Spring 2011 Fashion Trend – Stripes!

The temperature is well below zero as I sit here writing this, so I am fantasizing about my spring wardrobe and warm balmy temperatures.  Stripes are everywhere this Spring.  T-shirts, sweaters, dresses, skirts, everything has a januty, nautical feel about it.  These are some of my favorites:

French Connection Jag Striped dress $98

You can find this dress at Cusp.com.  It’s also available in red and black stripes and red and white stripes.

Free People Rolling Hills Long Sweater Dress $98

This Free People dress is also available in black and navy stripes.  You can purchase it at FreePeople.com, or Piperlime.com.  It’s sheer, so you’ll also need a slip to go under it.

Smocked Jersey Tube Dress $16.50

This dress is available at oldnavy.com.  The web site says it is only sold on-line, so don’t rush off to the store just yet!  If you want to ease your way into tiger land, try this adorable t-shirt from Marc Jacobs:

Marc by Marc Jacobs Broken Strip Morgan Tee $68

Available at shopbop.com.  Also at ShopBop, this lightweight sweater makes a great transition piece.  It’s bold without screaming “Look at Me!”:

Splendid Loose Knit Stripe Cardigan $98

I’m going to go put on another sweater and add a log to the fireplace.   I think I have a striped sweater in my closet to keep me inspired for Spring fashion!  Will you be wearing stripes this year?  Leave us a comment and let us know.

Found…The Perfect Dress

It’s no secret that FreePeople.com is one of my favorite on-line stores.  I love their retail stores too, but find that the web site has a better selection of pieces that suit my style.  A few weeks ago I came across what has turned into The Perfect Dress:

Tencel Rib Maxi Dress $88 at FreePeople.com

I bought this dress in black and just ordered its twin in grey.  I think I have worn the black version at least 10 times in the past 2 weeks.  Seriously.  This dress is amazing.  It’s made of super soft, super stretchy tencel fabric, that has the perfect cling vs: give ratio.  If you are having a fat day the dress glides over your body, and with the help of a strategically worn belt or sweater instantly makes you look 10 lbs slimmer.  If you are having a skinny day this dress will make you feel like a million bucks.  It can be dressed up or down, you can accessorize like crazy or leave it plain and simple and let the piece speak for itself.  I image it would also be a great dress if you’re pregnant or working on getting our figure back after baby.  The fabric holds its shape really well and stands up to the washer and dryer like a champ.  And the price is right at $88.

So if you are in looking for a great strategic dress on which to build your winter wardrobe, head on over to FreePeople.com.

Wee People at Free People

I was surfing through the Free People website considering blowing what is left of my non-existant holiday budget, when I decide to click on the Wee People tab to see what they offered to the tot set.  I was pleasantly surprised at the adorable selections of toddler size clothing.  Most of their offerings are available in size 2 through 6x, and just like the grown up styles, they are layerable, free flowing, and have a wonderful bohemian vibe.  I love this outfit:

The boots are fantastic!  Doesn’t this outfit make you want to go window shopping in a snowstorm!  The clothing is on the pricey side, but if you have a special occasion, or if your child (like one of mine) locks on to one particular outfit and wears it to death, you will find some good work horses in the collection.

And if you like the whole mother/daughter outfit thing, you can find similar pieces to pull together a matchy-matchy look:

I have never seen any of the Wee People selections at Free People stores on in department stores, so you may be only able to buy Wee People on line at Freepeople.com

Free People are giving away a shopping spree!

One lucky winner will win the contents of their Wish List; up to $1000!

Click here to enter Free Peoples Win Your Wishlist Contest

Mixing Styles: Rugged with Chic

Mixing styles and genres is a big trend this year.  Last week there was a feature in the Weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal discussing how the New York party/social crowd is wearing motorcycle jackets over their ball gowns and jean jackets with sophisticated cocktail dresses.  For a more real life version of this trend, take a casual T-shirt and throw on a sparkly “evening” necklace.  Try sequin harem pants with heels and  a jean jacket.

J. Crew has done a great job of positioning this trend (even if $600+ is a little much for pants from J. Crew!)  and Free People can always be counted on to pull together some amazing looks using a mix of casual and formal pieces.  I love these two looks from the Free People Soft Rebel collection:

Image courtesy of Freepeople.com

 

Image courtesy of Freepeople.com

What do you think?  Can the average Fashionable Housewife pull off this type of look?  Send us a comment and tell us what you think…

Free People Soft Sparkle Legwarmers

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Soft wool blend legwarmer with metallic finish featuring rolled bottom hem and ribbed banding along the top. Elastic banding along the side. These are so cute and would make a great gift for a teenager, young adult or any fashion-forward woman on your Christmas list!

I’ve been wearing mine with tights and dresses paired with ankle booties. Kinda like the picture above, but I’ve been wearing the legwarmers with my Sofft Freeda Ankle Booties in Black Leathericon. Very cute look for winter and keeps legs warm too!

Get these for only $38 on pinkmascara.com

ideeli Red Sale Event! 90% Off Calvin Klein, Free People, Diesel and more!

Now this is something to get excited about ladies!

Calvin Klien for Ideeli RED SALEideeli.com is having a huge Red Sale Event with up to 90% off your favorite brands including Calvin Klein, Diesel, Free People, Mac & Jak, Cole Haan and more! Sale will start at 11am (EST) TODAY and will last for 23 hours.

Have hubby watch the kids and get ready for some great shopping! This is an awesome opportunity to get a head start on your Christmas shopping. With savings like this, you’ll be able to get lots of great items for the fashionistas on your list, for a fraction of the retail price. Everybody wins!

The thing I love best about ideeli is that when you add an item to your cart, it reserves the item for 15 minutes. So when a sale starts, you can run around, add a bunch of items to your cart as quickly as possible, and then take a few minutes to look over the items and decide what you actually want to get without the pressure that someone is going to steal it while you are thinking it over. ideeli is one of the few sites that let you do that and I think that makes for much more relaxed shopping experience!!

Join ideeli.com

Free People for 65% Off at ideeli Today!

Free_People_LS_fre-2n53-003-1_coming_soonOne of my favorite brands is Free People. It’s the personification of my personal style.

So I am very excited that Free People will be on ideeli.com today! With savings of 65% off and prices starting at $25.00, I really hope I find a few things I can add to my Fall wardrobe.

The sale starts TODAY at 11am ET for “1st Row Members” and at 12pm ET for the rest of you with free memberships. You can join ideeli.com for free, but 1st Row Membership with first dibs on boutiques requires a subscription.

You can also find Pur Cashmere for 60% off and Pure Sugar/Collective Concept for 65 % off on ideeli today. On Thursday, you can find Paper, Denim & Cloth for up to 83% off!! Come back on Friday for Adrienne Vittadini Handbags for 56% off and fabulous Chooka Boots for up to 49% off. Happy shopping!

Join ideeli >>



UPDATE: I just bought the Free People Fringe Sweater Cardigan. It was on ideeli for only $69 (Retails on FreePeople.com right now for $168!) And I remember a few weeks ago when there was a Free People boutique on Rue La La, I tried to get the same sweater and it sold out before I could checkout. I was so disappointed. It was the first thing to sell out!! So I am so happy I was able to grab one on ideeli.

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I also bought a Collective Concepts Neck Tie Top for only $25. I thought it would look great layered with a cute cardigan or jacket and possible with a belt at the waist. I’ll have to see…

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If you get anything on ideeli today, let me know!!