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Observations in Fashion

April’s Limited Edition—The Kelly Pant and Linda Top

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The Linda Top & Kelly Pant
The Linda Top in White Seersucker & Kelly Pant

April’s Limited Edition–the Kelly pant and Linda top will be your favorite travel style this summer!

My trip to Palm Springs inspired this month’s Limited Edition. I wanted something light that would hold up in warmer weather, was washable and had a whole new swag. The Kelly pant is all that and more!  The cropped wide leg is modern and easy to wear for all shapes and sizes. It is made in a cotton/tencel fabric which will keep you cool on those warm spring/summer days. And what better way to celebrate the warm weather than with a cotton seersucker off-the-shoulder top to create the perfect spring/summer ensemble? The Linda top is available in white and grey pinstripe. Seersucker is a wonderful warm weather fabric—it washes easily, needs very little pressing and is cool to wear. The Kelly pant is $255 and the Linda top is $155. Both are available in sizes 1 (4-6), 2 (8), and 3 (10-12). Other sizes are available upon request.

Whether you are off to the Amalfi Coast or just staying close to home this summer you will want to wear these pieces over and over again.

The Linda in pinstripe seersucker

The Linda in Pinstripe SeersuckerWhether you are off to the Amalfi Coast or just staying close to home this summer you will want to wear these pieces over and over again.

These spring classics are ready to ship to you immediately! Get them online now. If you have any questions regarding these items please email me.

Eat well, laugh a lot, and be chic!

6 Tips For Jazzing Up a Basic Black Outfit

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We all have days when we just can’t get our fashion groove on. Standing in front of your closet you peruse your options. As you push back each hanger you mumble to yourself, “nope, nope, nope”. Face it, you’re not in the mood for anything other then head-to-toe black. But walking out of the house in nothing but black can set the stage for a rather dull and depressing day. On those days where the color black is the only color you can wrap your head around think about jazzing-up your outfit with one of these 6 styling tips.

~Brighten it up with colorful accessories. Think red, yellow, green or snakeskin shoes. And don’t think you have to match your shoes to your handbag. If you are wearing head-to-toe black you can go a little overboard with the color of you accessories.

~Mix your metals. Wearing gold and silver together works elegantly with an all-black outfit. If you’ve got a large watch wear that with your silver and gold bangles.

~Add texture. The next time you are in the shopping mood for a new black top find one with texture. The added texture will give your outfit a little more depth.

~Add a print. Parisians know how to wear scarves! And they do it boldly. Choose a large printed and colorful scarf. If styling a big scarf seems daunting just fold it into a triangle and drape over your shoulders.

~Embrace a bit of quirkiness. You know that huge necklace or pin you have a hard time wearing. Well, an all-black canvas is the best way to show off the vintage necklace you picked up at the flea market or just load up on the bracelets.

~Or just get a puppy. A puppy is sure to make you smile and grab attention as well.

Eat well, laugh a lot, and be chic!

Fashion As Cultural Forecast: Change Is In the Air

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If there was ever a barometer for cultural movements it is fashion.  The 60s perhaps best exemplified the sharp change of cultural direction from a neatly pressed perfection of the 50s to an explosion of splashy, bright colors and dynamic social movements.  Today is no different.  You just have to look a little harder.  If you follow fashion, you may have noticed a few things that have altered the dynamic of how we dress.

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Until very recently a casual, inspired wardrobe was the big fashion story.  Ripped jeans, leggings, oversized plaid shirts, knit hats, sneakers, and anything that resembled athletic wear became the new normal. I am not an expert on cultural movements but the shift from a tailored look of the early to mid 90s to a much more relaxed one, which began around the mid 90s when denim became the currency of a hip wardrobe, only  exemplified the dot-com phenomenon. This was a time when our economy was soaring, the tech industry was creating new wealth, and “casual” made its expansive debut. New business models changed the culture of work and industries and fashion made that leap as well.  Who can forget casual Friday?

In short order, casual Friday morphed into casual everyday.  Was the impetus for this relaxed look our emboldened attitude?  After all, all economic forecasts led us to believe our fortunes were just an IPO away. We seemed to recover quickly from the crash of 2000 but the one that rippled through our veins was in 2008. Were we so devastated that we no longer cared?  As the economy began to soar again, so did disposable clothing. Inexpensive, throw-away fashion became the new normal. Was this emblematic of an entitled zeitgeist?

Today, everything seems so tentative —our jobs, our healthcare, and our fashion choices. The uncertainty of everything leaves us craving security, a stable job, reasonable healthcare, and clothing that doesn’t fall apart and stays in style longer than a season. The latest fashion shows took a distinct turn this season. The abrasive informality that has been so prevalent on the runways has softened. There was less make-up, less nudity, and less spectacle. The clothing seemed simplified, stylish, and carefully articulated, not understated or boring but modern and thoughtful. There were still the over-the-top shows but those now appeared contrived and out of step with where we are going.  Denim and athletic wear will not be disappearing any time soon.  But from the way things look, we just might be on the cusp of another dynamic change.  Have we reached a new inflection point?  Stay turned.

Eat well, laugh a lot , and be chic!