Balmain x H&M + Favorites

H&M, one of my favorite stores in the same price range and all-around awesomeness as Target, has recently teamed up with the celebrity-favored powerhouse Balmain. Known for their heavily embellished designs, they've been showcased on Kim Kardashian many a times as well as many other big-name celebrities.

The collection that was unveiled about a week and a half ago has over 100 pieces at more affordable prices than their usual line with items ranging from $17 all the way up to $650. While the more expensive items are pricier than usual for the H&M racks, it's still a steal compared to Balmain's usual $2,000 and up price tags.

My Favorite Pieces

$50 or less

(While the collection is available for purchase in stores, you can only view the collection online)

 

 Balmain + H&M Women's Tee: $34.99

I've come to that point in my style evolution where I love a basic tee that I can pair with pretty much anything and still have it look stylish and professional. While this has wording, it's one part basic, one part cool and all parts need to have, now.

 

 Balmain + H&M Sunglasses: $49.99

Really amazing sunglasses are pretty much a necessity in everyone's wardrobe, no matter where you live. Nobody wants boring sunnies: enter these beauties <.3

 

 Balmain + H&M Bra: $24.99

I love bralettes. I adore them. However, my D cups don't allow me to partake due to gravity (straps are my lifesaver). I live vicariously through everyone who can wear bralettes, so go my children, be free, and wear strapless bras for those who can't (me).

 

Balmain + H&M Men's Blazer: $49.99

No matter how old I get, I love wearing men's jackets with a t-shirt and jeans. The more embellished the jacket the better.

 

Balmain + H&M Headphones: $49.99

I'm a sucker for great headphones, and these are the most embellished I've seen yet without looking tacky.

Balmain + H&M Pouch: $34.99

This would make a perfect little pouch to slip into your purse or carry as a clutch.

Palm Tree Nation: $50 or less

It might be because it's summertime, or maybe because designers have fallen in love with palm trees, but lately fashion seems to be favoring the palms. Almost every day, I see someone wearing something that has some palm trees on it. Whether it's at the grocery store, at work, on when I log on to yahoo news and they're talking about what celebrities wore; people everywhere love their palm trees. Luckily for me, I love them too. I decided to find some gorgeous and affordable palm tree wears for anyone who loves the palms just as much as I do:

Palm Tree Nation

$50 or Less

Soak Up The Sun Beige Tropical Print Tote: $33.00

Adorable yet still the perfect size for all those papers and your laptop.

Impact Palm Sporty Dress: $25.00

Pair with leggings and boots for a more casual vibe or dress it up with heels for a date or a blazer for work. This dress is mulch-functional AND perfect for the summertime.

Palm Harmony Print Flare Skirt: $47.40

 While the palm trees say summer, the colors can easily take this skirt from summer to winter when paired with the right pieces. The easy shape makes this gorgeous skirt flattering on all body types.

Palm Tree Round Sunglasses: $36.00

A slight retro feel makes these fun glasses the perfect accessory for your beach day or date outfit.

One Fine Vacay Flat: $44.99

The bright blue and white makes these flats and the cutest shoes to throw on with your beach cover-up or farmer's market dress.

The end of an era

One night about 3 years ago I was on a couch with two of my close friends watching "Hell's Kitchen". The wife turned to me while Ramsay screamed in the background that night and asked if I wanted to watch "Mad Men" instead, and I admitted I had never seen it. Of course I had heard of it here and there; people around me talked often about how good it was and I couldn't help but overhear. Much like I had been with Breaking Bad though, I was hesitant to dive into a new show that could potentially become something I would love and binge-watch to catch up then wait every week for the new episode to come out. With my friend's relentless persuasion that night, we ended up watching an episode, and I determined I needed to start watching the show from the beginning...immediately.

Suffice to say I fell head-over-heels in love with the show, the characters, the costumes, and genuinely every. single. thing about it. Mad men over the last 3 years became a constant fixture, something that didn't feel like a show - it felt like a movie I watched a part of every week. Finales are always bittersweet, but instead of being sad it ended Sunday, I want to celebrate it's amazing run. Even if you've never watched it, Mad Men influenced many aspects of the fashion world. Below are some of my favorite screenshots from the show and all it's costume glory.

2015 Trend: 70's Style + How To

With the internet still buzzing about the most recent fashion weeks, everyone's minds are on the trends for this year. One of the biggest trends has been the comeback of 70's style and I've seen it everywhere from the runways to the big stars all the way to the racks at the consignment store down the street. 

I've always loved the styles of the 60's & 70's - nothing makes me happier than an embellished pair of bell bottoms and sky-high wedges. Some of you may be a bit nervous to take on this trend, so to help I've put together an outfit with a modern take on the trend and every piece is $50 or under to make your wallet and wardrobe happy.

