First, your outfit must read sexy yet sophisticated. Men like to see a little skin so that they feel teased and tempted, yet this should be done in a classy, elegant way. The best choice this season is a long sleeve dress with a low neckline, a one-shoulder draped dress or a fitted printed dress. Here are my inspirations.

Second, your jewelry should be sexy. It should draw attention to your neck, your bust or shine in a way to compliment your outfit. These are my top picks for sexy jewelry. I also like to mix and match wearing an assortment of new and vintage jewelry, to create an eclectic look that states you know how to dress. Try this with vintage bangles or large over the top clip-on earrings and the jewelry below. First featured is the Double Line Necklace, the Asymmetric Tassel Earrings and the Bi-Quartz Gunmetal Bracelet.

Lastly, add some shimmer to your make-up routine. Add body shimmer to glow and create a “look” with your make-up, accentuating your most radiant feature. If it is your eyes, wear lashes that are sexy and tasteful. If it is your lips, dare to wear a bold dark color of red wine or burgundy.

Enjoy! Have fun, be bold and daring and try something new! Happy Valentine’s Day!

What better way to prepare for Valentine’s Day than a spa shopping event just for you. The Robert Leonard Salon in Seattle is hosting a Pre- Valentine’s Day party with salon specials as well as many cool and unique products to shop. RB Designs will have our latest collection displayed as well as a few sneak peaks for whats to come in-store this Spring. We will also be offering a 20% discount on all purchases for the event.

There will also be “Twig” the local, mineral make-up line created by the owners of the salon. Show Pony, a local boutique, will be at the event showing a wide range of items from clothes to handbags. Plus there will be many other local emerging designers. This event will be one to attend, with drinks and hor’ dourves being served, you can shop and talk and see what is happening in Seattle.

Here are the details:

When: Saturday Feburary 12, 2011 4-8pm

What: Valentine’s Day Retail Extravaganza

Where: Robert Leonard Salon and Spa

2033 6th Avenue Seattle, WA 98121

]]> http://www.rachelburklund.com/news/?feed=rss2&p=1908 http://www.rachelburklund.com/news/?p=1800 http://www.rachelburklund.com/news/?p=1800#comments Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:14:23 +0000 admin http://www.rachelburklund.com/news/?p=1800 We all the love our hoop earrings. Some prefer small, some prefer large, however, we all have a few pairs tucked away for daily wear. Here are some of the hoops of the season. These ones are the best of the best from my favorite inspiration sources.

My version of hoops are the Asym Rio Earrings. I wear these daily, all the time, they are surprisingly easy to wear with shoulder length hair and the asymmetry gives a new fresh approach.

(P.S. I can make them symmetrical too either short or long. Many of my clients like symmetry!)

1. Erickson Beamon

2. Jamie Wolf

3. Gurhan

The white shirt is a staple to all of our wardrobes, yet the styles, shapes and silhouettes change from year to year. This year the white shirt varies in length, proportion and cut, but overall is making a statement on the runway as one of the main trends. Above Dries Van Noten uses the white shirt in a unique way mixing his stunning prints with a long silky skirt. Below at Celine, the cool, loose white shirt has some innovative details with seams and paneling. The last Spring 2011 runway shot is of Band of Outsiders featuring a white shirt dress with a white blazer, the perfect white on white look.

For our jewelry collections and statement pieces this could not be a better time to find several white shirts to add color and style to with your jewelry. Jewelry paired with a long white tux shirt is a brilliant way to be unique with the shirting and pop out your jewelry. The key with this styling is to make sure the neckline matches with your jewelry choice. So choose an open unbuttoned shirt collar with a large high neck statement piece or choose a mandarin collar shirt with center-front detail worn with a long pair of dangle earrings. With the white shirt, you can experiment, wear bright colored jewelry and wear your large over-sized pieces, the rules can be bent; that is the beauty of the white shirt, you use good taste and make all the rules.

This color story at Chanel is stunning, gray ash with canary yellow mixed with gold and oxidized chains, it is a beautiful mix of hues. The tassel earrings below are a great length proportion paired with tweed short shorts; extra long jewelry and barely there garments… I like where Karl went with this collection. His Spring 2011 show highlighted the color gray. We are seeing gray as a huge statement for Fall, yet I like how he merged the color into Spring, it is a nice transition from heavy to light and a subtle gateway to a brighter season.

The Autumn season is all about bundling up, layers of light tops, jackets and scarves, yet winter moves us into the heavy tweeds, long wide trousers and furs, if we dare. The styles that have reached my closet this season are inspired by Chloe, Dries Van Noten and Marc Jacobs.

Fur is one of those fabrications that I wear infrequently, but this season, we are so saturated with options I decided that I might blend in on the streets and ward off activists. My rules for fur are vintage only, absolutely real and they must be in pristine condition. That said I only have a fur trim leather jacket. Living in Seattle it is a high risk situation wearing a full length fur, although this season, a vest, shrug or cape are perfect, less noticeable options that I will definitely be adopting. Marc Jacobs covers the fur category perfectly, I love his modern day seventies girl with her light dress or high-waist trousers.

