Spring Is 4 Trying Nu Things

Spring is all about fresh starts and new growth.  As tons of new things roll in I just love coming to work.  I am surrounded by new and exciting things and tons of color.  In retail and in fashion, every new season is a chance to try and do better, be more adventurous and keep evolving.  With all the new warm weather items coming in to the store I have been slowly collecting things to bust out the second it gets warm.  A few of these items I have been collecting are our awesome new skirts, a creamy beige faux leather crossbody bag ( easy to wear with everything!), lighter, springier scented candles for my house, a new throw blanket for my couch, of course scarves, lightweight sweaters and more.  I have also been trying new things!  Here are a few of the new things I have tried.

This is me wearing my new lavender eye shadow and purple lipstick with one of our new silk scarves from Italy.  I have been wearing some version of red lipstick and black or grey eye liner forever. I just needed to try something new.  Being a big color for Spring I decided that purple was what I needed. This also led me to try lip primer for the first time ever (lip primer is a base you put on your lips to make your lipstick last longer and stay on evenly) which I can't believe I never used before!  In general the purple lipstick has been a bit polarizing.  Some people seem to think it's amazing and others feel it's a little scary to see me in purple lipstick.  I however, LOVE IT, so it's here to stay.

My second new "Try" for Spring is a double whammy.  I had seen several things about Ramen (a Japanese noodle soup dish, nothing like the instant soup you eat in college but a highly complex and delicious meal) over the past year from various sources but had never actually tried it so it was on my list.  On my day off I went to Wicker Park to walk around and take pictures and get some fresh air.  I passed a Ramen place I had heard about just by chance.  I decided it was meant to be so I went in.  Now a big part of my first ramen experience is that it was also my first time eating at a restaurant alone. This may be shocking to some, but it's true.  I knew I would be able to do it but I never thought it would be so enjoyable.  I absolutely loved having lunch by myself, writing,  looking out the window, and trying a new dish.  I will be doing this a lot more from now on. 

My last new try (so far) this Spring is the braid/bun.  My mom wanted to braid my hair in two braids like I used to wear every day between the ages of 6 and 12.  After one braid I decided I had, had enough of walking down memory lane and just put the other half up in a bun.  This was how the braid/bun hairstyle was born.  It's something totally new for me and the only thing I can say about it is: WHY NOT?!











Have you tried something new lately?  I would love to hear about it.  Come in soon to check out all the new amazing goodies and push your personal Spring fashion envelope just a bit!

The Splurge

Most people would like to eat a brownie and buy fabulous expensive fashion every day but neither our waistlines nor our pocket books would appreciate that.  This is why I propose splurging in moderation! Everyone has categories they favor over others.  Some people go nuts over jewelry.  Some people get going over a pair of amazing designer jeans.  Some ladies love a handbag.  Others find a new pair of shoes  simply irresistible.  Whatever your weak spot is I think that on occasion you should make a calculated splurge on something you love that makes you feel amazing.  Just like anything in life you need to know when to keep your nose to the grindstone and say no and when to throw caution to the wind and say yes!  I love great jewelry and a good pair of shoes that make an outfit.  In the past this is where I have invested in better quality items.  In general I am just as happy in reasonably priced clothes especially since I find that even great quality clothes if you wear them often enough only last so long.    Imagine my surprise when I came across a new kind of love.  It was handbag love and I fell hard.  A bag I just couldn't resist that was slightly (plus a little bit) out of my price range.  I normally will move on but I felt that this would be a game changer.  It is a black leather tote with a bumpy texture and something I think is classic yet interesting and a bag I will have for a long time.  It won't go out of style and will be something my grandkids will think is so cool when they raid my closet.  When I wear this bag I instantly feel like my whole outfit looks awesome.  It gives me a "look."  Whatever your splurge item ends up being, anticipate.  Put away a little money every month because these finds always pop up when you are not looking.  It should not be something you kind of want, it should be something you love. You may not even need it but you know you will use it and wear it.  Invest in a piece that just feels right and will become an old dear friend over time.

What do you think?  Have you ever splurged on an item and been so happy you did?

Pretty Pastels!

Things are starting to warm up a bit (knock on wood and fingers crossed), new merchandise is starting to flow into the store and thankfully much of it involves color!  After a long hard Winter even the most die hard neutral lovers are ready to inject some serious color into their fashion lives, myself included.  This Spring it's all about a softer palette.  Pastels were used by designers in everything from clothing, to handbags to accessories.  In my last blog I touched upon what I like to call big bird yellow and which the Pantone people are calling freesia.  While I have not quite started going all out with these colors simply because it still feels pretty chilly, I have started to dabble and easy myself into the Spring trends.  About a month ago I got a manicure in the periwinkle color which is going to be so big for Spring.  This color is super easy to wear because it looks really good on all skin tones and goes easily with neutrals. It popped against my often all black ensembles and I got tons of compliments which never killed anybody.  I also started to play around with the lavendar.  I haven't picked it up in clothes form yet (we have some amazing stuff coming in this color) but I did do it in an eyeshadow which was a fun change.  The mint color I just got in a super soft button up shirt that just came in.  I wore it with black jeans which kind of reminded me of my favorite childhood ice cream (baskin robbins mint chocolate chip).  As those of you who follow my blog know, I love to wear neutral colors and in the past have added a pop of color with accessories.  The Spring colors make me feel like I can take baby steps to wear more color in clothing.  While I do think it all looks great with black, I'm actually more excited to wear it with lighter wash jeans, greys, beiges (also part of the Spring 2014 Pantone color report) and of course with eachother!  After feeling like I've been in a shell all Winter I'm ready to bust out and just float along in these pretty pastels!

What do you think?  Will you embrace the Spring 2014 palette?  Come check us out soon becuase new things are arriving daily in all these colors and more!