Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Adventures in W-S, NC




A few weeks ago, I went down to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to help my cousin celebrate her 25th birthday. This is the outfit I saw in my head & I got an amazing response from it.

I saw these "leatherette" shorts on Forever21.com and hesitated to buy them because didn't know how they would fit me. If i'm iffy about a piece, I like to try it on before I buy it because I hate to have to return/exchange something due to buyer's remorse. After 2 days of mental debates I decided to go back on the site and buy them......only to find out THEY WERE SOLD OUT!! This made me a little sad lol But I know that Forever 21 usually has their online pieces in the stores the week after they go up on the site. (I am not one to give up on a piece that I really love, especially when I know it would be a great addition to my wardrobe). I usually have great luck finding some hard to find pieces in the Forever 21 in Roosevelt Field mall, so I tried there the week after. When I got to the store I went into an area that looked like it housed the piece and was so happy to find it! I immediately picked up my normal size and the next size up because it looked like it was cut small and tried them on and they fit amazingly! I was ecstatic!!
I love Forever 21 for selling their fashion forward pieces at great prices, they always look great with other pieces in my closet. No matter how inexpensive an item is I always check for quality because I would hate to not get a great "bang for my buck".

As stated before, I got great response from this outfit, Black is my all-time favorite & go to color. And to think I wasn't going to wear these boots because I felt "too tall" lol Thanks To Chrissy & Nikki for convincing me otherwise. I first saw these boots in the Charlotte Russe in downtown Chicago while visiting Kamon, knowing how much of a shop-a-holic He dragged me out of the store before I could get a closer look at them -_- lol. I knew they weren't too expensive so when I got back to NY a week later, I checked in the Charlotte Russe in Long Island and tried them on and loved them! I got a great response from the salespeople and some of the customers as well which sealed the deal for me lol. These boots are surprisingly comfortable and don't feel like a typical 4.5 inch heel....i've been eyeing over the knee boots for the past 2 years and never really knew what to pair them with, without looking too much like a stripper or female rapper, but these I knew I could pull off in a great way and now I want to wear them all the time!


The Leatherette Shorts and Cropped Jacket are from Forever 21 and was $19.80 & $32.80 respectively.
The Black/White Print Shirt is from H&M and was $14.95
The Black Faux Suede Boots are from Charlotte Russe and are $46
The Necklace, Bracelets and Rings are Forever 21 ($10.80, $6.80 & $5.80)


And shout out to Chrissy for the cute outfit she put together last minute!
Raspberry Bandeau Dress-American Apparel $43
"Caryssa" Leopard Platform Shoes-Steve Madden $89.95


"Beauty Runs Deep In My Family"





Tuesday, September 28, 2010

"You Can't Mix Gucci With Gap...."


When I was younger, I remember hearing certain rules when it came to fashion....."You can't mix Gucci with Gap", meaning you shouldn't mix high-end designers with low-end retailers, "you can't wear white after Labor Day", "when you're leaving the house, take off one piece of jewelry" (for fear of over accessorizing); and for men..."you can't put a striped tie on a striped or checked dress shirt", "men shouldn't wear pink or "men shouldn't wear their hat inside, it's impolite". There has always been rules about what you can and can't do in fashion and i've always wondered who came up with this stuff? lol I'm very happy that in recent years a lot of these "Fashion Rules" have been broken or compromised and also appreciative of the people who've done so. I like the direction that the fashion world is going in, there's been a lot more support of up & coming designers, a lot more rule breaking which keeps things exciting & there so many new and remixed things to wear!

I don't have one word to describe my fashion style, as stated in my previous post, I don't dress in one style or trend. I often mix and match styles, trends, designers and colors. My outfit can range from edgy-girly, sporty-chic, boho-glam, uptown-dowtown, I dress how I feel for that day, event or moment.

If it looks good on you, fits you well and makes you feel good, thats your style.
It doesn't matter if you wear Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Prada or H&M, Forever 21 & Charlotte Russe...If you don't have your own style and can't put together an outfit well, it won't matter how expensive or cheap your clothes are, the clothes will wear you...not the other way around....



East Village, NYC Dossier--> Jacket- Lux/Urban Outfitters (Customized By Me); Skirt- Made By Vivian Briggs; White Tank & Jewelry- Forever 21; Braided Sandal- Zara; Clutch- Urban Outfitters
Atlantic City Dossier--> Blazer & Leggings- Forever 21; Scarf- H&M; Small Wedge Boots-Steve Madden; Handbag- Gucci Valentines Day Special Edition 2009; Oversize Shades- Gucci
Eastern Caribbean Cruise Dossier --> Leatherette Jacket- Forever 21; One Shoulder Dress- American Apparel; Bow Heels- Zara; Clutch- Urban Outfitters
Kamon's Going Away Party Dossier --> Wrap Leather Jacket- BB Dakota; White Tank, Jewelry, Clutch- Forever 21; Cropped Pants- Zara (Studded By Me); Studded Booties- BCBGeneration


Top Image Dossier --> Clutch- Urban Outfitters (Customized By Me); Skinny Jeans- Marc By Marc Jacob's; Cheetah Mini Wedge- Steve Madden

Sidenote: I recently learned the word "Dossier" from Stylist June Ambrose's Tweets (Did I Mention How Much I Love Her!! Lol)...It means "A file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject"

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Lulu Is....




I started this blog to give people a little insight into the places I go, what I wear, where I shop and to share some of the great bargains I find. Also, to help enlighten people about their own fashion, style and how to wear the things they love.


When people say they want to dress like me and shop where I shop I am extremely flattered! It further humbles me & I love that I can inspire people to dress better and improve their quality of life and clothing, through what I wear, the places I visit, the food I eat, etc. I love to see well-dressed people, no matter what they're wearing.

When shopping I like to look for good quality pieces that I LOVE and know fit my body well and I never invest too heavily into one trend or "fad". I know what I like and that's what I shop for, I usually look thru tons of magazines to see what I like and what I want to buy. If I see a very expensive piece of clothing or accessory, I look for a cheaper (but still good quality) alternative. I shop a lot and usually know where to shop for certain items, some of my favorite stores are Zara, Forever 21, HM & Urban Outfitters and some of my favorite designers are Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, Chloe, Gucci, Christian Louboutin, Chanel, YSL, Kensie, Balmain, Balenciaga, Lanvin & Proenza Schouler. I never wear all one designer or brand, I usually mix & match.

That's just a little bit of me...



P.S. Lulu is Me (Samantha Ward), it's a nickname my dad gave me as a child, to this day he still calls me by that name.



Lulu Loves: June Ambrose Cont.







Lulu Loves: June Ambrose









To me, June Ambrose (celebrity fashion stylist, creative director, costume designer and author) is the epitome of style. As a successful black woman & mother, she embodies youthful beauty, grace & glamour, with a touch of edge and humor. She has dressed Diddy, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliot (she is the stylist responsible for the garbage bag outfit in the "I Can't Stand The Rain" video), Kelly Ripa, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes and Kim Cattrall, just to name a few people.

I find a lot of similarities in her style & mine. She doesn't wear 1 certain trend or have a certain look all the time, she seems like she dresses to how she feels or for a particular occasion or event. She takes a trend and puts her own spin on it which makes her so great at her job. She knows how to "dress down" but also does an amazing job "dressing up". I love that she tweets her daily outfits (with exact designers she's wearing) and some of the looks and clients she's working on, along with sneak peeks into new & exclusive fashion. These are just some examples of her style.

Fashion 101


Wear what you LOVE, not what everyone else thinks is cool.



3 Very different people, 3 very different styles.