Striped Dresses on Sunny Dayez!

Something that I love about spring time in Nebraska is that the weather is almost like summer, it's warm enough to finally wear shorts and a tank top. Whenever it's a nice day out and I'm at work, it just makes me wanna leave early and hang out at the park with a good book to read or even hang out with my boyfriend whenever he's in town and get some ice cream. I know I tend to write a lot about the weather but I mean that's how it is in Nebraska. You never know how the weather is going to be so you gotta take advantage whenever it's nice outside and do yo' thang ha-ha! 

That's what I did this Sunday. It was a beautiful day out that I decided to style and wear a striped ribbed dress by Monteau that I bought at TJ Maxx. I have honestly been finding really cute clothes at TJ Maxx lately and at an affordable price! I highly suggest you check out your local TJ Maxx, because  in my opinion, who knows what cute items YOU may find for yourself. 

Now if you've been following my style posts you can easily see that I hardly wear dresses, except on those special occasions. My 'go to' is pretty much a nice pair of jeans or funky pants and/or a vintage skirt, here and there. My goal with this dress was to see how I could wear it since I've never worn a long dress before and to see how comfortable I felt in it. 

Below is the outfit that I put together:

When I put the dress on, I was pretty amazed of how comfortable I felt in it. I really liked how stretchy the material was and that I was able to adjust it to fit my body type. Because the dress is made of ribbed cotton, it is very light weight and easy to wear. Usually with these type of long dresses like maxi dresses for example, it's hard to find the "perfect" one. I've tried on long dresses that looked really nice but they would just drag over my feet. Definitely not made for a short gal like me. So I'm glad that I found a dress that complimented both length and width. 

One thing I realized while I was wearing this dress was that I needed to do some hardcore accessorizing. Even when I was just wearing my colorful, pebble, dangle earrings I felt like my outfit was missing something, so I added a long necklace to clear that void. As for shoes, I had tried on my favorite pair of black flats from K-mart to see how well they would look and I liked how they looked but... I noticed that with these type of long dress you need that extra lift so I went with a pair of black Winki wedges by Restricted that I bought at DSW. My boyfriend was pretty surprised when I came out to show him my outfit. He really liked it and said I should buy more!

At the end of the day, I had a really great time styling and wearing this dress. I've learned to try on something new and just work with what I have and create a comfortable outfit that I could see myself wearing on another day. 

What are some ways you would style a long dress? Have you found a dress that made you feel comfortable? Share with me your thoughts!



*Photos courtesy of Daniel Narez



From LA, With Luv
Fati <3

OOTD: Cropped Pants and Sleeveless Blouses!

Although it's not Sunday, I wanted to share with you all my outfit of the day! 

I went shopping with a friend a few weeks ago and we stopped at Old Navy to see if they had any sales going on. I found these pair of Drawstring Tapered Cropped Pants and thought they were super cute and something that I could see myself wearing to work. Ever since then I have been trying to find a perfect day to wear them.

Living in Nebraska, I've learned to check the weather before I pick out an outfit because the weather can be a bit... cray cray. It can go from being super hot and rainy one day to cold and windy with a chance of flurries (mini snowflakes) on another day, so I never know. But considering how this Tuesday was a beautiful, sunny day and my boyfriend and I were celebrating our 3-year anniversary after work, it was a more than perfect day to wear them!

I've honestly never worn tan-ish colored pants before, so I had to do a bit of experimenting to see what would go well with them. At first, I was going to wear a black sleeve-less blouse that I bought from Target but instead I went with a white, splatter, sleeve-less top that I bought from a local shop here in Omaha called, Kleveland Clothing. The splattered top was designed with spray paint by a local artist in town.

As for shoes, I decided to go with my favorite pair of H&M booties. ("Damn Fatima, back at it again with the black mini boots!" I just had to, haha.) I wanted to see how the pants would look if I wore shoes with a slight heel on them and I just thought they complimented the black splats on the blouse.

As for accessories, I accessorized my outfit with a pair of gold elephant earrings from Forever 21 and a tribal infinity scarf from H&M. I felt like a mini Aladdin with my scarf and pants.

At the end of the day, all I can say is that I really liked how my outfit turned out! The pants were super comfortable and lightweight giving me that extra room for comfort. I'm excited to see what other ways I could style these pants!

Enjoy!

From LA, With Luv

Fati <3

Style it up With Coral

Hey hey chicas and chicos, I hope everyone is having a fantabulous week! It's almost the weekend, Yay!

