On The Fringe

The glitz of the winter season is now gone and, like many of you, we are looking for glimmers of of style excitement through our winter-weary closets.  It may be the advent of the nomad-bohemian aesthetic that is calling us, but we are enthralled with all things fringe these days!  Not only does the *stuff* add dose whimsy to your look, it harkens back to 70's style icons like Ali MacGraw -- cool and effortless.  But our version of fringe is more refined -- no "hippie" references here -- add just enough visual interest to allow the rest of your ensemble to be simple and muted.  This is our idea of perfect -- this week :)! 

SWEATER | BOOTIE | SKIRT | DRESS | BAG 

What fringe pieces are you loving lately?!

Golden Globes Top Looks

If any of you are like us, you were glued to the television last night commentating on all the looks as if you were on Fashion Police  - in pjs!

Here are our top gown choices from the 2015 Golden Globes! 

Chrissy, Emma, Kate and Jenna

What looks did you love?! 

{2015} A New Year, A New You

Twenty-Fifteen is right around the corner and we can't help but to replay all the great times we had this year- remembering all the good moments of 2014, soaking them up, and carrying them with us into the New Year. There's nothing like that feeling of waking up to a brand New Year with 365 fresh pages ready for you to write your next chapter in! What will you do? Where will you go? Who will you meet? The possibilities are excitingly endless!! 

The last thing we want you to worry about is your outfit choice for this upcoming New Years Eve! So, we took it upon ourselves to hop around town and discover some of the great looks your local stores have to offer! There's a look for everyone - no matter what venue you choose to ring in the New Year...xoxo!

Check out our favorites from Alligator Purse, Sloane Boutique, Saks Fifth Avenue, Curate Boutique and The Wardrobe below!

ALLIGATOR PURSE - Hyde Park

CURATE - Hyde Park

SLOANE - OTR

THE WARDROBE - Mariemont

SAKS - Downtown

Xo,
B&M

Holiday Attire {Decoded}

The beginning of the holiday soiree season is upon us! Prepare to have your inboxes flooded with invitations and your mind to explode with cleverly named attire suggestions.  Festive Chic, anyone?  If this isn’t one of the biggest style conundrums, we don’t know what is.  As if navigating your closet on a daily basis isn’t difficult enough, you now have to apply your wardrobe to something called Winter Masquerade and pull it off effortlessly. But don't worry- we've got you covered! Here are a few suggestions to easily incorporate the season’s latest trends with holiday attire suggestions.

BLACK TIE

Glamorous long dresses & gowns. If you prefer a high slit, opt for a high neckline and vice versa. Balance is key! Keep warm with fur- those heavy winter coats can weigh down elegance. Add extra sparkle to your look with jewelry and/or a bold clutch.

BLACK TIE OPTIONAL

We’d like to believe that Black Tie Optional simply means, keep it black tie, but your options have just expanded.  Over wearing the gown? Try a black satin tuxedo-style suit or a jumpsuit in an elevated fabric.  We also love a crisp winter-white blazer over a glittering calf-length dress.

COCKTAIL ATTIRE

Completely open to interpretation! Dress, trousers, skirts - oh my! The wardrobe options are endless. This season, think about repurposing a shift or A-line dress by wearing a pair of similarly toned trousers underneath with a killer pair of heels.

FESTIVE CHIC (or any holiday inspired attire suggestion)

No holiday sweaters, ladies! Festive chic typically refers to colors – red, hunter green, creams and metallic colors.  If you tend to feel your best in black or neutral pieces, add a festive red lip to complete your look!  However, we do approve of a well-placed Santa hat! 

Do you have an attire suggestion that you need help decoding? Share it with us and we'll clear up the conundrum! 

Xo,
B&M

#SAKSSTYLE

After that dreadfully hot summer, we are so ready for fall in Cincinnati! Saks Cincinnati shared our frustration and decided to help us update our fall wardrobe by delivering some great fall goodies just in time for this gorgeous weather. We are loving the DVF and Theory delivery and the boot selection is definitely a must to check out! 

We put together a couple looks to help inspire your fall wardrobe and have a shopping date set for a couple other items we have our eye on. We didn't want to leave you out of the fun so we are throwing a Champagne Happy Hour next Saturday (September 27th) from 4 to 6pm! What's more fun than sipping champs, talking style and shopping? See you there! 

SHOP THESE LOOKS:

                                 


See you next Saturday!!

Xo,
B&M

Ladies Who Lunch

We are just tickled pink about our Ladies Who Lunch event on Saturday! We got word yesterday that half of the Vintage Wonderland was delivered and we immediately booked a play date at Sloane! The ladies behind A Vintage Wonderland do an amazing job of curating a collection of rare Chanel pieces (shown below) and other designer gems in impressive condition. Whether you are a collector, a fashionista or just looking for an investment piece that won't take a monstrous bite of your bank account, it's totally worth taking a serious look at the collection Saturday!

Here's a peek of our play time yesterday: 

Oh, and follow our "Ladies Who Lunch" Pinterest board!! 

See you on Saturday!!

