Guest Post by The Other Side of Gray

Today’s guest blogger is Annie from The Other Side of Gray! Annie has to be one of my favorite bloggers, she is so cute and fun and friendly. Plus she is a master of mixing prints and colors! I’m so happy to have her on my lil blog. 

Hey guys! I’m Annie, and I’m so excited to be guest posting for Roxie while she’s away. I blog over at The Other side of Gray. What do I blog about? CLOTHES! STYLE! MY LIFE (with a side of sarcasm)! Sounds exciting, right? I typed it in caps just in case you were having doubts. Anyway, Roxie asked me to post an outfit and talk a little bit about who inspired it. I went with Jessica Day. You know, Jess from Fox’s sitcom “New Girl.” Have you guys seen it? If not - you should totally tune in. It’s a hilarious show, and I literally don’t stop laughing/giggling the entire time I watch. Plus, Jess, the main character played by Zooey Deschanel, has super cute style. She has a very fun & eccentric (and awesomely awkward) personality, and I think her style reflects that. She’s always wearing bright colors and/or cool patterns, which I LOVE. So I decided to use her for inspiration, and I put together the outfit below, a la Jess. I played a little game with the hubs (my photographer) and asked him if he could guess who inspired it. And he actually guessed right (on the first try)! So hopefully you can see the resemblance too :)

 And in case you want to read a bit more about Jess & her style:

http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2011/11/01/zooey-deschanel-new-girl-style-2/



Guest Post by Unusual Form

Today’s guest blogger is Kara from Unusual Form! This gal is truly something to behold; she is a remixing master and always looks like a million bucks. I am so thrilled she’s here with us today!
Style inspiration is such a funny thing.  It isn’t just the fashion magazine you read last month or the cute outfit you saw on Pinterest last night.  It encompasses all of your life experiences.  As a personal style blogger, I find inspiration from a variety of sources: fashion magazines, TV shows and movies, other blogs.  Perhaps one of the more unusual places I find inspiration is in the thrift store.
If you are familiar with my blog, you know I’m a big proponent of thrifting.  It’s great for the environment and your wallet.  I have an on-going thrift wish list, specific items that I look for when I’m thrifting, but more often than not, I just go for whatever I’m drawn to.  While this may not make for the most coherent closet, it does make for an interesting one.
It’s those serendipitous finds that you just can’t plan for.  I can go into a thrift store looking for a red skirt and may have a modicum of luck.  But no one ever goes into a thrift store saying, “I’m going to find a vintage blouse with a vaguely animal print, turquoise accents, and I want it for $0.53.”  You can’t plan these things, they just happen.  Call it luck, karma, whatever you want to, but that’s were I find my inspiration, in fortuitous thrift finds.  Below are three ways thrift finds influence my wardrobe.

         Inspiration 1

Blouse - Vintage, Thrifted
Skinnies - F21, Resale Shop
Heels - Antonio Melani, Thrifted
Belt - Vintage, Thrifted
1. Accent - When I’m thrifting, I look for items in unique colors and patterns.  These items act as the accent in my closet.  The above blouse was indeed thrifted for $0.53.  It perfectly matches my turquoise skinny jeans, but would also be a perfect pop of pattern layered under a more neutral shift dress or blazer.

Inspiration 3

Blouse - Vintage, Thrifted
Skirt - Vintage, Thrifted
Flats - Vintage, Thrifted
Necklace - Vintage, Antique Mall
Belt - Gap, Thrifted
Bracelet - Vintage, Garage Sale

2. Interest - At thrift stores, I look for interesting pieces.  Things that are different than what you may find in retail stores.  Sure, I could go to the mall and probably find a midi skirt in a vintagy floral print, but by buying this skirt at a thrift store, I can pretty much guarantee that I won’t see another girl wearing it around town.

  Inspiration 2

Dress - Vintage, Thrifted
Sandals - Vintage, Thrifted
Bracelet - Vintage, Local Boutique

3. Statement -  At thrift stores, I look for statement pieces, items with a real wow factor.  It doesn’t make since to pay hundreds of dollars for a dress you may wear once a season or once ever.  So a $3.00 psychedelic maxi dress is just right for that garden party.
Hopefully I’ve inspired you to give thrift shopping a whirl.  Thanks, Roxie, for letting me share my love of thrifting on your blog!

Guest Post by The Style Department

Today guest blogger is Katharina from The Style Department! I promise you are going to love Katharina style; it’s so fresh and chic and fun and she really knows how to accessorize! I’m so pleased she’s here with us today!

