Girls room, hold the pink

An LCY reader wrote in yesterday asking for help:

"Have a tight room with two girls. Need a loft bedding set that's not girly looking and space for additional storage. One prime feature that it not be wider than 80 inches. Can you help me out?"

Mission accomplished. Dear reader, if you are seeing this, I was unsure whether you wanted two loft beds with space underneath or a set of bunk beds. I went with the former. IKEA's STORA loft bed stretches just shy of 80" and retails for $299, quite affordable compared to other loft beds I saw. The desk and dresser, when placed next to one another, should just fit in the space under the bed. And for accessories, I steered clear of pinks and ruffles, instead opting for vintage details: a glass vase lamp, framed album covers, and an embroidered throw pillow.

Links, prices and information for all items are available by clicking on the image.

Room for Two by AKaz85 on Polyvore.com

Run, don't walk, to the Gap

FINALLY! I've been on the search for a fitted, plaid button-down since last fall. Thanks to a tip from my sister-in-law, I was surprised and thrilled to learn Gap has just what I'm looking for. No, it's not flannel (they have a flannel style, I just don't like the cut), but this lil' number has ruffles and comes in a variety of plaids. I'd recommend this look for guys and gals of any age. Seriously. ANY age. And at $50, I plan on stocking up.

So you're getting celebrity style: Conrad, McAdams, Aniston...

...for a a fraction of the cost.

My sis sported a plaid button-down (not a cost-friendly brand I might add) while we were in China last March looking oh-so cute.

You can try Gap's two-tone plaids:

or their multi-colored options:

I threw together this get-up entirely from Gap and Old Navy items. Cute and affordable. What more could you ask for?

It's Plaid-tastic for her by AKaz85 featuring GAP

Items in this set:
GAP jeans, $70
GAP clothing, $20
Old Navy shoes, $20
Old Navy accessories, $33
Old Navy bracelet, $7

The men's version is great for your dad, son, grandpa, boyfriend, uncle, cousin, secret santa pick that you have no clue what to get... or, you, my dear male readers. Trust me. You'll look hot.

Pine, Lautner, and Pattinson. All wearing plaid. All looking like that.

I think I've made my point.

Come on, guys. Looking good is just a click away.

Gap and Old Navy chic for him.

It's Plaid-tastic for him by AKaz85 featuring GAP

Items in this set:
GAP jeans, $55
GAP, $30
Men's Clothing: Men's..., $45
Men’s Scarves, Hats & more:..., $20
Men's Clothing: Men's..., $20

*photos from Gap, iselinhaukus, LiveJournal, Pretty Lil' Things, bellemel, and The Superficial*

From the sale closet of... part 2

I am currently visiting DC for work (and play), puppies in tow, but I plan on stopping by a few favorite stores and restaurants while in town. I'd love to be sporting this yellow, black, and gold outfit for the perfect 60-70 degree October weather DC is enjoying. All from the lovely sale closet of... J.Crew. (Anyone else agree that they should seriously start paying me for how frequently I promote their store? Just a thought.)

Fall day in DC by AKaz85 featuring J Crew

***Note: click on image to be linked to the Volypore collage, where you can see prices and links to all of the items.

***Another Note: the prices listed on the Volypore page do not accurately reflect the SALE prices. My bad. You have to click on the links to the J.Crew page to see the new, discounted price.

Design Challenge: A City Girl's Apartment

My best friend who's moving into a studio at the end of August told me she's having trouble finding new bedding. We agreed that because it's a studio, the look of the bed has to coincide with the look of the whole place. Tricky. She said she liked the idea of green - doesn't matter what shade. Or purple. And I had to work around a brown couch that is coming to the new place.

As for the green bedding, I went with a personal favorite. The Caroline duvet from Serena and Lily. It's fun, feminine, and bright - all things that epitomize my friend. I included a teal blue shade to better compliment the brown sofa. I think this room feels summery year-round. A much-needed atmosphere for bitter Chicago winters.

Click on the image to see details on where to buy.

City Girl's Apartment by AKaz85 on Polyvore.com

Stay tuned. Purple room to follow.

Tennis: A Lady's Game (save for Andy and Roger)

Tonight I begin tennis lessons. I signed up for an adult-class by myself. (Everyone I asked is out of town at least one of the weeks the class is scheduled. Coincidence? hmm...) Instead of feeling awkward or nervous, I am so excited. Carpe diem, no? I've always wanted to learn how to play, it's great exercise, and to sound like a complete airhead, I love the clothes. Most sports are tailored toward men looking good in uniform... i.e. baseball - love the hats, football - love the pants, rugby - love the stripes. And then there's tennis. Tennis was made for women. The skirts, the dresses, the sunglasses, the polos. It's all so darn cute. Seeing as I've never seriously played tennis in my life, I had nothing appropriate to wear. So I made a quick trip to trusty Dick's Sporting Goods last night and grabbed a Puma skort and polo. Coincidentally, when I looked at Puma's website to find the items I purchased, "tennis" is not listed as one of the sports they make clothing for. Uh oh.

***Correction: The clothes I bought are Slazenger, not Puma. In my defense, the logos look VERY similar.

Here are a couple other outfits I'd love to get, if the clothes weren't so expensive.

Tennis_Navy and White by AKaz85 on Polyvore.com

Tennis _ Classic Black by AKaz85 on Polyvore.com

Just because...

Design Challenge: Living room transition

Over the past two or three months, I've had several friends move into new apartments and ask for help in decorating them. One girl, in particular, moved into a place with her best friend from college. She is only planning on staying there for a year, however, before finding a place with her boyfriend.

The dilemma: furnishings fitting of a female-only space that can transition into a male/female cohabited condo within the next couple of years

The solution: greys and neutrals with some fun, feminine accents

The Room:

LT's Living Room by AKaz85 on Polyvore.com

A few notes:

- The room's main piece, the couch, is neutral and traditional. It can fit into practically any style home.

- The tables and lamps are a mix of metals and woods. Mixing textures and materials make the room more interesting but it's important to make sure it blends. Having wood in two places (table lamp and coffee table) and metal in two places (floor lamp and end table) ensures a sense of cohesion.

- The light blue and cream chair, the two purple giraffe-patterned pillows, and the starburst mirror give the space personality, in this case, making it more feminine.

- The image in the background is the ideal wall color: a light grey. This simple palette provides a great backdrop to tie the room together. Image courtesy of Design Inc.

click on the image for pricing details and where to buy

Happy Lounging, Lauren!

Homage to J.Crew: From the sale closet of... part 1

I've recently been obsessing over navy and constantly find myself checking to see if items are available in the nautical, black alternative. I also just discovered polyvore.com and expect I will be having way too much fun wasting time in the future on that site. So for now, this is an outfit I put together that I'd love to wear out tomorrow night. All from the wonderful sale closet of... J.Crew.

Summer Night with the Girls - J.Crew style by AKaz85 featuring J Crew

Love, love, love the shoes. They'd pop with just about any outfit. Purchasing them in 5, 4, 3...