Trust Your Style

me and lee

2010-03-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Gold paillette covered shrug by Alexander McQueen

Not a day goes by that I don't think about Lee Alexander McQueen. Blown away that he's gone, I marvel at his work, his career. When I saw these pre-Fall '10 looks, I caught my breath a few times, they were so beautifully constructed.

His new textiles turn reptilian motifs into the closest thing I've seen to stunning fabric art in a long while. Seriously, it almost hurts to look at the forthcoming collection.

I would never say that being an over-the-top showman detracted from his collections because it's part of what made him so unique.

At the same time, it's a shame so many younger people will only know him for his Lady Gaga cloven shoes, when he was actually a tailoring genius and master of construction. So much was made over her shoes in the "Bad Romance" video, but McQueen also designed Lady Gaga's fabulous dresses like this gold oragami fold mini.

How great is this sequin reptilian dress with bell skirt?

Even this lbd was by McQueen...

In the U.K. he was the go-to guy for a red carpet dress. Everyone from Posh and Gwenneth to serious actress Cate Blanchett, decked themselves out in his frocks.

I have moments where I think I want to spend the rest of my life collecting every piece of his that I can get my hands on. But then I think, Why? To what ends does this pursuit matter? Isn't enough to just to admire and respect him?

And then I see this coat, and my heart stops. It's so perfectly brilliant. I've been shocked that are people and even major designers who seemed so nonplussed by his death, dismissing it with a shrug like it's no big surprise. All I know is, I'm not letting Lee go so easily. I'm not finished with you Lee, not by a long shot.

star style

2010-03-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I brought you your own vintage thermos because today we're on the go--Chai Tea Latte in one, strong black coffee in the other--please have a cup with me on this chilly Monday morning, we have style rounds to make! First, thank you so much for all the lovely birthday wishes. I had a great few days of doing nothing but indulging in food, wine, and merry-making!

So on to the Oscars! The red carpet was nothing if not whimsical this year, which is something I have often been accused of in my own designs, so I was happy to see a happier lighter vibe at the awards.

Sandra Bullock, beautiful in a champagne column gown by Marchesa. More champagne below: Miley Cyrus in a Jenny Packham gown.

Somber colors at the Oscars are getting tired, but the exception was Kristen Stewart in this Monique Lhuillier gown. She looked great!

This Elie Saab blush gown with Anna Kendrick's creamy skin was so beautiful!

Finally, Cameron Diaz sparkled in Oscar de la Renta.

Now that the glitz is out of the way for another year, there's Fashion Week in London, Milan, and Paris to consider. If you've been keeping tabs on the shows then you know that coats were the stars on the Fall '10 runways. I'll have more on this later this week, but for now, we'll wrap things up with these fabulous new fitted silhouettes.

Photos: Tumblr; Oscar photos courtesy Getty; Fashion photos via Style.com: Sophia Kokosalaki, Celine, Lanvin.

making wishes

2010-03-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday today and I'm slipping away to Los Angeles to see friends and for a little spa pampering. I'll be back in time for the Art Walk and a martini tonight. See you back here tomorrow!

xo Mary Jo

knot again!

2010-03-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

First I need to thank Senora Cartera for including my Knot Clutch in her Top 10 Spring 2010 Picks right up there with Alexander McQueen, Chloe, Derek Lam, and Tod's! I'm so honored to be in such good company. If you read Senora Cartera, then you know that Dania is a discerning handbag aficionado, so this means a lot to me.

People are always surprised that the Knot Clutch is so roomy in person. It's based on the size of one of my favorite vintage clutches from the 40s, and I've been carrying it around myself the past couple of weeks--not having a moment to change bags since I went to a party at MOCA. I always forget that everything I usually stash in my bowling bag easily fits in this big clutch (which btw is completely eco-friendly and light as a feather). There's something about carrying a clutch that makes me feel a bit more feminine too.

Mary Jo Matsumoto Silk Velvet Halter, Pencil Skirt, Knot Clutch

MaryJoMatsumoto.com is being revamped at the moment, but if you're interested in this bag or any of my bags--please feel free to email me at trustyourstyle@gmail.com.

p.s. Loving the fact that velvet is coming in so big for Fall '10 and there are several pieces in my new line, like the charmeuse lined velvet halter above
that will be perfect Fall/Winter pieces!

Also, lots of new delicate candy colored semi-precious stone necklaces just arrived in my shop in multi-colored hues of blue, gray, chocolate, pink, yellow, champagne, and olive. I love that they're simple enough to wear to work yet have a relaxed feel and look great layered with chain and other pieces.

