Because it's not just for wintertime, church, and tradition...
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To find out more details on how to purchase a Top Buttons Charm Necklace click here.
Faux Fur and Pleather
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Now where I live, the weather is hardly ever cold enough to strut this coat around day in and day out. But trust me, I am an opportunist. I wear this coat every chance I get. My favorite thing about this faux fur is how versatile it is. It gives a luxe appeal to any outfit but because it is a statement piece, you can style it for a night out on the town or take a more casual approach as shown here.
Although the coat completes the look, each garment and accessory helps tell the story of this casual downtown style. For starters, a basic solid tee is the perfect choice to balance the outfit. For the pants, be bold and go for a pleather pant. Pleather is a seasonal material so you definitely want to wear it while you can. Plus, it will give you an edge that your denim otherwise may not. Now for the finishing touches, boots are a must for an all day affair downtown. Any type of motorcycle or combat boot will work. As for accessories, mixing metals is a must. I have never been one to mix match metals, but when it comes to pairing gunmetal with silver, or bronze with gold, I say yes.
Other than the fact that I am a proud faux fur owner, faux fur is not nearly as pricey as real fur. Also you won't feel guilty for wearing a real animal and right now is the best time to buy...faux furs are on sale!
Hat | Coat | Pleather Pants | Purse | Shoes | Jewelry
Written by: Jenna Olinger
Photo Credit: Jen Duarte
Molly's OOTW
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In our TB fashion posts, we will still be showing off some styles for cooler weather, BUT we have to face the facts! Spring has sprung according to the groundhog! Therefore, now is a great time to break out those white jeans that you have been sobbing about not being able to wear since Labor Day!
Pair them with a cute pink pastel shirt and another solid color jacket for a business casual look great for school, work, or play! Below are the links to find these items at the right price.
For the shoes, I would pair something that would tie in the color in the jacket, like these adorable peep toe wedges.
For accessories, to me less is more. I like these adjustable bracelets because they are inexpensive and they come in so many varieties.
Jacket | Jeans | Top | Belt | Shoes | Bracelet
All of these items were found at Forever21.com. Forever 21 is a popular store with lots to offer, but not all items are TB worthy. We will provide our modest picks from this store and others like it with our "OOTW" posts!
CONSIGNMENT INSPIRATION
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These days people pay BIG money to buy "VINTAGE" looking items in retail shops. The items may look the part, but they haven't earned the title! We do know for some, shopping consignment is completely out of the box. Looking at this rack full of older fabrics and used items may not seem appealing, but we encourage you to give it a try. If not for any other reason but to save you cash!
Taking a consignment item and making it look up to date is possible with the right accessories. 
So...If you are in need of a couple of accessories to accompany your Consignment Dress, here are some similar items to the ones worn on Miss Aarika above.
Camel WedgesI Pave Gold Ball Tassle Necklace
Photo Credit: Joanna LeMasters and Taylor Flumerfelt
VINTAGE COUNTRY CHARM
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Jumper Dresses are typically meant to be worn over a blouse. Even though the jumper dress isn't always available in the trendy shops, we feel this style could be worn by most body types year round! This Vintage Country Charm look is pulled off nicely with the plaid + consignment horse buckle belt.
Why not throw in some animal print? These Women's Mossimo® Vianca Tuxedo Flats work quite nicely with this outfit.
The Jumper Dress isn't easy to find. But our online search did yield some results! Etsy and Polyvore are great resources to find some of the more difficult items.
Click here to purchase this jumper dress for $30
Click here to buy this Bow-Accent Jumper Dress for $31.50
Stylist: Dana Roquemore
Photo Credit: Joanna LeMasters and Taylor Flumerfelt
AN OZ COLOR
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If you haven't already heard...Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, announced PANTONE® 17-5641 Emerald, as the Color of the Year for 2013. This color reminds us of The Land of Oz! Green, Green, Green has been steadily rising for a while now, especially in the fashion industry. With an appropriateness for every occasion, emerald has an elegance which makes it irresistible for women’s formal and everyday attire.
If you are loving this color, you should definitely get at least one Emerald item for your 2013 wardrobe. We found some options in this color for you to consider!
