it to me. And I'm sure I'll be singing it to my own babies someday. It's a timeless classic.

Okay, that's it for the non-fashion shenanigans... just wanted to share these videos with you and take you on a trip back to the early 90's!

By the way, I have no idea what that movie is about from the video, but now I totally want to see it. I've never even heard of it before!

I'll be back with another outfit later on.

xo

Going Green... in a purple kind of way. :)

Hey ladies (and gents... who knows?),

Sorry I've been MIA with the outfits this week. I've just been feeling SO tired lately. Maybe it's due to the daylight savings time change; however, it's more likely that my diet of macaroni and cheese, soda, pop-tarts, and fried foods are the main cause of my blah-like symptoms. I'm starting a diet toda--- I mean, tomorrow. Ugh, it seems like I'm always "starting tomorrow". Perhaps I'll start right now. Okay. I've started. Wish me luck! I have 170 days to fit into my wedding gown that I bought a size too small for motivational purposes. I need a lot of luck. Any tips are greatly appreciated. :)

Speaking of being healthier, I recently discovered Nimli. They have taken "going green" to a whole new level with their natural and organic clothing. I am absolutely loving this Azura Rock Star shawl originally $200, on sale for $49! It's made from 50% silk and 50% pashmina. Isn't it so pretty??

For our top, we have this Forever 21 Sweetness Lace Knit tunic. The lace detail is really cute, especially with the frayed edges. and the back looks super cute. I love when the design on the back of a shirt isn't neglected. Our backs want to look good, too!

These Downtown Denim Trousers from J.Crew are clean and fresh looking. They are great for a night out when you want to be a little dressier, but you still want the comfort and look of jeans. And the dark rinse is slimming which is always a plus.

Next, I found this Incantation Necklace in bronze from Lulu. It's really cute, and a great way to spruce up a white top.

And these Gold Mesh Hoop earrings from Charlotte Russe are only $4!

Clogs are back. I swore I wouldn't succumb to the trend, but I've failed. I love them. These Kensie Girl Taylor heels are $56.99 at heels.com. They look really comfortable which is quite a feat considering they rock a 5 inch heel. Awesome.

And finally, we have this adorable $28 "Basket Case" clutch from Lulus. It's a nice big size for a clutch and you won't have to deal with the awkwardness of trying to wear a shoulder bag while you're wrapped up in a shawl.

If you guessed John Krasinski for question #1 and are still in the contest, make sure you check the fan page for round 2!!!

xoxo

Guess That Celebrity!

Ok, first of all.... Shhhhhh!!! Don't post your answer in a comment. E-mail it to annieclay33@gmail.com.

You have until 5pm est tomorrow to take a guess before the answer is revealed, and the remaining contestants will be given their second question!

Who is the celebrity in this distorted picture??

Good luck!

I'm going to try to put together an outfit tonight, but may not have it posted until tomorrow.

Ciao, loves!

Giveaway Time!

I'm happy to announce our FIRST monthly giveaway!

There is a $25 DSW Gift Card with (insert your name) on it!

Details will be posted tonight (Tuesday)!

Gift Card winner will be announced on Friday.

Join the fan page to be eligible to win!

Cotton Candyland

Picture it: the smell of funnel cake, the sounds of crickety old rides, and that feeling of "I think I'm going to be sick" after spinning around on the Gravitron for the 100th time. There is only one place you could be; the County Fair. No matter how many goldfish you've flushed, or how many little red tickets you've wasted in hopes of winning that GIANT stuffed bear, there's always a special feeling when the fair comes to town that brings you back to a place of cotton candy wishes and merry-go-round dreams. And today's outfit is just the right thing to wear for such an occasion.

Let's start with this sweet little white ruffle dress from Ruche. It's bound to get dirty, but that's why we have bleach. I could share another white dress story with you from my teenage years, but instead, I'll just say that there are certain days of the month that a white dress should not be worn. And I think that ought to be clear enough for you. Oh, how I could write a BOOK of most embarrasing moments of all time!

This dress needs a little something; and this is the PERFECT little something for the job. This fabulous gold studded brown belt from Banana Republic is $59.50.

And y'all are going to gush over these Frye Rider pull on boots! I love the mix of the girly ruffled dress with cowboy boots. If only Harry Connick Jr. were around to hand us a bouquet of flowers and throw us into his pickup truck... (for the 60% of you who have NO idea what I'm talking about, it's a reference to Hope Floats. You should watch it)!

