That's Haute

Ashamedly, I do not pay enough attention to the Haute Couture shows. So, while perusing the recent collections I was really struck by Dior's Spring 08 show. After a season full of neutrals and pastels it was so nice to see such a vibrant and colorful collection! So, while I anxiously wait for Fashion Week, I'm going to keep myself busy with haute couture!

xoxo, Lauren

Blind Fashion Item

As Issac Mizrahi ends his partnership with Target, what designer will be joining the retail giant for their second design spot; this time coming out with a line of novelty items like swimming pools?

• Hint: her previous line was named Swell

Je T'aime

This will be the first Valentine's day in 3 years that I've had no guy to shower me with Valentine's Day gifts :( So, i've decided why do you need a guy to enjoy Valentine's Day? Go ahead, treat yourself to something special whether its heart print jewelry, a box of indulgent chocolates, or a sappy romance movie. It should not just be about couples in love, but also loving yourself!

xoxo, lauren

Brr.. It's cold out here!

Let me begin by telling you I'm not a big fan of cold weather. I'm a Florida girl born and raised, so pretty much anything under 55 degrees is freezing to me! Although since my move to college I've learned to adjust a bit and refuse to doom myself to poufy jackets and sweatpants.

Everyone could take a cue from the always stylish Mary-Kate Olsen seen here at the Sundance Film Festival. The girl knows how to keep cold weather outfits from looking frumpy. I've never had a real need for gloves but, I could definitely use a pair right about now and the basic black leather is a warm & stylish look. She brightens up her basic black & jeans with colorful accessories, an easy to recreate look As if M.K. could do any fashion wrongs anyways.. the girl could wear a paper bag and make it look fabulous

xoxo, Lauren

A Week of Style

I got a comment from Oh La Luxe about posting some of my personal outfits because I told her how her boutique's audience seemed very similar to my own personal style. So, I've decided to do so! This is a small display of outfits over the past week.I'm wearing darker colors than I usually do, probably because of the dreary weather we've had lately. But overall this is probably a good representation of my style which consists of:

• Inspiration from books (I was reading Rachel Zoe's guide to style, thus the gray fur coat)
• Inspiration from brands (pink floral top & pants= betsey johnson)
• Inspiration from tv shows/movies (argyle vest a la gossip girls)
• Usually some sort of statement piece accessory unless my outfit is already really bold
• Lots of prints & splashes of color
• Vintage pieces (black slouchy boots, black pencil skirt, and layered silver chains)
• Layering; since I have a pretty big collection of clothes I like to layer pieces to make them more interesting or for extra warmth in the winter

Hope you enjoyed a peek into my closet & personal style! I try and make this blog not all about me, but sometimes it's fun to see the look behind the blog!

xoxo, lauren

Au Revoir Fashionistas!

"You don't understand! This is an Alaia!"

For the last couple seasons the silhouette of choice has been floaty and loose-fitting shift styles. Since fashion seems to work in extremes it seems only appropriate that there is a new shift towards tighter, body conscious outfits. The style, popularized by major designers like Alaia in the 1990's is a poplar opposite from the loose tunics and babydoll dresses we've pumped into our wardrobe. Slowly but surely bandage dresses and stretchy spandex fabrics have been sneaking their way onto red carpets and into retail stores.

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So what's a girl to do to adjust her clothes to a new snugger style?

Instead of going out to revamp your wardrobe try adjusting clothing pieces you already own:

• -use belts to cinch a loose floaty top
• -tuck shirts in to keep things smooth and snug
• -balance out a tight body conscious piece with something loose and floaty or voluminous
• -try wearing undergarments like Spanx to look lean and toned

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xoxo, lauren

Old Hollywood Glamour

My name is Lauren and im a Tea-aholic.

I'm not quite sure why, but ever since I've gotten back to college I've been really addicted to drinking tea. I think because it's been a bit chilly outside and a cup just warms me up. I also don't add anything to it, so opposed to grabbing a soda or juice it has a lot less calories yet lots of flavor.It also has a lot of health benefits like cancer-fighting antioxidants, I like fruity herbal teas opposed to black or green tea.

New to tea drinking as well? Teavana has a handy guide for the beginning tea drinker:

The main categories of tea are White, Green, Oolong, and Black. We also sell Herbal Tisanes, otherwise known as herbal tea, which do not actually contain the Camellia sinensis, tea, plant.
White teas have very little caffeine, and brew a light color and flavor. White teas are the least processed of all teas; they contain the highest antioxidant properties, and are very low in tannins.
Green teas have only 5-10% the caffeine in coffee. Green tea is also high in antioxidants, which flush the toxins, boost the immune system, and help to prevent cancer. They also lower blood pressure, fight gingivitis and cavities, and help regulate blood sugar levels. Green teas should be steeped at a much lower temperature than boiling.
Oolong teas are semi-fermented teas, more than green, but less than black tea. They have 15% the caffeine in coffee. Most people commonly recognize Oolong tea as the tea served in Chinese restaurants. Oolong tea promotes weight loss by boost metabolism rate, and increasing digestion.
Black tea is the tea most people are familiar with as it is the one you have grown up drinking by dunking little paper teabags in your cup. Black tea is fully fermented. Black tea helps your body prevent the absorption of cholesterol into the blood stream thus it helps to prevent heart disease. Black tea contains 20 % the caffeine of coffee.
Herbal teas do not contain any leaves from the Camellia family. They are called teas because of the infusion process, sometimes they are called tisanes. Herbal tea is just pure herbs, flowers, and fruits. The health benefits of herbal tea varies from tea to tea.
Rooibos teas are made from a South African red bush that has higher antioxidants than green tea, and is caffeine free. Rich in vitamins, natural minerals, and excellent in aiding with digestion. Both herbal and rooibos teas are delicious iced or hot.

