Make a Statement

There are those (few) days when putting on a cute dress is a struggle. Sometimes a gal just wants to wear jeans and a tee. You feel me? But of course, we have reputations to live up to, and stylish ones at that!

So when in doubt I suggest pairing your basic tee with a statement necklace. Not only does it give your outfit a pop or color but also makes you look totally put together. Best of all? It requires little to no time... insta-fashion!

Here are some of my current favorite. Comment below with links to your favorite statement necklaces, I'm always on the hunt!

Bauble Bar, JCrew, Wink and Flip, Loren Hope 

Hit the Open Road

Wow, can you believe this weather? It seems like we skipped spring and hit the fast forward button to summer. I'm not complaining. This warmer than usual weather has be dreaming of a day trip. You know, the kind where you and your girlfriends hit the open road in the convertible (I wish). Well, for a second let's play pretend and escape. Myrtle beach anyone? Okay, we'll settle with Avalon instead. Here's what I'd pack with this mini excursion, just the necessities:

Rafe tote, Minimergency kit, Havaianas flip flops, Theodora & Callum scarf, House of Harlow Sungaless 

Trendy: Fall Buying 13

Yes, you heard right. We were up in NYC again, that's two times in less than 5 days, if you're counting. This time however we traveled there for our fall 2013 buying trip. It's always fun seeing the fashions before the rest of the public but since we're between friends I'll give you a glimpse of what's to come.  Consider yourself lucky that you didn't have to wake up at 6am for this preview.

So let's talk trends...

Zippers- It appears the exposed zipper is having a moment. From dresses to shirts to pants, everything had a zipper showing. We even saw bright colored exposed zippers. What's interesting though is that he majoring of these zippers had no functional purpose. We saw an SW3 jacket with 4 zippers on it, none of which actually zipped up.

Neoprene- We saw this trend for spring but now we are seeing this surfer look carried over to fall. While we spotted it at designers like Robert Rodriguez, Tibi certainly took the cake and neoprened everything! If they could neoprene the street signs they would, I swear.

Leather- Another trend from spring, leather is here to stay. Leather pants, leather dresses even leather sweaters. Makes for hard washing (more specifically dry clean only) but we love this luxe look.

Sweatsuits- Don't worry the Juicy Couture velour track suit isn't back, although I kind of wish it was. They were comfy people! This time around designers are created dressy sweat pants with scrunched bottoms for going out and sweatshirts with elaborate details and graphic animal prints for what I like to consider relaxed luxury.

That's A Wrap

Part of my job as Miss PL Girl has been taking on our latest and greatest project to date. No, not puppy sitting the adorable Harley but instead working on our first ever magalog! So what exactly is a "magalog"? As you've probably guess from the name, it's a mix between a magazine and a catalog. Our magalog will feature some editorial content about styling, trends, the store, etc. and of course TONS of our amazing products currently in store and soon to be in store just for you.

While this may seem like a glamourous easy process, there's actually an enormous amount of work that's been put in by the whole PL team. We aren't just talking about putting some clothes on a mannequin and snapping a pic for Instagram on the iPhone. Nope. We've been planning the content for the past weeks, coordinating and ordering the samples to come in for days, and corresponding with the big guys publishing the book for months.

Our first big mountain for our magalog was our photo shoot in NYC yesterday. Candice, Bruce and I packed the car full of all the samples and merchandise at 6am and headed up to the big city. While Penthouse on Madison Ave may have you thinking luxe and lucky, it was far less glamorous. Our shoot took place in a sparse room, with freezing temperatures. But all that really doesn't matter because there was some amazing equipment, talented professionals and gorgeous clothes. What else could you need?

Here's a sneak peak and be on the look out for the magalog in your mailbox April 2013!

    

Trending- Fall '13

Incase you've been living under a rock and didn't know it's NYFW, I'm here to tell you it is. Actually it's nearly the end so I'm going to give you the Cliff Notes version of the top trends. Short, sweet and straight to the point. Here's what we've spotted on the fall 2013 runways.

Leather- you closed your eyes as you handed over the credit card for that Robert Rodriguez leather coat last fall but now aren't you glad you did? You're guaranteed a whole other season of being on trend.  Seen on the DVF runway.

Large Coats- I say the more to keep you warm with! Plus who doesn't love the drama a big coat gives? Seen in the Trina Turk collection. 

Black & White- The summers hottest trend transitions into fall and really nothing is as classic as this duo. Seen on the Tibi runway.

So which trend do you want to fast forward to? 

