Good News for Novelty Prints

Extra, extra!  Read all about it!  Novelty prints are in!

All silly newsboy references aside, novelty prints aren't acutally new.  They have been around and pretty stylish for quite a while now and I'm glad they are here to stay.  FemmeLuxe is not typically they sort of brand that I think of when I think of novelty prints.  When I think of FemmeLuxe's prints, I think of haute prints like snakeskin, but being the quirky, whimsical sort of fashionista that I am, I was pleased to find their playful side with this Slinky Newspaper Print Dress--Patrica to try out in this month's collaboration with FemmeLuxe.  

Each month, FemmeLuxe gives me the opportunity to flex my creative and fashion muscles and while I definitely have my favorite styles, I also love to try new things.  I can't think of anything I've worn from FemmeLuxe that hasn't been fun, flirty, and flattering.  Right now, the world is in such a state that we're all reaching for our Joggers, T-shirts, and Loungewear, and FemmeLuxe has a lot of those sorts of great styles that are also comfortable.  For me, my favorite thing to try will always be pretty dresses.  And, a pretty dress with a great novelty print is perhaps my favorite of all.

What is it I love so much about a novelty print?  It's hard to put into words really, but I think what I love is the fashion forwardness of it, it's the boss-level of prints, if you will.  Solids are simple; they go with everything.  Prints take a little more skill, especially if you're mixing prints.  And a well chosen, well styled novelty print says to the world, "Yeah, I'm good at this and I know it."  

Last year I styled a high neck slinky midi dress for FemmeLuxe in  a snakeskin print.  It was outside my comfort zone, not because of the print but because of my own body insecurities.  Thanks to that little dress and how amazing it made me look, I was able to drop those insecurities.  There was no hesitation in trying this Slinky Newspaper Print High Neck Dress at all.  I knew I could trust FemmeLuxe to make me look great.  Plus, I jumped at the chance to wear this newspaper print.  It reminds me of some of my favorite fashion forward looks of the 1990s.

All my favorite sitcoms featured some spunky girl in the city who wore envy-inspiring outfits that were seemingly only available in New York.  I scoured magazines and the newly available internet to try to find out where all my style icons were getting their clothes, but it was not easy.  When I finally tracked down the name of one brand I had been desperate to find information on, moments later I saw that they only had a brick and mortar store in NYC.  

Without a catalog, or even a website (told ya the internet was still pretty new) my only option was to call their phone number and attempt to order that way.  I got permission from my mom, placed an expensive long distance phone call, and still somehow couldn't get them to send me one of those cute babydoll tops with a funky print that all my tv faves were wearing.  Fortunately we've come a long way since then and FemmeLuxe makes it super easy to look stylish.

I accessorized this look with shiny black patent peep toe heels and a shiny black patent leather belt at the narrowest part of my waist.  If you have been blessed with an hourglass figure, you may not need to accessorize much, because an hourglass figure speaks pretty well for itself. I, however, do not have such a shape. My form needs a little assistance, so for pretty much all slinky dresses I wear a belt at the narrowest part of my waist.  

Something in a contrasting color is a great way to draw attention to that area and break up the form, but for this particular dress with its dynamic print, I kept it basic with black. I'd love to try a few pops of neon color though, just for fun, so I may have to revisit this outfit with some tweaks down the road.

Shopping Info:  White Slinky Newspaper Print High Neck Midi Dress - Patrica from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk

The Power of Red

What do you think of when you see the color red?  I would be willing to bet that no matter who you are, you have an opinion about red.  There are probably a myriad of colors out there that if you asked someone that very question they would have no response at all.  I can't imagine a tremendous variety of imaginative responses to that question if asked about moss green or salmon pink.  Most people would have nothing to say at all having never thought about those color very much.  But that is not so with the color red.  Red is one of those colors that evokes a response from everyone and usually quite a strong one.  

Even if it occurs on a subconscious level, people respond.  There have been many studies performed across various branches of the sciences about the effect of red.  Some studies found that a person wearing red was often chosen by participants as being more attractive or seeming more powerful and confident than the same person wearing another color like beige.  The person was the same, only the color changed and through it the perception of the individual changed drastically as well.  This might seem a touch too pragmatic for my light-hearted little fashion blog, but if you know certain colors can have such a profound affect on the way the world sees you, isn't it worth taking a moment to examine them further?  We won't go too much into the science of it all, but I will post a few links to articles related to those aforementioned studies down at the bottom of today's post.

As you have probably guessed from my posts of the previous two days, it is FemmeLuxe week.  I look forward to this every month because I get to showcase and review some really great fashion pieces for you and really go into depth about style elements and fashion how-tos.  Next month, in honor of all this time at home we are all going through together/ apart, I hope to showcase some of FemmeLuxe's T-Shirts, Joggers, and Loungewear, but for the present I am still enjoying wearing these lovely dresses in the anticipation of the days ahead when restrictions are lifted and we can all rejoin the world together.