The Trend

The Outfit

70's style by urbanmonologue featuring cocktail rings

Vans + ASPCA

When Ralph Lauren partnered with the ASPCA in 2013 to create the "Dog Walk" campaign with special accessories designed for our 4-legged friends, I was instantly ecstatic about the partnership. Having grown up with a love of Ralph Lauren (thank you mom) and an extreme love of furry children (also thank you mom), it has always made me happy to see big name brands show their softer side and give back, as well as bring light to important organizations.

That's why when I was taking a quick morning break from being productive earlier, I decided to stumble around on the internet and look at cute animal videos. In the process, I stumbled across an amazing collaboration I hadn't heard about before: Vans + the ASPCA. This new collaboration that just launched brings some great duds to the public for a great cause with everything in the collection retailing for under $70. There's clothing, accessories, and of course, shoes. Below are my favorite pieces from the collection.

Vans + ASPCA

Kids Classic Slip-on: $40.00

Cat Collage Tee: $30.00

Beach Girl Trucker Hat: $24.00

Backpack: $40.00

Zoolander + Paris Fashion Week

When I was middle school my mother and I decided one boring night to go to the movie theater to find a movie to pass the time with. That was all we had to do for fun in the small town aside from shop at JCPenney's or go get some Dunkin Donuts (There was one every 4 miles, literally)

As we walked towards the theater, my mother saw a poster for a new movie that had just come out called "Zoolander" and she dragged me in to go see it with her. At first I was apprehensive because quite honestly, it looked boring, but I quickly realized about 15 minutes into the movie that it was going to be AMAZING. Zoolander is one of our favorite movies still to this day, and last night I saw a post on Instagram of what looked to be Zoolander & Hansel walking down the runway.

Turns out, the boys are back at it again to make a Zoolander 2 which will be coming out next year. To announce it and promote it, Ben Stiller & Owen Wilson walked in the Maison Valentino show at Paris Fashion Week.

 They also did an amazing backstage getting-ready video with Anna Wintour that made me laugh uncontrollably. 

Are you excited for Zoolander 2?

Fashion Week Street Style

For every fashion week I get really excited, but not just because of the runway. What the designers send down the runway is usually amazing and makes me wish I had a bottomless bank account, but the part I really love is the street style shots that surface from each week. To me, the street style aspect of any event is really where the true style is at, because you see real people styling high-end and low-end in a completely fresh and innovative way. It really helps get my creative juices flowing as to how to style in conjunction with the latest trends, while still being able to add my own spin.

I'm still trying to determine who was my favorite designer from this round of shows, but I have sorted through all the street style pictures from each fashion week that I could get my hands on, and below are my absolute favorites.<.3

Tory Burch for FitBit

In the last few years fitness has become a prominent presence in the fashion industry. Instead of tight jeans, there are designer track pants and instead of cardigans, there are sequined wind breakers. Fitness and fashion seemed to have simultaneously fused, and with that ever-present fusion on the runway and on the streets, collaborations have begun to pop up left and right. 

Designers, celebrities and fitness companies are taking their products to a new level to satisfy consumer demands. With fitness as a big part of our culture, it only makes sense that our clothes need to look good, not only when we're at work and out to dinner, but when we're working up a sweat too.

To satisfy the need for designer duds that look good while doing burpees, a feat in and of itself, there have been collaborations across the board:

 - Kate Hudson for Fabletics

- Heidi Klum for New Balance

- Stella McCartney for Adidas

Even Riccardo Tisci for Nike! Yes, the guy that designed Kim Kardashian's wedding dress is making clothes for Nike. 

(Don't worry though, I don't think there are any lace trains in his collection. It'd be a little hard to do squat thrusts with a lace train behind you. Think about it.)

My favorite collaboration thus far though is one I just found out about last week and I'm so excited I decided to do my post about it tonight: 

Tory Burch for FitBit 

 FitBit is an amazing product that is essentially a high-tech bracelet or necklace that helps keep you healthy. It tracks how many calories you burn in a day, how many calories you take in, and most amazingly; how well you sleep. This amazing device actually monitors your sleep patterns so you can see how well you're sleeping, or not.

This collaboration is awesome, not only because Tory Burch is an amazing designer, but now keeping healthy doesn't look boring. It looks you're wearing a beautiful designer bracelet...that also happens to be helping you keep fit. 

Metal Hinged Bracelet: $195.00

 Fret Pendant Necklace: $175.00

 Silicone Printed Bracelet: $38.00

Silicone Printed Bracelet: $38.00

The Tory Burch accessories don't come with the monitoring device, which goes for about $100.

The price of staying healthy and looking impeccably chic while doing so? Priceless.