Girl Friday: Kristen

This is my dear friend Kristen!

I've known this girl since she befriended me in high school. (I was a nerd. She thought she was amazingly cool. Probably because she was.) Her style was waaay different back then, and mainly consisted of tees and jeans, work boots and heavy-duty farm hoodies. So you can understand why, after she'd moved out and gotten married, I died laughing when she showed up to lunch looking posh and gangsta-fabulous. After I caught my breath, I of course told her she looked amazing -- I loved that she'd found another style that works for her, and I could tell she was loving experimenting with this new side of her personality. She has so much fun with her style, and it shows!

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The Twenty Ninth: Describe your style in a few words or a phrase.

K: I don't know that I've ever tried to put my style into words. I'm more of a "if I like it, I'll wear it" kind of girl. But comfortable and accessories are key so let's sum it up as "blinged out comfort."

TN: How has your style evolved over the years?  
K:  I don't know that evolve would be the appropriate word to describe it. I more so belly-flopped like an elephant off the high dive into my style. Growing up surrounded by the farm life my wardrobe was pretty much made up of steel toed boots, dirty jeans, a few worn in t-shirts sporting my favorite Professional Bull Riding cowboys, and my trusty Carhartt jacket (yes, the one from the men's department at the tractor supply store). Although I loooved my childhood, once I moved out I suddenly discovered ACCESSORIES and FASHION and just like that it was out with the old and in with the new. I'm a night and day comparison these days.

TN: Any fun/embarrassing clothing mishaps or stories you want to share?

K: How about the other day when I didn't realize that my fancy wrap shirt fell apart while running errands? That little button clasping it closed in the back... yeah, it had let go and was allowing in a big draft that I stupidly decided to ignore for the longest time. And of course that was the day I neglected to properly layer it with a tank underneath. Haha, you better believe safety pins was suddenly the next item on my shopping list!

TN: Who are your style influences?
K: Honestly, people on the street and friends on Facebook. Especially that mom pushing a stroller and chasing a toddler who struts her stuff with flare. Having my life centered around producing, raising, and caring for little munchkins, I know what an effort it can be sometimes so I love to take note of others excelling at it. I also love browsing fashion magazines and watching TV shows centered around bashing bad celebrity style... haha, yes I do.

TN: Where's your favorite place to shop?  

K: I'm a bargain-hunting girl. With our young family budget where most cash goes towards diapers, etc., it's crucial to keep my style in financial check. The stores I stalk would be Ross, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, Burlington, Charlotte Russe, and Forever 21.

TN: How do you pick out an outfit? 
K: By asking myself what comfy shirt I'd like to wear and then excitedly heaping on the accessories. I love having those staple go-to shirts and jeans that I just know will look good without having to double check the mirror. I then love making the outfit unique in how I "bling it out" from my array of add-ons. For example, in three of my pictures here you might notice that I'm wearing the exact same grey shirt and bootcut jeans but the outfits are each styled to fit a completely different mood. Trying to put together a combination that I've never worn before is always the most exciting part of getting dressed, I think.

TN: Which part of your look have you experimented with recently? 
K: Headpieces would be my latest adventure. I've been trying out wraps and bandannas and loving it. 

TN: What's your favorite thing in your closet to wear and why? 

K: Earrings, earrings, earrings. The bigger, the louder, the more gangster the better!! I love my collection. I can be wearing the most effortless outfit but throw a pair of dangles in those ears and BAM, it's flashy! And yes, everyone warned me, "just wait till your kids want to yank those suckers out!" but this is one area that really matters to me. My son's first household rule was "no touching mommy's earrings" and I'll die defending that rule... well... okay, maybe not literally.

TN: Is there an article of clothing or type of shoes you wouldn't be caught dead in?
K: Oh gosh yes! Fila Skele shoes (you know those rubber ones that wrap around your toes). Those shoes make me sooooo queasy. I don't care how good-for-your-feet they claim to be, if you ever see me wearing them admit me to a home cause I've officially gone mad!

TN: Do you have a favorite skincare or makeup product, or a favorite perfume?
K: I love Arbonne's natural skincare line, Maybelline's 24hr Color Tattoo Eye Shadow, and Napoleon Perdis' Set Eye Primer. With those last two coupled together, my colorful lids are sure to look just as pristine by bedtime as they did when the morning began. 

TN: Any shopping tips or fashion advice you'd like to share? 

