Fashion, Uncategorized

My Favorite Petite Brands

by Adventures of S

 

IMG_9587

I’m not short, I’m fun sized! Who’s with me?! As a petite gal I’ve always loved finding brands that offer a petite collection. Growing up I’ve tried so many brands that claimed their size S fits like an XS… they sadly did not. I’ve also bought size XS from a few brands that clearly wasn’t supposed to be labeled as an XS. As a petite pretty much my entire life, it’s been hard to find the best fit. I can’t do most maxi dresses or skirts, unless they’re a certain length and fit like a bodycon. I have a small waist with curvy hips, so it’s really important for me to understand my body/shape. Dresses, pants, skirts they all need to be a certain structure for me. A trip to your tailor obviously helps a lot, but can be costly. So I’ll be sharing below some of my favorite brands that offer petite sizing. 

 

The best tips I can give is to do your research. Read reviews on sizing for the brands you’re interested in. See if they offer a petite collection, because those are better suited for people 5’3 and under. Another great tip is to know your body shape and what can best accent it. Express yourself through your fashion and body! Definitely have fun with it and do you. Just a couple days ago, someone asked me if there’s any bad fashion things to avoid. I thought about it for a second and said “no.” Fashion is your own expression of who you are, and your personality. It’s all about you! Never try to be like someone else. I have always gone by that rule. I wear what I like because it’s MY body and MY style. I’m not dressing up for anyone else. I dress up to brighten up my mood, and express my style. So have fun, and be you.

IMG_9588

polkadot

IMG_9586

Here are some of my favorite brands that carry petite collections and are true to size for petite fits:

Topshop petites

ASOS petites 

Reformation petites

Madwell petites

Anthropologie petites 

Pretty Little Thing petites 

MissGuided petites

Express petites

H&M – great XXS and XS sizes 

Forever 21 – has more affordable trendy pieces with a great fit to their XS and S sizes 

Zara– also great pricing for trendy pieces and sizing! 

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and find some fab pieces from these brands! Make sure to stay up to date on my IG as I share a lot on my stories/posts too! 

XO,

Stephanie 

 

 

 

 

 

Fashion, Trends

Spring into Summer- Zara edition

by Adventures of S

Spring styles are so pretty and around every corner. One of my favorites is checking out Zara! I know a bunch of you love Zara too! They always have great key trend styles at not so kill your bank account price. I found a few favorites from their newest styles, and I’ve linked each item. Enjoy!

zara3

You will be seeing a lot more blues and yellows as Spring & Summer trends continue to roll out. This floral multicolored beauty is so pretty! The dress features a wide v neckline, and a slit in the front. Shop here!

 

zara2

Who doesn’t want to party it up in this sexy and fun sea green fringed dress?! One of the newer pieces available from Zara. Perfectly cute and sexy with the cold shoulders and halter neck. Shop here!

 

zaraheel

High heel sandals with polka dots?! You had me at polka dots. What do you guys think of these sandals? This one has a squared toe, and ankle tie which definitely adds a whole lot of sexiness. It’s $70! Shop here! 

 

zara1

Such a fun skirt for spring, or summer! Flowy, A-line skirt, multi-colored floral print, and an asymmetric hem. Shop here! 

 

zarabag

Basket bags are veryyyy in right now! I myself haven’t fully been adjusted yet to them, as I love big tote style bags to throw everything in. But! There are some beautiful pieces brands are creating and this mini basket bag is one of them! This bag features real bamboo and wood pieces, and a removable shoulder strap. It’s a great bag to have for this trend. Shop here! 

Hope you guys enjoyed this edit! As always, if you shop any of them remember to tag me in your photos! Can’t wait to see them!

XO,

Stephanie

Coffee, london

Coffee shops & cute cafes in London

by Adventures of S

I was lucky enough to go to London for LFW and LFWF this past February, see previous post for details. In between the shows and events, I was running all over the city looking for cute coffee shops and cafes. Yes, to check out all the Insta buzz but to also grab a coffee. It was a bit chilly there, so grabbing a hot coffee was a necessity. If you follow me on IG, I’m sure you know by now that my obsession and love for coffee is like none other. If you don’t, check me out here and join me!

