down to business

My first polyvore experience, published here for you! Polyvore...will probably be my outlet for fashion/expression considering my *new* purchasing freeze. Ick. This textured taupe Alice & Olivia dress popped up (I will be looking for you at the next sample sale!) and I just went from there. I call it "Boring/Playful" - the Burberry dress reminds me of something I could find at Old Navy (albeit of much lesser quality), and is altogether very reserved (no big surprise here, but this dress is awful for the price). The Alice & Olivia dress is flirty and I paired with some abstract leopard print flats to wear during the daytime. This Polyvore seems to highlight the essential differences between high-high end designers and mid-range luxury designers (I'm talking merely about prices here)...Burberry seems fuddy-duddy (and taking a page from Calvin Klein's designs from the 90s), while Alice & Olivia seems to be taking advantage of youngish trustafarians looking for party frocks (Betsy J is what their 12 year old sisters wear these days).

I love Marni's take on the embellished necklace first made famous by the Burberry Prorsum "Albury" necklace. Only one season after these necklaces were introduced I feel like I see them everywhere (and imagine my happiness when I found something similar in my dusty jewelry pile).

Also, I added three purses - from high to low end. I feel like they all could go with either dress? Any thoughts?

Summer Breeze, Makes Me Feel Fine (In A Dress)

As East Coasters know, the weather has been, well, unseasonably warm. 90+ degrees in May? Thunderstorms? Humidity reaching 90%? Being forced to leave my air conditioning unit has me kicking and screaming, but also scratching my head when it comes to outfitting.

This slideshow from the New York Times would have benefited me two weeks ago and since. Aside from picking up some nosegays to protect my delicate olfactory sensors from the pungent aromas of garbage dumpsters, the only way I seem to figure out how to beat back my sweat glands is to revert to wearing a dress.

I love a good dress. The weight, the color, the length. Everything about it screams “easy chic”, which is what I strive for (but rarely achieve, it seems). The trick to a dress is garnering the right accessories. A cute belt, cute shoes, a bracelet or two, boho earrings.

While I love a dress, I never experiment and get the perfect outcome. It’s always missing something. That’s why the women in the slideshow make me so happy (especially Ms. Trump, from who I will soon gather inspiration!). They are simpe, not laden down with anything heavy, obtuse or ornate, just easy chic. And that’s how summer should be. So I shouldn’t have a heart attack when I’m getting dressed in the morning. I’ll slip on my havaianas, throw on some gold eyeshadow & be out the door in 5 minutes flat. When there are busted fire hydrants outside your apartment, you run!

Here are two gorgeous examples from ModCloth.com