I am wearing a skirt by Maje, a T-shirt by Urban Outfitters, a shirt by Zara, shoes by Topshop, bag by Zara, Necklace by Topshop, Rayban Sunglasses and rings from H&M and street vendors. 
This outfit was generally inspired by the Olsen twins, to who I look for inspiration very often, I think they have just such a different style then anybody else out there. 
I think looking to other people for inspiration is the best way to get inspiration for your outfits.
I especially like to look to celebrities, since I think they are allowed to dress more out of the box then your average person, since they never really need business attire and also get a lot of the runway looks before “normal” people can even buy them. I would advise everyone to search for a celebrity that kind of resembles your figure and your overall looks, and watch how they combine different styles. You can see if what is in at the moment will fit you or not and you don’t have to try it out yourself and maybe spend a huge amount of money on something that doesn’t work for you in the end. I think you should let them do the work and then learn from it:)  
A few celebrities I like to look at for inspiration are the Olsen twins, Nicole Richie, Kate Moss, Rosie Huntington- Whiteley and Miranda Kerr. But I also fell in love with Jessica Alba’s style a while ago, because I think she makes it look so easy to incorporate new trends. 
Another great source of inspiration are movies and TV shows, and I’m not only taking about Gossip Girl or Sex and the City or The Devil wears Prada. At the moment 50s style is really en vogue, so I like to watch old movies from the 50s to get ideas. 
I also really like to at what other bloggers and magazine editors are wearing. Although I think sometimes editors go a little too far, they always look stunning and so fashionable. My favorites are Taylor Tommasi Hill and Christine Centenera.
I hope you like my guest blog for Roxie and hope you will visit my blog http://style-department.blogspot.com
Have a great day!!:) 
xx Kate 

Guest Post by Dash’s Personal Styling

Today’s guest blogger is Dash from Dash’s Personal Styling! This is gal exudes cool and chic with a little bit of edge. Plus she’s sweet as pie! I’m so glad she made it here on my lil blog!
Darlings,
My name is Dash. I write a style blog {dash’s personal styling} and I’m so stoked to be a guest here on Fabric Strips & Ruby Lips! 
My theme for today is nautical inspiration:
My Boo and I are new Portlanders {hailing from Austin, tx}, and we are starting to look for a home to purchase… yikes! I’m such a vagabond at heart, the concept of living and staying in one place for more than a year or two is a bit daunting. Thankfully, we’re looking at some fabulously vintage, quirky houses. Today, we are looking at this masterpiece of weirdness. Seriously, a house in a marina on the river? Sign me up. 
Since we are venturing all the way to the marina, I decided to go with the whole “nautical” concept.
 
I paired a Free People Ruffle Dress with my new blue denim jacket {forever21}, a feather earring from Argentina, and an enormous gold seashell necklace from the Betsey Johnson outlet. I also found a Blue Raspberry Tootsie Pop at the restaurant on the dock - don’t hate.
I felt so sassy. I’ll definitely be rocking this ensemble again.
We probably won’t wind up living somewhere so impractical…. but a girl’s gotta dream!
Any house hunters out there finding awesome, weird places? I’d love to know!
Have a fabulous day, and join me in wishing Roxie a fabulous hiatus.
xoxo,
dash

Guest Post by Just Take a Bow

Today’s Guest Blogger is Sarah from Just Take a Bow! This lovely gal has a style and a mind of her own. She is a whiz at mixing edgy pieces with the ultra feminine. I’m so overjoyed she’s here today@!

Hey there, friends! My name is Sarah and I blog over at Just Take a Bow. While she’s away, Roxie asked for some posts all about inspiration! I knew immediately who I wanted to write about and she happens to be another (more successful) blogger named Kristine. 



I adore her ability to mix and match patterns, wear a scarf on her head like nobody’s business, and the girly style she rocks that I have never mastered. I also totally appreciate that she wears a sufficient enough amount of clothing that you can’t see her secret bits. Because I am definitely in the minority ‘round these parts for doing that same thing.


Shirt: H&M | Skirt, belt: thrifted | Shoes: Steve Madden
In tribute to my admiration for Kristine, I mixed some patterns of my own and wore a skirt length that she frequently rocks. Kristine also kicks some major butt at having great colors going on, so… I went all out with this ridiculous fangirl outfit, folks.


And yes… going all out meant my own interpretation of the head scarf. I can never manage to make that work, so I went with a fun headband instead. Next time, I promise to try and find a dreamy, warm sunset to take photos in, okay?

Guest Post by Dash Dot Dotty.

Today’s guest post is by Dotty from Dash Dot Dotty! She is one of my favorite bloggers; her photos are magnificent, her locations are great and her style is so chic! I’m so thrilled she’s here today!


