OOTDS Featuring my new Phillip Lim for Target Handbags

Here are some OOTDs from the past week:

SUNDAY OOTD: My favorite color palette to wear is probably black and white but i really like how the pop of color from the necklace adds dimension and interest to the outfit. The shirt says "More Issues Than Vogue" and I bought it from an ebayer that is located in the UK. I purchased a small but its still very big on me, so I had to fold shirt inwards and tuck it in from the back.

ACCESSORIES: Phillip Lim for Target Satchel / floral motif ring, watch, necklace-East Urban / Heeled Sandals-Tobi

Shirt-ebay / jacket & jeans-forever 21

FRIDAY'S OOTD: 

I attended the OneRepublic concert on Friday and it was aamazing! I kept the outfit comfortable and easy by wearing a loose blouse and stretchy jeans while maintaining a polished look by adding my favorite tassel necklace and pumps.

Details:

necklace, rings-East Urban / Shirt- H&M / Jeans- Forever 21 / Pumps - Tobi /Bag-3.1 PL for Target

Hoped you like these outfits. Let me know what you think of them!
<3, Mel

SEPHORA/OPI HAUL

THE UNBOXING!

Who doesn't love free samples?

1. Deluxe Shiseido Sample, Aqua Brow review coming soon, $1 pencil sharpener

3 for $10 haul...yes, I went a little crazy.

I looove how they packaged this.

$1 eyelash & brow groomer, brow angle brush, angle liner brush

Reviews and product testing to come!

Beach/Pool Wish List

We are mid way through summer and I still haven't gotten a chance to go swimming yet. Sadly, I am one of those people who starts the summer off with a plan to get "beach body ready"but procrastinates until summer is over. So please don't judge me and let me daydream about the essentials I would want on a poolside summer day.

all links to items HERE

I also wanted to share with you my first instavideo OOTD:

Grocery Shopping OOTD

Well, Sorry for the boring post. I hope to have some more OOTDs and Hauls to share with you soon.

<3, Mel

OOTD: Denim & Leather

This is just a recent OOTD I wore for our Bohemian Glamour photoshoot. You can't beat the comfort of denim and the edgy luxurious look of leather. Btw, that bag is my new fave!

outfit detail: hat-easturban // watch-marc jacobs // handbag-east urban // love ring-easturban // pumps-h&m // chambray shirt-east urban // skinny jeans-xx21

Thanks for reading,
<3 Mel

Street Style Trend: STATEMENT NECKLACE

Statement necklaces are the easiest to style. It's one of my go to items to "throw on" to help bring any dull outfit to life.


On the Streets:

VISIT MY TUMBLR FOR PHOTO SOURCES

Easy ways to style:

-with basic shirt and bright colored blazer
- under the collar of a button up
-over knit sweaters
-plain maxi dress
-shift dress
-bikini & kimono
-create your own by layering multiple necklaces 


How I styled one of my favorite piece:

Outfit Details: H&M Men's Shirt and heels, all jewelry from EastUrban.com

 In conjunction with this blog post, Easturban.com has a special sale on our best statement necklaces.


<3, Mel

Tough Enough

Love wearing this look on a rainy day. The wedges keep my feet from getting wet and the anorak is a perfect cover up if you live in a hot and humid climate like I do.

Running Errands OOTD

An outfit I wore on an "errand day". This is also a typical outfit I would wear on a fat day and those days have been going on for two months straight. =/. Let me know if you prefer to see more posts like this!


You can also find this look on my instagram: @fashionxphilosophy

top-asos // knitted leggings-zara // bag-mk // flats-xx21 // necklace-h&m // bracelets- fam heirlooms

Until next time,

<3 Mel

Color Pairing: Neon + Neutrals

The neon trend has been around for a couple of years now and at first I was not a fan. Not only did I find it hard to style, I thought the bright colors just stood out like a sore thumb and were cheesy. However, after browsing through tumblr and spotting all the neon pieces on street style, I am now, truly a fan. I think the trend is fun to style and high end designers found a way to make them look so luxurious. 

My favorite way to wear the trend is by pairing it with neutrals.

APPROACHES:

1. SUBTLE: Wear a bright lipstick on your lips or nails can be just as much of a statement
2. TRENDY: Bring life to a monochromatic look by completing it with neon accessories
3. STATEMENT: take a bold approach and make neon the focus point of your outfit. Color-block two neon colors for an even more daring look. Tone it down with neutral accessories.


