Fashion Blog » Personal Pick of the Week

A number of things can come to mind when dealing with plaid. I think of old punk rock outfits, school uniforms and stylish English girls.

The lovely pick to the left seems to fall into the latter category, and as fate would have it, is named after the second largest city in Scotland…which is near England…both of which are in the UK! This plaid chiffon blouse is from the DVF Fall 2008 collection and was seen on the runway last year.

Chiffon is delicate though and must be worn with care, or else…snag city. I envision this blouse with super tight skinny pants, knee-high riding boots, and a tiny little black vest to top off.

Diane Von Furstenburg ‘Glasgow’ Blouse $225

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While shopping a few weeks ago, a sweet sales gal at Bloomingdale’s gave me a tip—she turned me onto Aqua, an affordable line of clothes that is exclusive to Bloomingdale’s, and is designed similar to many of the styles you see in the Marc by Marc, Joie, and Juicy collections that are featured at Bloomie’s.Not knock-offs, but items that are just as cute but with a more forgiving price tag.

I’ll admit—there were some great pieces to choose from like this Hooded Leather Jacket. Hooded leather jackets are so…cool. They’re totally rock n’ roll without being too biker.

A huge trend that surfaced last Fall/Winter amongst the kids and hipsters was the hoodie sweatshirt underneath the leather jacket—something punk rockers had already been doing for ages. I say skip all the trouble and treat yourself to this cool leather hoodie…it would look fantastic over a drapey shift dress or something with sequins.

Aqua Women’s Hooded Leather Jacket: $298

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Shop for more women’s jackets.

I love accessories just as much as the next girl, but in the last few years I’ve found that less is indeed more when it comes to gems and jewels. Although I have this sentiment when putting together an ensemble, I do know that accessories—whether you have them or not—can make or break an outfit. Signature, classic pieces are important—think of them as investments that you’ll wear over and over. But don’t get me wrong, inexpensive accessories are thrilling to find and even better when the price tag reads: $3.60

The cheap stuff is usually fashion jewelry…stuff you’d wear a few times before it starts turning your skin green, but the other jewels are worth paying a little more for, including timeless pieces, like the ones below that are sure to look fabulous with a work or date outfit. I’m personally an earrings OR necklace girl—you’ll rarely see me in both, and if I had to choose, I’d opt for a great ring and earrings and leave my neckline sexy and bare.

 Marc by Marc Jacobs Bow Ring $48

Mars & Valentine Bold Vintage Glass Rose Ring $395

Kendra Scott Teardrop Earrings $108

Juicy Couture Stone Drop Earrings $62

Juicy Couture ‘After Party’ Crescent Pendant $128

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So, I’ve always been a sucker for sequins. Not only do I love the instant glamour they provide for a woman but whenever you sport some sequins, you’re sure to turn heads. Others will admire the fact that you were bold enough to wear something so flashy and bold, but just be sure to wear with confidence! One of my favorite dresses of all time is a Betsey Johnson gunmetal sequin racerback dress that I bought last year, and I’ll never part ways with that dress because I never know when I’ll need it again. I think its smart to invest in at least one nice sequin dress–I’m not saying buy a closet full, but one nice piece is really all you need.  And if you can’t seem to find an appropriate time to wear it…there’s always New Year’s Eve.

I instantly fell in love with this Foley + Corinna Sequin Tennis Dress. The actual style of the dress is almost casual, but then you look a little closer and its a dazzling mix of black and white sequin stripes. It’s very unique. This dress would be perfect to wear for a night out on the town in a big city–but I would personally save it for my own birthday bash or fancy cocktail party. Since sequins are so sparkly and pretty, its really fun to give your look an edge and pair with some tough boots or a motorcycle jacket.

Foley + Corinna Sequin Tennis Dress in Black $473, revolveclothing.com

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I’ll be honest, I am one of the few people in this world that doesn’t own a pair of Levi’s. Now, it’s not that I don’t want to…I just get lazy with denim jeans sometimes and buy whatever fits or whatever is on sale. Levi’s aren’t cheap, but they’re also not expensive when compared to designer denim. I want to pick up a pair soon and think I have found my match made in heaven: the Levi’s re-issued 1970 flare jeans.

