Trend Alert: Peter Pan Collars

I've noticed a new trend lately that happens to be in all the stores I peruse: Peter Pan Collars. How do you define this trend, really? Wikipedia refers to it as 'a small, flat, round-cornered collar without a stand' and mentions that it is popular in children's and women's fashion as of the early and mid-20th century. A good accent to this look is either a brooch in the middle, a bow, or a dainty tie. I'm going to say that this definition should be expanded to include collars that are not necessarily round-edged, but can also be hard-edged because I found this particular dress which I believe suits the 'Peter Pan Collar' trend but isn't particularly rounded. I believe the main descriptive in the trend to be the fact that the collar doesn't have a stand and is slightly more gaped than in traditional collars, which gives it a feminine appeal.



Lately, this look has appeared in shirts, outerwear coats and sweaters, and most prominently in dresses. I particularly think it looks cute and conservative in a quirky, doll-like way. I'm a fan of this look, particularly if you're going to be showing a lot of leg in your outfit, keep the risque down below and cover up on top with this whimsical collar to draw attention one of your assets. Many times this collar comes with below-the-knee dresses, but that can look a little too much like nun-fashion, especially for a younger lady. Sleveless or cap-sleeved fashions with this collar are quite adorable and fun. I wouldn't wear this collar with completely long sleeves that go past your wrists because, again, you don't want to look too covered up, so unless the fabric is sheer, I would stick with three-quarter sleeves at the most. This fashion has even gone so far as to transfer onto shoes! That's right, they now have peter pan collars on shoes as well!


I don't know that this look would be so great on busty girls because it might make you look too top-heavy and out of balance with the rest of your body. However, I do know that petite and slim girls look tres chic in this fashion. This is an acceptable fashion for interviews if you're going for a job in fashion or really anywhere the dress code isn't too strict. Here are some more photos for your viewing pleasure:

You can purchase this style here:

Festive Holiday Hairstyles

Tis the season that you'll be going to or holding many get-togethers, for family and friends, and holiday X-mas parties. You'll be sure to wear snazzy clothing and don your best swag for the festivities, but are you looking for something to make sure you stand out from the crowd of gorgeous people? Well, you may be wondering how to wear your hair with the various outfits you have this season, so I'm going to do a quick how-to review of some simple, yet unique, hairstyles to go with your holiday garb.

Faux hawk
This trendy punk-inspired hairstyle has bled into the mainstream over the past several years and is a great option for short and long hair alike. You don't need to cut your hair any particular way to achieve this hairstyle, so do not make this a permanent mohawk change unless you are absolutely sure you're going to love it. It's easy to style, but do not do it on freshly washed or frizzy hair, you will need the natural oils from your scalp to aid in the process. Using styling gel (not mousse because it won't hold as well) pull your hair in the middle and on the sides of your head together and up, put gel in from the roots to the tips. Simply mold your hair to the desired shape you're looking for and either use pins to secure it up on the sides, or skip this step if just using a strong hairspray works for you. Either way, finish off with plenty of hairspray for hold.

French-up your braid
I love french braids and think that they are basically the classiest hairstyle you can get because their simplicity, yet perfection, is absolutely breathtaking. If you can manage to do this hairstyle at your holiday party, you will definitely get compliments! I suggest starting this hairdo in the mirror to help you out, but then as you continue your braid, you should probably try not to look in the mirror as it will confuse you and you need to keep a pretty steady track of your strands. Before you do anything, you want to make sure you brush your hair out to get any knots out. Then start at your hairline and grab hair from the top of your head to begin a normal braid, dividing into three sections (equal in size). Hold the right section in your right hand, left in your left hand and the middle one between the thumb and forefinger of whichever hand is easiest. then you want to cross the sections, going right over middle, do the same with the left, fairly tightly as you go. Then, gather a bit more hair from your right section and do the cross-over again over the middle. Repeat with the left side and keep doing this over and over until you come to the end of the braid.

Adorn your 'do
Consider adding a beautiful flower or hair clip that will really spruce up your hairdo, or maybe go as far as wearing an embellished head band to make a statement. This idea is so simple because you literally only need to clip on your hair accessory or put it on, and I am a particularly large fan of barrettes because they can add elegance to any simple hairstyle in the simplest of ways. You can wear a headband either over your forehead for that hippie-chic look or with your hair pulled slightly back to keep it away from your fresh-looking face. Either way you cut it, a sparkly hair accessory definitely will make you look like the festive belle of the ball. Try a braided headband or floral silver headband for a unique look that I can almost guarantee others will not be brave or creative enough to wear.

