Style Archives - Kelsey Lorman

Holiday Party Looks For Every Festive Occassion

December 18, 2017by kelsloLeave a Comment

Christmas is right around the corner and that means the 14-day-Christmas-party-marathon is upon us! Between friends and family, we attend (and host!) so many Christmas/holiday parties this time of year. If you’re looking for some great styling tips for what to wear to any kind of holiday party, I’ve complied four looks that I loved showing off this weekend during a few of our Christmas & Holiday Parties!

For the work holiday party:
You can’t go wrong with a black skirt and cute top for a business-casual work event. Cranberry is so in right now, so I went with the burgundy/cranberry family for my look. My WAYF top is trendy but still professional with long sleeves, and I’ve added some H&M tassel earrings for some on-trend flare. I paired my accessories with some pop of color shoes to finish the look!

For the fancy Christmas dinner:
My husband’s company celebrated their holiday party with a lovely dinner at a local upscale favorite, Volt (a Bryan Voltaggio restaurant). As this was more of a dressy event, I went with an accordion skirt from New York & Company with an H&M off-shoulder top that I could tuck into the skirt. Paired with a flashy BaubleBar necklace from Target and I was all set! This entire look cost under $100.00!

For that classic Ugly Sweater Party:
I love a good Ugly Sweater Party; traditional red and green, tacky lights, outdated knit patterns – I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT. My husband and I took a bit of a different approach to a classic tale this year upon stumbling on some fabulous finds at Target. His suit was $60.00 with the matching pants, jacket and tie and we just really couldn’t resist. I went with an adorable (and so comfy!) sweater with a big red bow on the front, paired with red tights and nude knee-high Steve Madden boots. To us, these options were ‘mullet’ types of options: business & party at the same time! I bought the SM Boots last year, and my sweater & tights cost $40.00 from Target.

For your casual holiday gathering with friends:
For our annual friends holiday gathering, I knew there would be ~~just a little~~ lots of wine and food, so I wanted to be comfortable but still festive & cute. I found this adorable floral jumpsuit by LUSH at Alicia L, a local boutique in Downtown Frederick, and paired it with a Kendra Scott statement necklace, also found at Alicia L! It worked perfectly with a pair of heeled booties, and ‘Divine Wine’ Maybelline lipstick! (It also perfectly matched all the red wine I consumed!) The belted detail at the waist and slits in the side of each leg added to the flare of this stylish piece.

So no matter what your occasion, don’t be afraid to be bold with your colors and turn up the festive! After all, this is the only time of year that Christmas ornament earrings are socially acceptable! 🙂

PS: Looking for a good gift to bring to all of those holiday parties? Check out these gift guides for a round up of my favorite gifts!

Cheers, and Merry Christmas!
KLo

Style

Fall Fashion Favorites

October 30, 2017October 30, 2017by kelsloLeave a Comment

Fall is one of the best times of year. Halloween Parties (throwing one &need some inspiration?), Pumpkin Patches and FASHION has a super fun moment: bring on the booties, scarves and hats!

Booties, boots & mules; fall has some of the best footwear to offer. The knee-high Steve Madden boots are the perfect go-to paired with a sweater dress or dark jeans and a cropped sweater. I pair the Tahari mules with an pair of jeans with an unfinished edge and a cozy sweater. These MIA lace-up booties are one of my absolute favorites, and go great with a pair of leather leggings or skinny jeans.

Finding the right jacket is essential to completing an outfit. This Sinuous blanket coat, New York & Co. olive jacket, and this leather jacket (bought from Target AGES ago #oldiebutgoodie – I’ve linked a similar one here) are three of my favorite choices for outerwear before I have to start breaking out the heavy layers for winter!

And we can’t forget the accessories! This floppy hat is another #oldiebutgoodie (I’ve seriously made it last for three years of wear!) – I’ve tagged a similar one to it here. This nude clutch is from Aldo and honestly goes with everything. The gold chain strap and detail on the front dress it up for any occasion, too. As for the sunglasses, those I snagged off the streets of NYC for $5.00 – but check out DIFF eyewear for some trendy looks in sunnies like this one!

Below are some of my favorite ways to pair the pieces. These gray and white lace-up sweaters are from Old Navy, and are a bit oversized for a cozy feel. Pair them with light or dark jeans (Mavi dark jeans pictured in the middle) and booties or mules. On the right, this comfy Lush off-the-shoulder sweater (I’ve linked something similar for a great price from Nordstrom Rack here!) goes perfectly with knee-high boots and dark jeans. You could also dress this look down with the mules! Lace-up, ruffles, and over-sized sweaters are in – so discover ways that you can pair these styles with your fav booties!

