Well I am as ready as I’ll ever be for NYC! Polyvore and Farfetch have started a board with all of the looks that the attending Polyvore Members have created, here is a look inside what we’ve come up with! Hope you enjoy!! Can’t wait to share the rest of this experience with you all. Have a fabulous weekend!!

POLYVORE NYC Meetup, Outfits we styled from Farfetch!

CHECK IT OUT HERE!!

I thought long and hard before making this announcement and really wasn’t sure if I wanted to say anything until I was actually on a plane to NYC. There was a bit of denial that it was actually REALLY going to happen.  Truthfully, I still can’t believe they chose me! I told a handful of people that have been supportive of this journey of blogging about Fashion and Interior Design.  I have an amazing family and great friends but let me be honest….not all of them care much about fashion… period. It was hard to put into words what this trip means to me. I couldn’t beg a few people I was closest to, to follow my blog when I first began, why would anyone else take notice. But someone did, and that someone was Polyvore and their amazing community.

As I’m sure you’ve come to realize, I use Polyvore as a tool for the majority of the content that I write about here on The Life the Party. It would truly be a sinking ship without it. If you haven’t already signed up, do it! You won’t be disappointed. Don’t worry about impressing others, just start creating things that you love and that are your personal style. It’s a wonderful creative release!

I’m so honored that anyone ever noticed I had a glimmer of talent and shocked at the same time.  About two years ago, I created my first set. About a month later I received a Top Set from Polyvore. I was ecstatic! However, I would’ve been pretty happy with that accomplishment alone so I continued on without any great expectations. I just kept doing what I loved to do!  There are no words for the way I feel about the incredible support from the Polyvore team and  this fantastic community as well as people outside the community, it is surreal. This is a life time dream to be doing what I’m doing at this moment and a good reminder to all of you that if there is something you really love, it is NEVER too late for a career change.  Follow your dreams, life is too short! I know we hear it all the time and it sounds corney and cliche but all we have is time, why not spend it doing what we truly love to do.

So the denial is gone and I’ve realized this really is happening….in three days. Polyvore has set up an amazing trip to New York City for 11 fabulously talented Polyvore Members and myself. We will be taking an inside look at Polyvore as a company as well as Farfetch, a fabulous store filled with the most prominent names in fashion. Pinch me! Seriously, pinch me!!! I’ll be giving you all a blow by blow of the entire trip. But in the meantime here is a look at one of the ensembles I’ll be wearing. The dress is my first DVF and I love, love, love!

Thank you all so much for your support throughout the last few years! It’s been amazing getting to know all of you fashionable ladies through the Fashion Informant. I promise it will be back and better than ever in just a few weeks. Just hang  with me.

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Typically I’m a huge supporter of mixing colors in an outfit. Either adding an unexpected splash of color through accessories, or just pairing items of clothing together that are complementary in color, yet different. Remember one of my favorite sayings from Clinton Kelly on TLC’s What Not to Wear is “things don’t have to match – they have to go”. I personally love taking risks with color mixing.

However, I also think that we should make an effort once in a while to wear things differently than we typically would. It’s incredibly refreshing to shake things up a bit. Lately I’ve been thinking of trying outfits that are tone-on-tone in color using just lighter & darker shades of the same color.

The key to making this work without looking too “matchy-matchy” is using varying textures & patterns, thus creating visual interest. Also, accessories with metallic finishes will compliment these outfits nicely as well as add another layer of interest.

While I don’t think I would personally sport a tone-on-tone look on a regular basis, I think I will try & incorporate it more often. For those of you who tend to shy away from color mixing, this may feel more familiar & comfortable to you.

Regardless of your preference, I would always encourage you to shake things up a bit now & again. I think you’ll find it a breath of fresh air!

A big thank you to Sherry at The Life of the Party Blog for having me as a guest today!!

For some reason I’ve been totally obsessed with J.Crew’s Antique Floral collection. I would have happily purchased this pattern in the skirt, long sleeve top and the shorts if money weren’t an issue. In the end I chose the sleeveless silk racer tank as I figured it might get the most use here on the island. For this weeks Fashion Informant I styled it with my boyfriend jeans and nude pumps and also wore it out for our monthly girls dinner!

I was so obsessed with deciding which one to choose, I had to come up with a style board. Remember? You can see the full post here for a refresher.

Photography by: XJCreations

Polyvore Design by: The Life of the Party

After seeing Alice of Happiness at Mid-Life this morning when I opened up my daily reads the obsession with this pattern continues. Doesn’t she look amazing! I adore Alice as a person and I find myself relating to her style all the time. Thank you Alice for the continuous inspiration!

