Date night duds

The great thing about maintaining your clothes over many season is the ability to combine fresh pieces with old reliables. My shoes and necklace were finds from over 3 years ago on Gilt and Banana Republic, respectively. The Pat Benatar jacket, as my boss likes to call it, is last Spring's Stella McCartney for Adidas. The additions from this season are the new mesh shirt and the Rag and Bone jeans. What does this equal? Date night!

On a related note, my favorite date night fashion combination is when my cute husband sports his most conservative powder blue pants and purple shirt, and I'm attired in the Pat Benatar look. Such a perfectly matched couple.

Finally, thanks to my stylist, Alethea, for the ever evolving style inspiration. This is her work.

And happy date night to you, too!

Function over form

Sometimes you just have to choose function over form. At 88 degrees near the equator, I would say that is  a good time. St. John be damned, in the Dominican Republic no one cares if I've considered Resort 2012. This is a place to play, and play hard. Jumping over 27 waterfalls - check. Eating dinner in a local barrio - check. Neck deep in the ocean - check. Clothes - optional. Rash guard - necessary. Fashion was out the window on this trip and it was wonderful.

Storing Clothes

I have just finished up with my Fall/ Winter clothing storage ritual. This little practice has helped me keep my winter jackets for well over 10 years in some cases. After a season is over, there are a few basic steps I take. While it seems a bit time consuming, it really saves time and money in the long term. And I don't have to fight the lines for fixing pieces when the season starts again. I'm all ready.

1. Dry clean Most heavy wear pieces visit the dry cleaners. I don't take anything to the dry cleaners more than once a year. Dry cleaning can wear out your clothes faster than anything else, so I use this technique sparingly. And once a year is sufficient to keep my clothes fresh.
2. Hand wash I hand wash all wool and cashmere before storing. 
3. Repair I repair any damaged clothing. My favorite red jacket had a torn up lining this year. It is much cheaper to take this to a tailor to repair than replace the jacket. 
4. Replace I buff my boots and replace any heels. 
5. Store All off season clothes are stored in cloth bags. This was a new recommendation from my stylist, Alethea, this season. Cloth bags allow your clothes to breathe and leave them with a chemical smell. Throw a few cedar balls in there to avoid the moths. 

That's about it. Do you have any seasonal fashion rituals that you adhere to?

Top of the trend: Colored pants

If you haven't bought colored pants or jeans yet, proceed with caution. These colored darlings are every where right now, and this is a sure sign that we are at the end of the trend. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming of dull colors in the Fall.

So what do I mean by caution? Well, if colored pants are a key ingredient to your personal style, you should buy, buy, buy! I took this approach a couple of seasons ago with the shirt dresses. You should always buy deep into a trend if it is your personal style any season. If this is not part of your personal statement, then don't spend more than $20-50 if you want to experiment with the trend. And do something a little more now, such as some of the prints or or newer colors like mauve or lavender.

I have red and blue pants that I will wear through the summer and then gently store until I need another pop.

What trends are you investing in this year?

Petite trend: Pintuck pants

Last year I happened to come across a relatively inexpensive pair of pintuck jeans. Ok, it was really a  steal at $15. Since it felt a little trendy, I didn't want to spend much money on them just to try out something new. Well, sometimes you get lucky. This trend has turned into a basic tool in my wardrobe.

Some of you may be scratching your heads. What is pintuck, you ask? Literally, a pintuck is a pleat in the fabric. For pants, a pintuck is a very small pleat or seam sewn typically down the front of the pant. The advantage for the petite ladies is that this simple pleat has a great elongating effect. More simply said, I feel taller. I have subsequently bought 4 pairs of pintuck pants and jeans.

Since this is not a wide trend, these styles are not the easiest to find. But there are several examples out there this season. The color versions from Asos and Diane Von Furstentburg can border on a Mad Men set. I personally prefer a skinny or straight leg version for pintuck, but AG Jeans is doing some dark wash flare that are nice too. I found my recent editions on Gilt, picking up some dark grey Nili Lotan trousers and James Jeans. The picture here is a very classic DVF style.

I dream of jewelry

After realizing I am all stocked up on basics this season - plenty of jackets, tees, jeans, and shoes - I have decided to turn my attention to jewelry. For the record, the most expensive piece of jewelry I own is my wedding band. That's right, wedding band. There is no big rock on this band. I have no passion for precious stones or real metals. My bar is much lower. I try to avoid things that turn my skin green. Nevertheless, I have decided to pay some attention this season to jewelry. Much like great outwear, outstanding jewelry can make a very simple tee and jeans into a stand out outfit. And you don't have to think that much. White tee, good jeans, good shoes, simple jacket and a great necklace - done.

So my quest for jewelry begins. While I lean toward traditional on the clothing front, I find jewelry is a great way to add comic relief or a bit if "f-yeah" to an outfit. There is one designer that I just can't stop drooling over, but I haven't willed myself to shell out the cash yet. Iosselliani is an Italian jewelry designer that uses lots of different textures, metals and colors for each piece. The picture here includes brass, silver, crystals and horns. That's right horns - "f-yeah"! You get my point.

Luv Aj is also great for adding a little bit of rock and roll to my more conservative style. And its a more affordable price point. Lulu Frost is lovely for bigger pieces. If you are in the Seattle area, a great place for unique finds is Hitchcock up in Madrona. My friend, Erica, introduced me to this shop and they in turn introduced me to Iosselliani. If you can appreciate international shopping, FarFetch has one of the best selections I've found online.

The one thing I have found challenging for jewelry shopping this season is that there is a ton of brass and gold. These two tones are not my friend. Silver and blue based tones are my primary palette. I keep repeating to myself "I will not buy unless it is silver," tempting though the brass may be.

What jewelry designers are you coveting this year?

Spring has sprung

 

This is my favorite outfit so far this season. Check out the conservative duds with the "f-yeah" necklace. One of my colleagues tells me this necklace scares him. I love the juxtaposition of the nice girl sweater set against the the rock and roll necklace and shoes. The early tan doesn't hurt either for putting me in the summer mood. 

Are you in the summer mood yet?

P.S. Please ignore the messy wardrobe. What was I thinking for this background?!