carrera panamerika: alicia keys

Anticipatory Set: When I changed the focus of this blog I did not anticipate the opportunities for sponsorships or campaigns.  (In other words... receiving offers for compensation in exchange for review their brand or campaign.)  Over the past week, I've received two of these... or at least two that are actually serious about wanting a review and not a straight-up plug.  Reviews, I will do.  Blind and shameless plugs simply for compensation, I will not.  Sure, times are tough but not that tough in my opinion.  And now that P. and I are both gainfully employed full-time I am definitely not in a position to bargain honesty for pocket change.

One campaign for Carrera Panamerika sunglasses actually did catch my eye and after a wee bit of research and thought, earned my trust as well.  I'm sure this is at least due in part to the fact that it mentioned something about Alicia Keys and, seriously, how do you get her voice out of your head?  ("I'm trying to work here, thanks!")  I think her "I Ain't Got You" was the first R&B single that I really loved... and that's saying a lot because R&B just gets so darn repetitive for me so to actually love it is huge.

Objective(s) Addressed: Adapting an item I would normally never pick up into my Mom Uniform rotation (Skip below to see how I would wear it); Style inspiration

Materials and Sources:

• Carrera Panamerika 1 sunglasses (shown in the Alicia Keys "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart video and in the new Britney Spears "3")
• Polyvore

Input: Here's where this campaign got tricky (and fun) for me.  I almost turned it down because, as you guys would probably be able to guess by now from the past week or two of outfit posts, I would normally never consider a pair of Carrera shades in my own personal wardrobe.  But since I am a big Alicia Keys fan (which also doesn't quite go with my Twi-fan/toddler-chasing 'image'), and a child of the 80's, I couldn't turn it down.  All of the Carrera sunglasses I've seen have a kind of 80's vibe to them that I actually like but that I know would never look good on me worn as Keys does and as they were worn two decades ago.  Let me show you how she wears them in her video:

And with a little Polyvore magic, I came up with a way to incorporate them that works with MY style:

To counter the 80's vibe, I paired them with details that were either pretty feminine or slouchy with just a hint of tough.  I played off of Alicia with the knit motorcycle jacket and the studs on the boots.  But to keep it in my comfort zone I wanted a color combo that I love (dusty pink + gray) and ruffles to peek out of the jacket.  The earrings were just for fun - I love me some Marc by Marc Jacobs and they're not a fussy accessory that would compete with everything else I threw in there.  I was surprised by how much I really loved this combination - those BOOTS!  And I actually really love the way the shades look on the model.  Definitely up my alley now.  And apparently Britney's alley, too - she wears a pair of Carreras in her new video for "3" (which I love... I know as a mom I should hate Britney's songs and videos but... I just can't help it.  I'm still a sixth grade when it comes to my MTV preferences.  It's a guilty pleasure that I just can't shake.  Sue me.)

Final Notes:  I don't even need to say that Alicia Keys has balls when it comes to her style.  She wears things I would never, ever in a million years consider wearing on my own figure.  And even when it might not be the best choice for her... she rocks it with confidence.  I love that.  That's the kind of attitude I want to have in my own style choices but that I often don't because I have weird body confidence issues (How old am I? Ugh.).  So if I learned anything watching the Behind the Scenes video for this campaign... it's that style is all about your attitude.  How many times do we hear this and never get it?  Geeeeezz.

How do you lovely gals adapt a different style to your own wardrobe?  How would you style these shades?