New Year, New Job, New Posts

Hi guys!

How gorgeous is Emily Blunt here? Love her McQueen dress.

I wanted to pop in and let you all know I have not abandoned this blog. This is my baby, it means a lot to me and my followers are what keep me going. As the year started, I got a new job that has been so fulfilling but has also occupied most of my time as I get back into the swing of things. I have a lot of plans for Vere Belle this year, exciting posts and ideas I want to share, it’s all a matter of getting myself organized and setting aside time to do what I love-post, post, post!

With that, I wanted to wish you all a belated Happy New Year and to thank you for your support. Fresh new posts are coming!

-xo F

image of Emily Blunt via InStyle.

Best-Dressed Men. Period.

One of my guiltiest pleasures is reading men’s magazines, specifically the US and UK editions of GQ and Esquire. Each year both magazines compile a list of their best-dressed men, lists that don’t get half as much attention as their female counterparts. While checking out the GQ website today I noticed they had a portion of their list up, and well….

I don’t disagree with their choices, but I don’t agree with all of them either. To be fair, I have a bias towards men in suits. If you can wear a suit well, you can conquer the world.

But some men have truly mastered their identity through their look, and these are a few who I think do it right every time (well, almost every time.)

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Jay-Z

Let’s be real: I was growing up during the time when Jay began to really make a name for himself, before he became the mogul he is today. He was all jeans, tanks, and baseball hats, rapping about “Not for nothin’, never happen, I’ll be forever mackin’ ” We know how that turned out (hello, Queen Bey and Blue Ivy!) What I love about Jay is how effortless it is for him to go from street-cool style to evening-wear dapper at the drop of a hat. He’s still about his jeans and baseball hats, but he’s stepped it up. Whether sitting courtside at a game, relaxing on vacation or attending an event, he always looks the part without ever looking like he tried too hard.

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Tom Ford

I have an unexplainable love for this man. I briefly mentioned it here, but allow me to go into a bit more detail. He’s an astounding inspiration to anyone going after their dreams and he designs the sexiest clothes. He also is behind some of the finest menswear there is, so there is no doubt he knows how to dress himself. His look is recognizable: tailored black suit, white shirt, trademark beard. Even when dressed down, he’s dressed up. I don’t know, I think all men should aspire to look like Tom Ford in a suit. Just saying.

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Andrew Garfield

As one of the few pod people who hasn’t seenThe Social Network,my first intro to Andrew was when they announced he would be playing Peter Parker inThe Amazing Spiderman (comic nerd, remember?) Not only was he adorable with girlfriend Emma Stone during the promo tour for the movie, he was bold in his attire. That red suit could have gone so wrong, but on him it didn’t.

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Henry Cavill

Um, his Dunhill ads and promotional images from a few years ago. Not to mention his stint as Charles Brandon on The Tudors. If you don’t know Henry Cavill, get familiar. From suits to sixteenth century garb to everyday jeans and tees, the man pulls off everything he wears with the ease and confidence all British men seem to have.

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Dwayne Wade

There are a litany of basketball stars who believe themselves to be the most stylish men in the universe. In truth, only a few of them are. Dwayne Wade is one of the privileged few whose attire reflects a man who knows what to wear to look good and despite how much money he has, he’s not flashy. He’s debonaire.

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Steve Weatherford and Justin Tuck of the New York Giants.

Aside from playing for my favorite team, Weatherford has an eclectic sense of style that only he could pull off, complete with sports jackets and blazers in cool fabrics and prints, and shoe game that far exceeds that of several men (his brogues are RIDICULOUS and meant to be worn with major confidence.) And Tuck manages to dress and carry himself extremely well for a man as large as he is. His custom kicks from 21 Mercer are another reason to love him, you can check his photos on his twitter to see them.

And for the fellas who say a suit is not all that, please remember …

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The end.

xo-F

Making It Work: Holiday Best

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!

When our mailboxes are overrun with party invitations that we set aside until the day of and then realize CRAP! I have nothing to wear! As women, we tend to lean towards sequins. Sequin dress, sequin pants, sequin tops-for some reason sequins say holiday cheer.

I don’t hate sequins but I do believe you can be festive without only relying on the beautiful, shiny material. But that doesn’t mean I won’t include them here and there :)

Holiday Dinner with the Girls

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Office Holiday Party - a work look that’s holiday appropriate with the right accessories

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Family Holiday Party

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Quiet Gift Exchange Dinner with your Love

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New Year’s Eve

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New Year’s Day with Family

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Wishing you all the very best for the holidays this year, and I’ll see you in the new year with new and exciting changes coming for Vere Belle.

xo - F

TREND ALERT: Color of the Year 2013 is….

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as selected by the people over at Pantone (you can see my previous pantone post here). One of several gorgeous colors on their 2013 color prediction chart, emerald is a color that exudes happiness and prosperity.

But how to wear it?

Simply it would be to rock an emerald colored dress to a big occasion, but what about everyday? And what about all of the other fantastic colors Pantone has slated for the coming year? Here’s an idea: COMBINE THEM.

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Just a few color combos to whet your appetite. Stay tuned for a post on the rest of the colors highlighted for 2013 from Pantone. They’re all winners to me.


xo-F

TREND ALERT: Sneakerheads Unite

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My good friend Alissa recently launched her dope website For the Kick of It where she shows off the hot ways women are rocking sneakers.

Between the ages of 15 and 22 I was the ultimate sneakerhead, and a loyalist to Jordans and Air Force Ones. I also managed to avoid waiting in insane lines for sneakers; I could not fathom getting up hours early and camping out in front of a store. I shopped online or spent the extra money to buy them early.

