Style Sophisticate's First Reader Giveaway: Win a Wildfox Couture tee!

Hey everyone! To thank all my readers, both old and new, for their support of me in the America's Most Stylish Blogger contest, I'm thrilled to announce my first reader giveaway courtesy of Shop Moderne! The site offers the best online price guarantee to ensure you're getting a great deal and carries brands ranging from Degaine to Yumi Kim. You can follow them via Twitter: @lovemoderne!

Shop Moderne and Style Sophisticate are giving away ONE Wildfox Couture's "Nobody's Perfect" astrology tee which retails for $64! The unisex, one-size-fits-all shirt is made of soft, 100% cotton jersey and features an astrological sign along with a word or cheeky phrase describing its darker side. I'm a Virgo and mine says "Perfectionist," which is most definitely me!

To enter to WIN, all you need to do is...

1) Follow my blog!
2) Leave me a comment telling me your first name and your sign. If you win, we'll send you the tee with your specified sign on it!
3) I'd love to find out more about my readers, so brownie points for letting me know if you're anything like your sign!
4) Finally, I'd love your continued support in the America's Most Stylish Blogger contest, so please keep voting for me! :) You can vote once a day!

The winner will be chosen randomly and the deadline for the contest is 11/15/09! I'm also happy to add that this is open to my international readers as well! Good luck, everyone! Thank you so much again for visiting my site, leaving comments, voting for me in the contest and simply allowing me to be a part of our fab online fashion community!

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone enjoys a fun and safe Halloween tomorrow! Halloween is definitely one of my favorite days of the year, especially since I'm lucky enough to work at an office where we all get into the spirit and dress up! We definitely receive some strange stares in the elevator, though!

I also wanted to give a BIG, heartfelt thank you to all my family, friends and fellow bloggers who voted for me this first week in the America's Most Stylish Blogger contest! Your support means so much to me, and I'm so grateful to have such amazing people in my life! I also have a cool blog contest coming up for all my wonderful readers, so make sure to check it out!

Happy Halloween!

America's Most Stylish Blogger Week #1: The boyfriend vest

Usually a boyfriend shirt or blazer or, in this case, vest translates into a laidback “I-just-grabbed-this-on-my-way-out-of-the-bf’s-apartment” vibe, but when I lifted the Priorities navy boyfriend vest out of the Bluefly.com box, I knew I wanted to dress it up. Los Angeles’s slightly cool fall weather called for a mustard yellow tweed skirt, ankle lace-up boots and just one extra delicious, over the top detail—a cascade of silk organza ivory ruffles.

The menswear-inspired Priorities vest is an incredibly versatile layering piece. Made of stretch gabardine, its lightweight enough for the warmer months, but perfect right now for pairing with fall-friendly fabrics. I added vintage pins on the lapel for a bit of sparkle, then tossed on a skinny belt for ladylike flair. The finishing touch? A pair of geek chic frames! An avid reader since the age of four, I used to wear thick glasses everywhere (very likely a result of reading under the covers way past my bedtime), but I’ve avoided them since the introduction of contact lenses. However, I wanted to embrace my inner bookworm with this look. Because hey, even four-eyed brainiacs can be geniuses in style, too!

Visit StyleList.com and Bluefly.com to vote for this bookworm as America’s Most Stylish Blogger!

And as a bonus for my dear blog readers, I had so much fun playing with this vest that I tossed it together with a few other outfits. I just couldn't help myself! Take a peek and tell me which one you liked best!

America's Most Stylish Blogger!

Here is the exciting news I've been waiting to tell my dear readers, since it's largely because of YOU all that I get to be a part of this amazing opportunity! StyleList and Bluefly selected 8 finalists for their America's Most Stylish Blogger competition, and I'm beyond honored to be one of them! Every week for 5 weeks, each of us will receive a mystery item from Bluefly.com, which we will incorporate into a head-to-toe stylish outfit, then photograph and submit for voting! Beginning next Tuesday, October 27th, you can vote on the blogger who you think styled their piece best, and there's something in it for you too! Voting automatically enters you to win a $1,000 Bluefly shopping spree--and I'd be so thrilled if one of my readers won! The winner of America's Most Stylish Blogger also walks away with a $1,000 Bluefly spree, a weekly column on StyleList, and a blogger store on Bluefly!

Please mark your calendars for next Tuesday and wish me lots of luck!!

