Each of these items is in keeping with my ethos of casual and chic. There is plenty over at Nordstrom that is both much more and much less casual than the above, and definitely something(s) for everyone. Be sure to let me know what you picked out!
Thursday, May 21, 2015
SALE SEASON!
Perhaps you've been living under a rock, or simply been too busy to care...but Nordstrom is having their half-yearly sale, and there is more than I can handle. But I've given it the college try and have unearthed 12 items that I would like to add to my wardrobe immediately. Take a look:
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
All Tied Up
It's time to put away the tights and show off those bare legs! Summer dresses are easy to throw on and automatically appear put together in 90° weather. The most casual tee shirt-dress with a pair of sneakers says "I look fabulous" without working at it at all. I love a no-thought look! The drawstring waist dress seems to be popping up everywhere this season, elevating that plain old tee dress into something that is easily styled but still super functional. Check out these examples:
1. River Island's kimono sleeve dress is big on the details, with beautiful drapey sleeves, a v neckline and lots of pockets - two flap pockets at the chest and hip pockets. This would be a great beach-to-dinner option.
2. If pure cotton is your game, Tory Burch's drawstring waist t-shirt dress has your name all over it. The lovely Frenesi print is a modern take on toile and a great contrast to a laid-back look. At 34" in length, it can be worn cinched without worrying that you'll be exposing your lady bits (unless lady bit exposure is your thing).
3. Banana Republic's soft drawstring dress is a tank version that is a mix of modal and viscose, and I'm betting it's a flowy, soft hand. This dress also has pockets and the white version is fully lined. Apparently there's another version (color? print? something?), but I can't find it on the BR site. I'm hoping it shows up soon.
4. For the boho chic fan, Joie's Suerte dress is a beautiful pink silk with an ikat print and embroidery. I may not be big into boho looks, but a little luck (suerte ≡ luck) from Joie in the form of this dress is welcome all summer long.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Know the 'Drille
Spring and summer footwear is clearly a theme here at LGC. Since I plan on staying on theme (for the moment, at least), lets talk about one of my favorite warm weather sightings: the espadrille. Seeing braided jute rope soles puts joy in my heart, but I try to keep the dollars down because I have a tendency to beat the hell out of them. Trust me, you can find on-trend at every price. Check it out:
Thoughts? The ones on the left are here, and the ones on the right are here. Did you guess right? Which one would you buy?
The espadrille has graduated beyond the simple flat sole and canvas upper. While the traditional style continues to be a fashion mainstay, there is so much more to choose from. I managed to narrow the ridiculous amounts of choices down to six, but I really could have gone crazy here...and no one wants that, right?
1/2/3/4/5/6
Banana Republic checks so many boxes with the Noemie Espadrille (#1): it's a mix of bootie, wedge, sandal and suede that reads very city chic. Plus the color is a great neutral. But really, BR? You call it seaweed? I can't think of a less attractive term for that green.
I love height without straining my poor feet, and I bet I could wear Tory Burch's slides (#2) all day without complaining. The perforated leather is a beautiful ivory with a more subtle nod to Tory's signature double T logo.
Soludos' traditional espadrilles are close to perfection, but I adore their "smoking sipper" (#3) with its signature vamp. This style comes in a ton of variations, and I can't resist the combination of chambray and white embroidery.
Moving away from neutral ground, Steve Madden's perforated faux leather Choppur (#4) comes in a number of colors, and I was drawn to this bright coral. I had a chance to try them on and they're incredibly comfortable, plus the top of the vamp hits exactly the right spot on my arch.
For something feminine, floral and still fun, Gucci's espadrille (#5) is lovely, if a bit pricey. Knowing how hard I am on shoes, this is a no-go for me, but I still drool when I see them.
Want something that's more like regular wedge heel without looking like office attire (but you can still get away with them in the office)? Sam Edelman's Harmony espadrille (#6) has a leather vamp and ankle strap and gets the height going at 3 1/2".
I'm actually wearing a pair of espadrille wedges RIGHT NOW. They're an old pair from the Calypso x Target collabo in a washed blue and green. Yay for warm weather!
Thoughts? The ones on the left are here, and the ones on the right are here. Did you guess right? Which one would you buy?
The espadrille has graduated beyond the simple flat sole and canvas upper. While the traditional style continues to be a fashion mainstay, there is so much more to choose from. I managed to narrow the ridiculous amounts of choices down to six, but I really could have gone crazy here...and no one wants that, right?
Banana Republic checks so many boxes with the Noemie Espadrille (#1): it's a mix of bootie, wedge, sandal and suede that reads very city chic. Plus the color is a great neutral. But really, BR? You call it seaweed? I can't think of a less attractive term for that green.