K: Know your body. Know what cut and shape of clothing usually fits you well so you cut down on the disappointed in the dressing room. Strive to fill your closet with beautiful "default" pieces that are comfortable. We all know comfort and not being distracted by ill-fitting pieces is crucial when juggling babies. So go ahead mommas, pull your hoodie out if you must but pair it with some bangles on your wrist and cute pair of boots on your feet and try to leave your yoga pants at home. Don't be afraid to jazz up your basics!

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Kristen, you're an inspiration to other moms and busy women everywhere. Thanks for being so bling-tastic, and thanks for interviewing!

Kristen's pictures were taken by Brittany Thomas, of Brittany Thomas Photography. Check out more of Brittany's work on her blog!

Collage: For Pete's Sake

A card for a middle-aged gentleman, with a sense of humor.

The scraps I picked dictated a "mountain man" sort of theme... with a Mt. Rushmore focus. (Anyone else kind of rolling their eyes at how pretentious I'm making this sound?) The mountains, the plaid, tribal markings, and the wildflowers all worked together.

This was another card I had some trouble with. I wanted to make it slightly amusing (cue the mini Lincoln and the old man phrase, "for Pete's sake") without making it too irreverent. I feel like it came out a little boring, I'll be honest.

Wearing Gray & Brown

Another question from Hännah! She says:

"I really like brown and grey. Like, chocolate brown button downs over muted light grey pants or with heathered lighter athletic greys (sweaters, camisoles, etc). I'll also pair greys with warmer, lighter browns, like this purse or my flats and boots in that same color. Is this kosher?"

I say yes!

Brown & gray, because they're both neutrals, can have a chic effect when paired together. Pairing warmer browns (camel, cognac, tan, rust) with warmer light grays (grays that have more yellow in them than blue, if that makes sense), creates a cozy, earthy look. Pairing darker browns (chocolate, coffee, chestnut) and cooler light grays (like silver) creates more of a clean, high contrast look and can also be done well. Charcoal grays mix well with both chocolate browns and camel.

If you're going to mix a heathery gray with brown, make sure the brown is more matte and basic, so you avoid looking frumpy. A good rule of thumb to avoid frump all together when mixing neutrals is to make sure to mix textures -- don't go with all knits: Instead, try to mix a basic knit with wool, chunky knitted fibers, chiffon, tweed, denim, or leather.

Hope this helps!

(All but two of the pics above are from Pinterest, and can be found on this board (thanks, Megan!). The other two are via Google, and Madewell.)

Collage: Thanks Much

A thank you card for a very special lady.

The customer this card is for is a little older and very sweet, so I wanted to make something unique, but tasteful and feminine. I had a lot of the pink & white floral you can see in the background, so I started with that as a base, and then layered on the burgundy/fuchsia polka dots. I'm really loving deep reds with blush pinks right now. To continue with the dot theme, and add some more delicate details (to balance the bold "much" and fuchsia), I added a smaller polka dot scrap, along with the circle mirror details.

To finish it off and provide some contrast (and pull in more black & white to carry the "much" through the whole collage), I added a piece of striped washi tape -- a nice foil to all the polka dots.

Clothes for Cheap: Madewell Critter Sweaters

Let's start Monday off with some sweaters and some true confessions.

My apologies... I debated whether or not to post this for so long (I don't want to rock the boat too much, you know?) that the sweaters featured below are actually no longer available... but maybe that's a good thing. Let's just comment on the remarkable ongoing Old Navy rip offs, and on the fact that the "critter" sweater trend is climbing in your windows, snatching your people up.

I'm not saying I would wear these... but I had to feature them because a good comparison is hard to pass up, and I'm also curious what you guys think about critter sweaters. It seems slightly awkward to me for some reason.

If sheep are your thing and you've been searching high and low for a sweater that features this noble creature, this is the sweater for you:

Madewell Sheepmeadow Sweater: $64.99
Old Navy Sheep Crewneck Sweater: $29.94

What's not to love? Except the fact that... it's a sweater... with sheep on it? See, I would actually be more inclined to wear this one. If I were at all inclined to wear a sweater with an animal on it. Which... I'm not.

Aubin & Wills Fox Sweater (found on Net-A-Porter): $215
Old Navy Fox Crewneck Sweater: $29.94

Owls are rad in real life. But on sweaters... and jewelry... and hats... and bags... and home decor... I just say no. Really loudly. For those of you who do love owls on things though and are cute and artsy enough to pull it off (that's probably what it comes down to)... there's also a sweater for that:

Madewell Owl Sweater: $88
Old Navy Fox Crewneck Sweater: $29.94

Okay really. Here we are post critter-parade -- let's talk turkey. Is this trend it weird? Adorable? Reminiscent of a preschooler's wardrobe? A way to get in touch with your inner Sacajawea? Leave a comment and let me know.

