Friday, August 23, 2013

Bargain Shoppa!

I love a deal.  I come from a long, proud, line of bargain hunters.  The women in my family do not believe in paying full price for anything.  20% off is not a bargain, 10% off won't even make us look up from our sale circular, and 5% just makes us laugh and shake our heads (seriously, Retailers?).  We want a real deal, a deal we can boast about.  When someone compliments our new sweater we want to be able to smile and say "Thanks, $4.00, Macy's clearance rack."

Bargain shopping takes patience, you can't be too impulsive with your purchases and you have to accept that sometimes you are not going to get that skirt that you love because it may sell out in your size before it gets cheap enough.  It also takes time, not everyone has a lot, I know, but it involves digging through heaps of clearance clothes and racks at consignment shops.  But it is possible to dress like a princess on a pauper's budget.


This dress I'm wearing is a true, bona fide, bargain.  It's Cynthia Rowley and I got it for........$19.99 at Marshalls a few months ago.  It wouldn't be half a lovely if I paid full price!

Lane Bryant cardi and cami, Aerosoles sansals.

Pretty in pink!
A lot of great deals can be found online too, if you prefer it.  There are some great bargain sites like Ideeli.com, Zulilly.com, and 6pm.com.  Also, before you make any online purchase, you should take a minute to do a google search for promo codes.  I find them a lot and it can save you an extra 20% off or get you free shipping.

Some of my favorite brick and mortar stores to get deals from are Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Macy's.

Happy Hunting,
Kelly


Sunday, August 18, 2013

Reader Request: The Peplum Top

Greetings Horizontal Stripers!
     We love feeling the blog love and welcome your feedback. Please let us know anytime you have suggestions of styles you'd like us to cover, and we'll try our best to make it happen for you. Today's feature is the peplum top, thanks to a reader request! Now I have to admit y'all, as much as I love some crazy prints and patterns, shapewise I'm fairly traditional with clothing. I resisted the peplum top as long as I possibly could! Though I'm a late 80s baby, I wanted this style to stay back in the day with Madonna and Cyndi. Part of my apprehension was that my frame didn't need a lot of extra volume near my hip area - the widest part of my body - and the other part was that I'd tried on a few tops that were too long or too billowy, and I just didn't like any of them. But I figured if I can wear all my crazy color combos, I could definitely challenge myself to a fashion duel. I can't tell y'all to be adventurous in your fashion and not follow suit, can I? So here goes! One of the three peplum tops I now own!

Top: Cato// Skirt: City Chic// Earrings/Belt: Lane Bryant// Shoes: Guess via Marshall's

    Our reader request also wanted different ways to wear peplum, so here are a few below!

Image courtesy of Fashion Based

Peplum Wearing 101

This is a short checklist that will help you in your peplum selection:
     1) Peplum will add volume around the hip area. If you carry weight there or it is the biggest part of your body, you can still pull this top off! You'll almost always see it styled with a less voluminous piece on the bottom half of the body if it is in top form or with a sleek top if it is in dress or shirt form. This not only draws attention to the detail, the peplum, but also makes a nice line with one outstanding detail on the body.
     
     2) All styles are not created equal. There are long styles, high-low styles, and short styles as shown above. Don't count them out before you try them on. You may be surprised by which style flatters you most. 

     3) It's also ok to feel like there is too much material. Don't let one unflattering style stop you from trying other things on.
     
     4) Like any other fashion choice, don't be afraid to experiment with color, pattern, and texture. These also affect the way the style may fall on you.

    5) If you really want to ease your way into this trend, you can try adding things like a peplum belt instead of buying a top you may not know if you'll wear often. This also allows you to add a peplum look to more outfits if you like belting things.
      
    Belt available at Asos

Here are a few more variations on the peplum trend:
 
Blazer and Coat

   

Dresses 
 
Skirts

Even bathing suit options!

You CAN tackle the trend called peplum! I hope this post has given you some ideas.Keep those reader requests coming! For some other great peplum outfit ideas be sure to check out Tanesha of Girl With Curves. She has impeccable style, great beauty and lifestyle tips, and she has this peplum thing on lock!
Until next time Horizontal Stripers,
Brittani 

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Short hair, don't care.

When it comes to my hair, I am really lazy.  I'm totally a wash and wear, kinda gal.  Mostly I sport a smart, bob hairstyle, between earlobe and chin length.  Except every two or three years I decide I need a change and try long hair.   It just does NOT flatter me.  I have fine, wavy hair that gets kind of stringy when it gets long and I usually just end up putting it into a ponytail or bun. 

