GREY & METALLIC | OOTD / August 10, 2016 by EUREKA CALHOUN

Happy Wednesday beautiful people! The past couple of months have been somewhat busy and I haven’t had the time to take pics for my beloved “Outfit of the Day" posts. These images were taken two months ago by one of my favorite photographers Tori Beechum. Regardless, I plan to make more of an effort to schedule and post on a consistent basis and wanted to create an outfit focusing on my thrifting and vintage finds. I use to be obsessed with thrifting because in my mind I was saving so much money………until I was swimming in a sea of clothes. The abundance of clothes started to become overwhelming to say the least.

Since the start of the New Year, my goal has been to declutter and eventually live a minimalist lifestyle. Now my focus is more on vintage hunting and shopping my closet. The decision to bring new life to the items already in my wardrobe has sparked my creativity in a new refreshing way. Also, when I stumble across unique one-of-a-kind vintage treasures it makes me feel like I'm stepping into a time machine and flashing back to a different era. For my outfit I wanted to keep it in the family of mixing athletic with dressy. My style mantra is more about comfort these days and choosing to dress up my casual gap t-shirt with a metallic thrifted skirt was the perfect pairing. Summer is the time of the year where I incorporate some type of athletic gear daily. For years I have always loved to mix high and low items and if you pick the right kind of low, it can look amazing with higher-end accessories.

Shades - Ray Bans (seen here) | Gold choker - Vintage (similar here) | Grey Shirt - The Gap (here) | Belt - Dillard's OLD (similar here)  | Skirt - Thrifted from Bad Granny's Bazaar. (similar here) | Shoes - Tory Burch (here) | Bracel… — **Shades** - Ray Bans (seen here) | **Gold choker** - Vintage (similar here) | **Grey Shir**t - The Gap (here) | **Belt** - Dillard's OLD (similar here) | **Skirt** - Thrifted from Bad Granny's Bazaar. (similar here) | **Shoes** - Tory Burch (here) | **Bracelets** - Nordstrom (similar here) | **Clutch** - (seen here) | **Earrings** - (seen here).

For some of my serious fashionistas, vintage and thrift shopping can be a great past time. It's about the thrill of the hunt and it's satisfying to your soul to unearth an incredible piece or two. However, everyone is not a professional shopper like myself and learning how to buy vintage and thrifted items can be intimidating for some. I have definitely learned some tricks along the way and wanted to share some tips with you:

My TOP 7 tips to make thrifting and vintage shopping more successful:

1. Keep a list of “Want” & “Need”. Thrifting in particular can become overwhelming and it's best to keep a list of things you are in the market for. The goal is to fill in functional gaps in your wardrobe for the LOW!

2. Check for stains, working zippers, and holes. (Zippers can be replaced).

3. Be open-minded and venture outside your comfort zone regarding unique pieces. If an item is too big, tailor it because everything can be nip and tucked into the perfect piece.

4. Ask the vintage dealer about other items not on display. They usually have a secret stash in the back.

5. ONLY BUY WHAT YOU LOVE! If in doubt, DON’T. Make sure you ONLY purchase items you will wear. Again, add functional items to your wardrobe.

6. Beware of fakes. Know the difference between vintage and thrift. When in doubt, google it.

7. Be prepared. Wear comfy clothes just in case they don’t have a dressing room. You can try on a pair of pants, shorts or a dress in the isle.

Until Next Time With Love,

Eureka

SO READY-TO-WEAR | RESORT CRUISE 2017 COLLECTIONS / August 1, 2016 by EUREKA CALHOUN

Happy Monday beautiful people! Before spring 2017 fashion week is in full swing, I'm reflecting on my favorite season that actually lines up with the time of year, Resort Cruise 2017. Traditionally, designers play with ideas for the fall and spring collections, and offer the kind of clothes women want to wear now! The resort collections also offer a glimpse of the brand’s intentions for the upcoming seasons and narrate a continuous year-around story. In the spirit of ready-to-wear style a few of my favorite collections like Fendi, Rosie Assoulin, and Max Mara have created a nostalgic, romantic, in some cases slightly off-kilter collections. The designers clothing line in many ways are quite wearable and desirable with pieces that can take you from fall to early spring.