Old Navy has a classy Young Women's Crepe Tie-Belt Shift Dress (as of today) in all sizes on sale for $14.99. Urban Outfitters currently has these awesome green Converse Chuck Taylor All Star High-Top Sneakers for $45. This Vintage 70s Suede Green Cape from Other Peoples Property would be a quality item worth saving up for! The length of the Green Double Layer Tube Skirt from Top Shop is perrrfectt for winter + it could be worn with a tank in the summer with a purchase price of $40.
If you purchase any of the items we share on our blog, we'd love to hear about it. Maybe even see a picture?! You could share them with us directly on our Facebook page or on Instagram with a @topbuttons tag in the comment under the image. Thanks for stopping by!
Photo Credit: Kayla Anderson
Color Blocking
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One of our favorite trends of 2012 that will carry into the next is color blocking. For those of you who don't know, it is wearing two complimentary colors to create a bold look. Here, Emily has paired a green sweater with blue skinnies to achieve color blocking. Because it involves two prominent colors, make sure you have fun with accessories. Add a pattern, sparkle or textured piece, like Emily's pearl collared shirt, to offset the brightness of the outfit.
Photo Credit: Beth Carter Photography
Promoting Fashion With Extra Fabric
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Because Modesty is not just for winter time, church, and tradition... An idea exists among girlfriends that dressing modestly is “boring” or that it forces you to have to deny your identity. At Top Buttons we believe a young woman can express a personal unique style in a way that doesn't have to compromise values or deny personality. The balance of expressing your style and setting boundaries is possible when you have the right resources to help you do so and the passion to make the extra effort.
We should keep in mind the TV shows we watch, music we listen to, celebrities we look to as role models, and fashion magazines we place in front of our eyes influence our concept of what is “normal” and acceptable. We are reaching a point where the limitations on "acceptable" behavior are being challenged, and in many cases completely removed. More specifically we see the boundaries being pushed shamelessly in the everyday clothing styles that stack shelves in our favorite shops.
This whole modesty project came out of a desire to simply encourage a more modest take on current fashion trends. Researching the presence of modest fashion blogs, we found that there are actually some phenomenal blogs on modesty. Many of which could be inspirational to teens, but few that specifically focus on teens with their styles and content.
So we are determined to fill this need and provide you with a modest fashion resource put together mostly by young ladies your own age. We will work to filter out the unnecessary sexual material that is commonly connected with fashion magazines and showcase a Top Buttons version of current fashion trends. But yet our content will include much of the fun ideas that other magazines hold.
On the website we will have posts that include:
- Current fashion trends with a more modest take. We call this “Fashion with Extra Fabric.”
- Video tutorials on beauty and fashion
- Modesty Solutions
- Updates on our local Shopping Sprees for underprivileged teens
- Modesty on the Streets (MOTS) representatives sharing their perspective on fashion and modesty from their city or country
While we could criticize some of the popular young celebrities with their immodest styles and glamorized scandalous behavior, instead through Top Buttons, we would like to connect you with some incredible young women who have a different take on life and fashion.
Over the next few weeks you will get a glimpse into the lives of our team members. Our team is made up of young women who are magazine interns, video editors, journalism majors, fashion bloggers, inspirational writers, etc… Additionally, we are working with teens who will research, model, and be a part of our Modesty on the Streets (MOTS) Campaign. We have been meeting and working on the content of the blog extensively for the past 2 months. We aren’t looking to define modesty through establishing a rule. We know there are so many factors which influence one’s definition of modesty, from one’s cultural background, to religious preferences and upbringing. We hope to start a conversation of what a more modest take on fashion could look like.
We know that our character is not defined by our outward appearance, but it does create a perception. How we look does send a message. Asking ourselves if the outfits we wear send a message which reflects the truth about who we really are, should be a daily practice. We hope to encourage all young women to place a higher value on inner qualities than on outward appearance. We look forward to connecting with you through Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Youtube, and our blog posts. Talk to us! We want to hear your ideas and see your modest outfits! Join this “collective voice” ...a movement for modesty. Check out our Give Back and Get Involved pages to see how you too can be a part of the Top Buttons team!
You are not alone. Together, we'll keep it classy!
Sarah and the Top Buttons Team
Photo Credit: Beth Carter Photography