Outfit: Shades of Wine

Blazer: Threadsence, Blouse: Piperlime, Pant: Forever 21, Shoes: Shoemint, Earrings: Kate Spade, Ring: House of Harlow 1969, Bag: Creatively Yours (purse party)

I love these burgundy plazzo pants. I decided to keep everything in the colors of wine this day as I paired them with a blush shoe, cream top, pink blazer, rose gold ring, and maroon lip. I felt very ready for a meeting but I was actually going on a date. At dinner I ditched the blazer and it felt more dinner appropriate. ;)
My hair was super easy. I braided pig tails and then secured them on top of my head. Took all of 5 mins and I actually had 4 different girls come up to me and ask what I had done.
After dinner the hubs and I went shopping. The only person who LOVES to shop as much as me is Ryan. Just another thing to add to the list of what I love about him! ;) While shopping I FINALLY found my second coat! (I've been looking for a second coat since Sept!) More on that coming soon....

Outfit: Prepping it up a bit

Sweater and Bracelet: Forever 21, Top: Target, Jeans: Gap, Shoes: Shoemint, Necklace: Jewelmint, Gold band ring: Kohls

In an effort to get more mileage out of my wardrobe I decided to layer my tops. This look was perfect for everyday (yes, I ran errands and shopping in 6 inch heels) and I felt very put together while doing it. ;)
What do you guys think? Do you ever layer a great button up under your knits?

Top 12 outfit posts of 2011

Here are my favorite 12 outfits of the year! Why 12? Well, when I looked over the 118 outfit posts from 2011, these 12 just stood out to me. ;) Enjoy!







What do you think? I think all in all it was a great outfit year! ;)

ABC Family/Jane by Design Challenge #5 - Day to Night

Yay! I've made it to the next round -- and I'm so glad too; this next one was probably my favorite so far since it was more of my thing. Having experienced busy days & learning how to quick-change for multiple events in a short amount of time in addition to commuting definitely helped influence my looks.

Task #5: Take the white shirt out of your trunk (if you're just catching up, ABC Family/Jane by Design sent us a big trunk full of items which are to be used for these challenges & participants get challenges sent to us by email twice a week, that is if we make it to the next round!) and put it on your dress form. Using accessories from your own collection (or anything else you can think of), show how you would style the shirt for a day at the office. Then, change the look entirely and show me how you would style the same shirt for a dressy cocktail party. Post photos of both styles to your blog, and write an entry explaining what you did to create each look. Ask your readers to share their day-to-night styling tips here and mention the name of your blog.

Click on images to enlarge

Here is my look for a day at the office. I paired with a black cardigan, a printed high-waisted pencil skirt, and coral heels (which aren't so high so it's still comfortable) along with a beautiful cocktail ring and a chunky necklace. The outfit is still fun but still business appropriate. I picked that big peach ombre bag because it compliments the outfit and it's the perfect size to carry essentials... and even some extra pieces to change into for a great cocktail party after work!

Click on images to enlarge

I ditched the cardigan and rolled up the sleeves. I changed the printed high-waisted pencil skirt into a cute sparkly mini and exchanged the chunky necklace for a fabulous pair of cluster earrings. I kept the cocktail ring, but decided to go for this stunning black clutch. For the shoes, I went just a bit higher with these wonderful color-block heels - definitely added some color to the look. And a swipe of lipstick always make a difference!

Voilà! A day-to-night transformation in less than 5 minutes. :)

P.S. Here's another exclusive clip from Jane by Design, which will premiere on Jan 3 on ABC Family!

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Share with me & Jane by Design what YOUR own day-to-night styling tips are here & remember to mention Audrey Allure! Remember, help me get to the end & I have the chance to pick one of YOU to be Trendsetter of the Week on ABC Family!

