The Red Lip

The red lip, behind the scenes at J.Crew, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, means drinking soda through a straw. 

The red lip continues to be a  prominent look in the fashion world. It pairs beautifully with all the blacks, navys, and neutrals for Fall. What an easy and inexpensive update to your make-up routine. Be bold!

Fun

The Fall of Denim

Athleisure

There was a fascinating article on NPR last week*. The article concerned the 6% drop in sales for denim over the past year. This is significant downturn as denim sales have remained steady for decades. 

What could be the culprit? Yoga Pants. Yes, you read it right and I am sure you are not surprised. The sale of yoga pants and active wear rose by 7% in the same time period. Athleisure may be here to stay. Says Amanda Halley of LIM College in Manhattan, "Everyone wants to look like they're running to the gym, even if they are not."

It seems Americans love elastic waistbands and soft stretchy fabric. The article also mentioned the relative non-wearability of recent trends such as skinny and colored jeans.  

Personally I am doing my part for both industries by supporting designer jeans and a terrible lululemon habit. I am a giver.

*NPR. Blue Jeans Losing their Grip on American Hips. L. Carol Ritchie, 9/6/14. Web. www.npr.org

Come Into My Dark Garden

The dark floral trend has been going on since the runways of 2012. But it keeps coming up season after season and has certainly mainstreamed into fast fashion. The prints themselves are reminiscent of the paintings of the Dutch Masters with bursting flowers.

Dries Van Noten SS14

Alberta Ferretti SS14

Valentino

Runway to Real Life:

Asos Floral Cardigan

Free People Floral Maxi, $148.

Gray is a perfect compliment for florals as a neutral.

Pair florals with a printed tee to funk them up.

Keep mixing those prints.

 I swear, stripes look great with everything!

Luulla Floral Skirt $19.90

I love the floral skirt with a completely

 monochromatic palette. How chic!

On Clothes

"Vain trifles as they may seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than merely to keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world's view of us."

-Virginia Woolf, Orlando

Virginia Woolf, 1926

3 Easy Fall Outfits

Here are 3 easy transition outfits with simple pieces you probably already have in your closet.  Mix your favorite summer pieces with fall wardrobe staples. Because, let's face it: it's still really hot outside if you live in the south.

flowing white blouse + rolled skinnies + neutral shoes

+ patterned dark clutch

loose sweater + khaki shorts + animal print flats

black shorts romper (or black shorts & black top!) + animal print flats

+ khaki scarf + black shopper

September

Back to school time seems to always happen so suddenly. I suppose it's because I refuse to spare one minute of summer and stay in vacation mode until the very last minute. But three weeks into the new school year as a Mom, even I have to concede the passage of time.

However, we can get excited about changing our wardrobes out in anticipation of cooler weather ahead. In the next couple of weeks I will begin the task of transferring my wardrobes in the closet. I always find clothes I forgot I had! Ridiculous, I know. When I move it all I can inventory my pieces and avoid redundancy. Does anyone else buy items and get them home and realize they already own said item?!? I hope I'm not the only one. 

September is a great month for transitioning, cataloging, and organizing your closet. You will be so glad you took the opportunity once the weather reflects the season.