Unique New York

I just got back from my quick vacation to New York City and it was amazing!!! I went with my adorable roommate from last year, Ali, and we visited her sister and brother-in-law. They were so sweet for letting us crash on their couches and tour the city. I fell in love with the fast paced life and how different it was from Arizona. During our trip we took lots of pictures for me to post on the blog. For this post I just wanted to show some pictures from our daily outfits. Let me know what you think and keep checking for more posts!

P.S A special shoutout to Ali and Anna for helping me with pictures and modeling for my blog. Love you girls with all my heart

xoxo Audree Kate

floral top with the DIY lace jeans on my blog and yellow sandals and purse

 

coral top with green belt

A loose sheer color button up can be worn all year around

Cute jeweled sandals can add sparkle to any outfit and will match most colors

color blocking

Marc Jacobs Watch and Purse

lighten up a dark top and bottom pair with a lighter belt and jewelry

bright high to low skirts with neutral shirts and sandals and

 to keep the outfit balanced, wear chunky jewelry

classic white tee with a flowy sweater cardigan and printed scarf is casual chic yet super comfy

Jean on jean is the newest trend- but to make sure it's not 'too 90's' keep the jeans of different shades (dark pants with a light button up)

colorful pants and printed scarfs are always a DO

A light knitted sweater will keep you warm in the beach breeze

lace shirt over a swimsuit bandeau 

sheer button up with ripped shorts for a beachy cool look

Fedoras, sunglasses and big earrings are a must at the beach this summer

colorful lips can make your outfit more dramatic for the night

Soho Ready with our glasses

I mixed prints of the heart shirt and chevron yellow skirt. It was balanced out with neutral accessories (bow belt and bow sandals) but a pop of color with the chunky necklace 

(color blocking anyone?!)

vertical strips lengthens your torso when paired with high waisted cut offs. 

I also placed a chunky gold necklace under the collor

Ali's newest favorite color is this lime green (It looks amazing with her skin tone)

she finally found the perfect shirt from Forever 21!

Lace Trim Jean Shorts

If you are a Pinterest fanatic like I am, you have definitely seen the craze about lace trim on jean shorts! It is an easy DIY and I decided to check it out when I recently needed a quick fix on a pair of shorts that were too short, ripped and just didn't fit right anymore. Instead of tossing them, I bought some white lace ruffle trim at Walmart for a couple bucks and sewed them to the edge of my shorts for some extra length and then patched up a hole by sewing a piece of white fabric underneath. It was super easy and now I feel like I have a brand new pair of shorts that I would of easily paid a lot of money for.

I have been in New York for the past week and haven't had much time to post but, no worries, I've been taking lots of pictures for fashion lessons and scoping out the hottest fashions in the big city. Can't wait to post more this coming week! So until then, check out my photo tutorial on Facebook, and please follow my Pinterest and re-pin my 'Simply Audree' photos :)

xo Audree Kate


here are a couple pics of me wearing the shorts while in New York
(and yes I know I'm wearing the same floral top from my color blocking lesson... don't judge)

 My adorable friend Ali and myself in Central Park

Times Square!!

Color Blocking 101

Some friends recently asked me about the basics of color blocking. For those who do not know what color blocking it is, its a trend that exploded on the runways in Spring 2011 with bright colors, playfulness, and a touch of abstract design. It's impossible to ignore the obnoxiously loud colors in retail stores now-a-days but personally it makes me happy. I love color; especially accenting a basic outfit with a vibrant pair of shoes or jewelry. Here are some basic tips for color blocking:

1. accessorize: if you are the person who loves your neutrals and just blending in to the crowd, start simple by accessorizing with bright jewelry, bags or shoes.
2. cheat: purchase color-blocked blouses or dresses- you will look like a pure fashion guru without much effort. Be sure to pick one out that flatters your figure, skin tone and personal style.
3. Pair similar shades: Pairing similar shades (royal blue, baby blue and turquoise) or similar tones (red and orange) will compliment each other nicely 
      * Warm tones together and cool tones together
4. Opposites attract: If you look at a color wheel, you will see that opposite colors and shades are commonly used for color blocking (yellow & purple and orange & blue). Also, pairing a bright hue with a simple hue is an easy way to color block 
     * Neon or primary colors pair great with pastels and earth/ nude tones


Still having a difficultly finding what to pair with what? Here are a few combinations that go great together:
- royal blue, yellow, orange
- coral, turquoise, gold
- purple, bright blue, teal
- deep blue, bright pink, white
- brown, pink, peach
- coral, grey, ivory
- purple, pink, turquoise 