I want to introduce to you all my good friend and co-worker, Coral Hernandez. She was born and raised in Puerto Rico and is an ESL teacher at the center that I work at called the Learning Community Center of South Omaha. She is also training to become a Yoga instructor! You go girl! I had seen Coral wearing some pretty dope outfits this past week and I asked her if I could feature her on the blog! 

Check out my quick interview with her and learn about how she styles her clothes below!

Fatima Alliyani: Describe your look, miss thang!

Coral Hernandez: This particular outfit is comprised of a long sleeve wrap cardigan and some color block scuba pants, both from Goodwill. [The] paid short sleeve [blouse] is from Forever 21 and the blue ballet flats were a gift from my awesome momma that she bought back home in Puerto Rico. 

FA: What do you usually look into when you are shopping for clothes (comfort, style, size, versatility, etc.?)

CH: I tend to check how I'm feeling before I choose an outfit. I always have my base items like black cardigans and black pants. I'm really into blues and I always make sure to have a pair of bright blue shoes in my closet. I don't know they, but they make me happy!

My style [also] relies on a lot of comfort. I don't like to feel cold or squeezed in or hang out all over the place. I still want to remain quirky while sporting flattering pieces. I guess I'd describe myself as happy goth, [because] I love wearing black, but I like to add some pops of color here and there. My outfits need to take me from work to the tons of extracurriculars I always have going on.

FA: Where are your favorite places to shop at?

CH: My clothing haunts are a combination of Marshalls, Goodwill, and Amazon.com. I LOVE LulaRoe maxi skirts and leggings too! I never buy anything at regular price while remaining mindful of buying cheap stuff that won't last. I comment Lane Bryant and Torrid for their efforts in Plus Size fashion, but they're not all that accessible to everyone in the price department. 

I do love H&M for their clothing recycling program and for their nice selection of fashionable items. What I don't appreciate is that they overcharge you for the same design if it's bigger than an "L". Would that mean that "XS" sizes should get a store credit?

FA: Lastly, what is one article of clothing that every woman should have in their closet?

CH: Essential items for me and virtually what I always pick from my closet when I'm not at work are organic cotton tees in black, black jeans, or cargos and vintage boots. Fun maxi skirts and black cold shoulder tops are also in heavy rotation when the weather gets warm because like to show off my shoulder tattoos!

Thanks again Coral for letting me feature you on the blog and for sharing your style tips! Have an style tips you wanna share on my blog? Write me a comment below!

From LA, With Luv

Fati <3

Sundays are Meant for Dresses! (Post-Easter Edition)

Happy belated Easter everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend celebrating and spending time with family! Whenever Easter comes around, I always think back to when I was younger; I remember the night before Easter my mom would bring out a tray of saved cascarones (egg shells) and my younger brother, sister, and I would sit around the table and paint them. To make it even more exciting, we would add pieces of confetti in them and covered them with colorful tissue paper. 

On Easter Sunday, my family and I would wake up early and get ready to attend Sunday mass. Since we would go to the Spanish-speaking mass, I always saw children and adults dressed in their Sunday's best. Once the mass was over we would drive to my grandma's house to have a carne asada (barbecue). Even though we're all grown up now, I still remember those good times and the egg hunts we would have in my grandma's backyard. We would always laugh whenever someone got a confetti egg cracked on them.

Since both, my boyfriend and my family, don't live in Omaha we spent Easter getting ice cream after mass and watching movies on Netflix. Looking at how beautiful it was yesterday, I wanted to share with you all my Easter outfit!

Who knew that T.J. Maxx would have some really cute clothes! I bought this Juniors Peter Pan Collar Chambray Dress for like $20. It was a bit expensive for me since I'm on a budget but it was totally worth getting! I love the fact that it has a collar and how the gray and the white go hand in hand giving the dress a school girl-esk look to it. Seeing how the dress was a bit big on me, I paired it up with a thin, blue belt. I have never actually worn the crescent moon and star tights prior to this, so it was a bit of an experiment for me to see how it would look and it turned out great! *If you have a gray chambray dress like this you could also wear it with some colored tights like mustard yellow or even fuchsia for a more fun look.

Lastly, I completed my outfit with some white and speckled colored flats from Sam and Libby and a pair of flamingo, gemmed earrings made by artist Billy Nova.

What's your favorite Easter memory or favorite Easter outfit!?

*Photo courtesy of Google and Daniel N.

