Amazing Looks

This month our mother and daughter duo Sabrina and Annisa give us the blues, as we feature shades of this popular color in both of their stylish spring ensembles.

Sabrina does casual classy with a look inspired by her favorite jeans. Thinking outside the box is a great way to work with anyone’s favorite denim piece.  Using a ruffled and feminine pale blue blouse from Express as a foil to the utilitarian jeans, takes it into fashion territory.  The uniquely textured jacket from Petite Sophisticate in a cream ivory adds just the right touch of structure with the softer edge of the blouse.  A blue beaded necklace continues the color story.  By keeping accessories like our Bamboo brand flats and cream purse by Cheson in the same tonal range, they allow the blues of the jeans/blouse to shine.  This is one cool mom, showing us a hot spring look! 

Phoenix isn’t just your average little girl; she has a zest that just shines through in our pictures here. We kept her look fun, energetic, playful, and casual with the styling, much like her personality! Springtime always calls for lots of coats and jackets as the temperature fluctuates, so here we show you a classic Small Wear brand kids raincoat done in a bright and lively multi-color pattern. Under that we have a sparkly animal print t-shirt from Children’s Place, cropped jeans and cute black sandals. What little girl wouldn’t love all the color and glitter we’ve pulled together in this ensemble?  It almost matches Phoenix’s own spitfire qualities! Lots of layering pieces are always the way to go for day-to-day kid-friendly fashion, and that’s why Goodwill can certainly be one of mother’s little helpers in that regard.

Hot mama Rachel was working on child number two when we shot this feature. Maternity clothing can certainly leave something to be desired, so we decided to mix it up with this outfit. Print mixing that is. We started with everyone’s staple - jeans as the basis for our pattern play here. We added a black Gap maternity t-shirt and then topped that off with a silky gold metallic long-sleeved blouse from Amelia’s that had black velvet piping for extra zip. The oversized hounds-tooth pattern long blazer by Avenue, dresses up the blouse and t-shirt and also provides us with a graphic to play off of. This is where the accessories come in; the floral multicolor scarf works perfectly with the hounds tooth as a foil to the geometry. It also allowed us to go bold with the other pieces such as Rachel’s favorite red flats, and the purple patent leather handbag with red piping. Classy, comfortable and stylish while almost nine months pregnant, she is ready to run errands, or simply run after her cutie-pie four- year-old daughter, Phoenix! 

Rachel's Favorite Item: Red flats

"They're really comfortable and go with almost everything."

Sabrina takes the classic little black dress into the glamour realm in this stunning Jeffrey & Dana black gown with lace inset bodice. Fabulous details like the lace are what make this chic and expensive looking, so keep that in mind when you’re shopping for a knockout dress. This look is both covered up, yet body conscious because of the way the gown fits. This dress is made of a bias cut rayon/crepe fabric that clings to the figure in all the right ways. Bias cut simply means that the fabric was cut across the grain rather than with the grain, so it allows the fabric to flow and move softly. Jewelry can go two ways, first we have classic pearl earrings and necklace, and then just for fashion-forward fun, we added the chandelier earrings that feature extravagant peacock feathers. Extra special evening drama is certain with the addition of a Ronni Nicole black and red velvet coat. This is an unexpected, yet fantastic piece to have in your wardrobe for just such an occasion. Too often women wear their daytime coats for evening affairs.  If you find a great coat like this buy it!  It will come in handy for the odd formal event you may have to attend, and look marvelous with so many dressy outfits.  Sabrina’s classic pumps complete, but don’t compete with this red carpet worthy ensemble!

Our model Matt shows us all how to wear a sport coat with style! Navy blue is always a great alternative to black or grey, and works hard for the guy wearing it all year round! Here we have a Haggar-brand vintage jacket with classic detailing like patch pockets and brass buttons. Simple khaki slacks from Dockers are a casual way to go with a blazer like this instead of traditional dress pants. What is really cool about this look is the tone-on-tone use of shirt and tie. The tomato soup-red Kenneth Cole shirt looks amazing with the red and gold tie from Brooks Brothers. Matt used his own brown loafers to complete the look. Take note guys, infusing a little color in your daily attire at the office is definitely the way to go. Why not try out a colorful dress shirt? All the other elements in this good-looking ensemble are just simple classic pieces that you may already have, or should look for on your next trip to Goodwill!

Hot mama Rachel was only weeks away from giving birth to her second child when we did this photo shoot. She is the perfect illustration of utilizing Goodwill to find fashionable looks for ALL occasions!  Here, print mixing was the theme, starting with a Motherhood maternity skirt in a black and white polka dot print. From there instead of a maternity top, we used a plus sized blouse from Alfred Dunner in a fun graphic print that had just a few touches of color in it as well as a fashion forward bow tie at the collar. We completed the look with a vintage knit blazer in black poly that had a small detail of red piping with gold buttons.  Accessories are red high heels from Metaphor, a purple patent handbag, and a necklace that is actually a Rolf’s silver chain link belt with red beads that we just simply used in a different way. Feeling fun, flirty and fashionable doesn’t have to stop when you’re expanding your family and Rachel really rocks this ensemble wouldn’t you say?

Makeena is well suited for any occasion, in this snappy two-piece suit in crimson from Petite Sophisticate. Who says that neutral and bland is the way to go for business attire? I was attracted to the peplum detail on the jacket, and thought it reflected current trends in fashion. Along with the above the knee pencil skirt it creates an attractive silhouette.  Instead of a traditional blouse, a long-sleeved black cardigan with a lovely floral detail that complemented both the color and the pattern of the suit fabric is a cool way to update the look. Cinching in the sweater with a fabric belt, and using a simple piece of satin ribbon tied around her neck adds both interest and fashion punch! A patent leather square-frame bag and t-strap shoes keep it classy while not too matchy-matchy.  As you can see we’ve created another stunning look for a lot less than retail from Goodwill!

Annisa is on the menswear inspired bandwagon with this two-piece look that could be described as “borrowed from the boys!” When doing the fittings for the photo’s I discovered this Anne Klein II pants suit on the racks of the store, and thought she could bring the requisite attitude to the look. Annisa is a teenage fashionista that really knows how to pull her style together! I suggested we layer on the necklaces, one from the Retique, one from Annisa herself, and one from Pam, a member of the Goodwill marketing department. Instead of a traditional blouse, we went with a gold infused scarf to soften the hard lines of the suit. We also added some gold pumps with rose detailing from Bertini, and a pair of my sunglasses. A cool pulled-together look that could be a fun for an evening out at the school dance or wherever she wants to take it!  Look at Goodwill for menswear inspired suits and blazers for your own take on this popular look.

Devion is a guy with a lot of charm and charisma. And, he also knows a thing or two about fashion himself! When I spied this Saxony sweater with teal-green leather details, I was reminded of Cliff Huxtable from the Cosby Show. But, only in a good way of course! How do you tame a wild sweater like this? You pair it with some jeans. In this case some H.I.S. white jeans, which by the way can be worn year round. The days of “no white after Labor Day” are long behind us. As long as the fabric is weather appropriate, in this case heavy denim, why not wear it year round? He added some of his own cool accessories like an Adidas watch and some Lacoste navy and white sneakers that really put a fashionable spin on these sporty pieces. Like I always say, relatable pieces are what makes for great style statements!