Happy Thanksgiving

(via CrushCuldeSac)

Hope your holiday season starts all magically and whatnot, and with lots of turkey (or Chinese food, or turducken, or maybe even cereal, which is cool if that's your thing).

We're looking forward to watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and eating dinner with my family tomorrow. Today, however, was food prep day at my mom's. I was in charge of making the sweet potatoes, like I have been every year for the past... 10 years. You'd think by now I'd be pretty confident estimating how much we need for our extended family, but I'm always a little on edge till the pan is filled with mashed orangey goodness and the marshmallows are sprinkled on top.

Happy ending; this year I made enough. Not so happy ending: Libby tried to cook her lunch -- a freaking piece of fish -- at the same time as the pumpkin pies. I had a little fit, for the love of all that is sacred about Thanksgiving: here's hoping they don't taste like a harbor restaurant.

Mishaps aside... from all of us here at The 29th (haha)... happy Thanksgiving!

Collage: Architectural Holiday

I've had more card orders come in, so I'll be showing you a few of my recent collages over the next few days/weeks. Oooh aaaah. Feel free to keep in mind that I'm a "learning" artist?

To be honest, the card below got away from me a little. I started out with the idea of "rustic holiday" and put the wood background with the twinkle lights, but it was too flat and was begging for some texture. I built out the holiday idea by adding some plaid. It also needed some interest, some kind of quirk. But here's the thing... when you're making cards for people that you don't know very well, and you're making them to be given by someone other than yourself... you have to be a little more tame than usual. 

I did go ahead and add the cartoony little street light, to mirror the twinkle lights, and because the word theme I ended up going with was "especially bright," I threw on a volcano as well -- it's small enough that hopefully it'll make you smile when you squint at the card, but won't be too obnoxious at first glance.

I'm still learning how to be appropriately tame for my customer's sake without sacrificing my voice. Not sure if I'm succeeding. Art friends, chime in!

In any case -- the twinkle lights make me excited for the holidays! As we like to say in the Tiren household (thanks to my lispy little sister Emma) happy Hanksgiving everyone!

Hi-Low, Goodbye

A reader asked me to dish on the current hi-low skirt/dress fad. I have to admit, I'm about 25% Yes and 75% No on this one. I mean... any trend that's called "a mullet skirt" behind its back is bound to have some issues.

25% Yes: For a formal event, I can see a hi-low skirt being very dramatic. This is probably the only scenario I might consider wearing one. Actually... that's not true... if I were a nomadic gypsy with a floppy felt hat and bangles, I could also see wearing a hi-low skirt as I traversed across the western United States in search of that perfect desert moonbeam.

75% No: I think my Aunt Mary Beth (who likes to sarcastically comment on many of my style pins on Pinterest -- she's allowed; she's hilarious) said what most of the world is thinking when it comes to the hi-low trend: "Do you think she knows someone cut the front out of her skirt?"

To which I responded that it really is like the Sharon-gets-back-at-Susan dance scene in The Parent Trap, just reversed:

I don't mean to be insensitive if you do like this trend and have found that it works for you, but honestly, every time I see a girl trying to pull this off in broad daylight it looks forced -- like she's trying too hard to be "fashionable." There are some instances where the high-to-low gradient is subtle enough where this look does work fine. But skirts that are practically a mini in the front and a maxi in the back make the wearer look like she's being followed by a rainbow version of Halley's Comet (which brings the total number of Hayleys referenced in this post to 2).

To each his own -- as I've said before, if you love it, rock it hard. And feel free to leave me a scathing comment if you see fit, I won't mind!

Girl Friday: Mizy

I have a really special interview today: this is Mizy!

My friend Julie (who used to work in the fashion industry -- stay tuned for an interview with her in the next few weeks!) recommended I contact her friend, Mizy. Mizy is a fashion designer who lives in NYC. She's worked for brands like Nine West, Seven Jeans, and Forever 21, but recently started her own company! Pretty cool, right? 

Here's a little about Mizy, and her business, Mizy.me, in her own words:

"I am a young fashion designer living in the heart of the city that never sleeps, NYC. I began Mizy.me with the hopes to design products that reflect me and my values: small acts of love make a big difference.