Any tea-drinking readers? i'd love some suggestions!

xoxo, lauren

Knitting Chanel Style

Ooh La Luxe!

Kim of Ooh La Luxe was kind enough to give me an interview about opening her future online botique by the same name. I'm especially interested since opening a boutique is something I'm planning on doing in the future and i'm so inspired by her because she's just a few years older than me! Best of luck with the store Kim, and thank you for your time!

What made you decide to open up an online boutique versus a physical store?
Mainly capital. This is my first real foray into running a business, and I'm straight out of school, so it's best for me to start small and learn, and grow over time. My online store costs probably about 10% of what a physical store would but at the same time, I could potentially reach 10x as many people; it's a nice trade off! Eventually I would like to have a brick and mortar boutique though.

What has been your biggest challenge in your venture?
It's way too early to ask that, lol! I'm sure that is yet to come. So far there isn't much that has been all that challenging, but the most frustrating thing is getting enough lines and getting the lines that I want within a certain budget. And the most nerve wrecking thing is interpreting trends and having faith that the items I've selected will actually sell. So I'll go with those two things.

What labels will you or would you like to carry in Oh La Luxe?
Well, you'll be the first to break this news..... Plastic Island, Egoist, Tart and Voom for Spring. You're probably familiar with the latter two, but the first two are brand new labels from overseas and we'll be one of only a few online stores to carry them.

Is there a target audience for your boutique or any particular style that your boutique specializes in?
Yes, all call the style of the boutique everyday glamour. If you're that girl who will shy away from anything too basic, almost always wear heels and is never really dressed down, then this store is for you. [EDITORS NOTE: this describes my style in a nutshell!]

What has been the most exciting/rewarding part of your experiences so far?
By far the most fun was going to the showrooms and picking out the clothes! I remember sitting there thinking, "Am I really doing this?" while I was in the showroom. My mom was there with me and told me I was doing exactly what I'm best at doing; spending money and picking out clothes, except it wasn't followed by any kind of lecture, which was nice.

Do you have any advice for other people (like myself!) wishing to someday start their own boutique?
Try and learn all that you can first. Take a business class or just talk to someone face to face who at least runs a business, even if it's not a boutique. If you've done that and you know that you have good taste in clothes and what not, follow your gut. It's always a good idea to start smallish, but if you're gut if you truly believe in something it very well might pay off. Also save up lots and lots of money. Promotion, branding, marketing...these things are just as important as your product. Chances are other people will be selling the exact same thing as you, so you need to create an experience within your store that will make them gravitate towards it. Be prepared to pour a lot of money into the look of your store and advertisement. And lastly, take up as much responsibility yourself as you can. It saves money and hassle because people are fickle!

Do you have an expected date you're hoping to open the boutique?
OohLaLuxe.com should open mid April!

Thank you again Kim!

xoxo, lauren

Channel your Inner Blair Waldorf

I was so upset when they took the O.C. off the air. I never thought they'd be able to match Summer and Marissa's fantastic wardrobe and unique styling. That is until Gossip Girl started. I had read all the books before the t.v. show so I had a vision of what I expected Blair to look like in my imagination.

I think the stylists have done a perfect job making Blair a trendy prepster. She rocks the classic button down shirt with a tailored blazer but always has some sort of unexpected edge to her outfit. In almost every outfit she has on a pair of tights ranging from opaque black to lacy to fire engine red.

Blair's personal style has seeped into my own. I've noticed an abundance of plaid, oxford shirts, and patent mary-janes in my wardrobe since the show's start. I've also been trying to wear her signature red lipstick to spice up a ho-hum outfit.

xoxo, lauren

Are Comfy Heels an Oxymoron?

Hello My Name is Thinking Blogger

First of all Happy New Year to everyone! 2007 has been a very eventful and interesting year for me. I've gone to college, made some big advances in working towards a career in fashion, and had a rough break up with a first love. I can't wait to see what 2008 will hold.

Thank you so much to my dear blogging friend Modern Marie for nominating me for the Thinking Blogger Award (and happy one year as well!).

If you get tagged you have to write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think and then you have to put a link to THIS post so people can find out where it all started. Finally, just in case you want (optional), you can display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote in one of your sidebars

The 5 blogs I've decided to tag are..
So FASHon, Daddy Likey, Punky Style, Painfully Hip, and The Vintage Society

What's the story behind the name of your blog and your nickname?
I love the French language and how it just makes normal words seem so much cooler. In French my blog title is The Little Fashionista. I chose it because I'm literally petite (only 5 ft tall!) and young for a fashionista (18 years old). I started writing my blog to show that just because you're young doesn't mean you can't be knowledgable about fashion. I'd like to someday open up a boutique by the same name!

Why did you started blogging in the first place?
From the time I was little I've enjoyed writing in journals and diaries, as I got older it was online journals, and now blogging! I noticed that there were not a lot of fashion blogs written by teenagers that wrote about fashion in an attainable sense (not just high fashion unable to purchased by the average human being).

What has been your best blogging experience? What about the worst?
I love reading insightful comments from readers! It is the most rewarding feeling ever to know that people care about and enjoy what you're writing about. I've also been lucky enough to recieve a couple freebies which has been an added bonus. I haven't had any bad experiences that I can think of;Everyone is friendly and supporting in the fashion blogging community.

What do you think will happen to your blog in 2008?
I'd love to blog more than I have been. I didn't realize how crazy and chaotic college life would be, but I definitely can make more time for blogging. I have some great ideas for the blog that I can't wait to write about!

Happy New Year Everyone!

xoxo, lauren