Winter Fashion: Dutch Florals

One of my favorite fashion trends this year is floral patterns on unexpected dark backgrounds.  Inspired by still life oil paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, these designs are dramatic, bold, and the perfect addition to a holiday wardrobe!

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1. ASOS dress (midi skirt, similar from Macy's) 2. J. Crew cropped 

sweatshirt (similar from LOFT) 3. Lancome nail varnish in Madame 

Tulipe  4. ModCloth dress  5. ModCloth peacoat  6. Sole Society loafers 

7. Olivia Burton watch from ModCloth   8. Sophia Webster for J. Crew 

pumps (similar from Ted Baker at ASOS) 9. J. Crew pants (similar 

from Oliver Bonas) 10. ModCloth rose necklace

I fell in love with this NY Collection black floral dress from Macy's (it has a body-shaping slip inside!) and wore it to my college roomie's wedding in October.  The other roomies are wearing adorable party dresses from Rent the Runway.  I styled my dress with burgundy pumps, but love it with boots and a sweater for work as well!

Linking Up:

Manic Monday at More Pieces of Me and The Daily Express

Passion 4 Fashion at Rachel the Hat

Style Sessions at Style Elixir

Style to Inspire with Rhea Et Cetera
Three-Fer Thursday at Perfectly Coutured

Fall 2013: Samba Red

As Thanksgiving and winter holidays approach, I wanted to focus my fashion posts on items that would be easy to incorporate into outfits for special occasions, holiday photos, or holiday gifts. Pantone calls this season's red "Samba" and it's the perfect spicy color for a festive celebration!

View this set on Polyvore

1. Red Herring floral dress from Debenham's  2. Banana Republic satchel
3. Zoya "Livingston" nail polish  4. Kate Spade scarf from Piperlime
5.  Kate Spade tote from Piperlime  6. Kenzo "FlowerTag" perfume from Sephora
7. Essie "Twin Sweater Set" nail polish  8. Old Navy peacoat  9. Hunter rain boots

Getty/Jeff Vespa via PopSugar

My favorite celebrity take on samba red is Michelle Dockery's Prada dress at this year's Emmy- I love the bright red colorblocked with oxblood burgundy - it's unusual and a lot of people would probably expect these two colors to clash, but the clean lines make it work.

winter color: cool and cozy grays for your closet

1. LOFT herringbone coat  2. OPI On Her Majesty's Secret Servie nail lacquer from Drugstore.com  

3.  Oliver Bonas geometric necklace (or matching earrings)  4.  Old Navy graphic text tee  

5. Ruche polka dot cardigan  6. The North Face fleece pants (I have these, and they are amazingly comfortable and warm, though not meant for petites)  7.  J. Crew chunky cable knit tights  

8. Old Navy polka dot canvas ballet flats  9. J. Crew Factory skinny glitter belt

I found the North Face pants on the right under my Christmas tree this year... Mr. Q knows me so well.  I picked up the LOFT coat on the left last week and it is my favorite Christmas-money purchase for sure!  Now my eye is on that Old Navy graphic text tee... what a perfect message for the new year.

For more gray inspiration from the runways and real life, visit my Pinterest board!

fall color: black and blue

This week's color combo is a classic for fall, inspired by this season's runway shows...

1. Ann Taylor striped ponte dress  2. Kirna Zabete for Target leopard print trench 

3. Dorothy Perkins viscose biker-style jacket  4. LOFT striped crinkle blazer 

5. Butter London nail lacquer in Royal Navy 6. Ann Taylor striped colorblock skirt

Stay safe and dry today, friends!  So far we still have electricity but schools

in our area are closed today because of high winds from Hurricane Sandy.

I am thankful that I don't have to drive today in dangerous conditions.

what to wear to high point fall market

High Point Market has been compared to Fashion Week, but for home decor.  And believe me, people who work in the home decor industry usually have distinct personal styles of their own.  Among Mr. Q's clients are a woman from Florida who always rocks a hat and brightly colored blazer and a gentlemen, also from the sunshine state, who always wears a crazy tie - that's his trademark.  This year his tie had horses on it.  If horses become A Thing this year, we'll thank Tom.  The sales reps (Mr. Q's clients) at Market are dressed for business - in suits.  There's another category of people at High Point that I aspire to emulate in my style choices - the designers and interior decorators.  Usually they skew a bit younger than the sales reps and look flat-out classy due to a few well-chosen items.  I've found some images from around the web to illustrate some of the fashion trends I observed among the women of High Point Market!

FabYouBliss

The outfit on the right would fit right in at Market - the "uniform" for young women this year was a long belted shawl-collar cardigan or sweater dress in a fall color, skinny black or brown pants, and riding boots.  I saw a lot of women pair black pants with brown boots just like the model in the picture.  Very few women wear jeans at High Point - it's simply not that casual.