Finally, before I sign off I'm announcing the winners from the Trust Your Style Natural Perfume Great-ful Give-away! I used the random number generator--the winners are: #5 and #7: 5th comment is from Couture Carrie who feels she is wonderful because she is creative and 7th comment from Julia who loves that her baby belly is rosy and glowing. Check out my shop for more on the perfume and their descriptions. Anyone who entered the Great-ful Giveaway and would like to order Trust Your Style's new Natural Perfume will receive 10% off their next order through the month of March. I will credit back 10% when you place your order. Just convo me when you order so I can make sure to give you 10% off!

Congrats ladies, please email me to let me know your choice of roll on perfume {you may chose a mini-roll on of either Magical Mind, You Make Me Happy or Cocoa Flora} and please email your address too so I can get it out to you asap!

Hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday!

xo Mary Jo

clouds in my coffee

2010-03-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Please come in for a cup of coffee! As you can see from the title of today's post, it was a slightly nostalgic weekend--haha, I even provided the mood music on the left. The rain started on Friday night and kept up through Saturday, making it the perfect time to watch movies and go through some old photos. I saw Nine, which only added to the memory fest. My Fellini class was my most favorite class at Berkeley, and his movies shaped so many ideas I have about film, fashion, and great style.

A river of thoughts and emotions pass through your mind when you see the past in sharp focus--photos that make you laugh and also feel a little sad to see all those people and friends from the past, everyone looking so young and innocent. You start thinking back on all the bright personalities. I also noticed for the first time that every hair was always in place back in high school, I even pressed my tennis dresses back then. These days I tend to buy my clothes chic-rumpled or at least wear them that way so I don't have to bother.

The good thing about looking at the past for a moment is that it lets you see how fast time goes by and think about what's happening right now. I found myself pondering how can I better enjoy it all as it comes? And the past makes you take a look at where everything's going. What's important? How to make the important things priorities? Old pictures raise lots of good questions.

So tell me please, how was your weekend?

p.s. I'm going to extend the Trust Your Style perfume give-away until tonight and the winner will be announced tomorrow. There's still time to enter here (make sure to read the directions about commenting) if you'd like to win a bottle of my new perfume!

photo 1: designsbygollum
photos 2 & 3: Zink Magazine by Yann Ostiguy

eye on style: unusually fine

2010-02-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Todays Eye on Style guests are the behind-the-camera duo Max and Margaret of Unusually Fine. They caught my eye over at The City Sage, and I thought you'd enjoy meeting this couple whose style is unusually fine!

Unusually Fine is Margaret Singer and Max Freeman

location: NYC, New York

occupation: photographers

wearing: Margaret's in Ferragamo loafers, Uniqlo jeans, a bracelet she picked up in Uganda, and an Alberto Biani jacket from a thrift store. Max is wearing Ben Simons, Ben Sherman slacks, an A.P.C. short-sleeve, and a Casio.

favorite designers: Margaret's favorite is Theory for work. She loves Viktor & Rolf and Costume National is great for her too. Max is a big fan of A.P.C. He loves their quality fabrics and minimalist design and says their clothes are perfectly tailored for skinny guys. Max and Margaret both like classic looks -- but with a wink.

What style means to max and margaret: Style is first a question of becoming an interesting person and then of finding ways to express those interests to other people. We love individuals and their eccentricities. As photographers, we zoom in on the details, the accents, and the gestures that make our subjects true originals.

Thanks so much Max and Margaret for stopping by!

p.s. Unusually Fine is going to shoot one couple's New York wedding for free. They're new to the city and it's their way of saying, "Hey, New York. Can I buy you a drink?" Details here.

tis the sea-son

2010-02-25T12:44:00.000-08:00

I've managed to get a couple of these new vintage goodies in the shop, but the rest will be available soon. This week I have a couple of little vintage brass charms from the 50s--the anchor and the horse & shoe on brass chains wire wrapped with pearls and turquoise. They are so sweet and delicate and will hopefully be in the shop by the end of the day. I also just came across the big vintage locket (on the right) of a medieval drinking scene, which made me laugh and I had to have it. Large lockets on long chains were big on the Fall '10 runways btw.

p.s. If you are a horse person and would like to be on my email list to get first dibs notification when I get a vintage horse locket or other vintage horse pieces in, please email me. I know a few of you wanted those vintage horse lockets that I had in the shop a few weeks back--they went quick!

