FOCAL POINT STYLING: stripes

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Fall Wardrobing & Window Shopping

Yes there are magazines. And yes there is Pinterest - But sometimes just a stroll thru your local mall can spark inspiration for change for a new season. After a meeting I had yesterday, I did just that - I went old school "window-shopping" at a nearby mall (Chandler Fashion Center). The magazines usually feature the top of the line, on-trend or key item pieces for a season (especially in their September issues) and Pinterest is a good source for pulling together your look or a style, but neither one allows you to try it before you buy it. And in some cases, the look you're drawn to may be out of your budget. Window shopping your favorite specialty stores can help narrow your focus and refresh your personal look - You can get ideas of what the magazine trends and pins look like in real life. Stores like The Limited, Banana Republic and Ann Taylor are now featuring some of Fall's hottest trends and classic looks: Leopard, plaid, denim, stripes, and gold - and in some cases, a combination of them are used together...

Window Shopping...

Tortoise + Gold + Leopard

Lovely Leopard at Ann Taylor

Leopard + Houndstooth + Brass Details

Camel + Black | Leopard + Stripes

Purple + Leopard + Gold

Purple is another hot color for Fall...

Tribal prints!

A tribal print maxi at The Limited..

Fantastic Fall transitional piece: Just layer with a black blazer!

Plaid jackets + Denim at The Limited

Red plaid (Hello 80's & 90's!) for the younger crowd at H&M

Leopard & Crimson

Never mind boogie fever - It's British fever that's going around!

(New Line at Banana Republic from Isse)

Leopard + stripes! Love the combo.

(Great inspiration for home decor too!)

Leopard is so hot this Fall - it can even be spotted at Pottery Barn!

(Great storage boxes to store your Fall jewelry!)

Leopard and dark denim - Love!

Since we're nearing Summer's end, I did an unexpected quick revamp of my closet when I got home - pulling out and putting away Summer whites until next year. I also tried on what maxis, skirts, tops, and jackets I didn't wear this past Summer (and that also no longer fit right) and pulled together another thirty items I'll be taking to consignment. Perfect timing because even consignment stores are getting ready for Fall. One consignment store in particular - My Sister's Closet - will be having their #FallUnveiling Saturday August 24.

For the past three weeks of August, My Sister's Closet has been holding their bi-annual Progressive Sale to get the Summer goods out of stock and make space to refresh the floor with all the Fall goods they've been collecting. (I absolutely LOVE this store merchandising concept for consignment!) If you've been inspired by the magazines & Pinterest - And you've taken a window shopping tour of your local mall - But you're on a small budget: Fear not! Just make a shopping list and be sure to hit the consignment (or even thrift stores) for phenomenal savings for your Fall wardrobe updates. Clearing out your closet before you go will not only empty hangers for fresh finds - you'll earn a little money to put towards your new finds and save even MORE!

70%off Progressive Sale - Fall Transition Finds

Some Fall transitional finds can even be picked up at end off season clearance events happening in stores now. Just have your list ready, know before you go, and take the time to try on your finds. It's early enough to find newness, styles and fits for your lifestyle. Other Fall trends are camo (camouflage) and studs (makes sense: nailhead trim is hot in home decor). After you've shopped til' ya dropped - It will be time to refresh your home for fall too - Just let your wardrobe be your guide!

Here are the hot color trends for Fall from Pantone...

What Fall colors and wardrobe trends are you drawn to?

Happy Fall Wardrobing!

Thanks for stopping by

LYNDA QUINTERO-DAVIDS

Hello and Welcome to Focal Point Styling! I'm Lynda - sharing simple solutions to style & organize your home, fashion & decor trends, savvy shopping tips, market events, plus local love from the places I've experienced. I started this blog back in late 2009 when I lived in Miami. In 2011, I moved to Phoenix, AZ and rented a house until late 2014, when I relocated back east to the Triad in North Carolina - Join me on my journey!