I love height without straining my poor feet, and I bet I could wear Tory Burch's slides (#2) all day without complaining. The perforated leather is a beautiful ivory with a more subtle nod to Tory's signature double T logo.
Soludos' traditional espadrilles are close to perfection, but I adore their "smoking sipper" (#3) with its signature vamp. This style comes in a ton of variations, and I can't resist the combination of chambray and white embroidery.
Moving away from neutral ground, Steve Madden's perforated faux leather Choppur (#4) comes in a number of colors, and I was drawn to this bright coral. I had a chance to try them on and they're incredibly comfortable, plus the top of the vamp hits exactly the right spot on my arch.
For something feminine, floral and still fun, Gucci's espadrille (#5) is lovely, if a bit pricey. Knowing how hard I am on shoes, this is a no-go for me, but I still drool when I see them.
Want something that's more like regular wedge heel without looking like office attire (but you can still get away with them in the office)? Sam Edelman's Harmony espadrille (#6) has a leather vamp and ankle strap and gets the height going at 3 1/2".
I'm actually wearing a pair of espadrille wedges RIGHT NOW. They're an old pair from the Calypso x Target collabo in a washed blue and green. Yay for warm weather!
Monday, April 20, 2015
Baby Steps
It's been almost a year. Shame on me. I'd love to say I was busy, and I was, but that's no excuse. Rather than moping around and making excuses, lets get right back into it!
The "ugly" sandal has been a fashion statement for approximately two years now. However, I've been bucking this trend due to a deep seated, long-standing dislike of said sandals. In high school, the norm was this look:
Birkenstock Arizona sandals with socks was good for both guys and girls. I went to a small, liberal private school with no dress code. But, as teens will, there was an unwritten dress code: you were in the Birk'nSock group or the Doc Martins group (black, of course). Me? I was in neither, and by the time I graduated I couldn't wait to get the heck outta that place. I still don't own a pair of shoes from either company, but as the weather changes I find myself drawn to a variation of the Birk (and last fall I was dying for these). My Havaianas could use a swap out for days when rubber flip flops aren't going to make the cut, and I love a comfortable sandal in the sweltering heat of summer. With prices ranging from ridiculously reasonable (check out 6pm.com or Nordstrom Rack) to stratospheric (Givenchy) there is a lot to choose from out there! Here are some of my top picks:
1/2/3/4
The Ugly Sandal - I'm just going to go with the moniker - comes in a variety of styles, but I find that the most common are the X Vamp (#1), the Flip Flop (#2) the Dr. Scholl (#3) and the 2 Strap (#4), all of which correspond to different core Birkenstock styles (Almere, Gizeh, Madrid and Arizona, respectively). My number one pick is the Paz two-strap from Loeffler Randall. The mix of white calf hair and gold pebbled leather straps elevates the cork footbed, and I love the white rubber sole.
Are you into the Ugly Sandal? Or is it to much (to little?) for you?
The "ugly" sandal has been a fashion statement for approximately two years now. However, I've been bucking this trend due to a deep seated, long-standing dislike of said sandals. In high school, the norm was this look:
The Ugly Sandal - I'm just going to go with the moniker - comes in a variety of styles, but I find that the most common are the X Vamp (#1), the Flip Flop (#2) the Dr. Scholl (#3) and the 2 Strap (#4), all of which correspond to different core Birkenstock styles (Almere, Gizeh, Madrid and Arizona, respectively). My number one pick is the Paz two-strap from Loeffler Randall. The mix of white calf hair and gold pebbled leather straps elevates the cork footbed, and I love the white rubber sole.
Are you into the Ugly Sandal? Or is it to much (to little?) for you?
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Up And At 'Em
Monday was tough...and here I am on Tuesday still dragging. Which got me thinking about what I wear to bed. Not the most elegant of segues, I admit, but it gets me to where I'm going, which is sleepwear. I love comfortable pajamas, but find that once I'm out of my Target Nick & Nora winter jammies, I usually end up in a ratty T shirt and boxers or one of my nightgowns that I had left over from my maternity wear days. Now that I have admitted that, I am completely embarrassed.
