Fashion 101: 5 Essential Black Items

BLACK

is timeless, classic, and elegant.

it slims, and compliments any skin tone and body type.

It's a fashion staple.

There are some specific black items that EVERY woman should possess as they will bring you hours of use (and best of all, these are pieces that you can feel good about splurging on)

I'm here to let you in the MUST HAVES!

 Little Black Dress

 

Of course I had to start with the most obvious first...the little black dress.  The best part is that there is so much variance in style that ANYONE can find the perfect match to compliment and complete their wardrobe.  They can be worn to any appropriate event, cocktail, night-on-the-town, dinner party, weddings, funerals...you name it.  Once you find the right dress, you will be long time friends and lovers <3 (awww...)

Little Black Pumps

 

To go with that little black dress you are going to need....::drumroll please::...little black shoes! They can be suede, leather, patent leather, silk, satin, you name it! peep-toe or basic pump, all will become an often used accessory for your daily life.  You can never have enough black footwear...they go with basically everything!  You will absolutely get your moneys worth out of a great pair of black heels, and that is a great feeling :)

Little Black Clutch

 

The next logical item would have to be...the little black clutch, to finish off the classic nighttime black ensemble...and the great thing about have one of these is that you will never look out of style.  You can't go wrong when you purchase yourself a black clutch, you will ABSOLUTELY end of using it at some point, and that is an understatement.

Black Leggings/Tights

 

This is an item that you should have MULTIPLE pairs of.  You will definitely use them!  Leggings are all the rage in fashion lately, and for the colder weather they are a MUST.  Many of your cute little dresses and tunics can be *winterized* with the aid of a great pair of black leggings.  It is a good idea to buy them in a varieties of lengths and textures to add some spice.

Black Cardigan

Another important piece for the cooler weather is the black cardigan.  This is another item you may want to buy a variety of.  Fashion has recently took a turn into much more variance for the cardigan.  There are a wide range of different lengths, cuts, and styles for this classic piece.  Experiment and find what works best for you.  You won't be sorry you have them!

   

 

 

What To Wear On The Big Night: NYE 2010

 

NYE 2010 is upon us!

Now, what are you going to wear?

Well...If you haven't already gone out and purchased that perrrrfect ensemble

I have put together some cute, classy, and flirty ideas to get you started!

 

Classy Black

(Probably a good choice for a more 'swanky' NYE party)

  

Satin Dress With Jewel Trim, £59.00, Oli.

Worthington Satin Framed Clutch, $24.99, JCPenney.

Faceted Crystal Bracelet by Lee Angel, $350.00, VIVRE.

Abaeté for Payless Bayley d'Orsay Pump, $35.00, Payless.

Black Agate Earrings from Cluny Grey Jewelry.

Flirty Black

(You can NEVER go wrong with a little black dress on NYE, use interesting and flashy jewlery to dazzle it up girl!) 

 

Earrings – $3.80 at Forever 21 

Bracelet – $5.80 at Forever 21 

Dress – $42.80 at Forever 21 

Lela Rose Clutch – $14 at Payless 

Patricia Field Shoes – $21 at Payless

Gold Sequin Glamour!

(Sequins are all the rage this season, and work especially well for NYE, you will be competing with that big sparkly ball...)

 

Iisli ruffled sequin dress $500 - NeimanMarcus.com 

Bow necklace $278 - Belladawn.com 

Carlos Falchi metallic python clutch $800 - BergdorfGoodman.com  Christian Louboutin sequin peep-toe pump $1000 - BergdorfGoodman.com

Gold Sequin Glamour (at a muchhh more afforable price)
(We alllll have probably spent wayyyy too much on holiday gifts, so don't dismay! You can still pull off ad great outfit at a great price!)
 
Gold sequin shift $50 - ArdenB.com
Medallion necklace $13 - ShopIntuition.com
Sabina suede clutch $175 - Belladawn.com
Suede peep-toe heel $50 - ArdenB.com

Poppin' In Purple! ow! ow!
(For those of you who wish to be a little more 'colorful', purple is a fabulous color for NYE)

Embellished Cross Back Dress, £45.00 from Oli.
Metallic cross-toe sandal, $89.95, Nina Shoes.
Sterling Silver Cushion-Cut Purple Cubic Zirconia Ring with Pave Border, $22.99 from Target.
Three Pocket Clutch, $10.80, Forever21.
 

Cute Leggings Ensemble for NYE!
(For those of us in the colder climates who don't feel like freezing our A$$ off in a tiny little dress!)
 
Lux Cabaret tunic $40 - UrbanOutfitters.com
Danskin tights $35 - ShopIntuition.com
Fleur de Lis crystal charm bangle $42 - Belladawn.com
Sabina patent leather clutch $120 - Belladawn.com
Christian Louboutin metallic Lapono bootie $462 - BergdorfGoodman.com

Rockin' Red With Skinny Jeans
(Something on the more casual side, but not sacrificing color and fun, and also warmth!)

