Category: Lace

What would Lily wear?

3/6/2014

Would Lily wear one of these dresses? Would I?

White dresses seem to be appearing everywhere, many with eyelet lace, some named Lily. Lily is lily-white & very sweet. I'm a bit edgier than she is. What do you think? Should I keep or return the dELiA's Lillie dress I ordered?

Lily Dress from Sundance Catalog for $138

Sundance Catalog Lily Of The Valley Dress, $138

Jessica Simpson Eyelet Trim Dress, $128

Nordstrom Jessica Simpson Laser Cut Eyelet Trim Dress, $128

Piperlime Pim + Larkin Embellished Eyelet Dress, $129

Piperlime Pim + Larkin Embellished Eyelet Mini Dress, $129

Lillie Dress from dELiA's for $31 after discount

dELiA's Lillie Eyelet Dress, $44.90 minus 30% with the code 30SUPER

The photo below is the dELiA's Lillie dress on me. Keep it? Return it? Size up? (Iron it? :-)...

Here's a white lace skirt from Garnet Hill, $128

Garnet Hill Full Lace Skirt, $128

Full photo, same skirt as above

Garnet Hill Full Lace Skirt, $128

4 Comments

Opposites attract

10/30/2013

6 Comments

At first it may go against everything in your nature. But one of the best ways to get more of your wardrobe into circulation is to pair opposites--opposite styles, opposite colors, opposite fabrics.

Opposite Styles: Dressy & Casual or High/Low
You have work/dress clothes, & you have weekend/play clothes--never the two shall meet? But do you have some work/dress clothes that are so dressy they're too much trouble to wear? Or you feel too conservative & dressed up in them? Pull out your t-shirts & jeans. See if you might match some dressier items with them.

"Clothes mean nothing unless someone lives in them."
--Marc Jacobs

Dressy jacket, jeans Suit, camo tee

Outfit from Peruvian Connection: Miramar Baby Alpaca & Wool Jacket + Boyfriend Jeans

We set up artificial boundaries for our clothes--work clothes, play clothes, dress clothes. Allow them to stray back and forth, and you'll find you have twice as many outfits.

Image from J. Crew catalog

Would you consider wearing a crisp white long-sleeve shirt with your leggings?

Image from J. Crew catalog

Dressy skirt & t-shirt Dressy skirt & casual sweater

Carbon Pawprint tee, Forever 21 skirt

Garnet Hill Sequin Pencil Skirt and Cashmere Turtleneck Sweater

Opposite Colors (maybe not opposite but unexpected): Deep Red + Icy Blue; Deep Purple + Green
We're used to pairing black with its polar opposite white. But don't stop there: try other unlikely mates.

Deep red & icy blue:

Boden sweater, H&M cords

Click on the photo above for more examples of cranberries & icy blue paired together.

Deep purple & green

H&M top, New York & Co. pants

Opposite Fabrics: Thick & Thin
You've been struggling for ages to pair the fabrics just right--a silky blouse with a silky jacquard skirt, for example.
This matchmaking is hard work and may result in just one outfit. So why not try a wool sweater with a lace or tulle skirt? A silk blouse with a tweed or corduroy skirt? Who knew they'd get along so well?

Wool sweaters, lace & tulle skirts

GAP sweater, Forever 21 skirt

Image from Garnet Hill

Anthropologie sweater, J. Crew skirt

Velvet skirt, summer blouse Tweed skirt; silky, lacy blouse

Boden top, Garnet Hill skirt

H&M top, Piperlime skirt

What do you think? Do the combos work?
Let's help each other get more of our clothes into action. Please share other styles we might mix, color combinations we should try, fabrics we might pair together.

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More tips
for getting
your wardrobe out & about

Dressing
down
fancy

Black & white

6 Comments

Lace-topped tees from H&M

9/29/2013

2 Comments

H&M may be affordable, but they take care with the details. I'm in tears (again) for these lovely lace-topped tees. The lace is a vine design placed on mesh.

I found this cap-sleeved lace-topped tee online & then visited the store in person to see if I could find it & check sizing. In store, they carried it in black, white, & army green, but I love the purple, so I ordered online The top runs small. Top with a cardigan for fall/winter.

H&M Lace Top, $17.95

Lace Top, $17.95

While I was in store, I found this beautiful long-sleeved blue one and had to have it! It has a touch of lace on the cuffs too!

Close-up of the lace on the top to the right. The color (distorted for some reason) is peacock blue.

H&M top, $24.99, not available online

H&M has a couple other designs with mesh & lace in store.

Have you ordered from H&M online yet? I ordered the top on Friday and it arrived yesterday (Tuesday)--that's pretty quick! Shipping is $5.95.

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Also from H&M

The sparkly tees from American Eagle that made me cry last time

Here they are on me.

T-shirt Sunday Tees

Daily lace

2 Comments

Our daily lace

9/2/2013

2 Comments

Lately we see lace attached to everyday items. Do-it-yourselfers: it seems we should be able to recreate this look easily enough.

Anthropologie Rione Skirt, $118

I looked all over Etsy to see if someone might have handmade a similar look to this. No luck.

The idea of adding lace to an existing item seems to me in keeping with TED's TEN guidelines for sustainable design. It fits with Design Strategy#2: Design for Recycling/Upcycling.

Banana Republic Lace-Front Pullover, $79.50 minus 40% with the code BRweekend

My favorite of several lace-fronted sweatshirt-type pullovers out there.

J. Crew Factory Lace-front Tee, $31.50

This top is really a pretty good deal. Comes in 4 colors.
Free shipping today.

Do you sew? Could you recreate this look yourself?

Are you searching for something?:

Search Party

2 Comments

Not 16 and pregnant

3/27/2013

0 Comments

...but often wearing teenibopper and maternity clothing :-)

Forever 21 skirt & GAP maternity kimono sweater

Forever 21 lace skirt, $15.80, available in store

GAP kimono sweater, $17.99-18.99

GAP Zigzag kimono sweater, $17.99-18.99

Mature women typically think clothing from teen stores like Forever 21, dELiA's and Alloy, American Eagle Outfitters, Urban Outfitters, Wet Seal, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Aeropostale will be too young looking or have only small sizes. But surprisingly, those stores often carry a broader range of sizes (from XXS to Plus sizes) than typical women's stores, and they have plenty of age-appropriate clothing, no matter what your age. Plus, everything is less expensive at teen stores.

Who wears maternity clothes when they're not pregnant? I do! I just size down. Maternity clothes are less expensive and often quite flattering since they're a little longer in length and made the highlight a woman's best assets.

More on the subject...

GAP maternity clothes:
not just for the pregnant

Top 10 Fashion Rules

Chambray shirts:
maybe a men's
shirt is the answer to save $?

0 Comments

"You look nice today"

2/15/2012

0 Comments

Long Tall Sally lace woven top, $79

Our first words of greeting often involve clothes. Clothes-talk provides light relief in the midst of a hectic work day and helps form a bond—“love your boots!” “look—we’re both wearing stripes.” Clothes connect people: “let me help you on with your coat,” “are you chilly? can I get you a sweater?” “how beautiful you look tonight…”

Don't let "tall" stop you--won't affect this top. $10 flat fee shipping from England to U.S. Good quality; fast delivery; returns accepted at U.S. location.

0 Comments

What would Lily wear?

Opposites attract

Lace-topped tees from H&M

Our daily lace

Not 16 and pregnant

More on the subject...

Top 10 Fashion Rules

"You look nice today"

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