Lace and crochet continue to be a big seller for this fall. This khaki open knit sweater is awesome, I pair it with an animal print camisole underneath. To add color and drama big orange beads for J.Crew (past season's) and an orange red belt complete the outfit. I have my Vintage Made in America Levi's pair with the outfit. In this case I would do the uneven roll at the hem. Then add color with the accessories. 
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More drama with color and some very rocking black boots.
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More casual but still works.
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Add the scarf second from left top row and it's a real winner.
 
 
  Colder weather hit Minnesota during the night last night. It was cold walking Henry this morning. This is a great easy to throw on look for me. The sweater is a khaki green it hits just below the behind. I add the trim which I copied from a magazine picture or something (I do this a lot). I always get a lot of great comments about the sweater. The scarf is a very soft cotton knit from a French line of clothing, which J. Crew carries some of the pieces. The roll of the jeans should be small and soft, to stay in keeping the softness of the outfit. 
   I can wear either the black purse by Marc Jacobs with my Italian boots, or my brown purse with brown hiking boots. I could put ballet flats with this outfit as well, to make it more girly. 

  
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Banana Republic cotton sweater that I add trim too. (I copied the idea ok?) Levi's with a gold thin belt which will not be seen. A Saint James knit scarf again from J. Crew.
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Brown Banana Republic purse, many years old but cared for. Italian boots, I love these guys, they go with everything.
 
 
   I love rolling the bottom of my jeans, I always think it makes it look like I pay a little extra attention to how I wear them. The first pair on the left has a simple twice fold over roll, in this case it shows that these jeans are cut on the selvedge which makes them special. The middle pair has a roll that is a little less formed (it's how J. Crew does it) it's actually harder to achieve because of the unevenness of it. Yhe third on the right is a big cuff look, just make sure your jeans are long enough for this. You do not want to look like your trying to be overly young. 
  
 
 
 These are so cute and stylist, and think of what a great feeling it is to have wonderful shoes and know that you gave a pair to a child in need by buying them. Better yet these are VEGAN for women. Tom's Shoes please find a link on my Home page. 
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My husband needs a pair of these.
 
 
  Of course we all know how to shop right? But do we really I am not so sure, so below are some great ideas for shopping.      

1.      Always spend your biggest money on the classics, in both styling and  Color.

2.      Define your style and stick to it. Wear what you love; what makes you comfortable, what makes you feel expresses you. Stay true to this and the wardrobe will follow. Shop with the motto, love it or leave it.

3.      Understand your body type and shop accordingly, learn what looks best and never compromise.

4.      Don’t go on fishing expeditions, go but don’t buy unless it’s perfect.

5.      Go to the stores you know have your styles and what works for you.

6.      Look for color and fabric first, then silhouette, then size.

7.      Think outfit, not item. Before buying the new items think about what other items it can be worn with. If you don’t have anything don’t buy it, it needs to go with at least three other things.

8.      Get help from a professional stylist.

9.      Insist on fit; otherwise take it to your alterations person. So factor in that cost always. Even your jeans can be altered

10.  Buy the best you can afford. You don’t need a lot of stuff when you have the right stuff.

11.  Vintage** Vintage can give you a unique look, but always try everything on

Sizes were different back then. Again, make sure it fits with your style and goes with other items you already have.

12.  Make your larges purchase first, in other words, buy the suit or coat first then

the accessories.

If you want to be fashionable do it with accessories, or just a few items to add to your already “styled” wardrobe. When I do closet clean outs I see a lot of hang tags still on clothing in closets. Buying outside the box can be very costly. Stick to what suits you best for overall look, then go crazy with the accessories, jewelry, scarves, some handbags and shoes can really bring you the fashion your looking for.

 
 
If you love Style as much as I do you will love these other blog sites. Now you are not going to go out and dress like this, more than likely but they are fun, whimsical and "hey" they might give you some ideas. http://www.thestylerookie.com/ 
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Tavi Gevinson the author who is way beyond her years.
 This is our future ladies and gentlemen. http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com
 This one makes it all work.  http://stylebubble.typepad.com/ the author is in London, but it's a gorgeous blog. Some real inspriation here. 
 
 
  It's been proven over and over again that animal testing of products and medical procedures is like comparing apples to oranges and yet Urban Decay makeup has decided to start animal testing. Do not buy this product if you like your skin and body. 
Here is their website address:http://www.urbandecay.com
 
 
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What is dressing "out of the box"? To me it's taking classic clothing and putting a spin on it. Not one piece of the outfit is outrageous, it's the way the people put it together that makes "it"Happen, makes it "out of the box."
I love the website Sartorialist it's all about street fashion, what people do with their clothes in real life. Here is the link.  http://www.thesartorialist.com/. If you love clothes and not just fashion it's definitely the place to go for great ideas. Looking dapper, being classic but a bit out of the box is what it's all about. Below is a young women in Europe, now I am not promoting smoking, (absolutely not) just what a great look, putting together total classic pieces but the use of color is what makes it "out of the box."

 
 
 As you know I have been researching this company to see where they stand with animal testing. I checked with PETA and the ASPCA and they are not listed there as being animal free testing. My guess is that the actual products are not animals tested but that some of the ingredients are animal tested. Remember what I always say if it's been tested on an animal it cannot possibly be good for you. 
 
 
 Look at these shoes, do they rock or what? Come on someone buys these and then show up dancing in them. Below that is a new way to think about pocket squares for your jacket. Love the bandanna look if they are too bulky you can always cut them down. Hey, they are not that expensive. 
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Thank you GQ.com for these photos. I love these shoes.
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Thank you GQ.com for these shoes photos.
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Thank you GQ.com for these shoes photos.
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Pocket squares anyone?