Brenna's Style Makeover

Today I had a great time working with the lovely Brenna, who contacted me saying she wanted a style makeover so that she would be able to put different outfits together for various occasions/event, including dressy for a wedding & the Kentucky Derby (an event she is planning to attend next year), relaxed for weekends, sassy for a night out with the girls, and something for Fall.  Upon meeting Brenna what became immediately apparent is that my job would be incredibly easy, as she is stunningly beautiful, has a great figure, and was more than willing to try new things.  We put together a number of different looks for her, and I think you'll agree upon seeing these photos of her, she looks amazing!  She confessed to having a love of hats, so we put together a couple of outfits with hats so that she could choose something for the Kentucky Derby, and she loved them!  Take a look at what we did today - and thank you Brenna for making my job such fun and so easy!  It was a pleasure working with you!

This first look we put together was for a wedding that she is attending in a couple of weeks.  The dress is from White House Black Market - a simple strapless sheath, with a pretty floral print in lavender and pinks.  These colors worked great with Brenna's dark coloring.  I added a collar necklace to add some drama, and white strappy heels.  What a knockout!

This look was one of the outfits for the Kentucky Derby event.  I put her in a black & white bustier (again from WHBM), and a black pencil skirt.  I added the flower detail belt and red heels for a pop of color.  She loved this black hat, and looked amazing in it!

This outfit was a more relaxed, casual look for weekends.  I put a red peplum skirt with white cami, white fitted jacket, and a red infinity scarf that had some sequins on it for a touch of pizzazz!  The white flat sandal was perfect for this look.

This was one of my personal favorite looks on Brenna.  She wanted something fun and sassy for a night out with the girls, and I thought this was perfect.  A black pair of shorts with this fun surplus top from Arden B, and I added lots of strings of pearls for a fun and dramatic accessory.  I also gave her a youthful side ponytail for this look.  Beautiful!

This was one of our relaxed weekend looks for fall.  A pair of dark denim jeans, with a simple dark navy cami, a tan leather jacket, a pair of sassy tan studded gladiator sandals, and a scarf to finish off the look.  I put her hair in a messy top-knot to add some fun.

Another look for the Kentucky Derby.  A blue lace dress, a silver skinny belt, a white jacket, white wedges and a lovely white hat.  How cute does she look in this!

Our second look for fall consisted of this simple black-shirt dress, wide tan leather belt, tan leather boots and cream lace scarf.  Adorable!

Our final look was another dressy ensemble for a wedding or more formal event.  This is a black chiffon jumpsuit with sheer pleated bottoms, paired with a sheer shrug with deep sequined cuff, and of course I had to add the pearls for that extra wow factor!  Again, another hit!

Affordable Fashion...Designer Capsule Collections

There's been a lot of publicity recently about an incident that occurred when Oprah Winfrey went into a store in Switzerland and asked to look at a purse and was told it would be 'too expensive' for her and she should perhaps look at one that was less expensive.  Now, I like Oprah and I know that she does a lot of wonderful philanthropic work, and how true this story is I don't know - but the part that stuck out to me was that the purse in question was allegedly priced at around $38,000.  Now don't get me wrong, if you've got money you have the right to spend it in whatever way you choose, but it just strikes me as somewhat vulgar to spend that kind of money on a purse, when there are people in the world who are living on the poverty line and struggling to make ends meet.

Which brings me to what I want to share with you today.  As you know I often share what fashion news I have and trends that have been shown on the runway shows, and I regularly show what designers are showcasing in the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter fashion shows.  I often look at some of the clothes and think wouldn't it be great if the average person could afford such luxuries instead of just the rich and famous? Instead, most of us have to be satisfied with window shopping and enjoying these designer trends from afar, because these items are so outrageously priced that only a select few can afford them.

So I was excited to learn that Target announced the designer collaboration capsule to end all designer collaboration capsules!  The retailer will be partnering with no less than 24 CFDA designers as well as high-end department store Neiman Marcus to create a holiday collection that will be sold in both stores.

Designers regularly create capsule collections for department stores, and when they do they usually sell out in no time at all, because people like us snap up the items that we ordinarily wouldn't be able to afford.  I'm a huge fan of Macy's, who have had capsule collections from Karl Lagerfeld & Matthew Williamson to name just a couple, and of course Target who have had collections from Prabal Gurung, Missoni & Jason Wu, and this fall will have one from Philip Lim.

But this new collaboration beats them all, and I can't wait to see what it will showcase.  Here's the list of designers that will be included in the collections.

Alice + Olivia; Altuzarra; Band of Outsiders; Brian Atwood; Carolina Herrera; Derek Lam; Diane Von Furstenberg; Eddie Borgo; Jason Wu; Judith Leiber; Lela Rose; Marchesa; Marc Jacobs; Oscar de la Renta; Philip Crangi; Prabal Gurung; Proenza Schouler; Rag & Bone; Robert Rodriguez; Rodarte; Skaist-Taylor; Thom Browne; Tory Burch; Tracy Reese.

So, basically, everyone you (we) ever aspired to own a piece of!  Each designer created one to three items, and prices will range from $7.99 to $499, with most items going for less that $60!

The collection will launch December 1, and though everyone's being tight-lipped about product details at the moment, it's a safe bet you can expect lots of holiday party dresses and accessories (it's gift-giving season after all!).  Target's website also promises "home decor, pet products, sporting goods, and more".

As I've mentioned, all products will be sold at the same price at both stores, as well as on Target.com and NeimanMarcus.com.  Target has promised to reveal the collections in October, but I'm sure they'll drop some hints before then!  I'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, here's a look at some of the fabulous designer capsule collections that have been in various stores of late....

A crisp white shirt is a win for everyone!

There's one thing every woman should have in her closet and that's a crisp white shirt!  This is one fashion staple that will never go out of style and one that looks good on everyone!  A white shirt can be worn year round, and there are so many different cuts and textures to choose from. 

A white shirt can be worn with anything, from pants, skirts, shorts and suits; that's one of the things that makes it so great, the fact that it can be worn with anything!  If you need a professional look, pair a white shirt with a suit for that polished look; want a more casual weekend look, wear your white shirt over a pair of jeans.  You can add a vest, you can layer over a tank, you can tie it at the front, belt it or even wear one as a tunic or as a beach cover-up!

I love linen - I know a lot of people don't like this fabric because it creases so easily, but it's supposed to look that way!  I have a number of linen shirts, not just in white, and I love them!  But white linen in the summer is perfect as it looks great and will keep you cool. Crisp cotton is also great to wear and I know many people prefer this fabric.  Whatever your choice of fabric, however you choose to style your white shirt, you should never be without one! 

So here are some ideas on different ways to wear your white shirt.....