Classically Clothed

This is for Lisa who asked me what to wear for family portraits. I hadn’t given it much thought before, but here are some of my conclusions:

For summer portrait taking, comfort and coolness would be at the top of my list. Cashmere cardigans and soft wool dresses have their place, but in another season. So my conclusion number one is:

1.Wear a loose fitting skirt in a tea or knee length, and a simple knit top or tailored blouse. Jeans are too hot, shorts (and this includes bermudas, too) are not appropriate, and the same goes for pants. If you are part of the family portrait and you are female, dress in a feminine ensemble. I’m not talking about your frilliest, froofiest, clothing here, but a simple outfit of a laid back skirt or dress keeps the entire picture flowing nicely.

Imagine: The whole family is wearing khaki and white and you’re dressed in a bright orange/red top with a black skirt and your multi-colored highest heeled heels on. This brings us to my second conclusion:

2. Choose neutral and softer more muted colors, as opposed to loud prints and neon colors. There are few people who enjoy sticking out like a sore thumb, especially when the moment is captured for the next several decades in a snapshot. I’m not saying that family portraits have to be matchy, matchy; black, white, black, white, black white. Wearing harmonious colors will, again, keep the look of the portrait flowing nicely. Browns, ivory, whites, charcoal grey, and soft colors are again preferable. I tend not to like black as much in portraits because it’s a hard color to pull off and has the tendency to wash people out and make them look harsh.

Simple is oftentimes (if not most of the time) better. Conclusion 3:

3. Tone down the makeup and accessories. Skip the heavy foundation, dark eyeshadow and eyeliner, multiple pieces of jewelry and Hollywood shoes. Shine free, translucent makeup, one piece of unobtrusive jewelry, and sweet shoes will make your outfit look more timeless than anything else.

I hope this is helpful! Your decisions should also be based off of your personal clothing and color preferences.

Anna

Wow! It worked! Now I can put together outfits instead of sticking up a bunch of separate pictures.

P.S. Click on the picture and it will take you to the links contained in the pics. I didn’t mean to pick a handbag that cost 1,000 dollars, I just liked how it looked.

Anna

Do you have an item in your wardrobe that is shivering since it’s constantly left out in the cold by you?

Resolve to give those things that you always pass over in your wardrobe a chance this week. You don’t have to wear an entire outfit made up of these neglected pieces but do it one piece at a time by mixing and matching with other pieces that you really love. Do you have a favorite pair of jeans? Throw on that neglected white blouse that is hanging in the back of your closet. Got a funky, clunky necklace? Accessorize your favorite summer dress with it and achieve a whole new look. Wear that floaty scarf wrapped around your neck or as a headband to liven up your jeans and t-shirt. Bright colored shoes make any denim skirt or jeans sparkle.

If after giving it a try you still hate it then don’t keep it! Throw it out and build up a wardrobe full of things that you love.

Anna

Doing a double take? Yes, in warm weather, more of the right kind of clothing can equal staying cooler as opposed to what most people think about how you should dress when the sun gets hot. Extra short, tight shorts, camisole top, and flip flops. Does this ensemble sound familiar? It also sounds hot! Wearing constricting unbreathable clothes and exposing more skin area to the sun isn’t going to keep you cool. However, wearing loose fitting, lightweight, clothes that protect your skin from the sun and insulate your body will keep you cooler. Get out those cotton blouses, skirts, lightweight bermuda shorts, and dresses, girls, and enjoy staying cool!

Keep it smart casual by adding some accessories:

Anna

P.S. Check out all the amazing summer sales right now!

Old Navy
AE
Esprit
GAP
JC Penney

Yes, I am thinking already about Fall; it pays to think ahead of time and calculate just what I need and how much it will cost. Here is my list:

Black or grey dress pants; Thrifted: $5.00
4 winter skirts- a-line denim, grey or black pencil, 2 print; Thrifted: $18.00
4 knit tops; Thrifted: $18.00
4 blouses- black, white, 2 print; Thrifted: $18.00
2 cardigans; Thrifted: $9.00
Black handbag; Thrifted: $10.00
Bomber Jacket; Thrifted: $12.00
High heeled black pumps; 6PM: $34.50
High heeled leather boots; 6PM: 49.95
Low heeled pumps; Thrifted: $10.00
2 nice t-shirts; Thrifted: $9.00
Scarf; Old Navy, or T.J. Maxx: $25.00
2 pairs jeans; Old Navy: $70.00
Print knit dress; Ross: $25.00

Grey Knit Dress; Shabby Apple: $78.00

Grand Total: $391.45; NOT including tax and shipping.

Still, it all sounds like a pretty good bargain to me, considering that I’m buying classic pieces that will last for a few seasons. I’m relying pretty heavily on Goodwill to find a lot of these items, but I know a few Goodwills, so I think I have a pretty fair chance of finding what I need at those. My most expensive items by far are my shoes, my jeans, and my dress, but I find that if I pay a little more now for these wardrobe essentials, I will run into less issues with my wardrobe later on in the winter season.

Are you thinking about your Fall wardrobe in June? If so, what do you need?

Anna

Even though I love fashion, I know that sometimes it’s hard to stretch those quarters and dollars far enough when we’re shopping, so I came up with a few stylish, but money conscious outfits from American Eagle, Old Navy, and Target for $50.00, or approximately, (not including shipping and tax if you shop online). With a little bit of thought you can stretch $50.00 pretty far (and even farther if you shop in thrift stores!) and still look great. The trick with these outfits is that you buy pieces that will coordinate, i.e. a a pair of jeans and two great tops plus an accessory that you can mix and match with.

