Prints: From the Runway

The spring fashion show runways were filled with ideas for styling prints.

For a simple way to accessorize prints, follow Loewe's example and add a bright purse or headband in a coordinating color.  The thrift store I go to most often has the best purses!  I accented the red roses on my blouse with a red satin-like purse that I bought this week.  (Blouse, A. Byer; capris and bracelet, Charlotte Russe; shoes, Payless; purse, Bath & Body Works.)

Another top-notch idea combines floral prints with a nautical theme, as shown by Christian Dior.  I paired a floral print skirt with a white nautical jacket for a sea-worthy look.  (Jacket, Charlotte Russe; skirt, Luna Chix; sandals, Candie's.)

With items from your closet, how can you add bright accessories to your prints or combine them with a nautical theme?

Next post: Spring Trend: Punk
Previous post: Prints: Thrifted

Prints: Thrifted

Hypnotic prints are so fun, and I was excited to find this blouse at a thrift store.  The color scheme is even similar to a dress by Christian Dior.

What's your best find from a thrift store?

Next post: Prints: From the Runway
Previous post: Prints: Fashioned

Prints: Fashioned

Now that you've located your clothes with large floral blooms, hypnotic prints, and geometric patterns, let's fashion them into some trendy outfits!

You can pair a patterned piece with a coordinating solid piece to make the colors pop.  I matched this rose-patterned blouse with my new black capris, which recently filled a gap in my wardrobe.  (Blouse, A. Byer; capris and bracelet, Charlotte Russe; shoes, Payless.)

If your entire outfit consists of prints, like my geometric print dress, just add neutral or matching shoes, and accessories if you have them.  (Dress, kensiegirl; shoes, Payless.)

What are your tips for styling prints?

Next post: Prints: Thrifted
Previous post: Prints: My Closet

Prints: My Closet

I hope you found some great items while searching your closet for prints!

I found geometric prints and floral patterns in my closet.  One of good friends gave me this beautiful rose-print blouse (A. Byer) as a birthday gift.

This blue and black geometric-patterned blouse (Merona, from Target) needs to be handwashed and then twisted into two knots to dry.  When my husband found out, he said my laundry was too complicated.  It probably is!

When I was just starting to date my husband, I found this dress (kensiegirl) at the mall.  I didn't want to spend the money for it at the time, but I showed it to him.  That same day, he went back to the mall and bought it for me as a Christmas present!

My mom gave me this hypnotic-patterned scarf.

What prints did you find in your closet?  Share in the comment section!

Next post: Prints: Fashioned
Previous post: Spring Trend: Prints

Spring Trend: Prints

We've styled our way through half of Elle's spotlighted Spring 2011 trends!  The next trend we'll cover is prints.  Search your closet for clothes with hypnotic prints and also for those with large flower patterns.  Come back tomorrow to share what you found!

Which do you prefer - hypnotic prints or floral patterns?

Next post: Prints: My Closet
Previous post: Brights: Color Combinations

Brights: Color Combinations

When exploring the color blocking trend, following a couple of guidelines will make your outfits look fabulous!

Guideline #1: Pick 3
If you look through the designs spotlighted by Elle, you'll see that the designers combined three colors for each outfit.  Details and accessories were either one of those colors or neutral (such as white, black, tan, or gold).

Guideline #2: Stay in the Family
In this case, color families refer to groups of colors such as primary colors, jewel tones, brights, and pastels.  By choosing colors in the same family, your outfit will look pulled together and not mismatched.

Primary Colors

Jewel Tones

Brights

Pastels

I really enjoy wearing jewel tones and brights.  Which color families do you gravitate toward?

Next post: Spring Trend: Prints
Previous post: Brights: Thrifted

Brights: Thrifted

Continuing with the brights theme, let's take a trip to the thrift store!  One place I visited had a couple of jewel-tone blouses (purple blouse, Judy Bond; yellow blouse, Sunny Leigh).

I didn't look too closely at these ruby red shoes (Breckelle's) because it was closing time.  However, it might have been neat to buy them and lace some thin ribbons through the loops.

This blue skirt (Dockers) fits the bubblegum color theme.

Next time I go to a thrift store, I think I'll look around for jean shorts that aren't super short or distressed.  What would you like to find at a thrift store this spring?