Hope you're having a great day and definitely check back tomorrow, I'm very excited about Friday's Eye on Style!

a bit of mystery

2010-02-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of Antonio Berardi's Fall 10 collection. His cuts are impeccable and timeless, but there's a bit of surprise to them, like this lace insert, which gives his designs a chic and sexy feel. I love sophisticated clothes with just a hint of mystery.

On the flip side, a part of me is a sucker for this man bag which leaves little to the imagination! Okay, it's not really a man bag, it's a man holding a bag I'd like to have! Check out my post today at Senora Cartera to see Marc Jacobs in the buff!

And speaking of mystery, I used the Random Number Generator to draw the winner, for last week's giveaway, which gave me the number 10. Lovely Christina from Down and Out Chic was the 10th reader to comment on the Tarte Smooth Operator Giveaway! Congrats Christina!

Before I sign off, I want to remind you to enter Trust Your Style's Natural Perfume Giveaway--there will be two winners and I'm extending the deadline to enter until the end of the month! Click here to enter and please make sure to read the details.

photo courtesy Style.com

a dress dreaming it's a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming it's a dress?

2010-02-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

Erdem's dreamy Fall 2010 prints have me musing about such things...

p.s. You still have until tonight to enter the Tarte Smooth Operator giveaway! {details here}

photos Style.com and Tumblr

monday after fashion week

2010-02-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! Hope you had a great weekend! Come in, grab a latte and let's chat! I mostly took it easy as I haven't been feeling well, but did manage to catch an interesting show at MOCA on Saturday night. It was big, loud, and crowded, and I enjoyed it. One of my friends thought it was just a mishmash of art, but to me L.A. is a mishmash--so many artists and cultures converging here to live and work--that's what's kind of great about it.

And of course, fashion week is over and now everyone's trying to make sense of it. I spent the morning perusing Cobra Snake's coverage of the shows, fascinated as he turned his eye from hipster teenage parties to fashion week--loving the raw feel: From the ill-fitting clothes on Calvin Klein's catwalk...

...to the rumpled clothes at Marc Jacobs that looked like they ran out of time backstage to press them + crazy photos of the falling model.

Backstage at Herve Leger--even under the unflattering fluorescents these dresses don't look bad on a single girl--making it clear why he's still around.

Gorgeous work at Erin Fetherston--she just gets better.

If you've ever loved or even just been ambivalent about Anna Sui--this is the season to take a second look--she rocked it out of the park! More on that over at my usual Monday spot on Senora Cartera.

So tell me about your weekend--what did you do? I've missed you and promise I'll be visiting your blogs very soon!

xo Mary Jo

photos: 1 Tumblr; 2, 3, 4, 5 via the cobra snake, 6 via Style.com

this patchwork life

2010-02-20T14:22:00.000-08:00

photos via Fashion Copius from Italian Vogue

Just checking in to say hello. I'm still a little under the weather so I'll be skipping today's Business of Style posting, which will hopefully give me some time to work on my own taxes...

Sometimes a little downtime can be a good thing. A slower pace gives you time to think, regroup and get clear about priorities. Like all of you, I'm trying to keep this patchwork life balanced--spending time with friends, getting my home in order, working on new projects.

One piece I'm adding back into life's patchwork mix is a beauty routine, which despite the fact that I'm a beauty editor, is usually the first thing to go out the window when life gets busy. Yesterday I had a wonderful hair cut from Jennifer Baker at the Shanghai Salon--which I won from Katie Osumi of Goodnite Irene, actually I won it on her other blog Core Play, and of course I was ecstatic because I REALLY need to find a good hair person down here in the OC. I can't thank you both enough! Nothing like a good hair cut/style to make you feel 1,000 times better.

p.s. For all you Pisces out there, there's a great roundup over at Just My 0.02 Cents about what to get you favorite Pisces for their birthday. I thought it was pretty great since a) I'm a Pisces and b) Magical Mind is featured as top pick! Thanks so much Sholeh for featuring my natural perfume!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!!

xoxo Mary Jo

down by the sea

2010-02-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

Just to let you know I've been missing you--for the past few days I've been waking up with a headache that would not go away, which made it hard to do my usual blog reading. I used the time to do some spring cleaning and started working on my neglected garden. This afternoon, when it seemed I couldn't get much more done around the house, I went down to the beach. I always forget how beautiful and relaxing it is to just sit and watch the waves. The water was the color of pale translucent aqua and the waves were crashing with big fluffy foam that looked like white frosting. In the distance, little black bits bobbed in the water--actually a couple dozen surfers patiently waiting for the perfect wave.

