Tag Archives: shoes

Night Out Fashion Tips For Every Location

Standard
Night Out Fashion Tips For Every Location

Weekends are for letting loose and having fun after a long week at work. It’s a time to get together with friends and potentially meet new people. Of course, you’re more likely to feel great when you look your best, whether it’s at a trendy nightclub, rooftop lounge, or laid-back coffee shop. Here’s a style guide for what to wear to different weekend hot spots so you’re both confident and comfortable:

Think sleek and stylish as you consider what to grab from your closet to wear to the best nightclub San Diego downtown has seen. Figure hugging dresses, tailored jumpsuits, or fitted jeans with a top that’s a statement piece are all perfect choices for an evening at this popular weekend destination. Keep your footwear stylish while practical (although we all know that can be hard to find), as you’ll be heading to the dance floor. Keep it trendy but club-appropriate with wedged trainers or sturdy platforms, avoiding overly casual items like flip-flops.

Think chic yet comfortable for the outfit to wear here. Tailored shorts paired with a t-shirt, an oversized blazer, and a funky gold necklace make for a super cute OOTD. If the weather dips low during the night while you’re still there, you’ll be thankful for the warmth of the blazer. If it stays warm, depending on the time of year, simply take off it off! For shoes, stylish flats or loafers make sense for comfort as you curl up on cozy seating and chat the night away.

Coffee shops call for casual and cozy for the OOTD. Then add a bracelet or earrings to take it easily from daytime to night-appropriate for wherever the day takes you after your caffeine boost. The relaxed look can vary from a tank top with baggy jeans to leggings and an oversized sweater. Sneakers mix style and playfulness as you walk up to the counter to order a coffee. A crossbody bag is where you can keep your journal if you plan to write while at the coffee hangout, or a book for reading at your favorite spot.

Food markets are a wonderful place to explore new foods and meet new people. Casual dresses or shorts suit the atmosphere, as do sneakers or sandals, as they’re comfortable for walking from vendor to vendor. Take your sunglasses if it’s still light out, so you won’t have to squint to see which fresh options are at the stall in front of you. Wear layers, if possible, so you can stay warm if the air gets cooler as the hours go by.

When you dress appropriately for the venue, you’ll feel fabulous about the way you look, and that makes you more likely to have a blast. Cheers to a memorable weekend ahead!

Featured Image By: Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels

Fashion Staples Everyone Should Own

Standard
Fashion Staples Everyone Should Own

Fashion staples are those timeless pieces that people have found useful to have in their wardrobe over and over again. These are the kind of clothes that let us dress for the occasion, the weather, and for our own sense of comfort and confidence. Here are the fashion staples every person should have in their collection. You never know where you might be invited or what your professional role might require you to wear, and these garments will see you through:

How many simple, casual, and plain tees do you own? One or two? Maybe ten or twenty? If it’s the latter, you can certainly skip this step! But if you’re the kind of person who finds these types of t-shirts boring and useless, you’ll still want to have some in your wardrobe. There will be occasions where you need them, and other tops won’t fit the bill. No matter what your personal preference is, it’s best to have two to three simple and casual tees in your wardrobe. They can be worn to compliment a bold patterned piece or you can elevate them to fit your personal style with accessories.

Additionally, to ensure your t-shirt has the right fit, you can check out these t shirts for some inspiration if you’re taller, as they’re specifically designed for tall men with extra length in the torso and sleeves to ensure a proper fit without riding up or feeling too short. Note the neutral shades that are featured as these will go with anything you pair them with. 

Jeans are wonderfully versatile clothing. You can wear them to most things, including work. However, they’re not always going to be appropriate. Sometimes you will need other sets of bottoms, whether it’s a pair of slacks, some cargo trousers, or capris. Even if you don’t wear trousers of any kind very often, these staples will still need to be on your shelves or hangers. Aside from jeans, make sure you’ve got at least two other types of bottom options in your wardrobe. You can have as many jeans as you like, in as many shades of denim as you fancy! Just leave some room for a few spare pieces you can fall back to when jeans won’t cut it.

