Street Style: Charae

Hello Still Pretty Readers! I apologize for my time away but I've returned with my first feature for the blog! I caught up with an old friend and we did a short interview along with a photo shoot! This is the first of many "Street Style" entries, enjoy!

Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from?

Charae Hemingway

Hometown: Boston, MA

19

Johnson C. Smith University

Hobbies/Interests: Music.Shopping.Eating.Watching Lifetime.Dance

How would you describe your personal style?

Charae said her style is based solely on how she feels! She also tries different trends etc and uses variety in her everyday wear.

What does fashion mean to you?

“Fashion means everything to me”

A true believer in looking your best at all times, Charae shared my ideals as she stated,“You need to look presentable always; you should focus on your looks not to impress but because everyone should look their best.”

Who are some of your favorite designers?

Jeremy Scott

Jeffery Campbell

Alexander McQueen

Marc Jacobs

What are some of your favorite clothing stores/catalogs/websites?

Nasty Gal

ASOS

Forever 21

H&M

Zara

LF

Urban Outfitters

Where do you get your inspiration?

As a dancer Charae feels that she can truly relate to fellow dancer Ebony Williams, also of Boston, Massachusetts. Williams is a well-known ballet dancer in addition to dancing for Beyoncé. One of Charae’s lifetime goals is to eventually be a dancer for Beyoncé herself, she admires the fact that Williams was able to reach out, follow her dreams and eventually become successful thus inspiring her to do the same. Charae respects that,“she went out there and did her thing”, which makes her look up to Ms. Williams even more!

What are some of your favorite fashion websites, magazines, or books?

Nasty Gal

ASOS

Kourtney Kardashian blog

Tumblr

Seventeen Mag

Teen Vogue

H&M/Urban Outfitters Catalogues

What are your favorite patterns [prints] to work with and why?

Though she is not really a pattern person, Charae claims, “if its cute then I’ll buy it”. She likes dashiki print and also Native American tribal print.

What are your favorite colors to work with and why?

“Pink cause its my favorite color and it screams girly girl!”

In addition to loving the color pink, Charae loves color blocking as well as neon colors!

Who are some of your favorite fashion icons?

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen

Kardashians

June Ambrose

ASAP Rocky

Shea (tumblr)

Demi Lovato

Miley Cyrus

How has your dance career influenced your personal style?

 Charae states that, “Dancers have their own style as a community”, but that her dance career has not really influenced her personal dress.

I want especially thank Charae for her time and cooperation in letting me conduct this interview!

Stay Tuned for more!

Khiana♥

Pretty Finds. #3

Being that jewelry is my first true love, one of my favorite stores happens to be a jewelry store! 'So Good Jewelry' is like a warehouse full of jewelry for affordable prices, I cannot get enough of this store! They have a big sale going on with a promotional 50% off of everything, including a special clearance section with items ranging from 99 cents to $4.99! So if you happen to be or live in the Boston area, take a peek in either the Downtown Crossing location or the one on Newbury St!

 I purchased five necklaces, three of them being of the turquoise or aqua beading. My favorite is the large one in the middle with the silver rings!

In addition to my lovely necklaces, I bought six pairs of earrings; most of them were either hoops or large because I prefer bigger earrings! My favorite pair of earrings are the chandelier-esque ones with skulls as pendants! I thought they were really funky and cute so I bought them in both colors and I plan to give one to my sister. Partially shown here, similar to the skull earrings, I bought a pair of chandelier earrings with little gray crosses attached!

All of my stuff came to a grand total of $26! I am extremely satisfied with my purchases and hopefully you guys will see my new accessories in a future post! Don't forget to drop into 'So Good' if you are ever in the area!

So Good Jewelry (Downtown Crossing Location)

426 Washington ST.

Boston, MA 02108

So Good Jewlery (Newbury St. Location)

349 Newbury ST.

Boston, MA 02115

Stay Pretty!

Khiana♥

Out of this World.

Today was a beautiful day and warm enough for legs but just cool enough for a turban! I channeled my inner June Ambrose and corrected a bad hair by tossing a scarf on my head. I tried to keep my outfit somewhat casual because I attended my niece's K2 graduation today!