Normally I don't shoot jewelry down at the beach because I don't like exposing it to the sand, but I had a feeling about it this afternoon and tucked a couple of new lockets I've been working on in my pocket--just in case. It's normally a flat and sandy strip of beach, but today there was a pile of rocks that the beach patrol had dragged to one area. I couldn't resist snapping on the rocks...

I also usually don't embellish vintage pieces, but experimented with the mother of pearl Cameo Heart Locket above by adding a little river rock bead with a jet crystal that matches the black cameo. I sort of like the way it dangles off to the side and could see this looking fab with a little black bikini. What do you think?

When I found this funky little Angel Locket, I couldn't resist. I'm not sure who made it--it's got a rough bronze coat, so perhaps there was more than one owner{?} Oh I love the mystery of vintage! Regardless, the angel drew me in and so I had to add it to my stash of lockets. Both of these will come with custom solid perfume and I'll be listing them soon in my shop {sorry I'm on beach time this week}.

Btw I really like the look of brocante or delicate little necklaces worn with a little string bikini. Something so sweet & sexy about it. As you might have guessed, I'm working on my summer line now...

Hard to believe it's already evening, this day went by in a flash! Hoping you are warm and cozy in your part of the world!

xo Mary Jo

tarte smooth operator giveaway!

2010-02-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

I've always loved Tarte products and when they slowly but surely started making the change into green formulations a few years ago, it made me like the brand even more. Since TrustYourStyle is all about finding and recognizing your own beauty and style, it seemed like a great time to do a little beauty product give-away. I think you're going to like this pretty little pick-me-up!

Tarte's Smooth operator™ is a natural oil-free tinted moisturizer with SPF 20
and retails for $36 US, $47 CDN. It's formulated without: parabens, mineral oil & petrolatum, pthalates, sodium laurel sulfates, synthetic fragrances, talc, gluten and dyes. Smooth Operator's dermatologist-tested "water-in-silicone" formula with SPF 20 blends into your skin as easily as a moisturizer. The micro-treated pigments diffuse fine lines and wrinkles, giving an even, natural finish. Great for all skin types because it's hypoallergenic, oil-free, fragrance-free and vitamin-rich to keep skin hydrated. But this weightless water-resistant formula is no lightweight. In case you were wondering it's available in 9 shades and you can see them here.

photo via Tumblr

To enter to win a Tarte Smooth Operator in the shade of your choice, please leave me a comment telling me about your most beautiful quality {inner or outer} and if you'd like a second chance to win, follow trustyourstyle on Twitter, a third chance, follow me on Google Friends {click these links or use the buttons on the top right hand side of the page}. Okay beauties, looking forward to reading about your beautiful traits! You have a week to tell!

xo Mary Jo

hard to say goodbye

2010-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

We lost this brilliant designer last week, and like many, I'm still finding it hard to believe he's gone. I wrote a tribute to his handbags over here today. They were really something.

Alexander McQueen, we will miss you.

TrustYourStyle remembers:
things that have never been
blythe then and now
designers say the darndest things
dark days ahead
thirty things i like about fall
a blow to fashion

please note: all photos in these links and posts have been resized and credited to correct sources by trustyourstyle, and all written content/concepts also belong to trustyourstyle. Please do not use the concepts, content or photos without crediting trustyourstyle.

beautiful & great{ful} monday give-away!

2010-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Another Valentine's Day has come and gone and hoping you had a good one whatever you did! Please come in because I want to catch up with you and talk about how beautiful you are. What? You haven't even had a sip of coffee yet and I'm talking crazy. Hope you like this yummy cappuccino that I made just for you, and notice the spoon? That's so you can stir in a little sweetness--because everyone needs a little sweetness on Monday! Alright, what's this all about? Last week's grateful giveaway got me thinking about a few things, like how I want to get back to my original goals for TrustYourStyle. Do you know that almost every Eye on Style submission I've received over the past few years has arrived with some sort of apology? Even stylish women don't feel beautiful/wonderful enough. That's why when I asked you to tell me something wonderful about yourself last week, your comments meant so much to me! Here is what some of my readers had to say:

illustration by lovely Audrey Kawasaki via Tumblr

Cafe Fashionista said...
I volunteered for an animal shelter for many years as a teenager. During that time I adopted three handicapped cats who were at risk of being put to sleep. One was deaf, one had only one eye, and one was completely blind. They are still with me today - Snowflake, Morgan, and Sloopy. :)

Julia said...
One thing that I like about myself: the fact that my baby belly is rosy and growing!

