{oxBlood}

{SS} here...

All this week I'm going to be doing collages of some of my favorite fall trends! 

Today =  {oxBlood}

oxBlood by mynewstyleblog featuring leaf jewelry

Tune in tomorrow for... {polka dots}

xo, SS

Summer Faves

{SS} here...

Here are a few of my favorite summer must haves I'm loving the ease of Polyvore especially on a lazy Tuesday afternoon like today!! 

Summer Faves by mynewstyleblog featuring mac cosmetics

{1} J.Crew ribbed tank top / {2} J.Crew underwire swimsuit / {3} Hot shorts, $61 / {4} Birkenstock thong sandals / {5} Havaianas crystal flip flops, $54 / {6} Marc by Marc Jacobs heart earrings / {7} Hat / {8} Sally Hansen eyelash curler / {9} MAC Cosmetics eyeliner / {10} iPearl\ mCover Pink Mcover® Hard Shell Case For 13-Inch A1278 Macbook... / {11} MAC Cosmetics / {12} June Jacobs Spa Collection - ADVANCED SUN RESISTANCE SPF30™

{SS's} Thoughts 

{1} I love these J. Crew tanks... I wear them as sleep shirts, undershirts and even regular shirts when it gets really hot. They're stretchy but hold their shape and are much more flattering than a lot of A-Line tanks are. 

{2} I am turning into a one-piece junkie. I adore this suit and loved wearing it in France. It's a liberty of london print which makes it super unique and I love the ruching and neckline. 

{3} I don't have these exact shorts but check out my new ones here. From a girl who didn't used to wear shorts... I have become obsessed!

{4} These were my awesome Amsterdam purchase. I was thrilled to get them for much less than I would have paid here. They are super comfortable and I think that they are "cute" (I mean as far as Birkenstocks go...). 

{5} Mine are just Old Navy ones but I do think the Havaiaanas are cute. I don't like wearing flip flops that much but I slip mine on for quick trips, when I'm watering the yard, and when I want to wear shoes around the house.
{6} These Marc Jacobs studs sure are cute but mine are just simple Forever 21 ones :)

{7} My hat is actually from J. Crew and it's the third one I've owned... the first was left in the rain, the second was gifted to someone in France and the third is my go-to for bad hair days or to spruce up an outfit and add some fun summer style!

{8} Eyelash curlers really DO make a big difference. I also have a new mascara that I'm excited about... and believe it or not it's Maybelline. 

{9} I really can't leave home without eyeliner... I try and I try and then I always come back and swipe some on. My summer color thus far has been "Blooz". I am a big Prunella lover as well. 

{10} I don't have this cover but I do love my MacBook. I also am a fan of my Kindle Fire which I can slip in my purse. 

{11} I use this MAC Soft & Gentle finishing powder over a bit of tinted moisturizer or BB cream, to add a hint of sheen to my face without too much coverage. 

{12} This is not the June Jacobs product I use, but the only photo I could find... I am a huge fan of June Jacobs Pumpkin Scrub which I got as a sample. I use it after I've cleaned my face and it feels good, smells good and makes my face silky smooth. 

What are some of your favorite summer must-haves? 

xo, SS

To the Beat of My Own Drum

{SS} here!

Happy Friday...


I've been thinking a lot about {style} this week... what it means to me, what it means to others, what it means to others means to me... deep stuff. But really...

{I believed this was absolute style}

I found myself having a bit of a personal dilemma...
Okay, so obviously I love clothes, and fashion and shopping... That's all great and wonderful but it's also something that I am a bit ashamed of. Why? Because there is so much more to me than that! And, I struggle with the fact that sometimes I feel like my family and friends think less of me because of my interests in style...


Okay, let me back up a few steps...
I grew up in a very intellectual family: writers, artists, musicians... you get the idea. I grew up going to museums and concerts, reading poetry and writing in my journal. But, I also grew up wanting to wear high heels, tight jeans, makeup, jewelry and glasses (not sure about that one...). I grew up wanting curly blonde hair and to change my name to Lindsay or Becky. I grew up with a super stylish imaginary friend named Ashey who lived in California with her boyfriend but came to visit me for weekends. I grew up admiring the moms of my friends and neighbors who wore makeup, stylish clothes and their hair in trendy cuts.