FENDI RESORT 2017

The magic of creative director Karl Lagerfeld's point of view for the resort 2017 collection stayed in line with Fendi's aesthetic of innovation and experimentation. It's clearly apparent he enlisted state-of-the-art technology to fuse American influence with a twist on Japanese prints. The spirit of the collection is versatile and focused on the kind of clothes women want to wear. From the romantic ankle dresses to the billowy cold shoulder tops the genius of Mr. Langerfeld teaches us even though he may not have anything to prove it did not stop him from producing a spectacular collection that has us swooning in pure delight.

ROSIE ASSOULIN RESORT 2017

Rosie Assoulin collections will always leave you with a sense of whimsy and wearability. And Assoulin's resort 2017 collection didn't disappoint by reflecting the generallook of the runway for the moment while keeping her distinctive point of view. Assoulin’s coveted pieces are instantly interesting with familiar colors re-imagined with explosive details. The vintage inspired line suggest the luxury pieces were unearthed from a trunk tucked away in your stylish Aunt's attic. From stellar dresses to the pleated silks, every article of clothing is a statement piece that holds to true in her design aesthetic.

Not at all surprised to see Latifah Gist in the campign. Latifah is one my favorite models I had the chance to work with.  Her story is true testament of how to make your dreams come true with hard work and passion.  Check our editori… — Not at all surprised to see Latifah Gist in the campign. Latifah is one my favorite models I had the chance to work with. Her story is true testament of how to make your dreams come true with hard work and passion. Check our editorial published in Vulkan magazine here. Follow Latifah Gist on Instagram here.

MAX MARA RESORT 2017

The variety in Max resort collection is remarkable and the creative director Ian Griffiths has established a clear signature for the brand. Griffiths taped into the iconic Grace Jones conservative side for inspiration to produce a collection that's meaningful and not at all superficial. The challenge to take a concept and turn it into wearable clothes, brought the fashion house back to a polished and tasteful reality. Max Mara signature tailoring embraced feminine slim suiting accented by graphic accessories while incorporating rad-tinged glamour with 80's inspired leggings. This collection gives you the feeling of something of a wardrobe you would want during the eighties and modern day in the streets of New York.

Are the resort collections FAB or NOT? Personally looking forward to recreating a majority of the looks for end of summer and fall. Share your thoughts and comment below.

Until til next with love,

Eureka

MORE THAN STYLE | PERSONAL STYLE & KEEPING A POSITIVE SELF-IMAGE / May 11, 2016 by EUREKA CALHOUN

Photo:  Tori Beechum — Photo: *Tori Beechum*

Velvet Lope “Style Spotlight” consultations always include a sample of expert styling, where the client and I have a mini makeover session at a local clothing store. During this process, majority of my client’s become energized, excited, and invigorated during the transformation. After a few consultations with the same response, I started to realize there is a direct correlation between personal style and having a positive self-image. People often wonder why personal styling should be considered as a tool to transform self-image. When a person doesn’t have a positive self-image, it will directly affect their confidence and how they physically view themselves and ultimately how they operate in a sometimes unforgiving world. Expert styling can boost self-confidence, change moods, and give an extra bounce in your step to make you feel like you can do anything!!!

The media portrays an unattainable standard of beauty making it impossible for people to ever to be satisfied with their look. Proven studies state over 60% of society has a negative view about their appearance and feel stuck in a sartorial rut! Majority of working men and women find it difficult to develop their personal style during the work week and it’s just easier to opt for casual lounge wear on the weekends. On more than one occasion there are days I wake up and don't feel like myself causing me to invite in self-defeating thoughts…...I struggle like everybody else. Is my body perfect, HELL NO, is there room for improvement, ABSOLUTELY!!! But I always take a moment to asset my negative thoughts and make a choice to remind myself I’m here to SLAY in MIND, BODY, & SOUL! You may not always have control over your appearance but you have the power to keep a positive attitude about yourself!

The simple act of what I affectionately like to call dressing with "self-love" is a ground breaking power and a constant reminder that I’m in control on how I feel about ME and what I want to present to the observing world. When you create and cultivate your own personal style this allows you the freedom to have a positive self-image and grants the power to eclipse the human need for validation. The preconceived notion that “well dressed” people have it all together is nothing more than mastering the act of LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD, and DO GOOD CONNECTION. Something magically happens when clients step into a style and color that makes their skin glow a little more and or enhance their natural assets in the right places. As a result they start to view themselves in a new light and slowly remove the self-imposed blinders. Experiencing this first hand will make you a believer on how implementing small changes in your clothing can change the relationship with your body and your internal self for the better!