#kick your booties

Yesterday was officially the first day of FALL, my favorite season. The pumpkin spice lattes, the crisp air, the changing colors, the brown tones, and soft light sweaters, what's not to love about it?

I was looking forward to the fall weather, there is nothing better than waking up to the sound of rain fall and being snuggled up in bed with a good book.

Although I don't get that many chances to stay in bed and read books that are not related to my school studies, I still make sure that one day a semester I take a whole day off, go to a cafe, drink a pumpkin spice latte and devour a book. I refer to it as my mental vacation, although I eventually pay for the day off, it was all worth it in the end!

[Side note, I am currently reading David Mitchell's "The Back Story", I like british comedy and this is an easy read that will for sure make you giggle]

One of my favorite things about fall are the shoes ( I love shoes!!), however I am extremely picky and on a budget. It takes me forever to find the perfect bootie or boot but when I do its love at first sight!

So I am already starting my new season bootie search (and I don't mean the body part).

Since I live in California, the cool weather doesn't actually start up until late Oct. to Nov. which gives me a little time to get my new wardrobe in order. Here are some of my booties options:

I saw these lovelies on See Jane, a blogger I love to follow and recommend others check out her blog!

Seychelles Scoundrel Black Booties

These cut out booties would be perfect for California's Fall weather and who doesn't love the beautiful gold tones!







Similar Style as the Seychelles but a bit more affordable: these Aldo Arzts

Kate Spade never disappoints, however I can't say my wallet is very fond of her :)

It was love at first sight with these Indigo by Clarks, the slight heel and the rustic brown color, I am smitten!

Oh how I'd love these Sigerson Morrison beauties!

The search for the perfect bootie gives me a rush and I am excited to start my journey into this new season!
I wish everyone a wonderful second day of Autumn!

#First Rule

Actually I am sure there are many first rules for fashion. Make sure it's tailored well, wear your size don't try to get into something way to small or way to big becuase neither will do you any favors and so on. However for those who know me know that no matter how pretty the dress or top is or how well it fits you still can ruin everything if you look wrinkled.
Yes I said it, wrinkled, Ironing is very important, I never understood how people leave the house without ironing their clothes. My iron is always ready to go when I am getting dressed. Granted I may like to iron more than the average person but you have to admit it's important.
My friends laugh at me becuase sometimes I save up my ironing for one evening, where I put on a movie and iron the whole time. It is really relaxing and it gives me quality me time. Plus my closet is mostly ironed, which will save me time in the morning.

My point is that you can have on a wonderful skirt and top combo but if you are all wrinkled, you may have ruined your outfit. Especially when it comes to dress shirts on guys, please iron your shirts and your khaki pants! All men should learn to iron and all people should invest in a good iron. You can find some great irons for under $100 that will last a long time.

But the point of my post is not only that you need to iron but that you need to keep your iron clean so that you don't burn your clothes or leave rust marks. If you keep your iron clean ironing is more enjoyable.

So yesterday instead of doing my reading I decided that I needed to clean my iron, meaning that I will have a ironing day coming up soon!

My iron is very special to me, its a Rowentta, this one to be exact, and lets say that it is wonderful. My mother bought it for me last year as a start of the new school year gift. However irons get dirty, especially when your little sister uses it, doesn't change the fabric settings and burns her blouse. I felt bad for her blouse but the fabric basically melted on to my iron. That is difficult to remove and makes it easier for the iron to stick to other clothing.

So I desperately needed to clean it. There are solutions you can buy but I think the natural way is a lot better. The two ways that I have used and work best for me are the following:

My favorite and I think most effective:
1. Get a wash cloth, one that has ridges, and semi tough (do not use anything with wire in it becuase it will cause scratches in the iron's sole plate and ruin it)
2. While the cloth is laid out get salt (sea salt works best) and make a nice little pile in the middle of the wash cloth.
3. Plug in the iron, put it on the highest heat setting and turn off the steam setting.
4. Once the iron is nice and hot, start ironing over the salt pile, up and down the cloth. Do this for a few minutes and add a little more salt if you want.
5. After a minute you will see the grime come off onto the cloth. Repeat the ironing over the salt until everything is off.
6. It took me about 10 minutes to get the burned fabric off but now my iron is squeaky clean!

The Second Option:
1. Make sure the iron is turned off and cool.
2. Boil equal parts vinegar and salt.
3. Once the salt has dissolved, take the vinegar and salt off the stove top.
(I would use gloves so that your hands don't smell like sour vinegar for the rest of the day)
4. Wait for the solution to be warm, not boiling hot so you don't burn yourself.
5. With a tough cloth (not wire!), dip it in the solution and start rubbing the sole of the iron.
6. Repeat Step 6 until the iron is clean!

After either cleaning process, with the iron cooled and turned off, I'd use a clean and damp cloth to wipe off any excess vinegar and salt. Now you can use your iron with ease!! Let me know if you have any other cleaning suggestions and how these options work for you!

I hope you all are having a wonderful week!!

#Backstreets Back...ALRIGHT

So one of the greatest things happened this weekend. My best friend and I went and saw Backstreet Boys live in concert!!! As a little girl, when I listened to their tape on my boombox, I only dreamed of the day I would see them in concert. They were my favorite imaginary boyfriends, every male doll was either Brian, AJ or Nick (my favorites) and I knew every word to every song. I was one obsessed little girl but considering I was 7-8 in 1995 when they first hit big, there was no way that my parents would let me go see them in concert, or afford it for that matter.