Little brother and I boating

And then I find myself asking some questions...

Is it possible to be an intellectual fashionista? To be an eyeliner addict who loves to camp and fish? Can I love headbands as much as my headlamp? 

Can I be an avid novel and memoir reader but also subscribe to fashion magazines? Can I love visiting museums as much as I love visiting outlet malls? 

The answer is YES!! I can. And I need to be confident enough in myself to realize that my family and friends can see this too. So, as I obviously had no problem doing as a little girl, I'm going to take this insecurity by the hand and walk to the beat of my own drum... 

Taking a break from tap dancing (note the shoes) to the beat of my own S drum !

And yes, I think I can be an Intellectual Fashionista :) 

xo, SS

Tomboy {first time using Polyvore}

Tomboy by klhuberty featuring zipper jeans

{KH here}

Sorry this post looks a little crazy. This is my first time using Polyvore and, I must admit, I am a bit confused.

Anyhow, I wanted to share about a current obsession of mine:

Gap Sexy Boyfriend Jeans

They are absolutely perfect. I once wore a pair of my {ex}-boyfriend's jeans and they were so comfortable. He had worn them in perfectly from raw denim and they had whiskering and holes in all of the right places. I wanted a pair of my own! I found a pair of raw denim at a thrift store and was excited to break them...until I realized how long it took {years...and wearing them in the tub and saltwater}. Patience is not my strong suit so I soon re-sold these jeans. Plus one calf was smaller than the other {or one of my calves is significantly bigger than the other?} and it drove me nuts. 

I was a little sad. How was I going to get those perfect, worn-in jeans I wanted?

{dramatic noise!}

Enter these jeans. They fit like a pair of your boyfriend's jeans but cut for a lady. They are the perfect amount of loose without looking like a pair of 1990s JNco jeans. They have a button fly but the rise is appropriate to a woman's body {yay! no saggy crotch!}. I can't rave enough about them.

You see, I am a bit of a tomboy at heart. Sure, I like getting dressed up but I am more likely to throw on a pair of jeans and a tank {not the one in the picture- it's only cotton for sakes!}, sandals, a top knot, and some laid back accessories. I like to be comfortable. Now don't get me wrong, my high-waisted skinny jeans are fabulous. I put them on when I am feeling sassy and like showing off my behind. But I don't feel that way everyday. So to have these jeans as my second go-tos is some higher power work.

If you haven't tried them yet, I {clearly} recommend them! And the price point is reasonable. I will be going back for more!

{and maybe I will find a sexy boyfriend of my own whose jeans I can throw on from time to time.. ;)}

Amsterdam Favorites

{SS} here and now that I'm back from my Mini-Europe tour I have lots to share with you. I spent the first week of my trip in Amsterdam -- a mighty Stylish city!  A few of my favorite things in Amsterdam were, the Cafe's throughout the city, Flowers, Street Markets, Seeing all the Bicyclists and the Canals. 

{ Cafe's }

Amsterdam is full of street cafe's (something I have found fairly common in many European cities). On our first morning as we set off in search of some breakfast, we stumbled upon a sweet little cafe that we ended up going to almost every morning. We also found several others which proved to be the perfect spots to stop for a quick afternoon refreshment, break and a bit of people watching.  

{My brother AS & I}

We found this sweet little cafe tucked into a neighborhood behind our apartment. It was the perfect spot for a quick meal and lots of people watching!

{ Flowers }

Amsterdam is known for it's extraordinary tulips and other bright blooms and there is certainly no shortage of flowers in the city... window boxes boast sweet arrangements, the canals have flowers planted in boxes on their bridges and street markets are full of gorgeous bouquets and seeds for purchase. 

{ Street Markets }

Just a few blocks from the apartment we were staying at was the Albert Cuyp Street market- the largest street market in Amsterdam. It was a long row of booths selling all kinds of things from cheese and meats, to vacuum cleaner parts, to clothes and shoes, and fresh flowers. Had I had a bigger suitcase I am sure that I would have come home with much more from the market, but was happy to score a pair of Birkenstock sandals for a great price. We also bought lots of meats and cheeses to make sandwiches in our apartment. 

