What We Wore: White Hot Colors.

While searching for inspiration on Vogue, I ran across a feature about fall’s bright and bold color palette. I had just bought these J Brand pants three days before and I must say I felt pretty fashion forward about the purchase.  

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Because the pants had a rip right above the knee they were only $3 (I bought them at Gabriel Brothers).  That’s right….three smackaroos!  You can’t get a soda at the movies for that! Clearly I’m still thrilled about it.  But it was a little but of an outfit-building challenge, since it required a relatively neutral colored top and the pants themselves were so funky to begin with. I was confident in buying them though because they took something that I already love (corduroys) and mixed in an upcoming trend.  This is a really good way to attempt to pull of something edgy, because it won’t take you too far out of your comfort zone.  At the same time, there's a certain undeniably bad ass feeling to wearing an atypical color on something that's typically neutral (such as cords).

Here’s the outfit I put together with the bright pants as the star of the show. Unfortunately my photo doesn’t do justice to their deep teal velvetiness, but I think you will get the gist of it.  The subtle leopard print top was a go-to for me all summer, and the gold studded suede shoes have just recently been recruited to the multitudes of my shoe army.

How do you pull off trends while remaining true to your personal style?

What fall trends are you excited about?

Color me rad,

 

DIY: DIY Round Up

I was totally absent this weekend due to a lovely handmade wedding I went to but I thought for today's DIY I'd do a little round up of somethings I'd like to try:

This amazing sweatshirt turned cardigan found on 

A Pair and A Spare from Heart Charlie

Check that cool necklace too.

This is a great DIY to add to your gym bag or to your casual wear

Totally tubular scarf necklace found here

I have a load of silk scarves that are aching to be worn.  

Hope you had a nice weekend & a wonderful Wednesday!

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Tea Time

Today I've been kinda chilly, so I put on a hoodie and made myself some sweet orange Tazo tea, and I wondered, "Why don't we throw tea parties more often?"
So I went to Polyvore and threw my own!

I love to look feminine sometimes, but if I were to wear flowers and lace and pearls, I'd look like a wedding cake.  I decided to mix in those amazing oxford pumps by Marc Jacobs and a striking, modern cuff to offset the cut and fabric of the dress.  Who doesn't love a vintage pink Chanel basket bag?

If you love tea, think of having a little party to honor that, and an excuse to wear frilly gloves.  To make it into an evening, serve peach iced tea with amaretto or sweet tea vodka.  Delicious, and debutante.

XOXO,
Jenni

Tea Time by est1839 featuring an opaque hosiery

Fashion for Less: Go Pluck Yourself!

Occasionally I consider small ways in which I can cut back my spending, and so far my tactics of not buying coffee on my way to work and trimming my own hair in between cuts have saved me a lot of cash.  Doing your own eyebrows is another way to cut back on routine beauty spending.  Although it’s affordable enough to get them waxed once and then tidy them up around the edges, it is also very simple to do it yourself from square one!

messy hair but good brows....

When I was younger my mom used to coerce me to go get my eyebrows waxed and I begrudgingly obliged.  Then I would just let them get all teen-wolf until she would drag me back to the salon.  I just really did not care.  But as I got older I realized the appeal of having lovely arched brows.  It was an important component to the vintage style I was slowly adopting.  So, I read up on the subject (I think in Seventeen sometime in high school and the beauty section of Border’s) and that knowledge plus my few years of experience is what I offer to you today. 

The most important thing about having beautiful brows is the shape.  This should be determined by the amount of plucking you do to the bottom of the brow.  Generally, I would say to avoid plucking the top other than to tidy it up, or else you’ll end up with a pencil thin line that looks cartoonish.  So how do you determine where to arch, the length, or the width? Well, if you hold up your tweezers (or in my illustration a red crayon) to your eye right at your tear duct and follow the line up, that’s a good place for them to start.  If yours are naturally a little more or less, that’s fine. This is a rough guideline and as long as you’re not into unibrow territory you have some leeway.

 

For the ending point hold the tweezers up to the angle of your lower eyelid like this:

That’s about where they should end. 

Now’s the part you’ve all been waiting for, the arch.  Do a similar move by putting the tweezers at the lower curve of your iris (the colored part of your eye) and that’s where the arch should begin.  Like so:

(Now, if you have a pretty straight across brow with little thinned out hairs on top it is helpful to take some powder and an angled brush and fill in those spaced out hairs to help create the angle you want before the next step.) 