After seven years of working for brands such as Nautica, Nine West, Seven Jeans, Forever 21, and American Rag, I decided last year to leave my prestigious position as head designer to start my own company.
Mizy.me is a Fashion Doll Company. I never imagined I would be designing dolls, but something about creating fashion in a small package and producing them in NY really excited me. I also wanted to create cute, heartwarming, high quality products that would brighten up everyone’s mood.

Rina, Mizy.me’s first fashion doll, was designed and introduced on May 31, 2012. There are now over 11 characters. When I design my dolls, I usually think of what’s on trend and then put a younger twist to it. Our production team hand-makes every doll with lots of love and attention. In order to maintain the integrity of each doll, we produce them in Long Island, NY. After the dolls are made, I carefully look over each doll and pull out only the perfect ones to ship out. Our dolls are currently being sold at www.mizy.me, Morning Glory (Northridge, CA), Mabuhay (San Francisco, CA), Il Gufo (NYC) and www.little-circus.com. I’m hoping that in the next few years Mizy.me will grow to not only sell dolls, but children’s wear, women’s wear and accessories alike."

Mizy very kindly agreed to do an interview for The 29th, and I instantly fell in love with her sense of style, and the Mizy.me dolls. Look at these cuties (a perfect Christmas present for the fashionable little girlie in your life):

I hope you enjoy learning more about Mizy and her style!

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The Twenty Ninth: Describe your style in a few words or a phrase.
M: Cute & flirty during the day, Audrey Hepburn in the 21^st century by night. I think my name describes my style: unique.

TN: How has your style evolved over the years?  
M: Over the past few years, I've started dressing more maturely. I love animal print and fur.

TN: Any fun/embarrassing clothing mishaps or stories you want to share? 

M: When I was in high school, my parents took me to Saks Fifth Ave to buy me some winter clothes. They picked out an adorable orange sweater for me to try on. To my surprise a size 4 sweater didn’t fit me. I took it to a Sales Rep to ask which size I needed and she whispered in my ear, "This sweater is made for dogs." 

TN: Who are your style influences?
M: My style influences are the Olsen twins, Olivia Palermo, Kourtney Kardashian, Alexander McQueen and Audrey Hepburn.

TN: Where's your favorite place to shop?  

M: Zara, Saks, Gmarket and Asos.

TN: How do you pick out an outfit? 
M: I determine my outfit by who I’m planning to meet and where I’m planning to go. I hate repeating the same look in front of the same person, so I usually memorize all my looks. I love to travel, so when I'm in a different country, I tend to wear crazier outfits that I would never get away with in NYC.

TN: Which part of your look have you experimented with recently?
M: I recently decided to cut my bangs, to help make my face look smaller. I realized that with short bangs you have to spend more time styling your hair and apply more eye makeup. Oh boy, did I make a mistake...

TN: What's your favorite thing in your closet to wear and why? 

M: I love love love my over-sized loose knit tunic from ASOS. I wear it all the time, especially when I need to run errands or when guests come over. When I want to dress casual, I wear it with leggings. And when I want to dress up, I wear it with tights and a scarf.

 

TN: Is there an article of clothing or type of shoes you wouldn't be caught dead in?
M: I usually love wearing ugly clothes and shoes, but one thing I would never be caught in is the Original Crocs. I know that they’re light and comfortable, but OH BOY (no offense) are they ugly.

TN: Do you have a favorite skincare or makeup product, or a favorite perfume?
M: Stila’s Liquid Eyeliner is pretty amazing. It’s easy to apply and long lasting when you apply it with eye primer. I also love SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence! It will make your skin glow!

TN: Any shopping tips or fashion advice you'd like to share? 

M: (1) A confident woman can wear a ten dollar garment and make it look a million dollars. (2) If you’re planning to purchase something online, never pay full price unless you really, really want/need it. 75% of the time you can find coupon codes or sales through other sites. Make sure to subscribe to your favorite e-commerce stores to receive a one time 10-15% coupon code. Most department stores have Friends & Family sales twice a year!

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Mizy, I'm so glad I had the chance to get to know you better! Thanks again for interviewing -- I wish you all the best with Mizy.me!

Vi Goes Out.

David took Viley out on Saturday morning for breakfast. Good excuse for a cute outfit, right?

I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but this kid continues to love clothes and accessories (aka "prippies"). She insists on wearing "yoks" and "yoos" (socks & shoes) every morning. She insisted on wearing her winter hat with her pajamas last night. I put her in a little red striped shirt and jeggings the other morning, and she crossed her arms, looked down at herself, and walked away like, "Yeah. This is cool." Not sure if this love for fashion is inherent, or if I've created a monster...