A classic blouse or button down shirt and a good blazer are the perfect kind of corporate wear that’s good for turning up to work in. They don’t have to be plain either, if you don’t want them to be. We would recommend having a plain white shirt or blouse hanging up though, just in case you do need a basic like this when you’re first starting a job. As for the blazer, make sure you can comfortably button it and wear it round. Be sure to double check in the mirror how it creases around you as you move. We’ve all been in a scenario where we’ve had a blazer on and needed to lift our arms above our head, only for the lapels to stay there when we bring them back down!

When you own a cocktail dress and/or a suit or two, you’ve always got something quite fancy but not too over the top to wear. Now the next time you’re invited out to a dinner with some co-workers, you won’t have to turn them down simply because you’re not sure what to put on. Cocktail dresses and suits are usually considered to be ‘semi formal’ wear and they’re still sleek and stylish enough for most upmarket events. Indeed, you could even attend award shows and red carpets in these garments! But unless you’ve got the next Oscars firmly booked in your calendar, we recommend reserving them for more professional events and serious occasions.

When you have two sets of each, you’ll have a pair of shoes that will be appropriate no matter where you need to go. And trust us when we say that you cannot operate with just either alone. You need both parts of the shoe world on your side. It’s why you’ll want the smart shoes to be different styles from each other. A set of heels that can go with any outfit, for example, alongside a pair of flatter shoes that wouldn’t look out of place on the office floor. And then we come to the trainers. Unlike the smart shoes, you’ll want these to be the most comfortable, well-shaped trainers you can find. Once you’ve found your soul-pair, buy them in double! You’ll be wearing these more than the smart shoes, so you’re going to need a backup pair just in case.

Finally, no one should have a wardrobe that doesn’t have at least one long coat tucked away to the side. This is your traditional bit of outerwear that’s perfect for dreary and wet days, usually in the autumn, early winter, and sometimes in the spring. A coat like this will usually take the form of a trench coat, but you can go a bit fluffier and fancier here if you like. Whatever your style, there’s going to be a long form coat out there for you! As long as it’s down to your knees at the least, you’ll have a reliable overcoat to pop on for the days when you need a bit of weatherproofing all over but don’t want something too heavy.

With these classic staples in your wardrobe, you will be able to dress to impress for any occasion!

Featured Image By: Pexels

New Wall Art Masterpiece

Standard
New Wall Art Masterpiece

Hello!! Johnny’s aunt was in town for a visit this past week and it was an absolute delight. She is just so fun and funny and we love spending time with her!! Johnny’s aunt is incredibly gifted in the art of cross stitching and we proudly have one of her works she made for me displayed on our art wall:

^^^ How awesome is that?! They remind me of my wedding heels!!

As you could imagine, I was simply blown away by this work of art that includes my two favorite things: Shoes and spooky! 😀 I was also simply blown away by the newest creation Johnny’s aunt gifted me with to add to my shoe art collection:

^^^ Once again, how awesome is that?!

Wayyyy back in my youth, I used to love to cross stitch and actually completed several projects that I was most proud of. Then, I fell out of it and couldn’t even imagine trying to thread a needle with my talons now! I also couldn’t even imagine making anything as beautiful as what Johnny’s aunt made because it is so perfectly crafted that it’s hard to believe it was done by hand. To have not one but two of these creations that were made just for me on display is a gift every time I look at them. The colors, attention to detail, and pure whimsy of the pattern are mesmerizing and I feel like the luckiest gal in the world to have been thought of in such a loving, artistic, creative way. ❤

To have someone make something for you, whether it be art or a delicious meal is a true act of love and I feel it literally pouring out of my new decor. It was the most amazing surprise!

