A Touch of Lace

I am absolutely smitten with this lace dress that I happened to buy while on a trip with one of my lovely fellow hairstylists to the 3-story Forever 21 in downtown Houston. It is absolutely sensational and versatile and it can take you from Summer to Fall!  I first paired it with black tights and black mary janes topping it off with a fedora, then for Fall I threw on my trench in case of a breezy night.

Dress and Tights Forever 21, Belt Ann Taylor, Shoes Aldo, Tarnish Fedora Hat Nordstrom, Pearl Necklace Lipstick Couture All Photography Captured Photography by Shan Renee

To go from day to night, throw your fedora on the sofa, grab your classic trench and head out for some nighttime playground action.

Trench Coat Gap

Farmer's Market and a Floral Dress

So for the past few months I have been freakishly obsessing over farmer's markets like crazy. I dragged my supportive husband down to one we have here in Houston at the Discovery Green one early Sunday morning, and I have to say I was pretty disappointed. So, when I went to go see my Dallas bestie (Shan), I wanted to go to the Dallas farmer's market to see if it was better, and it was marvelous! We picked up a whole basket full of luscious, succulent oranges to put in our Blue Moon that night. (Yes we both adore Blue Moon and we are girls!) I had to go to the farmer's market in my floral dress of course. I absolutely adore this dress and I purchased it a couple of years ago from Newport News. When I first bought it online, I have to admit I was worried about what would actually come to my doorstep, but it has been a fascinating piece in my wardrobe and I cherish it so!

Newport News Dress, Target Belt, Aldo shoes, Lipstick Couture necklace, Metropark bracelet

Me Etsy Shop - Lipstick Couture

Hello my lovelies! I have just opened my new Etsy shop for business featuring hand-made jewelry for sale by me.  I hope you take a look, browse the baubles, and let me know what you think! Your comments and opinions are of course encourages and welcomed!

XX

Lipstick Couture on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/anghowdeaton

This is what you can find there!

Style Inspiration from the Big Screen

My husband and I are extremely avid movie-goers, ( I am talking 3 movies in 1 weekend) so it is no surprise to me that I find so much fashion inspiration from not only the movies we attend on our regular Friday night dates, but even the old movies that we tuck away in the back of our TV consoles.  Over the past couple of years I have began to collect old movies from Gone With the Wind to Scarface.  I love them all, and you can find a little piece of style in every movie.

Here are a few of my favorites!

Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes got all the women asking
 for diamonds galore from their gents
(Photo Courtesy of wikimedia.org)

Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface is stunning in this scarlet dress
(Photo Courtesy of sodahead.com)

Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face brought us the black cigarette pants
 with black turtlenecks, who would've thought?
(Photo Courtesy of screenrush.co.uk)

Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl lets her inner animal out
(Photo Courtesy of retrokimmer.com)

Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof shows white lingerie
is sexy with her cropped brunette curls, delish!
(Photo Courtesy of democraticunderground.com)

Summer Fling

As the rest of the world is gearing up for Fall, I am still stuck in the blazing hot city of Houston. Even so, I have my sights set on Fall.  I can smell the chili on the stove, taste the Sam Adams winter lager, and hear my husband screaming at the television while football is roaring in the background. But I do know that us Houstonians have a while to go before we really feel any relief from this intense heat, so I decided to go ahead and do a few more posts with my summer outfits of choice!  I love this ensemble because it is still classic but has a sprinkle of retro-chic.  I bought the scarf wrapped around my head at the wonderful NYC vintage shop What Goes Around Comes Around, and I was so elated when I came across it!

Hollister shirt, Gap skirt, Lipstick Couture pearl necklace (coming August 23rd!) , Converse shoes, What Goes Around Comes Around scarf
(Photography Captured by Shan Renee)

You, Me, and the Emerald City

My husband and I have been looking forward to our big trip to Seattle since January!  We have been incredibly curious about the Northwest coast and finally decided to make the long trek from Houston to this beautiful part of the US.  We first stopped in Seattle (The Emerald City) and had a magnificent time milling about the Pike Place Market.  We bought the most amazing fruits, vegetables, and seafood to cook at our wonderful beach house on the coast.  We arrived at Seabrook where we rented a quaint, french cottage to ease our minds for the week and have a late 4th wedding anniversary celebration.  I did however talk him into stopping by H&M on the way because we sadly do not have one in Texas! (very sad)  I bought the cutest sequin tank and wore it to the market Sunday morning.

H&M tank, Zara cardigan, Express boyfriend crops, TOMS shoes

Pike Place Market on Sunday morning

There was tons of fresh seafood

The crab looked delicious but we got shrimp instead

Gorgeous flowers at the Pike Place Market and cheap too!

Our beautiful french beachhouse

We bought so much fruit and have almost eaten all of it!

I heart Marilyn Always and Forever

It goes without saying, I regard Marilyn Monroe as one of the sexiest, effeminate, luxurious women of all time. I love everything about her from her careless attitude about what the modest population thought of her in the fifties to her bleach blond perfect tousled curls to her blazing red lips.  This was my personal take on her astounding influence on women, fashion, and even the president.

Top vintage, Skirt Zara, bow headband and tights Forever 21 , shoes Aldo, necklace Lipstick Couture (coming August 23rd!) 

Everyone Loves Lipstick Presents Lipstick Couture

I love, need, and yearn for the icing on the cake we ladies call accessories. That final touch that helps us say - "I am ready to be fabulous today!" I have spent at least half my pay-checks for as long as I can remember on these trinkets and baubles we decorate ourselves with. I was, keyword WAS, a huge shopper of Charming Charlie's, Sam Moon, and any other super cheap, discount jewelry store I came across that would swipe my plastic. But over the past few months, I started to realize that all of the jewelry I was buying would either break right away or I might only get two or three wears out of each piece. I was so frustrated that I vowed to myself that I would learn how to make jewelry.  What if I could custom design each piece for my wardrobe needs?! Well, I absolutely fell in love with jewelry making. It feels like a modern-day throwback to knitting which somehow comforts me as I make knot after painstaking knot between each pearl (sometimes there are hundreds!) So, after much vigorous work in my woman cave with the company of many of my fav Sex and The City episodes, I began to create my very own collection! I am now thrilled to introduce Lipstick Couture!! This is a preview (a teaser if you will) of what is to come! I anticipate launching the Etsy online shop on August 23rd so don't worry, it won't be long.

(All photography by Captured Photography by Shan Renee)