Christina said...
Something wonderful about myself: I'm really patient (most of the time). :)

Sarah Klassen said...
As for one thing about myself that I like, I am very objective and rational when it comes to relationships.

Courtney said...
Something wonderful about myself is that I have a huge heart, as well as a great capacity for forgiveness. Wow... it's hard to write something like that without feeling like I'm bragging...

To quote Marianne Williamson/Nelson Mandela, (I know the debate on that is endless) Who are we not to be great? You never need to apologize about your goodness and greatness! And because I think you're very good and great, I want to give you another chance to practice bragging about how wonderful you are and in the process a couple of you {that's right, there's going to be 2 winners now!} can win my new Natural Perfume {which I think it pretty great!} You can chose either a Magical Mind mini roll on on or a mini version of You Make Me Happy. There will be two winners to spread the sweet smell of beauty around!

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment here telling me something wonderful about yourself. If you told me something wonderful about yourself last week, your comment will be rolled into this give-away, but don't hold back, tell me more and I'll give you a second chance to win! If you're new to TrustYourStyle, you can also earn an extra entry by following me on Twitter or Google Friends {both buttons are on the top right hand side of this page} and then let me know you're following--I will check and give you an additional entry!

Can't wait to hear all about how *beautiful, good, and great* you are!

xo Mary Jo

you make me happy valentine!

2010-02-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely lovers, Happy Valentine's Day! My new perfume says it all about how I feel about you! Read on for a little surprise!

Katie, was one of the first to order a couple of bottles of Trust Your Style Natural Perfume when I opened my Etsy store a couple of weeks ago. {Thank you Katie!} When I read her sweet review of my perfumes at Good Night Irene, I had to laugh! Here's what Katie wrote:

at first whiff, this yummy scent conjures black licorice and anise. but... let it sit... for a bit, and you'll recognize vanilla and orchid. this scent surprises me because, at first, it smells sweet, but deep down, i think she’s a sultry fragrance (don’t let the candy-colored gum drop facade fool you). the beautiful, aloof (just shy) girl with the cool grey nail polish, perfect stringy hair, who listens to leonard cohen, wears 'you make me happy'.

And because it's Valentine's Day I'll let you in on a little secret. Tomorrow there's going to be another Trust Your Style perfume give-away!

p.s. {the perfume label doesn't really come with tacky candy hearts, that's just in honor of lovely tacky v-day!}

xo Mary Jo

the business of style: do you iron your money?

2010-02-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

I once saw a news team interviewing people at a convention about how they stored their money. Some people opened handbags and pulled out wadded money while others had neat bills in their wallets organized from ones to hundreds. When I mentioned this at a party, a woman squealed, I iron my money! What? Yes, and wash it too! She opened her wallet and pulled out a stack of money which she proudly fanned in front of everyone, the bills waving through the air the same way shiny coiffed hair swings after an expensive hair cut.

It made an impression on me because I notice that I'm more careful about how I keep money in my wallet. Being aware of what's in your wallet is not unrelated to running a small business. It's important to iron out potential cash flow issues before you start your business and crucial to address them when you're in start-up mode. Studies show that up to 60% of small businesses fail because of cash flow problems.

Just for fun I thought I'd search twitter to see what people had to say about cash flow. Aside from all the spam messages telling me Don't buy this stock if you hate free cash flow, I came across a few people lamenting things like the only thing that would help my cash flow would be if I win the lottery! and ...just finished working on my in and out cash flow acctg and I have spent too much! I need to STOP! Or my personal favorite: Start a cash flow for yourself--play poker!

The easiest way I can think to describe cash flow is to compare it to a faucet. Imagine the Cold Water faucet as Inventory. When you buy more supplies and goods than you're selling, you're slowing your flow of cash down, the cold water moves from a nice flow to a smaller trickle. Buying supplies before you get paid from your clients can get your company into hot water.

Think of your Hot Water faucet as Accounts Receivable. If you're thinking of starting up a small business, know that when you sell to stores, or sell your service to a company, you'll be waiting 30, 60, and in this economy, often 90 days to get paid. If you count your chickens before they're hatched, ie borrow money from your reserves, confident that the money from your sales will be arriving any day, you're entering tricky territory. Accounts Receivable is the other faucet that can slow or totally turn off your flow of cash. When the hot water shuts off, you may be dependent on the trickle of cold water--and will have to scramble to sell whatever inventory you have to cover your costs until payment arrives.