*Note* Click on the picture and it will take you to the links.

American Eagle

AE 77 Straight Leg Jean: $19.95

AE Eyelet Trim T: $11.95

AE Sunrise T: $11.95

AE Sheer Striped Scarf: $9.95

GRAND TOTAL: $53.80

Or

AE Seersucker Fedora: $6.95

GRAND TOTAL WITH HAT: $50.80

20% off coupon at American Eagle: 58248203

Old Navy

Mixed Print Skirt: $20.00

Cap Sleeved Shirt: $15.00

Classic Tee: $10.00

Canvas Skimmers: $6.99

GRAND TOTAL: $52.00

Or

Drop Earrings: $6.00

GRAND TOTAL WITH EARRINGS: $51.00

Target

Ivory Striped Wrap Dress: $14.99

Blue Ocean Smocked Cardigan: $8.49

Yellow Wedge Sandals: $22.99

Beaded Cluster Earrings: $6.99

GRAND TOTAL: 53.46

Just because you are on a budget doesn’t mean you have to dress grungy or frumpy, being stylish is possible even with a limited clothing allowance.

Anna

For some of us who don’t own a LWD or even, as Amber put it, a LCD (Little Cream Dress), and don’t posses the funds for buying one right now, we must find other ways to incorporate white into our summer wardrobes.

White dresses up or down very well and looks great in most environments.

Here are some items to choose from if you don’t wear white well from head to toe:

A.N.A Honor H-Band White Sandals from JC Penney for $17.99

Bisou Bisou White Bermuda Shorts from JC Penney for $19.99

Floppy White Hat from Target for $12.99

White Sanke Tote Bag from Target for $19.99

White Floral Eyelet Skirt from Target for $24.99

Big Rectangle White Sunglasses from Target for $19.99

Chunky White Beaded Necklace from Target for $12.99

White Flower Drop Earrings from Target for $8.99

Women’s Pleated T from American Eagle for $19.50

White Cotton Fiber Scarf from Forever 21 for $9.90

Cute, white, and affordable; now what is your excuse for not wearing something white this summer?

Anna

Since I haven’t been posting lately, I’ll give you some links to follow to blog posts of fashionistas who can do it better than I can:

Christa Taylor talks about the LWD “Little White Dress” which sounds so much more comfortable and cool in the summertime as opposed to a Little Black Dress. White is also easier to accessorize with; black, as it turns out, isn’t always easy to wear.

Angie talks about her Parisian experience and gives a great look and heads up as to where fashion trends are heading in France. Read about Parisian Store Fashion, Parisian Street Fashion, and last of all, about Parisian Shoe Fashion. I’ll talk about trends and true fashion very soon. I’ll try not too be too hypocritical since I am known to own a few trends myself.

Lastly, browse some of the great dress selections at my latest, greatest find Shabby Apple. You can find dresses that make dressing simple. No more layering with cardigans, tugging at camisoles, or having to wear long slips to cover up is their promise with these dresses. Do be warned, their price range is pushing $$$ for this blog.

That’s all I have in me for right now! Come back in 20 years and I’ll have posted by then.

Anna

I bought a new wool coat. Not because I was in desperate need of it for these chilly summer months, but because it was on sale, I’d been thinking about it for a long time, and it was in my favorite color. How could I resist buying the Newark Avenue Coat in blue from Christa Taylor?

Christa Taylor is a clothing line started by a Christian girl who was frustrated by mainstream clothing so she began designing her own apparel that was beautiful, modest, feminine, and well made. ALL of her items are well worth looking at if you are tired of the endless searching for clothing that is modest but also pretty and stylish.

Within a few days of ordering my coat it arrived in the mail:

I was duly impressed by the wonderful make and feel of the coat the moment I opened the package. The wool is heavy enough to protect me from California winters, but also versatile enough to wear over any outfit, whether it be jeans and a blouse, or a pretty dress. The classic length and single breast styling is elegant, graceful and durable.

Take some time to shop her clothing line; Christa Taylor will not disappoint your expectations!

Anna

I may be hitting a few nerves here but I really wanted to address this issue because the great global warming trend is making it pop up all the more.

Layering two skin tight tanks over each other and calling it a top. Or making a spaghetti strap top squeak by the radar by layering a flimsy tank under that. *Sigh* Stop. Slow down. Let’s think about this for a moment before we head out the door, shall we?

I have absolutely nothing against pretty colored, dainty tanks and camisoles. My own closet possesses a whole lot of them and I use them all the time but not like this:

These looks that I have seen so many girls sporting don’t appear so great in person. Most of the time it accentuates any flabbiness they might possess (since we don’t all have the bodies of 12 year olds, like the girl in the top picture), exposes way too much cleavage, is uncomfortable since you have to constantly be tugging your tanks back into place, or run the risk of things popping out, and makes it look like you forgot to put on that last extra layer before you headed out the door. It’s a cheap look.

Seeing girls wear this look is akin to walking up a flight of stairs and landing your foot funny at the top because for some reason you thought there was an extra step. Where’s the extra layer?

I love the look of layering, just do it right! Instead of the above said, do this:

Take this red tank and put it underneath a crisp white shirt for a polished, summery look.

Or try this:

Under this:

Very cute, and a lot more stylish and imaginative than just two tanks together, try it!

Some more shirts suitable for layering:

Almost all of these tanks and tops were taken from American Eagle the coolest place for teens to shop, right? They had plenty of cute tops that work just fine for layering. You have no excuse for not doing it properly.

Anna