Lady leather

(Camilla and Marc leather dress, Colin Stuart studded boots, vintage cuff and earrings, Bing Bang necklace, sister wearing A Common Thread dress)

Los Angeles Fashion Week has begun and I've been fortunate enough to attend several events and fashion shows! This Camilla and Marc dress is currently serving as my go-to outfit for the next two weeks. Snug and simple with a flattering silhouette, the dress exudes that badass Angelina Jolie vibe from every inch of its leather fabric and is versatile enough to pair with different accessories.

Last weekend, I broke in the dress at the 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards at the Armand Hammer Museum. I brought along my older sister who is making her second appearance on this site, and we rubbed shoulders with a few celebs at the afterparty, including Pamela Anderson (very gracious, patiently took pictures with fans), Kim Kardashian (sweet, even more beautiful in real life), and Zachary Quinto (pleasant, very tall). There was some amazing fashion showcased among the crowd; one of my favorite outfits was celeb stylist Britt Bardo's black dress with strong shoulders, cinched in with a corset belt. She was there to receive the Star Stylist award, presented by Lauren Conrad (who looked cute and colorful in Mara Hoffman).

Finally, I have some really, really exciting news coming up and I can't wait to share it with you all!!!! I don't want to reveal anything just yet, but you'll find out very soon! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Mirror, mirror on the wall

(Rojas dress, 3.1 Phillip Lim military jacket, UO lattice boots, vintage Chanel bag, Iosselliani necklace, Alice + Olivia cuff)

Okay, so I'm still not over the military jacket trend. Not only did I wear my favorite 3.1 Phillip Lim jacket over the weekend, but I bought another by Whitley Kros at a stylist's sample sale (army green with large gold buttons)! Thankfully, it seems the trend is here for another season and as the weather cools down, I'll be wearing both often.

Thank you so much to all my lovely blogger friends who have presented me with some very sweet awards! I have not forgotten about them. I've gotten so swamped lately, but I'll get to them as soon as possible!

Business casual

(Insight dress, Silence + Noise moto vest, vintage Chanel purse, Jeffrey Campbell shoes, Alex & Chloe necklace, Alice + Olivia leather cuff, Tiffany & Co. ring, Kimski gator ring, vintage ring)

One of my coworkers had the idea of starting a mini fashion club at work, and we've come up with designated days when we have to dress according to theme. For example, Mondays are Gossip Girl Mondays. I actually started doing this by myself last fall; in honor of the show's second season, I came to work as Blair Waldorf, decked out in ruffles, tights and a perky headband. Now I look forward to seeing my coworkers dress as Little J or Vanessa! Fridays have been dubbed Fab Fridays, when heels, and of course a fab outfit, are a must. So last Friday, I wore these Jeffrey Campbell platforms to the office and though not as comfortable as my usual workaday flats, they did make the day a bit more interesting.

Fashion clubs--perhaps they're what everyone needs in order to look forward to work in the mornings! That, and some good coffee!

Bing bang birthday

(Zara shoes, Topshop dress, Bing Bang necklace, vintage cuff)

I was so busy sightseeing and eating my through Paris that I didn't have a chance to take pictures of my birthday dress over there! So here they are... as promised. Thanks so much everyone for your sweet bday wishes and comments!

Even though I was working on my trip, I did manage to slip in some shopping. The black lace dress with shoulder cut outs--purchased after several trips to the Topshop on Oxford Street (I had to go several times; the place is overwhelming!). The Wonder Woman-inspired cuff--found in a vintage store near my hotel in Paris, where I consulted with the shopkeeper about its price using a very handy French phrasebook. And one of the best birthday presents I got this year was the Bing Bang Joan of Arc necklace, a creation of mixed metals like sterling silver, yellow gold, rose gold and brushed brass on a brass chain. All in all, it was a truly wonderful way to spend my 25th birthday. I hope everyone gets to celebrate their birthday in Paris at least once!

J'adore Paris!

I fell completely in love with Paris--the refinement, the patisseries and boulangeries, the stylish people and flowery language, lovely old buildings, and yes, even the rain, which I find nostalgic and romantic in Paris but simply a bother in Los Angeles! As the days passed on far too quickly, I made sure to jump my way across the city, from one iconic landmark to the next, each one more beautiful, more steeped in history and culture, than the last.

It wasn't hard at all to jump for joy!