inspiration board

For the past few months, I’ve been working with the very talented Aileen Cheng on redesigning this blog.  It all began with building an inspiration board via pinterest that best represented Your Soul Style.  Color, print, pattern, logo, symbols, typography, layout, verbiage, the list is endless.  A true labor of love, this project has taken many twists and turns but I’m proud to say it’s finally nearing the end!  I’m super pumped about the re-launch and can’t wait to share it with you in the coming weeks!  The above photo is a sneak peek, a compilation of images Aileen pulled directly from my inspiration board, but you can check it out in its entirety here.  Woo woo!

bigger is better!

No one and I mean no one, loves a clutch bag more than me. I’ve been a collector since the dawn of time and while I used to hunt down vintage styles via the salvation army, consignment shops or my moms closet, I now appreciate new ones too.  My collection is overflowing and I should really do that whole purge thing, but I can’t seem to part with an accessory that may (or may not) have been worn to Studio 54.  This past holiday season, my amazing wife surprised me with this Clare Vivier oversize style.  I love, love, love it, but because of its large shape, I did have the whole, “is it practical?” conversation in my head before deciding to keep it.  You know – that really fun dialogue where your logical side has a full on war with the more adventurous?  You wind up nowhere fast and angry at yourself for not having conviction one way or the other.  We’ve all been there.  I couldn’t stop toggling between keeping this one which was clearly the more fashion and edgy choice or trading it out for the smaller, simple, leather black version that I would obviously use way more!  I admit it took me two separate visits to Steven Alan, hemming and hawing about which one to call my own until finally after much deliberation (and consulting with the sales associate at the store), I decided to stay with the original.  What finally came to light was remembering this post where I declared that this would be the year to take more style risks.  Here’s to 2014! 

style, naturally

Inspired by this post written by Leandra Medine from The Man Repeller, I decided to approach my outfit yesterday from the same perspective, wearing clothes that felt relaxed, comfortable and effortless.  I admittingly spend too many days analyzing my (overflowing) closet with rumblings in my mind of, “I have nothing to wear”.  In these moments I find it’s best to go back to the basics.  It’s when I can stop over thinking it that I feel my best.  Don’t be mistaken – I advocate for taking time to invest into your style.  But I also know what it’s like when things aren’t flowing naturally and you wind up with a mountain of clothing on your bed because, “nothing is working”.  When you’ve tried on endless combinations and even the exact outfit you wore last week feels completely different!  What the F?  Follow your instincts and be aware of which day today is.  Know your mood, your energy and stop trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.  Last nights leather pants may have brought out your inner rock star, but your favorite jeans today (in a less obvious way) could do the same thing!

SHOP THIS OUTFIT:  jacket: Aritzia (similar), t-shirt: Zara (similar), jeans: Rag & Bone, booties: Zara

playing with the big boys

Hello and happy week!  I hope it was a good one.  As excited as I was to flip through the September issues of Vogue, Bazaar and Elle, I was equally, if not more stoked to check out J.Crew’s September style guide which arrived on Wednesday.  The brand has been on the up climb for some time and despite the regular one or two small misses, every page this month is full of inspiration proving once again they are worthy enough to play with the big boys!  Jenna Lyons, the company’s President and Creative Director introduces four key trends (color, camo, sport and leather) which is where the book jumps off.  In typical J.Crew (and Jenna) fashion, unexpected pieces come together creating hip, wearable ensembles.  After flipping through from cover to cover, not only did I ear mark nearly every page for styling inspiration – but seconds later went ahead and ordered these!  J.Crew is offering 25% off in store and online through August 26th on purchases over $150 with the code FALLSTYLE.  Shipping is free on these orders too.  Woo woo!  A few looks I’m swooning over…

Have a great weekend!  xx jenny

photos via j.crew

weekly inspiration

Summer kicked off last Friday and we are in full swing.  Lucky for us New Yorkers, we’ve had a run of amazing weather despite the humidity spike this past week.  I’ll take this over rain any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  Weather like this makes for a lot of rooftop cocktails and dining al fresco which thus enables us to wear our cutest summery ensembles.  This week I’ve pulled together a a few of my faves to inspire and keep you looking and feeling cool all season long.  Hope you have a fantastic weekend everyone!   xx jenny

Want more fashion goodness??  Join me on pinterest & instagram for more weekly style inspiration!

photos via wgsn, who what wear, pinterest, harpers bazaar, streetpeeper, the glamourai

i quote…

Happy Friday!  I hope you had a great week and have something fantastic planned for the next couple of days off.  Rounding out this weeks posts I will leave you with a few quotes said by people from Albert Einstein to Coco Chanel.  Some are deeper than others but more importantly they are all aligned with the Your Soul Style philosophy.  We all get caught up in the noise of fashion that surrounds us, sometimes losing ourselves because of the overwhelming external influences that pull is in a million directions.  But these messages remind us of the true definition of beauty and style.  Don’t. Ever. Forget.  Enjoy and have a great weekend!  xx jenny

photo via simon emmett

spotlight: tiny buddha blog

Happy Friday!

