'cause it’s summer

Days like today just call out for a cool, summer dress.  Humidity is over 75 percent and just walking to your car can produce a sweat.  Of course, inside office buildings and shops are more likely to be frigid.  It just begs for layering and cardigans and jackets are a necessary layer here. 

This dress, which is washable, cotton voile, is the perfect summer dress.  I've already worn it twice in the last few weeks.  It's breezy and cool and lends itself to being dressed up or down. 

The jean jacket, necessary to avoid hypothermia in our air conditioned spaces, keeps it casual.

If you need to fill out your summer wardrobe or spring wardrobe or want to stock up at bargain prices, check out the sales at Talbots, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Loft, JCrew, Piperline, Nordstrom and more. A meander through your mall or some online looking could reap huge savings.

You may need to shop with your early fall/next spring needs in mind, but there are great deals to be had.

Happy Friday!

Outfit Details - Nautical-Stripe Dress - Talbots (currently on sale); Jacket -  Talbots (old Any of these colors would work);  Belt - Macy's (old Similar); Shoes - Munroe (old - Like these).

Welcome Summer

It's a beautiful, clear day here in DC, with weather more appropriate for spring than for the first day of summer.  But, hey, I'm not complaining, I see the beastly days of heat and humidity lurking just around the corner. 

I enjoy reading several fashion blogs and regret that I cannot find one I like by a women in my age group. There are several women who I follow on Facebook who are closer to my age and I'm grateful for their inspiration.  

One blog I love, but often can't emulate, is that of ThirtySomethingFashion.  I love Carly's style and always find her posts interesting, if sometimes inapplicable to my own life.

Earlier this week she styled a hot pink maxi skirt for both day and evening wear.  I'm not a fan of the maxi skirt or dress and only own one dress in black knit.  It's great for the beach.  But I do own a pair of hot pink slacks I picked up at the end of the summer on RH sale from Talbots.  I haven't worn them much and when I did I paired them with the safe black and white.  I adapted Carly's daytime styling for my pants and used a navy striped tee, pink patterned scarf and shoes already in my closet. The tee and pants are from last year with a scarf, earrings and shoes I purchased in March and April.

Thanks Carly for the inspiration.  What do you think?

Outfit details:  Shirt - Talbots (old); Slacks - Talbots (old); Scarf - Talbots; Earrings - Talbots; Shoes - Tory Burch.

Loving Linen

So it's overcast and warm, but not sweltering.

I've been in search of some tops in non-polka dot or striped patterns and stumbled on this linen number at Banana Republic. No pattern but a beautiful shade of blue that reminded me of skies just after a rain.  I love linen, wrinkles and all, and know that this will wrinkle, but also soften with wear and washing.

It's a warm but overcast day here, so this is the perfect pairing with a boyfriend jean.

Banana Republic has a promo today that gives you 30 percent off your purchase.  Not sure this shirt qualifies, but there are lots of other goodies available. Try BRPRESALE.

Happy Tuesday!

 Outfit Details:  Linen-Cotton Shirt - Banana Republic; Boyfriend Jean - Talbots; Belt - Talbots (old); Straw Flats - Talbots (old); Bracelets - Various-Brighton, Last Call, JCrew; Necklace - Lord & Taylor (old).

What I Learned in Paris

There is a relationship between the title of this post and today's outfit.

On my last night in Paris while dining al fresco on Rue Montparnasse my purse was stolen.  Stolen right off the arm of my chair while I was sitting in it, stolen in such a smooth move that I didn't realize it was gone until I went to pay my part of the bill.

So the teacher in me is going to list some lessons I learned this trip.  Some of this I knew, but chose to ignore.  Bad idea, lesson learned the hard way.   I'm going to post them one at time so that the post don't go over long. 

Lesson ONE - Monday, June 10: Never, never, never --no matter how relaxed you've become--let your purse leave your person.  Put the strap over your body, place it in your lap, place it to your right on the tabletop, put your leg through the strap and place it between your legs.  But never place it over the back of your chair.

Despite the hiccup at the end, it WAS a fabulous trip, the Loire Valley, Versailles and Giverny were spectacular.  Shopping in St. Germaine was fun, the prices were high, the fashion lovely, the choices vast.  I'd return in a New York minute.

Now for the outfit connection.  If you have a body and age appropriate sense of style, you've made some effort to coordinate your outfit and you wear comfortable, but NOT gym shoes, you will look as if you belong.  If you wear oversized, poorly fitted, very casual, gym or gardening appropriate clothing along with your socks and Nike's, you will appear as the poorly outfitted tourist you are.  Many city dwellers, for the most part, whether they be from Paris on NYC, are stylish and chic.  Others are just nicely dressed. Tourists from many countries appear to just wear their most comfortable clothing, ill-fitting, poorly coordinated though it may be. Americans certainly embrace the gym shoe as their sightseeing shoe of choice.  I do think there are lots more beautiful and comfortable shoe choices in Europe, but even here in the US you can find a comfortable flat shoe suitable for walking that isn't an athletic shoe.  So while I might have not taken this dress along to Paris, thinking the print was perhaps too much, had I done so, it would have been perfect and comfortable.   

Outfit Details: Dress -  Talbots; Belt - Tory Burch; Shoes - Michael Kors (similar); Necklace - Banana Republic (old - similiar); Bracelets - Personal collection, nothing new.