Style Story: The Tomato Girl

The Tomato Girl has been one of our biggest Summer trends and the name could not be more perfect! especially because this trend brings such beautiful imagery to mind…picture yourself under the warm Italian sun while strolling through an open air market or enjoying antipasti at a charming outdoor cafe then jumping into the ocean for an impromptu swim – that’s The Tomato Girl  – old-world charm simple pleasures and La Dolce Vita. Those were the things I thought about when I saw this dress, Vintage Encanto on Etsy, in its juicy vibrant colours and feminine body style. The lovely neckline is a modified, sweetheart. Did you know that the, sweetheart, neckline is one of the most flattering, why? Because it shows our collarbones and we never gain weight in our collarbones so show them off! The empire waist from the elastic shearing enhances our bust and gives even the, waistless, like me, the illusion of having one. The full gathered skirt starts higher than the hip so we don’t look, hippy.

These are just some of the beautiful and flattering details that make this dress so special. I only want to add a few things to make this a, finished look. I want to enhance not detract and my vintage red/fuchsia headscarf, Vera, and large rose gold hoop earrings reinforce that feeling of old world charm. The thin wire hoop looks soft light and balanced rather than a heavier thicker hoop. My gold metallic thong sandals, Sam Edelman, pick up the lovely shade of yellow, from my dress, and  reflect the sun so I’ve got sunshine all around me. Rather than a regular handbag, I went with an old nylon shopping bag with fruit and vegetables printed on it. Could it be more perfect? Since this is The Tomato Girl trend and I needed tomatoes I went to my local farm stand, Tapia Brothers Farm, for the freshest juiciest and most delicious produce in the city.

style-tip: when styling a focus piece like this dress be sure that whatever you bring in is part of the story

Style Story: The Peasant Dress with an Edge

Sweet little peasant dresses are a bit girlie for me but with a few subtle tweaks I can tone down the sweet, turn up the edge without taking from the integrity of the silhouette. The goal is to find that balance between the two and staying consistent with everything you add in. The first thing I think about is, how to make my dress, H&M, look more like sportswear. I’m breaking up the dress with a cropped sweater, All Saints, tied around my waist. The cropped silhouette keeps my proportions intact while giving me a casual carefree look that reads more like separates. The next thing I think about is my contrast colour, and I’ve gone with black. Now, it’s about staying committed and not deviating. That means no pops of colour no cute colorful accessories ONLY black and white. That’s how we keep the, edginess, going.

My black thong style flat sandal, Sam Edelman, are nondescript and work well with my look The simple style, (that I own in 4 colours), looks great on my foot, is comfortable and they work with pretty much everything. I’m using this large black fanny-pack bag, Shein, because it’s short bulky and in line with my short dress and cropped sweater. The density and bulkiness reenforce my statement while keeping the eye focused upward. To complete this look I brought in an oversized Baroque pearl necklace. The large misshapen pearls look feminine and much more edgy than had I gone for a traditional strand of pearls.

style-tip: cohesion consistency and balance are key to stying a look that makes sense. think your look through. if you don’t have the right item…don’t wear the wrong one – go without it no-one will be the wiser

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