A Thoughtful Idea

I recently made a trip to Target with a friend to go grocery shopping (if you do not already know that I love Target read this). On this trip I had to buy flashcards, but I was looking for a particular size, color, and possible box to hold them. When it was difficult to find the particular style I was looking for, my friend questioned what exactly I was using them for. I immediately became bashful, hoping to avoid opening up as to what I was secretly up to, but then,I thought, why not be honest about what I was doing. So I am going to share with the readers of Fashion Matterns exactly what I was doing.

Since April 22, I have been writing down my thoughts on these notecards that I purchased from Target. One notecard per day, with one simple thought per day. My plan is to do it for one year; resulting in 365 notecards with 365 thoughts that will allow me to look back and reflect on my year. 

I have never been fond of keeping a journal, I find it to be too time consuming and I can think faster than I can write, therefore I become quickly frustrated when trying to sort my thoughts and write them down at a speed that keeps up with my thought process. But, I do strongly value writing and reflecting on one's thoughts which is what lead me to devise this plan.

My thoughts each day are different. Sometimes I write down the best part of my day, or something personal that I need to work on, I even write down song lyrics that I love. There are no rules to what I write down as long as its meaningful and it must be limited to one thought. I decided to share this personal project that I am working on because growing is all about reflecting and as people striving to live a fashionable life, we should all be looking to grow!

Your Own Enterprise

You know when you have one of the moments where you feel very inspired and uplifted and you have to share your intense feelings with the world immediately- well that’s how I feel right now, as I am writing this post.

Each year the college I attend, Drexel University, has a distinguished speaker come and give a lecture to students of the Design and Merchandising program. I just came from this year’s presentation which was an insightful lecture given by the Chief Executive Officer of Burberry, Angela Ahrendts. Everything about this woman- her diction, her intelligence, her heartfelt and contagious passion, and overall sophistication was stirring. In her presentation, she gave an overview of the company, as well as the direction that Burberry is moving. But she also gave insight into how she runs the company and her business philosophies. And you may be wondering, why would her insight in particular be significant? Well did you know that Burberry is ranked #4 in the top fastest growing companies globally; just after companies such as Apple, Google, and Amazon. Personally I was astounded by this detail.

One of the concepts that she spoke about that I appreciated the greatest, and would like to pass on to readers of Fashion Matterns is the importance of looking back. When she took over as the CEO of Burberry, she established Christopher Bailey as chief creative officer. As a two-person team, they reflected on how Burberry came to be and what makes them worthy or significant as a company. It was from this thoughtful reflection that they established the company’s values and were able to decide what direction the company should take. With this new vision for the company, they were able to transform Burberry into the 13th most innovative company in the world, as well as mentioned before the 4^th fastest growing company. So if it worked for them, it can work for you!

If you are like me, and are looking for ways to grow and improve, model your own life in a strategic way similar to what Burberry has done. Look back on your experiences, decide what has and has not worked for you. Look back at where you came from and how you came to be who you are. Reflect on what values are important to you and what direction you want to move in. Set goals for yourself and create a mission. Essentially, reflect, establish, and move forward.

It may seem silly, but try thinking about the concepts mentioned above and create a set of values you want to live by and a mission statement for yourself. Every established and well thought-out company or organization has one, so why shouldn’t you as an individual enterprise have one as well?

You can expect a set of values and mission statement from Fashion Matterns soon! Let me know how yours goes as well.

Always Dress to Impress

You never know who you are going to come across- your rival, your future husband, the President, or even Dakota Fanning!

While sightseeing in Washington D.C. this past weekend, I spotted a young woman in a stunningly chic outfit complete with a fabulous Celine handbag. Now, you have to be someone to have one of these bags, or quite a bit of money for they are the "it" bag right now and there are waiting lists to purchase one. My immediate thoughts were...

1. Wow, I should have dressed up more.

2. She must be someone famous if she has that bag.

Turns out, her handbag hinted at who she really was. This stylish young woman, observing the memorials through the National Mall beside me, turned out to be Dakota Fanning. I was star struck, delighted, and inspired to be in the presence of such a fashionable person.

Her stylish presentation reminded me that no matter what the occasion, you should always dress to impress. Just because you are sight-seeing or taking on the roll of a tourist does not give one the privilege of dressing like a careless slob, concerned only with comfort.

Take pride in yourself, your appearance, and it will enhance your abilities to make the most of any situation.

My well dressed roommate with Dakota Fanning at the National Mall.

Dakota Fanning pictured with her well known Celine handbag.

Georgetown Cupcake

After seeing the Abraham Lincoln memorial, visiting the Museum of National History, exploring other areas of the National Mall, and walking just about everywhere throughout Washington D.C., my friends and I were exhausted. We were reaching the end of our day trip to the capital, but we had one more exciting destination to visit- Georgetown Cupcake! According to the local students and TLC, it is a renowned bakery that is an absolute must see, and must taste, while in the D.C. area. And I am pleased to say that after waiting forty-five minutes in line, it was the icing on top of a sweet day.

