Eye-4-Style

Thank goodness Spring is around the corner and our spirits are lifted with promise of sunshine, birds singing, flowers growing, and …clothing to elevate our mood!  In Chicago these last few days and color is everywhere! While neutrals have their place and there is plenty of that out there, it was like a breath of fresh air to see the beautiful colors in the stores. More on this to come ….

What a great dress this is! Luncheon, daytime wedding. Brightens the face with gorgeous color.

Trina Turk ‘Etiquette’ Dress

Easy, fun, comfortable. You could wear this just about anywhere with changing up accessories.

Nanette Lepore ‘Watercolor’ Dress

This is a flattering style. Ruching is our friend!

BCBGMAXAZRIA Pleated Matte Jersey Dress

Love the jacket and top with pop of color skirt!

Classiques Entier® ‘Cool Chintz’ Jacket, Silk Chiffon Blouse & ‘Silk Sheen’ Skirt

My Feb 21st Blog talked about the trends at Saks and I went through the What’s New of the What’s New, What’s Now, What’s Next, Shop the Trends at Saks. The What’s New: all american, was difficult for me to choose my top 4 things I liked as I liked so many. The What’s Now: aggressive angles was difficult in finding 4 things I really liked, so I went on to the jewelry section of aggressive angles. I think these two dresses are GREAT, but the rest of the outfits weren’t styles I would wear or I care for as much.

Bailey 44

Maneater Knit Dress

Rayon/nylon/spandex makes this a Spanx dress! Slim fit so careful when ordering but this should look great on your body!

BCBGMAXAZRIA

Ruffle-Skirted Shirtdress

Love the styling of this dress. I’d be wearing this one all the time!

This cuff would be my only jewelry with an outfit. Definitely a “stand alone” piece! (well maybe with diamond studs)

Oscar de la Renta

Embellished Bracelet

The delicacy of this bracelet is appealing to me. I’d pair with brushed gold dangling earrings. Note the letters YSL in script!

Yves Saint Laurent

YSL Open Bracelet

As Spring is approaching (we hope), here are my 4 favorite looks from Saks’ picks under their all american trend. As usual, I’ve provided links in case you want to look further!

Red Valentino

Pleated Denim Dress

BCBGMAXAZRIA

Twisted Button-Front Tunic Shirt

Diane von Furstenberg

Jonesie Shantung Jersey Jacket

Red Valentino

Lace Appliqué Intarsia Cardigan

So we had to be ready for the Grammy Awards by 10:30 am. Get up and get ready to go! My Alice + Olivia dress with BCBG stockings; Prada bag; Dior shoes; jewelry and accessories were laid out the night before. We met Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster and entourage in the hotel lobby to board the shuttle to go to the Staples Center for the Red Carpet before the pre-telecast.

The pre-tel was exciting and Taylor Swift won a few Grammy awards, which she accepted in person. She changed her dress before she went to the telecast Grammy Awards. She is a talented young artist!

The Grammy Awards were amazing! I think Pink and Beyonce excelled in their performances!

From Grammy Awards to After-Grammy party. Kathy Lanser and I keep on rockin’ !

After Party a great experience. Ne-Yo performs for the enthusiastic crowd!

I started on a project today and Grammy fever took over. Two hours later, I have outfits together, but my bedroom and dressing area look like I was hit by a hurricane!

The dress I’m wearing for Grammy night is from alice + olivia. Stacey Bendet started a great line and I find myself purchasing more and more of this NY native’s designs when I’m looking for something fun. I’ll wear this glamorous little black dress with sheer dot stockings by BCBG and Dior high heels.  Accessories: Lori Bonn earrings; bracelets-one being a purple enameled cuff by Kara Ross; eggplant headband with a big rhinestone in the middle of 5” feathers; purple Prada evening bag. Nars makeup and Estee Lauder Black Amethyst nail polish will complete the outfit.

For the flight to LA and a lunch on Saturday, I’m wearing a fuchsia DVF dress with Stuart Weitzman bone heels. I’ll use the same shoes with a black sexy number from INC for Saturday night. Friday night I have a dress from Free People, wearing with patterned tights from Juicy Couture and Michael by Michael Kors Beverly Sandals in genuine snake. Earrings and bracelets by John Hardy.

I’ll be adding to the pile as I think of things the next few days. I’m determined to have one medium size bag. We’ll see!