{ Bicycles }

I have never been somewhere so full of bicyclists, especially so many beautifully dressed ones! Because Amsterdam is so flat people bike everywhere and aren't afraid to wear dresses and heels as they pedal. On any given street you can find hundreds of bikes parked. As a pedestrian walking through the city you not only have to look out for cars but also bicyclists who prove to be just as much of a threat as cars! 

{ Canals }

Due to the fact that it has over 90km of Canals, Amsterdam is called the "Venice of the North". Canals line the city beautifully. 

This stylish couple was enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon floating down a canal with their champagne and newspaper... totally my style :) 

xo, SS

Is less really more?

{Inner French Woman}




After enjoying a beautiful walk home from work whilst trying to figure out my blog post for the day, I {SS} came home and went to the basement to grab my suitcase and bring it up to my room, and a certain someone (she'd like to remain anonymous... evidently she thinks knows that our blog is going to go viral and she isn't ready to be 'that lady someone read about on mynewstyleblog...' okay, I made that part up) stops me midway up the stairs and asks,

"Did you ever think that your life would be simpler if you had less clothes?" 

This causes me to laugh so hard that my red suitcase full of clean laundry and potential clothes for the trip falls to the floor only adding to her point. 

Me: "But really, m**, I actually don't have as many clothes as a lot of people you know. And I have a job that requires me to dress nicely. I can't just wear the same thing everyday!"
Her: "Maybe it's a generational thing."
Me: "Well I do have a lot of things, but I like to have options. And, I'm working on buying less 'cheap' stuff and rather buying select 'quality' items, ie this lovely Ralph number (pointing to Ralph Lauren button-up)"
Her: "Okay, well I know you have to have more clothes than me, and you're into them more than me, and that's okay. But you know, in France the women, they don't dress like that."
Me: "I know. They dress so sylishly"
Her: "But they don't just have a lot of cheap stuff. They dress nicely but it's because they wear the best quality and they wear the classics."

{ though said person and I don't always see eye to eye in terms of style, we both agree that French women tend to exemplify Style }

SS in Paris, France, 2004

This all got me thinking about {my} new style and trying to channel my inner French woman. Yes, I would love to be able to walk through the south of France with a Hermes bag or Gucci shoes (neither of which I currently own) but, at this point in my life I'm okay with the fact that I'll be carrying my Coach wristlet and wearing my Tom's Ballet Flats. My {French Woman} style will come from wearing stripes, my Chanel perfume, bright floral prints, silk scarves and knowing that my name is as French as they get. 

C'est La Vie. 

 xo, SS

My New Style {SS}

{ SS } on Style

My dad tells a story about walking through downtown Minneapolis with me at age four when we saw a flashily dressed woman walking towards us. I turned to my dad and said, "Dad, I LOVE her style." Unbeknownst to me, she was a prostitute. And so, my take on style has always been a bit questionable.

{ With my Gramy {stylish beyond belief} and baby brother }

When KH and I decided to start this blog I wanted to have a clear understanding of what {style} represents to me. I knew style was more than just what I wore or how I dressed. For me, I realized style has a lot to do with self confidence. When I think about some of the most stylish people I have known the unifying characteristic amongst them is always confidence. And confidence is something I have had my fair share of struggle with over the years.

As a kid my style was fine, I mean sure I look back on photos and have a good laugh, but part of that was the time. The 90's weren't exactly the booming fashion decade and let's be honest I didn't care so much until I got a bit older.

{ I thought these shoes were so stylish }

I can safely say that I spent a majority of my high school years trying to assert my personal style by taking elements of everyone else's. This wasn't just related to clothes either, but rather my whole sense of being. I wanted to be a feminist, an actress, a camp person, preppy, political, and unique. People often told me to, "be myself", but I couldn't figure out who that was.

"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn." ~ Gore Vidal

In college I finally started to "blossom", but I was still a bit hesitant about committing to a certain "style" at first. I remember that I didn't want to wear makeup every day because I didn't want to be one of those girls who looked weird without it. That phase quickly ended however, and now I rarely leave the house without eyeliner.