But after almost 20 years of waiting...yes unbelievably its been 20 years, I finally saw my imaginary boyfriends perform. And let me tell you they were AMAZING, SPECTACULAR, LEGENDARY, UTTERLY UNBELIEVABLE my childhood dream became a reality!!

So how does this relate to fashion you ask, well thats a good question. For the concert, my best-friend [who has an amazing teaching blog that you should definitely check out!] and I decided that we would dress for the occasion, meaning time travel back to the 90's. So we hit the local goodwill and we found some amazing printed spandex and a high-waisted denim skirt. However we needed more for our outfits ideas. So we looked up 90's fashion, the crop tops, high-waisted jeans, the denim shirts, the hats, scrunchies and floral motif.

After my research I realized what great timing the concert had with fashion, becuase just as the Backstreet Boys were coming back so was the 90's fashion. Such as the post I did about floral motifs and now even the crop tops and denim skirts are popping up everywhere. There was no use for us to go to the goodwill becuase the moment we entered Forever21 we were transported back in time.

Remember Saved by the bell?
Kelly Kapowski was the hot chick on campus

Now the floral blazer, pants and dress are almost exactly what you would find in stores today. 

For example, this floral blazer from Zara

Also, remember Clueless? Of course you do, Alicia Silverstone was miss Beverly Hills, what girl didn't want to be her?

These girls knew how to pull of the plaid look and work it, I know that I wanted one when I was little and luckily now plaid is coming back in the most fashionable ways.

And this unbelievably adorable dress from alice+olivia

Like these pants from Zara

And lastly, the crop top with the high-waisted shorts: These are everywhere now:

American Apparel and Forever21 have such a large selection of crop tops that it's not a question of whether you should get one but how many and what colors or styles?

So there you go a little blast from the past. I loved the 90's, granted I am a bit biased but you have to admit, the cartoons and the music was so much better!

I hope you all listen to the new Backstreet Boys album, there are just as talented live as they are on the cd. They were definitely from the era when some musical talent was necessary unlike all the auto tone bs we have now.

I hope everyone has a great Monday and week!!!

#Venting about vents

So School has already started kicking my butt so please forgive me for my MIA status. But my goal is to be more devoted to my blog and share all the fashion information that I am learning.

As I shared in previous postings I love men fashion, I love shopping for men's clothing, in my mind they are my own life size Ken doll. As a little girl, I mainly had barbie dolls and maybe one male doll. My parents did not a lot of money, or a disposable income for unnecessary toys, meaning that although my mom always got me barbie dolls from the second hand stores or garage sales, I never had a lot of clothes or a lot of the Ken dolls. As a result, every time I got to go through my grandma's old clothing I would make clothing for my dolls.  So now as an adult, since I never really got a hang of sewing or making my own clothes I am blessed to live in America and have the money and opportunity to shop among the multitude of stores and countless options that this great country offers.

My point is that men's fashion is just as particular as women's clothing and every detail is significant.
One detail that I will admit I have even over looked many times is vents on men's suits.
Some men refer to them as the openings on the back of the suit coat, and don't think twice before buying the suit if those vents have a purpose or add anything to the fit, style and purpose of the suit. Well men, I am here to burst your bubble, those vents are very important and have a very good purpose.

Vents come in three options: One, Two, or None: Each having a particular style and purpose.

One Vent:
When there is only one vent, it is always placed in the middle as seen below:

One vent in the center is the more American Business style and more modern. This style and fit works best with the slimmer figure. It doesn't allow for much mobility and can create a wrinkle in the back of the suit. Unlike the other vent styles, this one does not particularly accent the figure but does tend to have a tighter fit. This being send, men that tend to be on the heavier side, or have a larger mid-section should probably not invest in the center vent. It will only accent the mid section and if that is not your goal then the center vent is not the style for you.

More modern American suits tend to carry more of this style such as Theory and Sak's Red brand. 

Two Vents:

The two vent suit style dates back to the British tradition, the two vent style allows for the most mobility and flexibility. It was traditionally from the equestrian heritage, meaning the flap that it creates allowed for men that went horseback to sit comfortably on horseback without rumpling your suit. The two vent is the best style to avoid creating that odd wrinkle on the back of the suit jacket when sitting. The style works for all body types but it is extremely kind to the rounder figure. The two vent style creates a nice figure and allows for room to grow, by creating a bit of free space between the shirt and jacket, just incase you have a larger lunch one day. Therefore, becuase it is the more traditional suit, most designers and brands carry the two vent style.

No Vent:

The no vent style as pictured above it the least common. It is the more restrictive of the three styles. The no vent is, in my opinion, to be worn by men with a slim figure. The no vent style does no favors for the rounder figure, if the fit is not correct it bunches up around the middle and only accents the belly. It allows for very little mobility and can easily create an odd wrinkle on the back of the suit. Don't get me wrong it's also a great style but unlike the other two styles, this one is not as universal. It is the most common among old Hollywood style films becuase no vent suits are the most photogenic. The clean and sleek look that the jacket creates is more formal, hence why tuxedos have no vents. Therefore, wear with caution.

So there you have it, who thought those little openings on the suit jacket were so important. Since most men buy suits to last, suits can be timeless therefore it is important to know how and what to buy.

Until next time!

Kisses!