I hope this post gave you some ideas or inspiration.

Until next time,

<3 Mel

Street Style Trend: Boyfriend Jeans

I LOVE street style and have even built a business inspired by it. So I've decided to attempt to do a weekly post on trends seen on the streets and how to wear them.

Boyfriend jeans are one of my favorite street style trends. They are so relaxed, easy to wear but always brings a casual cool look to an outfit. 

On the Street:

Things to keep in mind when creating an outfit with bf jeans**:

Petite Women: -go for the less baggy fit because these jeans can make you look stumpy

                        -wear with heels: to add some length, it'll make you look more proportionate

                        -pair with clutch or small bag: for a more clean, effortless look; larger bags can make                                                  -                        you look like you have too much going on

                        

Tops: -perfect with a relaxed tee or thin sweater

          -avoid oversized shirts or tuck them into the front

Shoes: strappy heeled sandals

           oxfords/flat sandals (avoid ballet flats)

           pointed toe shoes (round tip is unflattering with bf jeans)

           classic pumps

           strappy wedges

Jacket: Stick with jackets that do not go past your butt. A long trench is hard to pull off and can make your outfit look too masculine.

Jewelry: -Statement necklace: add it if you aren't wearing many layers

              -Watch                    : any watch will do

              - Arm Candy           : if you feel like your outfit is plain, throw on a bunch of arm candy. 

                                                When your arms are down, your wrist will be beside your jeans, easily  

                                                 complimenting them.

My Polyvore Outfit

City Chic by easturban-1 featuring a rhinestone bracelet

Thanks for reading.

Love,

Melinda

2013 S/S INSPIRATION: RACHEL ZOE

I'd like to start off by saying I am so EXCITED for the new season of The Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo!

 After watching the preview I decided to check out her 2013 S/S Collection and it really got me excited for spring! The collection is very 60's inspired. I would say the collection is very Ralph Lauren but instead of a preppy style it has a boho flair to it. Style.com reviewed the line and said it looked "over merchandised and it was easy to overlook the clothes". I totally understand their concern but I think her brand is meant to showcase her love for accessories and ability to style. You can tell by the line that she aspires to appeal to a mass market and in a way, helping her fans achieve her "style".

When it comes to being a budget fashionista, I believe in finding inspiration from designers and finding a budget friendly alternative. So I've taken some of my favorite looks and translated them into trends and key pieces for my spring wardrobe wish list.

Key pieces and trends inspired by RZ:
1) rompers/pantsuits.
    thin oversized open cardigans
2) equestrian hats
    really small clutches
3) flowy, loose and silk like materials
4) headpieces such as turbans, and wraps and jewelry head piece
    flowy and light maxi skirts

Now I will be hunting for these pieces and hopefully I can add them to the East Urban Collection so you can enjoy them with me at a lower price !

Until next time,
 Mel

HUGE HAUL UNDER $150

So about two weeks ago I went on a business trip to Florida. We had some spare time so we stopped by the mall. And I can not believe how amazing XX21 deals were!  The total i spent was under $150. These pieces are the perfect transition to spring!  I've always hated sifting through piles of random clothes, but this was surely worth it.

Here are the prices:

Apparel:

1) Pattern trousers          $19.80

2) Jewel Mint Skirt          $17.80

3) Leatherette Shorts     $ 6.00 (ish)

4) Shirt Dress                  $19.80

5) PJ Oxblood shirt        $6.00 (ish)

6) Sleeveless Blazer     $24.80

7) Maroon Trench          $12.99

Shoes

1-3) wedge booties       $5.00

4) chunky mary jane     $5.49

5) moto boots                 $8.49

Going out with my besties tomorrow. Maybe I'll wear an outfit from this haul? Either way, I'll try and post the outfit.

Until then,

<3 Mel

INSTAGRAM

LOVE INSTAGRAM! It's like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. And lord knows I prefer to look at pictures!


Since Blogspot wont let me us iframe, here's a snapshot of my East Urban Account:

 

Follow @fashionxphilosophy


Follow @easturban



<3 Mel

Busy Body

Oh blogspot how I've missed you! sorry I havent been updating up, I've been so overwhelmed with work. But still, no excuse, I promise I will try to update more frequently!

Some updates on East Urban:

• lots of new jewels
• Thanksgiving day sale 
• working on launching our own site from eBay

There are some nights where I go to bed wondering where East Urban is headed, and I think of all the competition out there and I get really upset. Then, I wake up the next morning, right to fight for what I love! Sometimes, the only option left is to believe in yourself.