For trousers and blouses, Chloe is the most amazing choice. I love the seventies inspiration, with the wide leg trousers, long necktie blouses and draped bohemian coats . Dries Van Noten is always spot on with prints, and brilliant hues. This bright army green jacket has an amazing neckline, perfect for a fur wrap or cashmere scarf, the shape and styling of Dries garments are always very current and forward.

Now the most important topic. What jewelry to wear with your multi-layers? First, since you will be layering, it is important to wear post back earrings, like the ‘Dark Chains Earrings‘. If you wear hook backs they might slip out of your ear and go MIA, so wear post back and it will not matter if they are long, draped, short or circular, what ever your preference they will be sure to stay on with all your moves.

Second, earrings and rings are the easiest and simplest options for layers. Rings give a pop of interest and do not distract from your layers of knits and scarves; the ‘14k Black Diamond Ring‘ is a great choice this season. Earrings are easy when you wear post back because you don’t have to worry about tangles or pieces coming off when you are adding or removing layers. Here are my favorite pieces for heavy winter dressing: Cleo earrings, Long Petal Earrings, Layered Ring.

First: Jewelry is the best way to change up your wardrobe. You can wear a basic blazer with a white blouse and skinny cropped pants and change up the look with jewelry. A big bold necklace is always a good way to give some variety and add an element of surprise to your basic look. Like the “Pearl Necklace with Large Agates” or the “Chunky Agate Button Necklace“, both of these pieces have the WOW factor and set off the basic attire. This is also true with the weekend look. Instead of stocking up on many sweaters and jeans, stick to a few sweaters and one pair of new jeans and find some great earrings and long necklaces to switch up your style. Jewelry is like shoes, when you put on high heels or something shiny, like jewelry, you instantly feel dressed up.

Second: Analyze your wardrobe and see if you can alter or change some pieces you already have. For example, I have this long black leather coat with a fox fur trim around the collar. The coat is vintage,  I found several years ago, but rarely wear it because of the length, it is very long and a little over powering, so I decided to shorten the coat to below waist level, give it a few tucks and shorten the sleeves, and wallah I have a new jacket! This same altering technique can be used for dresses that are long or pants that could use some taking in, pegging or hemming. You can change your “heel” jeans into “flat” jeans or switch up a sweater dress to a cropped sweater. Of course with this alteration idea you have to see if the alteration charges are worth it, but just visualizing some ideas can give you a fresh perspective on how you perceive your clothing.

Victoria Beckham rocking a chic fur coat

Third: Shop vintage. I do say this over and over again, but I truly believe that the best clothing is either vintage, indie or designer. To get to the root of the inspiration where designers are looking for their ideas that fuel their collections, you must shop vintage. Here are my 3 favorite Seattle shops: Redlight, Vu and Le Frock. Of course if you are traveling visit these boutiques for the ultimate designer vintage:  Decades LA & Resurrection NYC. You can spend a small fortune on “designer” vintage, that is why you have to be a scout and find the hidden treasures. Shopping for designer vintage is always amazing and inspiring, however, it does not fall into the savings category. To save and be a smart savvy shopper, you have to find the diamond in the rough and find pieces that are in good condition, have unique style details and are wearable now.

]]> http://www.rachelburklund.com/news/?feed=rss2&p=1866 http://www.rachelburklund.com/news/?p=1859 http://www.rachelburklund.com/news/?p=1859#comments Thu, 30 Sep 2010 22:00:23 +0000 admin http://www.rachelburklund.com/news/?p=1859 RB Designs new collection consists of some necessary items that reflect the current pulse of our culture. There is much talk about 2012 and the Mayan calendar predictions. This pulse of the times has inspired this collection to have an Indian inspiration. The literal inspiration consists of patterns, bright colors, linear shapes and intricately placed stones. The feeling of the collection is that of infinity, the vastness of the universe, the evolving vibration of society and the awakening that is slowly taking place.

Indian Essence is all about the play of proportions and the combination of shapes to create unique extraordinary designs. One of my favorite designs are the “Asymmetric Tassel Earrings“. These earrings are inspired by South American women who wear one earring long and one stud earring, the opposite lengths create a feeling of transition and extremes that is fresh and invigorating.

My second favorite design is the “Chain + Leather Draped Pendant“, this necklace captures the movement and change that is happening on our planet, the pendant symbolizes a pendulum of motion slowly moving and guiding us into this new dimension. The shapes represent the sun, earth and moon. They create the shape of a triangle which represents the trinity of the universe. This collection has much meaning and it is a reflection of what is happening now. We are living in exciting times and this collection “Indian Essence” is a gorgeous indication of our culture.

Be prepared to “be seen” and view Fall-Holiday 2011 so you can purchase from great stores like La Ree in Bellevue. La Ree offers Parisian style clothing with an edge. Rachael Nov, the owner, stocks designers such as Renee Lezard, Elizabeth & James, Isabel Marant Etoile and RB Designs. Be sure to check out her beautifully designed store and great assortment of merchandise; her jewelry selection is impeccable!