الأربعاء، 31 ديسمبر 2014

STUDS & FEATHERS :: CHEERS TO 2015


Good morning, Everyone! With new year just around the corner, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy 2015! May all your dreams and wishes come true and may 2015 bring nothing but happiness to you!








Nanette Lepore Music Hall dress | A.L.C. studded leather motorcycle jacket | Saint Laurent Monogram small velvet chain bag with tassel | Isabel Marant Royston suede buckle boots { similar here & here } / Vita Fede ring Mejuri pearl love ring | Bauble Bar Play By Ear gift set earrings 


Thank you for reading
& Keep On Smiling,
LOVE, 
Annabelle 

الاثنين، 29 ديسمبر 2014

DOWNTOWN GIRL


Good morning, Everyone! How was your weekend? 

To say that Emil and I are spontaneous when it comes to travel, would be an understatement. It's not that we don't like making plans in general, I think we are simply a little bit addicted to the feeling of not knowing what tomorrow might bring. Take New Year's Eve for example, traditionally we like to spend it somewhere special. Yet this year, our busy schedules sort of got the best of us and by the time we started thinking about possible destinations, all was sold out, fully booked and unavailable. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed, but eventually settled on the idea of spending New Year's Eve in LA. After all, a quiet dinner at home could be nice, right? 










Well, I am sure it would be, except as I was making preparations for New Year's Eve dinner last night (thinking about the dinner menu, place settings and what to wear), Emil had one of his gloriously spontaneous moments and made alternative plans:) Here is the exact transcript of our conversation:

Emil: Ah,... how would you feel about spending New Years' Eve in Carmel? 
Me: ???? Carmel? .....  Well, Carmel sounds nice! 
Emil: Oh good, cause I already booked our trip, so pack your bags, we live at 6:00 am on Tuesday sharp! :) 
Emil: Oh, and bring a hat, cause I think it might be kinda cold up there! 

So, I guess we are spending New Year's in Carmel:) Not really sure if a hat will go well with an organza gown I got especially to wear on New Year's Eve, but I am sure I can re-think what I'll wear:) 

Cynthia Rowley slit top tunic with falling leaf appliqué | Stuart Weitzman The Highland boots | Saint Laurent Monogram small velvet chain bag with tassel | Coordinates Legend bracelet Vita Fede ring Mejuri pearl love ring 

Thank you for reading
& Keep On Smiling,
LOVE,
Annabelle 

السبت، 27 ديسمبر 2014

PLAYING DRESS UP :: WHAT TO WEAR ON NEW YEAR'S EVE


Good morning, Everyone! Hope you are enjoying your weekend! I would like to start by announcing the winner of PANDORA International Giveaway. Congrats to Iuliana Rosu from Pink Wish,  I hope you love your PANDORA Holiday 2014 bracelet and charms as much as I do! 

With December 31st just around the corner, I wanted to take this opportunity to present two looks I styled to wear on New Year's Eve. Why two, you ask? Well, if you read my blog on regular basis, you may have noticed my style varies from very feminine to slightly masculine, with a bit of an edge. Though these styles may belong to completely different sides of the scale, somehow both of them reflect different aspects of my personality and find a way to co-exist quite harmoniously and in some ways to even complement each other. Funny thing is that I never really know which of these two I'll be inclined to wear, sometimes I get up in the morning and can't wait to wear my girliest dress and other times, I am all about sharp tailoring and edgy accessories. 

As I was thinking about what I'll be wearing for New Year's Eve, I came up with an idea to style two looks which reflect both sides of my personality. So, I hope you enjoy!











The first of two looks, appeals of course to my feminine side. As you may have noticed, I love a fabulous full-skirted dress, and this leather and tulle perfection is one of my current favorites! Though there are infinite possibilities of styling this dress, I really wanted to make it the focal point of this look, which is why I opted for a simple pair of black pumps and a matte satin clutch. Finishing touch, jewelry of course!:) Because no outfit, especially a Holiday one, can be complete without the appropriate jewelry. Take this one for example, a pair of sparkling leaves earrings ( another recent gift from Emil ), layered statement rings and my beloved PANDORA bracelets and charms, transform this outfit from basic to chic. In terms of layering, because this is such a dressy look, I really wasn't afraid to pile on the jewels! So, I went with a full arm party consisting of layered bracelets and rings in mixed metals as well as a pair of dangling earrings. 