So, how did the idea of "my new style" come to be? Well, after graduating college I found myself, like many recent graduates, job-less. I went back to working at a clothing store where I had worked the summer before. This is where I met KH. I was initially intimidated by her "style" but we eventually became friends. I would often come to work and remark, "Ugh, I need a new style," once I saw KH and her immaculately put together outfits. This went on for some time and became somewhat of a running joke between the two of us, "oh yeah, SS, your new style pending 2007." I'd have my good days when KH would remark, "Oh that's very NS (New Style) of you,"and then my not so good days when I would slump back into OS (Old Style).

"Fashion fades, style is eternal." ~ Coco Chanel

I began to realize that what I was trying to find all of these years was fashion, not style. I wanted to be trendy and wear whatever everyone else was wearing at the time, the "it" pants or the color of the season. I failed to notice that style truly comes from within. When you feel confident in yourself and carry yourself with a sense of pride, you can wear a pair of jeans and a white button down shirt and look like a goddess. It's not just what you wear either it's the way you think of yourself and present yourself to the world around you, it's your ideals, your opinions, your passion. In terms of clothing, once you have your own unique personal canvas of pieces that look great on you (which can be as "basic" as a white v-neck tee), you can embellish upon them with said "trendy" pieces and turn the latest fashion into your own. As I've become more confident in myself as a person, and more solid in my beliefs and values my style has just sort of presented itself. Style doesn't have to be hard or time-consuming. Style is different for everyone. Style is what you want it to be.

"What you wear is how you present yourself to the world." ~ Miuccia Prada

So why mynewstyleblog, you ask? Well because KH and I love reading blogs. On one of my daily blog reading sessions I began to think that maybe I could become of the millions of others who do this crazy, somewhat self-indulgent blog writing thing. One evening when KH and I were shopping (of course) I started telling her about my idea of having a blog and how I wasn't quite sure what my subject should be. As we waled from store to store the subject of creating our New Style's without going broke came up, and suddenly, standing right by the gourmet crepe stand, the lightbulb moment hit and mynewstyleblog was born. So, here we are. We're so pleased you've chosen to read this.

 { KH & SS }

 xo, SS

"Once you can accept the universe as being something expanidng into an infinite nothing which is something, wearing stripes with plaid is easy."
~ Albert Einstein

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

{KH} on Style

I {KH here} should be honest with you all. When {SS} talked about starting a blog about style I was weary. I did not know if I wanted to do something that seemed so...fluffy. Whose life would I be changing? How would I be helping the world?

And then I thought to myself "calm down, joe brown. not everything has to be so life or death". It's not as though I don't care or pay attention to style. I like getting dressed. I like to be on trend. I even like to read look at fashion magazines. And I don't think it makes me any less intelligent, compassionate, or motivated. 

{School Style}

Then I got to thinking, "what does style really mean to me?". It's more than clothes. More than the way you look. So, I turned to my ol' pal Google to look at the actual definition of the word. A manner of doing something. A design or make in a particular form. Essentially, style is one's way of being in the world. How you are. Style, to me, is about being a good person. It's about making sure that each day I have been as kind to each person that I encounter as I am able. It is laying down at night, thinking through my day, and committing not to repeat the same "mistakes" tomorrow. It's waking up in the morning and writing out an intention for the day then writing out my daily gratitude before I go to bed. It's simple things- smiling at a stranger, picking up litter, not hitting a squirrel. It's treating every being with respect and dignity. Style is being a loyal friend. Picking up the phone when you know someone is struggling but also when they just want to chat. It's living a life with purpose.

{Cat Lady Style}

I guess that relates to the way I think about my fashion style. To dress with purpose. Clothes say something about who we are to the people we encounter and I want mine to speak my truth- "I am me. Flaws and all. And I am ok with it". So yes, sometimes I have dirt on my clothes or I leave the house without steaming everything perfectly. Wearing my chacos if my feet hurt. Throwing my hair up without looking in the mirror so I can "get down to business". It's colorful and quirky. It doesn't work for everyone but it works for me. And that's what matters.

Sorry for launching into an existential rant here, friends. I am sure it is not what you thought you would be getting! I promise, it won't always be this way! Scratch that. I am not sorry. It is exactly where I am right now and being true to that is the most stylish thing of all!

{KH}