In order to get a nice cash flow going, you need to understand how to balance your sales with spending (cash in/cash out). You'll also need to make sure you're getting paid in a timely manner, which sometimes is out of your control if one of your clients goes out of business or is having financial problems.

In order to understand where you stand in terms of cash flow you'll want to set up an accounting system, and it doesn't have to be fancy or cost a lot of money. If you do a little research on the web, you'll see there's a lot of different options. The Accounting Spot is offering some free downloads for small business owners that you might want to check out. There's even a spreadsheet for the small business owner who doesn't love accounting which works with Etsy, Paypal and with the Schedule C tax form. Outright also offers free online bookkeeping and tax services. For a quick idea of where you're at, you might want to use the Small Business Association's free Cash Flow Chart. Hope this inspires you to iron out potential cash flow issues. Next week we'll be talking about what to do when your cash flow stops.

Wishing you a happy Valentine's Day weekend!

Images via FFFOUND with a little commentary by me

eye on style: elizabeth of e-tales

2010-02-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

Today's guest is Elizabeth, whose blog e-tales is one of my favorites because of her fresh voice, and because I like to read about her trials and tribulations as she sews up new ruffly dresses. I thought you'd enjoy getting to meet her!

name: Elizabeth

location: Boston, Mass.

occupation: high school English teacher

wearing: My favorite brown leather boots from a boutique in Harvard Square. The maker is BC, but I can’t remember the name of the shop—I do know it wasn’t The Tannery though; that place makes me nervous it's so perfect. The dress is a Christmas gift from Anthropologie. The designer is Moulinette Soeurs, and my next mission is to have it in blue. It's got side pockets, which no dress should go without. The belt is stamped brown leather and came from Banana Republic a couple of years ago. I’ve also got a pair of my mother’s sapphire earrings on, for good luck.

favorite designers: AmyClaire, Kate Towers, and Anna Lynett from Project Runway season seven. Each one steals my heart with big skirts, ruffles, and feminine colors.

what style means Elizabeth: Expression. Someone should be able to look across the room and know a little something about you just by what you wear. We say we don’t judge a person by their cover, but plenty of us do. So while most would say "Style is all about being comfortable" I think for me, that's a little untrue. Style is rather about being okay with uncomfortable stares and questions like, "Why are you so dressy today?" It's about being comfortable in front of the morning mirror, and then going out into the world and being noticed.

Thanks Elizabeth for stopping by! Wishing everyone a happy Valentine's weekend--and don't forget to stop by tomorrow for the Business of Style!

room with a view: charlotte's bright and happy nursery!

2010-02-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

I've always loved the stationary Christina, of Just Call Me Chris, designs, so I had no doubt that the nursery she designed for her new baby Charlotte would be special. Today we get a peek into this warm and fun room!

We're just renting, so I didn't have the option to paint the walls. Since the walls, carpet and furniture are so light, I wanted to add as much color as possible with everything else. I was going for a whimsical, fun room that will be able change with her as she grows.

I picked a palette of pinks, greens, and yellows that will be easy to add to as her interests change. I made the bird mobile from this pattern. I wasn't confident enough in my skills to dangle it over the crib, though, for fear it would fall on top of her while she was sleeping.

I got the tree decal on Etsy. It's the first vinyl decal I've applied, and it was so easy that Hudson even helped apply most of the leaves. I spray painted the frames yellow and I designed the alphabet print to match the decor. I had my heart set on doing a print of her baby footprints for her wall...but slathering her feet with hot pink paint (non-toxic & water based, btw) was a little more of a challenge than I imagined. The other prints on the wall and the party poms in the window are all from Etsy.

I found the simple pink lampshade and tied a bow around it to make it special. My sister made the toy box and my grandfather (Charlotte's great grandfather) made the rocking horse. I still have a few projects in mind for the room: pillows for the window seat, for one.

I love so many things about this room: the light, the whimsical decor and the cheerful colors. My favorite thing about the room, though, is that so many of the things in her room were made by people who love her.

Thank you Christina!

grateful giveaway!

2010-02-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

A recent new acquaintance who had checked out my blog from top to bottom was asking me about my blogging friends. "You mean you haven't met any of them in person?" her voice rising at the end of the question, tinged with undisguised disgust and disapproval. "Well, I've met one or two," I answered lamely, "It's hard to understand if you're not in the blogging world." And yet a big part of me felt annoyed that I had to downplay these amazingly talented, creative, accomplished, and kind-hearted people from all over the world who have become my friends as a result of sharing our true thoughts--if only a snippet, a snapshot, or a daydream, on a daily basis for months and sometimes years.