 I dressed up a navy blue romper with my favorite coral blazer! As I mentioned before I didn't want to be too dressy, so I kept my jewelry at a minimum by wearing plain studs and an arm full of crystal bracelets. I wore a pair of tan and gold wedges to finish off the look! Believe it or not, while searching Payless for the Christian Siriano line, I came across these wedges which were only $7! I always love giving and receiving compliments on the turban look so, below I've posted a YouTube video tutorial I found for the June Ambrose turban look. Enjoy!

Blazer: J Crew

Romper: Urban

Scarf: Thrifting, Purse: H&M

Jewelry: H&M, So Good Jewelry

Shoes: Payless

Try It Out!

Stay Pretty!

Khiana♥

Fancy Colors.

It was a beautiful day out so I decided to have a special guest on the blog: my little brother, Clivohn aka Veezy! I was going for a causal daytime look while Veezy wore his usual retroish attire!

I love color-blocking! It was a cool day but still slightly warm so I decided to take an old long sleeve button down and cut off the sleeves. I didn't have time to bleach it as I intended but stay tuned! Since I count my pale blue shirt as a neutral, I mellowed out the outfit with another cool color by adding in my purple jeggings! A favorite of mine, I threw on my orange platform shoes and accented them with my lovely yellow clutch!

Top: Thrifting, Clutch: H&M, 

Necklaces: Betsey Johnson, Michael Kors, Ann Taylor Loft

Pants: PacSun, Sunglasses: Thrifting

Shoes: Urban

Clivohn's signature style usually includes a button down 'Polo' shirt that gives him a suave look! He mixed and matched his personal style and gave it a more street twist by wearing a snapback hat and a pair of 'Nike Jordan Spizike Retro Spike Lee' sneakers!

Shirt: Polo Ralph Lauren, Shorts: Polo Ralph Lauren

Snapback: Charlotte Hornets

Bracelets: Miscellaneous 

Sneakers: Jordans (full name listed above)

Have a good week everyone!

Khiana♥

Walking with Purpose.

So before I go any further, I would like to send a super special shootout to my Aunt on receiving a degree in Criminal Justice! Congrats! My aunt's graduation and the Walk for AIDS happened to be in the same weekend, so with that said enjoy!

Always on the go with my camera, as I walked through the crowd I spotted these two ladies mingling with other attendees during the graduation. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of vintage wear but these ladies definitely caught my attention! The lady on the right has on a long sleeve floral dress that has a sort of peasant fit. I love the way she kept the rest of the outfit simple by minimizing accessories and maximizing color with her red shoulder bag! I was already familiar with her shoes as I had seen a similar 'Franco Sarto' pair in Designer Shoe Warehouse! 

On the left, this girl's clutch was absolutely fab! I loved the tribal look and it fit in perfectly with the rest of the outfit. Her snakeskin skirt was a personal favorite because I've taken a liking to snakeskin print lately! Her cat-eye shaped glasses (one of my favorites!) were such a cute look as are her dreads which look amazing twisted up!

Now you guys know I love some jewelry! The young woman on the left is a jewelry designer and we exchanged information! Maybe I'll feature her in a later post! At the graduation, I admired her large wire earrings! The design was clearly unique and added spark to the outfit! I will definitely be a future customer of hers!

For the graduation, I decided to keep my outfit simple and sweet!

Hat: ALDO Accessories

Top: H&M, Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: Urban

Jewelry: Forever 21, H&M

Sunglasses: ASOS

As I mentioned before, I attended the AIDS Walk Boston as I do every year! My family and I walked 5.1 miles and the walk overall raised millions of dollars! Enjoy my family photos of us acting silly for a good cause!

Left: Chloe, Right: Clivohn

 Top: Shanell, Bottom: Chloe & Clivohn

 As we headed home, we spotted this gentlemen and we thought he had a strange resemblance to Russell Brand! So of course we got a shot with him!

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't as nice as previous years but nonetheless, Boston was still beautiful.

Nec Nec and Chloe! (Mommy/Daughter Time)

Stay Pretty!

Khiana♥

Pretty Finds. #2

And again with the neglect, I'm so sorry guys! Below, I have a few things that caught my eye as I window shopped. Enjoy! 