Next post: Brights: Color Combinations
Previous post: Brights: Fashioned

Brights: Fashioned

You've pulled your bright bubblegum and jewel-colored clothing from your closet.  Now what?  If you have the right pieces, you can simply put a few together and head out the door.  However, your raw material might not lend itself to combos in the same color family or the same style.  In that case, you'll need to get more creative and modify the trend to suit your wardrobe.

For an easy modification, start with a monochromatic outfit and bring in other colors with accessories.  I added a bright pink scarf and blue belt to a jewel-tone dress.  Note that the pieces can be patterned as long as one color stands out, like the pink in my scarf.  Unless your shoes are one of your colorful accessories, a neutral pair will polish off the look.  (Dress, Merona, from Target; shoes, Predictions, from Payless; scarf and belt, unknown.)

For another easy modification, substitute bright white for one of the pops of color.  I don't own shorts in a bubblegum color, so I put white shorts with a purple shirt and pink flip flops.  I still got a bright look, but I didn't need to go shopping!  To accessorize, choose colors that match your outfit for a streamlined appearance.  (Shirt, lace-trim cami, and shorts, Charlotte Russe; flip flops, Old Navy; bracelet, KappAhl.)

What bright outfits did you fashion from your closet?

Besides the latest trends, I also want to let you know about three Fashion Your Closet updates:

1. Anyone can leave comments now.  You don't need to have a username anymore, so share your style in the comment section!
2. You can share links to the blog on Facebook and Twitter.  Click on "Share this on Facebook" and "Tweet this" in the top right-hand corner of the blog if you like the posts!
3. Fashion Your Closet has a Facebook page now.  If you enjoy reading this blog, please visit the page and click on the "Like" button!

Next post: Brights: Thrifted
Previous post: Brights: My Closet

Brights: My Closet

How many bright items of clothing did you find in your closet?  I didn't expect to find many brights in my closet, but I found nine!

Most of the items were either blue or pink/purple, like this shirt from Charlotte Russe.

I bought this one-shoulder blouse last week (Charlotte Russe).

Both of these button-down shirts are from New York & Company.

Although these vests from Aeropostale might be too warm in some locations this spring, my northern friends could take advantage of the extra layer!

I almost took this jacket (Aeropostale) to the thrift store, but I changed my mind when I started blogging about the brights trend.

I bought this dress (Merona, from Target) when I knew my then-boyfriend-now-husband was going to propose.  I'm pretty sure I spent at least 30 minutes deciding between the green and the charcoal.  The charcoal looked very classy, but I thought the green was more fun.

I bought these shorts (Charlotte Russe) last year and still haven't worn them.  Maybe I'll find a bright shirt to pair with them!

What brights did you find in your closet?  Come back tomorrow for some ideas on fashioning the color block trend with your brights.

Next post: Brights: Fashioned
Previous post: Spring Trend: Brights

Spring Trend: Brights

This week's featured trend, brights, might need a healthy dose of self-confidence to pull off, depending on how you choose to style it.  The trend isn't just about wearing bubblegum colors and jewel tones, but in mixing them for a color blocking effect.  Start looking through your closet for bright solid-color pieces and those with color blocking (stripes, squares, etc.) built into the pattern.  Then get ready for some creative mixing later this week!

I tend to gravitate toward blue and white clothes when I go shopping.  What colors do you look for?

Next post: Brights: My Closet
Previous post: Sheer Romantic: From the Runway

Sheer Romantic: From the Runway

If you're looking for more ideas for fashioning outfits with sheer clothing pieces, take some ideas from the Spring 2011 runway.

Remember those wild side clothing items you pulled from your closet a couple of weeks ago?  Get ready to use them again!  As Givenchy showed, If you have pieces made from sheer animal print fabric, you can wear them with solid pieces.  In addition, you can pair other wild side items with solid-colored sheer clothing items.

Blouse, Bay Studio Career; purse, unknown

Alberta Ferretti showed a softer side of the sheer trend with floral-inspired designs.  If you have flower-patterned sheer clothing, style it with matching solid layers and sandals.  You can also accessorize sheer pieces with floral details.

Blouse, Bay Studio Career; flower clip, Colleen from Clever Nesting

How do you style your sheer items?  Leave comments below!

Next post: Spring Trend: Brights
Previous post: Mind the Gap: Boosting Your Wardrobe

Mind the Gap: Boosting Your Wardrobe

As I mentioned in a previous post, sometimes adding one clothing item to your closet can fill a major gap in your wardrobe.  This addition can give you opportunities to wear favorite clothing items that normally make their home in the deep recesses of your closet.

