During my many years in retail I got into the habit of wearing all black, which can definitely be chic. However, my personality is bright, bold and leopard. On the homepage of my website I touch on being in middle school and trying to find my place. As I started to develop my individual style by mixing prints I also saw my peers making fun of me. I didn’t know what I was doing and some days I still don’t! The biggest difference between now and then is I don’t give a damn what people think. If I like it, then I like it. There were girls that made fun of me then and there are still women who make fun of me now. That’s just life!
“But guess what, my glitter doesn’t fade and my sparkle always shines, that power belongs to me (and YOU). So let’s talk about prints, patterns and dare to FEEL fabulous!”
For our first look I chose a bold black and white stripe crop top from Shein (there is a link and coupon on my homepage) with a leopard pencil skirt from Hautelook. The stripe crop is my dominant pattern, meaning it stands out first and draws the eye. The pencil skirt is more of a dark and muted pattern, it accents the top without competing for attention. At first glance you might not even notice the skirt is a leopard print.
My common color is black. So, I played off the black in the top to carry the eye down to the black in the skirt and finally the black on the shoes. I mixed in a pop of color with neon pink in my handbag and shoe tassels. YASSS HUNNTAYYY, SHOE TASSELS!!!!! You know I had to have those beauties. They found me in a Steve Madden store in Miami. Sidetone: I love a good stripe, but a big horizontal stripe like I chose can sometimes make us look wider or not as flattering as a thin stripe pattern. But I’ve been trying to make my boobs look bigger for 31 years so I’m good to go with this top!
“This look pairs a larger scale pattern with a smaller print for a nice contrast.”
Even though our outside temps are super hot we know an office can be freezing. I love this leopard cardigan from Forever21 to layer with floral dresses. The leopard isn’t a bold print even though it is a big print, the neutral colors help it fly under the radar and not clash with the small floral pattern. The dress I found at Target for like, $11.59 years ago. I mean is it even a blog if I don't include something from the Target clearance rack?!?!
My last look was totally inspired by another blogger that I follow BSoup. She used this jacket in one of her blogs and I LOVED the look. Her look included a gingham check shirt, the jacket, jeans and leopard heels. And it just all WERKED! I ordered the jacket and wanted to make it my own so I paired a thin stripe blouse with a neck tie, white jeans and nude pumps.
And I just want to keep it real for a sec, the majority of my looks are inspired by another look. I did not in fact invent any of these outfits. I see things I like, I figure out how to incorporate it into my style/closet, which usually includes hiding boxes from my husband and pretending like I’ve had it for years. Damn, I hope he doesn’t read this one.
So take a look in your closet with fresh eyes!! Grab some prints and dare to feel fabulous, because being you rocks.
-LYV.ROX.STYLE