Levi’s is calling these their reissue of an “archived” 1970’s version with a hi-rise cut and signature ‘arcuate’ stitching on the back pockets, they also have a little bit of stretch in them which makes for a perfect fit.

Levi’s re-issued 1970 flare jeans in Rachel $78, levi.com

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I propose a question: why, oh why are women’s handbags so expensive? I guess essentially, you are getting what you pay for, and in the long run sometimes expensive handbags are worth the investment—they carry value, literally. But come on…$300 ain’t cheap, and that’s supposed to be affordable when your comparing it to a 2,000 dollar Chloe or Balenciaga bag. I’ll never understand it and designers will probably never lower their prices, so in the meantime, I’ll put a little bit away in my ‘bag fund’ from time to time and feel that much more satisfied knowing that I worked hard for my little piece of arm candy.

                     Cynthia Rowley ‘Vivienne’ Patchwork Dome Satchel $495, Nordstrom.com

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Ok, so I know its only August but I’m already planning for fall. Time to bust out those boots! I picked two pairs of boots that I’m fantasizing about…these are definitely on my wish list. The Sigerson Morrison Oxfords are fabulous! These silver sassies would be perfect with a trapeze dress and black tights or even skinny jeans.

                                       Sigerson Morrison Oxfords: $450, saksfifthavenue.com

As for the Miu Miu tall boots, those would be perfect with just about anything, particularly a dress. The lace up boots are extra sexy because they have that equestrian thing going on. I would wear them with a mini dress and tights or some shorts, or maybe even a wool sweater dress. These boots are hot, but if you really want them, expect to shell out or be on a ridiculous waiting list.

                                                 Miu Miu Tall boots: $950, saksfifthavenue.com

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Designer Wendy Mullin has been doin’ her thang for quite some time now. She opened her first boutique in New York in the early 90’s and made fashion headlines with her collection of unique guitar straps that were rocked by the likes of Courtney Love and other grunge gals back in the day. Mullin has held her own the past decade and made another mainstream resurgence when she wrote her own series of instructional sewing books titled Sew U. She also opened her fourth Built By Wendy shop in San Francisco’s Mission district this year. I received a copy of Sew U as a gift when it came out, but will admit that I’m not much of a sewer, so unfortunately the book has been collecting dust for a while. This is not to say that I don’t love Mullin’s designs. I allowed myself a mini work break and browsed the dozens of sale items (online) from her collections, both new and old.

Below are a few of my faves, and I can assure you, next pay day…I’ll be online snatching them up!

                         Heavy Gauze Lattice Top: $94          Garden Flower Boatneck Dress: $146

                             Poplin Cowl Dress: $146                        Sailor Boatneck Top: $45

*All items (minus the Poplin Cowl Dress) are from Spring 2008 collection and are on sale right now!

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If I could just be clothed in Marc Jacobs for the rest of my life, I’d be a pretty happy girl. This is not to say I don’t love other designers, but MJ is truly my fave. His ready to wear line, Marc by Marc Jacobs is pretty adorable every season, and I have yet to see something I don’t like. If your lucky, you have a Marc by Marc store in your ‘hood. If you don’t and come across one in the future, be sure to stop in and dig through the bins full of trinkets and tchochky’s that range anywhere between $1-$50. You’ll walk out feeling like you found gold. In the meantime, I like to drool over the cute dresses, which are ridiculously affordable on shopbop.com I just couldn’t bring myself to choose one, so below are my two favorites.

                         Lily Plaid Dress: $229 (Was: $458)            Wave Print Halter Dress $198

After the summer heat becomes more bearable, I would pair both of these lovelies with some tall brown Frye boots and wear them through the early fall season.

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So, this is lovely and summery…something nice for a Sunday brunch. The nice thing about rompers is that you can pair them with flats, sandals, or heels and it always looks good.

I would top this with a vest of some sort or a little cropped jacket. If it were to cool off later in the evening while wearing this, it would also look really great with a long, “grandpa” sweater.

Diane Von Furstenburg ‘Lynnia’ Romper: $255 Nordstrom.com

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