Then carve out a triangle from the bottom to make the arch.  The idea is that the first part should be the thickest and then gradually thin out to the point at the end.  

What I like about this method is that it works on all different types of brows and on all different types of faces.  It doesn't create a uniform shape like some of the at-home waxing kit templates do, rather it allows the unique nature of the brows to remain in a more polished form.  

Soon, I'll post some photos of me putting this plan into action on people other than myself.

pleasant plucking!

Pieces of Me

So Wednesday was a pretty boring day.  I went to work but didn't wear anything exciting because I was running a little late.  It was dress pants & a nice shirt day.  I consider these days lazy because I know I can put together a better outfit I just don't want to.

I thought I'd showcase some pieces of my outfit (read accessories) from Wednesday.

Ring :: Icing

Bracelets :: Claire's & Italy

Shoes :: Rack Room

This ring is one of my new favorites.  I scored it for I think around $4.50 from the clearance rack at Icing.  I love the vintage feel & how big the faux peal is.  Unique shapes & vintage flair draw me to rings like this.

I am known for wearing a lot of bangles.  They are a weakness of mine & I feel I have to snatch them up whenever I see them!  Claire's has a great selection of earth toned ones that I love.  I snatched up my fave set of bangles while working at Claire's.  I was unpacking a box & saw them before we even had a place on the wall for them.  I ended up buying them the same day!  I always wear one or two of them, in this case its the one second from the bottom with the green, gold, & white.  The teal one was bought on a trip to the junk shop & the others were purchased at a street market in Italy.  

These shoes are my fave summer shoes.  I love the stud detailing I the strap on the back.  They are perfect or work or for play.  Wearing them today though reminded me that Summer is almost out the door.  I really can't wait for this fall weather!  I also want to say that I've been wearing toe rings since about 8th grade.  I recently changed one that said Princess on it to one with an anchor.  I just don't think a toe ring that prissy belongs on me any more.  I wear them all the time, throughout the winter, never taking them off.  My toes look so funny with out them.  I can't imagine taking them off!

I want it to cool down so I can start to wear my boots...but I want it to stay a little warm because I just bought some short 'bike short' leggings with lace around them from Forever21.  I've been looking forever & am so glad I found some even though it might get a bit too chilly!

What are your fave bits & pieces of your outfits?

Have you ever searched high & low for an item of clothing?

Inspiration: Sizzlin' Southwestern Style

Sizzlin' Southwest Style by est1839 featuring pendant necklaces

I love this take on western style that incorporates navajo patterns muted natural colors.  It's totally different from the typical western prairie look, and those geometric patterns get me every time.  The style in general reminds me of the photos of Georgia O'Keeffe after she left New York to paint out west.  

Dreaming of the desert, 

Fashion for Less : Icing on the Cake

If you've ever checked out Five Sixteenths (or the now archived blog Cross My Hooks) you'll know my love affair with Claire's & Icing stems from a long time commitment to working for a girl-conscious business.  I loved working there not only because of this discount *wink* but because of the kids who came in to discover their style.  Now this may sound lame, but I loved how girls would come in & mix and match our styles.  We had loads of inspiration around the store & tons of helpful staff ready & willing to help the girls by earrings, necklaces, & bags to accentuate a style they loved.

It is no surprise then that eventually a post on est. 1839 would feature these stores.  Recently I applied to work back at an Icing store in the new city I moved to.  I am hoping to reschedule an interview soon so I can get back to being on top of the hippest trends this side of awesome.

When I went in the other day, unaware that I wouldn't interview, I have on a super fly 80s inspired outfit complete with biker short leggings & blazer!  I do have a thing for Molly Ringwald-esque fashion.  My hair was doing the perfect hair flip thing & I felt super confident:

I am growing my hair out (if I keep saying it, I'll keep doing it!) & I really want it to have more texture.

My mother has given me her old hot rollers set & I tried it Wednesday,

the curls fell out before lunch :(

So speaking of 80s I am in love with the neon color (or how about Day Glow?) pallet for this summer.  I can't wait to translate it into fall too.  It's weird, but to mean, sometimes neon colors go into jewel tones so I don't feel there is a complete lack of color in the fall.  I've already talked about my love affair with Gray Tights for Fall on Five Sixteenths & neon goes great with gray especially citron & hot pink.  These color pallet I found sum it all up:

citron, hot pink, & gray

black, hot pink, citron, guacamole

The point of this post is to showcase some Fashion for Less right?  Two of these things aren't so on the less side (unless you are payin $8+ for yours) & one is on the alright side.  What are they? Nail Polish! I took a cue from miss Megan & decided to pick up a few to add to my own collection!

