Tag Archives: house of harlow

trend to try: oversized outerwear

 Chloé, via Style.com / Proenza Schouler, via Style.com / Céline, via Style.com

Erin ~ Winter is not my season. As soon as that cold weather blows in, you can barely see me under the layers of sweaters, coats, hats, gloves, and scarves. So a trend that is both stylish and warm? Sign me up. The oversized trend from Fall 2012’s runways can look architectural and very “model off-duty”, while allowing you to layer a few extra sweaters underneath to combat the cold.

Of course, the runway looks are incredibly theatrical and larger than life. So how do you wear this trend without looking like you just bought the wrong size or are impersonating the Michelin Man?

Read on

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all in the details: jeffrey campbell darnell wedge

Kate M.W. ~ Despite the fact that I’m a strong advocate for flats, sometimes a pair of, say, suede platform wedge t-strap colour-blocked heels just catches my eye and I’m hooked. Completely practical? Perhaps not. But there’s something about these Darnell Wedges from Jeffrey Campbell that seem both playful and grown-up, appealing both to my inner child and my subtle chic older self. The mix of black, grey, and maroon provide a palette that’s versatile and easy to work with.

Read on

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all in the details: bendel’s classic bangle

{Editor’s Note: I’m thrilled to introduce the first of a few new faces you’ll be seeing here over the summer! You’ve met Kate (of the fantastic blog Anonymous Chicbefore, but now she’s here to stay with a weekly column showing off her favorite accessory du jour and how to make it work in your closet. Also, she’s Canadian, so she gets to do lovely things like spell “color” with a U. Give her a warm welcome, won’t you?}

Hi, I’m Kate! Like many of the readers of Shopping’s My Cardio, I’m a bit of an accessories junkie. Handbags, shoes, jewelry – my outfits more often than not revolve around the details as opposed to the actual fashion. But incorporating a new piece into your routine can throw any of us for a loop. So, every week I’ll be here to give you the how-to on making those little details the star of the show. I hope to leave you with plenty of inspiration!

In a summer full of stacked bracelets, rocking a wrist full of bling has become common practice. It’s a trend that I’m glad has become all the rage – as someone who’s been stacking bracelets since her mid-teens, the vast selection that’s now readily available adds a little extra glee to my shopping excursions. Which is why I was surprised to be drawn to this classic enamel bangle from Henri Bendel – it makes such a statement, the rest of the arm party is almost unnecessary!

Henri Bendel Rivet Enamel Hinge Bangle, $88

With its basic white enamel and gold patterned printing, its size makes it the kind of piece that can handle being a statement all on its own. It’s also an excellent multi-purpose piece that would be equally at home with a classic button down and slacks for work, or worn casually with a white tee and jeans for the weekends, when you need something to give that errand outfit a little extra oomph. The white and gold combination means that while still being relatively subtle, it transcends fundamental colour palettes and will work well with matching or mixed-metal jewellery. And darlings, it’s also hinged – which makes it a winner as you’re not required to dislocate the bones in your hands trying to slide it onto your wrist (especially if you’re like me and suffer from a disproportionate palm-to-wrist size ratio).

Now while it’s easy to pair with those aforementioned basics, where this bangle would really make an impact is with a trend that every store from Target to Neiman’s has picked up: brightly coloured pants. Whether it’s red denim or dusty yellow chinos, coloured pants can often prove to be the focal point in an outfit – which is why the details can often be a little tricky to balance. That’s where this bangle from Bendel’s does just the trick: enough of an accessory statement to stand up to bold bottoms, but not too busy to be distracting.

For the foundations of this outfit genre I’d go with great poppy-red cropped jeans (or whichever colour you’ve chosen to rock), a black or navy t-shirt, and a washed-out denim jacket.

Denim Jacket, Eddie Bauer, $80 / Piper denim in Flame, Talbots, $80 / Navy tee, Old Navy, $9

For the rest of the details? Counter the sweet bangle with a chunky gold watch, and a long pendant or a fine embellished chain-link necklace. Hair up? Go with some basic gold studs. Hair down? Some small to mid-sized gold hoops. Add a simple dark toned bag (coordinate with your tee) and nude-toned flats so as not to distract from the pants…

Fairytale Hoops, Gorjana, $40 / Forget Me Knot Earrings, Juliet & Co, $25 /
Pyramid Pendant, House of Harlow $65 / Layton Watch, Michael Kors, $250

Whether sporting a bold style trend or just adding a little oomph to classic staples, I always stick to the philosophy that with any outfit it’s all in the details. Looking forward to spending some time with you! ~ Kate

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test case: house of harlow 1960 sunnies

i’ll admit that, despite the now-rampant success of celebrity fashion lines (see, e.g., the row, victoria beckham), i still approach celeb collections with a healthy dose of skepticism.  but when nicole richie launched her accessories line, house of harlow, a few years back, i replaced my raised eyebrow with a hearty smile (okay, so i’m still desperately coveting her orange leather aztec bangle. badly.).  i expected cheap costume jewelry, but found her pieces to be well-made, beautiful and creative, and the collection is perfectly cohesive.  who knew?