London is a busy city with some adorable cafes and restaurants. I researched quite a bit but also enjoyed exploring around by foot. There’s always something to do, and somewhere to go. I absolutely loveeee London, it’s one of my favorite cities. The last two places in this post are great breakfast/brunch spots, and I just so happened to be grabbing a latte from there. I still find it very interesting how in the UK, and parts of Europe you don’t see flavored coffee options like we have here in the US. I mean we’re kind of spoiled here in Los Angeles with new coffee shops popping up on every corner with these new crazy flavors. I went to multiple cafes and restaurants, and when I’d ask if they had a hazelnut or vanilla latte, it was a quick “no sorry” hmm. First world problems, I know! Sugar is fine, I’m not picky just curious. I wanted to share some of the adorable and fun cafes I went to and hope you guys enjoy them just as much as I did!

 

Fait Maison

IMG_8577IMG_8575

 

Elan Cafe

IMG_8578IMG_8579

 

Brigit’s Bakery

IMG_8585

 

Joe and The Juice 

IMG_8587img_8588-e1557800992273.jpg

 

My Old Dutch

IMG_8586

 

Egg Break

IMG_8583

XO,

Stephanie

Fashion, fashion week, Trends

My London Fashion Week Trip!

by Adventures of S

img_3275.jpg

This past February I got the chance to go to London for my first ever fashion week experience! Not only did I get to go to London Fashion Week, I had the opportunity to be front row at London Fashion Week Festival! LFW ran from February 15 through the 19th with lots of fashion shows, pop up shops, and events allllllll over the city. 

IMG_7630

It was an amazing experience for me, going to the shows and meeting new bloggers from all over the world. The city was booming with fashion bloggers, designers, celebrities and guests in every corner. I attended London Fashion Week festival on Saturday February the 16th. It was a great day for me. As I entered the building I got to go in, and have a coffee until the first show was ready. The two shows I saw were Marta Jakubowski and Fyodor Golan. Both shows were about 15 minutes, and each collection was beautiful. They were bright, bold, and hit all the key trends.

IMG_7631

When both shows were over, there was a great panel that included British Fashion Council x BBC Earth x Mother of Pearl. I really enjoyed learning and gaining more awareness of how humans are affecting earth and how fashion plays a part in it. The panel was super informative how fast fashion is affecting our planet. Fast fashion is a big problem today, and it’s becoming a more open conversation worldwide. After that, I got a chance to get a glass of champagne and check out their shop. They also had a fantastic VIP lounge where we got to eat, drink, & mingle. I also got to collect a special edition London Fashion Week Festival tote bag designed by Richard Quinn! 

IMG_7632

This trip was such an amazing experience for me! My hubby joined me on this trip, and when I wasn’t busy attending events, we were literally running all over London town exploring together. Stay tuned for more posts on cute and fun places to go/eat in London!

XO,

Stephanie

Fashion, fashion week, Trends

NFW 2019

by Adventures of S

NYFW.jpg

 

NYFW is always one of the top & my favorite fashion weeks! There are so many great designers who showcase their fierce and powerful new collections. NYFW ran from February 8th through the 16th. There are too many favorites of mine to post, I mean I can post them but you’ll probably get bored lol. Check out some of my favorite designers and their pieces below.

 

Oscar de la Renta

ODL1ODL2ODL3ODL4ODL5

Carolina Herrera

CH5CH2CH1CH3CH4

Jonathan Simkhai

JonathanS1JS4JS2JS5JS3

Kate Spade

ks12kate-spade-01ks11ks2ks3ks4ks5ks6ks7ks9ks8ks10ks13

Adeam

Adeam1ADEAM5ADEAM3ADEAM4adeM2

 

Zimmerman

Z2Z4Z3Z1Z5

Self + Portrait

Self+Portrait1Self+Portrait2Self+Portrait3Self+Portrait4Self+Portrait8Self+Portrait6Self+Portrait5Self+Portrait7Self+Portrait9

 

Some pieces from the shows were literal artwork. A few things that I love and are key trends are: 

-Bold & sexy pant suits 

-Stripes and animal prints- both separately and mashed together into one fabric

-Colorful tights

-Colorful turbans 

-Floral & lace applique

 

I absolutely adored Kate Spade’s runway show, the entire collection was bold, feminine, and colorful. A big 70’s vibe that we’ve been seeing already and it’s still going strong into the year. A lot of key trends you’ll be seeing in stores everywhere, so keep an eye out for those! I also really liked Jonathan Simkhai’s show! His collection displayed a great deal of the key pink trend, play on prints and denim. I have been adoring his style lately so I’m really excited each season for him. Hope you guys enjoyed this post on some of the great designers this past NYFW!

