Wishing you the best in 2013!  Love, Happiness, Health, and everything else you hope for!

My blog will hopefully be back up and running in the near future.  Still on the hunt for a Parisian Photographer!  Feel free to send any contacts you may know of!

Big kisses from Paris,

Amber

merci pour la magnifique photo mariam! xo

Blazer Ralph Lauren, Blouse Spense , Skirt J Crew, Wedges Ralph Lauren, Jewelry Michael Kors, Pookie and Sebastian, H&M, Blue Nile

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Location: Jardin des Tuileries

Blazer The Limited, Dress Eddie Bauer, Boots Nine West, Jewelry Erica Lyon, Michael Kors, Pookie and Sebastian, Monet

The colored pant is ancient if we count its age in Fashion Years.  Actually it hasn’t even been a whole calendar year, but the fact that it has transcended into its third season is just short of miraculous.  Spring 2012 was all about pretty pastel pants, Summer 2012 we relished in fun and flashy neon, now for Fall 2012 we are using this item to give a pop of color to an otherwise neutral palate.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be a bright pop this season, but when we do see color (vermillion, burgandy, pine green, royal blue, etc.) it’s been painted all over our lower half.  Check out how I used my lower half for color poppin’ in Mona Lisa Who? .

Blouse Banana Republic, Pants JW Maxx, Boots Steve Madden, Jewelry Francesca, Express, Accessorize

An old wives’ tale says that only a mother can buy her daughter pearls.  If a man gives his lover pearls, someday she will surely leave him.  (Apparently this isn’t the only explanation as to why a woman leaves her man… mine, for example, bought me diamonds but never pearls… but that explanation would take hours to write, so best left for another post!)  Anywho, pearls are the perfect accoutrement to so many looks, including cashmere cardigans, little black dresses, and even business suits and wedding gowns.  Simple, feminine, refined, and exquisite, they add just the right amount of sophistication to your wardrobe.  I love pulling out my pearls (which yes, my mother did buy me) for special nights out: to the opera, fancy dinner, or charity gala. They make me feel regal and lady-like (which I’m sure is exactly what my mother intended… urging me to embrace this persona and get ride of once and for all what she refers to as my “sailor-mouth”… nice try, but there’s no way in hell that’s effing happening!) Jk. So ladies, the moral of the story is mothers, buy your daughters pearls, and daughters wear them wisely, at opportune moments when the perception of being lady-like and classy is important to the wonderful woman who gifted them to you.

See? Don’t I look ladylike in my Petite Robe Noire?

Dress L’Art du Basic, Purse Chanel, Shoes Stuart Weitzman, Jewelry Pearls of Joy

People always ask me how do I style my outfits, meaning what process do I go through to actually come up with and create them.  It’s a difficult question to answer because it’s something that is of second nature to me.  I rarely sit down and pensively conjure up ideas… the outfits rather just materialize on their own in my mind.  Let me give you an example, when I was in high school, I remember I would wake up in the morning, lie in bed and mentally put my outfit together for the day.  I would picture the blouse then simulateously know which skirt, pair of shoes, and jewelry would complement perfectly the shirt in my mind’s eye. (Then I’d hit snooze for another 15 minutes.)  It’s kind of like asking a sculptor how do they sculpt… they just do.  Anywho, though the outfits seem to style themselves in my mind, I do draw inspiration from various aspects of life.  Sometimes I’m inspired by someone I see on the street, sometimes it’s a physical location that helps create a look, and yet other times it’s the season or time of year.  Le Tartare ou Le Tartan just so happened to have been inspired by the latter.  Nature’s glorious colors in autumn go unrivaled compared to all other seasons.  Garnet, rust, burnt orange, golden yellow, bronze, indigo, emerald… these colors are enchanting and translate beautifully to fashion!  They also go so well together that you can mix and match within this fall color palate.  So next time you’re feeling stuck within your wardrobe, look outside and let Mother Nature offer you some of her beauty and inspiration

Top UniQlo, Skirt J Crew, Scarf Hermès, Belt Nine West, Shoes Seychelles, Tights Duane Reade, Jewelry Michael Kors, Pookie and Sebastian, H&M, Monet

You’re probably not going to believe me, but I actually didn’t come up with the title of this post when I originally styled this outfit and paired it with the infamous Pigalle/Moulin Rouge neighborhood of Paris.  But I will admit, it does assimilate seamlessly into the already risqué theme *pat on back*.   Anywho, I’m not referring to the topless ladies who steal the show during the Can-Can, but rather what brazier-clad women are wearing these days on their feet!  Nude pumps are super hot this year, and practical too!  They are the perfect neutral and can be worn with black, brown, white, or color without restraint.  They also give the much coveted illusion that your legs are inches longer since there’s no sharp contrast against your skin!  Granted, not everyone can add the 5 inches that I gave myself in Sex Shop Appeal (don’t be green with envy… I was born in heels, ok?) but even a little goes a long way.  Besides… there is such a thing as “practice makes perfect”… remember?  So let go of those inhibitions and come join my nudin’ colony.