Festive Holiday Look - Emerald Green Peacock

For the holidays this year, many people will be tempted to pair red and green together for a merry and festive ensemble. However, I urge you not to simply combine those two extremely different colors together, without incorporating a neutral: brown, for example. If you add brown to red you would get burgundy and this color is far more complementary to emerald or pine green than a simple fire-truck red will ever be. I've created this inexpensive outfit for the holiday season. This beautiful Dorothy Perkins dress can be found for only $27 on her website. I added a touch of peacock accent with this super cheap shawl ($19 from bootlegger.com) and Lucky Brand earrings for $42. I love the way the Luisa Viaroma high heeled booties look with the rest of the peacock-themed accessories, but I absolutely loathe their price. So for those of us who don't have pockets that deep, I recommend the burgundy boots by Roberto Vianni for $110, or any boots you can find in a burgundy color. I would pair this with some simple brown fish net stockings that flatter your legs and a cute $7 H&M hat (which I personally own) to shield you from snow and rain, but also to make you look cool like Indiana Jones. The hat doesn't come with a peacock feather, as shown, but you can put any craft-store peacock feather inside the bow yourself and spruce up your hat!

Emerald Green Peacock by lethalglam featuring a pencil dress

Dorothy Perkins pencil dress
$27 - dorothyperkins.com

Roberto Vianni burgundy boots
£71 - debenhams.com

High heel boots
€739 - luisaviaroma.com

Lucky Brand drop earrings
$42 - piperlime.gap.com

Glitter Lurex Fishnet Stockings - ACCESSORIES A'GACI
$5.50 - agacistore.com

H M feather hat
£6.49 - hm.com

Kismet peacock shawl
$19 - bootlegger.com

Aerosoles Boots purchase!

I'm so excited about this most recent buy that I got with my birthday money and the other pair that my mom bought for me as a gift for the holidays, that I absolutely must share with you.

Aerosoles is having a 20% off boots which are already on sale, so I took advantage of these real suede studded boots. They're flat, with a little bit of an arch for support. The model is called Sota Fountain and it fits my abnormally large calves. I usually have such problems finding boots, especially suede and leather boots, because of how large my calf muscle is and they are always too tight or will not pull up past a certain point. These boots absolutely delighted me and the pattern is so chic and fashionable that I'm sure that I'll wear them for years to come. They are sturdy and feel like they're made of thick suede, so you probably don't have to worry too much about wear and tear. These are perfect for Seattle's terrain, where I need a flat shoe but with arch support and comfort so that I can walk up and down the many hilly streets.





The regular price for these was $200, which is absolutely way more than I will ever pay for a pair of shoes, any kind of shoes. However, I was delighted to find out how big the sale was that they were offering! The yellow pair was retailing for $69.99 but with 20% off, they only came to $55.99. The black pair wasn't on such a large sale because it was $99.99 and with the 20% off it came to $79.99, apparently this color happens to be a lot more popular than the yellow so it doesn't go on sale with as big of a discount. So if you're interested in purchasing a pair, don't waste time! They come in olive and brown as well, with the olive color being on huge discount just like the yellow pair (as they consider it a less desirable color) and I am considering purchasing them too!!! Hurry if you want a pair, the sale will probably end soon or they 'll be out of stock.

You can find them online here.

Fashionista on a Budget, episode 3

This week, my friends and I went on a shopping escapade through downtown Seattle and ravaged Pacific Place, Forever 21, and H&M for things to wear to the company Christmas party (which was last night). We didn't find anything we particularly liked in terms of dresses, but we walked away with assorted other items like tank tops and sweaters. All of these items are much more suited to the weather here and our lifestyles, so they were probably wiser purchases than a dress anyway.

I picked up this Ecote Feather Embellished Tank Top from Urban Outfitters because it was on sale and it is made of a thick cotton material that I love wearing during the winter-time under cardigans. I purchased two of these tank tops, one in the off-white with beige beads, and the other in black with gray beads. They are low-cut in the back and can look a little sultry. The original retail price of these tank tops was $49, which I think is ludicrous for the tiny bit of material any tank top is made from, so I waited until they were on sale for $19 and the UO was having a 50% off sale items day. I picked up both of these tank tops for under $10 each. Now, that's what I call shopping! I'm very happy with this purchase because they suit day-to-day activities and are not under-dressed or over-dressed for any occasion.