I have a sleepwear quirk: I need to have my shoulders covered. It can be 90 degrees and no AC, and for some reason at night, my shoulders get cold. I had a few tank-and-capri sets that I never felt truly comfortable in because of this weird body thing I've got going on. I came up with some shoulder cover options that look significantly better than the schmatas I've been sporting:
One pet peeve: I hate it when companies sell out of a shirt and only have the shorts (or vice versa). I do understand that not everyone is OCD when it comes to their pajamas and doesn't need to have a top with a bottom. My solution would be to have a number of full sets for sale (i.e., single click of a button for us 'net shoppers) for those of us who don't want to click around to find both pieces of a set (I'm looking at you, numbers 2 and 6). That being said, I do adore Kensie's Sunset Boulevard set (#2) even though Nordstrom is selling the pieces separately, and if you're not careful you'll end up with a top and no shorts.
**yawn**. I think it's time for a nap!
I have a sleepwear quirk: I need to have my shoulders covered. It can be 90 degrees and no AC, and for some reason at night, my shoulders get cold. I had a few tank-and-capri sets that I never felt truly comfortable in because of this weird body thing I've got going on. I came up with some shoulder cover options that look significantly better than the schmatas I've been sporting:
One pet peeve: I hate it when companies sell out of a shirt and only have the shorts (or vice versa). I do understand that not everyone is OCD when it comes to their pajamas and doesn't need to have a top with a bottom. My solution would be to have a number of full sets for sale (i.e., single click of a button for us 'net shoppers) for those of us who don't want to click around to find both pieces of a set (I'm looking at you, numbers 2 and 6). That being said, I do adore Kensie's Sunset Boulevard set (#2) even though Nordstrom is selling the pieces separately, and if you're not careful you'll end up with a top and no shorts.
**yawn**. I think it's time for a nap!
Friday, May 16, 2014
Fast Friday: Tropical Punch
If you haven't guessed from the post title, I'm moving to "fast Fridays" because heck, I am ready for happy hour too! Today's Fast Friday is inspired by the tropical weather we're having around here. It was sunny and gorgeous this morning for about a millesecond. Now it's warm and rainy. I shouldn't complain though, at least it's not snow. But would I like to see the sun sometime this month? Definitely. Which got me thinking about all of the perpetually sunny places I love to visit and their lovely palm trees. There's nothing like the rustle of a palm in a soft breeze.
Pixie Market's palm print maxi dress can be worn day or night. The bright splashes of pink really pop. The clutch from ASOS looks like a California sunset to me. I'm all about a great bomber jacket, and the palm print on this one from Amour Vert is fresh and fun. Zara's Palm Print pants could become a wardrobe staple. I need a pair of Toms, because I may be shopping, but with my purchase I know I'm helping someone too. Finally, Roberto Coin's palm tree necklace is dainty and sweet.
Have a wonderful (sunny!) weekend!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Spring Showers
Remember way back, when Tamara Henriques had the coolest rain boots out there? I still have my leopard print and pink trim boots. You may be wondering why I'm thinking about a new pair. Truth: my boots are mid-calf and I am dying for a pair of full size wellies. But I don't want to go the plain route of Hunter. I am not knocking Hunter. I think the boots are lovely and probably keep your feet completely dry. But I do love some visual interest on my rain boots, especially when they can brighten up a gray day. Big plus: they're rain boots. They really don't have to coordinate with stuff 'cause...rain!
Since Tamara Henriques seems to be out of business, I went hunting for fun rainboots and was not disappointed. There's a plethora of bright single-color boots, and even better, many print options to choose from. Here are my top 5:
Since Tamara Henriques seems to be out of business, I went hunting for fun rainboots and was not disappointed. There's a plethora of bright single-color boots, and even better, many print options to choose from. Here are my top 5:
1. My daughters have adorable photo print leggings, and these Spy Love Buy boots are a way to show photo print love without looking like you stole your kids' clothes. If licorice isn't your thing, there is also a jellybean boot that looks good enough to eat!
2. Blackwatch is my favorite plaid, and Ralph Lauren seems to have a lock on the American plaid market. I love the contrast black strap at the top, it's a great finishing touch.
3. Until I started doing research, I'd never heard of Joules, but I am definitely hopping back over to the site for a deeper look around. Like Boden, Joules is a British company that is taking hold in the American market. Joules has quite a few rain boot options. The navy floral print here is very traditional, but the boot feels so fresh! The website indicates that they take care of customs charges, and shipping is only $9.95, and is free on orders over $170.
4. If you didn't see me waxing rhapsodic about camo earlier this week, be sure to go read about my love for this print. No, camo isn't as bright as the other entries in the top five here, but these Riff-Raff boots are irresistible to me, and would perk me up whether it's raining or not.
5. Last, but definitely not least, Bogs' open handle boot style makes the process of pulling your boots on easy! Bogs has all sorts of prints, solids and even boot heights. These boots scream spring with the bright veggie print and green trim.
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