What is your favorite kind of art to create? Where do you like to display your artwork? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

If The Shoe Fits: B.A.I.T. Candy Button Platforms Edition

Standard
If The Shoe Fits: B.A.I.T. Candy Button Platforms Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of If The Shoe Fits! Johnny and I are going to be sporting Candyland themed costumes for Halloween. He will be Lord Licorice and I will be a Candy Queen. I honestly thought finding a candy style costume would be like taking candy from a baby lol. Unfortunately, I was dead wrong and the hunt for the perfect costume was not only insanely difficult but insanely annoying too. However, finding the perfect shoes for the cause was a piece of cake! Check it out:

IMG_9974IMG_9975IMG_9977IMG_9976

After several failed attempts for finding a Halloween costume to my liking, it was a gift for the shoe buying process to go without a hitch. I’m not surprised, though, you all know I am a shoe girl through and through! The hardest part of finding heels for my costume was narrowing down my options. There were an abundance of candy inspired shoes to browse through, each one cuter than the next. With great cuteness comes great cost or whatever Uncle Ben said because goodness me were some of them expensive. Then, I came across these adorable platforms by B.A.I.T. for under fifty dollars and I knew we were in business!

I went with this pair of candy dot platforms for a lot of different reasons. The price was nice and I also have a pair of mules by B.A.I.T. in my shoe boutique so the fit wasn’t a concern. The primary factor wasn’t either of these even though they were both important. The main selling point was the fact that I could absolutely wear them with an outfit that isn’t a costume. Yes, the candy dot motif is ideal for what I have picked out for Halloween but it wasn’t limited to one time use and that was very appealing. While I am overjoyed that it’s fall, I am kind of sad that summer is over now that I have these platforms. How fun would they be with a little pair of denim shorts?! 😀

I’m not going to lie, costume shopping was more disappointing than enjoyable this year. These platforms definitely helped perk me up and I’m happy at least one aspect of the process was blessedly simple!

What are you going to be for Halloween? Where do you normally purchase your costumes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

If The Shoe Fits: Steve Madden Loafers Edition

Standard
If The Shoe Fits: Steve Madden Loafers Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to the next edition of If The Shoe Fits! Thanks to an ad on Facebook, I learned the joys of shoe shopping online with Walmart. I was so surprised that they had the Olivia Miller platforms that you saw yesterday that I decided to search for shoes from another brand I love too: Steve Madden. Not much caught my eye while I was browsing until I scrolled by the amazing pair of loafers that we are going to take a look at. They are the coolest and were only twenty dollars – talk about a steal! In total, I spent thirty-four dollars for three pairs of shoes and it doesn’t get better than that. Check it out:

IMG_8892IMG_8894

I am a huge fan of loafers and used to have two pairs of burgundy and electric blue in high school. Then, I graduated to wedge loafers that I purchased almost a decade ago and haven’t bought another pair since. My wedge loafers are absolutely worse for the wear, but I never found a suitable replacement until this new pair by Steve Madden. The heel might not be as high as my old pair and I wish it was. However, where these loafers lack in height is made up for by that funky pop of green. It is so unique and creates a brand new, punk rock style out of such a classic pair of shoes.

While I have enjoyed parading around in platform heels all summer, fall is never far from my mind. My new Steve Madden loafers definitely made this hankering for crisp autumn days even stronger. I cannot wait to wear them paired with knit dresses and tights and adding that peek a boo green heel to All Black Everything OOTDs with signature fall staples. When I shop, I am always looking for edgy takes on classic pieces. These loafers emulate that to the T, were bought on the cheap, and are a worthy placeholder to my old wedge pair that I can finally throw out. 😀

I am so happy with my shoe haul from Walmart and still can’t believe how little I paid for three brand name pairs of shoes. I will consider this purchase to be my version of Back To School shopping! 🙂

What is your favorite style of shoes? What is your favorite brand to buy shoes from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Night At The Theater Pt. 2 OOTD

Standard
A Night At The Theater Pt. 2 OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! My last Night At The Theater OOTD was from about a month ago when Johnny and I went to see Jesus Christ Superstar. This time around, we are going to be taking a look at my look from when I went to see Pretty Woman: The Musical with my mom. We had the best time getting all dolled up together and having a night on the town and I love the outfit that I came up with:

image_50420737image_50409217image_50414337(1)image_50461185image_50407681(1)image_50424321(1)

Who? What? Wear?

