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.

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Swimsuit Styling Guide: Wearing White Or Yellow On The Beach When You Can't Or Won't Tan. (Or: From Pasty to Ka-POW!)

When it comes to selecting a bathing suit, I'm not sure just how many times I've either been told to avoid certain colours or witnessed one of friends gripe about how she wished she could pull off white, yellow, tan, coral or green. Before going over options, let's be real. I am of Lebanese, English and Québecoise descent. I am wicked pale and I've never tanned to more than a light golden but, thanks to my Lebanese heritage, in certain light, I appear to be tinged with a hint of... green. This has made me shy away from yellow for years. Most of us have a colour or two that make us look sickly but I find too many people are terrified of wearing a yellow or white swimsuit.

THE WHITE SUIT:

Let me first dispel a ridiculous notion by hereby declaring that pale women can wear white swimsuits. That said, know that the paler you are, the more washed out the suit will make you appear. As with most suits, the cut is very important but how you style a white suit will make a huge difference. My recommendation is to buy a vintage-inspired suit, top it with a vintage headscarf or floppy sun hat; oversize sunglasses; a wide, plastic bracelet and/or chunky, plastic ring; waterproof mascara, a light dusting of bronzer and a matte red lip or coral gloss. This works for any skin tone and hair colour. Embody Marilyn and work it. 

Here are two white suits that can help you accomplish this:

The Bathing Beauty two-piece in white from Modcloth. $89.

For those of who may prefer a replica of the infamous Marilyn suit, I found one on Etsy for $215.19 CAD.

THE YELLOW SUIT

I'm not going to lie: Yellow is by far the toughest colour for a pale woman to pull off, no matter what her nationality is. Would I wear a yellow swimsuit? Maybe. Once more, the way to pull this colour off is by going retro, whether it be elegant and classic or cutesy and fun.

If you want a fantastic example of how a yellow swimsuit can be elegantly styled, check out this listing. This photo alone is enough to convince me to make myself something similar!

Prints can also soften the effect of yellow against alabaster. Add white polka-dots to a suit and you've got an entirely different feel.

The Seasons of The Sun swimsuit from Modcloth is an example of this. Top: $49.99 USD. Bottom: $39.99 USD. 

On Etsy, I found this great little two-piece for $75.32 CAD.

Wearing yellow when you are pale and blonde is even more difficult, as brown hair warms up the overall effect and red hair compliments yellow (the brighter the red, the better!). Remember to accessorize with reds or blues to cut through all the yellow!

TATTOOS

All of this can apply to women with tattoos but I feel that, the more you have, the more you can pull off the above colours without worrying too much about styling. When the expanse of your skin is adorned with black and/or coloured ink, it is impossible to look as washed out. 

ETC...

In the next few posts, we'll look at swimsuits for the grown-up punk, statement pieces, beach body care, beach make-up, summer hairstyles and summer hair care. 

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The Bad-Ass Girl's Guide to Wearing Floral Dresses for Spring 2013

I've re-read this title several times and I still can't believe I, of all people, am writing anything that bears these words! That is why, if you're someone that usually says they wouldn't be caught dead in floral prints, you can trust me on this one. If I'm writing this, you can wear a floral dress. 

I cringe at the thought of this one particular outfit I wore sometimes during grade nine. It was a dark blue skirt and blouse set with large, light blue flowers printed all over it. The blouse had cap sleeves and the skirt was long and a-line. It was made from that horrendous poly blend fabric that most nineties floral outfits consisted of and, when I remember it, I can't believe some girls were jealous that I had it. You can imagine the palm-to-forehead moment I had when I saw that florals are back in full force. 

That said, if you read any of my Roots installments, you know that I'm trying to break out of my subculture heavy mold and so here we are. If you're a bad-ass and you're not sure about floral prints, read on. I dare you. ;-)

Look number one:

The Hi Lo Freak of Nature Dress in Desert Rose Print from asos.com. $93.

Their styling isn't bad but I would wear this dress with biker boots, a cropped leather or denim vest or a cropped and sleek leather jacket, some black leather bracelets, my favourite Dior red and maybe a smidgen of Guerlain Khôl. I would also omit the fringes on the purse or on the boots. Or on both, really.

 Look number two:

Trollied Dolly Lauren's Retro On The Go Dress at modcloth. $85.

In this one, 1950's retro meets the slightest touch of bohemia thanks to the dress' silhouette and the bangles. I would opt for either of these shoes but definitely stick to classic pinup make-up and maybe even go a step further by wearing a red hair scarf or leather head band. 

Look number three:

NW3 Silk Dress in Flower Print. $287. asos.com

This dress makes me think of small towns and a casual lunch at a vineyard, somewhere on the countryside. It could easily be worn with what you see here but also with a black blazer, black ballet flats, a gold necklace or two and some slim, brown leather bracelets or gold bangles. I'm digging her hair like this but would also recommend a high bun with small braids leading up to it or even a small crown of slim braids. 

Look number four:

The Warehouse Floral Body-Conscious Dress once more from asos.com. Now on sale for $30.52.

This one made me hesitate the most and not just because the print reminds me of the one that made up the aforementioned skirt suit from my high school days. It's just so... nineties. After much deliberation, I decided that it should be part of this set because I can see it being a hit with a lot of people, despite my own original misgivings. 

The two jackets I can see this with are definitely the ones I put in the collage. A nice boyfriend blazer with the sleeves pushed up completely changes this dress. It could also be worn with tall, black biker boots and/or a black pork pie hat. If you want to wear shoes instead of boots with this, I don't recommend the socks and heels shown on the model but maybe a pointy, black ballet flat or basic black pump instead.

Look number five:

The Bailey Floral Dress from Gypsy Warrior. Currently on sale for $24.00.

This dress comes without a collage because I really feel that it stands alone. I wouldn't wear a crown of roses on my head but almost all of the style elements mentioned in above collages work with this piece and make sense for spring. It can also be worn just like this, with a skinny belt, some simple jewelry and a pair of flats, on a hot summer day. 

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