All I know is that on the anniversary of my father passing away last week, I did not hear from this new acquaintance, but when I logged on to my computer before heading to the cemetery, my email was filled with dozens of the sweetest emails from my blogging friends, and they kept coming through the weekend and even this week. (Real life bffs, I'm not snubbing you--you were there texting me before I woke up and calling through the day--thank you dears). I can't tell you how much these emails and comments mean to me. Especially those who shared about having lost their own parents and siblings, some ten, twelve, and even twenty years ago--how it is a common theme that it gets better, but the loss never goes away. That the big markers like one year, ten year or any moment when the realization of time passing without our loved one, are incredibly painful. This is real to me. You mean so much to me. It makes showing up here feel worthwhile.

Unfortunately the amount of time I have left in the day after work and the sheer number of beautiful inspiring blogs that I want to read don't always correspond. Lately I take a few minutes in the morning just to think about how I can carve out more peace and quiet time for myself away from the computer. I haven't completely figured it out yet, but since this is something I do because I love writing about style and the friendships I make along the way, not because I'm seeking to be a professional blogger, I do hope you'll understand that I'm trying to balance TrustYourStyle with life, you know?

That explanation is my way of offering a sincere apology to some of the most wonderful people that I've met through blogging who have recently given me some sweet mentions and blogging awards, and I'm feeling badly that I haven't even even gotten around to acknowledging these honors. A very heartfelt thank you to Vicki of Simply Hue who nominated TrustYourStyle for the Lovelies. Samantha, thank you for including my Infinity bag in your Perfect Valentine's Day Outfit! Christopher, your endorsement of tys on MDM means the world--truly, the most articulate compliment anyone has ever given me!

Tamara Nicole of Memory Bean Designs, CeCe of Rock N Revolution, and Dyan of Whimsy Being, who all gave me a Beautiful Blogger award--thank you so much!! I know the rules state that you're supposed to share 7 things about yourself that others might not know, but after blogging here for almost 5 years, is there anything you don't know about me? I'm cringing a little just thinking about it! Here are 2 things I can think of:

1. Before I started TrustYourStyle I was working on a book inspired by all the beautiful buyers from the nicest stores in cities all over America that I had met, who would come to my booth at shows and after we chatted for awhile would invariably begin making self-depreciating remarks, like "Oh no, I can't wear that, I'm not young enough," or "I don't have the hot body anymore," etc. I started thinking that if some of the best-dressed ladies in the U.S. felt this way about themselves, imagine how everyone else must feel? Around that time Dove's study revealing that only 2 percent of women in America think they're beautiful came out. TrustYourStyle really emerged from the concept of wanting women to feel better about themselves.

2. I don't know how on earth I will do this, but before I die, I'd like to be part of the change in the fashion industry, so that mentality fueling the posts and tweets I often read promoting the snobby exclusivity of fashion shows, bragging about behind-the-scenes limited showroom access and how many stylists are working to get them ready for the red carpet, is no longer considered cool. I've been there and I know it isn't. Style is only great when the inside is as beautiful as the outside.

To enter to win today's giveaway, Trust Your Style's new mini Magical Mind™ Roll On Natural Perfume, please tell me something wonderful about yourself that I might not know. For an extra chance to enter, follow me on Google, and for 2 extra chances to win, follow me on Twitter!

Here's the scoop on Magical Mind™:
I spent a great deal of time developing the concentrated liquid perfume version of Magical Mind™, and decided to offer it in a mini 5ml roll on form so that someone just familiarizing themselves with natural perfume could experience this heavenly scent. It is 90% organic/10% all natural and still carries the intense middle and base notes of the Magical Mind™ liquid perfume, but know that if you love the roll on, you will want to move on and try the more concentrated version.

Magical Mind™ begins with a melody of sweet, fresh, and spicy top notes and moves right into narcotic jasmine notes enveloped in a lush forest scent. Jasmine is so incomparable that synthetics do not even come close to approximating the real thing. Rich, warm, and intensely floral, real jasmine is the closest thing I've experienced to the sensation of memory and the flow of time overlapping and expanding. To me, it embodies the essence of the magic of perfume. The entanglement of hypnotic jasmine and green forest fir is exhilarating and comforting at the same time, creating a space for your own magical mind to emerge.

photo credits: 1. via Tumblr. 2. via beauty in everything 3. via stardust sparkle 4. via Trust Your Style

head in the {feathered} clouds

2010-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Don't you think there's something about mysterious dark feathers and the glimmer of crystal beading that grabs the imagination? Once again I find myself daydreaming about the Pre-Fall collections...never thought I'd hear myself say, where did I put my ostrich feather mini?

