Cole Haan is having their “Be Our Guest” sale November 5th-November 9th. Use code OURGUEST at www.colehaan.com and receive 25% off your entire purchase. I would say now is the time to stock up on their delicious assortment of short boots, tall boots and Nike Air heels. Check it out at www.colehaan.com.
I, like many fashionistas, draw inspiration from the iconic Audrey Hepburn and her slew of glamorously dressed characters. My favorite, of course, being Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The infamous black dress she wore while eating breakfast in front of Tiffany’s has forever stuck in my head as one of my all time favorite dresses.
You can imagine my delight when Milly used that same inspiration to design their Peau De Soie Tiffany dress. This elegant silk satin dress has a bejeweled pearl and rhinestone collar that mimics the exact lines of the dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It is very elegant and chic and fits beautifully and I can happily say is now hanging in my closet waiting for a night out! Available online at www.neimanmarcus.com. I could only post a picture of the front of the dress click on the Neiman Marcus link to see the back it looks exactly like the original.
I am totally in love with these boots from Urban Outfitters. They are designed by blogger J. Aldridge (Sea of Shoes) for Urban Outfitters and are so cool. They look so much more expensive than they really are and will certainly add a kick to your closet. At first I thought it would be hard to figure out what to wear with them but the more I thought about it the more I realized you could wear them with everything. They can add edge to everything from a simple sweater dress to a pencil skirt and crisp button down to leggings and a big comfy sweater. They will definitely up your cool factor! Get yours at www.urbanoutfitters.com.
Happy November! Cold, crisp and blustery days are on the horizon as well as a slew of holiday events. Be prepared with a selection of great sweaters that can do double duty dressed up or down to keep you warm and chic.
A few of my faves:
I totally love these two sweaters by Velvet, they are warm and cozy but their modern, blousey silhouettes and jeweled details keep them far from ho-hum. PS Buy the black chain necklace sweater a tad smaller than shown on the model, I tried it on and it looks better more fitted than shown, normally I wear a medium in Velvet but the small looked better. Both available at www.shopbop.com.
I pretty much love anything by Vince and it is no wonder that I have my sights set on this cashmere shrug cardigan. It is a luxurious basic that will definitely get worn with everything from jeans and tee combos to dressy halter tops and cocktail dresses. Available at www.net-a-porter.com.
I bought this J Crew cashmere v-neck henley in black last year and wore it all the time. It looked equally as cute with comfy black pants and sneakers for running weekend errands, dressy black pants and heels for work and dinner parties and thrown over any pair of jeans. You can totally change its look by varying what you layer underneath, try a ruffled collar blouse, button down shirt or simple tank, plus the v-neck allows you wear a wide variety of necklaces from short to long, statement making or simple. Available in a variety of colors at www.jcrew.com.
You can still look fab in these trying economic times by keeping an eye out for stylish, yet expensive items that look more expensive than they are. One of my favorite shops on the web for this is www.lulus.com. It is chocked full of trendy, inexpensive items that will breathe new life into last year’s fall wardrobe. Here are my 5 favorite must haves.
1980’s Boyfriend Blazers are huge this season and very versatile, wear with jeans or over a cocktail dress, and with the price ($52) of this one you can afford to indulge in other trends.
Dare I say it? Yes I think I will, the holidays are just around the corner as well as the crush of party invites. This black drapey lace trimmed dress is elegant yet modern and will look great dressed up with sparkly bangles and sky high stilettos or dressed down with leggings and booties. It will also look great with the above blazer thrown over it. Plus it’s mouth dropping price of $38 will leave enough for you to buy presents. Did I mention that the drapey fabric will also hide any signs of holiday overeating.
Long over lean is a big silhouette this season and this $37 dress/tunic looks way more expensive than it is thanks in part to its unique details and high style quotient. Wear it paired with dark tights and boots and it’s casual elegance and tunic length will complement leggings and skinny jeans too.
Turn heads in this $42 satin ruffled party top. They won’t have any idea how much money you saved when they see you wearing it paired with black skinny pants and bejeweled heels.
Jewelry can always add newness to anything in your closet. This $28 necklace looks like it was found in an out of the way antique store or dug out from a treasure trove of vintage clothing and accessories.
I have completely fallen in love with the show Man Shops Globe on the Sundance Channel. Man Shops Globe follows Keith Johnson and his team all over to world scouring unique items to sell in Anthropologie stores. They travel to crazy, out there, remote places finding gorgeous items to sell or use as inspiration. After watching this show you will have a new appreciation for how stores like Anthropologie acquire their unique blend of merchandise. Check it out on the Sundance channel Wednesdays at 10 E/P.
I was recently happily introduced to Poetic Licence shoes by way of one of my favorite local shoe boutiques. Poetic Licence shoes are sexy, with a decidedly edgy-whimsical feel, unique embellishments and details add to their charm. Poetic Licence shoes are not for the faint of heart, they are meant to make a statement, the kind of shoes you build your outfit around. These shoes allow you to keep your outfit simple and let your shoes do the talking, or walking in this case! Available online at www.zappos.com.
The farmer’s almanac is predicting a numbing winter with below average temperatures for 2/3 of the country as well as average to above normal winter precipitation. That cold news coupled with below average temps in my home town has got me searching the web looking for a great new coat.
Lucky for me and you, designers must have predicted a colder than usual winter too, when they began dreaming up their fall/winter collections because unique statement making coats appear far and wide. There are so many great styles, colors and shapes that there is no reason to be left out in the cold.
A few of my faves that will keep you warm and stylish.
This Alice + Olivia coat gets mega style points as well as functional points for its big collar that will keep the chill out. Available at www.shopbop.com.
Make a statement in this military inspired super chic winter white coat with silver details. It also has a bit of spandex which gives it great shape while allowing you the freedom of movement that you sometimes don’t get with other coats. Available at www.whitehouseblackmarket.com.
This Nanette Lepore coat balances feminine styling with great structure creating a truly beautiful coat that will dress up any outfit. Available at www.shoptwigs.com.
One can not mention great coats without including one from J. Crew the arbiter of stylish pea-coats. This one has a vintage parisian feel with a dramatic fold over collar. Available in great colors at www.jcrew.com.
This sweater sleeve coat brings you the coziness of a pullover cable sweater and the warmth of a wool coat. It is the perfect coat to wear on the weekends with jeans and boots giving you a casual, trendy style. Available at www.anthropologie.com.
My city just lost a really cute, clever clothing store last week when it’s owner decided to close the doors, another victim of this bad economy and the constant competition from chains and online retailers. As a former store owner I can sympathize and I just wanted to remind everyone to try to shop local as much as they can in order to give these amazing entrepreneurs your much needed business.
Now, I love shopping online as much as the next person but I do try and make an effort to visit my favorite local haunts buying cute and unique stuff. There is a cool new movement being started called the 3/50 Project where it asks each person to pick 3 local stores and spend $50 at each in order to help boost local independent store owner’s business. It is a great idea and a good excuse to shop! You can check out their website by going to www.the350project.net.
Just so you know:
If half of the employed population spent $50 each month in locally owned independent businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue.
For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home!
Pick 3 of your favorite stores, Spend $50 and Save your local economy!
Take 1 part super soft slouchy cotton tee add 1 part hand drawn jewelry graphics and top it off with hand sewn antique looking jewels for a casual meets dressed up tee. This adorable J Crew tee is an easy addition to your wardrobe that will look great with skinny jeans, slim cardigan and jeweled flats or worn under a sleek black blazer and pencil skirt or dress up casual comfy pants and sneakers for relaxing weekends. A tee this versatile is hard to come by and well worth buying. Available at www.jcrew.com.
