Trend-spotting!

Let's try this out!

Well this is my first trend-spotting post, so I chose to use my home company, Evereve! The brand is pretty new so I know it's not as well known as many - so let's give it a look!

First, just a little bit about the company~

Evereve was started in Minneapolis by a mom who realized that after having kids, shopping was way harder, also that there didn't seem to be any stores that catered to moms. You may think - there are tons of stores for moms! But apparently, there aren't too many that take into account how difficult it is to wheel a stroller through the store, or try on clothes while trying to keep your child entertained, or for that matter, even help you find clothing that suits your post-baby body. Thus began Evereve!
When I first applied here I thought that I'd be some sort of weird outsider. I'm not a mom. I don't really even want to be a mom. How could I possibly belong at a store that is really aimed at moms?
Well here's the thing, moms are also women. So even though this store was started with moms in mind, what that really translates to is a store that's aimed at women - and honestly in a way that's refreshing. This isn't just your average clothing store - it really has women's needs at heart, not their wallets. 
If you've never been, and if you have one nearby - I highly recommend going for a visit. Even if you don't buy anything, the stylists will happily help you try on clothing that will really suit you. 

Ok! Enough of my bias. :P

On to the clothes!

What's the best thing about this store's clothes:
Well I'd say the quality is amazing. The photos from the website don't always do the merchandise justice, but when you feel and try on the clothing in person - man. Now I feel silly for getting some of my things so cheaply. Also DENIM. You need some jeans? You got a few extra bucks lying around? Seriously, go here.

Top Shirts 

 

 

They're pretty on point about a couple of the big trends right now: plaid and grey. 
They have a great selection of plaid, which I would recommend layering under chunky sweaters to add a little pattern interest at the neck and cuffs, or wearing open layered over t-shirts now that it's too cold to wear them alone. It can be dressy, or punk - go crazy!
The grey trend really confuses me because I honestly can't remember a time when grey wasn't a thing - but now it's THE thing! Evereve has a good combination of interesting cuts for layering. I recommend longer shirts for layering under things! The look is loose and comfy.

Top Sweaters

It's that time of year again! Sweater season. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel like all of my sweaters look the same. I love these 3, because they're unique, and the colors make them ideal for layering. Black and white can go with just about everything! I also love how they could easily be worn alone, as they're not boring - but they're not so crazy that you can't layer with them. Throw on a colored collared shirt under any of these and BAM. Amazing outfit.

Top Cardigans, Jackets, and Coats

 

 Ok a lot of good in this section! Layers are the thing - and if you're not a fan of pullover sweaters, I highly recommend a sweater cardi. Grey and pops of color will make the cardigan into a statement piece. I'm also loving these sort of bohemian earthy toned cardigans. 
Additionally I'm loving these leather jackets. The very last one gives the impression that you're wearing layered jackets, but it's actually all one piece! The second to last one is one of my favorites as well. You can't tell from the picture, but the back is extremely flattering!

Top Dresses

Dresses are good right now, because layering is big. Especially over leggings or under a sweater. I recommend burgundy or black because they easily go well with anything! Additionally I'm loving this sort of loose, shapeless silhouette. I know it doesn't work for everyone, but it's been catching my eye lately.

Top Pants

 


Skinnies, skinnies, skinnies. You may be a huge fan of loose jeans...but I recommend hiding them in your closet for a while because skinny is the thing right now. It looks great under long layers, and is flattering to anyone's body (yes. actually it is!!!). I'm loving the dark colors, and the greys - especially with some fun punk details.

Top Accessories

 

 

I love statement necklaces right now. Nothing looks slicker than a statement necklace on a collared shirt, or over a simple sweater. For some reason I'm in love with gold and brown! 
Infinity scarves are also the thing. They work well with t-shirts and layers. Throw on a t-shirt, and a button up, and a coat and then a colorful infinity scarf - and you've made a cozy lazy day outfit into a fashion icon!

