Archive for the ‘How to Wear’ Category

dresses, Fashion News, How to Wear, New Fashions, outerwear, Retail News

New H&M video podcast previews spring collection

By Andrea Thatcher on January 10th, 2008

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Everyone’s favorite bargain retailer, H&M has released a new video podcast revealing some of their new spring styles hitting stores. Catarina Midby, head of fashion communication at H&M talks about the inspirations for their spring styles – like oriental prints and “happy colors” – and also gives us her top 5 items. The brown cropped biker jacket, $49.50 looks like one Serena wears on Gossip Girl, and an organic cotton poppy red blouse at only $29.90 satisfies your desire for style and your eco sensibility.

[Image: Peter Gehrke for H&M]



Accessories, dresses, Footwear, Handbags, How to Wear, jewelry

10 Outfits for 10 Occasions: Kelsey’s anniversary outfit

By Andrea Thatcher on December 31st, 2007

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Reader Kelsey wrote in to ask for advice on an outfit for her 3-year anniversary that would compliment her size-12 figure. We chose a silver satin Chloe and Reese dress with some accessories that pop. The dress’s high waistline, wide neckline, demure yet sexy length, and wide straps that allow for a bra will all do Kelsey justice. Along with the silver dress we chose BCBGirls rhinestone slingbacks because many of us already have a similar pair in our closet, and if you don’t, at $66, these will be a workhorse for your dressy wardrobe. Read on for more info on the rest of the dazzling accessories.

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Accessories, Footwear, How to Wear

Party pumps by Bebe

By Andrea Thatcher on December 24th, 2007

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Still searching for shoes to wear to all those New Year’s parties next week? Well then Shoewawa’s Amber suggests you get your hands on something like these purple satin stilettos, which she says will work with just about any little black dress you want to wear them with, and will also look good with jeans, trousers, skirts – you get the picture. They’re $129 and the colour is “plumeria” according to Bebe, “purple” to you and me.

For all things shoes, check out Shoewawa.com.



Accessories, Department Stores, Footwear, Handbags, How to Wear

10 Outfits for 10 Occasions: Kori’s accessories dilemma

By Andrea Thatcher on December 19th, 2007

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Okay, so this isn’t exactly an outfit. This question was more about completing your outfit. Kori asked us for a final ruling on whether or not your bag and shoes have to match. My first inclination was to just shout “No!” and I may have done so in the privacy of my office. But then I thought I should really check in with an expert, and who better than The Sak creative director Lorae Russo? After all, one of the prizes Kori could win by submitting her wardrobe question in the 10 Outfits for 10 Occasions Contest is a handbag from The Sak.

Lorae answers Kori with another question: “What works for you? Match is a relative term,” Lorae said. “Compliment and coordinate. If this is not easy, matching is a good rule. It keeps things simple and easy in a fast-paced world.”

Keep reading for more advice and info on the items above.

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Accessories, Contests and Giveaways, Footwear, Handbags, How to Wear

10 Outfits for 10 Occasions: Rachael’s fashion forward school outfit

By Andrea Thatcher on December 18th, 2007

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Reader Rachael Cash bemoans her long legs and lean frame that make it difficult to dress for her high school’s halls. Oh Rachael, you’ll grow into it, don’t worry. But until then, here’s an outfit that should fit your school’s dress code, won’t leave your feet hurting at the end of the day, and is still a bit fashion forward with items most of your Ohio schoolmates likely won’t have but won’t find too weird. We know you lust after European fashion, so we tried to pick items with that sort of sensibility that will still fit your high schooler’s budget.

We’ve extended the window to allow you to enter our 10 Outfits for 10 Occasions Contest and win a handbag from The Sak, a Chloe & Reese dress, or a Bruno Jamais gift certificate through the end of this week. Answers to your wardrobe questions will continue to be unveiled through the New Year when a winner will be chosen.

Continue reading for the details on Rachael’s outfit.

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Accessories, Handbags, How to Wear, jewelry

Bling it on with Rimistyle

By Andrea Thatcher on December 14th, 2007

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Rimistyle thinks a lot like us when it comes to dressing up a little black dress on a budget!. While we know that skimping on accessories isn’t recommended by glossy magazine editors who say to “invest” in $700 pumps while buying your clothes at H&M, some of us will never ever have the disposable income to buy $700 pumps, even at half price. Plus, if you already have something great to wear in your closet, the quickest way to update it is with accessories, and when one of your other accessories – your wallet – is a little light, inexpensive is your only option. Rimistyle brings you these disco nights clutches for only $36, and this shining star necklace set will only set you back $22.



Celebrity Style, Fashion News, How to Wear

Jenny Flevin of Harper’s Bazaar guest edits Coutorture today

By Andrea Thatcher on December 14th, 2007

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You might have notice the Coutorture logo up on the left side of our page, and that’s because we’re part of the Coutorture blog network. So when Coutorture celebrates, so do we. And today they’re celebrating guest editor Jenny Flevin, the senior editor of Harper’s Bazaar. Flevin has just put out a book called Harper’s Bazaar Great Style and from what we’ve seen it’s a treasure of celeb photos and how-to-get-the-look advice. For intance, to emulate the ladylike lovelies above, show off your waist but not too much skin. Classic colors like black and white will always do you right, as will structured, high-quality fabrics. Harper’s Bazaar is on a role for its 140th anniversary, Catwalk Queen reported on its BazaarElite site earlier this week.



Accessories, Celebrity Style, Designer Fashions, Handbags, How to Wear, Retail News

Shopping In Style Magazine’s December issue – not as easy as they say

By Andrea Thatcher on December 13th, 2007

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If you’ve ever tried to search for items found in In Style magazine on their Web site, as I often have in the past both for purchase or feature on this site, you might have had some difficulty. Many of the items were not available online, and when you called the number offered, you would be told to check your local such and such department store in two months, or something even more vague. We hoped that InStyle.com’s new Shopping feature would fix all that, but we’re not so sure.