With all the neutrals in this outfit we need to spruce it up with some color. I found this Foliage Unfolding bag from Anthropologie. I love the aqua and pink colors together with the leather outline. And the pink interior adds a really nice touch.

Get this... not only is this Harmonica Necklace from Mod Cloth super adorable, but it ACTUALLY WORKS! So if you get bored, or want to impress your friends with how ridiculously cool you are, just pick up your little itty bitty harp and play some Alanis Morissette tunes.

These little pink rosebud earrings are from Ruche.com. They're $9 and well worth it!! Super cute!

Another Ruche item we have here is this Agate Camellia ring by Ollipop. I almost love the detail on the side of the ring as much as the pink flower itself!

And last but not least, this awesome pair of Forever 21 Sunglasses. As always, they're only $5.80. I almost want to buy them in bulk they're so cheap!

I hope you are all having a great weekend!!! Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead!

Geez, All this talk about fairs is making me hungry for FRIED OREOS! mmmm... CAN'T DO IT! Wedding less than 6 months away! Someone stop me!!! :)

xoxo

I'd like to thank the Academy...

Thank you, Kayla, of Fashion Fades; Style is Eternal for sending me the Happiness 101 award! I love your blog, and this really made me smile. :)

So here are the rules:

1.)When you have received this award you must thank the person that awarded you in a new post.
2.) Name 10 things that make you happy.
3.) Pass this award onto 10 other bloggers and inform the winners.

Let's start with the things that make me happy. Since this is a fashion blog, I will list 10 things that make me fashion-happy!

1.) Leggings: way more flattering and stylish than sweatpants and yet, just as comfortable.

2.) Finding the perfect pair of shoes... on CLEARANCE... only one pair left and they're your size!

3.) A box at your door containing that dress that's been backordered for weeks! FINALLY!

4.) Bright colored rain boots on a dreary day.

5.) When someone compliments you on something new you're wearing and you'd been hoping someone would notice it.

6.) The miracle worker of colors: black. Lose 10 pounds instantly.

7.) Big Sunglasses- they automatically give you a celebrity complex. I don't know what it is, but when I'm wearing monster bug-eye sunglasses, I can almost feel the paparazzi following me.

8.) Anything that's sparkly, glittering, or glimmering (tops, dresses, skirts, or every girls favorite, DIAMONDS)

9.) Ruffles. I think I've made that clear over the last month. ;)

10.) The truest beauty of all... smiles, genuine kindness, humility, and generosity. No matter how tall or thin, these attributes are needed to make any fashionista truly beautiful.

And now, I'm happy to pass this award onto these fabulous blogs that give my heart warm fuzzies:

1.) Brunch at Saks

2.) Starbucks Break

3.) Life in Pink

4.) Pink Lace Cupcakes

5.) Jackie Fo

6.) Savvy Mode

7.) Collage of Life

8.) The Shabby Chic Cottage

9.) Lola B's

10.) A Diary of Lovely

Thanks for all the happy things you've shared with me!

"You have a better life if you wear impressive clothes." -Vivienne Westwood

Happy Fashion,

Annie Clay

Red Carpet looks at a Red Hot Price!

Not even a week has passed since our mouths dropped over that Oscar de la Renta dress worn by Cameron Diaz at the 82nd annual Oscars; and designer Allen B. Schwartz has wasted no time in recreating this fabulous gown, along with the gowns worn by J. Lo, Sandra Bullock, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Penelope Cruz, and Queen Latifah. As soon as the Oscars began on Sunday, he was already sketching away. And a mere 5 days later he's designed, created, and is ready to reveal these fabulous looks-for-less, which will be available in May at Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and ABS boutiques. These Red Carpet looks can be all yours for around $300-$400. This is chunk change compared to the $50,000 dresses that our favorite stars were wearing.

Here's a video about the glorified knock-offs.... click here to see the man who put them together. Honestly, I'm not ALL that impressed by them, but it's as good as you can get to the real thing. The closest match Allen B. Schwartz "reinvented" was the Donna Karan couture gown worn by Penelope Cruz.

My choice for overall best-dressed of the night was Cameron Diaz. She looked absolutely stunning in this Oscar de la Renta gown covered in glitter, sparkles, and all the things that make a girl go weak in the knees.

Her hair looked so elegant; perfectly curled, yet not overdone.

She credited her bold red lipstick for making her look so refreshed. When you are wearing a neutral color, a bold lipstick will work miracles. Personally, I'm still a lip gloss girl. However, I'm working on making that transition to the big leagues... just not there yet.