And the reverie includes a powder puff that's strangely wonderful...

Of course all of this would need to be enveloped in a narcotic, hypnotic perfume...{I would try Magical Mind}

Even better if the perfume's encased in a chic little vintage deco compact--it slips so perfectly into the pocket of that feathered mini!

What are your daydreams today?

Photos courtesy Style.com

i heart you bear-y much!

2010-02-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

There are bears in the air here at TrustYourStyle this morning, so pull up a seat and have a warm cup of coffee with me! Oh, and because it's Monday, there's a little creme brulee for you too...Speaking of bears, I added a couple more vintage perfume lockets to my shop and just adore this one:

Doesn't he look like he's saying "Hey guess what, I have a crush on you"?

Dog lovers, I didn't forget you! There's a sweet little vintage pooch that even has a little daisy in it's hair!

Yesterday the rain stopped and it turned out sunny and bear-y nice {sorry, I couldn't help myself}. How was your weekend? Do tell!

eye on style: jeffrey fulvimari

2010-02-05T13:20:00.000-08:00

Today's Eye on Style guest is Jeffrey Fulvimari, one of my favorite fashion illustrators in the world! His new illustrations for Tiffany's valentine's day ads (click here to see the angels) have been popping up everywhere--including the front page of the NYT.com, and I couldn't be happier for him! A lot of people don't know that in addition to being a fashion illustrator, Jeffrey has also modeled for David Lachapelle, Steven Klein, Richard Burbridge, Stephen Meisel, and appeared in Interview, Calvin Klein Billboards and lots of other chic places. I adore Jeffrey not just because he's super stylish and talented, but because he's also a cool and super nice person--which in my book is what style is all about. Enjoy!

Jeffrey Fulvimari

location: Mt. Tremper, NY/New York City/Akron, OH - I live in a few places at once.

occupation: fashion artist/cartoonist

favorite designers: Martin Margiella for Menswear because he fits me perfectly every time. Viktor & Rolf for Womenswear, because they are the Edge of Shocking, the Edge of Revolting, and the Edge of the Sublime every time.

wearing: Pringle coat, DKNY jacket, Levis special issue, Paul Smith boots, Bottega Veneta belt, scarf by Urban Outfitters, North Face sweater, white stretch T by Calvin Klein, Bottega Veneta bracelet, Brooks Bros. watch, scent: Ambre Fetich by Annick Goutal.

I thought it might be nice to have two totally different ideas/looks to show how I like to go from one thing to a completely different style. I like to do that in my daily life. This is HipHop vs. GQ mentalities.

wearing: Dior jeans; belt by Bottega Veneta; Yankee Fitted hat by 50fifty; shoes by Martin Margiella; custom made leather knapsack by Allen Midgette around my neck, vintage diamond brooch from Castaways; fragrance Listerine Mouthwash

I'll leave you with Jeffrey's Pop vs. Traditional style.

wearing: jacket by Scotch and Soda; favorite Levi's plaid special issue; Fila shoes; Theory sweater; Merona shirt; tie by Chanel...and he's gone!

Want more scoop on Jeffrey? Check out this interview he did with tys here or his LA show here.

it's friday!

2010-02-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

Photo via Mochatini

Good morning everyone! Before today's Eye on Style post goes up, I wanted to announce the winner of the its-laS-tik giveaway: the winners are Sarah Klassen (backpack, shopper, cosmetic) and Katie Osumi (large tote, shopper, cosmetic). Congrats ladies! Please email me with your addresses and color preferences so that I can make sure your bags are sent to you asap!

I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who left comments and emailed yesterday--I really appreciate it, it cheered me up!

If you want to view the prettiest pre-Fall '10 bags that I've seen so far, please check out my post today over at Senora Cartera here. By the way, Dania of Senora Cartera is looking for writers for her other handbag blogs Star Style and Senora Cartera on a Budget, so check them out, and if you think it might be a fit, please contact Dania through her sites.

Please stay tuned for the next Eye on Style post that will post within the hour.

taking a break

2010-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

My father passed away a year ago today. I hope you'll understand, I'm taking the day off. Hope to meet you here tomorrow for a new Eye on Style.

xo Mary Jo