In a society where the phrase “less is more” seems to have almost no significance, I found my minimalistic experience at Georgetown Cupcake to be unusual but refreshing. Georgetown Cupcake may sound familiar and that is because TLC has created the television show DC Cupcakes based on the business started by two sisters, Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne. Before I entered the bakery, I had preconceived notions of what the bakery and cupcakes would be, based on my experiences with bakeries in Philadelphia, throughout New Jersey, as well as Carolos’ Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey (also known for their television show on TLC, Cake Boss). My general consensus came to be that cupcakes are large messes corrupted by overly sugary substances with elaborate decorations and frosting. But when I bit into my chocolate cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake, I was surprised at the purely delightful taste; the cupcakes were understated and unpretentious in nature.

Every aspect of the bakery and cupcakes was uncomplicated, but was still satisfying and fun. The décor in the bakery, the packaging used, the layout of the menu, the assortment of cupcakes, the decorations on the cupcakes, the variety of the merchandise, the ingredients used, the graphics and logo, and the overall essence that the cupcakes gave off was sophisticated and of the highest quality but very simple. There was a strong focus on the cupcakes serving their original purpose, as food, rather than as frivolous or overdone art.

Just like Tiffany's has their blue boxes, Georgetown Cupcake is well known for their pink boxes.

The straightforward menu.

A guide to aid customers.

The assortment of cupcakes.

Each cupcake is adorned with a single decoration.

The sophisticated logo.

The simplistic nature of the cupcakes also reflected in the atmosphere of the bakery. The staff members were upbeat, but also calm and collected. They were not frantically running around serving a complicated assortment of extravagant cupcakes.

Another few aspects that I greatly appreciated were the reasonable prices and serving size of the capcake. In essence with the rest of image of the bakery, the cupcakes were moderately sized, perfect for a nice, sweet treat and were priced at 2.75 each; which is inexpensive compared to $5 oversized cupcakes served in the Philadelphia area. 

Perfectly Sized.

Perfectly Priced.

My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed our cupcakes!

Staying Connected

I apologize for the lack of posting recently. School, work, and overall the craziness of living life has taken over but I promise, posts are coming your way soon. In the meantime, did you know you can still stay connected with FashionMatterns through Pinterest? 

I find Pinterest to be a stress reliever. It gives me a chance to put together my dreams (see A Girl Can Dream, Can't She?) or plan out my dream apartment through pinning pictures of well designed interiors (see Lovely Decour). So even though the posts have been lacking, the pinning has not! 

Check in soon for posts, explore the Pinterest boards, and keep living fashionably.

xoxo FashionMatterns 

A Life of Brilliant Color

Can you imagine if everyone dressed like this- color from head to toe incorporated with bright prints to create a vibrant outfits. Life would be so colorful and fun, and you would feel uplifted just by looking in a new direction. I am not sure if it is because our economy is moving in a better direction or if it is just because spring is in the air, but it seems that everyone both in and out of fashion are infusing their wardrobes with color and I am loving every bit of it! Allow this photograph to inspire you; you only live once so why not live your life in brilliant color?


photo credit: pinterest

Post Vacation Blues

You are use to seeing swaying palm trees, feeling a fresh breeze, the smell of sea salt, the feeling of a cold drink in your hand and sand between your toes, but abruptly all of this changes as your spring vacation comes to an end. So what's a girl to do when they are thrown back into their previous routine filled with stress and anxiety? The answer: integrate aspects of your vacation with a few other tips into your routine and you can continue your relaxed, easy living, and blissful lifestyle.

1. Show off your tan

Metallic accents contrast beautifully against tanned skin. Also try wearing white, bright colors, and shades of neon.

2. Relax the makeup

It is highly likely that you did not wear heavy amounts of makeup while at the beach or doing other fun activities on your vacation. Keep this going- it will make your beauty routine quicker and your freshly sun kissed skin will not be overpowered by artificial elements. Also, try letting your hair air dry and take on its natural shape, it will cause you to have a sexy and carefree look.

3. Make a playlist

Compile a list of music that reminds you of your trip, for example, songs that you listened to on repeat; or put together a playlist of music of the area you traveled to, for example, Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffet for tropical vacations. Listen to this playlist whenever you need a pick me up.

4. Please the aesthetics.

While on vacation, your senses were exposed to many beautiful and fulfilling sensations. For example, the smell of sea salt, the exfoliating powers of sand, the delicious taste of fruity drinks, and the warm sun on your skin. To keep up with these sensations, make yourself a sea salt scrub to use in the shower, whip up some tropical drinks, sit outside, etc.

5. Take time to relax

The absolute best part of a vacation is the release of stress. With little access to the Internet, practically no responsibilities, and being surrounded by good company, it is difficult to be tense and nervous. Try limiting your time on the Internet, deliberately take time out of your day to disconnect from the world, and think back to your vacation and dream of the day when you can return.


photo credit:  pinterest