Chronicles of a Fashion Mad Diva: November 2015

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Central Park OOTD

One of my favorite moments from my trip to New York was exploring Central Park with my brother and boyfriend. We also got to see the balloons inflated and waiting for the parade in the streets which was amazing.

As we were approaching the park the sun was setting and made this heavenly glow on every surface. At that point, I realized it was the perfect time for a photo shoot!

I was wearing a black and white striped long-sleeve with flowered lace on the bottom. It looked great paired with my black pants and my black and gold ankle boots. To complete the look, I wore a black knit scarf with a matching black slouchy beanie. And of course I needed a nice warm black coat on top because believe me, it was cold and this Florida girl wasn’t playing any games.

Central Park is always beautiful and I had a fantastic time running through the fields and the leaves. Till next time!

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

Saturday, November 28, 2015

OOTD

For my first time meeting the band/other alumni members, I wanted to look nice as we went to our uniform fittings. I decided on wearing black boots, black pants, a black and white speckled sweater with a black scarf. This outfit was adorable and was a total hit according to the praise I received from some of my fellow band mates.

For my hair, I decided to wear it half up-half down with a little pony-tail at the front of my head. I think this helped bring just the right amount of sass.

My makeup was fairly similar to how I usually would wear makeup at home, however I finished the look with a bold burgundy lip!
All together, this outfit really worked well together and I am glad how it turned out!

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!
Alana Long

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Arriving in Newark

I have had a long day of planes, trains, and automobiles. Traveling is exhausting to say the least. Right now I am taking adventage of this comfortable hotel bed and relacing. I am extremely excited to be here though and I can't wait for what this week has in store for me....but here's my crisis situation.

I didn't pack dance tights and I need them all week because I'm DANCING. Isn't that just lovely? I have now ordered them on Amazon Prime to my hotel but they still won't be here until Tuesday. There are dance supply stores around but I don't have a car. If only I was 24 and could rent a car to take car of this problem. A taxi 30 minutes away and back would be super expensive so that's not really an option.

Hopefully I can manage to get by without them for a few days. There really isn't much of a choice. Sigh.

I will try and update when I can.

Xoxoxo Stay Fabulous!
Alana Long

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Forever 21 Ugly Christmas Sweaters

For those of you who are already in the Christmas spirit, Forever 21 has just released a whole line of ugly Christmas sweaters and accessories! Their slogan is “Ugly just got cute.” These sweaters and accessories are adorable, but might be a little pricey for some. The prices run from $6.90 for reindeer ear muffs to $27.90 for a light-up reindeer graphic sweater. The average price for most of the sweaters is $24.90. These products are so cute and feature lights, sequins, and even bells! Here are some of my favorites from the line.

Holiday Graphic Sweater $24.90

This is exactly what I think about when people talk about ugly Christmas sweaters. I mean come on, this thing even has pom poms on it. You can tell they spent a lot of time on details because they have somehow jammed everything Christmas on here. My favorite touch is the candy canes tied up in bows on the elbows.

Elf Graphic Bells Sweater $24.90

This is the greatest because you get to pretend to be a cute little elf. However, I am too much of a child to wear this because I am sure I would run around making the bells jingle until everyone was annoyed with me.

Sequined Reindeer Graphic Sweater $24.90

This is my personal favorite because it is sleek and somewhat understated in comparison to the other sweaters in the promotion. It is simple but still gets the Christmas message across. I am also obsessed with the sequins, how glam is this long-lashed reindeer?!

Snow Dog Graphic Sweater $24.90

Dogs, snow, scarves, what else could a girl ask for? There are little dangling tassels coming off of the dogs scarf. I can’t even.

Sequined Ho Ho Ho Graphic Sweater $24.90

Have I mentioned I love sequins? This is a must have in my winter wardrobe.

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

Photo Resources:

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=promo-holiday-sweaters&sort=2

Saturday, November 14, 2015

My Packing Habits

Confession: I stress pack. I have to carefully plan out what I am going to wear throughout the trip beforehand. This means complete craziness and planning the week before I leave. In seven days, I will be leaving to spend a week in New York for Thanksgiving. While I am there I will be participating in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and I am stoked to be able to dance in the Macy’s Great American Marching Band for the second time. That being said, I need to look fantastic to walk the streets of New York City and I take this very seriously.

Step 1: Feverishly buying everything that compliments where I am going, what I will be doing, and the weather. I spend at least one month ticking off a list of essentials that I need to pack for my trip. This trip for example, requires lots of long-sleeved shirts and warm winter clothes. I also made sure I had cute boots, scarves, and gloves.

Step 2: I make a detailed chart of what I am doing on each day. Then I go in and write down in each day what I want to wear. I make a top, bottom, shoes, and accessories section then write in which piece of clothing I wanted in each section. This helps me see side by side what I will be wearing each day.

Step 3: After my chart is finalized, I start to lay out my clothes on the floor in order for each of the days. Then I place in order of the days each outfit carefully in my suitcase. And there you go! You are all set.

Now that you have a glimpse into how crazy and OCD my life is, I am sure I have scared you all away. But please come back next week haha!

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

Photo Resources:

http://venturesafrica.com/travelling-this-weekend-here-are-some-packing-tips-for-couples-this-valentine/

Thursday, November 12, 2015

3 Instagram Accounts to Follow if You Love Fashion

I am constantly inspired by these accounts; hopefully you will love them too!

Christian Siriano - csiriano

Images provided by the csiriano Instagram account

I know, I know. I talk about Christian a lot but he is honestly worth all the praise. His Instagram features many of his original sketches as well as him working on his collections. You see the steps he takes to get the final product and that’s a neat thing to see. He is really meticulous about his work and it shows in his designs. Now that he is working on a bridal collection, he has even more beautiful gowns to show us!

Disney Style – disneystyle

Images provided by the disneystyle Instagram account

This is a fun account to follow if you love all things Disney and style! They cover everything from Disney runway events to product launches and nail designs. This is a fun casual account and it reminds us we don’t always have to grow up. I love it when they do collaborations with Lauren Conrad because she designs the most amazing Disney inspired clothing collections. This blog represents everything I am about and love.

Hayley Paige – misshayleypaige

Images provided by the misshayleypaige Instagram account

Hayley Paige is primarily a wedding gown designer, but her looks have also been used for formal wear. There is nothing she designs that I don’t like. She is young and fun and really knows how to show off a woman’s body in a flattering way. She even was a frontrunner of the crop top and skirt two piece wedding dress trend which was gorgeous and innovative. Hayley Paige focuses on detail and isn’t afraid to take risks which sets her apart from the more traditional wedding dress designer.

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Lady Gaga's Style Transformation

Lady Gaga is a performer. She has always taken pride in wowing her audience with not just her talent, but her looks as well. Lady Gaga transforms herself into different theatrical characters to help get her point across when she is telling her stories. Some people may not understand her and might even call her crazy but I think she has just always been a step above other musicians and is a risk taker. Not all musicians can call themselves true performers.

Over the years, Lady Gaga or Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, has changed her look. She has gone from the simply outrageous to more understated and grown up. She has now even temporarily stepped away from music to act on the hit show American Horror Story: Hotel. This all goes to show how truly talented she is. Let’s take a look at her most iconic looks and her style transformation.

2008 Z100’s Jingle Ball