Saturday, January 18, 2014

Catching Fire!!!

 I am a huge Hunger games fan and I was very very disappointment with the first movie. But Catching Fire was
amazing. I feel like in Catching Fire everybody acted their parts way better than the first time. I fell in love with Peeta all over again. I was very shocked to see how when it came to the actual games how closely it followed the book. I was very in love with Effy's outfits and I was very in love with the one she wore by Alexander McQueen!! That was truly a master piece I even squealed in the
theater. I found this movie to be very emotional so yes I cried. Over all this was an amazing movie and I shall own it once it comes out on DVD.
-Ashley-
Alexander McQueen

How to shop at expensive stores for less

This post is meant for me to give you MY tips on how to shop at name brand stores with out breaking the bank.
Nordstrom
* disclaimer!!! This is not teaching you how to shop designer for less. This is only talking about finding good deals or just being able to shop at a store like Barneys. *
    
   Okay the first step to successful shopping is not being intimidated by the store. This statement might sound really crazy but it is very true. Just think back to that one day you were standing outside of Chanel remember? Why did you not walk into the store again?? Ahhh now you understand what I am saying. I know it can seem intimidating but it is not at all. I remember the first time I walked into Gucci. The store was empty and it had like 10 guys in beautiful black suits and ties, standing around keeping an eye on the people that weren't there. I was nervous, but I realized that I do not have to be it is just a store. Truthfully the only difference between Loft and Gucci is the price tag. 
Hermes Birkin $7,400-$150,000 and a six year waiting list.
most coveted bag ever. ( I shall have it one day )
    Once you get over your fear of walking into the store enjoy what you see. Most high end stores are really nice on the inside and smell amazing. The people are nice and depending on what store you are in they might offer you something to drink. Look at a map of the store to get your bearings. Walk around the store; touch and feel the clothes. One thing you must not do is react when you see a purse being sold for $27,000 or a dress worth $12,000 or a wallet worth $1,000. you must stay calm about these things and not make a big deal because guess what? Its not a big deal. YOU are not buying it so just look at it like it is artwork and enjoy it.
Gucci
    Now here comes the hard and tiring part. You must look through the clothes until you see something in your price range. Now when you do this you must be very careful not to fall in love with the price. For example you are looking for a dress, you see this hot pink dress with neon green ruffles sticking out from the neck and lower back, and it is just not pretty at all, but it is on sale from $3,000 to $500." Oh wow this dress is the most beautiful thing that has ever existed on the face of this earth!!!!!" that is what you want to avoid, but in most cases it is not going to be that obvious. You are mainly going to realize it like after a month of owning it; when you have only worn it once, and it is to late to return it. So you must look for things that you like, then look at the price, and lastly look at the brand.
   You must realize that when you shop at high end stores the material is sometimes different which means the way you take care of the clothes is different too. While you are in the store look at the inside of the clothing to see how to take care of it. This might sound funny but this could play a big role on you deciding if you want to purchase this item. A lot of my clothes are hand wash only which is a really big drag because I have to schedule time to sit down and wash them. That might not work in your life because you might be too busy to do that. therefore you might not want to get that item. Dry cleaning is also something to consider. If you are buying a lot of clothes that have to be dry cleaned and you are trying to stay on a budget....... that might not work for you either. Try and find something that fits your lifestyle.
Nordstrom
    The best way of shopping, I think, is shopping online because you can get lots of great coupons and sales that you can not get in stores. But then there are also loads of sales that do not need coupons that you can get in the stores if you search hard enough. When I shop at Macy's I get all of my dresses for under $15. When I buy bobby pins from banana republic I only pay $6 instead of $15. ( Because of the location but i'll talk about that next)
   The last and biggest factor for shopping at expensive stores is the location. Once you start shopping in the stores you will notice that different locations have higher prices and some have lower prices. For example, when I go to buy a dress from Macy's I am not going to go to the one in Orland Park. No, I am going to the one on State Street. When I want bobby pins from banana republic I am not going out to Orland Park. Nope I am going to 900 N Michigan ave. So, wherever you live you have to find the stores that have lower prices. 
      Well, that's all I have for tips. They may not work for everybody but you should at least give them a try. I do hope they were somewhat helpful.

-Ashley-

Friday, January 17, 2014

OOTD Nature Walk

It was crazy cold today like 27 degrees 
My pants are by Celebrity Pink

Sweater was a gift

Hat from payless
Boots are by Steve Madden

Thursday, January 16, 2014

OOTD spring in the winter


My dress is from Macy's


My belt is from Loft
Boots are by Steve Madden
I got my scarf from New York


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

OOTD Street Style

Jeans are from guess

My shirt is from H&M

My necklace is from Forever21

My hat is from Nordstrom

The shoes are a gift.

This purse is vintage.


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

French Fashion

The Milliney Shop by Edgar Degas (1882-86)
Hello you guys!! I'm sorry that I have not posted in a while but I have been very busy. This post is about my time at the traveling exhibit of 'Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity.' This event was very nice. It was so nice that we went Saturday and Sunday. It took us about 3 hours to go through on Saturday and it took us about 5 hours to go through on Sunday. There was a line outside of the door to the museum. It only took about 30 min. to get through. There was another line outside of the exhibition which was a 45 min. wait but it did not take that long. When we got inside, the walls were covered in different qoutes like: " La Parisiene is not in Fashion, she is Fashion" or "There are only two ways to be a Parisiene: By birth or by dress." both of these qoutes are by  Arsene Houssaye Laritiste. there were lots of  old clothes like: Dresses, hats, Gloves, paresals, boots, fans, ect. the portrait at the top titled " The Milliney Shop" is my sisters favorite painting that we saw at the exhibition. The painting was painted in 1882 and finished in 1886 by Edgar Degas (the s is silent). It's a 39 3/8 x 45 5/8 inch oil on canvas painting. The amazing thing about this painting is that you could not really see the brush strokes well which gives this painting a very soft look. across from this painting was a huge glass cage-like thing that held hats and shoes.
( picture to the right) the shoes and hats were all from the 1800s and it was amazing to see. My favorite painting is titled "The Shop Girl" painted by James Tissot in 1883 and finished in 1885. this beautiful master piece is on a 57 1/2 x 40inch oil on canvas. What is really spectacular to me in this painting is first its size, as I said before its a 57 1/2 x 40inch  canvas and this picture does not do it justice. The colors that James Tissot chose for this painting are so colorful and expressive. you can clearly see the brush strokes and texture in the painting. this piece truly represents fashion to me in the 1800s.
The Shop Girl by James Tissot  (1883-85)
I am so happy that we were able to experience a small portion of the French fashion in the 1800. I am so thankful that are museum was one of the stopping points. I hope that you guys go see it and love it just as much as I did. 
          -Ashley