October 29, 2014

Boho Chic with Faux Fur

October 29, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

I've been on the hunt for a fabulous faux fur vest for years, and I've finally found one. This gray "Kya fur vest" from Tart Collections was just what I was looking for. It looks and feels expensive, and it's affordable. Cha-ching! The color creates enough contrast against my hair ensuring I don't look like a lion when I wear it. I love that this vest stops past the natural waist but doesn't cover my bottom; thus elongating my body and not letting me lose my shape completely.

Of course, this vest looks great with a simple long-sleeve top like this one above from Adea and jeans, but why not embrace the 70's bohemian chic fall trend and punch up the style with a maxi dress, maxi skirt or long gaucho pants? Top your outfit off with a great carpet bag like this one from Anthropologie.

If that's too wild for you, try wearing your faux fur vest with a long-sleeve shift dress such as this one from ZARA. The slight pattern on the dress resembles a paisley pattern you would have seen in the 70's, but the modern color palette and pairing with black booties keeps the outfit current.

What do you think of this boho chic fall trend? Do you dig it? Will you be buying a faux fur vest?

Photos by Michelle Herrick

*The post was sponsored by Tart Collections and Adea Everyday Luxury.*

October 06, 2014

My Go-To Outfit

October 06, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

*This article is in partnership with Ebay and Alixandra Collections*

This outfit is my go-to standard - blazer, t-shirt, jeans and a necklace. You can't go wrong with this combination. No woman can! You can express your personality with pattern, color, accessories and adjust the silhouette of the jacket to accommodate your shape. The pattern that I added into the mix is stripes.

I don't think I'll ever get sick of stripes. It's the one print that I have a lot of in my closet, and I love how it breaks up the monotony of wearing solid colors. The stripes on this Lulu*s blazer (currently sold out) are especially great because they aren't too bold. The soft gray and white color mute the pattern keeping this jacket appropriate for a casual Friday at the office. (If you could use more tips on how to wear stripes well, check out this article I wrote for Ebay).

Boyfriend blazers work well for me because I'm very tall and lanky. I have long legs, and the length of this jacket gives the appearance of a longer torso. The shoulder pads also give me a wider frame, which helps me avoid looking like a string bean all of the time. If you wanted to disguise your hips this would also be a great shape to wear.

If there weren't enough reasons already for me to love this jacket, it's machine washable! Because it's cotton and unstructured, I don't have to worry about dry cleaning it. Wahoo!

I've mentioned before that I'm not much of an accessory person. I'll maybe wear one piece a jewelry a day, but sometimes I don't wear anything at all. This Gauge bubble letter necklace is a new favorite of mine that I haven't taken off since I got it from Alixandra Collections. I chose an 'E' for my last name and for Elle. It would be the perfect gift for a friend!

Photography by Michelle Herrick

October 03, 2014

Leather Details

October 03, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

I have partnered with Ebay and Alixandra Collecitons to share with you a really fun post featuring leather - the coolest material out there. When you wear it you instantly feel like you're a bad ass or at least one of the cool kids. I know I do.

Though I love a good leather bomber jacket, I also enjoy leather details such as the leather shoulders on this blazer. The leather accent transforms this classic, black office staple into a fashion forward office chic jacket. You could wear this jacket with a simple t-shirt, but I chose to dress it up for work with a crisp white button down shirt.

You could wear cropped wool trousers, or for a casual Friday wear your skinny jeans like I did with this outfit. I'm currently on the hunt for some leopard print heels, and I think that those shoes would really complete this outfit. However, you can't go wrong with classic black pumps.

I don't know about you, but this fall I'm really excited about bold lips. It's the perfect accessory to simple outfits like this one. If you don't like to wear lipstick you can always paint your nails a beautiful wine color too.

Check out Alixandra Collections for this beautiful jacket, and you can see more office chic ideas heading on over to my Ebay guide.

Photos by Michelle Herrick

September 08, 2014

Treasured Photos of Our Marriage

September 08, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

Ryan and I have been together for 10 years, and have been married for seven. We have a lot of photos that we treasure, but none more than these I am sharing with you today. Why? Because love is hard. It's raw. It's commitment. It's work. It's sacrifice. It's a choice. These are photos that symbolize our continued commitment to each other.

After seven years of marriage we have recently decided to have an AMAZING marriage, and not just one where we exist as life partners, one of true intimacy - not being afraid to share the ugly and support one another through it. This year has been a hard one for us, but I'm thankful for it because it has brought us closer in a way we have never known until now.

Ryan took me away to San Francisco to celebrate my birthday and to also set time aside for us. It was an amazing and special time to say the least. One of the things we got to do while we were there was have our photos taken by Gina Meola and Marcus Murphy - two dear friends of ours that also happen to be brilliant photographers.

We had dinner with them, prayed with them and then took in the most breathtaking views while they snapped pictures of me and Ryan. It brings me to tears to know that these photos were taken by the hands of two people that love us, pray for us and support us.

Engagement photos are sweet and beautiful, wedding photos are momentous and seven year marriage photos are empowering. I encourage all couples that haven't taken photo of JUST them (not family photos) after seven years to do it. You need to celebrate how far you have come since day one of "I do."

Photos by Gina Meola

August 12, 2014

Fall Transition & Pineapples

August 12, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

Last week I went from 110 degrees to 50 degrees. Ryan and I traveled to San Francisco to see Beyonce and have some quality time together. It was one of the best trips we have ever been on...and COLD! 50 degrees with wind...This Phoenician was freezing in her boots. On the bright side, I got to break out my sweaters and boots and pretend it was fall (my favorite season).

On our trip I made sure to meet up with two new friends I met through Alt Summit. They are genius business women! Sarah Deragon (left), photographer of Portraits to the People and Lisa Shaffer (right), designer and owner of Zelma Rose Dry Goods. They are Instagram wizards and spoke at Alt Summit about their Instagram workflow, as well as how to take great photos with an iPhone. We talked a bit of business, broke bread and had a mini photo shoot. Sarah is SUCH a talented photographer! She knows how to capture people so well.

I wore my summer pineapple dress from Lulu*s, and used the mini photo session to show y'all how you can style your sweater over your favorite summer tank dress to transition your style for fall.

#1 Sweater wrap - Wrap your cardigan completely around your dress or top, and then belt it. This creates the ideas of separates.

#2 Slightly open - Put the sweater on, fasten your belt and then move an excess fabric to the back. Make sure you can see your dress peeking through showing that you are in fact wearing a dress and not separates. This approach creates more of a shape for those with larger chests.

#3 Throw it on over - If you don't have time to think about styling your sweater, just throw it on over and you still have a cute fall transitional outfit. Just be careful that you don't lose your shape. Sometimes people can look a bit frumpy with clothes just hanging on them.