Ilka

Spring skirt 3 ways

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:24:00 +0000

Most of these pieces are from JCrew, including the spring skirt

My newest obsession- Smythe jackets

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:26:28 +0000

If you don’t know about Smythe jackets you must check them out. I love well cut jackets, and theirs are razor sharp. So, imagine my excitement when I went into Cameron Marks, my favorite westside Santa Cruz clothing shop, and found them there! I should of known that Vanessa, Cameron Marks’ owner, would know about them. Vanessa has an amazing eye for design and style. She is carrying a stunning coral linen version and a black print one. The jackets are very fitted and tend to run small; buy a size up. I am saving up my pennies to get one myself!

And I saw one of the character’s on NCIS Tuesday night sporting this exact jacket!

Check out more from Cameron Marks at www.cameronmarks.com

My color swatches

admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:40:33 +0000

These are the color swatches I will be using tonight at Momma’s Night Out, which is a fundraiser for Cookies for Kids Cancer. At the event tonight I will be doing color analysis for people. So, if you want to know what your best colors are stop by my table and learn how much fun wearing color can be!

Color combination of the week

admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:29:12 +0000

Amazon targets high end fashion

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:44:23 +0000

So in the business section of the Santa Cruz Sentinel today there was an article about “Amazon setting its sights on high-fashion apparel.” Apparently they were not satisfied with buying Zappos, starting My Habit (to compete with Gilt Groupe) buying ShopBop (a high end retailer) and selling some clothes.They are now trying to bring high end designers to their site. It costs them the same to send a $10 book or a $800 skirt but the profit will be higher on a designer item. Also, in the article it states they are sponsoring and live-streaming the Costume Institute Benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, is also getting fashion advice from Vogue editor Anna Wintour ( who The Devil Wears Prada was based on). By courting New York’s fashion elite will they get them to buy their designer clothes from Amazon?

Here’s a link to the article which originally appeared in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/business/amazon-plans-its-next-conquest-your-closet.html?_r=1&ref=business

P.S. check out the comments on the article; very interesting.

Spring necklace

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:04:16 +0000

I just can’t stop wearing my new spring necklace! I have been wearing it with everything; it adds a great pop of color and feels fun.

Where’s the fun in your closet?

Today’s Color Combo!

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:44:06 +0000

Don’t Wear White to a Wedding….or black for that matter

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:32:54 +0000

So, this is another rule I covered in my workshop. It is still generally frowned upon to wear white to a wedding; this color is reserved for the bride. The idea that brides wear white did not become popular until after 1840. In 1840 Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in a white lace gown. Before this brides usually wore their best dress and would continue to wear it on other occasions. It was not until Victoria chose white that it became the color for brides in the western world. Only the very well to do could afford to wear white and have it cleaned. Now, this idea has reached extremes with the bridal dresses of today which are only worn once.

Now, black on the other hand was considered to funereal to wear to a wedding. This idea is lessening today but I disagree. It could be due to my own bias against black but I think if there is anytime not to wear black it is the beautiful and joyous occasion of two people getting married! I also think that people today are confusing the meaning of “black tie” ,which just means men should wear a black tie and women formal dress, with the idea that it is okay to wear black.

We are approaching the seasons for weddings, what will you be wearing? Or what is your most favorite outfit you have worn to a wedding?

Perfect Example of a “LGD” or “Little Great Dress”

admin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:00:10 +0000

For those of you who have read my post about the myth of the little black dress (or if you haven’t you can do so now Myth of little black dress) you know that I do not believe that everyone should have a little black dress. Instead I believe everyone should have a LGD or Little Great Dress. This dress should be in one of your best colors, fit you perfectly and can be worn for many occasions. It is the dress you can always throw on and feel like a million bucks. Well, we found the perfect one for a friend of mine. It is cobalt blue (she has blue eyes), it has 3/4 length sleeves (she doesn’t like to bare her arms) and it fits her perfectly without being too tight. She now has a dress she can wear to a cocktail party, a wedding or FashionArt Santa Cruz!

I can help you find your LGD too! Just ask me.

More rules……

admin — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:04:28 +0000

How many of your mother’s told you that your handbag and shoes should match? Now not to dismiss mom’s advice right before Mother’s Day but this rule is definitely passe. In fact nowadays it is de rigueur for them not to match. They can complement each other or play off each other but matching is almost “old fashioned” now.

Here’s a great example: