Discount Universe

So as I'm lying in bed perusing through Instagram and ran across Sophia Amoruso's profile (IG: SOPHIA_AMORUSO) and discovered the COOLEST dress. It was bright and sequenced with a cool graphic of cactuses and eyes that almost looked animated. Of course I then looked for the mention in the caption and there I discovered Discount Universe (IG: @ DISCOUNTUNIVERSE). When I first looked through the colorful and boisterous profile I said to myself “this reminds me of Moschino, just a tad bit edgier and more my taste”. Now you can't deny the symmetry between the two lines but Discount Universe offers more of a custom/one of a kind essence to their clothing that every woman with an ounce of style is constantly looking for. I do get a “costumie” vibe from the latest collection but this is the generation of MORE and young people want to look more outlandish and have their clothing do the talking for them (which is a horrible choice sometimes). From the likes of Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry this brands pieces are for sure show stoppers and conversation starters.

Discount Universe was founded in 2009 and is ran by Nadia Napreychikov and Cami James. Back in 2009 the two RMIT graduates started their fashion blog and to bridge the gap of bloggers working with brands they stared they're own brand, a genius plan and execution. The brand angles more to a futurist point of view with bright neon colors, bold, and loud graphics. The element of sequence is alive and a strong design point in almost every piece they've produced.

I like this brand because of its key objective, FUN!  They don't want to make perfect garments to compliment the clean cut too cool for school woman and her life filled with an outrageous number of selfies taken per hour and constant grind of going places just to take bad angled Instagram photos that proved she was somewhere (my bad I went on that one, I’ll save that rant for another post LOL). DU focuses on bringing their most outlandish thoughts and concepts to life, whether it is in the form of an oversize tee shirt or mini bandage dress.  The state of fashion is in such a perfect state I feel like. Minimalism is running things and if you’re not in a high waist pencil skirt and clean white cropped top with ankle hugging stiletto pumps you're super off trend according to society i.e. any Kardashian (yes that was shady). Personally I'm growing tired of the ultra-sleek and clean look. My core style is one of more ruggedness and chunky silhouettes. I say fuck these trends and pull out the brightest piece you own and rock that shit!

Overall I plan to order at least two pieces from Discount Universe this year and will be sure to keep you guys in the loop (word to Marc @beintheloop). Below are a couple of my fav pieces from Discount Universe, a link to a cool short interview with the designers and their site! Be inspired folks!

Tips for slim gals

Heyyy yall! Hope you're week is going well and you're ready for the weekend! I've wanted to mix it up for a while and not only feature my style but the style of other women. I want to cater to all types of woman and be able to give valuable tips on styling to all body types so here is my first attempt! Now don't get me wrong, this isn't the” holy grail” our “guide” of how to dress if you have this or that certain body type. These are just simply tips on how to best flatter your best attributes. I believe any and everyone should wear what THEY like. No matter your weight, height, or body type wear what the hell you like!!!! But for my slimmer gals here are a few tips for you! Special thank you my best friend Neish (@23RDSENSE) for helping me out! Follow her for all your music needs and because she's bomb, duh! Hope this helps someone!

Look 1- So for the first look I styled Neish in was a sheer printed Bohemian frock paired with a simple sand colored crocheted dress. At first we had the frock open but to give the look more dimension I added a simple skinny belt. The burgundy pumps added some spice to the look and the chunky necklace was the finishing touch to tie it all together.

·         Light layers

·         Skinny belts add curves  and dimension

·         When you’re slimmer most prints are flattering so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Look 2- The second look was a tad bit sexier. I turned this loose open blazer into a makeshift wrap blouse leaving the front open to give some classy front “boob viewage” (just made that up by the way). I don't know what it is about a smaller rack but when you do a plunging neckline it says I'm sexy but not overbearing. I paired it with a ribbed (you can't tell) black bandage skirt and these amazing BCBG pumps that almost look like a bootie but have the shock factor of a traditional pump.

·         Black slims (you knew that though)

·         Take advantage of your smaller tata’s once and while and let them shine!

·         Texture creates curves (ribbed skirt)

 Look 3- And last but not least is a fun and easy look. If you know Neish this is actually her look, like I'm sure I'll force her to wear this outfit sometime this summer LOL. This top is actually a night gown but with the help of the long strings on it and some pins we were able to make it and oversized, almost baby doll dress. Her shorts are from Zara and were a tad bit big but it worked, it gave an easy "I don't care" kind of vibe to the look. The Birkenstock styled sandals gave all the vibes of a chill Saturday out or hitting any musical festival. I decided to have her wear her hair out just because it made sense to let her tresses join the party!

       ·         Take advantage of having slim legs and show them thangs offff!

·         Don’t be afraid to wear your legs and chest out. It’s usually a “classy lady” no-no but I say if you got it, flaunt it. Of course in moderation.

·         Love the skin you’re in!!!!