CONSIGNMENT, DONATIONS, FAB FINDS & STYLE TIPS

If you're looking for a few wardrobe updates, now is a great time to shop for them. Some of the best deals of the year happen now at the major retailers for their end of the season summer clearance sales, but you can also find some great deals at thrift and consignment shops. Before embarking on a major shopping excursion, take a deep breath, do a closet purge and keep these 3 tips to keep in mind:

1. Take time to try on what you have, especially denim.
2. If it doesn't fit, let it go.
3. Re-evaluate your wardrobe with your lifestyle today.

While donating to Goodwill (Central AZ info here) is great, there are also other organizations that can benefit from clothing donations. After a recent closet purge, I split my purge into two groups: Casual and Business. The casual pieces I brought to my local consignment shops: My Sister's Closet and Turn Style Consignment. The money I earned from My Sister's Closet was a great way to save additional money when I picked up a few pieces for summer - consignment (chain) stores usually carry better brands 75% off retail. The other batch of my purge was more business types of dresses, pants and jackets which I donated to Dress For Success, Phoenix Chapter. Dress For Success is an organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

It really doesn't take much to update an existing wardrobe with a few on trend colors or patterns. Along with checking out the latest trends on Pinterest or featured in fashion magazines - stay true to yourself. For example: Denim is a hot trend, and so are skinny jeans, but if trouser or boot-cut fits your figure best, go with it in an updated finish and you'll be set. You can even find on trend looks and styles at thrift stores, or even on clearance. Besides bermudas or circle skirts for summer, keep an eye out for deals on denim for fall. Here's a few finds I've gotten this year from shopping thrift, consignment, and end of season deals...

Brands like J.Crew, Gap, Banana Republic and Ann Taylor - all from Goodwill. A monthly 20% off coupon helps with extra savings, unless you brave the crowds on a 50% off Saturday Sale (those events have Black Friday crowds!) When your cart is filled with the styles and brands you like, again - try on your finds. There's not point spending money on brands to take up space in a closet.

Mix what you have with a new find to create your look. The straw bag was last years find at My Sister's Closet. Paired here with a pair of dark denim shorts from Goodwill ($5), a sleeveless denim top from TJMaxx, and wooden bangles - also from thrift a few years back.

At retailers - Shop clearance racks for the best deals:

Nothing like finding a great pair of jeans that fit perfect and are on sale for a fraction of retail - The RL retail on these jeans was $75. I got them for $15 because of a $10 off certificate I used at TJMaxx...

Back in the Spring, I spotted this super deal on a Ralph Lauren linen jacket at Goodwill. Linen is perfect for hot weather climates...

This polka dot skirt (another hot print trend) was $3 at Goodwill and the straw bag was a find at My Sister's Closet...

The stripe & polka dot wedges I got last year from My Sister's Closet and they are so comfortable! They worked great with this knit polka dot skirt and black tunic tube top - both from Goodwill for $7. (The scarf I had) I wore this on Jeff's birthday when I went golfing with him - I was his caddy girl :)

Light weight woven tops in the summer are a great option to a jean jacket or a wrap for a layered look. I wore them more often this summer, tied in a knot at the waist. Black & white stripes continue to be on trend and are just a classic. A great way to wear black & white stripes is to vary the scale or add a graphic print scarf.

Goodwill find for $4...

Spotted these fun bags at Turn Style consignment when they opened earlier this year. The patent with white top stitch is good for fall, while the stripe bag with bamboo handles was great for summer. Although chevron was cute too, I left it for another fashionista to find...

Another sad market-up from a retailer - but another person who purged their closet brought these to consign, so I scored them for $18 (and again, fit great and better than any jean I already had and donated)

Is it possible to have too many stripes? I don't think so - especially after all the years I only wore solid black and nothing else. All of these prints are welcomed changes - changes based on lifestyle - and a fun challenge to find (but doable!) on a small budget. Sunday you can make your small budget stretch a little further a the JCP "Friends & Family" event at all stores from 5pm - 10pm. Save an extra 25% off select purchases in store & online. Get and print the coupon here.