So this year when I  wanted a change, I decided to go shorter.  I had a lot of trepidation about this and I pinned pictures of Michelle Williams and Ginnifer Goodwin for months, but this past Saturday I finally bit the bullet and chopped it all off.  Spoiler alert: I am adorable!

I tore a picture of Michelle Williams out of a copy of Self Magazine that's been in my bathroom for months and headed to my stylist. I wish I had taken a picture of the picture because the styling instructions underneath advised women with round faces to avoid the cut.  (As did many of the hairstyle websites and magazines that I read.)  I did have a small moment of panic when she was about halfway through, but my lovely hairstylist, Rachel, was really excited about my new cut and reassured me.  

Self Magazine doesn't tell me what to do.  Behold:


Suck it, Self!

Other side ;)

A post from me would not be complete without an awkward expression.


It's just hair, ladies.  Don't be scared to try something new.  I am so glad I did.

xo, Kelly

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Starstruck

Greetings Horizontal Stripers!
    At our last photo shoot I was not feeling very photogenic. I'm usually the one dancing around in the background so that the other Stripers can laugh for the camera, but my perk was gone that fateful morning until I put on the piece de resistance. I'm in love with this dress, and I just had to bring in some props to exploit my inner diva! I knew she was in there somewhere. Eat your heart out Beyonce!

This snazzy number has a handkerchief hem which isn't my usual go to, but there's just something about it! 

Dress: Ashley Stewart (on clearance now!) Shoes: Torrid
Telephone not included ;-)

You're just hilarious, Dahling!

Bang Bang! We're beautiful and dirty rich!

     The other Stripers and I are so glad to bring you our little piece of creativity each week, so to help fluff my plumage I decided to channel the one and only Gaga by alluding to several of her song lyrics in this post. You get some cool points if you can find them all. We hope that Horizontal Stripes inspires you to let your inner diva shine through: without the mental breakdowns and trips to rehab, of course! While you're channeling your inner Sasha Fierce, check out I Live the Cute Life. It's an awesome blog by a friend of mine whose wit and insight into life will not only have you in stitches, but will also have you nodding your head in agreement.
Until next time Stripers! Groove. Slam. Work It Back. Filter That, Baby Bump That Track! 
Brittani


Monday, August 5, 2013

Sometimes I get a little too attached......

When I love an article of clothing or accessories, it takes all my willpower to keep myself from wearing it EVERYDAY.  When I was in high school,  it was a bright yellow shirt that fit me just perfectly, in my opinion anyway.  I would wear it something like three days a week, until a few of my friends were like, "Seriously, what's with the shirt?"

So although I have an overflowing closet, I pretty much wear the same 15 things over and over again.  But if it wasn't for fear of another intervention, I would probably wear the same 4 things over and over till I tired of them or they fell apart.



Old Navy cardi with a blue and green, color-blocked, dress that I got for about $15 at Ross Dress for Less.  It has pockets! 
This is the pose I make when I am shushing people in the library stacks.  I am obviously taken very seriously.
This Old Navy cardi is on it's last legs.  It has a little hole in the shoulder, the color is starting to fade, but I still love it and I will keep wearing it until it totally disintegrates. I hope you like it too, because you will probably see it again......and again.



xo, Kelly



Thursday, August 1, 2013

Hardware 101: No Hard Hat Required

Greetings Horizontal Stripers!
     Since the longer days provide plenty of summer sun, why not try jazzing up your wardrobe with metallics? Though I'm not particularly partial to vampires that sparkle, there's no reason not to add a little shine to your own look!
Dress/Flower: Cato, Shoes: Payless,  Ring/Earrings: Lane Bryant

Dress: Ashley Stewart, Shoes: Cato, Necklace: Eloquii, Flower: It's Fashion Metro

 

     Of course y'all have seen that I'm partial to gold and bronze because they compliment my skin tone so well, but feel free to mix in any metallic: silver and brass are other favorites! You can see above that I've used shoes and jewelry to add some sparkle to my ensembles, but you can also find built in beading as in the first dress above or use other accessories that take the guess work out of mixing and matching. One awesome way to try this is with purses:



    If you have an old bag you don't mind crafting on, check out this neat DIY for strap replacement here.
 You can also forgo any of the original strap and use just the chain, which can be purchased at any home store like Home Depot or Lowe's or even craft stores like Michael's or A.C. Moore. Don't forget to check out your local mom and pop first though! ;-) 

Remember that:

Stripers!
XOXO, Brittani