 

XO,

Stephanie

 

 

All images are from Getty Images

Fashion, Trends

SS19 Color Forecast

by Adventures of S

pantone board

This image is from Pantone’s website

I know we just hit the new year, and you’re probably like whaaat? Spring?! Yup, the fashion industry is always 1 to 2 seasons ahead. Let’s face it, by the time it’s March the last thing you want to see is more puffer coats right? Bring on the bright colors, bikinis, and sandals! When I worked in retail, it was always on to the next season. It would be winter and we’d be prepping for spring/summer dresses already. I know it’s odd to see, but it’s a smart tactic that fashion week also helps push.

Many people travel all over the world to warmer locations between December & January. Fashion trends start early, and you can see that just by looking at some of the top designers websites and socials. Resort Wear and Pre-Spring collections come out before any S/S pieces do. Resort wear is on sales floor the longest and rarely goes on sale.  

I always love Pantone’s names for the color forecasts, they’re really interesting and creative! What a fun job that would be! The color palette by Pantone for SS19 includes: Fiesta, Jester Red, Turmeric, Living Coral, Pink Peacock, Pepper Stem, Aspen Gold, Princess Blue, Toffee, Mango Mojito, Terrarium Moss, and Sweet Lilac.

screen shot 2019-01-25 at 10.52.42 am

screen shot 2019-01-25 at 10.52.57 am

screen shot 2019-01-25 at 10.53.10 am

SS19 also has some amazing neutrals coming into play! The four colors are: Soybean, Eclipse, Sweet Corn, and Brown Granite. You can see Soybean and Sweet Corn in many outerwear and bag collections, they’re great neutrals to build outfits on. Eclipse is also coming on strong in the beauty industry. I’ve been seeing really strong bold blue eyes in shadows and liners. 

screen shot 2019-01-25 at 10.53.19 am

 

Between all these Pantone colors there are so many mini trends bursting out! Stay tuned for more of those trends on my posts this coming month. What are some of your favorite colors from Pantone’s forecast? I’m loving the first four of the SS19 colors: Fiesta, Jester Red, Turmeric, Living Coral!  I’m so excited to see the full SS19 collections come out from every brand. I love to compare and see each brands take on the color trends, and how they create pieces from them. Bring on the fun colors and warmer weather!

 

XO,

Stephanie

 

 

 

Fashion, Trends

All About Neon

by Adventures of S

Y’all remember North West in her neon outfits right? This is a huge trend right now leading into SS19. North and Kim have been wearing these key trending pieces since last September! From athleisure, to dresses, to accessories, they have been setting the tone in this trend. This created such a huge buzz for almost every brand out there to jump on this neon craze! 

neon

Getty Images

I remember when North and Kim came out in these outfits everyone was loving North’s outfit. The matching neon purse, dress, and glasses! Peep the neon hair tie!

kimnorthwest

MEGA 

kimneonblue

Getty Images

Kim K was spotted last year in Paris at the Louis Vuitton fashion show wearing a Louis Vuitton jacket as a dress. The jacket had interesting pockets and pouches attached to it. Smart idea for carrying all your personals without a purse.

 

sarahpneon

Getty Images

Last June, Sarah Paulson was wearing this bright neon dress for the Oceans 8 premiere. Not a fan of the purse, it looks more like a dust bag to me. The dress though was gorgeous, and it’s from Prada’s Fall 18 collection. She definitely stood out at the premiere in this electric color. 

 

blakeneon

Getty Images

Blake, she’s one of my all time favorite fashion icons. I absolutely ADORE her and her style. I love that she’s her own stylist and doesn’t have someone choose for her. She has an assistant who helps her call in looks, but mainly it’s her talking to specific designers. I’m loving this look of neon green with a mix of fuchsia lips and heels. It’s a great contrast, and suits her skin tone so well. 

 

XO,

Stephanie♥

Uncategorized

Hair Masks and Tips for Dry, Colored Hair

by Adventures of S

banana-truly-nourishing-hair-mask-3-640x640

bananamask

The Body Shop- Banana Truly Nourishing 

Where are all my color treated hair followers at?  You’re not alone, although years ago I thought I was! After a lot of research and trial and error with soooo many products I finally found what works for me. Yay! I’m going to be sharing a few of my favorite products that I have used and seen results. These products are great for color treated hair, and for non colored but dry hair too!

One of my all time favorite hair masks I always use is the Banana Truly Nourishing hair mask from The Body Shop. I absolutely love the smell and the texture of my hair after each use. It smells like, you guessed it bananas!! It has a blend of community trade natural and organic ingredients. It’s made from banana puree from Ecuador and brazil nut oil from Peru! This is 100% vegan, and a once a week treatment, but I use it minimum 2-3 times. It really helped my dry, damaged, overly colored hair lock in moisture and get that shine back. I currently have blonde hair, it’s not my real hair color, shocker! I’m naturally a very dark brown so getting my hair this light definitely took time, and a lot of TLC. I use hair masks at least 2-3 times per week, along with argan oil and coconut oil mists daily. Having blonde hair takes a lot of work to keep it healthy and hydrated. I have noticed such a big difference in my hair ever since I started using these products.

