In the Mood for Monochromatic / Wednesday: Nautical Navy

Darker colors work well for monochromatic dressing because they recede, making the wearer (you!) look leaner, and as a result, taller.

Rocking an entirely black-colored ensemble is hardly challenging, though, so push your style boundaries by trying other dark hues. Navy, charcoal and burgundy tones work well, too.

Wearing: Dress, French Connection via RueLaLa / Skirt, American Apparel /

Necklace, Francesca's Collections / Watch, Michael Kors / Shoes, Nine West 

Recognize that top? It's a dress from last week's OOTD feature!

If you're throwing horizontals into the mix, remember that they will visually widen the areas in which you're wearing them. In today's case, that's actually my upper, since the skirt appears to take up more space visually on my body than the top (er, dress) does. Hm. Another OOTD fashion challenge here?

I'm very into blue hues this week - do you like today's or Monday's monochromatic ensemble better?

We're halfway to Friday! -H

In the Mood for Monochromatic / Tuesday: Rose Petal Pink

This trend will be an easy one to ride into the fall season through layering. (You know I love a good layer!) When styling, remember to pay particular attention to textures. To add a bit of visual interest,  pile thin fabrics into the mix, like a twisted tank or lace top.

Wearing: Dress, H&M ($12 available year-round in stores) / Tank, J. Crew / Shoes, Steve Madden / 

Bag, Marc by Marc Jacobs via Nordstrom Rack (half off!) / Sunglasses, ring: H&M

The key to layering is maintaining minimal lines. You don’t want the clothes you're wearing to create too many cuts of your body. If the weather is cooling, toss on a blazer or cropped jacket that hits your natural waistline; this will hide the back of this cropped top, lending the illusion that the dress is one piece.

What did you think of Monday's Hues of Blue?

E-mail Your Photos! Have you incorporated one of my weekly fashion themes into your wardrobe regime? Snap some pics and e-mail them to hallie(at)coralsandcognacs.com with a blurb about you, your look and a link to your blog (if you have one) for a chance to be featured on c+c!

In the Mood for Monochromatic / Monday: Hues of Blue

The past two weekly fashion challenges have been all embracing color contrast and sporting nothing but neutrals. This week’s set takes a similar approach to the former: Monochromatic dressing.

When worn with intention, monochromatic dressing (wearing an outfit comprised of only one color) can be stylishly unexpected. This trend may seem intimidating and tricky to pull off, but if you take stock of your closet, it’s easier than you'd expect!

Monday: Hues of Blue

Wearing: Top, Target / Skirt, Akira / Espadrilles, Vintage / Bag, BCBG / Bracelet, H&M

Opt for contrast within the same hue. Take a step back and look at your wardrobe with a fresh set of eyes; it will help you find new clothing combinations to rock through this trend. Pick a color and let’s go!

E-mail Your Photos! Have you incorporated one of my weekly fashion themes into your wardrobe regime? Snap some pics and e-mail them to hallie(at)coralsandcognacs.com with a blurb about you, your look and a link to your blog (if you have one) for a chance to be featured on c+c!

Photo Recap: @WhatIWore's Book Signing + Shop Crawl

Whether or not you’re a style connoisseur, you’ve probably heard of and drawn inspiration from Jessica Quirk and her blog, What I Wore. Earlier this week, Jessica took the Windy City of Chicago by storm to celebrate the launch of her new book.

Does fruit salad count for dinner?

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The event was hosted at Julie Watson Style by Shop it To Me and attended by a swarm of fanatical females and Chicago-based bloggers. I was especially excited to meet the latter of these ladies, as I’ve followed many of their blogs religiously since long before I launched mine. There were lots of new fashionable faces to meet, too. Check them out!

 Tenisha, Qlix Magazine / Rachel, The Working Wardrobe

Andrea (and those a-mazing JC booties), Blonde Bedhead

(from left) Amy, Style Cadezna / Emily, Sartoriography / Me / Lisa, Archive Vintage / Merl, Clyde's Rebirth  /a pal

Elena, Caffeinerd

 Elena's zipper necklace, thrifted for $2

Lisa, Tall Girl Tales / Emily, Emphasis Added

Check out Merl's Etsy shop - she designed all of the jewelry she's rockin'. That necklace took center stage!

Natalie, Street Smarts

Laura of Shop it to Me and On the Racks

My date for the night, Brittany

The coffee-table-worthy page-turner is jam-packed with seasonal outfit suggestions and illustrations (all done by Jessica herself). It oozes achievable fashion ideas and smart style. In addition to each section’s “I never knew that” tips, here are my two favorite excerpts from What I Wore:

“After all these years, I’ve realized that getting dressed is a lot like cooking. Just like an expert chef in the kitchen, a chic woman is able to open her closet doors and put together a perfectly styled outfit with ease.”

“My goal for What I Wore is to help you create your own twist on a basic recipe - to take stock of what’s in your closet, help you with a shopping list and cook up outfit after outfit that makes you feel great bout yourself.”

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Preview

And yes, she is as lovely in person - it must be those Midwestern roots!

Nothing but Neutrals: Five Days of Outfits and a Trend How-To!

Although the trend of layering nothing but neutral tones is far from new to the style scene, this pale color palette still feels decidedly fresh for fall.

Creating an outfit au natural can be a bit challenging. In order to avoid looking like a zookeeper on an African safari and make the head-to-toe neutral look work for you, here's a summary of tips for you to adopt from last week's outfit series:

From left: Monday - Friday

1. Don't be matchy-matchy. Since you’re already going soft with the color scheme, don't be afraid to play with shape and proportion. Be bold in mixing prints and patterns, like I did on Friday. That's not to say you can't go for a more minimal look and pair muted tones to make your neutral number simple and sleek, though (like I did on Tuesday).

