Street Style in D.C.!

I just got back from D.C. (notice the lag in posts!) I traveled on the city's Metro system into D.C. everyday and did some people watching. As an artist/stylist, this is one of my favorite jobs... to watch and observe what people are wearing on the streets in different cities and bring that style to you.

Coming from New England, I thought the style in D.C. would be inspiring and fashion forward. Well, it was both, but not a lot of different than what we wear here. I just assumed that being a top city, the Capital, where Mrs. Obama lives, Washington D.C. would be jet setting, extreme, on the edge when it comes to style. I was right and wrong. As I said, the style was fashion forward, but not like you see on the streets of Manhattan or L.A.! It was sophisticated (thank you Mrs. Obama) and classic. With our economy on the down spiral, it appears that women are dressing safer and more traditional.

My favorite trend I spotted was the classic dress neatly worn with a thin cardigan over top. A lot of the dresses were classic shapes in vivid colors. Like this shirt dress from New York and Company (http://www.nyandcompany.com/). Worn with gladiator sandals or thong sandals, this style is flattering on every body type.
I spotted one young woman in a tribal print dress with a navy cardigan unbuttoned and jeweled thong sandals. It was beautiful and now I'm the search for a tribal dress to wear this spring.

Also everywhere were pencil skirts and simple button down cotton blouses. Also worn with sandals (the weather was in the 70's), this style is also simple and classic.

As for accessories, everyone seemed to be carrying large totes, maybe because you can bring your laptop or book for the Metro ride into the city, or maybe because totes are so fashion forward this spring. Scarves are also still going strong in lighter fabrics like silk blends. Jewelry was kept to a minimum with emphasize on the complete outfit.

I will keep observing different trends in different cities and try to update and create your style.

Time to Purge!

With Spring in full bloom, now is the time to purge all of your out-of-date, haven't worn in 5 seasons, will never fit in again OUTFITS!

I usually go through my closest and clothes at least twice a year. Once in the spring and again in the fall. Mainly because I have limited closet space so I need to change out my seasonal outfits to fit the weather in New England.

I have a couple of great ideas to help you weed out your clothes. First of all I suggest having 3 empty laundry baskets...1 for clothing to keep, 2 for clothing that will be given away to Goodwill or brought to a consignment shop to sell and 3 for items that could go either way!

The first rule when taking clothes out of storage is if you are not sure if it fits put it in basket #3 and try it on. Seems simple, but how many times do you rotate your clothes and then never wear it because it doesn't fit the way it use to. Which leads me to my favorite rule of purging, if you have not worn it in over the last 2 years (because it doesn't fit, doesn't look as good as when you bought it, or needs repair) YOU HAVE TO PURGE IT. You will not wear it again, it will not come back in style, you will not save it for your off springs, you will not fit in it again...purge it!

I recently read somewhere that if an item has sentimental value (for example: the leather jacket that you went to your first concert in) take a picture of it and then put it in the appropriate give away basket! Great idea! When you have finished going through your clothes... go through basket #3 and make hard but truthful decisions. Put the clothing to keep away in the appropriate spots, bag up the clothes for Goodwill and the clothes for consignment. It feels great to go through your clothes and filter them out. And remember the more you purge, the more room you will have for your new outfits!

Keep creating and updating your style!

A Sweater Named After A Commander

If you go to http://www.wikipedia.org/ it states... A cardigan is a type of sweater that ties, buttons or zips down the front. The cardigan was named after James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British military commander, following his service in the Crimean War. What a great honor for Commander James Brudenell and in case you didn't realize, the cardigan is my all time favorite type of sweater!

So to continue my piece on Spring 2009 Outerwear, we are going to find fabulous cardigans to wear! Personally I do a lot of my shopping and browsing online (I will be discussing this in future post), so researching cardigans was quite fun! This Spring you can find ANY length, tons of wonderful feminine styles and a spectrum of wonderful colors to bring you fashion forward this spring.

If you go to http://www.gap.com/ and click sweaters, then cardigans, you will find one of the best choices out there. The "Summer Cardigan" for $44.50 comes in great colors and is versatile enough to wear with t-shirts and dresses. With cropped sleeves and a cropped length, this trend is SO Spring 2009! Did you check out the names of the colors...parrot green, goldfish, purple heath... what fun? And it comes in florals and stripes!

While you are on The Gap website, they have this handy feature called "Quick Link" which pops up in the bottom right hand corner. Just click on it to go to the Gap Inc. brands sisters sites which are Old Navy and Banana Republic. Old Navy (http://www.oldnavy.com/) has a mid length, feminine "Ruffled Cardigan" for only $26.50 in more color choices than a rainbow. Banana Republic (http://www.bananarepublic.com/) has a great even longer (we're talking to your ankle long) cardigan called "Linen 3/4 Long Ribbed Cardigan" for $125.00. And at Gap Inc. Brands website, check out the shipping deals if you order from all the sites!

For a more investment piece, nothing says fashion forward such as a "cashmere" cardigan! I absolutely would invest in at least one cashmere piece for Spring 2009! Go to http://www.bodenusa.com/ and check out their "Cashmere Cropped Cardigan" on sale right now for $108.80! This classic will last you for many springs to come and can be worn into cold summer evenings and crisp fall days! The price on cashmere can range from truly expensive to truly inexpensive, just watch your plys that is where it makes a difference in pricing (a larger ply number, a better quality of cashmere, a more expensive price tag.)

And lastly for a trendier and more affordable cardigan, check out http://www.chadwicks.com/. They carry embellished beaded styles, short sleeve tunics and more classic style cardigans at reasonable prices. These pieces are worth a look to bring your outfits fashion forward this spring.

April Showers Bring Fab Trench Coats!

Here in the northeast, it has been raining since April 1st (OK, so it's only the 4th, but still!) Today I am going to focus on one of your many options for outerwear this Spring 2009! The weather in Spring can start and end chilly, so you need some type of outerwear to keep you fashion forward and update last year's outfits!

The Number One choice is "The Trench Coat!"

I love my grass green trench that I bought last spring from Ann Taylor Loft (http://www.anntaylorloft.com/) but for a more traditional choice, check out Lands' End Spring 2009 collection featuring the SunShower Trench in Desert Khaki or Black for $119.50 (http://www.landsend.com/). The price point isn't too steep and it will be your go-to classic trench for years. And while you are on the website, you have to check out the Sunflower Raincoat for a funnier approach to the trench. I actually saw a woman yesterday wearing the Bright Pistachio Floral Raincoat and it looked fabulous!
More fun and inexpensive options for trenches are at Old Navy (http://www.oldnavy.com/). Their Belted Twill Trench Coat comes in amazing colors and is priced at only $49.50, but hurry, there are only limited sizes/colors online. I love the length of this trench, it is a perfect car coat (meaning you can drive in it without getting caught in it.)

And I love, love, love Target's Merona Double Breasted Jacket in yellow plaid! (http://www.target.com/) It is bright and cool to make you stand out on those overcast rainy April days!

You don't need to spend alot on a trench and these are only a small portion of the trenches out there for Spring 2009, but with April showers, don't you need something to brighten your mood?

Watch for my next choice for Spring 2009 outerwear....the cardigan!