I’m so excited to introduce you to Rhea, et cetera! She not only has fabulous fashion sense but also great fashion advice as well. Loving this dress she wore and she finished her look to perfection in those fabulous heels and fantastic lavender clutch! Stop by and say hello to Rhea today!

The Fashion Informant is celebrating one year!! Woohoo! It’s been one awesome year getting to know so many lovely and fashionable ladies that I truly consider friends. As a way to celebrate and to say thank you, I’m offering a chance to win a $25 Gift Card to Nordstrom!

Last week I mentioned a few new things that I’ll be adding to the mix! I feel so inspired by you all that have that ability to mix and match to perfection.  Starting the last Saturday of the month I’ll be hosting another link up called the Style File.  This is a linkup that will only be hosted every other week  to start with but it will be open for two weeks.  More information to come through the month of February! It will be a great opportunity for group collaborations.

Tasteful Tuesday is inspired by healthy recipes and so I decided to take that a step further and add a little health and fitness to the mix through outdoor living. Many of you have commented on our unique landscape here in Hawaii and it gives us the opportunity to show you all the hidden gems that the average tourist never hears about. We’ll take you on this journey through  hiking, water activities and food. I’ll be sharing our first adventure next Tuesday so I hope you will all stop by and check it out. There will be a little fashion involved as well, although it may be on the practical side.

Photography by XJCreations

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This weeks Fashion Informant is the gorgeous girl Ariel of the blog Auteur Ariel. First of all, I can’t get enough of Graphic Tees and I adore the way she styled her look with those fabulous leggings and strappy sandals. I’m so inspired by this look. Thank you so much for sharing your style with us Ariel! Be sure to stop by and say hello and check out some fabulous looks. Image credit: Auteur Ariel

Also linking up with Style Sessions, I Feel Pretty, Tres’ Chic Fashion, The Pleated Poppy , Monday Mingle Linkup, All Things Thursday Linkup, Love Your Look and What I Wore, Real Mom Style.

Happy Friday everyone! Are you as glad as I am that it’s finally here!? I’m even more excited that I’m Co-Hosting Style Elixir’s Fab Favorites today. Here is my list! Be sure to linkup and share yours!

1. I am so obsessed with Gigi New York everything lately. I adore their clutches!
2. Stella and Dot recently came out with their Spring line. One of my favorites is the Fleurette Statement necklace, it’s such a perfect look for spring.
3. My Rayban Wayfarers have seen better days so I’m in the market for another pair. I’ve always loved the aviators.
4. A girl can dream about owning a pair of Louboutin’s. Right?
5. Micheal Kors Gold Rose Edition available at Kohl’s! What? That’s right!

Style Elixir (follow here!) | The Life of The Party (follow here!) | Petite Career Girl (follow here!)

Friday’s Fab Favorites Link Up:

1. Please follow your Host Style Elixir (via Bloglovin’ or Instagram) and your fabulous Co-Hosts…
The Life of The Party (follow via Bloglovin’)
Petite Career Girl (follow via Facebook)
2. Link up anything… it could be one of your previous posts that you like, or a post about your favorite things!
3. Please include a link back to this post within your post (because it’s such a nice thing to do!)
4. Now simply add your link below! We hope you all enjoy meeting other bloggers and discovering some new things.
5. If you would like to Co-Host Friday’s Fab Favorites, email [email protected] for more details!

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Ladies, last week was the biggest linkup yet, I was so excited to look through all of your fabulous looks. Soon the Fashion Informant will be celebrating an anniversary! Can you believe it has been a year already? I can’t. Thank you all for coming back week after week to share your style.

The second I saw this J.Crew tee I knew I had to have it! However, I rushed to my nearest (only one on the Island) J.Crew and it was already sold out. Finally, it is mine. I styled the look with a hand-me-down Express skirt from one of my good friends. It’s been about 8-9 years since she gave it to me and who knows how long she had it prior. Talk about stretching the life out of clothing!

If you are looking for a little inspiration on ways to style a graphic tee, check out my Three Ways to Style a Graphic Tee post.

My new jewelry obsession is Baublebar. The ones I’m wearing are the lighter of the two pair I own and they are still pretty heavy but they do make a statement. Here is what I wore…

• Tee- J.Crew
• Skirt- Hand-me-down Express circa early 2000′s.
• Clutch- Michael Kors
• Earrings- Baublebar
• Bracelets- J.Crew and Pandora
• Watch- Invicta
• Shoes- Payless

Get a similar look below!