2. Do stray from khaki. There are lots of neutral shades you can wear: eggshell, caramel, mushroom, toffee, cream… the list goes on (and now I'm hungry). These colors are much easier to layer and more fun to wear than that tricky little zookeeper-worthy shade that falls in between them: khaki.

3. Go au natural: Of course, you and your natural tones play a role, too. Ladies (and gents) with darker hair and underlying skin tones will inherently wear whites and beiges better than those with lighter complexions. This is simply because the mix creates an eye-catching contrast. Same goes for you blonde bombshells, embrace cocoa-colored hues!

4. Nude is nice: Neutrals aren't masculine colors by definition, so  keep the tone of your look romantic and feminine. Working this trend into your weekend wardrobe? This look works for a night out or an extravagant event if you...

5. Glam it up: Upgrade your ensemble with textures or soft gold and silver tones to add a delicate vibe without creating too much contrast.

6. Walk it out: Top off your ensemble by slipping into a pair of neutral shoes to create the illusion of lengthier leg.

Do you have any tips for wearing nude tones? Which look was your favorite? Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday (mine!) / Friday

If you're still craving some inspiration, check out how Hollywood's top trendsetters are incorporating this hue into their wardrobe repertoire:

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Link Love: Fashioning the Blogosphere

The Independent Fashion Blogger forum posed the question this week: What do you keep in your 'toolkit?' You know, those must-haves for blogging and/or insertactivityhere.

Truth be told, my toolkit of musts is a simple hub of inspirational musings nestled safely in the RSS feed of my Macbook's Safari. Yep, that's right: These fashionable females (among others) inspire me every day with ways to build my blog and bring to life:

• Katy showed me how to take self-portrait blog photos.
• Kendi inspired me to shop my own closet and take part in the 30-for-30.
• Amy reminds me that street-style photography is awesome - and often unexpected.
• Ashe and Nubia teach me that there is more to smart fashion blogging than Outfit of the Day posts.
• ... Although Jessica taught me that I love those sites, too.
• The Style Tribe prompts me to treat life like a runway, and Ahn inspires me with ways to work my wardrobe from Monday through Friday.
  
  

Refinery29 said it best: These days, the "fashion blogosphere has reached near-saturation with personal style pics, screen grabs of platform shoes, and 200-word odes to Anna Dello Russo."  That said, if you haven't heard of these bookmark-worthy blogs, I suggest you add 'em ASAP.

Lastly, of course, here's a more tangible takeaway: Caffeine. Spell-check. Consistency. Don't forget these ever-essential Toolkit Keeps, whether you’re a blogger, a designer or a 9-to-5er!

What - or who - is in your blogging toolkit?

Fashion Frontline: Christian Louboutin's Artemis Bag Collection

Christian Louboutin knows a thing or two about high-fashion accessories. With a book due out this October and his powerfully feminine Artemis bag collection hitting shelves this fall, the Red Sole Shoe King has a busy season ahead.

The bags “give a language to the upper body ... allow a woman to play with her shoulders,” says Louboutin. “Her attitude will shift with each style, just like it does when she changes pumps.”

Have a few hundo saved up to adorn your arms? While your new shoulder jewelry won’t be instantly recognized for a vibrantly sexy sole, it does come with interchangeable straps for every mood and occasion (as seen above).

For those of us who can't justify the splurge, let's instead indulge our inner shoe fetishes and channel the strong seductive power a patent-leather pair of red-lacquired Louboutin's can induce through this Q&A exceprt from Nina Garcia's The One Hundred: 

     Q: What should a woman look for or avoid when shoe shopping?

     A: Depending on the ankle, avoid the ankle strap. If you have a great leg, then great, but the ankle    
         strap can cut off the leg instead of elongating.

     Q: What is the one shoe every woman should own?

     A: A classic black pump with a four-inch straight heel.

     Q: Why the red sole? 

     A: It’s a green light for men.

What do you think, will these high-fashion bags be as covetable as their iconic red-soled sisters?

Wearing: Nothing but Neutrals / Friday

Happy Friday! I have a feeling that today's post may spark some clothing controversy, so rise up and unite, Man Repellers! Let's break some fashion rules and play with prints.

Wearing: Dress, Skyla LA / Top, Gap / Shoes, Aldo (on sale now!) / Ring, H&M

Since we're already relaxing our color palette this week, I thought, why not go bold on mixing prints and patterns?

If you're planning to follow suit, this is no time to experiment with color-blocking; it'll create way too much contrast. Keep your ensemble looking put-together by minimizing the amount of pieces you're layering. Lastly, top it off by slipping into a pair of nude-hued shoes, they create the illusion of lengthier leg. Voila - I'm 5'4" no more!

Do you have a favorite look from this series? I hate to play favorites, but I love Thursday's look. Here's a peek back at my outfits from from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Next week, I'll be re-capping this week's trend and offering advice on ways to wear it your way. Until then! -H

Back to Basics: Nothing but Neutrals / Thursday

I love the simplicity of navy and white. Today's outfit actually includes my three favorite trends this season: neutral tones, sheer overlays and striped knits!

Wearing: Dress, French Connection (via RueLaLa) / Top, Zara / Belt, Forever21 / Shoes, Michael Kors

It's easy to transition your wardrobe into fall with a multi-piece ensemble like this. Try layering a mauveulously-colored tunic over a classic navy-and-white summer staple for a touch of unexpected sophistication.

Ground the outfit with soft camel-colored pumps (since they match the belt) to keep a put-together outfit looking stylish and refined, rather than tackily striped and over-the-top.

I think today's ensemble may be my favorite thus far for the week; what do you think? Click to see looks from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday here. Ahhh, almost Friday! -H