Icing Chip Resistant Neon Yellow & Crackle in Hot Pink, $4.50 each

NYC Gray, ~$2

I know summer is on it's way out but I really want to keep the neon trend into the fall so I thought about purchasing some knock-out neon nail color & a bottle of a gorgeous gray.  

the neon pink is crackle & the neon yellow is chip resistant.  I have to say it stays true to its word too!  I few coats are required to get the grand neon pop, (and make sure you wait long enough for it to dry!) but otherwise you will be totally satisfied with no chip nails. I wore this for about a week & goodness gracious no chips!

When using the crackle, make sure you have a top coat! It feels kinda weird to the touch, like it will just rub off.  I didn't test it!  If you want a lot of cracks, use a thin coat.  More thicker cracks? A thick coat is your friend.  For fun, blow on it right after you've applied the crackle, you'll see it break!

Did you dig this summer trend?

How will you carry it on into the fall?

ps. did you know you can follow us on twitter? Est. 1839 tweets all the time!!

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DIY: Change Your Clothes

So, I have this dress. I got it for $4 at Ross, and because it was such a good deal (and my size), I couldn't pass it up. I like the graceful, flowery print, and the fit was unexpected on a simple sundress.  But I didn't love the neckline. 

It was so boxy, and square, and changed the otherwise interesting fit of the garment.  I'm not really interested in cleavage, but it needed something.  So I changed it to a sweetheart neckline.

Step 1: Spread your garment on a flat surface, face up, and decide where you want to make a change.  I simply pulled the points in until they formed obtuse triangles (I think) and gently marked the corners with dots inside the folds.

Step 2: Thread your needle.  Carefully.  I used only about six inches of thread, and doubled it, so that it would be stronger.  And easier to hold when knotting the thread.  Match up your marked points, then insert the needle, pulling your doubled thread through to the point where you can make another stitch.  Continue sewing up to the seam, then repeat on other side.  

(Note: I had to move to the other side of the garment, since I can't do diddly with my left hand, apparently.)

Step 3: You're as close to done as I got for today, though I may come back and embellish with some buttons.  If you choose to do this, studs work nicely on little frilly dresses.

So, now what do you do?  Why, reinterpret Alice in Wonderland, of course!

Dress: Ross; bow: Forever 21, tights: DKNY, amazing shoes: Poetic License (at Gabe's), jewelry: Betsey Johnson (Nordstrom Rack)

Artwork: Urban Outfitters

Little quirks like this make your clothes look and feel tailored and expensive.  Yes, I'll have to hand-wash this now, but it's worth the wear.  Do you have any awesome projects in the works?

XOXO,
Jenni

We love today: A Taste of Your Own Medicine.

pepto nicki emma

It may seem like I’m talking about the sweet taste of revenge, but actually I’m referring to a trendy summer color palette for makeup and accessories that I have nicknamed “medicinal mod”.  Recently I have been noticing starlets sporting mint green, pepto-bismol pink, and bright yellow in subtle spots such as nails, lip color, and eyeshadow.  I think this is a pretty, yet daring trend and thanks to the popularity of this look it’s easy to find these beauty products for pennies at the drugstore.

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What thematic color palettes are you drawn to?  And whose styles inspire you?

Until next time, friends!

Monday Inspiration: Blushing Bride

So the days draw nearer & nearer to my room mate's wedding and I may be just as excited as she is.  I can't wait to wear my beautiful bridesmaid's dress, I can't wait to give my maid of honor speech, I can't wait to see their big ol smiles, I just can't wait for them to finally be married! Hooray!!

This inspiration board is based on a pink color pallet I made.  Blushing Bride is a bit of nude, light pinks, & something blue!

blushing bride by fivesixteenthsblog featuring long rings

Old world charm, Something borrowed, & Something blue!

My room mate's something old is her grandmother's necklace & earrings:

Her something borrowed is the knife set & champagne glasses from my mother & her something blue is her garter.

Megan mentioned on her blog Freckled Italian that she has been to a few weddings this summer.  I have my room mate's & then one of my room mate's from college in September.  I guess it's that time for people getting hitched!

I can not wait!

Are any of your friends tying the knot?

Do you have any parties to prepare for?

