Sizzling Summer Sunglasses

1. Colored Wayfarers

With neons, colored denim, and color blocking being so hot this year, it's no surprise that bright-colored sunglasses are on-trend as well. Colored wayfarers (like the ones above) are the most popular in colored frames. You can also find bright neon frames. I usually suggest pairing bright accessories with neutral clothing, but when it comes to colorful sunglasses, I'd say more is more. Pair them with colored denim and a modern white top. If you do want to wear them with a neutral, go with black. It'll add to the cool vibe of these shades. Click here to shop wayfarers.

2. Aviators

The aviator is a classic that is hot every year. In the last few years the brown aviator sunglasses were so trendy. This season you'll notice a lot of popular brands are coming out with more shiny, silver, or mirrored aviators. The silver tones look great with blacks and browns. I wouldn't pair them with anything too girly or traditional. Aviators look best with a modern or sporty look. Click here to shop aviator sunglasses.

3. Cat-Eyes

We can thank Mad Men and Etsy for the explosion of vintage-inspired fashion. I love how these Kate Spade cat-eye frames are a subtle interpretation of the trend. They'd be perfect with delicate floral or polka-dot prints, which luckily are also very in this season. You might be tempted to wear cat-eye sunglasses with a very Mad-Men inspired dress or outfit, but you want to mix your styles up a bit so you don't look like you're in costume. Click here to browse more cat-eye sunglasses.

4. Oversized Rectangular Frames

The over-sized square frames are another great influence of retro fashion. The great thing about this shape is it goes with just about any style and looks best with any face shape. I always have a pair in brown and a pair in black for a quick grab-and-go pair to keep in my purse or with all the accessories in my entryway. Whether you're wearing something casual or formal, sporty or girly, these over-sized sunglasses always look great. Click here to shop.

5. The Lolita

Okay, this is one of those trends that is probably here for a short time only (hopefully). <---That's what I said when I originally posted this in 2012, but a year later, the heart-shaped sunglasses are still hot. Ladies, listen to me carefully when I say that this is for fun only! I don't think there is a (straight) man alive who thinks this is a good look, so save it for a day out with the girls or a fun day at the beach. It's also a look best reserved for the young'ns. I'm 32 and I think I'm definitely too old for these. However if you're in your early 20s or younger, go for it! Click here to shop.

6. Patterned Frames

From florals to polka dots to animal prints, patterened accessories are everywhere for Spring and Summer. I love these fun retro-inspired polka-dot frames. Pair them with shorts and a tee or a casual summer dress. Click here to browse more patterned sunglasses.

My favorite is still without a doubt the oversized square frames. They just go with everything. Which ones are your favorite?

Click here for a guide to which type of sunglasses go best with your face shape.

Floral Spring Purses Under $30

Vera Bradley Signature Cotton Convertible Frannie w/Coin Purse, $29.98, Click to Shop 

Red & White Flowe Shoulder Bag, $29.95, Click to Shop

Anna Sui Vintage Blue Victoria Floral Purse Coin Purse Wallet, $11.99

Purple Floral Print Handbag, $19.99

Mossimo Supply Co. Coral Floral Crossbody, $17.99

Bueno Floral Shoulder Bag, $19.99

How to Organize Your Earrings

I'm always looking for new ways to organize and store my growing collection of jewelry and accessories. My biggest challenge has been finding something for my earrings. A simple jewelry drawer or earring stand is no match for my endless pairs of earrings. Sure, I can store them on a tray or in a typical jewelry box, but the long drop earrings end up tangled and the studs all mixed together. It wastes time in the morning digging through to find a matching pair. Besides, I don't like my earrings touching eachother. They can scratch eachother or become tangled and break.

When I was shopping for Easter candy last month, I came across the perfect solution--deviled egg trays. The particular ones I bought were $8 a piece and are stackable. They're great to set on a closet shelf but are also small enough to fit inside a drawer. They're also great for other smaller jewelry pieces like rings and pendants.

Being OCD, I can envision these trays for all sorts of organizing. A DIY jeweler could use them for storing small supplies like charms and hooks or for organizing beads. A crafter could use them to organize little supplies like sequins and stickers. Personally, I am absolutely loving my trays as earring organizers. It is such a time saver and protects each pair.

Click here to get your own.


Related Post: Clever Ways to Organize Your Jewelry

Weekend Style Guide: Color Blocking with Blues

Layout by Krisztina Williams (click here for featured items)

An easy way to color block is to pair different shades of the same color. I love monochromatic color blocking in shades of blue. It gives this maxi skirt an easy-breezy look, perfect for a Saturday afternoon out. You should always pair a maxi skirt with a somewhat fitted, sleeveless top. If you pair it with a high-collared, loose-fitting top, you could wind up looking frumpy.

