ASATHAOP! -As Soon As The Holiday's Are Over Possible-

Oh goodness. It’s been a very long while since I’ve posted! I feel very badly about that! The honest truth is that I’ve been quite busy as of late what with Thanksgiving and Christmas bearing down on me… I just haven’t had the time or extra motivation to write anything for my blog since Thanksgiving! I’ve actually been a lot of places, seen a lot of things and have had many ideas for blog postings, but alas… nothing has been written. All that to say, I haven’t completely forgotten this blog or my love for it and I do plan on picking up my pace a bit when the Holiday’s pass and my days are just life as usual again.

In my time away from She Strikes A Pose, I’ve thought a lot about how much I write and what I write about and perhaps a better way of organizing it all. ‘Look of the Day’, though very fun to research and write about, takes an awful lot of time to compile and thusly I’ve decided to re-make it as ‘Look of Now’, which would allow me the freedom to post everyday or every other week if I so choose.

I also have a few friends who are very fashionable and creative and often they come up with awesome ideas for posts which they tell me about but I seem to either promptly forget them (‘cause lets face it, I honestly have a whole list blog ideas already and I have trouble keeping track of those!) or I just don’t have the time to write them! I’ve attempted on at least one occasion to persuade one of those friends to write up an article or at least a rough draft for me to edit and post, but again, the time it takes to brainstorm, research, write and finally publish a post, takes a lot longer than most may think! It can be very overwhelming.

I was sent a book to read and review for my blog and I feel horrendous for not getting to it yet. It took three straight days of almost non-stop work to review the last book I posted about and I just find now that I’m a tad too busy even to think about reviewing this book. However, if it’s the last thing I do, I will review that book and post about it ASATHAOP… like as is in, “As Soon As The Holiday’s Are Over Possible.”

For all my readers who still bother to check my blog for new postings, I am truly sorry for neglecting this for so long without so much as an explanation. Please forgive me. I will be up and going again very, very soon.

I have no spine... at least when it comes to shoes.

All right, I’ll be honest, up until about a month ago, I loathed the ankle boot. I simply failed to see the beauty in hacking off the calf section of a boot and then wearing what was left with a mini skirt as to expose the hideous mutilation that is the ankle boot. Try as I may, I couldn’t get with it. That is until I was flipping through my fashion bible, aka Vogue, and saw a glowing ad, full of purple goodness, and lo, there on the oversized feet of the giant model, what did I see?

Purple suede ankle boots.

The look had me at purple, and I was in love… and in denial! I really wrestled with myself for a minute, resisting the thought that I too was falling prey to a trend that I had, at the on set of my journey through Vogue just five minutes before, hated. I was feeling weak, and as I gazed longer at the glossy page, I felt weaker.

And then, I caved.

What can I say? I truly liked the look, and honestly, I hoped then and still do that the ankle boot is here to stay. I think at a root level I had been resisting the ankle boot because it was a throw back to the 80’s and I’ve never heard anyone say anything nice about 80’s fashion! (And thank goodness, because there is nothing nice to say!) I guess I felt like the problem was that designers were getting bored and regurgitating forgotten looks; looks that should have stayed forgotten! However, perhaps the problem lay not with the designers, but with my perspective. Instead of seeing ankle boots as a hideous mutation, I needed to appreciate them as an inspired revival; one that looked much better the second time around!

That said, I feel there are a few guidelines one must keep in mind when attempting to wear the ankle boot. To me, it seems that though the ankle boot has shed its calf, it cannot stand alone. Meaning, the ankle boot looks better when worn with a legging of a similar color. The ad in Vogue supported this idea as the purple ankle boot was worn with purple leggings. The picture I’m showing here also show this.

Perhaps it’s that I haven’t researched the ankle boot thoroughly or that I just haven’t seen many women wearing them in Austin, but I think the boot looks best when worn with a skirt, more specifically, a mini skirt.If y’all have any other ideas for this fabulous shoe, please let me know!

