Friday, February 22, 2013

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Valentine's Day

On Valentine's we did not make prior reservations so it was impossible to find a table anywhere, so we ended up grabbing a bottle of one of our favorite wines and going to our favorite little Japanese place. It is always open, there is always a table and the food is time tested:)















Dress - H&M


Tights - Asos


Shoes - Cole Haan




Sunday, February 10, 2013

More on Prabal Gurung collaboration

I will begin with saying that this collaboration for the most part the best in quality compared to Jason Wu and other Target and Macy's collaborations from last year. There were some polyester things but at least not all the collection; most pieces are made of decent cotton and are pleasant to the touch.

Now here is my review of each and every one of my pre-selected pieces:





The cardigan above was available in all the stores in all sizes but I have decided against buying it since this type of blue is not really my color plus the quality was average and I figurd it will only collect dust in my closet.



The shirtdress was not available in the nearby stores and I tried looking it up online, saw that it was polyester and at first decided against it. Then I found out a store next to my mom carried it so I packed up my son and got in the car. When I got to the store there were 3 shirt dresses left in XS, M, and XL. Xl was snatched by another woman while I was grabbing XS. Thought of grabbing M as well, just in case XS is too small but didn't.



So even though I was not 100% on getting it, after trying it on I fell in love with it and wanted to get another one for my sister. Even though it is 100% polyester and the solar is made of fake leather, the print is very slimming and elongating and the dress is so elegant and comfortable, you don't want to take it off. By the time I got to the racks, medium was gone:(( I had to go to another store that carried it and managed to grab it in medium. Allelujah!







The black and white dress was all I expected - 98% cotton and 2% elastane, a bit stretchy, just like it should be, waist accentuating, pleasant to the touch, comfortable.







The skirt was adorable as well and fit me perfectly in both size 2 and 4.







This dress was a huge disappointment - the waist sits a bit high, plus the material is rather unpleasant and not for the summer - viscose with polyester lining. The color was the only thing that matched my expectations. Pass...







Both blouses were poor quality. The first one - just unpleasant, harsh to the touch material on the upper part (forgot the name), and peplum top felt rock hard and scratched my skin (not kidding)











The shoes, unfortunately, were not available online, so based on my experiences with other pieces, I have decided not to buy without knowing for sure whether r not they will be up to my standards.







My last pick - the jewelry were considerably larger than looked on the picture and the design of it is such that it needs to be dainty and not chunky.







So, to sum it up, I ended up getting 4 pieces: The black and white skirt and dress, nolita print shirtdress, and one piece I did't pick out originally - flowery shorts. Based on the info on the web site, the shorts were out of stock in my area, but I found them unexpectedly in the same store as the shirtdress. They only had sizes 8 and up left but I managed to find size 6 in returned items bin and got that one. I wish I could get size 2 or at least 4, but maybe it's better that way.



So here are my picks. There is some extensive bruising on my legs - a result of shopping with a toddler. Even though he slept in his stroller most of the time, he managed to throw a small (but vicious) tantrum at the beginning of our trip.











































Friday, February 1, 2013

Prabal Gurung Collaboration for Target




The new collaboration launches next Sunday, February 10th. I am all ready to go, holding on to my Target credit card. Below are my 9 favorite pieces.



This color block cardigan







An amazing shirtdress







Black and white dress







and black and white skirt







One more dress


I really think they should not have paired it up with blue heels, a pair of neutrals would be much more suitable, like flesh-colored sandals for instance







And a couple of blouses











Then those fabulous shoes:







My last pick:




Monday, January 21, 2013

Peter Rabbit Collection for Gap

I am absolutely charmed by new Peter Rabbit collection for Gap. Today I have been running all over the town visiting various Gap stores that carry the collection, to see if the clothes are as cute as they look on the internet. And they sure are!

Here is most of the collection for older kids:










My personal favorites are canvas sweater from the first screenshot (lower left corner), shawl-collar sweater from the second screenshot (upper right corner), and 2-in-1 parka from the last screenshot. I got those three plus an adorable pair of jeans. Cannot wait to pick up the little one from daycare so he could try them on!



Sunday, January 20, 2013

The Wardrobe Wakeup

the wardrobe wakeup



Pretty interesting book but, seems like it is oriented more towards older generations as some advice does not seem suitable for younger women. Don't get me wrong, it is not outdated, just the advice given would not be useful or age appropriate for all.



I think the book was meant for women of more advanced age who are transitioning from more youthful wardrobe to wardrobe that is more mature and age appropriate. Sometimes the transition is due to age, sometimes due to major life changes, one example would be a transition from being a working woman to becoming a housewife. Different lifestyle, different activities, different schedule requires updating or revamping your wardrobe.



So now on to more detailed review: author recommends to wear same color head-to-toe for a longer, slimmer look. While it will price the look promised, personally, I find it's a good look for a woman after 40, and most younger women would find it slightly boring. The part I liked about this recommendation was that the author does not mean wearing only one color, but to pick a basic color and wear it head-to-toe but not without additional colors. For instance take example straight from the book - a woman wearing gray pants, striped gray and navy sweater and navy scarf, while the main color is gray, it is not the only color used in the outfit.



Next, the author suggests to arrange all clothing in your closet by color, regardless of the type or the season, then, as the next step, put like items together, like all the jackets, all the pants etc.
Personally I find this advice iffy and believe more in arranging your clothing first by season, then by type: work, active, casual, formal, followed by type, and the color arrangement is last on my list. Nevertheless I had fun trying out the author's recommendation and did get some interesting outfit ideas out of it.


Then the book talks about "editing" your wardrobe, altering, layering, mixing prints, adding belts, and going over each item such as blouses, cardigans, dresses, pants, etc., offering some advice on each. The advice is kind of general, mostly geared towards average body type - not too tall, not too slim etc.


Then follows the advice on dressing for less, how and what to buy so that you spend less without looking cheap. For example buying black, brown and red, sticking to basics and clean shapes egoc.


A pretty good advice given, in my opinion, was buying seasonless items: cropped jeans, classic trench coat, long tanks, dark neutral pencil skirt, nude shoes, cashmere v-necks, 3/4 sleeve cardigans, white cotton shirts and more.


Then there is a list of "style types" that slightly differ from conventional style types found in each and every style book: the babe, the classic, the yo-yo dresser, the label lover, the comfort queen, and the trend-ista, with a list of advice for each type, followed by some examples.


At the end of the book there is a list of 8 designers most people buy from at any age throughout their whole life and a chapter on accessories.


Overall not a bad book at all, especially for those over 40.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

You are what you wear


I'd say the book is more about psychology then about clothing. It talks a lot about different psychological issues people have and how it is reflected on their wardrobe. Personally that's what I expected but I expected it on much deeper level, much more complicated and much more enticing.

Intro chapter is a questionnaire to get you to think about who dressed you when you were little, who started your style, basically, and to analyze what is in your closet.

Intro is followed by nine chapters, each of which describes a particular type of a person with an issue and what type of clothes or what shopping style they tend to take on. One chapter is about someone who does not dress their age, another - someone who wear clothing that is too revealing, another just buys everything they see if it is on sale, whether they need it or not, then one more is about someone who wears baggy clothes to cover the body they hate and one who is obsessed with labels, etc.

The book does not really supply any real advice to anyone who does not fit those criteria or does not provide information on how to "read" people based on their clothing, beyond the common sense.

Personally, I would not recommend this book from either psychology or wardrobe perspective, but I guess every book has its audience.