Just a little pop of color

A colleague recently asked me if red is my favorite color. Confused, I asked her why she would think that and she responded that I'm always wearing something red. For the record, red is not my favorite color. Purple is. How many purple items do I own? Two. How's that for ironic?

Looking through my outfits lately though, it's clear that I've got an affinity for red. Maybe it's because red is my POWER color. I feel good in red. It's such a "look at me" color. But far be it from me to wear all red and really scream look at me! No, for me, red is more of an accent. A little POP of color to an otherwise neutral palate. 


Take today's outfit. A simple black and white dress. Nothing extraordinary about it. A simple bow at the neckline. All business in the front. But in the back?

Dress - Shabby Apple

Fishnet stockings - Target

Suede pumps - Urban Outfitters

necklace (used as a bracelet) - Forever XXI

Sunnies - Kate Spade

Lipstick - "Truly Red" Laura Mercier  

In the back - BAM. All party. Just a little accent to an otherwise neutral palate.

Black and White and Red

This was the week for black and white. First Kristen pulled together a super cute black and white combo, then Lissy showcased her version with a Lanvin look alike, and Noelani kept it sweet and simple.Now it's my turn. I'm wearing a Shabby Apple dress - it's seriously the most comfortable dress I own, and the high waist on it makes me look ultra thin. The heels are from Urban Outfitters, and are also ultra comfortable.

I messed with the settings on my camera last weekend in Michigan, and didn't realize it until I posted these photos. Instead, I got frustrated with how these shots were turning out, gave up and went home. I guess that was my blonde moment. You'll quickly learn those are frequent occurrences. 

What are your plans for the weekend? We're off to Maine for another wedding. I'm excited about this one - the bride and groom are such a fun couple and they throw great parties. I'm also excited that after this weekend, we'll be down to one more wedding to attend during this season. Enjoy your weekends lovelies, and we'll see you on Monday!

Shabby Apple Goes to South Pacific

My favorite dress shop, Shabby Apple, just launched its new line of dresses last week, and I think they must have heard the prayers of us northerners who have been getting dumped on by Mother Nature. 

The South Pacific line has me dreaming of our upcoming tropical vacation, where the sun shines forever, the crystal blue oceans stretches to infinity and the booze flows freely. Luckily we're only two short months away from that luxury, so to pass the time I'm going to snag up some of these new dresses.  Here are the ones that are at the top of my list. 

Nothin' Like a Dame

Bali Ha'i'

If you haven't already, I suggest you head on over to Shabby Apple and snag up these gems ASAP.

Ahoy!

Oh lovelies, so sorry for being tapped out last week. Remember when I got promoted and I was super excited because it's a goal I've been working toward for years? Well, I'm still excited and proud of what I've achieved, but it's come with with a greater workload and I'm putting in 12 hour days to keep up. It won't be like this forever, but I've felt like I've been working to keep my head above water.

I've clearly got water on the brain, so it's fitting that I've been craving all things nautical. I've been loving the nautical theme for a while since I got this Shabby Apple dress last summer, but the revival of all things nautical started earlier this week when I got an Ann Taylor e-mail on spring arrivals, and most items had a nautical theme. Think tons of stripes, wide leg pants and polka dots. Perfect, no?

Apparently I'm not the only one who's in love because the collection sold out online within days. Deciding I had to try to snag some of the striped tees, I headed to Ann Taylor last night and got the last red and white striped tee in my size - yippee! I'm imaging lots of fun and various outfits including black skirts, black tights and bright red pumps (thankfully I own three pairs of those!) I'm also thinking about adding some nautical fun to my adult spring break trip this year, something like the bikini below.

So what about you? Do you dig all things nautical?

American Eagle

Shabby Apple Garden Party

Oh my gosh, how do I get to Salt Lake City this weekend? Why, do you ask? Well, my FAVORITE dress store is having a MAJOR sale!

Shabby Apple is hosting their annual Garden Party sale. According to their blog:

This Saturday is the annual Shabby Apple Garden Party dress sale. And that means that your favorite Shabby Apple dresses are going to be available to you, our loyal and much beloved customers, for outrageous prices. Have you heard that some dresses will even be as low as $5? Because it's the truth!