The Body Shop also has the shampoo & conditioner of this line, it smells amazingggg! The natural ingredients of this line is also what really made me comfortable to use on my colored hair. Since I have color treated hair, I’m always looking into ingredients to make sure it’s sulfate free and no harsh chemicals. Not only does that help with the health of your hair, it helps keep your color more fresh. I literally go bananas over these products, and the hubby really loves the smell too! I use themask anywhere from 20 minutes to 1-2 hours! I will leave it on and go on with my work and to do’s at home. The longer the better, so that your hair can actually soak in all the amazing  ingredients! It’s $18 and you can find it here!  The Shampoo and Conditioners come in a few different sizes, check them out here! The Body Shop has some great sales throughout the year, so look out for those deals! 

rainforest-moisture-hair-butter-1096126-rainforestmoisturehairbutter200ml-4-640x640rainforest-moisture-hair-butter-1096126-rainforestmoisturehairbutter200ml-3-640x640.jpg

The Body Shop- Rainforest Nutrition Hair Butter

Another great item from the Body Shop is their Rainforest hair butter. This is a deep conditioning, and luxurious moisture butter. It leaves my hair feeling so soft and I can easily brush through my hair after each use. No tangles! The scent of it is a very light and fresh scent inspired by the rainforest. It’s great for dry hair, or if you have dry ends. It contains community trade honey from Ethipoia and olive oil from Italy! Honey & olive oil are two amazing ingredients for dry hair! You can even make your own natural DIY mask at home. Maybe that’ll be another post? I have a lot to share on hair!

Another great fact for this product is that it is silicone, paraben and colorant free! My hair was screaming YAY when I first saw this. A helpful tip: I actually will use this on my ends when I do my banana hair mask. It’s called a hair butter but it’s a hair mask. It says to leave it on for 5 minutes and the wash it out with warm water. I’ll leave it on anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. The butter is $14, you can shop it here! 

arganoilmask

HASK-ARGAN OIL MASK

Do you know about argan oil? Do you use it? Argan oil is so good for nourishing dry, damaged hair. Coconut oil is amazing too but I have heard that for blonde hair it will slightly darken and change your color. Since my color is very important to me, I use Argan oil and it’s been doing wonders for me. Hask Argan Oil Intense Deep Conditioning Treatment also contains Keratin. Keratin is a super strengthening, and hydrating treatment. It will restore and smooth dry, damaged, and chemically treated or over processed hair. Argan oil is amazing because your hair can easily absorb it and it will intensely hydrate your hair. The oil adds so much moisture and will bring those gorgeous locks back to life! Shop the hair mask here. 

argshpcdr

 

Their shampoo and conditioner is a really great set to use along with the hair mask. This whole collection is sulfate and paraben free. I found a really good deal on Amazon for the shampoo and conditioner set. Only $13! Shop it here!

 

I hope this post helped you if you’re looking into some amazing products for dry, damaged hair. These products really helped me get my hair shiny and healthy again after getting it bleached and colored. I used these products for at least 2 months and it took some time to see a big difference. Remember that everyone has different hair. Your color, texture, genes, treatments, all are different. My best advice is try a couple different products and give it at least 1-2 months to see great results. I always love to find more affordable options that don’t break the bank. I always keep this in mind- Just because it’s more expensive or has a big brand name on it, doesn’t mean it’s always better.  Here’s to healthy and happy hair in 2019!

 

XO,

Stephanie

Fashion

Golden Globes Fashun

by Adventures of S

The Golden Globes are this Sunday, who’s going to be watching? What about the amazing red carpet lewks?! I know some people don’t like watching the entire show, but I’m all about the red carpet looks when it comes to the awards season. I think a lot of people are, and they’re also a great way for designers to spread key trends for the upcoming season. 

Do you remember any of last year’s lewks? Almost everyone was wearing black for the #MeToo movement. I personally love to wear black, it’s very flattering and makes you stand out more. Here’s a refresher and some of my favorites from last years looks:

 

Nicole Kidman in Givenchy Couture with Fred Leighton jewelry

So classy, and chic! I adore Nicole!

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.18.22 PM

Alison Brie with Bulgari jewelry

Simply stunning, loving the necklace with this dress and up-do on her!

