My Wishlist!!

My birthday is coming up in a few weeks (September 16!) and my family has already started harassing me about what I want for my birthday. In an effort to entertain you good people as well as satisfy my loving and, at times, overbearing family, I've decided to post my current wishlist items. I've been quietly searching the web for goodies that I want and found some amazing items which as always are posted below with links to the products and their prices. Let me know what you think of the selection by commenting below!

Ann Taylor

$58 Ann Taylor Short Resin Necklace

$88 Striped Popover Camp Shirt

 $348 Weekender Duffle Bag

ASOS

$93.67 On Sale!! ALDO Solian Color Block Slingback Shoes

$221.39 Aqua Maple Mini Kimono Dress

$110.70 Minkpink Inked Rose Print Dress

Lulus.com

$14  On Sale!! Orange Bangle Set

 

$22 Pretty Floral Cuff

Piperlime

 

 $350 Jackson by Joie

$240 Stacy by Miz Mooz

Forever 21

$10.80 Paillette Layered Chain Necklace

$4.80 Colorful Bejeweled Studs

By the way, if anyone is suddenly struck by generosity and wants to send me things for my birthday, just message me and I'll tell you how you can send me stuff. Peace and love, everyone!

~Renee

Party Looks For The Party Girl

Look 1

I wanted to do two looks that are great for nights out partying with friends. For the first look, I found a red, swingy dress from Urban Outfitters and combined it with a beautiful Moroccan belt from Macy's to give the othewise shapeless dress more of a silhouette. The best part of the belt is that it does not too small to go unnoticed, nor so bulky that it steals attention away from the entire outfit. Of course, no party outfit is complete without heels, so I opted for a strappy black and silver pump from DSW.com. For jewelry and accessories, I chose gold and rhinestoned items and incorporated a long gem necklace. All the jewelry came from Forever 21 and the clutch came from DSW.

$28 Nine West Moroccan Chain Belt

 $39 On Sale!! Urban Outfitters Sparkle & Fade Pintuck Frock Dress

 

$69.95 DSW Lulu Townsend Charlotte Pump

$5.80 Forever 21 Rhinestoned Pyramid Ring

$4.80 Forever 21 Trilliant Cut Pendant Necklace

$29.95 DSW Lulu Townsend Sequin Box Clutch

Look 2

In the second look, I wanted to create a playful outfit complete with dark wash skinny jeans as well as a bold pump. With the DKNY Dark Rinse Jeans and the Leopard print Paris Hilton Tyra Pumps, I think I completed just that. I found the Susana Monoco halter top on ShopBop.com and I loved the construction of it and the turquoise color. People might be put off by the ruffle at the top, but I think it's flattering to most shapes and not too over done. I paired this outfit once again with gold accessories and chose a regular pendant necklace rather than one with a long chain. This way, the necklace attracts attention to the gorgeous halter top. For party looks, you can guess that I prefer gold over silver. It's my own preference, but it really is up to you to decide which metal to use for your look. And please, do not mix metals.

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$59 On Sale!! Shopbop.com Susana Monaco Tai Halter Top

$48 DKNY Dark Rinse Wash

$98 Nordstrom Seasonal Whispers Crystal & Metal Bangles

$79.95 DSW Paris Hilton Tyra Pump

 

$22 Nordstrom Anne Klein Triple Split Hoop

$95 Macy's Michael Kors Gold Pendant Necklace

Last week was pretty hectic with moving in to my new dorm but everything is settled and in order. Thanks again for your patience! I think now that classes have started again, I'll be posting more on a bi-weekly basis. Anyway, don't forget to follow me on twitter and please let me know what you thought about today's post.

~ Renee Brown

Must Have Fall Bags Under $50

Backpacks

School is almost upon us and as is the case with every back-to-school shopping list, a backpack is usually a part of the hunt. Everyone knows of famous backpack brands like JanSport, but Under Armour has a pretty amazing line up of fashionable bookbags. The Rush Pack seen below is just one out of the many. The Ecote Patterned Canvas Backpack is another option from UrbanOutfitters featuring a bold tidal wave pattern. The thing to remember with backpacks is that they are not handbags. They are meant to be fun and daring.

$34.99 Under Armour Rush Backpack

$49 On Sale!! Urban Outfitters Ecote Patterned Canvas Backpack

The Weekend Bag

Every girl needs a fashionable duffle bag for those short weekend trips or for a night spent at a friend's house. For moments like these, I refer you to the Forever21 weekender and the Oversized Tote found on Amazon.com. They're fun, pretty, and can carry your clothes and toiletries easily.

$22.80 Forever 21 Tropical Flower Duffle Bag

$43.95 Amazon.com Oversized Tosca Tote

Satchel

Satchels are great for those days where you have only one class or a light workload. They're big enough for books and nice enough to carry to do everyday tasks. I love the sea green color of the H&M bag. And the Forever21 satchel is clean and simple with a structure that is a classic.

$24.95 H&M Satchel

$32.80 Forever 21 Unstructured E/W Tote

The Hobo

The two hobos below are perfect for shopping excursions. The Cotton Canvas Hobo from AmericanApparel comes in a range of colors and is affordable just like the Merona Oslo Hobo from Target. I prefer the Merona Hobo myself, just because of the construction, and plan to get it in brown next chance I get.

$30 American Apparel Cotton Canvas Bag

$32.99 Target Merona Oslo Hobo

Just to let everyone know, I'll be taking some time from blogging due to college starting back up. I seriously have to pack. Anyway, I'll come back to The Confidante in a week's time, after I move into my new place and get everything settled. I hope everyone had a great summer!