The second outfit, appeals more to my masculine side, the side that loves tailored pieces like blazers, trousers and apparently bow ties:) The idea to create this look came from my obsession with Marlene Dietrich, who famously made a tuxedo part of a woman's wardrobe. I've been dreaming about creating this look for ages, so when I came across this velvet tuxedo blazer, I knew the time has finally come:)! Once again, the main idea behind this outfit involved keeping the attention on the blazer and matching bow tie, which is why I decided to go with a pair of very simple black trousers and suede pumps. To continue with the masculine, slightly edgier vibe, I opted for a pair of PANDORA stud earrings, layered band-style rings ( an early Christmas present to myself ) and a few beaded bracelets and bangles with charms. Finally, to add just a touch of femininity, I added a pretty crystal and pearl clutch, which I think looks quite stunning with all the sparkling jewels. 

So, what do you guys think? Which outfit do you like more? 


Look 1: PANDORA Holiday 2014 collection bangle, Sparkling Leaves earrings, Galaxy clear charm, Wishing Star charm, Starry Heart charmsparkling braids ring, sparkling leaves ring, symbol of love ring PANDORA Essence collection bracelet, essence beaded bracelet & double strand bracelet, Creativity charm, Dignity charm, Intuition charm, Sensitivity charm | Nha Knank Leda leather & tulle strapless dressSamantha Wills Fate's Venture clutch  | Jimmy Choo Anouk suede pumps 

Look 2: PANDORA Holiday 2014 collection bangle, Cosmic Stars earrings, Inspiration within ring, Galaxy clear charm, Wishing Star charm & Starry Heart charm | PANDORA Essence collection bracelet, essence beaded bracelet & double strand bracelet, Creativity charm, Dignity charm, Intuition charm, Sensitivity charm | Saint Laurent velvet bow tieJ CREW Collection velvet shawl-collar tuxedo blazer & Campbell capri pant in bi-stretch woolTasha Crystal Swirl clutch { similar here } | Jimmy Choo Anouk suede pumps 


Thank you for reading
& Keep On Smiling,
LOVE, 
Annabelle 

الأربعاء، 24 ديسمبر 2014

SEQUINED IN SAN DIEGO

Good morning, Everyone! Emil and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas! We hope joy and happiness snow on you, may all your days be merry and may Santa be extra good to you! :)

This year, Emil and I were hoping for a white Christmas, and kept going back and forth as to where we should spend the Holidays. Unfortunately, our travel plans fell through last minute and since we couldn't possibly have a white Christmas in LA, we figured a warm and sunny Christmas is basically just as good:) Rather than staying home, we decided to rekindle our somewhat unofficial tradition of spending Christmas visiting places we love the most. So, we packed our bags and headed down to San Diego. 








And let me tell you, after a few cold and rainy weeks in LA, seeing sun shine again, is exactly what we needed! The weather here is just perfect! Warm and sunny during the day, yet slightly cool in the evening. Honestly, we couldn't imagine a better place to spend Christmas, in fact, we love it so much here, we decided to make Christmas in San Diego a yearly tradition! 

What about you guys, where are you spending Christmas? 

DVF Mid Dietrich sequin wool mohair coat { in grey here & here } | Level99 stretch leather Janice ultra skinny pants in black | Chanel Boy flap bag in perforated leather Trina Turk turtleneck sweater { similar here } | Isabel Marant Royston suede buckle boots { similar here & here } | Elodie K multi-stone earcuff Movado Bold crystal accent watch | Wanderlust & Co double bar & chain rose gold rings Mejuri stackable Mondrian rings 

Thank you for reading
& Keep On Smiling,
LOVE,
Annabelle 

الاثنين، 22 ديسمبر 2014

SHADES OF GREY


Good morning, Everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

I think I mentioned on numerous occasions how much I enjoy the Holiday season! I love Christmas music and decorated tress, sound of jingle bells, wrapping presents, and coffee with eggnog. Granted the latter one is an acquired taste, but I got addicted to eggnog back in Canada, so now I can't imagine Christmas without it:) Yet, what I love about Christmas the most is spending quality time with family and friends. We don't always get to enjoy as much time together through out the year as we would like, but no mater what happens, we always get together during the Holiday season.









