LA Story: Get Waisted!

This dress, Bebe, is an oldie but boy is it a goodie. My white tank sheath dress is covered with clear sequins and that’s not the best part. Check out the clever design and placement of the contrasting black sequins at the waist. First let’s start with the fact I have no waist. I’m so short waisted that my bottom rib almost touches the top of my hip and I’m a shrimp, so I work really hard to create a waist with my clothing. However, this dress does it for me. The cool haphazard pattern almost looks like scribble scrabble or crossed wires that create a corset like feel. I love the asymmetry with some of the lines hitting right under the bust while others drop to the bottom of my hip – this is why my waist looks so distinct. Moreover, they turned the black sequins on the side to look like bugle beads that create dimension for a truly distinct contrast.

This design is so well thought out! I’ve styled it very simply with an oversized black blazer, Calvin Klein, from a suit worn over my shoulders to look borrowed from a date, (if only) and a pair of black leather sling-backs, Sebastian Milano, that like the blazer have a more casual feel. I love using contrasting fabrications, so nothing looks too dressy or too casual just cool and chic. I went with a vintage rhinestone princess-like necklace and a pair of diamond hoops and did an extra bit of bling with my large rhinestone ankle bracelet, Melinda Maria Jewelry, over my gold one, Gucci. This is a really simple look that packs a giant punch. I also like wearing this dress with flat sandals and a denim jacket for a fun casual daytime look.

style-tip: deescalate your dressier pieces with casual items to make them more wearable for daytime and less fancy events.

LA Story: Folklore 

The folklore look with multicolor embroidery came back around in a big way in the mid 1970s and 80s and continues to pop up during the Spring and Summer months. I’ve always loved it but I’m pretty picky about the pattern. When I was designing for an India based manufacturer I did a ton of it. I particularly liked mixing embroideries on a variety of fabrications and patching them together that resulted in some really unexpected and fun pairings. This skirt, Zara, with its all over embroidery is pretty straight forward. It’s the perfect item that screams Summer when styled with a tank or a t-shirt and sandals. Since it’s Spring and a workday I’ve gone with a light blue blouse, J Crew, a short black blazer, Gap, and a pair of black loafers, Patrick Cox.

I’m usually pretty uptight about my blacks matching but in this case with the darker black skirt covered with the multicolor embroidery, I’m ok with it. Because the skirt is short, (much shorter than I like to wear), the short jacket is the only way to go and with the collared blouse and loafers it reads more professional (for what I do). I’ve zhuzhed the sleeves of both my jacket and blouse to tone down the seriousness of both pieces to balance with my skirt. It just so happens loafers are trending for Spring/Summer, so they totally work out. Because the skirt is short and my shoes have so much foot coverage they don’t really match up. I brought in my big black leather handbag, Carla Mancini, to pair with the shoes for more of an even distribution. I made deliberate thought-out choices of items that would support each other for a look that’s cohesive and pulled together.

style-tip: balance between items is essential especially when mixing things that don’t normally work together.

*please treat your wardrobe well. many people worked very hard to get it to you.