Outfit Idea: Ballerina Moment

I love dresses!  I especially love longer simple tank dresses.  They are easy, elegant, comfortable and above all else... versatile.  As everyone knows I love myself a piece of clothing that can be "played with"... there is nothing more exciting to me than coming up with a million different ways to wear the same dress, skirt, shirt, etc!

With that being said, I could hardly contain my excitement as I passed by Aritzia (at the mall) several weeks ago and saw the most simple and beautiful dress in the window.  The simplicity of the design reminded me of a dress that a ballerina might wear in a performance.  It's long, but not too long.  An empire waist keeps the top fitted and allows for a fuller skirt, but not too full.  Just full enough to make it pretty and add a little movement.  

Obviously, I couldn't resist the dress.  I had to have it in black and blue (I have a problem!).  And, after three weeks, I am pretty sure that I have already gotten my money's worth from my purchase.  This dress has inspired many looks already.  I can guarantee that this won't be the last time you read about this dress.  Today I wanted to share my favorite look thus far...

This is my ballerina look.  I am not quite sure if a ballerina would wear this, but I felt pretty, elegant and graceful wearing it... so, close enough!  Saturday was a warm and sunny day that was filled with a lot of errand running and playing outside with the girls.  I wore the dress with my flip flops... simple.

We ended up going to a fun, dressier place for dinner with the girls - I needed something chic, child-friendly and quick.  I added a black ballet sweater, a chunky bracelet and my favorite Madewell Old Town Boot and my trusty black RZ clutch.... dinner ready.  I loved my outfit and more importantly, I felt very Audrey Hepburnish.

Unfortunately I can't find the dress online, but I wanted to share a few other drool-worthy tank dresses.  

The Miguelina Whitney Tank Dress from Free People would be a perfect addition to my closet... 

I am crushing on this BCBGMAXAZARIA Edita Pleated Maxi Dress as well... so many possibilities.

As I find more dresses, I will share them with you.  It is hard to come by the perfect dress that allows a lot of versatility. The hunt continues...

                                                                                                                           - Allison

*Photos courtesy of freepeople.com and shopbop.com.

Outfit Idea: The Pleated Mini (& what not to wear!)

I have to preface my post with a bit of a rant.  Generally speaking it is not hard to dress well when you have a lot of money.  Besides the fact that more expensive clothing means you are able to buy pieces that are made with better fabric, constructed better and fit better than your average pieces from Old Navy or Target.  You also have the ability to hire a stylist or use a store's personal shopping service.  However, I believe that some women suffer from a disease (just as people who think they can sing, but sound horrendous) in which they believe they have very good taste.  This disease usually goes hand-in-hand with not knowing when enough is enough, and being obsessed with the perceived status of specific labels.

I believe the Kardashian sisters all suffer from some form of this disease.  Sometimes they look great, but most of the time I feel as though they are not dressing for their body type, they should have looked in the mirror before they left and taken something off, or they think they look like hot stuff... think being the key word.

A few things that come to mind when thinking about the Kardashian sisters...

           - You are not cool because you own a birkin bag in every color.  Variety is a good thing.

           - A red sole does not necessarily mean that shoe should be purchased.  Designers make mistakes       

             too.  And, once again, variety is a good thing.

           - When wearing animal print - one piece in a print is usually enough.  No need to wear it head-to-toe.

With all of this in mind, I was scrolling through Fluent News yesterday when this picture of Kim Kardashian made me gulp in horror...  Kim on Easter Sunday heading into church.

I know that everyone is different.  The fact that we all have different styles is what makes fashion so interesting.  With that being said, I believe this outfit should not to be worn again.  First, it is not flattering.  Kim K is a curvy girl.  She should be wearing pieces that accentuate her curves, balance her out and not add bulk.  The pleated mini skirt is not working in her favor.  It is adding bulk to her hips and that is what immediately draws your eye.  Either she needs to add inches to the skirt (and probably lose the pleats) or choose a jacket and/or top that helps to keep your eye from going straight to the skirt and her hips.  

Some ideas for a pleated mini skirt such as Kim K's...

A dressier look -

This Robert Rodriguez Print Top would be a beautiful complement to an ivory skirt.

This long and lean Ludlow Jacket is the perfect topper to help slim the silhouette.  The cut would allow some of the fullness of the skirt to be camouflaged and your eye would not travel straight to the hips.

The Sam Edelman Tacoma Pump is the perfect pump for this look.  A platform to help balance things out, while the neutral snake print adds interest and will help lengthen the leg.

A daytime look - 

This J. Crew Citron Sequin Tank would be very fun with a pleated mini.  

An anorak - a must have this spring - is a great way to make sequins appropriate for daytime.  I am in love with the Burberry Brit Anorak.

These Tory Burch Fleur High Heel Sandals are a great staple for summer.  These are a great way to balance the sequins and the sporty anorak.  For a more casual look, a cute pair of sneakers would be great!

A weekend look - 

I love this Cashmere Boatneck Multistripe Sweater from J. Crew.

For some fun I would add a denim vest or jacket, such as J. Crew's Denim Vest...

While Madewell's Streetside Sandal would be my shoe of choice...

                                          - Allison

*Photos courtesy of usmagazine.com, aceshowbiz.com, nordstrom.com, jcrew.com, toryburch.com & madewell.com.

Outfit Idea: Mixing Textures

Sunny, 60 degree weather is wonderful and very refreshing.  I absolutely love spending time outside whether it is at the playground, driving with the windows down (reliving high school days when I could drive aimlessly for hours listening to my mixes - on cassette tapes!) or attempting to garden.  The only thing holding me back from completely enjoying these days is my inability to strike a balance between overdressing (i.e. wearing my puffy coat) and underdressing (i.e. wearing flipflops and a dress).

Yes, I could wear skinny jeans, ballet flats, a sweater and a light jacket of sorts.  Within a week, though, I tend to develop a blasé attitude towards my "go to" ensemble.  You know the feeling you get at about the 7th month of pregnancy... when you are so tired of wearing the same thing everyday!  My golden rule is that I must mix things up at least a 2-3 times per week in order to keep my sanity. 

I had the perfect opportunity to experiment over the weekend.  I was headed out to run errands for Easter (at the last minute, of course!) by myself.  No girls, just me, my iPod and a beautiful day.  Naturally I felt like getting dressed up more than I usually do.  I headed straight for my skirts and couldn't find a thing to wear.  Some things were to summery, others to wintery, or I didn't have the right shoes to pull off the outfit that I wanted to wear... ugh!

Then it dawned on me like a flash of lightning... mixing textures would be the perfect solution.  I grabbed a crocheted lace skirt from Club Monaco - a birthday present from my hubby!

Beckett Lace Skirt

I topped the skirt with a white ribbed tank and my angora blend sweatshirt style sweater (Club Monaco).

My really old and comfy riding boots were my footwear of choice for a day of running around.

I love my trusty Coach satchel... you can wear it cross-body.  A perfect hands-free bag.

And, voilà!  I was ready to hit the stores.  Comfy, cute and a little different...

                                                                                                                          - Allison

*Photo courtesy of clubmonaco.com.