I added flats, because I cannot stand heels with casual maxi skirts. Heels with long skirts says evening wear. For a casual look, I'd always pair a maxi-skirt with flats. But they don't have to be boring. It's a great time to wear a beautifully detailed sandal like the ones I chose. This outfit would also look great with simple leather t-strap sandals.

I usually like to pair this kind of top with a long beaded necklace, but I think it's beautiful to let the outfit stand on it's own, to not interrupt the colors with accessories. It is however the perfect opportunity for a big brown beaded cuff. Both shades of blue look beautiful with brown. Silver goes well too, but for a daytime look, the brown is more casual, and picks up on the current global trend.

To dress this outfit up for night time, pair it with a clutch, silver bangles and long silver drop earrings.

Behold the Braided Wedge

Despite the growing trend in flatform sandals for Summer 2012, traditional wedges are still everywhere this year. Thank God! I love wedges, because they have the added benefit of extra height, but they're easier on the tootsies than stiletto heels. And nothing says summer like an espadrilla wedge sandal.

Of course with color blocking being so hot this season, there are a lot of color block wedges. Another wedge that is gaining momentum is a patterned wedge in stripes, dots or florals. But there is another type of wedge that keeps catching my eye--the braided wedge.

Braided wegdes come in many different versions, with braiding in the heel, braiding over the top of the foot or braiding in the straps. Pair any of these fabulous braided wedges (featured below) with a flirty dress or tailored shorts and a summer blouse (see pics above).

Classic Braided Wedge Pump In Black, $98.95, $26.95

Bakers Womens Aruba Wedge Sandal (available in more colors), $70.00, $29.99

Juicy Couture Fernanda Espadrille Natural/Black (also available in all-natural), $59.00-$99.00

Jessica Simpson Women's Coronia Strappy Rafia Wedge in Fuchsia (also available in black), $49.99 - $79.00

Lauren Ralph Lauren Women's Cecilia Wedge Espadrille Sandal Sandal (available in many colors),  $29.99 - $79.00

 

(Pictured Above)Dorothy Perkins blue stripe dress, $59, Wallis cap sleeve top, $35, STEFFEN SCHRAUT, navy blue shorts, $175, Stuart Weitzman leather sandals, $365

Click here to shop my hand-picked shop of summer wedges.

Color Blocking with Belts

Color Blocking with Belts by theaccessorizer featuring a green belt

 

You don't have to rush out and spend a lot of money to get in on the color blocking trend. Simply layer a colorful belt over a solid-colored dress. To know which colors to choose, take a peek at the color wheel.

 Complimentary colors can be either straight across from eachother, or you can draw a triangle over the circle and choose from two to three colors at the three points in the triangle. Analogous is also shown in the circle on the right. The red and blue belts above display complementary color blocking, while the green and yellow show analogous. You can also do neutral and monochromatic colorblocking.

  Shop the Look:

Womens Elegant Sleek Patent Italian Leather Skinny Belt

Human Easter Egg

Human Easter Egg by theaccessorizer featuring a mint dress

Easter is the perfect holiday weekend to bust out the florals and pastels. This year colored denim and pastel pants are taking the place of blue jeans, and floral-printed accessories are just as hot as floral clothing items. These new trends can be intimidating, but if you follow a few simple rules, you can mix like a pro.

In the first look (pictured above left) pastel pink pants are the perfect start to a casual Easter outfit. You can always pair them with a solid white top, but for an occasion like Easter, try pairing them with a floral top. Even with a printed top, you can still have fun with accessories. Pattern-mixing is a big carry-over trend from last season. One of my two favorite prints to mix are florals and dots. When the prints are small like shown above, they flow together beautifully. Last season I would've paired an outfit like that with a neutral tan or white bag, but this year it's all about mixing colors as well as patterns. The blue is contrasting to the pink, adding a nice layer of color, but because it is pastel like the pink, they flow together. Just like florals, lace is something that has gone from clothing to accessories. I picked a neutral color on the ballet flats but added interest (and another layer of girliness) with the lace.

The second look on the right is for a more formal Easter brunch. It's still chilly in some parts, so bring along a cardigan just in case. Pick one that is fitted and sits just at the waist so it doesn't cover up the skirt and so you don't lose the waistline of the dress. A solid-colored dress or skirt like this is the perfect opportunity to try out floral shoes. You don't want to match the color exactly. Notice how those floral heels also have pink and green shades. To tie in the shoes and add a nice pop of color, I chose a bright pink clutch. I made up for the dress's lack of pattern or texture with a textured, floral purse, though the floral in the purse is texture only. You wouldn't want to pair those floral-printed shoes with a floral-printed purse. Accessorizing isn't about matching; it's about balancing and complimenting. To balance the softness of the dress, I chose a statement ring that matched but has a little edge to it. Contrasting the metallics in the ring, the earrings contain crisp white pearls.