With starlets like Rihanna and Rita Ora (especially Ora—she is the master sneakerhead) rocking sneakers more than heels and looking chic, cool and comfortable while doing it, I find myself looking out for a special pair of kicks to get back into the game. Most of the Jordans that have been released are re-releases of styles and color combinations that were hot when I was in high school—I remember the meleé that the Olympic 7s caused when they were first released in 2004— so its really wait and see for me right now to find a pair that I like.

I like to be unique with my wardrobe choices and it is hard to be unique in shoes thousands of people spend money to own. When I was younger, I usually went with a football or basketball jersey in similar colors (hush up, it was the style back then!) and jeans or a matching sweatsuit. Now, I’m more about a pair of printed jeans and a blazer or a fitted dress and denim jacket.

Here are just a few ways I would style sneakers. And here’s also hoping I finally find a pair that catches my eye.

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Rock the Olympic 7s with a pair of patterned jeans, a red tee and a navy blazer for a pulled together yet cool look. A bronze Michael Kors watch completes outfit effortlessly.

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The “breds” are being released this month (I had similar ones when I was younger) and they are probably one of the most anticipated Jordans of the year. Keep it feminine with a cute sweatshirt and gold jewelry.

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The ability to create custom Jordans comes with the ability to rock colors not typical to sneakers. Another cute sweatshirt with a trendy purple bag make these kicks a winner.

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Break up the nearly monotone color palette here with a dusky blue t-shirt beneath a black leather jacket.

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Probably one of the looks I would most likely wear. A hot dress with a denim jacket paired with the retro 10s made to look very ladylike with an armload of bracelets and a chunky gold chain. Keep your earrings simple if going with a big necklace.

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The “golden moments” were one of the summers hottest sneakers. Dress them up with a black skirt and a sweatshirt with funky details. It’s also fun to add a pop of color. If the weather is on the chilly side, throw on some tights or nix the skirt for some jeans or leggings.

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Headed somewhere warm on vacation? Shorts, a screen tee and the 7s again are a great warm weather look.

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Love the Isabel Marant Bekket wedge sneakers. My comic nerdiness is always close to my heart, and this Batman motif dress is just the right amount of playful for a night out with friends. Again, if its cold add tights and you’re good to go.

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This is an homage to my best friend who has had a love for Mickey Mouse for as long as I’ve known her. Bekkets, Mickey and a quilted shoulder bag = comfy perfection.

As for all the beanie hats, I rarely leave home without a beanie when the weather is cold. Pulled down just right with sleek hair or even some messy curls, its my go-to look when I need to keep my head warm. That, and its hard to find a fedora or brimmed hat to fit my massive head :/

xo-F

What to Make: Cashew Milk

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I have a serious adversity to milk. I didn’t like it as a kid, as a teen, and I still don’t like it as an adult. As I’ve gotten older though I realize milk is necessary to live a healthy life and unlike my childhood where your only options were whole milk or low fat (blech) anti-milk individuals are spoiled for choice now. Now, I happily keep my fridge stocked with coconut, almond and soy milk.

I first encountered cashew milk when I picked up a bottle by Blueprint Cleanse at Whole Foods. One sip from the bottle was all it took: holy vanilla-cashew-cinnamon goodness, batman it was the most phenomenal thing I’ve had in a plastic bottle EVER.

My only issue with the milk by Blueprint Cleanse is how incredibly popular it is; turns out I was extremely lucky to be at Whole Foods the day they got a new shipment in. As the store manager explained to me when I went back a few days later, cashew milk is one of their most popular drinks and is usually sold out before any of the others. That’s not bad news for the company but I was pissed. They have six different drinks, like a different one people!

Desperate for cashew milk I did what anybody would do: I turned to the internet and googled ‘cashew milk recipe’. After sifting and sifting through website after website, I froze when I came across the words below

CREAMY VANILLA BEAN CASHEW MILK

Vanilla bean? Like scrapping the fresh beans from the pod and then soaking the pod in the milk? I was on board before even looking at the recipe. The process was easy and with a few basic kitchen tools, I had my fresh cashew milk.

And I had a new favorite blog, How Sweet It Is whose author Jessica feels exactly like I feel about milk (again, blech) See the recipe below. Enjoy!

Creamy Vanilla Bean Cashew Milk

[from how sweet it is]

2 cups raw, unsalted cashews

6 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract or 2 vanilla bean pods, seeds scraped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 2 cinnamon sticks

2 1/2 tablespoons honey (more if desired)

pinch of salt

Place cashews in a large glass bowl and cover with water, soaking overnight. In the morning, drain cashews and rinse until the water runs clean. Combine cashews and water in a blender and puree until completely combined. I used our immersion blender/food processor.

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Using either a very fine mesh strainer or doubled-over cheesecloth (I used cheesecloth) placed over a large bowl, strain cashew milk, using the back of a spoon to really press ALL the liquid out – this will take a few minutes. Set the cashew “pulp” aside.

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Once the milk is separated from all the pulp, transfer it back to the blender and add in your ground cinnamon, salt, honey and vanilla.

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If you’d rather just place vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks in the milk to flavor, add the milk to the blender with the honey and salt, then pour it into a container and throw the full split beans and cinnamon sticks inside.

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Voila! Refrigerate and shake before using. Should stay fresh in the fridge for a week!

P.S. As for the pulpy goodness left over from the cashews, I used half in a batch of cookies and the other half I toasted up in the oven and then added to a crumb topping for an apple pie. Waste not, want not!

P.P.S And as with the author on how sweet it is, the next time I make it I’ll be making a separate batch for my parents using vanilla extract. My stepfather was hilariously creeped out by the beans floating in the milk.

xo- F

 

IFB