so, when i heard the line had branched out into sunglasses this season, i had to give them a try.  after all, not many celebs are more well-known for their penchant for sunnies than nicole richie, so the girl must know a thing or two about making them work.  sure enough, her styles for spring are dead-on.  hip, flattering shapes with super-dark lenses, incredibly sturdy construction, and a few special touches.

i was a little dubious about the shading on the lenses of the pair i tried, which lifts to clear at the bottom half inch of the frame (see the first pic, above).  while i’m still not sure i’m cool enough, kind friends assure me they look incredibly hip.  and i can tell you that feature is pure genius in the function department.  ever tried to look up something on your iphone while wearing dark glasses?  or read a book in the sun?  these make it staggeringly simple.  and, while there are also plenty of styles in the line without this feature, it’s a genius touch that i’d expect only from a designer who never leaves home without a pair.

check out all the house of harlow styles at shop the trend, or find a more curated selection at shopbop…some are a little too, ahem, trendy for my taste, but there are plenty of classic styles as well.  my hands-down favorite is the charlotte, definitely the most uptown of her styles, but hey…that’s me.  i’d also try the nicole, the cary (a riff on the classic wayfarer), the jordana or the marie, which has that old-school hollywood glam in spades.

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our big fall giveaway! fall’s hottest jewelry trends from charm & chain

i’ve been working on this goodie for a while, and am so, so, SO excited to finally share this with you guys!  welcome to our big fall fashion giveaway!  i wanted to offer up something truly extraordinary, something the winner could use as a statement piece all season to really amp up their fall wardrobe.  i think we’ve done it!

my jewelry lust is well documented – i think you’ll all attest to that.  but the truth is that i’m obsessed with good reason – in fashion, especially this year, the jewels really do make the outfit!  for fall, the trends in gems are big, strong, and sometimes hard to navigate.  so, i turned to the experts!

ali galgano owns one of my all-time favorite jewelry shops, charm & chain.  this site is so perfectly curated, it takes virtually all of the guesswork out of my jewelry choices.  she carries everything from fallon and tuleste market to house of harlow and alexis bittar, so there are loads of both splurges and steals – always a good thing.  plus, she’s just the sweetest person ever…which always makes me want to spend more money!

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with fall coming, i asked ali to share her favorite jewelry trends for the season.  i also asked if we could spread a little love and give one of her picks away to a shoppingsmycardio reader.  yep, always thinking of you guys!  so, i’m excited to tell you that that gorgeous tuleste market necklace you see above is up for grabs! (details at the end of this post!!)

now, without further ado, ali’s picks:

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“The Bigger, the Better”: necklaces and earrings keep getting bigger and bigger, as people are pushing the limits of what’s wearable.  any one of these pieces makes a serious statement! (from left: fringe necklace by lulu frost, $375; hammered squares necklace by tuleste market, $170; leather sunburst ring by house of harlow, $45)

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“American West”: we’ve seen a lot of designers turn to the american west for inspiration this season. fringe, turquoise, raw stones–a lot of the new jewelry we’re seeing reminds us of the gold rush.  (from left: bronze seedbead necklace by lee angel, $450; turquoise seedbead necklace by lee angel, $213; dina pyrite earrings by gemma redux, $245; red rock necklace by lizzie fortunato, $557)

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“Neon Pop”: it seems this season that we’ve completely flashed back to the 80s, with big shoulders, sequins, etc on the runway, along with as much neon as possible. we love the futuristic, tough feel the neon pieces have this year—a lot of the florescent pieces we’re seeing this year are paired with gunmetal hardware. (from left: fallon necklace by marlaina stone, $1500; innocence earrings by erickson beamon, $227; siena necklace by dannijo, $238)

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“Chains, Chains, Chains”: from what we’ve seen designers showing this season, the more chains you can cram on your neck and layer with shorter pieces, the more stylish you’ll be. best of all, chain looks can range from punk rock to deliciously girly.  (from left: long crystal and cross necklace by fallon, $250; layered ball and chain necklace by tuleste market, $150 (and our giveaway item!); jac necklace by gemma redux, $369)

i don’t know about you, but i’m crazy excited to add all of these hot fall trends to my wardrobe.  the great thing about most of these pieces is that a little goes a long way.  add a fringed necklace to a tee, mini and boots, and you’ve got a perfect american west look.  pair that tee with distressed jeans and flats, add a little neon pop, and presto, you’re back in the ’80s!

so, about that giveaway! that gorgeous tuleste market necklace that’s up for grabs?  it retails for $150, and is one of my absolute favorites from ali’s picks. i’m dying to pair it with everything from a simple tee to a cocktail dress…it’s sure to add instant glam to any and all ensembles! to win, just leave a comment at the end of this post (as always, if you share on facebook, twitter or any other internet-y place, leave a second comment telling me where you shared to score a bonus entry)!  since this prize is so amazing, we’ll run this contest through sunday night, and announce the winner on monday (9/21). you’ll have to email me within 24 hours to claim your prize, or we’ll find someone else to give it to, so make sure you check back monday!

thanks so much to charm & chain for offering up this truly fabulous prize.  now get those entries in!

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