From LA, With Luv

Fati <3

Living that Grown-up Lyfe

I've been thinking a lot about career/personal goals lately and what I want to accomplish in my life. It hasn't been an easy thing to think about since there are so many things that I want to do. I think the thing that has been most frustrating for me has been trying to focus on one thing and sticking with it. I feel like my mind usually jumps from one idea to the next and it's like "ahh make up your mind already", ha-ha. It also doesn't help when someone asks me "What do you wanna be when you grow up?" or "Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?" I mean those are really great questions and things to think about but as much as I think about them I just get worried and frustrated and usually respond with an "I don't know." Some people look at me in shock and get really concerned; this usually coming from my parent's. And others, well, they are usually on the same boat as me; fresh out of college and out working in the adult world.

 I've been asking a lot of my friends, co-workers, and peers how they chose their careers they are currently pursuing and for tips and advice. Some of the tips that I have gotten are:

1. Choose an idea and run with it and if it doesn't work then go to the next

2. Brainstorm ideas and make a plan or timeline of when you see yourself reaching that goal

3. Read self-help books

4. Try to stay positive, you are a luchadora (fighter)

These are really helpful suggestions and I am planning on trying them all. 

I know that at the moment, it sucks not knowing exactly what I want to do or where I see myself but I DO know that I wanna keep growing and continue moving on up! I hope you all can join me on this wondrous adventure of living and solving that grown up lyfe!

Feel free to share with me your experience(s) on accomplishing your career goals and/or helpful tips and advice on how you stay motivated.


"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." -Maya Angelou



From LA, With Luv
Fati <3

Stylish Sundays

If you were to ask me, "Fati what are your favorite item(s) in your closet?" It would be hard to answer at first but I would probably go with my denim collection because denim is a versatile fabric that can be used to make different things such as purses, skirts, and shirts to name a few. And because it is both comfortable and durable. Some of the differences between denim and jeans is that denim is made of heavy twill and is commonly used to make ready-made garments as listed above. Jeans on the other, is the actual garment that is made of denim cloth. 

I don't really own a lot of denim pieces but if I were to put together an outfit with the items that I have which are two denim jackets, a denim vest, a chambray and a mixture of different colored jeans, I can choose to dress it up by wearing a nice, flowy blouse accompanied with a cardigan and heels for a more classy "going out" look or even dress it down by wearing a simple t-shirt and a denim jacket on top for a more casual look. It all depends on the occasion!

Since my boyfriend usually takes my blog photos, I decided to experiment with my tripod and camera this time around and show you all how I wear my denim!

Share with me your favorite item(s) in your closet and how you wear them?


*Denim and jean facts courtesy of Google



From LA, With Luv
Fati <3

Stylish Sundays (A Monday Re-cap)

Hello friends! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! I finally had the chance to watch the new Star Wars: The Force awakens. It was a really great movie! I liked the fact that they brought out some of the old Star Wars characters like Chewbacca and Han Solo and they introduced Rey, who is played by Daisy Ridley as the new female Jedi (in the making). She was pretty badass!

Some of the style trends that stood out to me throughout the movie were: knee high boots, brown satchel or messenger bags, infinity scarves and bomber jackets which were mainly worn by the rebel alliance. Seeing how I was inspired by all this, I put together my own rebel outfit!

I had bought this pink moto jacket with faux leather sleeves from H&M not too long ago and thought it went well with the look I was going for which was, rebel chic! I don't own a lot of pink items but this is one of my favorites. The material is pretty sturdy and fits really well. I added a pair of black jeans to give it that consistency in color and completed the outfit with a pair of knee high boots from Ann Taylor, that was given to me for Christmas. It's a simple look that you can wear anywhere!

Check out the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in theaters near you! :)

May The Force Be With You!

*(Star Wars image courtesy of Google)


From LA, With Luv
Fati <3

Stylish Sundays

It's Stylish Sundays and I wanted to share with you all this awesome, Von Dutch pinstripe Twill jacket that I had bought at a vintage shop a few months ago! It was definitely a great find because I don't think they make 'Von Dutch' items anymore. If you've never heard of Von Dutch, here's a quick history lesson for ya!

During the mid-fifties, Kenny Howard, a motorcycle mechanic found a way to use pinstriping, a form of freehand painting of fine lines in a symmetrical motif; as a way to customize hot rods and motorcycles. He used this type of art style as a form of expression and as a way to popularize and create a certain type of look and lifestyle called Kustom Kulture. 

"These 'pinstripes' were a distinctive feature of 1950's bodywork in the USA, and over time have become a traditional ingredient of Kustom Kulture."