XoB&M

#FashionLovesFitness

Haven't we suffered enough? Give us Spring already! We are craving warm weather and Spring fashion! You too? Well, we are excited to announce that we will be partnering with Saks to style a contemporary runway show of the best fashion Spring has to offer! And, we want you there! Let's celebrate together with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and amazing discounts! We are also collaborating with Pure Barre to help promote fitness and wellness. A healthy body helps heal the inside and a great outfit can do the same. Pure Barre and Saks share our same passion of building confidence in our clients. A confident woman is unstoppable!

Does your wardrobe need some help? We will also be offering discounts off our life-changing Wearable Wardrobe service at the Saks Spring Fashion & Fitness event! See you there!

RSVP HERE!

Xo,

B&M

Working Out Is Working Out

We have to come clean about something...we hate working out.  We find it difficult to relate to those women (you know who you are!) who are addicted to working out....seriously!? We envy you!  Not the actual activity of working out, its the act of carving out time, finding the right workout clothes, and, the most important, an activity that doesn't make you want to crawl back into bed!

We needed to find a workout that worked for us. Stumbling upon Pure Barre really opened our eyes to a new way of working our body. Don't let the ballet bar fool you, these workouts are killer! But, what's great about it is the constant motivation and personal attention the instructors give you..they really care about you..which is a really great feeling.

Just like walking into a gym with loads of bulky machines and men around can be intimidating.. so can your closet. After starting a new workout regimen with Pure Barre, we realized that our companies hold a lot of the same values. We share a key mission to help ignite confidence in our clients. You truly have to work on yourself from the inside to ignite your true personal style! The clothes we choose in the morning define and describe ourselves to those who do not have the pleasure of holding conversation with us that day.

It's your time to blossom into the best you, you can be! And, guess what? We want to help!! We will be raffling off a FREE Wearable Wardrobe service at the Pure Barre studio this month to help jumpstart this journey!

 Follow our journey with Pure Barre on our Instagram pages (B's Insta ,  M's Insta)! #FashionlovesFitness

We'll see you in the studio!

Xo,
B&M

Style Edit Spotlight: Nigel Rayment

Cue Spotlight: Nigel Rayment

Age: 50

Company: Designer-Director at Nigel Rayment

Hometown & Current City: Luton, Bedfordshire, England

Since horse racing season is right around the corner, we thought it to be perfect timing to begin our search for the best hats this world has to offer. Where are they? England! But, no worries love- there is still time to order your one-of-a-kind hat before the first race of the season. We were honored to interview England's premier hat designer, Nigel Rayment. Rayment has been an established milliner for 36 years and his hats are sold in over 700 stockists worldwide. As someone who counts royalty and celebrities among his clientele,  the internationally-famous designer knows what women want. His hats are like pieces of artwork floating around on women as they attend horse races, weddings and garden parties. Nigel’s new collection is to die for– there’s something for hat lovers of all ages, whether you’re a Royal Wedding guest or not. 

Style Edit tip: Choose your hat first. Then, find your dress! At the races, it's alllll about The Hat! 

SE: What sparked your interest in hat making? 

NR: The town where I was born (Luton) is the world center for hats.  There used to be 500 factories making hats..there are now only 8 left. My family have all worked in hats for hundreds of years as it was the main source of employment.   

SE: Has your family always been supportive of your dream? 

NR: Yes. My family has always been there for me 100% helping me to fulfill my dream.

SE: At what age did you call yourself a “real designer”? When did you make the first hat you were really proud of? 

NR: I have been making hats since the age of 15, I’m now 50, so I’ve been in the business a long time. My peak was 90,000 pieces in one year. My claim to fame is the large red hat that is now our company image-logo and people now associate me with the image.

SE: It’s incredible to see a man successfully design for women- we applaud you! What led you to developing a women’s line? 

NR: For me it’s easy, as I know what a woman should wear and every woman loves a man to see her wearing the right hat.

SE: How many hours go into making one hat? 

NR: The minimum is one hour but our "One In The World" pieces can take up to 8 hours.

SE: Your hats are truly one of a kind. Where does your inspiration come from? 

NR: Everything I see that’s all around me is translated into a hat or a trim of a hat..I never stop thinking of the next inspiration.

SE: What was the first store that sold your hats? Where can women buy your hats now? 

NR: Harrods was my first customer and also John Lewis but now we have 700 specialty stores worldwide that stock our brands. We also have two stand alone stores- one in London and another in Manchester.

SE: Which hat is your bestseller? Which style is your favorite? 

NR: The Kate Middleton Effect. When Carol Middleton wore a disc style hat to Kate’s wedding it changed the industry. Now, 70% of woman want a disc style on a headband. They are easy to wear and great for photography as the face can be clearly seen.

SE: Where can a woman wear your hats? 

NR: Weddings are our biggest business taking 85% of our sales followed by horse races, meetings, garden parties and religious events.

SE: Any advice for the young designer?  

NR: Always aim high. Don’t give up. I can remember in my first year I entered a competition and was told that I didn’t stand a chance in the hat business as I didn’t have any flare.. unfortunately that designer-judge died last year..he was a Royal Milliner and to this day never accepted my success. The business is very tough and there is big competition with people leaving design school. It is really difficult to get a foot on the ladder as the industry is a closed book. 

Shop the Nigel Rayment collection HERE.

Xo,

B&M