One of my favorite online stores is Shop Hopes. They are based out of Georgia, and have two physical stores, one in Saint Simons Island, GA and the other in Jesup, GA. Thia past Friday, Shop Hopes had their end of season sale in which a majority of their fall/winter and remaining summer clothes were marked down to 75% off of the original price beginning at 8 am on Friday morning. Being the bargain hunter I am, I promptly set my alarm for 8 am to ensure that I did not miss out on any items that I had been hoping to catch on sale. Shop Hopes is a pretty affordable online store with prices around that of Francesca and other popular boutiques.

With the sale on Shop Hope's, I was able to get two pairs of heels, a dress and a crop top all for $35.00, a major deal in my book! Both pairs of heels are open toed, which I won't be able to wear until spring because of the cold winters of Kansas. The Tell Everyone Heels are light brown in color and are a gladiator style, a heel that I have been searching for since last summer. They zip up the back for comfort when wearing, and lace up in the front for added design. The stiletto heel dresses up the shoe, giving it a look that can be worn year round. The Tell Everyone Heels were on sale for $10.00, and were regularly priced at $39.99.

The America the Beautiful heels come in both white and light brown. I decided to get white, mostly because I have enough brown summer sandals, but also because I'm beginning to fall in love with bright white shoes. I feel that white shoes stand out more, a key characteristic in my fashion taste, and look amazing with my skin tone. These heels lace up the front and wrap around the ankle, allowing them to be adjusted for the comfort of each buyer. What I love most about the heels are the studs and cutout designs on the sides and heel of the shoe, giving it an edgy vibe. This pair of gorgeous heels was on sale for just $9.00, regular price was $36.99.

The Getting It Right Crop Top is one of my favorite crop tops I've come across on shophopes.com. I normally do not like to wear clothes that are brown, because I think they don't always look good with my skin tone. However, what drew me to this shirt was the cutouts of the top that allowed you to show skin, without showing too much. Because the top has multiple cutouts, the best accessory would be a large earring to keep the top the focus. The crop top was purchased from Shop Hope's for $7.00, regular $28.99, a real steal!

Off the shoulder dresses are definitely a popular style for this Autumn/Winter and can be found in stores just about everywhere. The Break Your Heart Dress, in plum and black has a fitted silhouette and stops just above the knee. The off the shoulder neckline allows it to be simpl to accesorize. I personally would opt for a large statement necklace to show off the neckline with small earring studs. I purchased the dress in plum, and would pair it with heels that are black and possibly lace up (I'm definitely feeling lace up heels) similar to the ones in the picture. This dress was on sale at Shop Hope's for $9.00, and was originally priced at $35.99. I'd like to note that the picture used is from Shop Hope's Instagram  (@shophopes), and is not my picture.

To see more from Shop Hope's visit shophopes.com.
♡Twitter: @shophopes319
♡Instagram: @shophopes

Happy Shopping!
-Chelsea Nicole, The Mod Little Melanin

Ahh, the coat of all coats, that was first seen walking down the runway in Yeezy, Season 1 and is now sported by the entire Kardashian/Jenner/West clan. I've got to admit, when I first saw Season 1 of Kanye's fashion line, I was unimpressed. His lack of color (he seems to love neutrals) and his overly distressed clothing seemed unappealing and unpleasing to my personal style taste. I personally couldn't understand why someone would want to pay nearly $1,000 for a sweatshirt with a ripped neckline and holes throughout the piece. However, my opinion quickly changed when I came across the Yeezy Season 1 Coach Jacket and Yeezy Season 1 Fur Bomber. Though simple in style, the two jackets stood out from the other pieces in his collection. I believed that the simplicity of the jackets allowed them to be versatile when styled. 