To determine which clothing items might boost your wardrobe, pull out those favorite items that looked awesome in the store but seemed like misfits once you brought them home and tried to wear them.  Look for a common theme among them.  For example, I have a few dressy shirts that included black in their patterns.

Pair these clothes with other items from your closet and try to determine why the outfits don't work.  In my case, jeans looked ok but weren't dressy enough to pull the outfits together.  Because my dress pants were gray, they didn't match.  One of the shirts flared, and I didn't like the double-flare-effect of the shirt and skirt together.

The goal is to eliminate what doesn't work so you can brainstorm other options.  Getting a second opinion from a friend or browsing through fashion magazines can also give you ideas.  You might discover that the best item to buy is not something you would normally shop for.  After trying on the flared shirt with jeans, I thought that dressy black capris would complement it much better.  Additionally, they would match other shirts in my closet.  I had never considered buying black capris before because I usually prefer white or colorful clothes.

Once you've decided which items will fill the gaps, it's time to go shopping.  Or, at least time to put the items on a wish list!  I went to Charlotte Russe yesterday in search of dressy black capris, and I found them.  Plus I bought two shirts that will go with them.  Now I own at least five shirts that match the capris.

Blouse, Merona, from Target

Blouse, Charlotte Russe

Blouse, A. Byer

Blouse, Charlotte Russe

Blouse, Charlotte Russe

Black capris, Charlotte Russe

One clothing item can make quite a difference to your wardrobe!  Go ahead and try this method, then tell us your results!

Next post: Sheer Romantic: From the Runway
Previous post: Sheer Romantic: Thrifted

Sheer Romantic: Thrifted

Another day, another great thrift store find!  I think this romantic sheer blouse by Charlotte Russe is beautiful!

Light and airy; futuristic; gothic - which sheer styles do you prefer?

Next post: Mind the Gap: Boosting Your Wardrobe
Previous post: Sheer Romantic: Fashioned

Sheer Romantic: Fashioned

Now that you've found the sheer clothing items in your closet, let's put together some outfits!

If you're enjoying warm, sunny weather this spring, you can wear a sheer shirt over a cami and add dressy shorts and sandals.  (Blouse, lace-trim cami, shorts, and bracelets, Charlotte Russe; sandals, Candie's; necklace, Colleen from Clever Nesting.)

However, if you live in a place that's still receiving wintry blasts, dress pants and boots go well with a sheer blouse layered over a cami.  (Blouse, Bay Studio Career; lace-trim cami and necklace, Charlotte Russe; pants, Express; boots, Mudd.)

While putting together outfits during the past few weeks, you may have noticed that you really like a clothing item but feel like you don't have the other pieces necessary to wear it well.  Consequently, the item resides permanently in your closet.  As I've pulled some trendy items out of my closet, I've run into this problem.  For example, I really like my rose pattern sheer shirt with my red shorts (see first picture), but I don't think the white sandals are the best match for them.  I've also found that dressy black capris and comfortable black dress shoes would help me enjoy wearing some of my other favorite shirts.  This knowledge will help me fill in the gaps in my wardrobe.

Have you noticed gaps in your wardrobe?  What items would fill in those gaps?



Next post: Sheer Romantic: Thrifted
Previous post: Sheer Romantic: My Closet

Sheer Romantic: My Closet

Did you find sheer clothing items in your closet?  I think this trend is great because the lightweight fabrics feel so feminine.

I found two sheer shirts in my closet.  Roses and lace decorate this sleeveless blouse from Charlotte Russe.

This long-sleeve blouse (Bay Studio Career) was a thrift store find.  I bought it mainly because I liked the ruffles.

What did you find in your closet?  Leave comments below!

Next post: Sheer Romantic: Fashioned
Previous post: Spring Trend: Sheer Romantic



Spring Trend: Sheer Romantic

Are you ready for this week's trend?  Continuing with the romantic theme, we're going to take a look at sheer items of clothing layered over solid pieces.  I've already found a couple of items in my closet.  Take a look through your closet and get ready to fashion some new ensembles this week!

Now that spring is upon most of us, you might be thinking about shopping for some new clothes.  I'm going to Charlotte Russe soon to spend some gift cards.  Where do you like to shop?

