No matter what the season, the cuff bracelet is always a wonderful accessory to have in your boudoir. It’s a great transition piece from Spring to Winter and you can incorporate a cuff bracelet with any outfit whatever your style may be. Whether it be a simple hammered metal band or a bejeweled thick bangle, wrist accessories are seen on and off the catwalk to give any outfit a little “kick”.
The awesome thing about cuff bracelets is that they can be worn a ton of different ways: you can wear them stacked, mixed and matched with other accessories (rings, bangle bracelets, etc.), wear them “double cuffed”, or (depending on the look you’re trying to achieve) one can be used as a signature piece to pull your ensemble together.
Here are some of my fave picks:

Anndra Neen Cuff $510.00

Hermes Collier de Chien Cuff Bracelet $795.00

Anndra Neen Monogram ID bracelet $225.00

This amazing monogrammed cuff takes your personal brand to a whole new level.  These also happen to make adorable Valentine gift.  Personal, but not fussy.  Either way, this piece helps you make a statement while being a statement piece in itself!

A “hi-lo” hem is one of the biggest trends spotted in today’s runway shows, fashion magazines, and in casual street wear. These garments can be characterized by their uneven or asymmetrical hemlines and can easily become staple or “go-to” pieces in your closet.

Here are some of my easily accessible and super cute hi-lo hem picks:

Black Chiffon Hi-lo Hem Skirt from Windsor

Price: $22.90

Hi Lo Skirt from Nasty Gal

Price: $38.00

Hi-lo Hem Skirt from Urban Outfitters

Price: $49.00

What do I wear?

Sarah of The Stylist Heart

Adrian of Fake-Leather

Blogger from A Style Manifesto

So have fun with it gals! Mixed, matched, or layered, these skirts are a must have in your closet!

Don’t believe me.  Just check out some of these GREAT San Francisco Menswear shops:

Acrimony, Aksel Paris, Dept 17, Taylor Stitch, & Unionmade

Tell them Q the Stylist sent you!!

LOOK BY TAYLOR STITCH

This particular event, which is also held twice a year in Santa Monica, is all about fashion and jewelry and you can find nearly every decade of fashion and culture imaginable at this one event.  And the one of a kind pieces I found were extraordinary.   By the end I had bought a fabulous Kimono, an agate navajo ring, and an adorable cream summer sweater with metallic gold stripes.  TDF!    For those of you who are obsessed with all things vintage, you need to check out the next event and get to know even more about the spectacular world of vintage clothing!  Here is a little sneak peak at some of the great finds this Expo had, enjoy!

“People frequently say fashion is about self-expression… But I think it goes deeper than that.  In a sped-up, often chotic world, fashion is, at its root, about a sense of self-control…  Every choice you make while standing in front of your closet is a direct act of self-determination.  Say you want to stay warm or cheer your self up with color.  Perhaps you’re feeling a little insecure, but that bold belt always seems to up your confidence.  Maybe it’s a day why you stimply need your favorite jeans, or you’re finally ready to don those earrings your ex gave you, which you dared not touch for six months.   Our clothes communicate so much more about us that just our taste.  What we value, where our boundaries are, and how we see ourselves with in the many social groups we inhabit – are just a few of the issues we address when we dress.  Most comforting, at least to me, is that regardless of what’s happing out in the big, wide world, we can choose, every day, to create a small, personal universe of beauty and order that we wear up against our skin.  That is by no means a superficial endeavor.  It’s art.”

I couldn’t agree more!  Which is why I love helping people in their wardrobes and closets.

Thank you Robin!  Keep up the outstanding work at 7x7SF.

This is the perfect way to edit your wardrobe, find outfits you didn’t know you had, and get organized.  And, it’s also just in time to make any key additions from the latest Fall collections.  To purchase –  click right here.

Hurry!  The deal only runs through September 6th!

Left: Bolero of garnet velvet and black jet embroidery, winter 1947. Collection of The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Photograph by Craig McDean. Center: Detail of evening bolero jacket of burgundy silk velvet and jet and passementerie embroidery by Bataille, winter 1946. Collection of Hamish Bowles. Photo by Kenny Komer. Right: Scarlet silk ottoman evening coat with capelet collar, autumn/winter 1954–1955. Collection of The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photograph by Craig McDean

How can  you leave the streets of San Francisco and quickly enter into a piece of Heaven?

My answer, a visit to Balenciaga and Spain at the De Young.  In all honesty, there are no words to explain how visually exquisite this exhibition was.

My eyes couldn’t take in all the beauty.  The integrated textiles, details, and fusion of intense design in which all these garments were created shows what an incredible genius Cristóbal Balenciaga was and still lives on in our everyday design esthetics.

Cristóbal was quite the jet-setter for those days and those long trips abroad offered him access to textiles and trades from India, Germany, and China by way of the Philippines.  The inspiration lead to experimentation that brought together rich color, conscientious hand, and visual details to his creations.

There were many moments that I stood in complete awe of Balenciaga’s world and mind.

It’s incredible to imagine what more he could have done now that we have unlimited access to trades and textiles from around the world?

So the 4th of July has come and gone and hopefully you took full advantage of that summer heat wave that struck.  I actually missed the heat wave in SF because I was down in Santa Monica which was perhaps the only place that was overcast on July 3rd.  Boo for me.  Now back in SF, I’m waiting for the next day that tops 80 so that I can wear some SHORTS.   I don’t love shorts, but to me they translate to summer and hot.  And I do love those things.  So, even though shorts can be tricky, they make still me happy.

Below are some perennial favorite looks utilizing shorts.  A simple white pair of shorts screams SUMMER and these uber sexy, high waisted pair from H&M really do the trick.  I like the deep red top pictured with these, but consider pairing them with a bright green or blue top.  Think about it.  And just TRY not to add a a hammock and a popsicle to the picture.

Additionally, every time I am packing for a warm destination- I can’t resist throwing in a shorts with a great print to them.  I have a pair from J.Crew from years ago that have this insane vintage batik print to them in calypso colors and because of all the colors in them I can consistently pair them with the season’s current color trend.  Fab!   I passed the Lucky store on Chestnut the other day and saw my shorts long lost twin!  They call them the Dispatcher Vintage Print short – see them here: http://bit.ly/q2fB4R.  Mine have more vibrant colors- but still a doppleganger.   Additionally, I love these African tribal print shorts featured recently in Lucky magazine.  (ha- no relation to the store…)  See how versatile that print can be?

Other tips for shorts:

• Add long pieces of jewelry to elongate the body

• Add high heels if you want to dress them up

• And adding a jacket or cardigan will further complete your look.

HAPPY SUMMER!!

Designer Louisa Parris, like me, has great taste in places she likes to call home.  She divides her time between San Francisco and London, and finds that residing in SF helps her focus on designing.  Our local darling keeps it chic and simple yet eloquent by really focusing on color, her light filled Noe Valley apartment helps with inspiration and her new line this year will bring us scarves and hats.  Very Londontown! I might say.  Will Fascinators be on the way??  Only time will tell.

Cheers Louisa!

Check out more of Louisa Parris:  http://www.louisaparris.com