If you happen to be one of the lucky ladies who lives in SLC and want to snatch up the most beautiful dresses for your fall wardrobe, here are the important details (full details here):

What: Shabby Apple Garden Party dress sale
When: THIS SATURDAY, August 28th, from 8a.m. to 12 noon. (The early bird gets the worm and all of that)
Where: 2485 Haven Lane, Salt Lake City, UT

What are you waiting for? Go get 'em!

Fall Dresses

My favorite dress shop just launched their pre-fall dresses, and wow!, they're gorgeous. Here are the ones that are topping my must-have list:

The Cider dress tops my list. I can picture this with both the Dolman cardigan and these sweet purple flats.

I love the simplicity of the Maple dress, but it's the neckline that really makes this special.

The Tanglewood dress is perfect. Between the high-waisted skirt and the dot detailing on the faux blouse, I'm in love!

Those are my top three. Which ones will you be getting?

How to Make the "F" Word Better

Now that it's August it's time to start thinking about the "F" word. No, not that "F," the other one.

Fall.

That ugly word is just around the corner, but it doesn't mean I'm not getting excited for the wardrobe. It's the only way I can mentally prepare myself for the inevitable long "W." So here are a few pieces I'm eyeing.

A boyfriend Blazer with 3/4 sleeves to keep you cool on a warm day, but easily layered over a long sleeve tee for a cool day (Shade)

This Dolman cardigan (from Shade) would be perfect over this dress

The perfect belts for fall ensembles (Target fall collection)

Life isn't complete without the perfect shoes. These purple flats have just enough edge to make them sweet and sassy (Target fall collection)

I already own these shoes and I am dreaming of a hundred different outfits to wear with these beauties (Nine West at Nordstrom)

So there you go, a handful of items

Ooh La La L'Apple

Oh joy! My favorite line for awesome dresses just launched a new line perfect for the upcoming summer.

Dubbed Ooh La La, the French-inspired line makes me want to pack up my beach cruiser and head to the Champs Elysees for an impromptu picnic. It didn't take long to pick my favorites.

Tuileries - this dress is my fave - it won't be long before it's mineLa Tour Eiffel - quintessentially French (but with pockets!)

Bonheur - the crisp white dress is perfect for a hot summer day

L'amour - Called love for obvious reasons. Who wouldn't love those little ruffles at the bib?

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out and find your fave.

Shabby Apple - Redux

Remember my Shabby Apple dress that was more shabby than apple (on my frame?) Well look what I got in exchange!Cute, no? It's the perfect spring/summer dress and is acceptable for work (absolute requirement) or play. Called "Sheep Meadow" this dress is light cotton and from the Central Park collection, making it perfect for weekend walks in the Common. Plus it has the added bonus of hidden pockets! I popped this dress on and instantly fell in love with it, and I can't wait for the Boston weather to warm up so I can take this dress out on the town.

The Prepster

I love clothes, and I love the act of shopping that comes with getting clothes. The one thing I don't like though, is determining my style. If I had to describe my style it would be dressy casual. There's nothing I love more than a pair of jeans and fabulous heels. But that's not really a style, is it?

Well, lo and behold, one of my favorite online shops, Shabby Apple, has the answer for me. They just created a widget that tells you what your style is based on a few silly questions.
I took the challenge and it turns out that my style is:I don't know about loafers and boat shoes for my style, but I do heart me some J. Crew, Ralph Lauren and Kate Spade (and just ask Stephen what my brand is - he'll tell you I'm so Banana Republic.) So maybe I do know my style after all.

Want to see what your style is? Just take the little test below and find out for yourself.

A Very Shabby Apple

Remember that awesome dress I got for my upcoming spring weddings from my favorite online shop, Shabby Apple?

Well, it just wouldn't do. I don't know how the model pulled it off, but the dress sat like a burlap sack when I put it on. Which is tragic because I LOVED the dress. So... back to the drawing board.

After searching high and low, I finally found a great dress from Macy's (of all places.) In fact, the dress was so wonderful (and so inexpensive) I ordered it in a pretty shade of blue and purple, natch.

I don't have photos (yet) but rest assured there will be photos from both weddings. Yippee!

Decisions Decisions

I'm a little stuck and I need your help, dear readers. I'm torn between two pairs of shoes for the spring weddings I'm going to in Texas. This is the dress I'm wearing (love, love, love Shabby Apple dresses!)

Both shoes are from Calvin Klein.

So tell me, which do you like best for the dress? Please let me know your thoughts!