Usually, items from their instantstyle section where they lay out outfits for a “winter getaway” for instance (page 99 of the December issue) were most easily searchable on their site. But the first three items I tried to shop for were not to be found in the bag selection offered from the December issue: a Cole Haan bag from page 99, a Fendi clutch from page 100, or a Doo Ri Chung bag from the Designer Lust List on page 126.

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Accessories, Footwear, Handbags, How to Wear, jewelry, Sales and Specials

10 Outfits for 10 Occasions: Andrea’s budget New Year’s Eve outfit

By Andrea Thatcher on December 12th, 2007

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No, this outfit isn’t for me. It’s for Andrea Osiek who needs a fabulous outfit for a big New Year’s Eve party. We’ll get over our jealousy that her husband takes ballroom dancing lessons with her, because she needs a low-rent get up because of medical expense (hope everything goes well!). She really doesn’t want to spend very much and wants to use pieces from her existing wardrobe, so we tried to keep some part of the ensemble basic and let others speak louder. We started with a little black dress which Andrea probably already has in her closet. If not, this one is from Isaac Mizrahi for Target and is on sale for $29.99. For the rest of the outfit, keep reading.

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Designer Fashions, How to Wear, outerwear

Cropped coat without cropped sleeves

By Andrea Thatcher on December 12th, 2007

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With all the cropped options out there, it’s surprisingly hard to find a cropped coat without cropped sleeves. While I love the look of cropped sleeves and elbow-length gloves, not everyone wants to go for that look or sometimes it feels a little too dressed up. I can’t imagine if I were tall and had long arms. But this Joie Goin’ Back Jacket has a fitted, cropped look with sleeves that are plenty long, and it’s currently on sale for $273. If you’re into Joie, owned by Serge Azria, Max Azria’s older brother, you’ll be happy to know they plan to expand their brand with more offerings and stores!



Accessories, Contests and Giveaways, Designer Fashions, Footwear, Handbags, How to Wear, jewelry

10 Outfits for 10 Occasions – Barbara’s fancy flats

By Andrea Thatcher on December 10th, 2007

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Reader Barbara wrote in to our 10 Outfits for 10 Occasions contest for advice to a common problem. She loves her strappy heels, especially when dressing up for New Year’s Eve, but feels uncomfortable when she’s taller than her boyfriend. Luckily there is no shortage of fancy flats out there this holiday season. So, while we concentrate on a Miu Miu pair as part of our outfit, we’ll also give you options at a few different price points. Barbara mentioned sequined cocktail dresses, so we chose this Stenay sequin dress from Nordstrom for $228 to start off this outfit.

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Accessories, Contests and Giveaways, How to Wear

10 Outfits for 10 Occasions: Adyna’s formal affair in chilly weather

By Andrea Thatcher on December 5th, 2007

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Adyna entered our 10 Outfits for 10 Occasions contest so now not only is she in the running for a Chloe & Reese dress, a handbag from The Sak, or a dinner at Bruno Jamais, but she gets her what to wear question answered as well. Adyna picked up some summer dresses she was hoping to convert to winter wear with a satin shrug that just covered the shoulders. She has a leopard print Bebe maxi dress, but we thought we’d show you the Roberto Cavalli for H&M leopard maxi dress since we know so many of you have them. Well, you were right Adyna, it is nearly impossible to find a black satin shrug. While we found one by DKNY at our local Marshalls, it was nowhere online and we wanted to show you something we knew you could get. So we found this chiffon shrug at David’s Bridal – one of our secrets for non-bridal formalwear. Keep reading for more details on this outfit!

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Accessories, Celebrity Style, Designer Fashions, Handbags, How to Wear, Red Carpet

Carrie Underwood carries Nancy Gonzalez clutch at Movies Rock

By Andrea Thatcher on December 3rd, 2007

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Golden accessories are all the rage at the holidays. We’ve already talked about Carrie Underwood’s golden hair over on ShinyGloss, and now we’re concentrating on her gorgeous gold bag. It perfectly offsets her lovely red gown. The Nancy Gonzalez exotic skins handbag and accessory line from which Underwood chose her croc clutch is available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Not only could you wear it to formal occasions with a long dress like Carrie did here, we could also see this clutch with jeans and heels for a night out.



Celebrity Style, Designer Fashions, Fashion News, How to Wear, YouTube Watch

YouTube Watch: Atoosa Rubenstein’s Alpha Kitty series interviews fashionistas like Byrdie Bell

By Andrea Thatcher on December 3rd, 2007

The latest YouTube series from Atoosa Rubenstein’s Alpha Kitty channel features interviews with fashion personalities like model Taylor Warren, writer Faran Krentcil, and shown here actress/socialite Byrdie Bell. Bell believes in packing light and accociates her sense of independence with not becoming too attached to material posessions.



Celebrity Style, Designer Fashions, High End Department Stores, How to Wear, Television

Get Blair Waldorf’s Gossip Girl style with this Marc Jacobs dress

By Andrea Thatcher on November 30th, 2007

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Turkey day may be over, but there’s still plenty of occasions left to wear Blair Waldorf’s Thanksgiving Day dress from this week’s Gossip Girl. Blair passed on turkey for pie anyway, right? While Blair’s maid suggested she wear this MARC by Marc Jacobs metallic dress “with pearls” we think it’s much more easily worn in an ecclectic, downtown, “I always wear Marc Jacobs dresses to the grocery store” way. It’s sold out right now, but I’ll bet with Blair’s blessing they’ll get more in.




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