Living In Color

One of my co-workers said to me today, "you wear color really well!"  I assumed she meant this as a compliment, meaning "I love the bright and vibrant colors you wear every day".  The fact of the matter is, I love to wear colorful clothing, lipstick, nail polish, accessories, etc.  One of the easiest ways to change your mood and mindset is simply by changing the colors you choose to wear.   For example, red, orange, and yellow have been shown to evoke a broad range of strong emotions, while colors like blue, purple and green can have a calming effect.

If you're drawn to wearing basic neutrals day in and day out, you may be apprehensive about adding brighter colors to your wardrobe. Don't get me wrong, I love a classic neutral look and often opt for this simple and classy style.  However, if you want to add more color to your life, it’s not hard to work a broad range of shades into your wardrobe via accessories and see an effect. Even a strategic addition of colorful accents can help you self-soothe, or feel more powerful and confident.

A good way to get started for a color "newbie" is to begin with a neutral base.  My favorite neutral base options include a comfortable pair of black leggings, distressed denim, white skinny jeans, black shorts, and/or a blue denim skirt,  These neutral base options can be worn with any color and I consider them part of my closet staples.  

Once you have selected your neutral base, the sky is the limit with color!  In the summertime, I like to wear bright bold colors and neon such as this fun geometric print sleeveless top.  I love the crochet trim detail and the longer length is perfect to wear with leggings.  In the fall, my color wardrobe generally switches to warmer hues inspired by nature...mustard yellow, cranberry, rust, orange...the changing leaves of autumn.  In the wintertime, I prefer beautiful jewel tones such as red, electric blue, hot pink, purple, etc.  Last but not least, spring is a great time to break out soft pastels,,,blush pink, soft yellow, lavender, and baby blue, to name a few.

Keep in mind, your neutral base can also be what you wear on top.  A crisp white blouse, a black peplum top, or a chambray button up are great options when you're looking to wear a pair of colorful printed shorts, pants, skirts, and/or colored denim.  

Once you have overcome the fear of adding more color to your wardrobe, you'll be ready to graduate to the next level and begin color mixing and accessorizing.  I have a few tried a true color mix favorites that I would love to share in a future post!  Until then...

Live Colorfully,

Hayley

(all photos shot by @sawdeyphotography)

SHOP:

Red Floral Dress

We had some glimpses of warm spring weather over the last week here in the San Francisco Bay Area and I love any opportunity I can get to throw on a dress and go bare legs!  This red floral fit and flare dress by Calvin Klein fit the bill perfectly for our day out visiting the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.  

Museum History:

The Cantor Arts Center's diverse collections span continents, cultures, and 5,000 years of art history and include one of the largest presentations of Rodin bronzes outside Paris.  It first opened its doors to the public in 1894 and was known as the "Leland Stanford Junior Museum".  Privately founded by the Stanford family, the museum exhibited a general collection of art from around the globe.  By the turn of the century, it was the largest privately-owned museum in the world.  The building itself is an architectural tour de force with a rich history of growth, success, and devastating setbacks caused by the catastrophic San Francisco earthquakes of 1906 and 1989.  The earthquakes caused irreparable damage to many of the art collections and the museum was badly damaged in both events causing it to periodically close down to the public.

Today, the museum is thriving, reconstructed, and revitalized thanks to art enthusiasts in the surrounding community, volunteers, and the dedication of Stanford University faculty and staff.  In 1999, it reopened as the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts.  If you’re planning a visit to the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoy visual art, I would highly suggest adding this to your list of things to do.  The admission is free and the art collections are magnificent.

As you may know, I am a big fan of Calvin Klein dresses.  I recently wore a few other CK dresses in these posts here, here, and here.   I picked out this dress back in November and thought it would be perfect for the holidays.  I love the fit and flare sleeveless style which is extremely versatile for all seasons.  The trick is to add layers in the winter, such as tights and a trench coat.  In the warmer months of spring you can wear it alone with a cute pair of sandals or heels like I did for this particular warm day.  I kept my accessories to a minimum bringing along my black leather Kate Spade handbag  found here and wearing my favorite black bow heels. I have my eyes on a few other Calvin Klein dresses for spring.  I currently have these ones in my shopping cart here, here, and here.

I hope you all enjoyed the President’s Day holiday and were able to get out and do something interesting or fun!  There are so many places to visit in our local area so I am trying to make it a point to get out with the family and explore as much as possible!

Xoxoxo,

Hayley    

SHOP:

Inspired Style

I seek style inspiration from many places…film and television personalities, Pinterest, fashion designers, magazines, celebrities, bloggers, models, and Instagram friends to name a few.  Sometimes I like to participate in style challenges on Instagram with some of my friends.  It’s a great way to connect with other stylenistas and forces you to be more creative with your wardrobe and outfits each day! 

This past week, I participated in #shannonsastylechallenge46 and the theme was “inspired style”.  Who do you look to for fashion inspiration?  Do you pin it and spin it?  I love to participate in style challenges because I generally end up wearing things that have been in the back of my closet for a while.  It’s a great way to reuse and recycle old pieces and add in some new pieces to complete a fun “pinspired” overall look!  It’s definitely a great way to save money too! 

I thought I would share a few of my style inspiration posts below   I hope you will join in on some style challenges with us!  Its fun and you will make a lot of new friends in the process!

xoxoxo,

Hayley

Friday's look was inspired by the talented & sweet miss@reesewitherspoon ❤️ I adore her personality & style which exudes all kinds of southern charm!  

Hayley's dress c/o Karina Dresses

This style inspiration post comes from thee beautiful and sophisticated@oliviapalermo 💗 I love her east coast style!  I switched out the denim shorts for a skirt and I love her cute ruffled cardi but used my pink faux fur vest instead! 

Olive this! @emilyanngemma is one of my favorite fashion bloggers!  I adore her casual chic style and of course her gorgeous brunette locks!!