Another year, another…well, another year. Plenty of things change, even more stays the same, and it’s always nice to have a look back and reminisce a bit. Here are some of my 2011 favorites from The Style Sample:

Thanks for hanging out with me here in 2011. Here’s to a great 2012!

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Time for me to dole out semi-unsolicited style advice again! Yay?

My homies at A-Line passed along this tweet from @kellydobos :

Hey @ALineMagCincy I have to speak in front of major magazine beauty editors in NYC this month, what should i wear? Any tips on styling?

Ooh, that sounds like a fun combination of awesome cosmopolitan adventure (magazine beauty editors! NYC!) + nerve-racking responsibility (public speaking, outfit stress). Let’s see what we can do:

Left: Anthropologie Graublau blazer, $148 | Michael Antonio Musa boot, $59 | Vintage cuff bracelet, $60 | Modcloth B. Jones Style skirt, $89.99 | Gorjana Cleopatra earrings, $30
Right: Farfetch Barbara Bui Blouse, $848 | Endless Dolce Vita Rosetta pump, $170 | Gold chain link necklace, $30 | Blue Topshop trousers $85 | Amrita Singh Georgica ring, $100

This is the sort of occasion where you need to look like you know what you’re talking about and like you just stepped out of the pages of a magazine. No pressure!

Mixing different styles is the best way to achieve both: On the left, a structured blazer (professional), full skirt (feminine), platform ankle boots (fashion-y), and geometric accessories looks polished and pretty; on the right, a softly draped blouse (feminine), tailored trousers (professional), green suede pumps (fashion-y), and bold gold jewelry looks smart and approachable.

This sounds like an exciting opportunity–good luck!

~T

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So, I’ve talked about the whole socks with heels trend before, both here and on a Fox 19 segment about the shoot I styled for A-Line‘s August issue. After we finished the TV clip, Fox 19 anchor Sheila Gray seemed a little skeptical about the idea of wearing socks and heels as an actual adult person with, you know, A JOB. I told her I’d prove it can be done!

Thrifted blazer, belt & sweater; Moda International skirt; DKNY heels

Remember…

The key to NOT looking like jailbait is all in the styling.  A few tips:

Images, Style.com

> Stick with neutrals like black, gray, and taupe. This goes for the socks and shoes.

> Socks should hit 2-3 inches above the ankle. Much lower and they look like ’80s-hooker babydoll socks, much higher and they look too Catholic Schoolgirl. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but we’re keeping it PG for the office here.

> Wear a blazer, they make anything look more serious. As a matter of fact, your entire outfit should be serious and business-y. Think structured jackets and Roland Mouret-worthy dresses.

> Wear with a skirt that’s knee-length or longer. Nothing too poufy–you don’t want to look like Sailor Moon. An a-line or pencil skirt works best.

What are your tips for wearing this trend the grownup way?

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With Fashion Week(s) quickly approaching, we can look forward to fashion parties galore in the next month or so. While I won’t be going to NYC for Fashion’s Night Out like I did last year, I will be hitting A-Line‘s Fashion Event and the FNO event at Saks downtown to hang with fellow fashion lovers and (window) shop my heart out!

Dressing for these events can be difficult, because you want to look good and show your style chops, but you don’t want to look like you tried TOO hard because that justaintcool. So, I have a formula* of sorts: Fabulous + Frumpy + Amazing Accessories

Fabulous is the bread and butter of a fashion party look. People need to know you BELONG there, and stare longingly at your shoes. However, you also need the Frumpy aspect because the idea is to make it look like you totally forgot about this party, and  just threw on your 5-inch stilettos and gold lame blazer before casually rollin’ through.

So the idea is to combine the Fabulous and the Frumpy, add sparkly statement accessories, and stir:

Aaaand…just for giggles, I made this handy-dandy video to further demonstrate the “formula”:

*Please note that though this is a Very Complicated Formula derived via Highly Scientific Analysis, it may not apply 100% in all cases. Take this advice with a grain of salt, preferably on the rim of a shot of Tequila.

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You know those online collages that let you click on different pictures to go to different sites, like in a blog post, email newsletter, or on a Facebook landing page? There’s a good chance it was an image map.

Image maps allow you to hyperlink areas of a single image to various URLs (websites) without “slicing” the image into separate files. They come in handy when you want an easy way to create a composite image without having to create complicated tables and style sheets.* Here, I’ll show you how to create your own click-able collages!

Making Image Maps the Easy Way

There are several ways to make image maps, but if you don’t have Photoshop or Fireworks and are too lazy busy to determine a bunch of map coordinates, you can create one using a (free!) site called image-maps.com. Here’s how:

Step 1. Create your image.

I use Photoshop, but you could use The Gimp, Pixlr, SplashUp, or any number of free photo editors.

Step 2. Upload your image to the web.

You can upload it to your site (I use WordPress, so I uploaded mine to my Media Library) or a free image-sharing site like Photobucket.

Step 3. Open your image in the mapping tool.

Copy the image URL (http://yourimage.jpg), go to www.image-maps.com, and upload your picture using the “from a URL” option. Once the upload is successful change the “Base URL” to the site where your image is hosted. Since mine is hosted on my site, my base URL is “http://TheStyleSample.com”.

Step 4. Start mapping!

The “rectangle” option is easiest, so just click the “Add rectangle” button, place and resize the rectangle around the area to be hyperlinked, then enter the URL that part of the image should be linked to. The Title/Alt text will be used as the text link, so make sure it’s descriptive.

Step 5. Get  your code.

Once all the areas are hyperlinked, click Get Your Image Map Code and go to the HTML tab to copy the code.

Step 6.  Add the code to your site.