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Handbag Heaven

pictures taken by Pranesh Barua

cardigan -- Express // snakeskin-printed shirt -- Express // skirt -- Go Jane
boots -- Go Jane // tights -- ?? // necklace -- Rachel Roy
handbag -- Handbag Heaven

I had the delightful opportunity to review this lovely handbag from Handbag Heaven. Okay, so I may have one too many satchels but I just can't resist this type of bag! It was actually bigger & roomier than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. I also chose it in navy instead of black because I felt it gave it a more modern feel to it, and it still goes with pretty much everything!

snakeskin-printed shirt -- Express // jeggings -- Forever 21
boots -- Go Jane // necklace -- Rachel Roy // handbag -- Handbag Heaven

So for a more casual look, I swapped my heeled boots for a more comfortable pair & my skirt for some jeggings. The first outfit was what I actually wore to the Assembled Conference earlier this month. This second outfit is what I wore recently, just having a relaxing weekend at home (finally done with classes for the semester!). Without realizing it, I wore the same Rachel Roy necklace - totally loving it since I received it to wear for Lucky Shops. Anyway, the bag still came in handy for anything I needed. It actually has two compartments when you open it with a zip pocket inside along with two other small pockets for your phone/keys/misc. It also has a zip pocket on the outside on the back -- definitely one of my favorite features on a handbag to grab something easily.

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Oh the weather outside is weather...

Top hand-me-down, Faux Fur vest Charlotte Russe, Jean jacket Vintage, Cargo pants c/o Katrina, clogs Jessica Simpson, Necklace Jewelmint, Earrings Kate Spade, Ring Lia Sophia

It's getting darn cold out her in the Chicago suburbs. Time for layers!! Last time I wore this vest, I wore it as a jacket. This time, I needed to add a thin jacket to it.
I had lots of errands to run and this look did the trick on this 45 degree day. I layered a top, the faux fur vest, and a jean jacket on top and paired them with my green cargo pants. It was such a simple outfit, but it felt chic and put together even though I was out the door in 10 mins flat!

A Take on Menswear - FTF Blog Event 8/17

This month's Full Time Fabulous blog event is about inspiration. With such a wide range, I admit I was stuck. I decided to look into my closet to see if I could find an idea. While I was at it, I started reorganizing my clothes when I found my old vest. I've only worn it a couple of times in high school & I've forget about it since.

image from Fashion Fame

Well, lately, I've been inspired by some menswear looks - especially now that it's getting closer to autumn, it seems like the perfect time to blend in some menswear pieces into my wardrobe. I'm loving the look of using menswear inspired pieces & mixing them with feminine touches. So I decided to roll with that idea for my outfit - though I dressed it down a bit since I was just going to the movies that night.

cardigan/hoodie - American Eagle / white t-shirt - Target /

vest - Urban Outfitters / jeans - Express / nude Oxford booties - Lulu's

bag - Aldo / pink feather earrings - Aldo

Summer - FTF Blog Event 7/13

So this month's Full Time Fabulous theme was about the beach. Well, I didn't really have the time to go to the beach so I visited Douglaston's private residential area nearby at the Manor Bay lookout point. It's peaceful, has rocks, some sand, and a beautiful view of the Little Neck Bay - I guess you can say it's pretty beachlike.

But this would've been my beach attire as well. Not only a comfortable outfit, but a great beach coverup look as well. Of course, a huge tote bag would be essential for holding all my things :)

hat -- H&M sheer circle top -- Express sheer maxi skirt -- Shopbop [Free People]
bikini top -- H&M tote bag -- Rebecca Minkoff

Primary Colors - FTF Blog Event 6/8

For this month's Full Time Fabulous blog event, we had to form our post around a spring/summer trend. I incorporated about 3 of them into my outfit.

I attempted color blocking with bright colors with my bright blue skinny jeans, golden yellow top, and red clutch/wallet. Feathers have been everywhere as well, and so I wore my white feather earrings. Lastly, I love lace - all year round! I just layered my white lace tank top over my yellow one, and I completed my look with nude booties.

Images from Style

white lace top - Rampage; feather earrings - Equip; blue skinny jeans - Strawberry; yellow tanktop - H&M; nude booties - GoJane; red clutch/wallet - Mango

Stay tuned for my Australia Trip Part 2: Gold Coast post tomorrow! :)