What do you think? Would you wear either if these super girly looks to your Easter celebration?

Miss Selfridge mint dress, Ted Baker floral print cardigan, Ichi ruffle top, Cotton pants, TOMS hemp shoes, Friis & Company narrow shoes, FOSSIL green handbag, Jacques Vert pink clutch, Oasis metal jewelry, Jon Richard tahitian pearl earrings, Miss Selfridge trilby hat

Michael Kors Loves Tangerine Tango

Michael Kors Loves Tangerine Tango by theaccessorizer featuring leather pumps

I know, there is a complete absence of budget options here, but a girl can dream! Upon searching for all things tangerine, I noticed Michael Kors has an abundance of beautiful accessories in various shades of tangerine. In my weekend style guide, I incorporated the Michael Kors tangerine handbag.

MICHAEL Michael Kors leather pumps
$172 - my-wardrobe.com

MICHAEL Michael Kors platform heels
$150 - net-a-porter.com

Michael kors satchel
$895 - neimanmarcus.com

MICHAEL Michael Kors michael kors handbag
$348 - neimanmarcus.com

MICHAEL Michael Kors michael kors tote
£255 - net-a-porter.com

Kors Michael Kors Vail Wedge
195 CAD - dealuxe.ca

MICHAEL Michael Kors Textured-leather passport holder
£45 - net-a-porter.com

Weekend Style Guide: Tangerine Weekend

Tangerine Weekend by theaccessorizer featuring brim hats

Are you ready for the new it color, tangerine tango? Introduce the tangerine trend into your style in small doses, using accessories like purses, shoes or statement necklaces. The one shown here is a bit above my usual range for this blog, but I am obsessing over all the new Michael Kors tangerine items. Here is a beautiful budget option for under $40.00-Orange ''Dunsmouth'' Large Hobo Purse.

You can certainly pair tangerine accessories with fuchsia for some daring color blocking, but here I've paired it with a light, white summer top and pastel yellow pants. If you aren't brave enough to try the colored-pant trend, this outfit would also look great with tan or brown-colored pants.

You want the sandals to be simple and white or nude so they don't compete with the pants and bag. The sunglasses are also a light brown and simple in design. The blouse looks complete with a long chain necklace that has just a bit of color and detail. If you're not used to wearing hats, I challenge you to go for it this Spring. Straw fedora or brim hats like the one above look great with a sundress or just about any type of summery top.

See by Chloe white top
£59 - josephm.com

Chino pants
$56 - topshop.com

Wallis beaded shoes
$61 - wallisfashion.com

MICHAEL Michael Kors ostrich handbag
$400 - net-a-porter.com

K Amato 14 karat gold jewelry
$68 - maxandchloe.com

Kate Spade brown sunglasses
$89 - amazon.com

AllSaints brim hat
$65 - allsaints.com





More on Tangerine Tango:

Michael Kors Loves Tangerine Tango

Cool Color Combo's: Coral and Turquoise

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Blake Lively, www.style.com

I remember tagging along with my mom to flea-market jewelry counters as a child. I often saw an abundance of silver-and-turquoise jewelry at those second-hand shops, and it always made me cringe. I blame it on my DNA. My mother was always decked out in real gold and jewels like saphires, amethyst, and especially diamonds. It only seems fitting that I would have a natural aversion to silver and turquoise.

But turquoise has come along way, especially when it comes to costume and fashion jewelry. It's no longer solely paired with silver or in some distinctly native American piece. It has been reintroduced into the accessory world with a fresh, modern look. Blake Lively (photo right)  rocks a chunky turquoise statement necklace with a cream tank top.


Turquoise started to make a comeback a few years ago. Last year it was still on the rise and was beginning to be paired with coral clothing. This year jewelry designers are making it extra easy on us by mixing coral and turquoise into single jewelry pieces.

My favorite way to wear coral and turquoise in jewelry is a statement necklace with a strapless white dress. Here are some of my favorite necklaces, and as always a few budget-friendly options.

Turquoise and Coral Nugget Necklace with Sterling Silver Beads, 16+3" Extender, $21.00

 Alex Carol Chunky Turquoise and Coral Choker, $54.00

Crochet Fashion Necklace with Turquoise and Coral Chips, $35.74

Chunky Turquoise Necklace, $38.00