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/ 

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

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 

Young Gaga loved 3D clothing. It was an easy way to make a bold statement. 

2009 MTV Video Music Awards

We all felt her pain at the 2009 VMA’s. Knee-high boots and fake blood says it all. 

2010 Grammy Awards

Gaga looked gorgeous in this gown that resembles spun sugar. Here comes the ice queen!

2010 MTV Video Music Awards

Lady Gaga definitely made a lasting impression with her meat dress at the 2010 VMA’s. This is a look people are STILL talking about. 

2012 Paralympic Games After Party

Wedding dress, no problem! Gaga is looking quite glamorous in this white peplum gown.

2014 Oscars

You can really start to see her transformation around this time. Lady Gaga stuns in this white and silver dress at the 2014 Oscars. 

2015 Grammy Awards

Anyone who watched the 2015 Grammy Awards knows Gaga stole the show. She both looked and performed beautifully.

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

Photo Resources:

http://www.vettri.net/gallery/celeb/lady_gaga/Z100s-Jingle-Ball-2008-Press-Room/LadyGaGa-Z100sJingleBall2008-04.html

http://www.shoepaparazzi.com/lady-gaga-goes-to-new-heights-at-the-2010-grammys/

http://style.mtv.com/2013/07/25/lady-gaga-vma-outfits/

http://www.vh1.com/news/53943/lady-gaga-vs-britney-spears-pop-queen-faceoff/

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-style/news/pic-lady-gaga-steps-out-in-wedding-dress-flashes-sideboob-2012119

http://www.popsugar.com/fashion/photo-gallery/34169051/image/34231865/Lady-Gaga-2014-Oscars

http://petite.about.com/od/celebrityfashion/ss/Red-Carpet-Fashion-of-Petite-Celebrities-at-the-2015-Grammy-Awards.htm

My Online Shopping Mishaps

I have been having the absolute WORST luck with buying clothes online and shipping lately. I do not know what I did to the online clothes shopping gods to deserve this. I’m sure I have been one of their most loyal servers! 

Okay, to start off with I purchased this black long-sleeved high-low shirt with sparkled elbow patches from Wanelo on the 13^th of October. I am really trying to boost my fall wardrobe with a bunch of staples that I can switch around to have a lot of outfits. Wanelo promised me shipping within 10-15 business days when I ordered. The USPS told me my package was in China until three days ago. When I contacted Wanelo, they told me not to worry and that sometimes the USPS listing could be at least five days behind. Five days behind?! And it only just got to Chicago, Illinois where it has remained for the past three days. Frustrated only begins to cover how I am feeling.

Also, my H&M order of those black treggings (twill leggings) got lost in the mail and was marked undeliverable! I was waiting and waiting and when I got tired of waiting, I decided to call USPS to see what was wrong. They told me that my package apparently did not have the correct address and they only had my zip code. I have no clue how this happened because H&M should have had all of my information. They promised they would call me back when they found my package the next day. I never got a call. So then I tried H&M. They told me I didn’t put my apartment number on their website so that it was my fault. I gave them my apartment number and they said they would send the package back to me no problem free of charge. However, before any of that could happen USPS called a few days after saying they found my package and that it was here in St. Petersburg! After being super excited to try them on after all this time, I realized they were the wrong size. WHYYY ONLINE SHOPPING GODS, WHYYY?!

To make matters worse, I was planning on exchanging the pants back to H&M at their physical location but you can only return or exchange by sending them back in the mail to them. Seeing as the event I want to wear these pants is now 16 days away, I don’t think that is a smart idea. I am just not sure they will make it back in time. 

To put it bluntly, I am super upset with how these purchases have turned out. Hopefully one day the online shopping gods and I will mend our relationship. But that day is not today.

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

Photo Resource:

http://www.memes.com/meme/92448