The underlying Your Soul Style message is about empowerment through the vehicle of style and ensuring authenticity in self expression.  I began this blog to create a place where women could not only find style, trend and shopping tips, but also be encouraged, motivated and inspired to embrace their own individuality through it all!  I’m a firm believer that a confident, genuine sense of style and self-love go hand in hand and we cannot achieve one without the other.  I came across the article “How to Love Your Authentic Self” on the blog, Tiny Buddha which I wanted to share with you.  Lori Deschene is brave (and humble) enough to be open and honest about her journey to self discovery while also enlightening us with the wisdom she’s gained from her personal experiences.  None of us are perfect – I, myself sometimes challenged while managing (and filtering!) the outside and distracting noise that enters all our lives daily.  It is critical to look inward and raise the sometimes uncomfortable awareness to important questions along the way, ensuring we’re accepting our true selves.  It is here (and only here) where you can discover your soul style.  photo credit: here

Click here for the full article….

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!  xx #yoursoulstyle

dove’s “social experiment”

Have you seen Dove’s new “social experiment” video?  If not, I think it’s worth checking out and I’d really like to hear your feedback.  I have my own opinion which I’ll explain in a minute.  Click here first to view it.  There is a lot of controversy, the most popular a review written by Jazz Brice which you can find on her tumbler site, “little drops” found here, but before clicking the review I urge you to watch the campaign first.  I did the reverse so I’m advising otherwise.   Then let’s discuss.

So now that you’ve watched (don’t read on unless you have), these are my thoughts:

Although I understand Jazz’s commentary about Dove’s “social experiment”, I also have a profound appreciation for it; the message, that is.  It is easy to pick apart a progressive and original approach to cultural messaging, but in doing so we lose the actual intention of the message!  I won’t say the “social experiment” doesn’t have flaws and that there isn’t some validity to her review, however in order to evolve and move forward it takes courageous corporations like Dove to make the attempt.  Being a pioneer is certainly not fool proof!  From my perspective what they have done is raise an awareness to an ongoing societal issue that needs to be addressed.  Women do have magnified self-esteem issues in this country and it’s about time we got to talking about it in a bigger way.  We can all psycho-analyze this advertising and marketing campaign (and I am the queen of psychoanalyzing, trust me), but why should we expend our energy on that part of the project?  How about taking away the larger message at hand which is about embracing and recognizing your individual beauty.  It is not Dove’s job to teach us how to get there – it is their job to bring the subject into light – and with that, I think they’ve done a stellar job!  I’d rather be part of the movement that takes the risk than the person who stands back and judges the attempt. 

What do you think about the experiment?  I really want to hear your thoughts so don’t be shy.  Share away!!!

xx #yoursoulstyle

and the adventure begins (or continues)…

Hello friends!  I hope you have had a lovely week.  Mine has been pretty cathartic since my corporate America career came to a close (yesterday was my last day as a 9-5’er).  I am ecstatic about this next step and look forward to new endeavors, especially the evolution of Your Soul Style.  You have all been a crucial part of this journey and have given me the courage to make this change so I thank you for that.  This community of women is what inspires me and the adventure has only just begun.  Stay tuned – I have just scratched the surface.  In the meantime, you know where to find me.  *photo via koray birand for harpers bazaar

Here are a few of my favorite links from the week that I thought you may enjoy!

I’ve watched this about 50x already this week.  THANK YOU from the bottom of our heart Brian (from sharkpig).  password: wonderful

I have always been a fan of these even though the past few years have trended differently.  What’s your take?

Can someone please tell me how I can get my hair to do this?

Now that I will be working from home, I’ll need some home office sprucing.  This and this look good.

I love when this happens before the season really takes off

I’ve been putting this off for a few weeks but I finally think I’m ready to do it again

If you’re a collector of items from around the globe, check this out

I hope you have a fantastic weekend planned ahead!  Stay beautiful, strong and inspired.

*follow me on instagram, facebook, pinterest and twitter!!

that’s so clutch…

If it were up to me I’d carry a clutch endlessly.  I would have to figure out a way to magically shrink my essentials to fit into the compromised space – but since we now have Jetson’s-like conversations between iphones a la facetime anything’s possible, right?  I digress.  Clutches are the perfect outfit completer and can take the most casual head to toe ensemble and transform it into a super stylish look.  If it’s a work day and you have a date or a dinner with the girls – I’d suggest throwing one into your (most likely over-sized) day bag.  When it’s time to head out, leave the bulky stuff in your desk drawer – exchange your hobo, satchel or tote bag for the handheld chic one and grab what you need for the evening – cash, keys, id, phone and a touch up lip.  Now how clutch is that?  I’m loving these…   *above photo via here

1. Diane von Furstenberg leather clutch, $295, net-a-porter.com
2. Zara metallic clutch bag, $35.90, zara.com
3. Lizzie Fortunato envelope clutch, $733, matchesfashion.com
4. Christopher Kon allison clutch, $215, shopbop.com
5. Clare Viver hair calf clutch, $165, saks.com
6. J.Crew colorblock convertible clutch, $218, jcrew.com
7. Wendy Nichol midnight rider clutch, $518, lagarconne.com
8. Marc by Marc Jacobs two tone clutch, $298, shopbop.com

Follow me on instagram, facebook, pinterest and twitter!