I bought my new floral jogger pants the day before my night at the theater and knew that I definitely wanted to wear them to see Pretty Woman. After such a long winter, the flower print inspired me to create a spring style OOTD and my joggers provided the perfect base for it. This OOTD was actually super easy to create because I had one piece of the look already figured out and my options for tops and accessories was limited to what would work well with the pattern.

For my top, I went with my oyster shell colored flowy cami by Mittoshop. I wore it tucked into my bottoms and I thought that it looked lovely. The color of this top is so elegant and the lace detailing on the front added such a girly touch for a girls night out. Originally, I had on a black tank top but it bored me and I am so glad that I changed it up.

Since it was a chilly night, a jacket was a necessity and I wasn’t sure what to wear. I played around with a couple of different black blazers but the sleek shapes didn’t pair well with the flowy vibes of this look. After some trial and error, I settled on my Ci Sono jean jacket which is an oldie but goodie from a past TJMaxx Haul.

Once the jean jacket was on, I don’t know why I didn’t go with it in the first place! Jean jackets scream “spring” to me and it looked just right with the rest of my outfit. While I love a crisp, tighter fitting jean jacket, my Ci Sono one is a bit baggy without being completely over sized and complimented the style of the rest of the outfit rather than hindering it.

Finally, it was time for accessories and I knew just what shoes that I wanted to wear. I have been dying to break out my Barbie pink Marc Fisher platforms since I got them this winter and they were everything that I wanted them to be AND MORE. These platforms were made to be worn with my OOTD and the added height was much needed. I wouldn’t have bought my new joggers if they were too too long but they are pants that definitely need to be worn with heels.

For jewelry, I chose my SJ pearl necklace in a gorgeous pale blue. Although I love flashy, bright jewelry, my outfit was such a muted palette and my necklace had to follow suit. The length of this necklace highlighted the lace detailing on my top and I think it tied the whole look together perfectly.

My Night At The Theater Pt. 2 OOTD is one that I can picture myself wearing all spring long. Two pretty women seeing Pretty Woman: The Musical required a fabulous outfit and I think that I delivered!

How do you dress for spring? What is your favorite musical? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

What’s Holding You Back At The Gym?

Standard
What’s Holding You Back At The Gym?

If you are someone who prides themselves on staying fit and healthy, then you probably have a gym membership and go to the gym on regular occasions. This is definitely one of the best things you can do for yourself in general, but it is also the kind of habit that you can often find yourself holding back on for one reason or another. As it happens, there are many reasons why you might be struggling to achieve what you want to at the gym, and in this article we are going to take a look at a few of the most common:

Lack Of Confidence:

Everyone has had the experience of feeling a little shy when stepping into a gym. This often happens the first time you try out a new gym or if you are feeling self conscious that day. Working on improving your confidence more generally is a great way to go, as is ensures that you are being easy on yourself when you are at the gym itself. With a little more confidence, you will approach your workouts in a better way and get more out of them.

The Wrong Shoes:

It’s amazing what a difference wearing the wrong shoes can make. Whether you are on the treadmill, rowing, or doing weights, you need to have the appropriate footwear. This will help you to keep your balance, avoid injuries, and feel comfortable during your workout. If you are unsure about what footwear you might need to wear for a particular activity at the gym, check out Whichfootwear.com for all the advice you’ll need on that subject. With the right shoes, working out will be much easier on your body.

gym1

Pexels Image

Too Rigorous Of A Routine:

If you are following a workout regime of some kind or another, you will need to make sure that it is not too rigorous. If it is, then that is a sure sign that you are going to struggle to do it right and you’ll find that you end up performing worse than you would have done otherwise. You’ll get a lot more done by being a little gentler on yourself, relaxing your schedule, and not trying to achieve too much in one go. Remember: you are not competing against anyone but yourself.

Going Alone:

There is plenty of research to suggest that going to the gym with a friend helps make so much more of the experience. When there are two of you and you are both equally dedicated, it provides encouragement and accountability. Find yourself a good gym buddy and you’ll find that each workout becomes more effective and easier to do. It’s amazing what a difference a friend can make.