Glitter Lips Bag – $36 at Topshop,
Top & Bracelet – H&M,
Earrings – $6 at Wet Seal,
Ankle Booties – $30 at Forever 21

Sexy In Denim For The On-The-Go Chic

(Another more casual outfit, but still sizzlin' hot, hot, hot!)

Bracelets – $6.50 and $5 at Charlotte Russe, 

Heels, Necklace, Blazer, and Bag – H&M, 

Tank – $12 at Topshop, 

Jeans – $68 at Charlotte Russe

 

Designer Spotlight: Christian Siriano

Christian Siriano, 25, is a native of Maryland, and is a very talented young designer. He is best known as the winner of the 4th season of Project Runway, and is currently the youngest winner in the show's history.  He studied fashion in London, and interned at Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, the latter is his self-proclaimed favorite designer.

 

His fashions have been worn by big hollywood names such as Christina Hendricks, Kelly Rowland, Heidi Klum, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nicole Scherzinger, Mena Suvari, Kat DeLuna, Pink, and Alexis Bledel.

His early styling revolved largely on his love of black, and incorporated his funky vibe.

He has since expanded and grown as a designer and his new collection is AWESOME.  Here are some of my favorite pieces from his Spring '11 collection:

As you can see, his styling has tamed a bit into a refined, high fashion look, without losing his artistic presence.  Also, he has a fantastic use of color, pattern, and texture throughout his collection.

http://sendthetrend.com/

Exciting news! Christian has just release an accessories site!  And, what is even better is that everything on the site is $29.95!  Extremely affordable for designer wear.  Here are some pieces from his collections:

Chrismas Gift/Stocking Stuffer Ideas??????  I Think So!!!!!!

Celebrity Fashion Spotlight: AMA's 2010

The 2010 American Music Awards featured some fabulous performances if you managed to catch them.  Also, the red carpet fashion ranged from simple elegance, to sheer confusion and craziness.  Those nutty musicians take the cake when it comes to unleashing their often unique styling... 

Miley Cyrus in Marchesa

Miley's dress was a hit for some people, and a miss for others.  I think the wrapped style mini is adorable on her, and the color looks beautiful with her complexion.  The problem many people had with this dress is obviously in the massive trail of toilet paper coming off the back of the dress.  I think it would have been fine if that stupid bow wasn't the size of her entire torso...B

Rihanna in Elie Saab Couture

 As usual, Rihanna looks absolutely AMAzing!  The red ringlets and racy red dress have old hollywood glamour written all over it.  There is just the right balance of styling, elegance, and sex appeal with this ensemble.  This was one of the favorite looks of the night.  She is absolutely KILLIN IT!...A+

Taylor Swift in Collette Dinnigan

Another hit on the red carpet was Taylor Swift.  The dress was sparkly and adorable (Oooo...shiny...).   The cut of the dress could have been a bit more flattering as the heaviness on the bottom makes her curves look a little unbalanced, but I'm just being picky.  HOWEVER, what had everyone really buzzing was that hair!  Taylor has always been known for her soft cascading curls and floor length gown as per usual awards attire.  This new sleek cut and stright cut bangs look awesome!...A

 

Katie Perry in Badgley Mischka

This is another one of my personal favorites from the night.  This dress is sooooo freaking cute I can't stand it.  ME WANT.  Katie looks super pretty and sweet in this baby pink knee length number.  What I really love are all of the fantastic little details with the sparkles, and tiny rosettes perfectly placed on the dress.  And the fit is 100% spot on.  Absolutely Stunning...A+ 

Keri Hilson in Sammy B

You can never go wrong with the little black dress.  She played it safe, while still incorporating great styling.  This one is taking it up a few notches with the black crocodile skin and interesting draping details in the front.  The open back sizzles on Keri.  'Pretty Girl Rock' Indeed!  I want this dress too...A-

 

Ke$ha in Who the hell knows...

Yeah, I can't seem to find who designed this atrocity anywhere on the web.  They are probably protecting their identity by hiding in shame.  Ke$ha, as usual, looks like an idiot.  She sported a faux-hawk and 'studded' eyebrows.  Wow.  Could you be crying out for attention any harder?  You look stupid...FAIL.

 Nicki Minaj in Manish Arora

Whoa.  That CANNOT be comfortable.  How do you even sit down in that thing.  This dress definitely took the cake as far as being the most outlandish outfit.  I have to at least hand it to the girl for taking such an extreme risk.  The dress is definitely...um...interesting.  And definitely hideous. That girl is crazy...D (for effort)

Fergie in Falguni & Shane

This was another one that took a dive with the fashion critics.  I personally think the dress isn't THAT bad.  It certainly pales in comparison to the other divas on the red carpet, but it isn't as bad as some of the crap that came walking out there either.  The color is great, and the styling of the dress (ignoring the shoulder crap) is actually pretty cute.  The REAL problem is obviously those awful feathers proturuding out of her shoulders.  Turned a perfectly cute dress into a show-girl style bird costume.  Just plain bad taste on the designers part...To be fair I give it a C.

 WELL...That concludes my take on some of the AMA's red carpet looks for 2010!