Kustom Kulture is a movement that spread throughout the US and brought together the whole culture of hot rodding, rockabilly music, customized automobiles and pin ups. It reflected a certain type of style that Kenny Howard reflected through his artistry. Overtime, he had become a successful pinstriper, customizing and painting all kinds of vehicles that he gave himself the name "Von Dutch", which means "stubborn as a Dutchman." Pretty cool huh?

I remember when I was in middle school, people in school started wearing Von Dutch items like the trucker hats with his signature flying eye ball logo as well as t-shirts and leather wallets. There was also a Von Dutch store at the mall which was pretty neat...

Anyways, back to the jacket! I love the unique way the pinstripe look throughout the jacket and the way it is finely embroidered front and back. The twill material is sturdy and easy to wear.Also, the combination of red, white, and blue go really well together. It's these little details that make it look even more authentic. Although this is originally a men's jacket, it was a perfect fit. I thought it would be pretty fun to style it up and see how I could wear it!

For my outfit: I went with a simple, black, band shirt, a pair of blue Dickie jeans and of course my favorite pair of shoes, Chuck Taylors. I think the jacket made a statement for itself so I didn't wanna over-do it with the outfit. Plus, I felt kinda like a greaser girl with my hair up in a pompadour and my jeans cuffed at the bottom. Grease Lightening!!!

Who knew wearing a vintage Von Dutch jacket would be so much fun and bring back many memories! What's your favorite vintage piece you've found!?

*Facts courtesy of http://www.vondutch.fr/en/

Until next time!

From LA, With Luv

Fati <3

Frida is my Homegirl! Halloween Inspiration

Happy belated Halloween everyone! I hope everyone had a spooktacular time, I know I did! For some reason, this Halloween was a tough one for me. I couldn't decide what I wanted to be. People would ask me, "So Fatima, what are you planning on being this Halloween?" and I simply didn't know. I remember I had told my boyfriend one day that I wanted to be Batgirl and then the following day I told him that I had decided to be Selena... oh, the struggle (nah just kidding!). 

But seeing how I'm learning to live on a budget and didn't wanna spend a ton of money on a costume that I probably wouldn't wear until next Halloween, I decided to search through my closet and on Google to see what I could put together. And without a doubt, Frida Kahlo was my inspiration! :)

You're probably asking yourself, Who is Frida Kahlo and why is she important to know? 

Here are a few fun facts about her:

• Frida Kahlo is remembered for her self-portraits, pain and passion, and bold, vibrant colors. She is celebrated in Mexico for her attention to Mexican and indigenous culture(s) and by feminists for her depiction of the female experience and form.  

• At the age of 6, Frida contracted polio which affected the use of her right leg. It made it weaker and smaller than her left so she wore long skirts to cover it. She was also involved in a tragic accident while on the bus where she suffered serious injuries and had to be in a full body cast for three months. 

• While her recovery, Frida began to paint as a way to cope with the pain and immobility. This is where she began to paint her first series of self-portraits.

• In total, Frida Kahlo has made about 143 paintings, 55 which are self-portraits.

• Frida is the wife of Mexican painter and muralist, Diego Rivera. 

I didn't choose to dress up as Frida Kahlo because it was an easy costume to put together, I chose Frida because of the beauty she portrayed through her paintings and drawings. A few of the things that caught my attention as I skimmed through Frida's self-portraits were the different types of clothing and outfits she wore in order to hide her surgical scars. She wore a variety of finely embroidered Tehuana blouses and dresses to show her appreciation and influences in la cultura indigena (Indigenous Mexican culture). She also wore long skirts, corset-style tops, boots, bold-colored jewelry, and of course her signature flowers in her hair. 

Below are some of the items I was able to find and put together!

Outfit: For the outfit I had wore a Tehuana dress that I found at Goodwill a few months ago. I paired it with a pair of army green jeans and black booties from H&M. 

Accessories: I wore my black and gold tassel earrings that I bought at a local store in Lincoln, Nebraska called The Black Market Clothing and combined it with a black and gold necklace. Since I didn't have time to make a flower crown I made a quick trip to Walgreens and bought one for $2.00. But if you want to make a flower crown, there are a lot of neat tutorials on Youtube or Pinterest to check out. And as for the scarf and the red flowered necklace, those I had for a while. One of my friend's let me borrow the book and paint brush.

I wore this costume to work on Thursday and everyone loved it! One of my co-workers had nominated me to be part of the company costume contest and guess what!? I won!! 

I had a great time putting this costume together and learning more about Frida Kahlo! 

Who is your costume inspiration!?

*Frida Kahlo facts courtesy of Fridakahlo.org

From LA, With Luv

Fati <3