Ready, set, hit the gym with the advice above!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Lil Red’s Outstanding Customer Service Award

Standard
Lil Red’s Outstanding Customer Service Award

Hello! I have not been actual shopping since before the pandemic began and have turned to online shopping for everything I need – skin care, groceries, you name it. This also includes all of my purchases for my wedding apparel. Customer service while online shopping can be a mixed bag but Wildly Untamed Boutique went above and beyond to help me and I truly appreciate that.

I have been getting ads for Wildly Untamed Boutique on Facebook for months now and would constantly find myself drooling over their unique shoes. I decided to check their site out to see if I could find a pair of heels for my wedding and had great success. I can’t say anything about my totally nontraditional wedding look but I will tell you all that the heels are red! Johnny and I both agreed that the pair I selected was definitely “the one” and I quickly placed my order.

After my shopping, I spent the entire evening thinking about my purchase and I just had to see them again. I pulled up Wildly Untamed Boutique’s site on my iPod and my stomach dropped. I don’t know how I didn’t notice it when ordering on the computer but they had a ten percent off a purchase promotion running and I was disappointed to have not been able to use it. We all know Lil Red loves a deal!

I emailed their customer service right away to explain the situation and by the end of the week I had a reply from a member of their team. While they couldn’t alter the price of my order, they offered me a free item of my choosing from a selection they sent and I couldn’t believe their kindness! They also gave me the sweetest congratulations for my big day.

I, honestly, wasn’t expecting anything to happen when I emailed Wildly Untamed Boutique and that would have been one hundred percent okay because the mistake was my fault. However, they surpassed what I even expected and I appreciate that so much. I ended up selecting an absolutely gorgeous Little Red Riding Hood inspired pin and I cannot wait to see my little gift and shoes in real life.

Like I said before, customer service with online shopping can be a mixed bag and I actually just had a really crummy experience with Amazon’s customer service. A real person from Wildly Untamed Boutique helped me as opposed to automated replies in a chat box and, while I already planned on doing more shopping on their site regardless, that just sealed the deal.

I am proud to bestow the Lil Red’s Outstanding Customer Service Award to Wildly Untamed Boutique and highly recommend their site. They have some of the most unique, beautiful designs that I have ever seen and I think all of my fellow fashionistas will be just as smitten as I am!

What is the best customer service experience you have had? How about the worst? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dresses, Shoes, & Veils – Oh My!

Standard
Dresses, Shoes, & Veils – Oh My!

Hello! When it comes to planning our wedding, Johnny and I are basically all done and will work on preparations for a reception when it is safer to have a party (By the way, Office Anything has awesome reception desks that you can decorate to your liking to welcome guests at your next party!). Like I said in previous posts, we are having a very small ceremony so we really don’t have too much to plan for! That doesn’t mean that we aren’t taking our wardrobe incredibly seriously, though.

While I am still waiting for my dress that I ordered to get here, Johnny’s wedding clothes have already arrived and his look is perfect. Because this is a nontraditional wedding in every sense of the word, Johnny and I both know what each other will be wearing. In fact, we helped each other pick everything out and he was so sweet to always sit by me and give his opinions on the endless pages of veils, shoes, and dresses that I had pulled up. We not only assisted in what we would be wearing but our rings too. For a nontraditional couple, we obviously couldn’t do with basic rings. We went the custom route with each other’s help and you can find a one of a kind ring for you with a simple search of “custom wedding rings melbourne” or for your local area.

Like any bride to be, I’d be a liar if I said that I wasn’t a little worried about what I will be wearing. However, with Johnny’s help, I feel so confident that everything I ordered will look great and I truly believe that because of his reassurance. When it comes to any type of clothing, Johnny and I have very specific tastes and we each know right away whether we like something or not. We are also excellent at shopping for each other so it’s hard to second guess something that I found that we both think would be ideal for our big day.