~Renee

Jackets, Sweaters, and Boots!!!!

Autumn is upon us and I am so excited for what the season holds for us in terms of fashion, especially with the Mercedes-Benz Fashion show coming up. As it happens, with every subtle change in temperature is an even greater change in our wardrobes and while the warm weather of summer still lingers, I've decided to just give everyone a few leads as to where to find the amazing jackets, sweaters, and boots that we, as women, depend upon during the fall.

Jackets 

Light weight jackets are really great for the cool, but not cold, weather. The Ellen Tracy Zip Up at Macy's and the Terry Moto Jacket at the Gap that I found are perfect jackets for such weather and add an edgy flare to any outfit. As for the colder, chilly nights its good to have a nice elegant pea coat like the navy Via Spiga one below.

$149.50 Macy's Ellen Tracy Zip Up Jacket

$174.99 Amazon.com Via Spiga Wool Pea Coat

$69.95 Gap Terry Moto Jacket

Sweaters

I love sweaters that I found. The first one is a classic done by Tommy Hilfiger. This type of v-neck sweater is the kind that every body type and size can wear. I particularly like the blue/white and the tango red/ navy (found on macys.com). Next, I picked the Sienna Bare Shoulder Sweater because I imagined it with a camisole or tank top underneath. Its a rather risky sweater but its cute. The Guess' Wendy Waffle Cardigan is form fitting and looks amazing on the model, I have to say. I love the Heather Grey color and the zip up but it, like the bare shoulder sweater, is definitely not for everyone. The last sweater I chose was the American Eagle Cardigan Sweater which is simple, classy, and versatile to say the least. I loved the red color but they have many others to chose from on AE.com.

$44.98 Macy's Tommy Hilfiger Sweater

$49.50 Amazon.com G by GUESS Sienna Bare Shoulder Top

$89 GUESS Wendy Waffle Cardigan

$29.95 AE Lightweight Boyfriend Cardigan

Boots

For boots, its important to have a variety of neutral colors like the brown, black and gray boots I found at DSW. The last three boots are of a similar style as they all have heel and a similar height. The Coconuts Monah and the Santana boot are of a more streamline structure and would look great with jeans. I have to say, though, that the Madden Girl Boot is my favorite. I love the color and the construction and to me, its flirty. Now, with regard to the first boot, I am honestly still debating on whether or not I hate it. I mean, its an definitely an option for the fall but I'd have to see what it would look like with jeans.

$109.95  SM Crafti Riding Boot

$149.95 Coconuts Monah Boot

 $129.95 Santana Canada Cassandra Boot

$59.95 Madden Girl Pinup Boot

Let me know what you think about the items. Don't forget to comment and follow me on Twitter!!

~ Renee

2 Fall Looks

Look 1

In my last post, I discussed Coach products that I loved. Their yellow short trench was still fresh in my mind so I decided to incorporate it as the statement piece for my first Fall look. And as the statement piece, it needs to be complimented by the remaining apparel and accessories. The polka dot sweater from Old Navy does just that along with the dark wash jeans which, in my opinion, always compliments a girls figure. The pair I found at Target was just to give an example of what to look out for in terms of jeans. Now, when I was looking for jewelry, I was trying to look out for geometric pieces similar in style to the ones I found at Topshop. At Forever 21, I managed to find some. The dangling earrings, the chain link necklace, and the dome ring all add a touch of refinement to the look. Paired with a nice handbag and shoe, like the ones I found at JCPenney and the Gap, this fun, casual look for Fall is complete.

$348 Coach Classic Short Trench

 $24.94 Old Navy Boat-Neck Sweater

$22.99 Target Merona® Womens Bootcut Dark Wash Jean

$90 JCPenney Liz Claiborn Tailor Made Leather Shopper

$4.80 Forever 21 Painted Stripes Dome Ring

$6.80 Forever 21 Long Oval Chain Necklace

 $3.80 Forever 21 Dangling Geo Earrings

$39.95 Gap Herringbone Loafers

Look 2

The major goal for the second look was creating an outfit that had versatility in the fact that you had the option of wearing it to work or for a casual get-together. The bold color of the Gap sweater, the clean cut of the gray American Apparel skirt, and the playful color of the Danielle Nicole Jelly Tote gives the outfit a cool, classy, and flirty attitude, especially when paired with the sunglasses from Banana Republic. Jewelry picks all came from JCPenney. To keep it in line with a business casual look, I found stud earrings and a simple gold ring. Instead of using a necklace, I opted for a snow leopard print infinity scarf from Old Navy. As an outfit for Fall, to me, the scarf works better than if I had used a necklace. Now, the wedges that I chose for this look are strictly for a casual event. For a more business casual look, all you need to do is switch them out for workplace appropriate heels.

$78  Banana Republic Shawn sunglasses

$39.95 Gap Drop-Shoulder Sweater

$14.94 Leopard Print Infinity Scarf

 $36 American Apparel Interlock Pencil Skirt

 $88 HSN Danielle Nicole Jelly Dome Tote

 

$55 JCPenney 14K Gold Bezel Set Earrings

 $8 JCPenney Brushed Gold Ring

 

$39.95 DSW New York Transit Kindness Wedge

Let me know what you thought of the looks. Did you like them, did you hate them? Comment below and don't forget to follow me on Twitter.

~Renee

Santogold - I'm A Lady by casagenovia