Sandy Dune Running

Here's the third installment of fashion inspired by habitats. This time, it's a Western-inspired desert look! The desert has lots of warm neutrals, so texture is a big part of this look. Get ready to look safari-chic with a snakeskin, leather and silk dress. Keep the sun out of your face and out of your eyes with this leather-accented cowboy hat, which looks great with a pair of interesting cowboy boots. The teal detail on these shoes adds an exciting pop of color. The natural-tone sunglasses and the camel-colored backpack are useful accessories. The golden camel ring pays homage to one of the most iconic inhabitants of the desert. Finally, a spritz of a spicy, oriental-woody scent like Tom Ford's Sahara Noir adds the perfect touch of exotic mystery, evoking the desert sands.

 

 Personally, I'm not a fan of deserts, because I need water and deserts are too dry. However, artistically, they're great because they have a great color scheme. 

 

I really like the fiery sunset.

 Also, the sky is the bluest over the desert. It's also one of the most dramatic landscapes.

What's your favorite landscape and why? Do you like the desert?

Among the Trees

The second outfit from the Into the Wild collection features this amazing tropical-print dress. I didn't even intend to make this a collection until I saw this dress. It was so brilliantly colored and the artsy print was unlike any I have ever seen. So naturally, I had to make an outfit based off of it.

 

So the strappy wedges have that jungle-inspired feel because of the brown leather, earthy colors and the studs on the wedge, which is something I haven't seen before. For some reason they remind me of the monkey kingdom from The Jungle Book. Their neutral color also helps the dress take center-stage.

And when I think of the jungle, I immediately think of monkeys and lemurs. So these quirky monkey earrings are another animal-inspired accessory. After monkeys and lemurs, I think of macaws and toucans. Naturally, I had to include a piece inspired by the colorful birds. So this bright red, gold and diamond bracelet that's shaped like a parrot was the perfect piece. A rustic, jungle-inspired bag like this one from Mar Y Sol picks up on the yellows in the dress and it also has enough neutrals so it doesn't overpower the dress.

 

 Finally, I chose Dot by Marc Jacobs for this outfit because the bottle is so cute! Marc Jacobs generally has exquisite fragrance bottles, and this one is no exception. Its fresh and tropical fragrance notes like dragon fruit, coconut water and vanilla are the finishing touch on this tropics-inspired outfit. 

Which habitat are you most inspired by? Mine would be tied between marine and rain forests. Marine habitats have such great silhouettes, and stream-lined shapes, along with a good mix of sparkle. Rain forests are brimming with color and pattern, which are my two favorite aspects of fashion. I love colorful prints, though I'm not daring enough to sport them as much as I'd like to.

Under The Sea

While I spent three weeks in Bristol, taking a course about whales and estuaries, my instructor always wore the cutest ocean-themed jewelry. She'd have koi fish earrings one day, or a whale-fluke necklace the next. I had some major bauble envy. Unsurprisingly, after that, most of my every day jewelry consists of charms in the shape of animals as well; a giraffe necklace, a horse necklace, and a sea turtle necklace I received from a friend. Lately I've been eyeing this Elsa Peretti x Tiffany's bracelet with a starfish:

Isn't it cute? Just like Patrick Star!

But that's beside the point. So, with the magic of Polyvore, I put together this outfit inspired by marine biology and the sea.

The printed dress was too cute and reminded me of Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. It was a very plain silhouette, but the colorful print helped it stand out from the rest. The shoes by Loeffler Randall are so darn cute! I used the coordinating clutch for my Color Story: Aquamarine post. Their fish-scale texture and ocean-inspired colors make them such a unique piece. I added sea-inspired accessories, like the blue-crab ring and sea horse earrings. Sea-creatures make for great accessory inspiration because they have such elegant, streamlined shapes (most of the time). The Pisces clutch is a great addition and follows the marine color scheme. Lastly, a spritz of an ocean-inspired scent, like the classic Davidoff Cool Water finishes off this sea-worthy look.