Let's Get Organized

In the store today we they are taking care of inventory, the process kind of reminds me of spring cleaning. Seeing what you have, what you don't have and making room for new inventory. They even busted out the vacuum, much to Harley's dismay! All this hustle and bustle leaves me thinking of my own mess of a closet. Time to head to The Container Store and buckle down and get organized for spring collections!  Here's my checklist:

1- clear shoe containers to ensure you don't forget about those stunning pumps from last year
2- thin velvet hangers so your clothes won't slip but you can still pack 'em in
3- garment rack for when your clothes overflow their space
4- pantry rack a personal secret solution of mine, I put it on the back of my closet door to hold sunglasses, extra curling irons, clutches, hairspray... you name it
5- boot shapers because nothing annoys me as much as my expensive leather boots folding over and creasing

You Got Pink'd

I have to say it... pink was totally robbed! Not the singer, the color that is and of the Pantone's Color of the Year.  While I do love a luxe emerald, I think pink it having a major moment in fashion and beauty.

It's been a big part of all the collections we bought for winter and spring. The shade has been all over the red carpet, even last night for at the SAG Awards on Lea Michele. And let's not forget that the hot pink lip is on pouts everywhere.

I'm telling you, pink is truly the color of the year and I demand a recount! 

Nailed It

Some times a girls just gotta make some time to pamper herself. This morning before work Candice and I went out for a mani and some girl time. Really, is there anything as simple and yet still as luxuries as getting a mani once in awhile? I think not, even the intoxicating smell of the polishes can get me excited. 

So I want to know, what's your mani style? Candice went classic with a dark taupe color while I'd say I teetered with dramatic and funky choosing a deep green with hints of blue that makes the shade seem also black. 

Working It

I don't know about you but when my surroundings are a mess, I'm a mess. I like my room, closet, and office to be all on the same organized May Books page. I've been looking for some home office inspiration and stumbled upon this little slice of workspace heaven. I just love the way it mixes rustic with some glam elements. It makes work seem welcoming instead of severe. 

I decided if I recreated this space it would actually be quite easy, here's my version:

Lamp, desk, chair, binders, shelf, baskets, sconces      

What's your office space style? 

A Classic Birthday

It has been a big week at the PL headquarters, not only was it Candice's birthday but it was mine as well! Needless to say, it has been a week of celebration and festivity. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do a post on classic birthday gifts, gifts that you will never go out of style. Yes, they may cost a pretty penny but they are so worth it. And I'd say if anyone is worth it, you are! 

Here are some of the pieces that I suggest you put on your classic birthday wish list: 

Kate Spade Agenda Book, C Wonder Key Chain Tassel, Tiffany & Co Diamond Necklace, Gucci Bag, DVF Scarf 

A Day In The Life

One of the most exciting parts of my job is the buying trips. While they are long days that leave me truly exhausted, there's nothing I look forward to more. The thrill of seeing the next season's fashions before everyone else (besides the 250,000 other buyers), the power of influencing trends by deciding what to purchase, running into friendly faces like our lovely reps or other local boutique buyers, and just the sheer rush of being in the city that never sleeps, are all just beyond!

Well, I thought I'd give you a little glimpse of A Day In The Life of Per Lei Girl as a buyer to try and at least share some of the excitement...

5:00am- Rise and shine fashionistas! Good thing I showered and picked out my clothes the night before. I wash my face quickly, curl my hair and throw on some makeup.

5:30am- Leave my house. Good thing there was no one on the roads because they were covered with snow and I was driving slower than a great grandmother.

6:10am- Pull into Per Lei. Luckily, Bruce was already waiting in the car warming it so I didn't freeze. And off we go to the train station in Philly. PS. Candice was already up in NYC.

6:45am- Arrive at the train station and play a short round of the waiting game. During this time we also ran into our Splendid rep who was heading up to the city for the show.

7:19am- Board the train. We accidentally hopped on the "quite train" so I entertained myself by reading Vogue while Bruce caught up on some sleep.

8:40am- Arrive in the chaotic Penn Station and hail a cab.

9:00am- Meet Candice at the Intermezzo show and it all begins. We spend the next 4 hours walking row after row of booths scouting the perfect accessories. Jewels are flying everywhere, numbers are being crunched and business cards are handed out.

1:30pm- Break for a quick lunch at the cafe. I go with a delicious (or maybe I was just that hungry) slice of spinach pizza, Candice picked a salad and Bruce goes for a soft pretzel like a typical guy.

2:00pm- Now to the second show Moda, it's only a short taxi cab ride away.  Here we spend the next 2 hours doing some quick buying, I think we've refined our skills and sped up the process by this point. Unfortunately, not many vendors at this show have candy out for buyers to feed their sweet tooth. It's the little things like this that we enjoy.

4:30pm- Hail a cab and head to dinner at the cutest little Italian restaurant, a favorite of Bruce & Candice.

6:00pm- Grab Candice's luggage at the hotel and the car before we head home. I spend the next 2 hours trying to keep my eyes open with images of all the beautiful things we just bought floating around my head.

8:10pm- Finally, we're back at Per Lei. I jump in my car and head home.

9:30pm- Zzzz Passed out in bed after a tiring day on my feet.