Fall Fashion Inspirations from Anthropologie

Fall fashions are fully loaded in retail stores across the country. It's a great time to take at look at your fall and winter closet and see what is inspiring you for Fall 2010. Here are a few tips along with some great inspirations from Anthropologie.

Take stock of what you have from last fall and this summer that can carry over to this year with a little upstyling by layering and accessorizing. Add new accessories that can easily and inexpensively freshen up your look.

Discount retailers, outlets and thrift stores are a great place to look for small accessories to brighten things up at very low prices. Then look to your favorite retail stores for a few more expensive pieces that can really add distinctive punch to your Fall 2010 look.  Love this striped skirt surrounded by fresh fall school supplies.

Make a budget. Decide how much you can afford to spend to freshen your wardrobe for the colder months this year. Spend wisely and think creatively and you can have the look you love for fall without the bills you dread to pay for it.

A new jacket is always a great addition when it can be work with lots of different looks and wards off the first cold temperatures of the season. You can add so many accessories to a jacket it can look totally different every day: silk scarves, a colorful pashmina, junk strands of jewelry. And you can vary the weight of whatever you wear underneath it from tank top to turtleneck as the temperatures drop. Enjoy freshening up for fall!

Outdoor Living with a Mexican Feel

A visit to Old Town San Diego this weekend has me inspired by the rich colors and contrasts of fine Mexican outdoor living. In a dry desert climate, everything is about eye-grabbing contrasts in the Mexican design style: bright decor and clothing colors against pale deserts landscapes; moist, puffy green succulents against dry, dusty soil; bright white walls against earthy brown woods.

I was totally taken with all the different succulents and the ways they were styled and presented all around the grounds. So many pretty options and so perfectly done to capture a look and feel of Old Mexico that could be translated into any home.

In a warm summer, living outdoors can be tricky during days filled with blazing sun and dry heat. With a mixture of cool, covered spaces for day and open air spaces for evenings living outdoors can be a gorgeous, comfortable, rich experience with a few twists from the Mexican design palette.

Loved all the little nooks that were so perfectly fitted with rustic wood furniture. Such perfect spots for a private chat, a few minutes of solitude or an energetic gathering of friends.

An idea that really grabbed me was the layered umbrellas and covered areas that shaded the entire eating space. Simple, bold colors against the dark brown wood furniture gave the area a warm, inviting appeal. 

And the outdoor room below seemed a most comfortable space to sit with friends after a lovely dinner around the fire and swap stories or get caught with each other in the warm glow of a nice fire, add s'mores to that and it would be heaven!

Thank you Old Town San Diego for a lovely time on a hot, hot day. My mind is so full of all the new ideas and pretty pictures that came to me on my visit. It's amazing when you find a place that speaks to you and what you can gain from taking a few minutes to look around, analyze and conceptualize what it is you like, why it works and how you can incorporate it into your own abode or your dream home for the future!