Though normally, we all gather together on Christmas Eve, since some of our family and friends are going to be out of town next week, we decided to host our Christmas party a bit earlier and the out-of-this-world amazing dress I 'm wearing in today's post, is what I wore to the party. 

I've actually spent a good part of the past few weeks searching for just the perfect thing to wear. I kept going back and forth between a full-length gown and a cocktail dress, but once I found this amazing pleated perfection of a dress, that was pretty much it. Aside from the fact that I have more that a bit of a weakness for tulle, especially pleated, layered tulle, this dress has one of the most beautiful necklines I have ever seen. There is something so magical about a deep v-neck shaped front, delicate shoulder straps and open back. Of course, the reason why I fell in love with this dress is rather a combination of things like satin top combined with the most amazing full pleated tulle skirt, The kind of skirt that dances and moves with each and every step you take. 

Oh, and believe me when I say I took full advantage and twirled and danced my little heart out. But when you wearing a dress like this, staying still is completely impossible:) 

MILLY v-neck tulle gown | Treesje asymmetry clutch in gunmetal | Rue Gembon Keianna gunmetal rings, Polly rings, Gianna rings & Fie gunmetal rings | Samantha Wills pearl and crystal earrings { similar option here

Thank you for reading
& Keep On Smiling,
LOVE,
Annabelle 

الجمعة، 19 ديسمبر 2014

CAMEL & CREAM


Good morning and happy Friday, Everyone! How was your week? 

I just wanted to say a quick hello and share a few images of an outfit I wore to dinner with Emil on Thursday. Though, I am definitely still having a love affair with black, lately, I find that I am slowly returning to wearing color again. Granted, I am still very far away from pulling out my bright pink coats and turquoise pumps, and the color palette I tend to be attracted to right now is much calmer and softer, nonetheless, color is definitely making it's way back into my outfits. 









Today's look is all about camels, caramels and creams. I think I mentioned before, something about this particular color combination makes me feel warm and cozy and since the weather in LA has been  cold and rainy for the past week or so, I've been seeking refuge by wearing quite a bit of caramels and creams. I guess you could say it's my new rainy day go-to color palette:) 

What about you guys, is there a particular color combination that helps you chase away rainy day blues? 

Banana Republic Mixed cable-knit pullover & coat { cropped option here } | Marc Jacobs Suede Trouble bag | Torn by Ronny Kobo Rivi pants |  Dolce & Gabbana Kate patent leather pumps { in black here } | Tiffany & Co Atlas open ring | Sarina Suriano Stella Crinita dark grey pearl & crystal ear cuff  & Sagittarius Astris dark grey pearl cocktail ring


Thank you for reading
& Keep On Smiling,
LOVE, 
Annabelle 

الأربعاء، 17 ديسمبر 2014

BOYFRIEND STYLE

Good morning, Everyone! I hope this week is going great for you? 

Ever since Emil and I started this blog about 4 years ago, we've been talking about posting a look styled complete by him. Though I always believed it was a great idea, I am also the first to admit it's not always easy for me to give complete creative control to someone else, even to someone who knows me and my style as well as he does. 

Yet, as reluctant as I was to let him style a look for me, I have to admit, I was definitely curious to see what he would come up with. I tried to remember some of his favorite looks on me, things that he liked in general, but I couldn't think of a definitive look or style. I know boys generally love dresses and girly things, and he is certainly not an exception in that sense, yet, he always said how much he loved seeing simple things like jeans and cute sweaters on me. So after a while, I let my curiosity take over and gave him complete and total control!











Much to my surprise, because I honestly did expect to wear a dress, he came up with the look I am wearing in today's post! My first reaction - I freaking LOVE IT! By far, the edgiest outfit I've ever sported on this blog, I am honestly half tempted to let him style more for me:) I absolutely love how he was able to create a look that was true to my esthetic and also incorporate items I would consider wardrobe staples, like a great pair of boyfriend jeans and out-of-this-world amazing studded leather jacket. I guess he knows me even better than I thought! :) 

What about you guys, what do you think of this look? 

A.L.C. studded leather motorcycle jacket | MARC BY MARC JACOBS Bea on Mission tee | Current/Elliot The Fling destroyed rolled jeans | Isabel Marant Royston suede buckle boots { similar here & here } / Chanel Boy flap bag in perforated leather 

Thank you for reading
& Keep On Smiling,
LOVE,
Annabelle