Fashion Forward Fridays Submission: Meet Mae!

You're in for a treat fashion-lovers. For Fashion Forward Fridays today, not only is a great outfit being shown on a beautiful reader who submitted her photos to me, but this reader also happens to be a friend of mine, and a ModCloth employee. Say what, karaoke? All of you are already hooked, I know it. Mae is so obviously a ModCloth girl too. She always has a great look and is so on trend with a vintage feel. She's that girl who is setting the bar with her style and puts pieces together that you probably never would have thought of otherwise and makes you want to dress better yourself. An inspirational fashionista if you will...

Mae, who is my friend and who works at ModCloth is today's reader submitted fashionista!

Fashion Forward Fridays: Meet Christy!

Last semester, when I met Christy for the first time, I was so jealous of how effortlessly she was able to pull different pieces together to create such classic looks. We had a design class together and she was fabulous at creating projects and fabulous looking, even if she showed up in sweats. I hate girls like that, but it's hard not to like Christy because she's so personable and expressive. So when I walked into night class on Thursday for the first time this semester for another design class, I was so excited to see a familiar face and that face be hers. I also was so relieved to see that she was, of course, dressed in a simple yet classy outfit so I could feature her for Fashion Forward Fridays.

Christy in the lobby of Academic Hall at Point Park University.

Fashion Forward Fridays: Meet Trent!

Well Pittsburgh, we have our third male to grace the space of Fashion Forward Fridays here on Chels & the City. And yes, he is the third person that I met before asking them to be on the blog. The other two being our other two men, MJ and my brother, Eric. So Pittsburgh men, here is your call to action: shape up your style so I can awkwardly stop one of you in the street and ask you to be on my blog.

Trent in his "stuffy" work clothes.

So, on to Trent. Well, he is my boss at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, which I've mentioned before, and even though I briefly went out in search of a fashionista/o I kept thinking that today was the first day back to work at the theater after a summer off and Trent always dresses well, so I waited until I got to work to "find" my fashionisto. Granted, I also considered texting him prior to getting there, to make sure he was at his prime, but I thought that would really be cheating.

Trent says that while his work and play styles differ, his work clothes being "safer" and his play clothes not being so stuffy, the one thing that is always on point, are his socks. Which from my point of view, is the one place where men have the upper hand in the fashion world compared to women and Trent takes full advantage of that. Trent is also a fan of stores like Marshall's, T.J. Maxx, Zappos and Rue La La.

The red shoes and fancy socks.

As for that unfortunate mention in GQ, Trent thinks that Pittsburgh has earned this poor reputation because the bad outfit choices in this city are the ones that stick out the most and are really bad. But that most people do not dress in that way; however, those poorly dressed people are the ones who are making the biggest impression overall. And for those of you looking to amp up your style, but might not know where to start, Trent says to make smart, bold choices. But he also encourages everyone, not just men, to own their style and their fashion choices, noting that nothing looks worse than someone who is obviously uncomfortable in their outfit choice.

So men, let's step up your game so I can stop featuring men I already know. But to be honest, who else has a boss this cool? Above all, let's keep it classy, Pittsburgh - this past week was Pittsburgh Fashion Week and we should be more than inspired by the looks that were presented all week. So let's continue to show GQ that we are not the third-worst-dressed city.

Fashion Forward Fridays: Meet Channing!

This week's Fashion Forward Friday Fashionista was so easy to find. This afternoon, I went to the Equal Pay Day Rally in Market Square (which will be on the blog later) and instantly spot Channing and knew I would have to talk to her after the rally. As you may know, or if you read last week's FFF blog with Carly, since Pittsburgh was named the third worst-dressed city by GQ, I'm now on the hunt to prove them wrong. And if more people dressed like Channing or at least shared her mentality for clothes, it would be so much easier to do!

So many colors! Love, love, love!

What first drew me to her was easily the amount of color in her outfit. As Carly said last week, and Channing echoed today, people should not be afraid to use color in their choice of clothes and I just love that sentiment. She said that bright and rich colors like oranges and purples are her favorites to work with and that she also likes to mix different fabric and textures, which is evident in her outfit choice for today.

Notice how great Channing paired different colors, textures and fabrics together.

Love these flats with the detailing of that little bow!

Since Channing actually works for the Women and Girls Foundation, the organizers of the rally, while also being a CMU graduate student, she needs to have a professional look, but I was so thrilled to see a personality in her outfit while still remaining professional. Channing said, very enthusiastically I might add, that she is a Maxxinesta, which means she loves shopping at T.J. Maxx. While she said she occasionally likes to shop at boutiques as a reward to herself, T.J. Maxx is her favorite because it offers great designer brands for way less.

As for some advice for other fashionistas (or aspiring fashionistas) out there Channing urges to always make your look memorable. Whether it's an accessory item, what shoes you wear or a special piece to your outfit, always make sure to leave a lasting impression. She also advises to wear clothes that suit your body type and flatter your figure and not to follow trends just because, but instead wear what makes you feel good. As Channing said, "if you feel good then you'll look good too." So wear what works for you and wear it with confidence! Happy weekend, Pittsburgh!