Although the lipstick looks fantastic, these $49,500 Cartier white, yellow, rose gold, and diamonds pave "Trinity" hoop earrings probably contributed to brightening her look, too.

Cartier really must love Cameron Diaz. They also let her wear this $58,100 white gold, princes and round cut diamond ring, and in the second photo, this Private Archive Collection white gold and diamond ring.

I've got more for you later today, loves! It's been one of those weeks so I'm going to catch up for lost time today. Thank God it's Friday!!!

Remember.... beauty comes from WITHIN!

xoxo

Urban Outfitters: The New Tiger Woods

I hate to be the one to break this to all of you, but I have some awful news to share. Urban Outfitters has been taking advantage of us. We were so head over heels in love; their funky and chic array of clothes, their funny books, their quirky accessories and nick-nacks... how could we have been so naive!?

I will not be deceived or cheated anymore, and neither should you.

Here is a dress I found at Lulus.com for $76. Cute, colorful, and fun.

And here's a dress from Urban Outfitters... oh wait... it's the exact same dress... oh, wait... it's $98. Hmmm, that's funny because the dress from Lulu's is $22 cheaper and it isn't even on sale.

I mean, just look at this Urban Outfitters model and tell me she doesn't have "GUILTY" written all over her face! She knows she's wrong... and the poor little thing looks like she hasn't slept in days. She didn't even bother putting make-up on to cover the shame. Well, you ought to be ashamed, Missy!

I am using this Lulu dress for today... even though I'm not particularly crazy about it. I just wanted to tell Urban that I'm boycotting them until they stop ripping us off. Nothing personal. They have great stuff, but much of it is ridiculously overpriced.

For the shoes, we have these Chocolat Blu Jillian Sandals. I found them on Piperlime for $65 which is kind of expensive for sandals, but they are good quality leather and very cute.

I love this Polly Locket necklace from Mod Cloth. It's sweet and simple, and big enough to hold a little note from a loved one... or probably a couple of pennies... or some tylenol? I don't know, get creative.

For our earrings, we have these Green Buttercup Posts from Anthropologie for $18.

Ok, well excuse me for my lack of creativity today but I'm exhausted. I'm going to call it a night. Stay tuned for the next post. We are going to be hitting the RED CARPET, OSCAR STYLE!! :)

xoxo

Love in Louboutin

Ah, Friday. Pizza and Netflix night (I seriously need to get on track with this wedding diet... maybe NEXT week). I'm thinking of pulling an all-nighter, since I have to be up at 3:30am to get ready for a 6am flight to Atlanta. My fiance and I are going to his friend's wedding, then flying back Sunday morning... 24 hours later. I'm exhausted just writing about it, but I'm sure we'll have a great time. If only I knew what to wear!

If I could buy a new outfit for the wedding tomorrow, this would most certainly be it...

I love Lucy... I mean, Lulu. ;)

This Deft Precision one strap dress from Lulu is $55. I LOVE the ruffles with the flower on the shoulder. I'd love to have her arms, too. Is there an additional charge?

One day, I WILL have a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. It may not happen for years... but ONE day, I am going to buy myself a pair and gush over them as if they're a newborn baby. I think that every woman, at some point in her life, deserves to buy a pair of shoes so fabulous that she won't even want to wear them in fear that they may get scuffed. We deserve to feel like the gorgeous and glamorous women that we ALL are. And even if they're only worn in the quiet of your bedroom while screaming babies, project deadlines, and all the mess that life sometimes brings, awaits you, you'll find that there's a healing power in Christian Louboutin.

Step aside, Cinderella...

Check out these beauties. Love at first sight.

After spending $600 on a pair of shoes, it's good to know we can still be thrifty. This Metallic Shine Clutch from Forever 21 is only $7.50.

And now for the jewelry... let's stay on the thrifty side here.

This Soho Sparkle necklace from Banana Republic was originally $92, but is now on sale for $39.99. Any sale over 50% always catches my eye, and most times, my heart.

I chose this one before remembering we were using a one strap dress which would be better without a necklace... thought I'd share it anyway. :)

This Raised Dot Hinge Bangle from Forever 21 for $5.80 will give you a little extra glam...

And finally, these Pave Posts from Anthropologie for $24.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes for a little inspiration...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

-Marianne Williamson

Have a great weekend!!

Happy Fashion :)

-Annie Clay

xo