How to Make Mad Men Modern

I had a reader friend ask me a question the other day that really got me thinking: how can she make Mad Men-inspired fashion modern? For those unfamiliar with the show, it has so far focused on vintage looks with high waists, covered arms, and curve-hugging dresses. It's a fun style to play with because it's very flattering for curvy shapes while at the same time being fairly covered up. That makes it appropriate for a wide variety of settings, including work and date nights!

Here's my take on how to bring that Mad Men flair into the modern age.

Play with Unexpected Color

Take a classic shape, like a full skirt and a cropped jacket, but play with color. Try something from your closet that's the brightest thing you can see, and then build an outfit around it. Here, the skirts are the stars of the show, and the pieces they're paired with are much more modern in fit and color.

Via

Via

Add an Edgy Touch to a Classic Shape

My Winter Party Style Plan

My Winter Party Style Plan

In a few weeks, two of my best friends are celebrating their love in an outdoor ceremony followed by a reception in a greenhouse set in the middle of a city. I'm so excited I could burst! I'm also, of course, thinking a lot about what I'll wear. Here's the itinerary followed by some ideas I've considered. 

The Day Running Around the City

I'll arrive a day early to help out with anything my friends need, my car full of contributions to the decor and setup. One of their goals is to have zero landfill impact so I'll bring up things I have in our home that they might want to use. I'll want to be nice and warm and also able to go from sitting on the ground crafting to running errands to having lunch with our friends. I'll wear something like a great pair of black skinny jeans (no smudges or stains!) and maybe my black and white version of this high-low blouse below (no gaping if I'm bending over a lot!) topped with a vintage blazer my mom found for me secondhand if it's warmer (love this new one from Loft) or long, striped sweater along these lines. Maybe the blazer over the sweater if it's still really cold! I'll likely be wearing my black and white with silver Sorels I've had for years for the ceremony so I won't double up on boots for packing. Those will keep me warm all weekend!

The Party the Night Before

The party the night before will be low key, but I'll take any chance to wear something fun. I just got this velvet jumpsuit delivered last night, and I can't wait to wear it!

I like her red lips with it a lot and will replicate that, probably, as well as keeping any accessories to a minimum. But, the shoes are not going to work. I'll probably hope for wearing these fun high wedges I have but bring low boots as a smarter, warmer alternative. I wish I had something like these that were magically ok for ice and cold!

Image via

I'm thinking of wearing my H&M blazer that I put Sharlett in during our Holiday Photo Shoot. I'm have to bring my own disco ball and do this, of course!

Thanks, Love Always Hannah for putting this together!

The Outdoor Ceremony & The Greenhouse Reception

I'll save my outfit for the ceremony and reception for a post after the event, but I have thought long and hard about how to stay warm and feel beautiful. I'm thinking a combination of hidden layers, including tights with polka dots!, enormous scarves, Sorels, and hand warmers inside my jacket pockets for the outdoor part with fewer layers for the greenhouse party. I anticipate feeling so excited that I don't notice I'm cold until hours after the fun ends! There's actually a hint in this post, and I will tell you that I'm wearing something that my mom made me just for the occasion! 

The Morning After and Traveling Home

The morning after a party can be hard to dress for. You're coming off the stylish high of the event but are also likely with some of the same people at breakfast the next morning, which can be a bit shocking. I like to end the weekend feeling cute and comfy. I would love to wear something from the new Loft lounge line, wouldn't you? Here's a favorite combination:

Via

I love almost everything from this new line, but why do the models look so sickly? I'd add a bit of blush.

The Reason

I'm so excited for this weekend and what it represents! These two are some of our best friends; Sarah has been one of my best friends since college! I'm going over and over all the details every night before I go to sleep, which isn't the best plan, probably, since I can't fall asleep after! I can't wait for it!





 

My Dear Old Friend Black

My Dear Old Friend Black

People ask me how I got started in this personal styling business, and there are several answers. For years, I've done it for friends. I'm a big fan of the show What Not to Wear. I needed to feel more creative than my day job was allowing for. And...I needed to stop wearing so much black. That's right, folks, I needed to be my own personal stylist. Because my default outfit is the one you see below: all black.

Pants The Gap/Shirt H&M/Sweater TJMaxx/Necklace Lou Lou Boutiques/Shoes JCP

If I haven't picked out my outfits and hung them up before the week begins, chances are you'll see me in all black the next morning-and maybe even the day after that. It's been a huge help to me to inspire myself to get out of my comfort zone and wear some color! And pattern! Well, at least sometimes. Let's not get too crazy here. But now and then, I like to lay back, relax, and wear all black.

If you hardly ever wear all black, it can be a fun change to do it every once in awhile. It would be like me wearing, for example, pastel pink! Eeek! Can you imagine?

And no, Lou Lou isn't a sponsor. They lent me some jewelry for our holiday photo shoot, and I couldn't resist testing some out with my own clothes, too! Especially since lately, in my stylist capacity, I am relying on my dear old friend black to help me blend into the background. Because it's not about me-it's about you! And you can wear pattern, oh yes, you can.

Oh-and thanks for the sweet notes about my mantle! I felt comfortable painting it because it's not part of the original wood in our late 1800s home (the marble isn't, either). I mixed up my own chalk paint using Martha Stewart's tutorial and some paint from Home Depot. Then I distressed it. I didn't wax it because I wasn't sure how flammable that would be, and it didn't seem to need it. That's it!

You Sparkle Holiday Shoot

Our You Sparkle Holiday Shoot

Recently I had the most fun day hosting a photo shoot at my house. Love Always Hannah did all of the party styling, and the incredible Lauren Modny shot the film.  We were also lucky enough to get to put the models in holiday jewelry from Lou Lou Boutiques! The theme for this shoot was all about the parts of the holidays that make this time of year special-from time with friends to baking cookies, to the obligatory holiday part photo booth, we captured it all.

Here's Hannah's take on what she accurately called "more fun than should be allowed."

Black is Back?

Black is Back?

All links here.

The word on the street for Fall 2013 is that "black is back." I took advantage of this to showcase one of my favorite looks-all black. I would argue that it was never gone-therefore has nowhere from where to return! But, I'll take it.

I'll admit to loving black; white, black, gray, and tomato-to-coral are my favorite colors to wear. This summer, I went so far as to ban all of the black from my closet for almost two months, and it was painful. I love black! And hey! It's back-so you should, too.