Go to your site (or your Facebook page or email template) and paste the code into the HTML editor. Just a warning: on WordPress sites, it’s best to disable the visual editor (Users> Your Profile> Disable visual editor when writing)before pasting the code into your post, otherwise WordPress magically (and annoyingly) erases it.

That’s it! Here’s the map I created with this exercise:

Boy by Band of Outsiders sweater | YSL Gold-plated chain necklace | Topshop Trilby hat | Kate Spade Robin bag | Preen Razor Skinny trousers | Belle by Sigerson Morrison flats

*Note that in most cases, image maps are not considered a best practice. If you have the time and ability to slice, code, and link multiple smaller images, you should. If you need help with that, get in touch!

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This question came from @jTHrilling (the talented baker behind Jessicakes, b-t-dubs) via The Twitterz:

u might be able to help me. i got polkadot shorts & need shoe/top options (for the weather in San Fran)*

Well, let’s see what we can do…

LEFT:
Topshop Ditsy rose print tee, $70 | Topshop knitted mohair cardi, $80 | Boutique 9 Ronnie oxfords, $91 | Kenneth Jay Lane turquoise earrings, $53 | Sequin stitch cuff bracelet, $36

RIGHT:
DVF Florane silk blouse, $285 | Whistles Marian tassel pendant, $60 | Rachel Roy striped clutch, $59 | Michael Antonio Gezana wedges, $54

Hope this helps!

*For those of you who don’t tweet-speak, getting a message across in 140 characters requires creative spelling and punctuation.

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Sometimes readers ask me questions about things I pretend to know about. I usually respond with an unnecessarily verbose email, but this time I thought I’d share my advice!

Hi Tamia! I love your blog, you are a style genius.
I have a question about wearing those summery type cover up/dresses. I like them, I have several in bright colors. They are kind of shapeless though, I was thinking of pairing with a belt. What kind of belt? What kind of shoes? We’re going to Florida and I would like to throw one on for dinner and be cute and comfortable.
Can you help me please?
~T

Hey T (nice initial, btw), thanks for your question!

I have a few shapeless summer dresses, too. Sometimes I wear them as-is (when I need “eatin’ dresses” with some extra room), sometimes I like to cinch them with a skinny belt (wider belts tend to make my waist look thicker and are more difficult to wear with flimsy summery fabrics) or a brightly colored scarf and blouse it a bit.

When I go on vacation, I usually pack a pair of metallic (gold, bronze, or silver) flat sandals because they go with pretty much everything, so I don’t have to pack so many shoes–which saves room for shoe-venirs!

I like to add a little something special in the form of a wide cuff bracelet or an airy straw hat if I’m really feeling myself. You (and all the rest of you summer vacation-ers) have fun on your trip!

LEFT: Sunny dress at Modekungen, 55 Euros | Rope & leather belt at Witchery, 49.95 AUS | K. Jacques Corvette sandals at Opening Ceremony, $270 | Rag & Bone fedora at Net-a-Porter, $125
RIGHT: Megan Park Watercolor dress at Les Pomettes, $370 | Co-op Ultra Skinny Loop belt at Barney’s, $80 | Cacharel sandals at Les Nouvelles, $248 | Kenneth J. Lane cuff, Net-a-Porter, $325 | A|X Oversized glasses at Armani Exchange, $60

If you have a question you’d like me to make up an answer to, get in touch!

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Sometimes you have to design a document around a minimal amount of text–this is often the case with announcements, lists, and those extra boring (and seemingly unnecessary) reports most employers require.

Most of the time, the first instinct is to try to make the content fit the page by enlarging the text, quadruple-spacing the lines, or (god forbid) adding little pieces of clip art.

Please don’t do this! I will hunt you down...

However, the best way to design around short text is to make the text area smaller. White space is your friend!

Start by dividing the page

I divided the page in half length-wise, and into thirds horizontally. The text area is limited to the lower two-thirds of the right half.

Have fun with text and design elements

After adding the text, you can have fun with the rest of the page! I like large type, so I changed the title to the fail-proof combination of Georgia italic and Helvetica Neue Condensed.  The page is defined with a 6-point horizontal rule at the top and bottom of the page, and the space between the title and the text is defined by a similar, thinner horizontal line.

It’s still simple, yet looks like it would much more interesting to read–which is the point of these documents anyway, right? Try it the next time you have to hand in an EBR!

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Sometimes it’s all I can do to drag myself out of bed, let alone get into corporate power-bitch mode. I’ve been a proponent of the “dressy sweats” trend for a while, and even though I usually work from home now, this trick still comes in handy when I have to look halfway decent but don’t feel like getting dressed up.

Victoria’s Secret camisole and pants

I bought these cotton & cashmere blend sweat pants from Victoria’s Secret last year, and they’ve been my go-to lounge around the house gear ever since.

Thrifted shirt, men’s watch

American Apparel cardigan, earrings from Morrison & Me, vintage ring

Note that I’m still comfy! The cardigan is stretchy cotton, and I keep the accessories light and easy.

Thrifted blazer, Charles David heels, Buxton folio

Other than the blazer (which provides warmth) and the shoes (I’ll be sitting all day, so it doesn’t really matter), I’m basically wearing the same thing I’d wear to sit on the couch. If you think you can get away with wearing sweats to work, try it! But don’t fall asleep at your desk…

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Trying to figure out what to wear? Work with pieces you already have:

Old Navy oxford, Vanessa Bruno waistcoat, Topshop skirt, Urban Outfitters tights, Anthropologie Cube Art scarf, Sam Edelman shoes

My version:

Banana Republic blouse; vintage vest, skirt, and scarf; Dolce Vita shoes

Try it yourself!

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