Showing posts with label dresses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dresses. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Ten of My Favourite: Dresses for Fall.

I'm going to break from the job contemplation series (after only one entry, no less) and provide you with a shopping guide mini series. I've been helping a friend of mine get her makeover on and, in doing so, I have come across pieces I can't help but share.

Every Wednesday in October, I'll feature ten items that I love. For this set, I'm looking for versatility and silhouettes that can compliment more than one body type.

...Dresses for fall!

1. This dress from Mango is $89.95 and will look as great over bare legs as it will over black, opaque tights. Outdoors, I would personally wear it with the tights, a chelsea boot, a basic black blazer and a layered, black scarf. I live in Canada and layering is essential to anyone who wants to be out from morning until evening in spring or fall!


2. From ASOS, I recommend this punchy dress. It's going for $64.13 USD and I love how versatile it is. You can wear this with practically any shoe I would, however, rock a tall, black boot with this) and, depending on how you style your hair and make-up, this could easily take you from the office to dinner.


3. I'm really loving this dress from ZARA. it's $79.90 CAD and can be worn with a simple or detailed camisole or tank for work, for more conservative events or if you simply don't want to show off your back and the look can then be dramatically changed if you whip that top off before heading out to your next event.



4. The Pink Tartan contrast shift dress deserves to be on this list, for sure. Once again, I can see this with black tights and chelsea boots for a cute early sixties' inspired look. It's $395.00 CAD and you can grab it at The Bay, as per the link.


5. I think this gold stud tie dress from Simon's is adorable. Grab it for a mere $29.95. I will wanr you, however, that this fabric and cut, bought at Simon's, can be tricky. The lining tends to ride up and lose its shape over time. If you buy this one, do it because you know that, at that price, it doesn't matter if you only wear it a handful of times.


6. And, now, how about a little colour?! I love this merino wool LAUREN RALPH LAUREN dress, also available at The Bay. It's going for $249.00 CAD and I would wear it with flat, brown, riding style boots, curly hair and a beanie or with black heels and a scarf in my straightened hair.


7. One last dress from The Bay that I must recommend is the Dorothy Perkins oxblood and black striped dress. Bonus? It's currently on sale for $31.50 CAD.


8. The I Love Glamp dress from ModCloth is a great one for this fall. It's going for $59.99 USD... which I would pay before heading to the fabric store to buy fabric to extend this dress' lining. I personally don't like the effect or the feel of a shorter lining on a long skirt but, again, it's eay to fix this or have ti fixed if you share my opinion on this.


9. I apologize for the tiny photo but finding one I could copy was difficult. You're looking (or squinting) at the colorblocked v-neck sweater dress by Ann Taylor and it's going for $109.00 USD.


10. Last but not least, I like the long sleeve button-snap front collared dress by Calvin Klein. It's $129.50 USD and I love that it can be worn with boots, heels, flat or, depending on how you style it, even a pair of Chucks. If you click on the link, you'll see it in purple and get a better view of it from the front.



Monday, March 25, 2013

Etsy Fashion: Key Pieces For your Spring Wardrobe

Every time I purchase fast fashions or suggest doing so to others, I feel the need to balance things out. I sew a few pieces for myself or buy at a thrift store. Another way I can even the score, so to speak, is by taking the time to create shopping guides that support small businesses. 

Here is a list of eight etsy shops where you'll be sure to find a few key pieces for your spring wardrobe:

1. Our Little Daisy:

$70.30 CAD

$79.74 CAD

$51.71 CAD


$115 USD

$180 USD


$120 USD


3. Dresstore 2000 (I must admit that I am dubious regarding just how "small business" this one is, due to the price of the cape and other garments they offer but, given that they have listed less than 150 items, I decided to go through with this.)

$58.00 USD


$65.89 USD


$49.99 USD


4. Laura Galic (Etsy is a big, big place now and this shop definitely makes my top 50 list!)

$179.90 USD


$229.90 USD


$120.00 USD (While I do think this dress should probably have been lined, due to how transparent the fabric is, one can easily wear it with a slip)


P.S. I fully intend to buy the above coat and jacket.

