Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

I thought it was super amazing (& cheeky) that some of the fashion industry are dressing up as famous fashion bloggers to Halloween parties. If that doesn't say that bloggers have become pop culture icons, I don't know what has!

photo via Show Ponies and Pretty People

Rachel Zoe's former right hand man, Brad Goreski and Annebet Duval dressed as Jane of Sea of Shoes and Tavi of the Style Rookie at the Lanvin Party

via Huffington Post

photo via twitter

Not to be outdone, fellow blogger, Bryan Boy, shows off his Tavi getup!


The real Tavi of Style Rookie


The real Jane, of Sea of Shoes

They do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! I love that bloggers have become celebrities recognizable enough characters to inspire Halloween costumes and that its a sort of inside joke amongst the fashion world!

What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

xoxo, lauren

Spooky Store Windows

As a fashion student who does part time visual merchandising for a retail store, I LOVE seeing the creative window displays that stores come up with around different holidays. Halloween is no different; spooky scarecrows, pumpkins, spiderwebs, and goblins fill the windows of  these NYC stores.

Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, and Cynthia Rowley are especially notorious for creating elaborate Halloween themed displays each year. Luckily, these haunted storefronts would definitely draw me in more than scare me away!

xoxo, lauren

Stylish Last Minute Halloween Costumes

As a college student one of my dilemmas around this time of year is too many Halloween parties, & not enough costume choices. I never want to wear the same thing twice, but I hate spending a bunch of money on a cheap Halloween costume I'll never wear again. This is when my creative inner fashion student comes out.. I take hte opportunity to go hunting through my closet for some potential costume combinations.

It's easy to create a costume around items everyone has in their closet just by adding a few accompanying accessories to get the full effect:

• Plaid Shirts: add an axe, trendy desert boots, and a trapper hat to be a chic lumberjack.
• Drapey White Dress: Pair with a gold lead headband, metallic gladiators, and a gold cuff to be a grecian goddess.
• Little Black Dress: Channel your inner Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's by toting a teal Tiffany & Co bag, and a necklace full of pearls.

What costumes have you come up with out of pieces already in your closet?

xoxo, lauren

P.S. Congrats to Kate of O My Heart for winning the Shopbop giveaway! Thank you everyone for entering; keep checking back for more fashionable giveaways!

Faux Fur; Real Glam

This Vogue Russia editorial features everything I'm obsessed with this Winter; faux fur vests and jackets, piles of turquoise jewelry, and lots of denim. Faux fur is an easy and fairly inexpensive way to add a dose of glamour to an outfit without breaking the bank (or questioning your ethics).

Check out these looks inspired by the editorial. Try pairing faux fur collars, vests, and jackets with fall fabrics like tweed, plaid, and denim.

Would you wear faux fur? If so, how would you style it?

xoxo, lauren

P.S. I'll be announcing the winner of the $100 Shopbop giveaway in my next post; thank you for entering!!

Pretty Pumpkin Patch

Fall in Florida is probably unlike most places in the world. While most areas have leaves changing colors and crisp autumn air it's still a balmy 80 degrees here. But.. that doesn't stop us from taking part in all the traditions that make me love this season (or prevent me from wearing white after Labor Day.. gasp!).

I love this candid & the expression of pure happiness on my face!


Instead of carving pumpkins we decided to paint, glam-ify, and glitterize our pumpkins: :)

My friends & I are taking advantage of the uncharacteristically hot weather for October and making a trip to the beach for the weekend!

xoxo, lauren

P.S. Picked up the girly girl cowboy boots while my dad stopped for gas outside of Nashville on our summer road trip. I saw the "boot store" sign and had him drop me off and found this pretty in pink pair.

Spooky Cute Pinup Girls

These vintage pinup Halloween witches are so so cute. I love the idea of enjoying the spirit of Halloween without wearing a scandalous skin-bearing outfit. No costume? No problem. Throw on your cutest little black dress, some spooky accessories and you're ready for some tricking and treating :)

If you don't want to wear a costume, just create a Halloween themed outfit with some ghoulish accessories; I love these shirts from Wildfox Couture!

Are you dressing up for Halloween-- If so, what are you being? I'm still looking for a creative idea!

xoxo, lauren

LPF Book Club: "The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing"

Today's featured book is, The Mesh: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing by Lisa Gansky. It was a brilliant look at how the dynamics of retailing and other industries are changing. It's true, reading blogs is sharing in a verry pure form-- we write or read them to share our view points. Sharing is a great way to swap and borrow without the cost investing in something.

Check out some businesses that use a"sharing" service to gain access without ownership or allow the shopper to share their opinions.

Rent the Runway

Rent the Runway lets you rent designer dresses (with prices starting at $50) for special events like prom, birthdays, or even just a date night. You even pay a $5 insurance fee in case you spill on it or break a zipper. It's a really affordable solution to that age old problem of never having another occasion to wear a formal dress again!

Clothes Swaps

Swap O-Rama-Rama hosts clothes swap events with a cool added touch; diy stations with experts on hand to help you give your new clothes your own personal touch. DIY not your thing? Check out swaps on the Swapaholics site. For those in the UK check out Swishing. Australian readers can check out The Clothing Exchange. Or even host your own within your group of friends!


ModCloth

Modcloth  sells trendy retro and vintage inspired looks on their site. They sell really cute lothes and they're great at engaging in social media and getting involved with their customers. My favorite part of the site is the "Be the Buyer" section of the site where they actually let customers leave their feedback on potential inventory for the next season!


Golden Hook


Golden Hook is a French site that allows you to customize the colors of hand knitted hats and scarves. The best part of the customization process is where you get to choose your "Granny" to knit for you from a list of bios and pictures. You can even write them a thank you note!

These are just a few of the creative upstarts using the concept of sharing. There's a fantastic list at the Mesh site, and I'd love to hear any of the ones you've stumbled across. Whether its sharing, customer input, or customization, it's easy to see that the future of fashion is in the hands of the consumer!
Have you ever used a website that uses "sharing"? Or have new ones to suggest? Even websites like Chictopia, Lookbook, and Weardrobe count!

xoxo, lauren 

Latest Lust: Curated Closets

I just stumbled upon the tumblr "In the Closet" and am obsessing over these perfectly curated closets. It doesn't matter if you just have a rolling rack with a few outfits, or a perfectly organized and enormous shoe collection. These prove that it's not the size of the closet, but how you present the clothes!

 I've already decided that if I get stuck renting a two bedroom when I make my big move, I'm filling one of the rooms with my clothes, fashion magazines, and a wall of accesories and making it my dressing room. A girl can dream right!?

xoxo, lauren

PS Don't forget to enter to win the $100 Shopbop Giveaway & Foley + Corinna bag!

Autumn Awakening

I took the sudden wave of cool weather as an excuse to break out a fall foliage skirt my awesome mom sewed for me (she's taken it up as a hobby since becoming a new empty nester). I paired it with a gold shirt some lacy knee high tights (a gift from Cheekylegs.co.uk- check them out for a great selection of cute tights!) & my new desert boots I splurged on.

I'm so ready for all the fall traditions, i've already baked pumpkin bread & decorated the house in autumn scented candles! Can't wait to go pumpkin picking and buy my first batch of candy corn.

One of the things that makes me most excited to move to the Midwest is the change of seasons. We really miss out on all the leaves changing colors & fall foliage in Florida!

What are your fall weekend plans?

xoxo, lauren