Dream A Little Dream

As an educator and a former editor, now fashion blogger and stylist; I research and I dream and then I react.

When you have a vision and are building your empire, business will come. Well a girls gotta dream right? As an entrepreneur, it is all about when to take the next step and questioning what exactly that step should be. I can literally and pretty much do already live a life, gathering information through tweet chats, webinars, summits and online conferences. But I need to get out of my bunny slippers and pjs and away from my computer and start setting these power meetings up. If I want to make it big I need to start with a fabulous work space.

I started thinking about who I would want to have on my dream team and I have come up with quite an impressive list. First, I would have my advisory board which would include..

Mario Testino

A fashion photographer, who's work has been shown in Vogue and Vanity Fair. Princess Diana chose him to work on her 1997 Vanity Fair photoshoot.

Picture from Wikipedia.com

Who wouldn't want Mario on their advisory board? He has taken the most beautiful photographs of the most influential fashion icons. Not only would I love to style for him, but if I'm going to fantasize I would also love to call him to shoot my Christmas card photo. 

Olivia Palermo

Olivia is an American Socialite and fashion blogger with an incredible eye for style. 

Picture form oliviapalermo.com

Olivia would be on my team solely for the fact that I would want to see what she's wearing every single day. She always looks so fabulous. Maybe her cute hubby will come by once in a while to pick her up and I could take a selfie with him.

Gabrielle Bernstein

Gabby is a motivational speaker, author and mentor. She founded herfuture.com and is considered to be the guru of this generation.

Picture from nbcnews.com

I love Gabby's spirituality and would enjoy starting my day with a yoga class every morning. All my fellow entrepreneurs out there can fully understand how important it is to stay centered and focused.

Anna Wintour

Anna has been the editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988. She has an eye for fashion trends and is supportive of young designers.

Picture from wikipedia.com

To rub elbows with Anna Wintour would be an honor. She was one of the first to come to mind, especially as my creative director. 

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah is an actress, producer and shoe designer. She is well known for her part in Sex and the City. 

Picture from hollywoodlife.com

Sarah is so cool and I would love to get some inspiration from her. Maybe I could even channel Carrie Bradshaw to write some blog posts.

Natalie MacNeil 

Natalie is an EMMY Award winning media entrepreneur who conquers the world.

Picture from https://twitter.com/nataliemacneil

 I would love to have Natalie by my side. She would be an excellent life coach and I would appreciate having her marketing expertise for my business. I recently enjoyed a 9 week conquer summit and I have gotten so much information out of it. I can’t even imagine if I had total access to this wealth of information.

If I was to pick my favorite designers to collaborate with for a clothing line here is who I would pick..

Hats: I would go to Maison Michel and hire Laetitia Crahay to produce my hat line.

Jewelry: I would pick Eddie Borgo because he is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the hottest new jewelry designers out there.

RTW

Picture from style.com

I would combine the designers from the following companies for the following reasons..

Bruno Cuccinolli - simple and luxurious

DVF - prints

 Missoni - knits

Chanel - classic Chanel 

The Kooples - edgy and fresh

Shoes:

Stuart Weitzman

Valentino

Christian Louboutin

Rene Caovilla

Handbags:

Alexander Wang 

Gucci

Valentino

Chanel

Celine 

If only I could make this dream team a reality, we could build the biggest fashion empire anyone has ever seen!

Who would your dream team consist of?

If you want to see my reality check out my services here

Neiman Marcus Fall/Winter Trends

Recently, I was privileged to attend the Fall/Winter fashion show at the White Plains, NY Neiman Marcus; highlighting one of my fashion favorites - accessories! I was accompanied by my intern Caroline Rogers and we went to work snapping photos and taking notes. The show was hosted by Ana Maria Pimental NM Accessories Fashion Director and Abigale Levinson Fashion stylist. Here are the big take-a-ways (literally)(I want it all).

First, there were running themes throughout the show, color themes such as grey, reds, greens and blues; emphasis on the clutch, bucket bag, booties, statement necklace, and anything with shimmer, global influence and fringe.

Gray Matters

Saint Laurent Bag

Nancy Gonzalez Bag

Reds

 Burberry Poncho

Valentino Bag

Gucci Bag

Oscar de la Renta Earrings

Prada Bag

Global Chic

Valentino Sneakers

Shimmer Time

Alice + Olivia Jacket

Edie Parker Clutch

Chanel Bag

Bucket Bags

Nancy Gonzalez Bag 

Saint Laurent Bag

Prada Bag

Tips

A few new accessory pieces in your wardrobe each season can update your look. A couple of things that stood out to me is fringe on everything from skirts to shoes to bags. The clutch has become very important and it is definitely a day staple that brings you right into the evening. How cute is the Alexander Wang bag with the mirror, great to have before a selfie and also wonderful for a girl on the go. Another great tip is to mix it up, put your florals with studs, gowns with boots, and sparkly jackets with menswear. I added the Louboutin display because we can't forget that nail polish is now considered a fashion accessory, so go crazy, mix it up and pick a pop of color! 