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.19.08 PM

Saoirse Ronan in Versace Atelier

Saoirse is one of my favorite up and coming actresses! She’s soooo good in ‘Lady Bird’ and ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ If you haven’t seen them, do it! Thank me later.

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.20.08 PM

Penelope Cruz in Ralph & Russo Couture

Love black lace for any occasion!

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.20.44 PM

Gal Gadot in Tom Ford and Tiffany & Co. jewelry

This looks more of a party outfit, rather than an awards show look. But, it works so well on Gal!

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.18.32 PM

Tracee Ellis Ross in Marc Jacobs and Irene Neuwirth jewelry

Looking gorg as always! Loving the shoulder detail!

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.18.41 PM.png

Margot Robbie in Roger Vivier and Gucci with Tiffany & Co. jewelry

Stunning Margot per usual! The dress cut & details are one of my favorites!

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.17.47 PM

Lily James in Valentino Couture

Very feminine and chic!

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.18.15 PM

Catherine Zeta-Jones in Zuhair Murad

Very sexy look! I love the floral appliqué throughout her dress.

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.17.56 PM.png

Naomi Campbell in Jean Paul Gaultier

Gorgeous gown on her! I love a sleek, straight hair look for long gowns. It looks so sexy and helps emphasize the gown more. 

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.18.06 PM

Helen Mirren in Zuhair Murad and Stuart Weitzman shoes with a Judith Leiber Couture bag

Sexy and elegant look for her. 

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.17.37 PM

Justin Timberlake in Dior Homme and Jessica Biel in Christian Dior Couture with Bulgari jewelry

Two of my favorites, they’re so cute together! Loved her gown, you can never go wrong with Dior Couture!

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.17.18 PM

Diane Kruger in Prada

Diane’s look was definitely my top favorite! Everything from the dress, the details, her hair, looked so stunning and on point. The beaded cape, gave me this goth bride vibe, and it looked amazing on her! Love, love, love!!

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.15.51 PM

Claire Foy in Stella McCartney and Christian Louboutin shoes

My favorite Queen, she looked beautiful in a sexy and simple suit. The bold red lip was a perfect touch!

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 9.29.11 PM.png

Stay up to date even more on my Instagram and stories @adventures.of.s  Let’s chat about what your favorite fashion lewks were & will be this coming Sunday the 6th!

 

XO,

Stephanie

 

new year

New Year- new me, same me. Whatever works for you!

by Adventures of S2 Comments on New Year- new me, same me. Whatever works for you!

ewf43g4r

Hello my lovelies! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and Holiday with your loved ones. It flew by for me and I enjoyed it sooo much! The food coma was real, too real. My decorations and tree are still up, and will be up until for a bit more. I love decorating for Christmas, it makes me sad to have to take them down. After Christmas, comes New Year’s Eve & Day so there’s still a lot to be excited about!

I wanted to write a post on the new year and all the great goals/resolutions you can make. To me the new year is a great way to start fresh or continue on strong just like it was any other day. With the new year, it’s sometimes forced onto us to have these goals and big projects in place. I personally love to plan and organize my planner to have a better day, week, month scheduled out. But, for the new year it’s also great to take a few minutes and reflect on how you did last year.

What was the best and worst thing that happened? What can you do to better yourself? What is something that excites you? Is there something you’ve been wanting to do for a while now and never got the courage or time to? Your New Year’s resolutions can be simple, and easy. It doesn’t have to be this huge production of making charts & graphs and almost forcing yourself to it just because everyone else has their resolutions. It can be something that lives only in your head and heart. Whether it’s to drink more water daily (one of my goals this past year), eating cleaner, saving up more money, traveling more often, keeping your house clean, etc. 

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts online lately with some people feeling anxious and stressed out when the new year comes around. I’m here to help you know it doesn’t have to be! It’s all how you perceive it and what your style is. If you’re more chill and relaxed about it, then it’s just another day. A Tuesday to be exact. One thing that really helps me out every day is my calendar on my phone and my planner. You basically schedule and plan out a whole bunch of things on the daily, so treat January just the same. It is a fresh start and a new page in all of our books, so why not make it easy, and stress free one! 

rgrgr

We all deal with things our own way, but never be hard on yourself. Love yourself and everything that has happened to you. This is how we grow, and reach the better days. Nothing comes easy, but you can be easy on yourself (and others). Take it one day at a time, and try to be the best version of yourself! You control your life, your possibilities. I’m here with you, all the way. We got this! Let’s goooo 2019!

ghghthbt

XO,

Stephanie