[wearing]
white jacket: theory
trench vest: forever21
jeans: target
flats: j.crew
bracelets: gifts and thrifts
oh, hi roxie-readers!  i’m filling in here today while roxie is off on a giant vacation, but i usually can be found over at my blog, dash dot dotty.  i usually keep my babbling to a minimum, but today i’m going to chat a little about my inspiration.  while i don’t actually see tons of brightly-colored pants in real life, they are a blogger staple that i’ve become quite fond of.  why wear blue jeans when you could be wearing MAGENTA ones?  seriously, why not? lately, pinterest tends to inspire/cloud my judgement when i’m coming up outfits ideas.  for this particular getup i really wanted to pair the brightness of the magenta with a crisp white, but it was a little chilly for so few layers.  i’ve been seeing trench vests layered over all types of jackets lately on style blogs, so i wanted to give it a whirl.  

Guest Post by Threads and Buttons:The Inspired Kelley

Today’s Guest Blogger is Kelley from Threads and Buttons! I am so happy that she made her way onto my lil blog. Kelley is so cute, she has an incredible ability to thrift shop and tells hilarious stories! Her blog is so beautiful and the photography is fantastic, I couldn’t be more honored to have her here!

Hey there Fabric Strips and Ruby Lips readers.  My name is Kelley, and if we haven’t met yet over at my blog Threads and Buttons, well then nice to meet cha (insert virtual handshake here)!  Usually I’m over on my blog sharing outfit posts, thrifting tips, recipes, photographs (I’m actually a photographer), DIYs, and whatever else happens to be on my mind, but this morning Roxie was nice enough to invite me on over to spend the day with you guys while she is relaxing with family.  So, I’m going to share an outfit post with you and then, as per Roxie’s request, give you some insight into what inspires me and my fashion.

On with the outfit!

Shoes: Target (Similar) – Jeans: Thrifted (Express) – Top: Thrifted – Belt: DIY shown HERE 

Sweater: Thrifted – Necklace: Target then spray painted

When Roxie told be that my guest post should discuss what inspires me and my fashion, I was afraid.  Is it just me, or does that sometimes seem like a question that is just begging for a cliché answer (although I KNOW that’s not the kind of answer Roxie was looking for)?

It kinda feels like that job interview question where they ask you your biggest flaws and you don’t know whether to be honest (“I tend to fall asleep at my desk around 3:30 out of boredom…”) or just totally make something up (“I push myself WAY too hard when it comes to filing paperwork and impressing big name clients.”).

For some reason I feel like I’m not fashionably inspired in the way I’m supposed to be.  The runway isn’t very appealing to me, Vogue is not my Bible, and when I see a fashion blog with stiletto heels, flowing gowns, brand names that make my bank account cry, and an angry, hungry model starring me down, I tend to scream out of fear and never return to that site ever again (except perhaps in my nightmares).  Instead, I turn back to the blogs that I enjoy.

I read blogs for lots of different reasons:  Some of them are stinking HILARIOUS (Tales of an Ordinary House Wife, Feathers and Freckles, etc.); some of them are written by ladies that I would like to be friends with because they just seem too sweet to be real (Love Ramsey, Snappy Casual, The Daybook, Jen Loves Kev, etc.), some have beautiful photography (A Beautiful Mess,Girl and Closet, Ben Blood, etc.), and some put together outfits that are just too dang cute not to drool over (Kendi Everyday, Lucy Laucht, Sunday Crossbow, etc.)!

What I’ve found, is that in order for a blog to make it to my “daily reads” list, it usually has a balance of all of these qualities (silly, sweet author, appealing photography, beautiful outfits) while also possessing one more trait.  The authors and their outfits are REAL.   Not only do the ladies seem genuine, but their outfits look like something that normal people would wear in their everyday lives. Yes, we all like to get dressed up sometimes, and some of us live fancier lives than others (I would be one of the “others” in this situation), but are we really ALWAYS in high heels and silk dresses? If you are, awesome, say hello to the queen for me, but I’m not. So, while my list is EVER changing, these are the blogs (in no particular order) that I think fit me best and inspire me on a daily basis right now.

Jen Loves Kev

The Daybook

Snappy Casual

Little Tin Soldier

So yea, I know that was a LONG drawn out explanation, but that’s how I find fashion inspiration. Where do YOU look for inspiration?

It was great hanging out with you guys!  Don’t be strangers, make sure to leave your inspiration location comments below and stop by my blog Threads and Buttons to say hello!

-The Inspired Kelley