Look of the Day

Today’s look screams “ Paris” (the city, not the heiress...please!) with its sleek lines and red, black and white stripped scarf. I love the use of the scarf in this look as it really makes the black pop by avoiding a monochromatic look. Nearly anyone will look slim and chic while sporting this little number, and I must give a shout out to my ever favorite, ever faithful black flats. Represent!

Pull this look together with some black Jackie O shades and slicked back hair. I say, “Oh la la!”

A Note:

I originally saw this look with a red and white stripped turtleneck worn under the dress. I L-O-V-E-D the look but had the darnedest time finding a red turtleneck to show here. What I’ve learned as a result is that substitution is the result of necessity, and necessity is the mother of invention. My motto is to think outside the box, especially when forced to do so, and this is a perfect example of just that. There has been many an outfit created because I haven’t had the exact piece to create the look from which I mooched! Try it and have fun!

Wowza!

I found this picture of Drew Berrymore on one of the celebrity news sites I stalk every now and then.

I love her look!

She is so pretty and I really, really like this picture. I recently saw a dress at Target that kind of looks like the shirt she's wearing, though I couldn't find an example to show you here. Obviously she's filming a movie, but I think "yes" for the blouse at least!

I spy: Black on Black on Black...

A few weeks ago on Oprah, I heard a stylist say that black on black was really in right now. I guess that would mean I technically didn’t “spy” this trend myself, but I spied someone else spying it so that counts! Anyway, this trend actually struck me as an odd one as I have been taught to avoid wearing a lot of black as not to appear that I am in constant mourning of a lost loved one… Thusly, until last year, I didn’t own a single piece of black clothing save a black tee shirt that was lost long ago in the back on my closet. I’d seen the epidemic of women wearing only black, or mostly black, or using black with every color under the sun with which to coordinate and it seemed to me that style was quickly being sucked down a black hole so to speak! I made a concerted effort to wear as much color as I could in hopes that it might counter act the mindless outfits most women were wearing.

My wardrobe started to change a bit though, as I began to understand the importance of essentials; it was then that I embraced black as a timeless and chic tool (when worn rightly) for every woman’s closet. At the time when I saw Oprah, I still wore black infrequently, but because of that stylists wise words, I’ve since embraced black a little more and am now rocking the black on black look.

The greatest thing about black on black is that the options are endless! When I began to think about what pictures I would feature, I saw that I would have to limit my options as not to have a mile long post! This look really is relevant and workable and I’m SO glad to have in my life… I hope y’all enjoy it as much as I do!

P.S. This is also my ‘Look of the Day’.

Me Likey: Chanel Inspired Cuffs

Chanel is above all others, my very favorite designer. Among the many wonders of Chanel is its ability to inspire trends. While recently flipping through a picture book about Chanel, I spotted beautiful jeweled cuffs. Today, while going about my online stalkng on Banana Republic, I spotted what looked like an almost exact replica of the cuff featured in the book! Immediately I knew I had to seek out these cuffs on all my other online sources and this is what I found. There is a good spectrum of prices, ranging from $48 to $6.80, all well below Chanel's asking price of about $1500!

Enjoy!

My favorite cuff: from Banana Republic; asking price $48.00.

A steal found at Forever21 for just $6.80!

Gem colored rhinestones on this cuff make it 'of the now'. $16.19 at Target of course.

Shut up!

Okay, despite my undying love for high end designers, I sometimes see no point in buying high end. Let me explain: while flipping through November’s Vogue this week, I stumbled upon a feature called “Collector’s Items” in which I saw a pair of silver round toe flats. I recognized them immediately as a pair I’d seen in Target many times and fully expected to read that they were in fact the Xhilaration brand… Obviously I was wrong, and I was shocked almost beyond words to see that the Vogue flats were $540! SHUT UP!

Now, I know fashion has often been accused of being senseless and silly, and though I don’t normally agree with that, I fear I must in this case as it seems utterly ridiculous to drop nearly $600 on a pair of flats that one can get at Tar-zay for a mere $14.99!! I am positive that even if I could afford the steep price of Vogue’s flats (which by the way are designed by Lanvin) I would absolutely buy the $14.99 rip off from my local discount department store.