America's Best Racing x J Alex Style Giveaway

Heyyyy everyone! I hope you enjoyed your weekend and got to spend lots of time to with your wonderful Mom! I'm so excited to announce a giveaway that I'm hosting with the good folks over at America's Best Races. As anyone in Maryland knows this weekend is the Preakness Racing! It's such an excited time in the city and so many things to do. Below are a couple of different outfit ideas for the Preakness. I will be giving away two tickets to the Black Eyed Susan event on this Friday May 15th which is a perfect girls day out and filled with tons of activities and a live performances. To enter all you need to do is re-post your favorite outfit I've created, mention me (@jalexstyle) and use the handles #AmericasBestRacing and #AmericasBestFashion. I will draw a winner on Thursday May 14th! May the most stylish lady win!

*Get all of the links for each piece in each outfit HERE!

Wearing a skirt set may be your best choice if you're the girl who's torn between looking to dressy or too casual. This TopShop set is a funky look that translates for any event at the Preakness. Also don't be afraid to pair it with fun flats or even sneakers for a more chill occasion.

This Mary Kantrantzou dress is a more traditional route to take for the Preakness. If you're wearing any floral dress (which just about everyone will) try and mix your shoes and accessories up. Dare to wear a pump with a contrasting print or bright color or opting for a fascinator as suppose to a wide brimmed hat.

And my favorite outfits are these wide leg trousers paired with a fun cropped top. Now I know this isn't the most traditional look but it's funky and fun. Personally I'm more of pants over skirt kind of gal. Pants are just a fun alternative and can almost guarantee comfort throughout the day. Now of course you can do a slim leg pant but the wide leg not only is great for taller girls like myself but it creates a slimming effect for any woman. For this look I wouldn't go for a hat. In my opinion less is more and the pants speak for themselves.

pRESS RE-START

How often do you pray? How often do you feel like you need to hit the reset button on your life? I know for me it's at least once or twice a month. Lately I‘ve found myself growing tired of the same routines. You know the same shit. Literally the same sequence of daily events. I wake up, get in my car, hit 695 and pray it's not backed up and then hustle into work to "clock in" on time spending my day talking to rude and sometimes idiotic adults who literally make me want to scream and break every computer in the office. I literally have done a year of that and then decided enough was enough. Around mid-March I started to feel an overwhelming sense of being stuck. I felt stuck in my finances, my career and just my overall focus. My mom had been telling me for about 2 years I needed to fast and re-connect with God and I thought to myself I'm already connected with God, I pray every day and thank him but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a relationship with God. I then decided to start a 2 week fast on April 1^st only eating seafood, fresh fruits and veggies, and water. I had no processed food and cut out smoking, drinking, sex, and social media. Now I don't want to make this sound to "preachy" or anything but this is how my spiritual journey over the month of April went.

So leading up to the fast I did a ton of research on what to expect and the overall process of fasting. I wasn't fasting for weight loss or anything I just wanted to strengthen my relationship with God and ask for clarity over my path in life. On April 1st I started the fast and it was fairly easy that day, I was so focused on reading my bible and listening to Joel Olsten podcast I wasn't thinking about food. But girl those next 4 days.....chillle, they were not pretty! I had body aches, I felt weak, nauseated and even delirious. Unfortunately I only lasted 5 days and then ended up eating an apple, the irony of me eating an apple to break my fast (word to Adam and Eve...lol). I was super down on myself and felt like I had let God and myself down...but here's the kicker!

So in the beginning of March I applied for an assistant styling position for an e-commerce/digital media company in Baltimore and had yet to hear back from them. So randomly one day I decided to call the HR manager just to check the status of my application. I didn't get a call back from her for about a week and I low key forgot about it. One morning while I was driving I got a call from an unknown number and it was the HR manager. She said that they had already filled the position but were looking for a freelance stylist for a huge project they had a deadline on. I was soooo excited! I couldn’t believe I had the chance to assist on an actual set! I ended up freelancing with them for a week and it was to say the least one of the most amazing experiences of my life. There was so much pressure and so many things going on at once. I had to have attention to every little detail and endurance because they didn’t believe in breaks or resting. With all that being said I LOVED it. It was exactly what I want to do with my life, it felt surreal in a sense.  I'm now at a point where I have to actually choose what I want to do, well really it's a no brainier but it's a move I have to make strategically and from a business perspective.

I say all of that to say how blessed and happy I am now. I mean I was always blessed but that short fast showed me just how REAL God is. Even after I broke my fast I still stayed focused on God and how gracious he has been. I started to become thankful for my job (even though it's not what I want to do) and I started to recognize my gifts I've been blessed with. It showed how happy God was and how much he loved me just for seeking his power and love. I'm so happy I took some time off to re-focus my spirit and outlook on life. I know the hard things have yet to come but with a strong foundation in God and my amazing support system I'll be fine. If you’re feeling overwhelmed I suggest finding time for stillness and meditation. If it's God, Allah or whoever just take time to connect to something higher. Believe me it makes all the difference. Be inspired everyone!