5. Raluca Martinescu (Also from Romania, like Laura Galic, this shop is very small but has so much potential):

$24.00 USD (top)


$24.00 USD (skirt)


$23.00 USD (blouse):


6. Daria Karaseva:

$130.00 USD (blazer)


$210.oo USD (I have seen this type of overlapping sketched out before-- I have sketched some myself-- but this is the first time I see that someone has gone through the trouble of making pants like these and I think they're fantastic!)


Classic, side-draped pants $110.00 USD


7. Ella Lai:

$99.00 USD


$119.00 USD


$99.00 USD (pants):


8. Jekyll und Kleid

$165.00 USD


$154.00 USD


$159.00 USD



Wednesday, March 6, 2013

ZARA.COM Comes to Canada: My Top Picks for Women (Of all shapes)

From Prince Rupert to Assiniboia to Gatineau to Carbonear (I was going to pick Placentia but ended up doing a double-take, twitching and moving on) and all the places in between, we Canadians can shop at zara.com as of today. To commemorate this, I'm going to share my top picks from the web shop with you.

Trousers for slim women:
(The best shoes types to wear with these are already shown in the images)

Light wool trousers. $59.90



Pleated ankle-length trousers. $79.90




Trousers with zip on wait. $59.90



Tie-print trousers. $59.90



5 pocket skinny trouser. $54.90



Trousers for curvier women:

Remember that shorter pants make us look shorter and the curvier we are, the more this effect is amplified. Prints are also tricky. That said, most of the trousers zara.com are currently offering up seem to be short and/or printed. It's slim pickings (no pun intended) but this is what works.
Also note that all of these can be worn by slimmer women and look great, too!

Belted Trousers. $79.90
I'm starting with this one because it is my absolute favourite pair and I know from personal experience that this silhouette works really well)




Trousers with elastic waistband (good for that time of the month, too). $49.90




Jacquard palazzo trousers. $59.90



Skinny jacquard pants. $59.90



I know what I said about prints but this one is subtle and, as with everything else, it's all about how you wear it. Keep your top and accessories simple enough so that the ensemble isn't too busy and you'll be fine. 

Dresses and jumpers for the slim woman with an ample chest:
(Most of these will look good regardless of your bra size but I specify because the next section will be for slim women with a smaller bust)

Faux leather combination dress. $79.90

I'm not sure why they shot this on a woman with barely any breasts. It looks nice on her but the angles on this dress could create a wicked hourglass figure on someone with a larger chest. 



Striped combination jumpsuit. $79.90

I don't recommend this for anyone who has a lot of curves but, for the busty (or not) skinny woman, this is one of my favourite items on the site. 




Studio dress with tucks on the shoulder. $119.00



Dresses and jumpsuits for the slim woman with a smaller bra size:
(Let's be real. Some silhouettes just don't work when you have large breasts. Fabric doesn't hang the way it should, openings that shouldn't be wide are popping open, etc.)

Dungaree style jumpsuit. $79.90




Dress with cap sleeve. $79.90




Combined dress. $59.90




Dress with white stripe. $79.90



Striped dress. $99.90



If you're rocking curves, I recommend the following dresses from Zara.com:

High neck dress. $99.90
This is by far my favourite one for curvy women.



Dress with edging. $69.90



Studded crochet dress. $119.00



My top blouse picks:
Again, be careful with these, as the draped blouses can fit improperly if you have an ample chest!

Draped viscose blouse. $59.90



Striped crossover blouse. $69.90



Polka dot printed blouse. $49.90



Striped wrap blouse. $69.90



Silk lace blouse. $69.90



Check out the web store for tons more.


Up next, ZARA for men!



 
Design by Free WordPress Themes | Bloggerized by Lasantha - Premium Blogger Themes | Online Project management