I absolutely love sunglasses more than anything! I consider sunglasses to be the ultimate accessory because you can throw them on with anything and they still look amazing! These oversized 'retro' sunglasses by 'Kate Spade' have a two-toned tortoise pattern along the rim which gives an old Hollywood glamor feel in addition to the shape. Those who know me well, know of my fascination with Holly Golighty or Audrey Hepburn from "Breakfast at Tiffany's". These glasses remind me of the famous outfit worn by Hepburn in the opening scene of the movie, how glamorous!

These wedges are extremely fabulous and will definitely command the attention of anyone. I tried on these 'Rachel Zoe' wedges in the Nordstrom store and though it was a struggle getting these on (due to my wide feet), I fell in love! The suede material and burnt orange color give me a more Fall-like feel but the peep-toe allows the option of summer wear as well!

A true east coast girl, I am always attracted to anything that looks nautical! This 'Kate Spade' Jacket is lightweight and perfect for those cool summer days or nights. The navy blue and white stripes make the jacket somewhat neutral and the oversize fit makes the coat look comfortable as well. I would throw on this jacket over a dress given chilly weather!

Stay Pretty!

Khiana♥

All Around the World and Back.

Hello everyone! Please excuse my absence from the blog, I've been on a mini vacation in Virginia Beach for a wonderful occasion! My beautiful grandmother was awarded with a degree in Religion from St. Leo's University and she is one step closer to becoming Dr. Rosemary Clemons! I love you grandma! I'm so proud!

Due to my (and my sister's) lack of planning, unfortunately we ended up on the Megabus for an almost 15 hour bus ride to Virginia. Although we dressed comfy and brought snacks along, it was still pretty uncomfortable. I've taken the time to pick out a few items that I feel can be comfy and cute for travel!

Who doesn't love Victoria's Secret 'Pink' line? Always filled with bright and colorful hoodies and sweatpants, 'Pink' is the way to go when trying to look super cute on a plane, train or bus ride! The line hosts a variety of differently styled hoodies and pants that come in a range of colors; they even have some sports teams and more recently a college line!

For those who aren't big fans of sweatpants, I've chosen two of my favorite comfy shirts that are fit for travel! On the top, this cropped shirt is super stylish yet functions exactly like your favorite old T-Shirt! It comes in a variety of different colors and patterns and can be found at American Apparel. The shirt on the bottom is your basic Boyfriend Tee. I liked this one in particular because of the colors and pattern. These shirts are usually cut larger than usual and give a relaxed dress feel. Personally, I would wear either of these items with a pair of plain leggings but shorts or jeans would suffice also!

When I'm traveling, I never have time to fix my hair or primp! I am a big fan of baseball caps in the summer for running errands and also during travel times. As an addition to the outfits I've posted above or  your own creation, a cap will protect your hair and look super cute in the process! The 'Lacoste' cap I've shown above can be found at Nordstrom and it comes in 3 other colors as well!

Everyone's favorite tote, the 'Longchamp' Le Pilage bag is perfect for travel! The large size bag can fit anything from a laptop to an iPad or a pair of shoes! I always use this bag as my whenever I fly because its big enough to hold all my belongings in addition to the stuff I have to throw in as last minute packing. The bag is extremely durable and comes in a bunch of amazing colors!

Moccasins are super comfortable! I own two pairs and they have been with me through it all! These 'Minnetoka' moccasins are really comfy and the funky colors stand out to say the least!

Tom's have become increasingly more and more popular over the years and now everyone can be seen wearing a pair! You can buy these at many vendors or order online; for each pair of shoes purchased, a child in Africa will receive a pair of shoes! Ideal for all of the walking included in travel, these comfortable, slip on shoes will keep you cute and comfy!

My personal favorite of this post, I have a picture of the 'Vibram FiveFinger' shoes. These shoes are extremely cozy and do wonders as far as exercise and relaxation. What better shoes are there for travel? I own this particular pair and I cannot get enough of them! 

Something that I know I will definitely be comfortable traveling with: Fendi luggage! I am currently in love with this luggage set which I hope to eventually get my hands on in the future!

More Family Photos!

Thanks for reading everyone!

I wish you well in all your travels and future travels!

Stay Pretty :)

Khiana♥