Image Credit: By Way of Kingston

Now it is time for our first Fashion Informant for 2014! Woohoo and she is fabulous! Keisha is the owner of the fashion and lifestyle blog By Way of Kingston. She is a pro at mixing fun patterns and textures . I’m obsessed with the outfit she wore here. I can’t tell you how much I love that skirt and she styled it to perfection with all of those eye catching elements. Thanks so much for sharing your style with us Keisha.

Be sure to stop by By Way of Kingston and say hello to Keisha and view more of her fabulous style.

Also linking up with Style Sessions, I Feel Pretty, Tres’ Chic Fashion, The Pleated Poppy , Monday Mingle Linkup, All Things Thursday Linkup, Love Your Look and What I Wore, Real Mom Style.

Graphic Tees are all the rage this year and you’d be amazed at all of the different ways you can style them. I’ve put together these three looks using the same  J.Crew Hello graphic tee, which just so happens to be one of my favorites.  Of course this is a great tee to wear in ultra casual ways as well but why not glam it up a bit!

1. Faux leather just happens to be spot on trend right now and for this look I kept things simple and chic by pairing it with a simple pair of pointed toe pumps and add that glitz and glam element in the Zora Crystal  statement necklace from Stella and Dot.
2. This is one of those looks that give you the best of both worlds with casual sophistication. Boyfriend jeans are another staple that is super hot right now. Add a pair of strappy stilettos and finish the look with a blazer and a fabulous Michael Kors bag. The look is made up of basic staples you might already have hanging in your closet.
3. Get a little flirty and add a fun gold skater skirt with a fabulous pair of studded heels sure to grab everyones attention. I added a pop of color in a Gigi New York clutch to complete the look.

These looks would all be fabulous for a date night or night out with the girls. If you’re looking for a more casual way of trending the graphic tee, consider adding a flannel top to the look or top the first look with a denim jacket and swap out the pumps for a great pair of flats. It’s such a versatile wardrobe staple to own.

Stop by tomorrow and see how I styled mine!

Hello lovely ladies! I hope you are all off to a fabulous new year! You might have noticed the Fashion Informant was on a little vacation. I wanted to spend as much quality time with the family as I could while they were on break. My aunt said something a few years ago that always rings in my head as I’m trying to hustle through my day in survival mode. “They are only little for such a short time, enjoy this time because you’ll never get it back.” Deep? yeah…but so true! Last year I set attainable goals and feel a sense of accomplishment that I actually followed through with them for once. The two top goals being spending more time volunteering for the kids school activities (because right now they really like it when I’m there….a few years from now…they probably won’t). The other was to build business relationships and slowly but surly that has also been a success.

This year I really want to focus on the simple joys with my kids because those are the things they will truly remember when they get older. Like mom and dad camping out in their rooms while my daughter paints my nails and my son has a light saber battle with his dad. If I think back to my own childhood those are the kind of memories that I cherish the most.

My kids came with us for the photo shoot which will explain the random bubble picture. It’s amazing the joy you can get just watching your little ones run around blowing bubbles in a park. That is my number one goal this year, to really slow down and enjoy the small stuff.

Let’s talk fashion!  This strapless floral dress was a gift from my mother-in-law and it’s a brand called Tychee. I realize some of you may be buried in snow right now but this is a great dress for Spring…don’t worry it’s coming. If it makes you feel any better we’ve had record lows here in Hawaii as well. In fact I was chilly while we we’re taking these pictures. I know, wahh…poor me. Well now comes the time to linkup and share your fabulous style. I can’t wait to see what everyone has been wearing.

Here is what I wore…

• Dress- Tychee Floral Maxi
• Shoes- Steve Madden Espadrilles
• Necklace – Avon
• Bracelet- Stella and Dot (retired)

Now I see they are bringing the Bomber jacket back which just happens to have been my favorite all time jacket trends. I wore mine…All. The. Time. It was almost like a security blanket. Now the following jackets aren’t quite what I remember but the word alone has me in a fit of nostalgia. I’m hoping that the old brown distressed leather bomber jacket is not too far away in gracing the fashion scenes once again. Here are a few of my favorite Biker Jackets and Bomber Jackets from Express.

If you put yourself back to the 90′s (ehm…if you are my age anyway), I’m sure you’ll remember this was the order in which the trends took place. A fine example on how fashion history really does repeat itself. What comes after the bomber jacket? I can’t remember either.