Knowing that I would never be able to afford the Yeezy version of the jackets, I began to search for affordable look-alikes. I hit the jacketpot this past week at Forever 21, when I came across not one but two look-alikes of the Yeezy jackets. The Forever 21 version of the Coach Jacket is army green, a popular color for Fall/Winter. Both the collar and the arm cuffs of the coat are black and tan striped, and the jacket (which could be best compared to a longline coat) has a detachable hood for added warmth. The bottom of the jacket features two pull strings to tighten or loosen the coat at the bottom, allowing the coat to have a bubble look when the strings are pulled tightly. If you live where the winters are frigid, this is definitely the perfect coat for you! I'm fairly tall for a girl (5'8) and this coat comes just below my knee. The jacket I purchased is no longer available for sale on Forever21.com, however, I will post a link below with a similar (men's) jacket that is available for purchase. I'd like to add that the Coach Jacket I purchased can be found in the women's section of Forever 21. If you are unable to find one like mine, Forever 21 is running a 50% special on Coach Jackets in store only, which are placed near the sale section of the store.

The Forever 21 version of the Yeezy Season 1 Fur Bomber, is very similar to the original. Black in color, this jacket is lined with detachable black faux fur color and features a diagonal zipper across the front of the jacket. The jacket is actually a men's coat, which is a fact I was unaware of until I brought the coat home. However, the jacket has a slim fit and is not as bulky as a typical men's coat. The best thing about the Forever 21 versions of the pieces was the price. Both jackets were on clearance as part of Forever 21's buy one get one free special that is currently happening in stores only. Both coats were on sale for $19.99, and the BOGO special allowed me to pay only $20 for both of my dream jackets, which was definitely a bargain from the nearly $3,000 price tag a piece of both coats.

Expect to see me styling the jackets in a similar fashion to the Jenner sisters in a later post! 
- Chelsea Nicole, The Mod Little Melanin

Click the pictures below to be taken directly to Forever21.com to purchase the jackets!

"What does one wear to the casino?" is a question that popped into my mind when I was invited to a gathering at The Argosy Casino. Of course I already knew my answer, as always I decided to be "Team Overdressed," a style choice that allows me to wear faux fur, a floppy hat and heels (amongst other outfits) to just about everywhere, including the gas station, Walmart and everywhere in between. One of my major influences of Team Overdressed style is Adrienne Bosh, the wife of Miami Heat player Chris Bosh. Mrs. Bosh can be found sitting courtside at a Miami Heat game wearing a pink tulle skirt, black lace top and red bottoms, with the hashtag "Team Overdressed" on her Instagram photos. Currently, she is pregnant with twins, raising three young children, and running her own boutique, Sparkle and Shine Darling and has not missed a beat on being Team Overdressed.

As a proud member of Team Overdressed, my go to outfit for the casino had to include faux fur. I decided to wear an ombre blue faux fur vest, purchased from Rue 21 as a Christmas gift for me. To keep the outfit edgy, I choose ripped, bleached boyfriend jeans for my bottoms. These are my favorite jeans, purchased from Forever 21 for $6.99, on sale! They get worn a lot by me, so expect to see them on The Mod Little Melanin frequently! When wearing faux fur to a nightclub or perhaps a casino, I tend to wear a simple tank top underneath to keep me cool and comfortable while I'm having fun!

Accessories are my favorite part of the outfit! Never be afraid to accesorize an outfit, however, there is such a thing as over accessorizing! For example, if you choose to wear large earrings, such as hoop earrings, avoid wearing a large necklace. It is best to pick one or the other in order to best highlight the neckline! If the neckline of a top or dress is busy, a necklace is unnecessary, as the neckline of your outfit is already being properly showcased. Becasue my faux fur vest was a blue ombre, and already busy in style, I choose silver hoop earrings as my only accessory. My ears are not pierced so these were a hard find for me! Shoes are a favorite accesory of mine (I probably have over 100 pairs). For this outfit, I decided on navy blue suede booties, purchased from Target for around  $8.00 during September. To top the look off, I choose a winter white faux fur purse purchased from Charming Charlie's for $25.00.

When wearing faux fur, never be afraid to get creative! Faux fur goes with anything and everything! I treat every single faux fur vest, and jacket that I own as an accessory, meant to take the outfit just a step further to gain attention!

Never be afraid to experiment with style!
- Chelsea Nicole, The Mod Little Melanin