I must know, do y’all not agree with me?

Look of the Day

The Editor: Today’s look is pretty much one of my favorite looks, however, it doesn’t always work on everyone. This is a very classic and structured look, one I feel that a free spirit or hippie wouldn’t feel as comfy in. Certainly, this outfit is open to anyone, but I hold to the belief that one should dress according to their personality and body type. (Much more about that to come in future posts!) Although classic and structured is my own personal style, I am/will try to post as many different looks as I can. I really do see the beauty in all looks and strive to promote them all. That said, enjoy!

I’ve only featured the top half this outfit today because there are so many options for the bottom half that I’d rather just list them here: One could easily pair this look with black pants, black skirt, or a trouser jean in a dark wash. Oh, one could also rock this look with a dark denim skirt. See, the possibilities are endless!

A simple cardigan in a bright color is an essential for the wardrobe and also very ‘in’ right now. Wear it over the short sleeved white button down and belt. That really gives it the Editor look.

This short sleeved button down is perfect for giving one a professional look.

Me likey this thin gold belt. Thin in very in right now, however, if ever it’s not in (imagine that!) one could easily wear the Editor look with any other belt in any other width.

Pile on these gold chain necklaces in all different lengths. Don’t use more that three or four though for fear of looking like Mr. T.

Kevyn, Kevyn, he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can!

Kevyn Aucoin changed my life forever. It was winter of 2000 and I was fully obsessed with all things fashion and make up. I wanted to know all there was to know about both subjects so I buried myself in the beauty section of my local Barns and Nobel. It was then that I spotted Kevyn’s books, ‘Making Faces’ and ‘Face Forward’. From the moment my fingers touched the covers I knew I’d found something important; I knew I’d found the bible on make up.

Now, as I’ve shared before, it’s not unusual for me to have a physical reaction to items of clothing, sales, or books that I love and this case was no different for me. I had a rapid heart beat, my mouth had gone dry and I had this overwhelming sense of dread that at any moment, someone was going to find me looking at these holy books, deem me unworthy and remove me from the store immediately. I took my copies and found a place to sit right there in the bookstore and I literally didn’t move until I’d read each book cover to cover. That’s a little over 300 pages of goodness. I remember my eyelids feeling tired when I’d finished reading because I’d kept my eyes WIDE open as to take in all the information at one time. In one fell move, Kevyn had won my heart forever and from then on I have been a devoted follower and promoter of Kevyn’s cause, telling anyone with ears about him and his books.

This past weekend, while in New Jersey, I had the pleasure of spending some time with a teenage cousin of mine who is in full girly mode. She reminded me very much of me in that she has a very healthy passion for all things stylish and she was very teachable when it came to make up. I spent a very lovely morning with her teaching her the make up secrets Guru Kevyn taught me so many years ago; thus the inspiration for this post. My dear cousin had never heard of Kevyn before and as shocking as that was, it was even more troubling to think that many of my readers probably hadn’t yet heard of Kevyn either. (Or if y’all have, maybe you just didn’t appreciate him as much as one should!)

For all those who struggle with make up techniques, who are experts and want to try something new, who are starting out and need a step by step how-to, these are your books. There is a wealth of information on everything one could ever want to know about make up and y’all can bet that there will be up coming posts about Kevyn’s techniques. For now, just go out and do something good for yourself and the world and buy these books.

Look of the Day

I really like the preppy feel to this outfit. It's also insanely easy to wear.

This arglyle sweater will stand out because of it's bright mustard colors. I also adore the idea of using a scarf tied around the neck as an alternative to a necklace. (check it out below) The skinny jean. Perfect for tucking into boots. Bad for those of us who are more woman than these jeans can handle.

Why not own every style and color of boot you can find? It's more fun that way! Though this outfit could easily be paired with a pointed, heeled boot, try this "sport" book and actually enoy your outfit and day because you're wearing a cute but ultra comfy boot.