I loved being able to online wedding shop with my fiance as well as show our findings to my mom for her opinions too! I am really looking forward to all of my pieces arriving so I can see the vision that we came up with come to life and be one step closer to getting married. ❤

Where did you shop for your wedding? What were your wedding colors? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Engagement OOTDs

Standard
Engagement OOTDs

Hi! Johnny proposed to me during a couples lifewithlilred photo shoot for my Reimagine Your Wardrobe series and it was absolutely perfect. You read about all of the details of the proposal yesterday and, today, we are going to talk about our spring sweater weather OOTDs. I have wanted to style and photograph Johnny for a while now and, while I didn’t put his look together, I am so proud of how well he did in front of the camera! This was not his first rodeo when it comes to being photographed but he took my direction so well and I think our pictures turned out great. Check it out:

161382878_153033406671430_5008054778733467273_n160499564_1571695019695644_4274081119193363486_n160924007_256777289489838_8718118917744309214_n160442904_252421689928237_2276220397583483800_n160996069_135478215084641_2284585896106886829_n160646052_447817833303532_993052994281268268_n160828488_347051566604674_3070381162863628867_n160921239_4256163037760022_6879215518460855963_n161000070_481525199537751_3921114910491246276_n160512963_246648793779703_5575276083208868061_n160486507_3608836312548650_9080896153953005616_n160449389_3765352990187338_6669683445869783238_n160838531_485149939159712_6066846695842628534_n

Who? What? Wear? Hers:

Who? What? Wear? His:

  • Zebra Striped Sweater: Straight To Hell
  • Leather Jacket: Straight To Hell
  • Jeans: Hot Topic
  • Sunglasses: These are mine and are from Forever 21 – he misplaced his 🙂
  • Boots: We are both not sure lol!

I love both men and women’s fashion equally and I think that Johnny has amazing personal style that actually closely mimics mine. We are both not afraid to take risks when it comes to our outfits and we like to have fun with what we wear. I have been so excited for his debut on my blog and, during our photo shoot before he proposed, he told me that that was what he was nervous about. Like I said yesterday, I really had no idea he was going to pop the question!

The day of our engagement, Johnny got ready before me so it was easy to style an OOTD around what he was already wearing. Johnny loves online shopping with Phix and Straight To Hell and he had just purchased his sweater and jacket within the past few months. My fiance is fond of animal patterns and, while we both agree that the sweater is a little itchy, he still likes it all the same – a tank top or T-shirt underneath is definitely necessary, though.

As soon as I saw that Johnny was sporting his new sweater, my mind instantly went to my rainbow cropped sweater from Forever 21. I have had it for years now and, honestly, haven’t worn it for a year or so and I thought it would be perfect for my Reimagine Your Wardrobe series. It also made me feel like Rainbow Brite when I had it on which is a huge bonus.

Since Johnny had black skinny jeans covered already, I decided to pair the sweater with my Almost Famous skort which you might remember from my In Summer, We Wear Black OOTD. I can’t say that I wore this skort too often when I first bought it but, now, I want to wear it all of the time because it is so versatile. When paired with a tucked in cami or even the sweater in my pictures, it looks like a mini dress and it is a unique substitute to regular old jean shorts in the summer.

Once I had the base of my outfit down, it was time to accessorize. I was going for a “muted rainbow” vibe to compliment and pop against Johnny’s almost All Black Everything OOTD. My Urban Outfitters tights were an obvious choice to me because it was a bit chilly out and I don’t get to wear them too often. They are also just so darn fun except for when the rhinestones get caught in the fishnets!

For shoes, I was originally going to wear a pair of wedged white loafers but they looked too chunky so I went with my yellow mules, instead. I adore these little wedges that I got for a steal on ModCloth and they helped achieve the silhouette I wanted and added a super sweet pop of color. Finally, I just had to break out my pink glitter lightning bolt earrings that Johnny and I got on our Valentine’s Day date last year. I can’t say that I have worn them too much, either, but I’m glad I did because, like the skort, I think I will be wearing my lightning earrings constantly.

I really love how mine and Johnny’s outfits look together and it is so special to me to have these pictures because they document the entire hour before we got engaged. I see a lot of couples OOTDs happening in lifewithlilred’s future and I am so ecstatic to have my Johnny help me out. ❤

How would you describe your personal style? How about your partner’s style? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah