Retail Therapy Couch

Watchin' for Watches

Watches are my favorite accessories. I keep my fashion watches for a while, so I really want to make sure they're the "right fit" for me. When the trend started leaning towards gold watches, I was excited it wasn't silver anymore, but just couldn't find the right watch. Then, I was surfin' the net and I came across "Rose Gold Watches". Viola! Perfect, versatile color and looks great on all skin tones. Can be worn dressed up with your little black dress or casual with jeans and a tee.

Fossil, Maddox Rose Gold Bracelet Watch- macys.com

Liz Claiborne Rose Goldtone Watch- jcpenney.com

Taking advantage of Nordstrom's Anniversary sale, (great deals BTW) and got this DKNY watch

DKNY Medium Round Aluminum Bracelet Watch- nordstrom.com

Pretty in Pastels

With all of this talk about brights and neon colors, it's interesting to see the color shift to pastels for late summer / fall. Soft color combos - pinks, whites, powder blues and soft yellows were seen all over the rumways for NY Fall 11 shows. But, we're starting to see bursts of pastel looks now.

Oxford Scout Chino- jcrew.com

Fun way to dress pastels, same ways as brights, is to start with a neutral ground and then add on pastels. For example, a tan jacket with a powder blue blouse. Entering peak wedding season choose a pink or soft green dress for a trendy look.

Suzi Chin Plus size dress- macys.com

More Swimsuits

Anne Cole Signature's Bikini- Cruise 2012

Looking at previews for cruise 2012, looks like both brights and stripes are still a huge trend in bathing suits... So, grab your's now and be ahead of the curve. Or, wait till mid way through the season, buy them on clearance for next year, and you'll be right on trend.

Shoshanna Beach Club Onesie and matching Bandeau Bikini

Swim Dresses- That's right, Swim Dress to the rescue!

  Calvin Klein Swimwear, Pleated Front Swimdress- macys.com

"Wait, What??!!" Was my reaction when I came across an article on swim dresses the other day. Have I been living under a rock? How did I not know about swim dresses?? Maybe I did... Maybe I filed it in the back of my head under "frumpy". It certainly was a mis-file because the swim dresses I've seen are far from frumpy. Even, the epitome of non-frumpiness- Victoria's Secret, has a swim dress.

Magic Suit, Firm Control Convertible Dress- One- Piece- victoriassecret.com

While I love the summer, I hate wearing swim suits, if I could wear a moo-moo to the beach, I would. (yup, you guessed it, here is where I'm going to blame baby weight for my lack of exercise) After having my daughter, I had to contend with some baby weight. I would try anything to hide my gut and even the additional layers on my bum. As as result, my swimwear consisted of a tankini top and a swim skirt. But the "all black" and beautiful prints didn't seem to be doing a great job of hiding the fat and just made me feel well, fat...

Then, Eureka! I came across, the swim dress. First, it perfectly fits in with today's trend of 60's bathing suits. Second, think I'll feel a lot more comfortable chasing after my daughter around the beach.

Miracle Suit "Something to Talk About" One Piece Swim Dress- nordstrom.com

Summer 4- Snow White

The "white" trend can be a bit difficult to dress. You get it wrong and your white pant suit could have you looking like Tony Manero (Saturday Night Fever) rather than a corporate working woman. So, you don't have to wear all white together in order to hit the trend. There could just be pieces in your outfit that are white- a blazer, pants, scarf or even shoes.

Lauren Jeans Co, Frankie Denim Blazer- macys.com

Or, if you're really looking for an all white look, go for one of my favorite summer items- a breezy white maxi dress.

Style&Co Maxi Dress- macys.com

Summer 3- Stripe it up

I know, I talk about stripes, a lot. About a year ago there was "Earn Your Stripes", then in March there was "Stay in Line", and well, here it is again. I'm probably breaking some blog law that states you can't keep blogging about the same the same thing over and over. But stripes continue to lead the in the trend list. So, sorry for sounding redundant, but, we're gonna talk about stripes, again...

Peruse my other posts and you'll see fun ways of wearing stripes. But if there is one thing you can take away from this fabulous trend is that stripes are the best way to freshen up an outfit. It's easy to wear jeans, a tee and a cardigan. But, for a brand new look, just switch out the plain tee for a stripe tee!

Pointelle Cardigan, Skinny mini-flare jeans, Diagonal stripe jersey tank- oldnavy.com

Easy summer dressing- a solid color cotton skirt. Next time you're shopping, pass up on the solid color and get a stripe skirt instead.

Cropped Crochet Sweater, Tank Top, Stripe Jersey Skirt- oldnavy.com

 

 

Summer 2- and Maxi Dresses for All

Maxi Dresses are to dresses, what Skinny Jeans are to jeans. They are both in style, everyone loves both of them, but then when it comes to actually buying a wearing them, I always hear the same complaints. You can fill in the blanks with either, maxi dress or skinny jeans in any of these real life comments I've heard-

a) "I'm not tall and skinny, I can't wear (____)" 

b) "(____) make me look fat"

c) "I don't know how to wear (_____)"

However, as we saw from my past post on skinny jeans, all body types can enjoy wearing skinny jeans and the same holds true for the maxi dress. Plus, they are beyond comfortable and fabulous to wear if you're preggers (not that I am preggers, so everyone in my family reading this, relax. I just know this because Nicole Richie wore them throughout her 2nd pregnancy).

I always hear that the maxi dress "makes me look dumpy" and my response is "it's because you're not wearing it right". Best thing to get is a maxi dress with some sort of waist. Whether its an empire waist or has a drawstring or even if you add a belt, this will help with the "dumpiness" factor.

DKNY Jeans Dress Drawstring Maxi- macys.com

If you're petite, the keys would be making sure the dress fits right and not to voluminous. You want a dress that is a little closer to the body (doesn't have to be skin tight). Solid colors, especially black, always give the illusion of looking tall. As do v-necks.

NY Collection Petite Maxi Dress- macys.com

If you're plus size, the same rules apply as petites. Stick with the solid colors, look for fabrics that fit closer to the body, and dresses with belts or a waist, will help you avoid looking dumpy.

Kenneth Cole New York Sleeveless Maxi Dress (plus) nordstrom.com

Wishing everyone a fun, safe, warm and stylish 4th of July weekend!