Year In Review, Part One

As 2011 comes to a close, so does many of this year's trends. To celebrate the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another, I've decided to make a two part post reflecting fashion in 2011. In this first part, I'm sharing some styles that I loved wearing and what I'm looking forward to seeing in 2012. You'll have to excuse the poor quality and backdrop of these pictures. Unfortunately, the decor of college dorms is not exactly on par with the Plaza Hotel.

Splash of color! Working in bright colors into basic looks happened to be one of my favorite trends of the year. However, since bold colors are usually more of a summer thing, I used dark fall colors to make my outfit fit the season. My jewelry obsession helped this look, without it being too matchy matchy.

Get the Look: Shirt: Express, Cardigan: New York&Company, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: So Good

It's not fall or winter unless you're breaking out some animal print. When the weather gets chilly(and I live in Boston, believe me it gets chilly), it's typical to throw on comfy and dark clothes. In fact, one of the reasons I love the winter is because it's acceptable to be a cliche and wear all black. Despite the lack of colorful patterns in this season, you can still jazz up your look. I love adding a pattern, like animal print, to keep my outfit from becoming plain and dull, but not being over the top. 

Get the Look: Shirt: Express, Cardigan: Express, Boots: Steve Madden

Never be afraid to blazer it up! Blazers are the easiest way to keep a look classy while still wearing a casual outfit. I paired my navy stripped blazer with jeans instead of leggings to avoid looking too dressed up. I loved wearing this look because it could easily be transformed for various environments, whether it be for work or just a typical Tuesday. 

Get the Look: Blazer: Express, Shirt: Express, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: New York&Company

The perfect cardigan is always hard to find during winter. Sometimes they aren't heavy enough to keep you warm or the length is wrong. After getting sick of constantly throwing a black sweater over my shirts, I decided to put the pop of color on the outside. While shopping at Express, I came across this cozy cream sweater. I knew it was love because not only did it go perfectly with the brown glittery shirt I was purchasing but it also could match the majority of my jewelry sets. It was my idea of a match made in heaven!

Get the Look: Cardigan: Express, Shirt: Express, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: New York&Company

Ombre styles have been a big trend this year! There have been ombre hairstyles, ombre nail polish, and ombre clothes. Again, I was drawn to this shirt because I could see the variety of ways I could wear it. Any piece of clothing that can transformed for widely different settings is an investment in my eyes. 

Get the Look: Shirt: New York&Company, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: So Good

It took longer than expected, but near the end of the year I finally got to wear my lace shirts! This particular piece worked better for night wear but could also work for different events depending on the color tank top put on underneath. For this night, I kept the look tame with a light pink tank.

Get the Look: Lace Shirt: Express, Boots: Steve Madden

This cardigan was one of my biggest obsessions of the year. I purchased it in the fall thinking I wouldn't be able to really wear it until spring, but it had surprisingly worked well for a couple of outfits this winter. I can already tell I'll be using it a lot in 2012!

Get the Look: Cardigan: Roni, Shirt: Urban Outfitters, Boots: Steve Maddden, Necklace: Avon, Bracelet: So Good

Can't wait to combine these trends with the new styles of next year! Look out for the second part of 2011's best fashion tomorrow, with the spotlight on the top fashionistas of the year.