Monday, April 21, 2008

My Favourite Spring Colours - Part Three

Feeling the Blues


Old Navy Chainlink Jelly Sandals

Each season seems to have a shade of blue that's particularly evocative of its charms. Winter's icy pale blue, Summer's rich sky blue... To me, these pieces sing the Spring blues by evoking images of robin's eggs, forget-me-nots, and popsicles.

Design History @ Bluefly



















Rock and Republic halter from Saks Fifth Avenue




















French Twist top @ Nordstrom




















Banana Republic
sheath dress




















JCrew "Sophia" dress




















Vera Wang dress @ Bluefly



















Yoana Baraschi @ Bluefly




















Helene Berman jacket @ Nordstrom



















Christian Louboutin "Un Voilier" flats @ Bluefly



















Old Navy canvas skimmers






















Maxx New York "Thompson" Bag @ Nordstrom

























Vera Bradley headband from Itsagirlthing @ Etsy.com
























Cara headband @ Nordstrom
























JCrew enamelled tile necklace
























Sunday, April 20, 2008

My Favourite Spring Colours - Part Two

It's Easy Being Green


Green is symbolic of new life and new growth - as such, it's a perfect fit for Spring - especially in a vibrant, lush shade the colour of new leaves. To really revive your wardrobe, try out some of the following pieces:

T-Bag halter @ Saks Fifth Avenue




















"Emily" halter @ Delia's




















Robert Rodriguez bow tie halter @ Saks Fifth Avenue




















Tucker by Gaby Basora blouse @ Nordstrom




















Banana Republic sweater jacket

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Banana Republic A-line Skirt




















Banana Republic Sweater Dress





















Delia's "Natalia" Knit Dress




















Tibi "Lily Pad" Dress @ Saks Fifth Avenue




















Old Navy Print Halter Dress




















JCrew Silk Taffeta Halter Dress




















Banana Republic "Sapphire" Espadrille Wedge
























Printed Satin Flats @ Old Navy
























Botkier "Nomad" Satchel @ Neiman Marcus

















Headtie by jpleasant @ Etsy.com






















Glass and Paper Pendant by aPassionForFashion @ Etsy.com

Thursday, April 10, 2008

My Favourite Spring Colours - Part One

Karen Kane pleated skirt @ Nordstrom

Sartorial Sunshine

Nothing epitomizes Spring splendour like that particular sunny shade of yellow - and boy is it big this season! From slingbacks to skirts to shades, splash some of this brilliant hue across your wardrobe to wake up to the delights of Spring, like a daffodil unfolding!

Karen Zambos Vintage Couture @ Nordstrom



















Nanette Lepore @ Saks Fifth Avenue
























JCrew valencia print cardigan
























JCrew Mariposa Lily Cardigan
























JCrew Corinne sweater jacket
























Milly skirt @ Saks Fifth Avenue
























JCrew Scooter mini
























Julie Haus "peyton" dress @ Saks Fifth Avenue

























Banana Republic silk square print dress
























Kenneth Cole New York "aim to pleats" hobo bag @ Nordstrom
























B. Madowsky "Eden" satchel @ Nordstrom
























JCrew "Cleo" t-straps
























Dabby Reid Ltd. necklace @ Nordstrom





















My advice to you to add some Spring cheer to your wardrobe? Throw on some sartorial sunshine and go for yellow!

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Aubergine...


We've all got a few lurking in our offices or on our blocks. I'm talking about the women whose coiffures bear unlikely hues not generally found in nature. (Or if they ARE found in nature, they're generally found on certain vegetables, see above.)

This has always perturbed me a little, as there seems to be a disproportionately high number of women in my office wandering around with hair that strange, dark, purplish-red shade that could never, ever sprout naturally from someone's scalp. Why, oh why, do women succumb to the strange desire to tint their heads with colours like this? I have no problem with dyeing and highlighting, so long as the effects they produce are in the realm of natural and the tones are complementary to the wearer. I'm sorry, but I have yet to meet a woman for whom eggplant is a complementary shade.

Here are some other common hair colour faux-pas that I spot on a daily basis:

1 - Fire engine red: there are some women who can pull this shade off beautifully - generally those with beautiful, pale skin. I have a friend who exemplifies the best in fiery red hair "from a bottle" - it looks more gorgeous and natural on her than her natural shade. Yet, there are SO MANY other women who go through some form of mid-life crises and decide that the fountain of youth or the key to beauty is found in a box of carrot-red hair. I have at times been guilty of this myself. Not so good. The effect can be incongruous at best; disastrous at worst if the offending party doesn't have the colouring to pull off the shade. And if you're going to go for it, you need to realize that it needs lots of maintenance, preferably from a professional. Red is notoriously difficult to keep up, and when it starts fading, it tends to look patchy and generally gross.

2 - Rainbow highlights: I understand that the combination of highlights and lowlights, when done well, can really add dimension and texture to a woman's hair. The problem is, I tend to see examples of this done poorly far more often than I see it done well. There seems to be an epidemic of harshly-striped, multi-hued hair in my office building. This looks particularly harsh on women with dark hair who show up with spikes of stark blonde, red, copper, etc. scattered across their heads. Not pretty. Harsh. If you want to do the multi-hued thing, go all the way and do rocker highlights in an unconventional colours like blue and green, because that almost looks more reasonable to me than these hideous highlights and lowlights (Definitely lowlights).

3 - The Root of the Problem: It seems the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, or in this case blonder, or more brunette. Look - if you're going to make a drastic change to the shade of your locks, make sure you can dedicate the time, effort, and cash to upkeeping it, because there's nothing more off-putting than seeing a bleach blonde with inch-long chestnut roots, or vice versa. I hate to say this, but in this case, the worst offenders tend to be those more mature women with silver or white hair. Generally, I think that greying naturally is far more foxy than covering up with another shade, but if you take the leap and decide to cover up, please ensure that you can keep it up. There is something terribly unappealing about a woman with dark hair and shocking white roots.

And so, gentle reader, I urge you to think before you tint. Consult a specialist and have your colour done professionally, if you can afford it. Learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of thousands of other women, and your mane will turn out to be the main event instead of having mane-tenance problems.