Next post: Sheer Romantic: My Closet
Previous post: Lace: Around Town

Lace: Around Town

I've been looking for lace around town for three weeks but only began to spot it a few days ago.  The first woman I saw wearing this trend had on a cream tank top with alternating lace and ruffle rows on a diagonal.  Even though the entire shirt wasn't made of lace, I thought the lace accents were very pretty.

Another woman wore a blousy white lace shirt over a short and skinny black dress.

Which of these styles do you prefer - the romantic ruffles or the little black dress?

Next post: Spring Trend: Sheer Romantic

Previous post: Lace: Thrifted

Lace: Thrifted

Congratulations to Robin for winning the giveaway!  You can visit the blog that she and a couple of friends share at Without a Map.  I particularly enjoyed her humorous Snowpocalypse West post.

Now for more thift store adventures!  The two thrift stores I visited definitely did not have an abundance of lace clothing.  However, I did find this shirt by Charlotte Russe.  In light or dark tones, lace can add a spark to your wardrobe.

What items have you found in thrift stores that were worth adding to your closet?  Leave comments below!

Next post: Lace: Around Town

Previous post: Lace: Fashioned

Lace: Fashioned

Now that you've pulled your lace clothing items from your closet, how can you style them?

One option is a romantic style.  If you have a lace shirt, you can pair it with a skirt made from a soft fabric for a feminine look.  I added a patchwork skirt and babydoll shoes to my lace shirt.  (Shirt and lace-trimmed cami, Charlotte Russe; skirt, American Eagle; shoes, Personal Identity, from Sears; necklace, unknown.)

If you want to create a sleeker look, try wearing skinny dress shorts or pants with a lace shirt.  Heels polish off the ensemble.  (Shirt, lace-trim cami, dress shorts, Charlotte Russe; black heels, Predictions, from Payless.)

What's your favorite way to style the lace items in your closet?  Leave comments below!

Don't forget that the giveaway ends tonight at midnight EST!



Next post: Lace: Thrifted

Previous post: Lace: My Closet

Lace: My Closet

Did you search your closet?  Did you find any lace clothing items?  I found one in my closet - a white lace shirt from Charlotte Russe.

Visit Fashion Your Closet tomorrow for some ideas on putting together outfits based on lace clothing!

What did you find in your closet?

Next post: Lace: Fashioned

Previous post: Spring Trend: Lace

Spring Trend: Lace

This week's featured spring trend offers tremendous potential for beautiful, feminine ensembles.  Lace might seem old-fashioned, but modern designs have updated the look.  Although the designers highlighted by Elle showed lace dresses or combinations of lace blouses and skirts, you can incorporate this trend into your wardrobe with just one lace item.

Search your closet for lace blouses, skirts, and dresses, and come back tomorrow to see what I found in my closet!

How would you describe your style?  Is it feminine, trendy, casual, etc.?  Share your thoughts in the comment section!

Don't forget to enter to win the giveaway item!

Next post: Lace: My Closet
Previous post: Wild Side: From the Runway

Wild Side: From the Runway

Accessorizing with animal print belts and purses can be pretty simple, but how can you wear larger clothing items, such as an animal print skirt?  If you need some new ideas, let a couple of runway designers inspire you.

Both Altuzarra and Giambattista Valli paired animal prints with white and brights for Spring 2011.

If you have an animal print skirt, try adding a white shirt or jacket.  To add a pop of color, wear a bright shirt, such as sunny yellow or traffic cone orange.  For an animal print shirt, pick out a brightly colored skirt.  An animal print jacket could look fantastic over an all-white ensemble.

You can take the wild side trend a step further by wearing an animal print top with an animal print skirt if the patterns work well together.  For an animal print dress, try breaking up the pattern with a wide belt.

What combinations work well for your animal print items?  Share your ideas in the comment section!

In case you missed Thursday's post about the giveaway, click here!

Next post: Spring Trend: Lace
Previous post: Wild Side: Around Town

Wild Side: Around Town

Have you been spotting trends in your town?

I've been on the lookout, and I saw a beautiful skirt that reminded me of the wild side trend.  The skirt was long, made from a lightweight fabric, and had a pattern of browns and cream.  For her top, the woman was wearing a sleeveless brown knit shirt that gathered at the neckline.

I also saw a few people with animal print bags and some cool purple and black zebra pattern sneakers.

What interesting clothing items have you seen around your town?

Next post: Wild Side: From the Runway
Previous post: Wild Side: Thrifted