LBD

After begging Michigan Fashionista readers to incorporate color into their holiday outfits this winter - I felt I had neglected a classic staple: the little black dress. I absolutely love the LBD. Buy a quality one and wear it for years to come. You can wear one to multiple events and occasions, just change your accessories up to play with your look. I have found a few adorable (and inexpensive) little black dresses that are perfect for this holiday season.

First, this lace and tulle little black dress (right) on sale at Nordstrom. Originally almost $200 it is now priced at $83. It is a fun and playful take on the LBD, and manages to show just enough skin without being too much.

Three options of little black dresses that I adore:
Left: Nordstrom for $81.90, center: Ann Taylor for $79, right: Gap for $78.


If you aren't ready for lace and frills, I have found three basic LBDs (below). Each of these options can be dressed up or down depending on the layering and accessories you choose.
Left: Victoria's Secret, $75. Middle: American Apparel, $44, Right: Banana Republic, $79.99.
Remember, wearing color is fun and generally more attention-grabbing, but you can never go wrong with basic black!

J. Crew

Congratulations to Barak Obama on this landmark election. His beautiful wife, Michelle, is quite the stylish first wife, and in fact is a fan of a favorite brand of mine - J. Crew. Almost every Midwestern girl I know is a fan of J. Crew, and it's nice to see a famous face wearing J.Crew instead of Dior. For the average girl, J. Crew (although cheaper than Dior) is still very overpriced for certain items - in fact so overpriced that I don't usually recommend even shopping there. But, J. Crew sale items are almost always reasonably priced. This weekend, all J. Crew sale items are an additional 30% off when you use the code EXTRA30 at checkout. The jcrew.com website does this about once a month - they give an extra 30% off all sale items. Most items go on sale - so if you want to dress like Michelle Obama, go ahead, shop at J. Crew, but buy when it's on sale and especially this weekend when the special code gets you 30% off the sale items.

P.S.
Speaking of sales: Right now is nordstrom.com's half-yearly sale. Lacoste polos for $33 - not too shabby! Happy sale-ing! :-)

Election Day Post

Unless you live under a rock, you are aware that election day is tomorrow. We are so fortunate to live in the United States and have the opportunity to vote. (4 years ago I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't even vote and it was my first time being over 18 for an election). I definitely will not be missing out this year.
Whether you lean left or right, remember that campaigning for a candidate or issue is prohibited within 100 feet of a polling place, however it is acceptable to wear a shirt that says "Vote" to go vote. I'm not a big fan of loud, in-your-face prints on shirts, but on election day I suppose a few visual prints don't hurt. So the following are my choices for Election Day apparel that can be worn at the polls:

Warm Coats (that won't make you look fat!!)

Every winter I face the same problem. The temperature drops, I bring out my warmest daytime coat, and after putting it on I appear about 30 pounds heavier than I truly am. This year I refuse to settle for casual coats that are only capable of keeping me warm by being bulky. There must be stores out there selling coats with plenty of insulation and yet not too insulated that I look like a snowman. A current winter jacket of mine, (exhibit A, left), does an excellent job of keeping me warm; However it does a very poor job of helping me look slim and trim.
After browsing a few local stores and a few online shops, I have come to a conclusion about winter coats: They almost all make you chubbier than you really are.
Key word is almost. I have found that longer, belted coats are the closest I can come to protection from freezing Michigan winter weather and yet somehow slimming my look down. Below, I've found three coats that do the job wonderfully. Below, far left is a long belted coat from Gap. Originally $128 it is currently on sale for $89.50. I love the pink "berry" and the white "stardust", but the practical side of me says to stick with "blue gray" or plain black. In the center, I found a Michael Kors coat at bluefly.com. Once again, the cinching in the middle hopefully will slim your look. On the right below, I found a slimming, belted Kenneth Cole jacket for $109 at Nordstrom. Keywords in the description of these jackets: lightweight yet warm. One final note about longer, belted jackets. These are adorable, yet if you are extremely short in stature, these may not be the coat for you. They can keep you warm, but they don't do anything to make you look taller.

Dresses for Less!

Starting with Halloween tomorrow, the "holiday party season" officially begins. Plenty of girls (myself included) will resort to the classic LBD (Little Black Dress) for the majority of holiday events they plan to attend. After all, the LBD nevers go out of style, is flattering on everyone, and can be dressed up or down depending on how you accessorize. This year is the season to try a color besides black or perhaps even to be daring enough to try a pattern. I'm not suggesting that anyone head over to BCBG for a $350 holiday dress to wear only once. I've found reasonably priced dresses, all on sale, that can be worn to a variety of holiday functions.
Just because none of the dresses are solid black does not make them too wild or bold for the average midwestern girl. So whether you have been invited to a winter wedding, or a Thanksgiving Eve bash, a Red Dress Gala, or any other fun holiday party event, try something besides the black dress. It's worth it!

Nordstrom:$63.90 Victoria's Secret: $69.99 Ann Taylor:$79.99 Dillards: $140

Leather Jackets - too wild? Or cute and fun?

Today I'm writing about an apparel item that generally cannot be purchased inexpensively - the leather jacket. Leather jackets (like the one Ashley Olsen is wearing, left) can run you over $300. Spending that much is highly unnecessary and I have found several equally cute alternatives for far less $$.
But first, why buy one? Because although it sounds funny, wearing one makes you feel cool. Even if you are pretty far from being a rebellion, you will feel like one in a leather jacket. It can give a confidence that comes from looking dangerous.
Please note - leather can be cute - but do not buy a long leather trench, that's not so cute. Also, please don't get a patent leather jacket. Save shiny patent leather for purses and shoes.
Also note - I am not encouraging leather jackets for their capability of keeping you warm this winter. Whether you purchase real leather or faux-leather, the jacket will not be warming you up as if it were a North Face.
So, if you are ready to look like a biker chick, ignore the cold, and purchase one, here are my recomendations:
On the top right, I love this leather jacket from leatherup.com for $79.95 - much cheaper than you almost ever pay for real leather. This site looks weird because it sells all kinds of motorcycle gear - but some of the jackets are really cute even for non-motorcycle gals. In the middle right, I found this black leather jacket at Nordstrom for a steal - down from $298 to $118. (This one looks kind of short, so I would order one size up). Lastly, I found a faux-leather jacket at Target that looks just equally as motorcycle-cool as the other two real leather ones, and yet is on sale for only $24.99.
Enjoy your leather jacket, but stay away from those motorcycles! ;-)

I Love Lace

There is no look that simultaneously is both sexy and classy like a black lace top or dress. Lace is feminine, romantic and adorable on most everyone.
Lace, unlike some trends, is always a fashion staple, and is a perfect way to show just enough skin without showing too much. Adriana Lima (right) is wearing a form-fitting, revealing version of lace (at Victoria's Secret for $42). Lace tops, paired with dark denim, are perfect for a dinner date, drinks with your girlfriends, or under a cardigan for the office. (Well, the VS top on the right should actually never be worn at the office, but the turtleneck below definitely can be).
Before you head out to purchase any lace items, take note: Lace should be handwashed and cared for gently. In addition, many lace tops out there are completely sheer. Please wear a basic black camisole or tee underneath! Shown below are the following lace tops:(L to R) Forever21: $19.80, Bloomingdale's: $98, and Urban Outfitters: $38.