Overall, this outfit was really fun to plan. I tend to like themed outfits. Keep on the lookout for more from the Into the Wild collection!

Color Story

Color Story by chichihayari on polyvore.com

Lollapalooza

While listening to this year's lineup, stay Chicago-cool in this outfit, inspired by the sweet beats of Lollapalooza.

Juicy Fruits: Watermelon

Welcome again to another edition of Juicy Fruits! This time, I'm covering the fruit that defines summer: watermelon! They're a really fun, carefree, summery fruit. Apparently, it's a type of berry. 

 

Watermelons are great to draw fashion inspiration from because they have a really great color scheme. Watermelon has mainly two complimentary colors (red and green), which are colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel. Using complimentary colors this way brings out the contrast in both colors so they look really good next to each other. Also, the white section and the black seeds are neutrals that tie the look together even further. 

So, to look as perfectly contrasted as a watermelon, start with this sweet structured, cut-out, polka-dotted crop top. It's fun and the black polka dots look like watermelon seeds. 

 

A cute watermelon-colored miniskirt with a white stripe detail is the perfect compliment. Watermelons, when cut up, have a perfect mixture of round and angular lines, so use a angular skirt (like an A-line) if the top has a round shape (like a sweet-heart). I really like this skirt because it looks cool and sporty, and I always imagine watermelon as a "cool" fruit. Maybe that's just me though! 

 

A pair of earrings that look as if they're practically made out of watermelon seeds add a fun, sophisticated spin on the look. Kelly green suede oxfords complete the look with a little preppy flair. 

 

The trick to not looking like a Christmas tree when wearing red and green together is to vary the tone and shade of the colors. Using primary red and kelly green looks like a Christmas tree, but using a softer, more pink-orange red like watermelon looks like a fun way to mix complimentary colors. 

 

The straw tote is a great way to incorporate all the colors but it's neutral enough so that there isn't too much color going on in the outfit.

 

Finally, there's no better way to smell fresh than by spraying a dash of watermelon-scented perfume. So a perfume with notes of watermelon, white peach, and blackberries, like Kate Spade New York Twirl, is the perfect way to stay cool as a cucumber in the summer. Or the classic scent combination of cucumber and melon.

That's all for watermelon fashion inspiration. Did you know that there are also orange, yellow and even white watermelons? How would you combine the colors in a water-melon inspired outfit? Do you like wearing red and green together?

Juicy Fruits: Cherry

Back again with another "kawaii" fruit: cherries! I was surprised to learn that in the US their season is in June. I thought they were a winter fruit for some reason. I guess I associated their deep red color with that of pomegranates, which are a winter fruit here in the US. Anyway, cherries are by far one of the cutest fruits that I can think of. 

Real cherries don't blush/have faces. But they're so round, and round=cute.

They're popular as prints as well:

Polka-dotted cherries would be cute and hopefully yummy.

And they're used to make the classic, American dessert of cherry pie. Personally, I don't like cherry pie or cooked cherries. I think they're a great summer snack when they're fresh. None of that's the main point, though! They're cute and classic, so they inspired an adorable vintage look.

 

First, start off with a bright cherry-red skirt. Its classic A-line shape harkens back to the era of circle skirts and polka dots. The take on the vintage look is perfection when topped with a crisp tie-front, white sleeveless shirt. The tie-front reminded me of cherry leaves. I added a pair of sweet, peep-toe, red gingham, pumps. The classic American print reminds me of picnics and summer. Carrying a sage-green purse evokes the cherry leaves, and the soft color is a nice compliment to the red and brings the freshness factor of summer. A delicate silver ring with a cherry blossom is the perfect way to accessorize the look. A spritz of a fruity scent like Escada: Cherry in the Air which features notes of black cherry, raspberry and other sweet fruits will definitely brighten up your day. Finally, a bright cherry-red lip is the cherry on top of the cute, cherry-inspired vintage summer look. 

Do you like cherries? What do you think of vintage-inspired outfits? What's your favorite color to wear in the summer?