I like the color of this scarf and hat set. One could most certainly wear the scarf all day, if not the hat. If one happens to live in the south, she would not need much more than this during the winter months to keep warm outside, however, a puffy vest might be considered if one finds herself a little chilly. For those living in the north, why not try a puffy coat? Enjoy!

I am gone, but not forgotten!

Hey y'all. I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in the last few days... On early Wednesday morning my Grandma Boots succumbed to heart problems and passed away. She lived in New Jersey and that's where I am now, busy with family and the events that go on as a result of death. I will be back in Austin on Sunday night and will be working on this blog again on Monday. I really appreciate your understanding my being absent these past few days.

Heidi

Look of the Day

I wore almost this very same outfit on Sunday when I was out and about with the family. It was fun (because of the cut off leggings and flats), a tad dressy (because of the dress) and I was the only one wearing something like it.

If you'll look closely you'll notice that the dress used in today's look is the dress I found at Forever21 for $10.50. Also, the flats are a bit glittery, so not only are the beautiful, but they are also very "now" because of the sparkle. One could wear a long sleeved white button down as opposed to short sleeved if she lives in a colder climate, and she could go for a more punk look by wearing boots.

Enjoy!

How to: The Perfect Blowdry Job

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This past Saturday I drove 130 miles from Austin to San Antonio to get my hair done. Crazy you say? Maybe. However, please consider that the last time I went to the Salon, the girl who was cutting my hair knew not what she was doing and hacked mercilessly away at my (then) long locks. And so the reason for my willingness to go great distances (literally) as to get a good cut.

Now, moving on to a slightly unrelated subject: I don't know about you, but blow drying my hair has always been a source of frustration and discomfort; one is expected to juggle a brush, blow dryer and hair with just two hands, that by the way, have been rendered useless because they have gone numb from being held up in the air for excessive amounts of time. This situation leaves any girl sad, in pain and with nappy, wet hair. In an effort to avoid this altogether, I've made it a habit to always ask my stylist to explain to me the techniques of blow drying ones hair. Rarely, if ever, have I gotten a very good explanation and thus I've been forced to resort to the tried, but not always true, practice of turning my head upside down and drying my hair that way.

Well, y'all can appreciate then the sheer joy and relief of finally stumbling onto a step by step video of how to properly dry ones hair! Sometime last month, Eva Scrivo, New York Salon owner and personal stylist to Martha Stewart, happened to be on The Martha Show talking about this seasons make up trends when she mentioned she had a website. Always curious, I checked it out, and lo, what beauteous link did mine eyes happen to glance over but that of 'Eva's Perfect Blowdry Video'?! My heart started to race as it does when I am thrilled and I clicked on it straight away. It lead me to another site with not just one, but FIVE different video's on blow drying and styling tips. Oh the wonder, oh the excitement!

Though Eva's voice can be a tad annoying after five videos, her wisdom is indispensable and she is a master of her art. Click here to go to Eva's homepage. That will lead you to the enchanted place where all may go and learn to have perfectly blowdried hair!

Look of the Day

A refined, sophisticated shift dress with black leggins, black pumps and a black overcoat. Need I say more?

I'm going... are you?

Oh, how I love Austin!

On November 10th, this coming Saturday, Stitch: Handmade Revolution will be at the Austin Convention Center. It's a fashion showcase of all the local designers in Austin. I'm really stoked about it as this will be my very first fashion show. I do hope all will join me in supporting this event and by extent ion supporting the worthy and talented local designers!

You can buy your tickets at stitchaustin.com and they are only $10 so you have no excuse not to get one. Doors open at 4pm and the show starts at 9:30 so be prepared to hang out and mingle... The first 400 (I think) through the door get a goodie bag, even more incentive to come early.