Meanwhile, it’s stopped raining in Los Angeles.  Let’s hope we have dry weather for the Red Carpet!

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“Holiday” dress can be just that: it will be stored in the closet until next Christmas.  I decided to change that this year after catching sight of these beautiful Kate Spade shoes on Oak Street in Chicago.  I ended up buying the display shoes as the last size 7 in the shop and I felt like I was stealing away with a bounty of gold.  They are enough “bling” to be dressed up but look great with a casual outfit.  I wore them with a black Missoni dress for more intimate holiday gatherings;  “Not Your Daughter’s Jeans” capris , a white and fuchsia-sequined tank with a navy v-neck short sleeve BCBG sweater make a great day outfit; black sheath with opaque tights and dressy earrings put together a special night time outfit. I was able to use these shoes over and over again with what I already had in my closet, and I’ll bring them out periodically throughout the year.  One pair of shoes with so many options!

Double points at Nordstrom.  Hello happiness with the gift cards when you charge on your Nordstrom card!  Hanging out during a shopping break:

Skirt and blouse-Lauren, Ralph Lauren.  Shoes, BCBGirls. Bracelet, Lori Bonn. Earrings, John Hardy. Purse (not shown), Louis Vuitton.

Love these Michael Kors shoes, but I have a confession to make.  I was at International Plaza in Tampa, Florida, this week for double-points at Nordstrom. Five women approached me about the shoes I was wearing.  BCBGirls  I purchased from Nordstrom a few years ago.  They are a brown with a subtle gold/green stripe fabric.  Pointed toe, always slimming to the leg, nice heel height.  I consider these shoes a neutral, but when I wear them with a solid-color suit, they become a nice bit of eye candy.  I’ve had compliments from many men as well as women.  Anyway, that day, I could have sold 10 pair without even trying.  When upstairs trying on dresses, I had more inquiries about where could they buy my shoes!  I say this to designers; when you have a great shoe, bring it back every few years.  There’s the good ones that will always be in demand.

BCBG is a wonderful line of clothing.  They are so versatile.  The fit is better for younger women and so are some of the styles, but there are “young” and younger alike shopping that line.  I usually go up a size and when I watch shoppers, I can see the “young” are doing the same thing.  The beauty of this is their market hits a wider audience than some lines.  The “young” may have a bigger budget and want fun clothing, while BCBG presents itself for the younger market.  You’ll always see the gamut while shopping their stores or displays at the department stores.  BCBG is doing it right!  Here are a few pictures of the display at Macy’s.  The little back numbers were great.  The colors were great.  They’ve got it going on!  Always exciting!

I was asked to search for a dress for an evening wedding. My client was invited to her boss’ wedding and stated “cocktail attire.”  One thing to remember for wedding apparel is don’t upstage the bride!  Guests should be dressed respectfully according to season and time of day.  To me, “cocktail attire” for a wedding is different than for a cocktail party.  To address the situation further, my client is young, gorgeous with olive skin, green eyes, D cup, and it’s her boss.  How do you dress, I ask?  Very carefully!

  Anyway, I knew she was on a tight budget and with all under consideration, I wanted to look for something that could be dressed up.  Kensie at Macy’s had a dress I liked; higher neckline but sheer panel to keep sexy; black with sapphire and olive. BCBG offered many cool choices as usual, but pricing was a little higher than what I knew she wanted to spend.  At Bloomingdales, I went to the Contemporary section and was delighted with the AQUA line.  Wonderful sweaters, dresses, tops, etc.  This dress caught my eye.  The picture does not do it justice, but the material has a sheen to it, making it dressier.  I figured this would work with great high-heels, a smoldering eye, hair done up with a clip, bling earrings and bracelet with bag. A bling belt and ring instead of the bracelet could work too.  Also, “the girls” are “contained” and the outfit would present a sophisticated rather than “office bimbo” look.

Another consideration was the price and practicality of the dress.  This dress could be worn with a cardigan or jacket and I am showing it with boots or you could wear flats.  Simple or no jewelry would make it appropriate for office or a casual dinner.  This is a great office to out-on-the-town dress with a change of footwear and jewelry. Also good for travel being dual-purpose. The price, $108.00, but I bought at 15% off SALE. That’s right, I ended up buying one for myself!