DIY: Altered States

I love that Moe decided to discuss the topic of men’s clothing (and the sublime style that can stem from it for both sexes).  I have often felt that it was unfair that women can borrow a masculine aesthetic, but it’s not really accepted for men to borrow more feminine looks (just for the record I think it is fine, guys).  So when I see a gentlemen that clearly has put thought, interest, and originality into dressing himself I can’t help wanting to shake his hand and make his acquaintance.  It is a lot more difficult for guys to be visually interesting in clothing because they have so many fewer options.  So kudos to the men in Moe’s post!  And to all you Dapper Dans out there, I salute you!

If you are like me and occasionally want to go the whole ten yards and wear men’s clothing (as opposed to men’s wear inspired pieces made for ladies), you might be left desiring a more flattering fit for your female figure.  It’s simple enough to belt an oversized shirt and roll up the sleeves to turn a dress shirt into a shirt-dress.  But what about the endlessly alluring blazer?  The one I inherited (from my great-aunt, actually) was large and very masculine looking. 

I loved the broad shoulders, but hated the lack of a waist it created on my rather short frame.  The best solution I came up with for re-purposing the loose jacket was to remove the second button and re-sew it higher and to the left so that it nipped in at the waist.  The overlap created by this covers the old button and lends a quirky edge to what was, in my opinion, a rather librarian-esque jacket.  And not in a good way.

You can easily pick up an old men’s coat from a thrift store and make it slightly more feminine and flattering with a repair that takes less than 10 minutes.  It’s the perfect time for year, because the winter clothes from last year might still be marked down and there’s still plenty of time to pick out an interesting button.

What other simple alterations do you make to thrift picks to make them your own? If you have any other tips or tricks let us know.  We can't wait to hear from you!

inexpensively yours, 

We Love Today: Men (& Menswear) We'd Melt For

I know at least one other est. 1839 blogger (shhh...it's Amy!) will agree with me when I say that is is one actor I go gaga for. Matthew Gray Gubler. I don't deny it...I don't. (Ok, so I am a little embarrassed) But after talking with Amy about loving men's fashion the other day I thought I'd do a Men We'd Melt For post on the blog.

The others may not melt, but I sure do:

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Matthew Gray Gubler

Adrien Brody

oh, my beating heart. 

quick hand me my smelling salts I may faint!

And the thing I like about men's clothing is the same thing I like about women's clothing:

layers, blazers, scarves, straight legged trousers.

I am also all about androgyny.  Is that weird?

I like styles that can be both male & female because I believe ladies can look dapper too.

:)

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There is just something about a man looking so fly & stylish.

I wish I could find me one like that!

The great thing about men's fashion is how it translates to women's fashion.

(and vice versa!)

Like I said, we all can look just as dapper:

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Do you like your man to look extra spiffy?

Do you pull off any dapper looks?

Polyvore Dreaming

Sometimes, when I get on Polyvore, my favorite thing to do is to find and choose the most expensive items and make a decadent outfit with a price tag to match. I usually do a pretty good job. I've found that my shopping habits have really benefited from my new hobby--spending imaginary money is better than going into debt for real, right?

So anyway, I found this skirt for 898 pounds (I think that's like 1400+ American dollars) and it was on.

Fancy Weekend by est1839

If I had all the money in the world, I'd totally wear leopard-print Dolce & Gabanna corsets to Sunday brunch. What about you?

Fashionably yours,

What We Wore: Job Interview!

What We Wore: Job Interview! by est1839 featuring leather shoes

So, today I went to DC to apply for the position of Objects Conservation Technician at the National Gallery of Art.  I'm not sure if I'll get it, because there were a lot of applicants.  However, I feel pretty good about it and I am sure that I made a good impression with my professional prowess in style as well as with my laboriously crafted portfolio.  I wore black pinstriped pants, a sheer ivory blouse, and black wedges.  The wedges (from Target) were commanding yet comfortable, and my shirt was breezy enough to keep me cool as I briskly walked down the National Mall.  What are some of your favorite professional pieces?  And how do you deal with the heat of the summer despite the need to stay covered?  We'd love to hear from you!
here's hoping!
Amy

We Love Today: Maxi-mum Appeal!

I love to wear skirts & dresses in the summer.  I think they add a bit of carefree & look at me I'm happy kind of feel to your style.  I have a few maxi skirts & love to wear them.

Sometimes they are a hassle (tripping up stairs, sitting weird where they get pulled down a bit, etc) but most of the time they add a bit of feminine to a conservative look.

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I like them too because you can wear them work or casual style.

Sexy & sleek.

Count on it I am wearing a Maxi Skirt today!

What are you loving today?