On the web, I found great tips for using the color wheel while planning color blocked outfits:
- Analogous colors: any three colors lined up on the color wheel 
  (e.g. violet, violet-red & red)
- Complementary colors: any colors directly across from each other
  (e.g. blue & orange)
- Pair colors that form 90 degree angles with each other 
  (e.g. yellow & red -orange)
- Pair colors that form an X (e.g. blue, orange, violet-red & yellow etc.)
- Pair colors that form a T (e.g. yellow, blue-green & red-orange)
- Color-families You can substitute pink (tint) with red and still be able to pull off the combos based on the color wheel.
 (http://talknerdy2me.org/color-blocking-101)



Here a couple photos of some color blocking

outfit one:
floral blouse with shades of pink, yellow and orange and paired with cobalt blue trousers ( both thrift), Steve Madden nude wedges (Last Chance), nude clutch (thrift, coral clutch (Avon), light pink bracelet (H&M), light brown belt (Target)

I used nude accents and light jewelry to tone down the floral top and bright pants but if you want to add a 'pop', use a bright oversized clutch


outfit two: 
 rose pink blouse (thrift), lavender skinny jeans (PacSun), brown biker boots (Journeys), Chunky turquoise necklace (gift), teal statement ring (H&M), nude clutch (clutch from #1)

I used neutral accents once again in this outfit. Both the shirt and pants are pastel so they aren't too overpowering as a combination. The turquoise jewelry off sets the pastels for a pop of color.

  

I hope you enjoyed and let me know what you think or if you have any tips for color blocking 

xoxo Audree

  

DIY: Black Maxi Skirt

     Maxi dresses and skirts have made their mark in fashion over the past couple years. When I first heard of this trend I wanted to leave these floor length dresses to my unfashionable math teacher in high school. They didn't excite me simply because they covered too much and I thought I was "too short" for one. I slowly came to peace with maxis when I saw more and more people wearing them.
      The right maxi dress or skirt can make anyone look effortlessly beautiful. I have been on a mad hunt for a perfect maxi that is still cheap. I never seem to fall in love with the maxi dresses but about a week ago during one of my thrift shopping adventures I found a few maxi skirts! Some of them were rather large on me, but I knew that was no barrier for me and my sewing machine. I picked up 4 skirts and got to work. I first decided to alter this black skirt. Its simple and can go with just about anything in your closet. Although I made the skirt slimming to my body so it wouldn't overpower my body, with wrong accessorizing it can become a fashion disaster. To balance out a maxi skirt I paired it with a simple tank top, statement necklace, and black gladiator sandals. Check out my tutorial on facebook . I hope you enjoy your weekend and let me know what you think of maxis.


xoxo Audree Kate

DIY- Pink Cuffed High Waisted Shorts

Oh the wonderful things about pink, bows and high waisted things.. and you know what is even better? When they are all combined into one! On my facebook page, I just posted a photo editorial how to make pink high waisted shorts. These are another quarter find at a thrift shop and and converted these hideous 80's mom shorts into something that any girl would love to wear for a date night, internship or even coffee with the girls. They are very easy and only required scissors and a sewing machine for a few stitches.. but remember- if you don't have a sewing machine, no fear! please just use the iron- on adhesive for the cuffs and bow belt. This is a great alternative if you don't have access to a sewing machine, hate them or just don't know how to sew. Take a look and let me know what you think!

xoxo Audree Kate

Thrifting

Personally, thrift stores are one of my weaknesses. Although most people would never step a foot in a thrift store, I always walk out with a smile on my face and money still in my pocket. Now don't get me wrong... I love to shop at the malls or boutiques but dropping hundreds of dollars on a wardrobe is not plausible in my mind. With shopping from clearance racks and second-hand, I have been able to multiply my wardrobe by a great amout at a very minimal price. Now for all you designer fiends, don't misinterpret my consignment quirk for looking unfashionable or cheap- I will never buy something that I don't think I can make something into 'Audree Acceptable'. Sometimes thrift stores are a miss, I leave thinking.. "gross why would anyone buy this crap" but sometimes there are little angels singing "hallelujah" when I score a sweet outfit.

Secondhand shopping has become more and more popular through the years. Consignment shops are more common since the items are only slightly used and the stores are nicer. For example, Buffalo Exchange, Nordstrom Rack, Last Chance, My Sister's Closet, etc (if you haven't checked out these places I would highly recommend it! They are awesome)  but thrift stores can be different; most of the time they are like Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. My favorite in my hometown is DAV (Disabled American Veterans). All the kids in my high school would shop there for spirit days or halloween costumes and eventually I actually started finding everyday clothes there. Some of my best finds there have been my business blazers, pencil skirts, and high waisted jean shorts. 

This week I went to the DAV twice and left with over 20 items for $5.50- can you beat that?! Please keep around as I post pictures of my DIYs this week of thrifting finds!

xo Audree