New posts on how to create an arm candy set and maybe an outfit of the day? I had my boyfriend take pics of my recent outfit but he failed miserably at it because he was hungry and moody. -_- boys.


anyways, good night!

<3, Mel

Street Fashion Trend: Varsity Jackets

Mini H&M Haul:

Chain Necklace $5.95//Men's Maroon Beanie $10//Snake print Trousers $29.95

So I came up with this outfit for the East Urban LookBook:

I love this version of the Varsity Jacket the most because it's a little oversized for a more effortless approach as opposed to the cropped ones I've been seeing a lot of. It is also light and thin which makes it much easier to layer without looking bulky. 


Street Style Inspirations:

Hoped you enjoyed this look!

<3 Mel

All American Woman

I have a very well rounded style. It depends on the mood I am in and what triggers my creativity when I see an article of clothing. As soon as I saw this skirt, I immediately thought of what I owned in my closet and how I could use those pieces to style this pleated skirt. So I threw in a denim button down to add texture, wrapped a leopard scarf around my neck to accommodate fall  and added nude pumps and a square face watch for a classic finish.

Find these pieces (or similar) here:

ALL AMERICAN WOMAN by fashionxphilosophy featuring leopard scarves

Top
romwe.com

Michael Antonio stiletto heels
heels.com

Leopard scarve
express.com

Chain belt
coming soon to East Urban

Women's small chiffon pleated high waisted maxi skirt red classic Long...
ebay.com

Fashion Gold Boyfriend square chain MK cuff Watch arm candy Geneva US...
ebay.com




Thanks for reading,
<3 Mel

My Essential Shoes for Fall

I decided to pull out some shoes out of my closet to make my outfit choices a little easier this fall. I think you'll notice a pattern with the shoes I buy haha. My two favorite places to buy shoes is Zara, usually when they have a sale, and forever 21, mostly because they are inexpensive so I don't mind if they get scuffed up. Its all about fashion on a budget!

1.Combat-ish boots-Zara // 2. Patent Faux Leather Loafers-Zara // 3. Booties-XX21 // 4.Mary Jane-XX21 // 5. Sneaker Wedges-Sample for EU // 6. Wedge ankle boots-Zara

My newest pair are the Sneaker Wedges and I am so in love with them! This past summer I bought a similar pair from H&M in a nude pink color without the heel but rarely ever wore them because they made me look so frumpy and short! These are the perfect pair because they add length to my frame and are still as comfortable as regular sneakers! Whether these will be available on East Urban will depend on the demand.

And here are shoes I'm looking forward to adding to my Collection:

Fall Shoe Wish List by fashionxphilosophy featuring pointy boots

Zara boots
zara.com
 This is actually a splurge for me, not quite sure if I'm ready to bite the bullet for this one, but I am in love with this Chloe dupe.

H&M high heel pumps
$80 - hm.com
Must have for fall are closed toe classic pumps!

Forever 21 pointy boots
forever21.com
I love combat boots, and I love this pair in particular because of the heel!

Forever 21
forever21.com
 I prefer these over the Lita's because its a little more refined and slightly less grungy, however, that's just my personal style.


Now I'm off to dreaming about these shoes!

Love,
Mel
 

NEW WORK BAG!

First off, I think its time to formally introduce myself. My name is Melinda and I am a 24 year old entrepreneur. I am the owner of an eBay store called East Urban, that sells apparel and accessories inspired by High Street Fashion from New York and Asia.

This blog is where I will share all my adventures, ideas and inspiration for East Urban with you. Now lets get to the chase:

Coming Soon to East Urban, and now officially my new work bag is this Colorblock Luggage Tote inspired by Celine.
Retail= $45

I love this bag because it is very room and functional. The exterior feels like real leather and durable, the inside has a smooth suede like texture.

STREET STYLE INSPIRATION:

EAST URBAN TRANSLATION: 

  
 FYI:
East Urban believes in conducting business with a high level standard of work ethics which includes integrity. We do not sell fake designer products, however we do sell high quality products that are uniquely our own and some, inspired by high fashion designers at a fraction of the cost.

Moreover, East Urban sells products that I believe in, as every piece is hand picked by me. My promise to you, is that my opinion will always be honest.


Thank you for reading, a post on what's inside my bag will be up soon!

Love,
Mel
FashionxPhilosophy