Summer is here and there is an increased demand for easy, stylish, single-item outfits- which means it’s the season of the dress.
From floaty and forgiving house dresses to flirty floral retro patterned A-line frocks and romantic prairie silhouettes, fluidity is the key to summer 2021 dresses.
Roomier fits that emphasize comfort, easy 70’s lines and nightgown inspired shapes. Items have a little or a lot of volume, yet are tailored in all the right places. Body-con takes a backseat unless you’re wearing a tube skirt with an oversized tee or a tight knitted top with a voluminous bottom.
Comfort? Ease? I am so here for this!
The great thing about this new fluid relaxed style is that these summer dresses remain a great solution for feeling put together while knocking out Zoom calls, running errands, or relaxing with a book. And the thing about dresses is that they’re even easier than putting on pants or a full ensemble. A dress is one and done! Comfort is key in selecting a dress this season—no tight waistlines or deep-v plunges here—it’s all about a dress that you can move about easily in. So simple, so effortless, and so chic.
This brings us back to how important practical comfort is for getting on with modern life. It’s fantastic that fashion is on our side.
Spring 2020 Forecast? Moody with a 100% chance of fringe.
Whether you view at it as western, 70s inspired or bohemian, fringe is here to invade our closets, our Instagram feeds and our lives for Spring 2020- and I have to say I’m not mad about it.
Fringe has fought it’s way out of festival territory and firmly planted roots on the Spring 2020 runways of major designers such as Gucci, Chloe, Jil Sander, Celine and Paco Rabanne who have made it clear that the SS20 mandate is ‘fringe, but make it look expensive.
It’s fringe with a capital F!
This season’s fringe is a little less cowgirl and whole lot more artesenal.
Look for pieces that make a statement: sequined fringe, seashell fringe, fringe made from recycled textiles or macrame fringe in everything from fringe bags to fringe jackets necklaces and dresses.
If fringe seems a bit out of your comfort zone try testing the waters with a fringe bag or fringe necklace before graduating to bigger pieces.
Designer labels, lux fabrics and beautifully tailored silhouettes are the things fashion dreams are made of.
With tight budgets, rising costs and life in general getting in the way such pieces may seem out of reach, but the luxury of owning designer clothing IS possible for everyone thanks to consignment shopping.
As the seasons and our lives change so does our personal style, taste and budgets. On the first Monday in October, National Consignment Day offers a way to elevate your style and an opportunity for you to keep the cycle of good taste going.
You all know my favorite consignment shopping site is TheRealReal, (I have scored a closet full of designer pieces there)- well TheRealReal founded National Consignment Day in 2012 as a way to celebrate consignment as the smart, sustainable way to shop, earn money and help the planet by extending the lifecycle of luxury items.
Grab those designer pieces that just don’t fit or you simply have grown tired of and consign them at TheRealReal.com which will make room in your closet for and give you extra cash to shop for new updated pieces that fit your current style.
Even more good news: by consigning and shopping consignment you promote circularity in fashion i.e. nothing ends up in a landfill.
Not ready to consign, just want to shop? Well that’s even easier! I do all of my designer consignment shopping at TheRealReal.com .
One of the biggest questions I get is “How do you know what you are buying is real and not a fake?” Shopping on TheRealReal is never a gamble, they ensure that EVERY SINGLE item on the site is 100% the real thing, each piece is authenticated through their dedicated team of authentication experts, horologists and gemologists. They know exactly how to tell real from counterfeit, from the quality of the leather to the zipper manufacturer.
TheRealReal is also one of the easiest and most convenient ways to shop- you can sort items to only show your size (both shoe and clothing). I LOVE this feature because it keeps me from falling in love with something that will never fit me! You can also mark pieces you are drooling over as an OBSESSION which adds them to a curated wish-list that you can view later PLUS TheRealReal will email you to let you know if the pieces go on sale!
I can’t begin to tell you how much shopping consignment has changed my own life. Many of you have left comments here and on my Instagram commenting on how amazing my designer shoe and handbag collection is. Well, it’s no secret- almost EVERY SINGLE piece in my collection was purchased second hand from TheRealReal and when I get tired of something or have worn it too much I just consign it back to the RealReal again!
Download TheRealReal.com app now and get started! Their designer selection includes everything from mens and womens fashions, bags and shoes to home, jewelry and kids designer clothing!
For as long as I can remember I have been a vintage shopper. I LOVE combining high and low, old and new to create one-of-a-kind, interesting looks.
And now thanks to “grandma style” trailer blazers like Gucci’s Alessandro Michele, more and more influencers, celebrities and fashion-aficionados are turning to vintage shops to add that special touch to their looks. That piece that makes the look “special”.
If you are new to vintage shopping or just a little out of practice there is one piece that is a vintage shoppers MUST-HAVE, the one that will make the biggest impact on your seasonal wardrobe and that is a Vintage Coat.
Doubting me? Then read on to be convinced by my Five Reasons To Buy A Vintage Coat.
ONE: IT’S UNIQUE
Of course you can buy your coat from a department store or fast-fashion chain but the chances are that a gazillion other women will be wearing the EXACT same one. By purchasing a vintage coat you will be rockin’ something unique, different and that tells a story. So embrace your individuality and hunt for that coat that is meant just for you!
TWO: IT’S TIMELESS
Classic coats like peacoats, topcoats and trench coats will never ever go out of style. You will see them again and again in various forms each season, in fact most designers look to the past for influence in their current collections. You can see the vintage influence on today’s runways. Designers like Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Chloe and Louis Vuitton have all used retro inspiration in their current collections which brings me to reason number three…..
THREE: SAVE MONEY
Designer coats can cost a pretty penny. Although I long for a straight off the runway current season piece from Gucci I make my dollar stretch by purchasing designer second hand on TheRealReal.com and hunting down unique vintage pieces that look like they are straight off the runway. I found this DROOL worthy coat at Vintage on First in Hoboken and fell in LOVE at first sight. It has the feel of the current Dior and Gucci collections PLUS it’s color (Bluestone) is one of the hottest Fall 2019 shades so I’m already ahead of the fashion game in my vintage coat! Bam! Inception!
FOUR: QUALITY
It’s no secret that things were just made better in the past. The quality was higher and things were made to last. Reason enough to dig deeper in the archives and invest in a high-quality coat from the good old days. It will definitely last way longer than anything you could find at the mall today.
FIVE: ECO FRIENDLY
The clothing industry causes a lot of pollution and damage to the environment, especially fast fashion is designed to be worn only a few times before being discarded. The dyes used and processes to manufacture have a huge negative impact on our planet. By buying pre-owned and vintage clothes you are helping to slow things down and increase circularity in fashion. And in the end it’s much more exciting than ordinary shopping.