So whether you’re excited for winter or hanging on to summer, we can certainly agree that fall has some fabulous trends that we hope will stick around for a while. Long live the booties.

Cheers,
KLo

Style

Trend Alert: Sneaker Style

February 6, 2017August 7, 2017by kelsloLeave a Comment

I am guilty of only wearing sneakers for one reason and one reason only: exercise. (And typically, I’m only exercising so that I can eat french fries and drink beer afterwards.) But despite my luke-warm love of the casual kicks, even I must jump on with the new shoe trend of spring: sneakers.

One of my favorite Downtown Frederick shops, Velvet Lounge, threw me into the sneaker-fire when I went in to shop this past week. In fashion, spring starts in January (even though I can still see my breath when crossing the street). So amidst the lovely warm-weather dresses and clever graphic tees, I found myself surrounded by colorful, bold trendy sneakers.

Dolce Vita Zane Sneakers; mid top on left, low-top in Petal Peach tones and Cyan blue. — Dolce Vita Sneakers; mid-top on left (retail $130.00), low-top in a blush tone and cyan blue on right (retail $100.00).

It’s not hard to fathom that this is popular trend is once again being showcased at the bottom of a fashion model’s long, beautiful legs; any of us can think of those ever-popular white Keds that seem to stick around, and each year a new celebrity athlete comes out with their own line. What I was not ready for is ‘dressy’ kicks that you wear with dresses, rompers, skinny jeans + more.

TOMS Lenox Sneaker in taupe suede. Retail ~90.00 — TOMS Lenox Sneaker in taupe suede. Retail $90.00

Velvet Lounge donned several different styles and name brands, ranging from Dolce Vita, TOMS, Steve Madden and more. (Oh, and did I mention velvet is back in, too? Yes, you read that correctly: velvet low-top sneakers.) These brands host a variety of options in high-top vs. low top, solids vs. prints, etc. Check out the classics like Adidas, PUMA and Marc Jacobs. If you’re looking for something contemporary + fresh? Try Golden Goose.

Wear this trend by dressing up your ensemble with your kicks. Get out of your black athletic Nike comfort zone (yes, talking to myself, too) and find a pair that compliments your outfit just like any pair of wedges or heels might do. (Author’s note: I am 5’3″, 5’4″ on a good day, so giving up my clutch spring wedge in trade for a high top kick is not exactly something I was prepared to do.) Fashion is all about risk, so I bought my first pair of ‘stylish sneakers,’ pictured below.

Steve Madden Elouise Sneaker. Retail $60.00 — Steve Madden Elouise Sneaker in camel. Retail $60.00 – an absolute steal in the sneaker world. {Thanks to Erycka, Manager/Buyer at Velvet for the extra courage for this purchase!)

I chose to pair mine with leggings and a cozy sweater, though as it warms up, these camel-colored Steve Madden gems will go great with a tunic dress or maxi. So, as a stylish-sneaker-virgin myself, I challenge you to hop on this trend’s bandwagon and get yourself a cool pair of kicks. You won’t be sorry when you’re looking gorgeous and can keep your shoes on all night long because they’re so darn comfortable. (Plus, that means you can stay out longer for a few extra drinks, right?)

Cheers,
K Lo

Style

Finding the Perfect NYE Dress

January 1, 2017August 7, 2017by kelslo1 Comment

This year a group of friends decided we’d head to Washington, D.C. for New Year’s Eve for a night of dancing, cocktails & celebration. No matter how you felt about 2016 – it always feels good to get together with friends to celebrate a new year of new possibilities.

Heading to D.C. didn’t just mean I would have to put my big girl pants on and make it until 3:00 AM when the party ended (spoiler alert: I made it until 2:30 AM before switching to my pjs), it meant I would have to have the perfect look. I headed to the streets of Downtown Frederick to explore my options.

When thinking about NYE I think about three things: texture, color and length. When I see a NYE dress that I love, it is full of glitter, shine, or some other texture that makes the dress stand out from just a typical event dress. Truthfully, it’s the only night of the year that glitter appeals to me – I am normally drawn to simplistic style. NYE is the perfect night of the year to wear a color or pattern you might not normally wear. Like I said, I usually drift toward minimalistic pieces, but NYE is one night I feel is an exception. And when it comes to length, NYE is an open book. Cocktail length, full length, mid-length, it all applies for this fun, festive night. For this NYE, I wanted to find a dress that was something I wouldn’t wear to a normal event. I was looking for bold, spectacular and something with different cut that I hadn’t worn or seen before.

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