"The Stitch Fashion Show and Guerrilla
Craft Bazaar is an annual celebration of independent design, artistry and
creativity. The idea was born when four austin designers (Jesse Kelly - Landes
of Amet and Sasha, Tina Sparkles of Sparkle Craft, Karly Hand of Identity Crisis
Clothing and Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club) joined forces to create
a forum to show their designs, the women took it upon themselves to establish
Stitch. Stitch is community directed rather than competition oriented,
ultimately designed to showcase the work of independent designers in a new
format. Stitch serves as an opportunity for participants to connect and build
relationships with other members of the creative community. As an extension of
the Stitch philosophy, the producers have added a new element: The Stitch Grant,
a grant program for independent, creative businesses."

--Stitchaustin.com description

I wanna go!!

Aw, this is what happens what I get my Vogue almost a month late! I learned from an 8 page spread that in Dallas this weekend there is a HUGE fashion show with such designers as Caroline Herrera, Oscar De La Renta, Valentino, Michael Kors, this list goes on! How could I not have known about this sooner? There was even an article in this months "Texas Monthly" about it! I'm so jealous, so burned, so disappointed!



Y'all check out the action at Northpark's site, and if anyone happens to be going, let me know how it is... I will be going next year, this is for certain!

Look of the Day

'Look of the Day' posts are becoming fun for me because it's forcing me to really think outside the box and use resources other than my closet to find inspiration.

Case in point: Yesterday, my apartment, about noon. My sister in-law Melissa came over and with her she brought a few new outfits that she'd thought up. Something should be said for Melissa as she is a very happy, free spirited type of girl; she very much makes one feel as if they've been hit by a tornado (in a good way) when she leaves and she's always, always good for shopping. I love Lissy, and I especially love her when she comes up with great outfits to wear. So, back to yesterday; she was going on and on talking a mile a minute about how she'd be digging through her older brother's closet and found an old Ralph Lauren red stripped button down and how she'd made an "awesome look" as she put it, by pairing it with a black belt and black knee length shorts (still very "in" in Austin). I was listening as well as I could to her, and didn't really catch what she was saying until she actually put the outfit on and it was then that she had my attention!

I was oh-ing and awing over the outfit and finally made her take it off so I could wear it to an appointment I had later that day. I immediately knew that this outfit would be a 'Look of the Day' and Melissa was quite proud that she'd made a contribution also. It's a very classic and preppy look, especially when paired with a pearl necklace and earrings as I wore it. I got a complement on it and (very oddly) someone driving next to me honked at me while he was driving by.

Enjoy!

This is pictured in blue stripped, also a good option
Pair the shirt with black shorts or long dark washed trouser jeans. It would also go well with black pants.


Black belts are very trendy this season and also an essential.

Heidi's Walk of Fame: Great Posers from Off the Street

Last night was truly one of the most fun nights I've ever had! I knew there would be many great outfits on the South Congress Ave. but I never anticipated how many wonderful people I'd meet! The street was packed with vendors and live music and even some left overs from Halloween; it was very lively and very Austin. During my journey down SoCo as it's referred to by the locals, I stumbled upon a product promotion party going on for Chloe Dao, Project Runway's Season two winner. That was pretty crazy and I'll write more about it in a later post.In all, it was a great night and it was an experience everyone should have.

I had a lot of fun taking peoples pictures though I was a bit shy starting out. I guess I figured asking never hurts and the worst someone could say to me was no! Thankfully no one did say no and I got some really great shots. Leave comments or suggestions or tell me about an up coming fashion event I need to be at! I look forward to hearing from you and to December's First Thursday!


This guy was awesome, he really had fun posing for me! I stopped him and asked to take his pictures because of his shoes; they are a black and red checked slip on, and they really made his outfit awesome. I'm always a fan of jeans, a graphic tee and a blazer on men, it never goes wrong and this guy look great!

This is my favorite outfit by far from the whole night; as soon as I walked away from taking this picture, I told my friend that I wanted to immediately go out and buy everything this woman is wearing. I absolutely love how she paired white, tan and black together, and I really, really love how classic and chic this outfit is.

I met this woman at a party for Chloe Dao (of Project Runway, more on that in a future post) whose outfit caught my eye as soon as she walked in. The bright blue and simple cut of her dress were very flattering and paired with black, a hot accessories color for this season, she looked great! She was also one of the sweetest people I met and a great poser!