 Alexander McQueen Clutch

Alexander Wang Bag

Rene Caovilla Combat Boots

Chloe Susanna Boots

I have been lusting after these boots for quite some time now. They are the perfect Fall bootie and the gold hardware is irresistible!

Shop the boots:

Dinner with friends

Dinner with friends by stylingsession featuring Emilio Pucci

Stella mccartney sweater
$940 - harveynichols.com

Emilio Pucci pants
$1,295 - net-a-porter.com

Christian Louboutin suede shoes
barneys.com

Ek Thongprasert multi colored crystal necklace
modaoperandi.com

These Boots Were Made For Walking

Update your cooler weather boots with these hot new trendy styles! Whether your rocking the low booties, the mid rise rugged look or the over the knee boot, you will be on trend and looking fabulous! 

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Bridal Old Hollywood Glamour

Recently I sent out Caroline Rogers to preview the Fall 2014 WHITE by Vera Wang collection, exclusively at David's Bridal. I was excited to see what she had to say, I am a huge fan of treasure hunting and finding luxe for less.

Thank you Caroline, please visit her website at www.calijae.com - Sandy

I'll never forget this day, I woke up so excited to get dressed up and go into the city for the preview of the Fall 2014 WHITE by Vera Wang collection, exclusively at David's Bridal. It was a gorgeous sunny day and thankfully I was able to get a cab quickly (which made it the perfect start to the day). Vera Wang's showroom was beautiful and I felt as if I walked into wedding gown heaven. It was such an honor to be there after years of dreaming about my wedding with my sister and friends and looking at Vera's previous collections. I was also excited about going because I recently found out I am going to be the maid of honor in my cousins wedding. The showroom was full of wedding gowns, bridesmaids dresses, shoes, and accessories that will be exclusive to David's Bridal. The dresses are sophisticated, modern, feminine and of course stylish. This collection showcased eight new bridal gowns, four new bridesmaid dresses and exquisite accessories to complement any of these dresses.

The public relations department and designer Robert Barnowske gave us a tour around the showroom and discussed all the details about each dress, accessory and their price point. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this collection ranged in price from $728-$1,898 and will be exclusive to David's Bridal. The color palette for this collection included Ivory, Charcoal, Blush, Oyster, and Champagne.

Strapless ball gown with an empire waist, metallic embroidery and organza laser cut floral

My favorite gown (shown above) was a strapless ball gown with an empire waist, metallic embroidery and organza laser cut floral. This dress just screamed princess to me and I am such a huge fan of small details in prints. My second favorite dress (shown below) was the strapless asymmetrically draped crinkle chiffon gown with a jeweled vine embroidery at the waist. This is definitely a more modern looking dress and of course I love the bling.

Strapless asymmetrically draped crinkle chiffon gown with a jeweled vine embroidery at the waist

 After the bridal gowns were the bridesmaids dresses. All the bridesmaids dresses are under $200 and included short and long contemporary designs. The bridesmaids dress that first caught my eye was the v-neck satin gown shown above, with wrap front bodice and contrast back draped tie-straps. I have never seen a bridesmaids dress that was designed like this and I fell in love with the back design. The color was another thing that caught my eye, it is the newest color to the collection called forest. The next bridesmaids dress that I loved (shown below) was the high-low belted strapless dress with pleated front charmeuse panels, contrast crepe side with back panels. I love how simple yet elegant this dress is. I think my sister's love for high-low dresses has finally rubbed off on me.

High-low belted strapless dress with pleated front charmeuse panels, contrast crepe side with back panels

V-Neck satin gown with wrap front bodice and contrast back draped tie-straps

After viewing the gowns we went on to see the accessories. Can we just take a moment to look at those gorgeous shoes..especially the ones with the bows. All the accessories are priced at $178 and under which was also exciting. There were shoes, barrettes, sashes, belts and a beautiful headpiece.

This was an incredible experience and I am so thankful I had the opportunity to attend. Thank you Sandy Hapoienu! I learned a lot that day and can't wait for my next assignment!  

 "My collection was inspired by elegance and glamour, a style that every bride deserves on her special day, I am excited to continue providing a range of refined, modern and romantic designs to women everywhere through the WHITE by Vera Wang collection." Vera Wang

Falling For Skirts

Skirts are always a great alternative to jeans. You can pair them with tights and boots or wear a sweater to stay warm in the Fall or stilettos and sandals for travel or warmer weather! Tip, try the  royal blue or burgundy to add some color and freshen up your wardrobe, which is a big trend this season! 

What is your favorite type of skirt?

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