Details about the My Sister's Closet Progressive Sale & Fall Unveiling

Monday, August 12 kicks off the progressive sale at My Sister's Closet. Twice a year, MSC purge their stores of the previous season's goods by having a progressive sale. A progressive sale starts off with a low discount, and works its way up to a higher discount over the period of the sale. The day after the MSC progressive sale, they close the store to re-merchandise the floor with all the Fall goods they've collected from people dropping off clothes to consign. The following day is again like Black Friday, with crowds storming the store to get their hands on the latest brands and deals.

I hope these tips incentified you to purge your closets, donate, consign and shop this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linked post To:

Friday Show & Tell

LYNDA QUINTERO-DAVIDS

Cast Your VOTE in the Tobi Fairley Get Published Challenge at Olioboard!

Stripes continue to be a strong trend for 2013 and that is the theme for the current Get Published Challenge sponsored by Interior Designer Tobi Fairley on Olioboard! The challenge is to create a dynamic space filled with energy plus style using the 2013 trend of stripes! By doing so, people who enter are to create a space with that has a wow factor deserving to get published. The Top 25 boards are also being judged for a chance to win one of two passes to attend Tobi's Design Camp: The Journey to Getting Published. The judges are Crystal Gentilello, founder of RUE magazine, Ronda Carmen, founder of All The Best | A Passport To Stylish Living blog, Krissa Rossbund,Senior Style Editor at Traditional Home! I entered two boards - both drastically different...

CHALLENGE ENTRY: BOARD 1
Thanks to all of your votes, you have already helped one of my boards I entered (see above) move up to PAGE 3 out of 46 with 260 votes -- BUT, I will need your help to keep it there or better yet -- Move n Up! For the board I had originally created for the Get Vignette Set post had used two versions of stripes: In the back-ground with the bold horizontal window panels, and in the foreground with a pair of thinner stripe high back chairs. You can click the link here to VOTE: http://olioboard.com/boards/176415-virtual-vignette VOTE once daily - NOW thru March 6th!

CHALLENGE ENTRY: BOARD 2
For the other board, I used a stripe room background, paired with a thinner stripe slipper chair pair and mixed with another popular Spring trend: the Greek Key motif. For a little color, I used by two faves (also on trend for Spring) pops of cool blues and greens... For this board (thanks to you!) I'm currently on page 9 of 47 with 132 votes! You can click the link here to VOTE: http://olioboard.com/boards/177580-greek-geek

It costs nothing to join Olioboard. To vote on any of the boards in this or any of the monthly challenges on Olioboard, just visit the "Contests" tab at the top of the site - scroll thru challenges + entry boards and click the RED HEART to cast your vote on your faves! It's that easy! You can vote once daily for the duration of the challenge. This particular challenge, The Get Published Challenge from Tobi Fairly ends on March 6... and would be a wonderful challenge to win since joining Olio back in July 2010 -- But I need your help to do it!

Thanks for your votes and thanks for stopping by!

OlioLove!

LYNDA QUINTERO-DAVIDS

More Pinterest Interest: STRIPES ON STRIPES

I love the inspirations pinning at Pinterest triggers.There you are, elbow on desk, head leaning on the palm of your left hand and happily clicking the mouse... pinning away with your right when you spot something. It triggers a memory of something you use to do, and then you start a search (this takes both hands). After searching, you're thrilled to discover a few other pins with the same thought. This occurred over the weekend for me while pinning the oh so popular STRIPES trend. The pinning triggered a reminder of things I already have and I said - "Hey, I can do that!" And wallah! A new look from an old trend (back in the 90's) and existing pieces is reborn... Stripes On Stripes.

via Pinterest

Thrifting

Florida Home in Fall 2011

I was already unconsciously mixing stripes in our home, for example the bold awning stripe pillows in a room with a zebra throw or rug... But you can also mix this look into your wardrobe with a scarf and a dress. I tried a little of this mixing and put together a fresh new outfit, ready for spring. Here are some of the inspirational pins...