This guy was style from head to toe. Everything about his outfit is so well pulled together, from the tan hat, to the great green of his shirt and jacket, to the punch of his bright red shoes; I loved it all! He's also strikes a fierce pose.

When I saw this woman she stopped me in my tracks! Her dress is from H&M in LA and her shoes from Nordstrom's (I met a surprising number of people who were wearing pieces from Nordstrom's). This is such a lovely look; very ladylike, very simple, but it stands out. My favorite kind of look.

This woman's outfit was really inspirational for me; it's a great lesson in using one's imagination and proving that oddles of money doesn't have to be spent to look sharp. The story of this outfit goes as follows: she bought her awesome perter pan-like shoes for 5 bucks, (what could be better?) she made her shorts from old jeans, and she said her white sweater for a while and just threw it on. Ta-da!

I honestly think this was the only sweater dress I saw of the night, and I was surprised because it appeared to be a really light weight knit (always good for the Texas heat) and it was this pretty shade of periwinkle purple which in my opinion is very versatile for either summer or winter looks. also, she was sporting my all time favorite shoes, the black flat, and I just had to get a shot of that!

This kind lady allowed me to interrupt her conversation to get a shot of her brown leather and fur jacket which she paired with black pants; an unexpected match. Few people realize that brown and black, when worn rightly, can make a amazing look, and I really this this woman had it!

I saw this woman at the restaurant where I was eating dinner and when she walked by I put my fork down and ran up to her to take her picture. I love everything about her outfit: I love the fact that it appears that she paired a dress with jeans and rocked it that way. I love that she could wear the dress without her jeans, (or even take the jeans off in her car on the way to a dinner with friends and look completely different than her day look). I love the style, the colors, the long necklace and the SHOES! They are flats (we all know how much Heidi loves flats) they are goldish tan from what
This is Bekah, she was one of the street vendors and besides rocking an awesome outfit (jeans from nudiejeans.com, gold shoes I think from a thrift store, and an awesome sweater shirt to pull it all together) she was also one of the sweetest and most helpful people I met all night. She's a junior at UT majoring in Interior Design (my ultimate dream) and she was full of great info on design and local boutiques. I was really glad I met her, not just because of her great outfit, but because she was a great person too!


This is Johanna: She is an up and coming designer who works independently and who really knows how to rock a look. What originally caught my eye about her outfit were her bright red pants, but as I looked closer, I discovered there was more to this look than what met the eye... For starters, Johanna isn't afraid of color and my is she wearing a lot here: red pants, purple leather jacket, black sweater with yellow birds on it, black heels, brown wood hoop earrings and ring and a blue wallet! I really admired her for her guts to wear so much color; it's something I love to do myself and I've never met anyone else who wasn't afraid of wearing it and flaunting it.

Not only was Johanna's outfit awesome, but she was too; she was so generous with her advice and tips about the Austin fashion scene. Y'all MUST check her out on her website Ziva31.com as I think you can find most of what she's wearing there, including the beautiful wood jewelry.

This was kind of a drive by shooting here: I was crossing the street and saw this lady walking towards me in this beautiful frock and I stopped her in her tracks and took her picture. The colors of this dress are really vibrant and I have yet to see a woman who looks bad in this kind of dress.

Cowboy boots tucked into jean, paired with a belt and big buckle, matched with a great shrunken jacket and you have yourself a very trendy look. Very Austin.

Oh my goodness, everything about this woman was beautiful; her hair, her outfit, her smile! She was very sweet and had great style. I really love how used all different shades of brown with this look: a long tan skirt paired with a dustier brown scoop neck, a different tan undershirt peeking out and dark brown boots. I also loved her bold but simple accessories.

This is Chickie; she's my stylish friend that helped me carry everything and point out fashionable people and helped me gather info and flyers about up coming events... she was fun to have with me and she also looked great too. she got TONS of complements on her shoes; designed by herself, she took plain white vans and colored them with sharpies. Chickie is great at creating looks and I love her sporty and very Austin outfit here.