October 28, 2015

AVE STYLES MAKEOVER

October 28, 2015/ Alexandra Evjen

AVE Styles got a makeover! You like? This must be what Reese Witherspoon felt like when she got bangs because daaaang this feels good! I feel like I look like a hot, grown woman thanks to Alyssa Yuhas and the GO LIVE crew.

So why the change?! Well, first and foremost I wanted YOU, yes you, feel like you were coming to my house for a cup of coffee and we could bond over the beauty in life. My old site was very much focused on my portfolio and less of a space to connect with you. It was more high fashion and I wanted this to feel like Madewell - modern and yet comfortable - because that is truly my style.

I want to spend my days sharing what I am finding beautiful in life and helping you share it too. I will still be sharing Pinterest marketing tips for business owners and how to style content because I LOVE helping others share beauty too. I'm just not going to be styling as much for others anymore.

It's funny how God sometimes takes away passions and puts new ones on your heart. I always dreamed of being a stylist, I became one and now I'm sort of letting that go. There's some sadness attached to the release, but there's excitement in me too because now that I'm focused on AVE Styles more of a blog, I know good conversations with YOU and new opportunities are in store.

I can't wait to share more of my life with you, and I hope you with me. Look around the site. You'l find a collaborations section sharing some fun sponsored posts, as well as my very own SHOP! If you want to stay in touch and get regular updates me, please make sure to add your email to the list!

October 28, 2015

OFF THE SHOULDER

October 28, 2015/ Alexandra Evjen

To me there's nothing sexier than an off-the-shoulder top or dress. Some women like to show a little cleavage, some like to show some leg and me...Well, I like to showcase my shoulders. It makes me feel feminine, sexy and it's modest.

I love this easy, femme outfit of an off-the-shoulder top, midi skirt and hat for fall. I styled this last fall for part of a workshop led by Ale Vidal. This look is still current this year. It's still in the 80's here in Arizona, but if it's chilly in your neck of the woods you can easily add a denim jacket or leather jacket along with some boots to warm it up.

Get a similar outfit: off the shoulder black top, midi skirt, hat, shoes, bag

Photography: Ale Vidal
Styling: Alex Evjen, AVE Styles
Makeup: Stephanie Neiheisel, SN Makeup Artist
Hair: Jessica Gallegos
Model: Agency AZ

October 26, 2015

LAST MINUTE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

October 26, 2015/ Alexandra Evjen

Scrambling to throw together a costume for your friend's last minute Halloween party? Maybe you've been so focused on getting the kids' costumes together that you've completely forgotten about your own? Whatever the case, Halloween has definitely snuck up on us here at AVE Styles. While store bought costumes are simple, they never look as good as they do in the photos on the bag. Sometimes they're just plain scary. Nothing beats getting creative and crafting your own look for the evening, and we knew just where to head to do so. My assistant, Leah, and I ran to our local Savers and found a treasure trove of costumes.

While we assumed that we'd be too late and the store might be picked over, it was quite the opposite. The store had an abundance of Halloween costumes and an array of accessories very neatly organized. After a little digging, we decided on two costumes each. In fact, our choices came as no surprise because they involve two of our favorite things: social media and coffee! LOL. Here are our last minute costume ideas, featuring both new and used merchandise straight from the racks of Savers:

Pinterest:

Of course I wanted to be Pinterest for Halloween! It only makes sense, right? This costume was a piece of cake to make. I found a plain red shift dress at Savers, printed out a big Pinterest logo, and simply hot glued it to the dress. Add a "Pin it" button and there you have it!

Snapchat:

Sticking with the social media theme, Leah decided to be Snapchat. She found the most perfect felt ghost headband at Savers along with her bright yellow dress. All she had to add was a print out of her Snapchat ghost, which is actually a QR code meaning she can walk around the party and have people add her on the app with the snap of a photo!

Starbucks Frappucino:

I am at Starbucks on the daily. Seriously. Which means my friends will get a kick out of it when they see me dressed as this Starbucks frapp! I picked up the mocha colored dress, green sash, and white feather boa at Savers. Next I printed out the logo, glued it to the sash, and cinched in the waist of the dress. Lastly, the outfit wouldn't be complete without the notorious green Starbucks straw. For this I rolled a piece of green card stock into a tube, made two slits in the bottom, and slid a headband through. Voilà!

Emoji Unicorn:

This last costume was actually inspired by the latest Apple iOS 9.1 update that was released this past week in which Apple added 150+ new emojis, including a unicorn! Among the other fun new emojis are a taco, champagne bottle, and some cute new furry friends. (All of these could make great costumes, too.) The unicorn was especially simple because all it really required was the accessories. The unicorn headband, rainbow tail, and pink wig were all purchased new at Savers. Leah also found a great rhinestone choker to add some bling, because unicorns obviously need bling... She dressed in all white, added a pink belt and pink lipstick, and rolled on an excessive amount of body glitter for kicks and giggles. This costume could easily be turned into a couples costume with a partner dressed as the emoji princess. How cute is that!?

If you need more ideas, Savers has put together a great inspiration board, to help spark some Halloween creativity. Happy thrifting!

This post is sponsored by Savers.

October 25, 2015

BEST MATERNITY FASHION

October 25, 2015/ Alexandra Evjen

I’m so excited to introduce you to Hatch Collection. If you already know this clothing company pat yourself on the back because, sadly, I didn’t discover them until the end of my third trimester and they have to be the COOLEST fashion line for pregnant women.

What I love is that you can wear so many of their clothes after baby and have the easy of looking fabulous while breastfeeding. My favorite piece is this army green, silk shirt dress. I love the high low line of it, as well as the fact that it’s loose. My stomach still has a ways to go, so I’m still wearing a lot of loose clothes after the birth.

Hatch Collection also makes wonderful basics that every new mom needs. Great leggings, nursing tanks and bras. They are so simple, yet so current. You will find something for yourself for every stage of pregnancy, and you’ll feel like a million dollars because you will know you are in style if you wear their clothes.

Go check them out, and in the mean time let’s celebrate that we can finally wear boots! Woohoo! So happy!

Photos by Gina Meola; clothing sponsored by Hatch Collection.

October 25, 2015

NURSING FRIENDLY OUTFIT

October 25, 2015/ Alexandra Evjen

When you get pregnant you have to buy a whole new wardrobe to accommodate your growing bump, and after you have the baby you have to do the same except this time you don't want to look pregnant. Post-partum fashion is HAARD.

Your breasts are larger because your nursing, so you need new bras. You can only wear tops and dresses that allow you to access your breasts easily to breastfeed. Your stomach is slowly going down, but you can't fit into your old jeans right away and your maternity jeans are too big. So what in the heck do you wear?! I'm a former stylist and I'm asking myself the same question.

I've solved your problem. You wear a daily uniform of nursing bras, shirt dresses and leggings. BINGO! It's chic and easy because in all honesty in NEED easy in my life right now.