Goodbye Beach Bum!

image courtesy of Marie Clare

Are you part of the lucky bunch with a warm weather vacation in your plans?  Well, not only are we jealous of your upcoming sun, sand, and surf, we also want to help you find the perfect swimsuit for that oceanside getaway.  And we’ve got partners-in-crime!  The always dependable style experts at Marie Clare recently put their brains together to come up with the perfect guide for beach-goers: “Swimsuits for Every Body Type“.  Petite, curvy, or athletic, there is rock solid advice for every mermaid girl out there; and with some of these tips coming straight from legendary beachwear designer Norma Kamali herself, you’ll want to peel that towel off before you even reach the beach.  Each body type section offers an array of silhouettes and designers to complement your shape and cater to your vacation style.  No matter your price point, Marie Clare and Fashion Societe will make sure you’re a perfect 10 on and off shore.

Club Monaco’s Summer Preview

While everyone is focused on spring fashion, we feel it’s time to start putting our feelers out for summer styles. Club Monaco has some fresh new looks that include a mix of different fashion trends.

Caroline Belhumeur who is the brand senior vice president of women’s design says that July will keep the sixties with looks that are “very naive and simple.” (WWD.com) A more contemporary take will occur once August and September comes around with breezy lightweight fabrics in neutral tones and pencil skirts with leather detailed pockets for some edge. September brings sexy miniskirts with fur trimmed coats and burned out tees in soft satin.

For the men, we will see chinos in a slim fit and shorter cut blazers in July, and as the summer roars on the clothing will take a different stroll with “indian madras” that include denim jackets and ripped chinos, a sense of preppy grunge. Soft sweaters made out of mohair along with corduroy pants will be the look for the start of autumn along with relaxed wool blazers that match just about everything.

Ralph Lauren’s New Take on Denim

Denim never looked so good. Ralph Lauren just recently created a new line, Collection Denim and there is nothing ordinary about it. The new luxury denim line includes more than just jeans, although that does make up for a lot of it. The collection features not only “super skinny jeans” but also leggings, trench coats and tuxedo jackets–yes all made out of denim.

Of course there are other items in there as well that aren’t denim-made like tuxedo blouses and shearling vests. These pieces are simply put in there to actively achieve the overall glam style that Lauren definitely knows how to pull off.

Sure, we see denim all the time, but this collection is so much more. There are cargo pocket and button details on the jeans and the jackets are coated to have a smooth look of make believe lush leather.

You will be able to get your hands on these fancy new duds coming this July, with prices ranging from $300 to $2,000.

“You see jeans for kids, but you don’t see them for women who want something more sophisticated,” Ralph Lauren said. “I thought there is a woman out there who wants to wear denim. Denim is not the newest thing in town, so the question is, what’s new?” he said, scanning the lineup. “This looks new. I think it’s a real new category. I was very excited about this category, because I feel that it hasn’t been done before.” (WWD.com)

Can Kmart Get Sexy?

Apparently this megastore is going to try. Sexy Modern Family TV star, Sofia Vergara is going to have a collection in Kmart made of leggings, miniskirts, dresses, footwear, handbags and leopard print bustiers (ThreadNY). “We’re trying to fill in a hole in the store. They wanted to appeal to a younger woman with something a little spicy. The times are changing” (WWD). 

That they are. So why Kmart? It has a lot to deal with the large Latin clientele and sticking with a place she knows moms are comfortable shopping at. “This is not a new store for me. When you have kids you don’t go to Bergdorf Goodman to buy underwear and socks- you go to Kmart.”  Vergara apparently signed a “long-term contract” and the saucy collection priced around $9.99-$59.99 is expected to launch next fall.  She will also be the exclusive model for the collection.   The young, style-conscious woman has a new budget-minded place to shop for racy intimates, handbags, shoes, and plenty of bling.

Hmm, maybe Kmart can be cool after all.

Some fantastic Plus Size pieces at eShakti-

With a size range from 0-26, custom sizing for a mere $7.50…. it looks like they are really stepping up their game. The colors in their fall palette are simply delicious. Beautiful jewel tones in purples, blues and green…definitely a great way to step out of browns, blacks and grays this upcoming fall season. I only have one piece from eShakti (see review here), but after seeing how well it washed, I’m definitely going to grab a few more of their dresses. They also offer pants and tops as well, but I think they do amazing things with their selection of dresses. You definitely won’t see anyone else wearing what you have with eShakti…well unless of course you are a blogger, we sometimes tend to like the same things.  

I hear there’s a 10% off discount code (type in nikstarr123 during checkout) so definitely worth checking this out 🙂