All in all - this store is a great place to find denim that will fit any body type, and I mean, the most comfortable jeans you've ever worn in your LIFE. They have a wonderful selection of layering pieces, from long sweaters, to comfy t-shirts and button ups, to a large variety of cardigans. Then on top of that, Add a scarf or a necklace to complete the outfit!

Love it!

+ Lola 

Well, Hello Again!

I started typing up some long post to update you on everything that's happened in my hiatus - but I got bored in the middle - so now that post is on hold.

Instead, let's try something a little different, shall we? 

So I had what I thought was a brilliant idea, because I do this all the time but just never make a post about it. At least once a week I plan to choose a store, usually one that I like (but if this goes well, who knows! maybe I'll just do ALL THE STORES), to review....sort of.

The plan is thus:

      + I'll make a post per store.

      + Within the items of that store, I'll break it down by trend and article of clothing.

      + In each of those I'll point out the best items of clothing from that store and explain why I liked

         those most.

      + Hopefully at the end of every article I can post some example outfits, and ideally at some point

         I'll show you how to get the look for less.

      + I'll also tell you a little how I feel about this company, or whatever, and possibly tell you why              or why not I think you should shop there. (Seriously though, just wear what you want! If there's

         anything I believe, it's that the only thing that matters about your clothing is how amazing you

         feel in them!)

Brief update then, instead of that long-ass article I started to write:
      + Forever 21 didn't go so well for me, unfortunately. 
         Loved the Visual Assistant job, but a couple of my coworkers didn't love me. They tried to
         bully, I was moving soon anyway, so I didn't need none of that business. This doesn't say
         anything about the company though, they can't be responsible for all of their employees. As for
         my thoughts on Forever 21 as a whole...well you'll just have to wait for that article!
      + I moved! 
         Jack (my husband) got accepted into graduate school in Seattle, so we packed up all of our shit
         and drove across the country!
      + Got a new job! 
         Within the first week of moving to Seattle, I was offered a job as a stylist at an amazing
         company I'd never heard of before, Evereve (formerly Hot Mama). Turns out, I'm not the best at
         sales - I guess no big surprise there - but luckily I work with an amazing manager who saw my
         potential as a merchandiser, which is my current job.

All in all, my days are largely empty - I need a second job because Seattle isn't a cheap place, but I've been putting off searching for one because I'm lazy and sometimes having so little to do and so many bills just gets kind of depressing. Hopefully I'll fix that soon though. In the mean time, I need to jump back on this blog! I want to stretch my wings as a stylist, as a designer, and just in the fashion world in general! Please enjoy if you like, or consider if you wish, my journey towards fashion enlightenment! :P

+ Lola

New job - new schedule.

So I just found out the other day that I was hired as a sales associate at Forever 21. Yay! But now this poses a new challenge for me: how to maintain my particular style within the confines of the work clothing guidelines.

I mean, I guess this is to be expected; of course when you work in a store there are certain things that aren't ok to wear, but it was actually a bit more restrictive than I expected.

I cannot:

Wear shorts that are shorter than 4 inches above my knee. 

(so all trendy shorts)

Wear skirts that are shorter than 4 inches above the knee. 

(all my skirts and dresses anyway)

Show tattoos larger than a quarter.

 (crap - there go my arms)

Wear plain shirts by themselves.

 (no boring simple outfits)

Have more than 2 piercings per ear.

(what will I do with that third on the left side??)

Show any sort of bra/excessive skin on the top half. 

(and there go all the cropped shirts and tanks)

So basically I need to make an outfit that suits my style that looks somewhat professional (cry) and consists of pants, long sleeved shirts, and jackets/cardigans. There goes my whole closet.

However! I choose to make this into a challenge. Is it possible to dress like a trendy punk in a modest, professional way? We'll find out!

In the mean time though, I'm wearing all the scandalous items of clothing when not at work. 

Check out the leg action on this OOTD.

You get bonus face photos!

Yeah so this is just a super casual outfit which I wore to go shopping for modest working clothes in. Nothing special, but I liked it. Super comfortable too.

In any case, my first day of work is on Monday - hopefully I have time to take OOTD photos and you can enjoy my daily struggle lol.

Love and kittens,

~Lola