Next, I saw this Staring at Stars Fuzzy Open Stitch Open Cardigan that I had seen weeks before but it was originally $59, which is far more than I had valued it. Therefore, when it went on sale, it became $29, and with the half-off promo they had going on, it became $15/each. However, at the cash register, the lady that rang it up, only charged me $10 for it, so I was absolutely thrilled. I got one in coral (which they don't have pictured on the website, so they must be sold out) and one in white. I'm kind of upset I didn't pick one up in black, but I wasn't sure if I wanted the same cardigan in triplicate! The damage I did during this shopping trip was around $43 with taxes and all, so I got two tank tops and two cardigans for that amount. The original amount would have been $98 for the tank tops and $118 for the cardigans, leaving the whopping non-sale, non-50% promotion, total at $216.

I'm a firm believer that if you're not desperately looking for one thing or another, you won't spend too much money shopping on the essentials for the winter season. Everything goes on sale, eventually. That's my mantra. Purchasing from the sale rack of this type of store is even a great idea for holiday presents for friends and family. They will be surprised and the big present you got them, but you don't have to reach deep inside your pockets to do it.

Expensive holiday outfit

I made this outfit using Polyvore because I was inspired by my dear friend Angelica's blog (www.closetsandcocktails.com)!!!!

This is an adorable and extremely expensive dream outfit that I've put together for the holiday season. It's just an example of the ways I like to play with shapes and patterns that are in the same thematic narrative. For me, the guidelines when I put this together became clear when I chose the dress. This was my first pick because I absolutely adore this Jessica Simpson collection dress. It lends itself to the usage of many other old-world patterns and geometric as well as organic-feeling jewelry (the ring reminds me of a laurel wreath and ancient Greek gods) while the earrings and clutch bring the outfit into modern day. The scarf feels very antique and soft, it is in contrast to the hard-edged geometrical clutch, giving the outfit nice variety. You could pair this outfit with a slightly more masculine leather jacket, but for my hourglass body-shape, I prefer an A-line, mid-length coat. The booties are something I am in love with, the whole concept of lace-up boots during the winter makes me smile. I will attempt to make an inexpensive version of this outfit in the next post! Stay tuned!

Holiday outfit by lethalglam featuring

Jessica Simpson dress
$148 - jessicasimpsoncollection.com

Ryu a line coat
$120 - modcloth.com

Giambattista Valli suede lace up booties
$535 - net-a-porter.com

Kate Spade gold bag
$325 - katespade.com

Asha by ADM 14k jewelry
$495 - calypsostbarth.com

Alex Monroe feather jewelry
$225 - cultstatus.com.au

Bottega Veneta printed silk scarve
$595 - net-a-porter.com

Trimming your own bangs

Do your bangs grow too fast? I know mine are grown out 3 weeks after I get them cut at a salon. I really don't have the patience or willingness to go to a salon every 3 weeks just to get my bangs trimmed. So I've researched and devised this simple way to cut your own bangs.I suggest investing in a pair of Barber Shears before you do absolutely anything, because regular craft scissors are going to leave you with an uneven cut, and you won't be satisfied with the results.

Starting off, your hair will have to be dry and already styled the way you normally wear it; this means your bangs will have to be placed the way you like them. When doing this, you do not want to pull on your hair, you want to just gently hold it, because if you pull the sections hard in between your fingers, you won't get an even cut. Adjust the angle that you place your fingers at with the angle that you're cutting, if you're cutting your bangs straight across and horizontally, then you will want to hold your fingers horizontally. If you're scared of cutting off too much incorrectly, use straight edged cuticle scissors because they are small and will give you the most control. 

In order to shear the hair nicely, you will want to use the scissors vertically and cut into your bangs, not straight across because that would give you the appearance of a permanent helmet on your head. If you cut into your bangs vertically, you will thin out your bangs, giving them a softer appearance, and making them look wispy. Remember that when you're doing this less is more. Trim small portion of hair off at once, going at most a quarter of an inch at a time. I definitely recommend starting in the middle of your bangs and then working your way out until you reach above the middle of each eyebrow. Then continue on to the end of your bangs at whichever angle you like.