Back to the subject at hand, for today's post I am wearing the Angelica Dress in Red.  You may recall from Monday that I wore this same Angelica dress in White.  Now, part of the reason I always choose this dress from FemmeLuxe when it's available for styling is that I really love the cut and the fit.  It has a lot of great style elements.  It was one of the very first dresses I ever styled for FemmeLuxe and was so impressed from the beginning that I just keep going back for more colors as they become available.  

However, I also think it's fun to do these little color comparisons from time to time just as a little reminder of why it's important to know how the palette you choose can effect the results you get.  Fashion is a form of creative expression after all.  So, for this little experiment, I wanted all elements to be  elements of these two sets of outfit photos:  both are the same, cut, style and size of dress, the jewelry, hair and make-up are the same, and both sets of photos are taken in fields of flowers that match the color of the dress.  And, yet, the effect in each set is quite different from the other.

Personally, I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite between the two.  I love the Angelica dress in any color and you can see me style this dress in black, burgundy and yellow by following these links, and I love each color for their unique effect.  Angelica has a great shape that works with your curves, a fantastic neckline, a belt at the narrowest part of the waist, and those fun full sleeves for an overall feminine look.  For tomorrow's post we'll be a little less business-like with a novelty print bodycon dress.

Shopping Info: Red Belted Bodycon Midi Dress - Angelica from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk

Articles on Red:  https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-red.html

http://www.dreamhomedecorating.com/psychological-effects-color-red.html

https://www.verywellmind.com/the-color-psychology-of-red-2795821

Periwinkle, Please

Periwinkle is one of those little flowers I've always thought, "Love the color, hate the name."  It's an odd word to roll around on your tongue and saying it doesn't exactly evoke that sort of soulful dusty blue that it represents.  Nevertheless, looking past its unfortunate name, it really is a color with natural beauty and sophistication.  

There is just something romantic about it; it is the sort of color I imagine on the homespun cotton dresses of ladies from a simpler time.  What's she getting at, talking about periwinkle so much?  Well, darling, I'll tell you.  It's FemmeLuxe week and as part of our monthly collaboration, I've found this darling periwinkle Savannah One Shoulder Bodycon dress that I could not wait to show you.

This lovely blue is simply perfect for springtime and anywhere you want to be.  I know, I know, right now the only place most of us can be is home or close to it, but I said anywhere you want to be.  This difficult time will not last forever.  Eventually there will be parties again, weddings, nice dinners out.  And while it may not be very soon, it will happen and I don't see any harm in being prepared to re-enter the world in style.  The Savannah Dress from FemmeLuxe is a style I've worn once before (you can see that post here) in a mocha brown color.  It was my very first one shoulder dress, but it was not the last.

Since I loved the way the Savannah dress fit so much, I couldn't resist trying it out in this wonderful periwinkle blue.  I have noticed this year that FemmeLuxe has a pretty great selection of pastel greens, pinks, and blues in their spring line-up.  I sized up for this dress from my last time wearing it because I have had some weight fluctuation over the past few months, but I did not need to.  I could have ordered my previous size and felt totally comfortable in this Savannah dress.  For reference, I normally wear a size XS or XXS in US sizes and in this dress I wear a 6UK.  

For some of FemmeLuxe's other bodycon dresses, I do size up to 8UK to better compensate my shape, but with the slinky, stretchy fabric of the Savannah dress and all that wonderful ruching that runs the length of the skirt, perfectly camouflaging my trouble zones, I feel confident wearing a smaller size.  However, since this is a bodycon dress, the fit is still amazing.

I mentioned a few paragraphs ago that the Savannah dress was my first one shoulder dress and if you took a few minutes to go back and visit that post, you already know some of the things that I love about one shoulder dresses and the basics of how to style them.  So, I won't cover that particular topic again in this post, but I do want to spend a few lines talking about how I styled this particular dress.

I think this periwinkle color has lots of style potential, but for this particular Savannah dress, those gold metallics were calling my name.  I chose gold metallic heels, matching earrings and a bronze metallic envelope clutch.  Pearls were high on my list, I've been wearing pearl necklaces and earrings quite a lot lately, because pearls just seem to bring a certain classy 50s housewife vibe to everything, and they would have been a great option here too, but I just could not find the right heels to go with pearls.

In addition to some comfortable loungewear and joggers, FemmeLuxe also carries a line of shapewear.  I haven't had the opportunity to try any yet, but will keep you posted if I do.  I always try to mention when I am wearing shape wear or special undergarments with a particular dress, because sometimes those garments are necessary to achieve a certain look.  

For this Savannah dress, as well as my last look with Savannah, I did not wear shape wear.  However, I do think that having the right bra that's made for one shoulder dresses would be beneficial.  There are several styles out there, but I have not done a lot of shopping.  I feel that those sorts of things are better shopped for in-store rather than online and that is not an option at the moment, so it will have to wait.

Shopping Info: Dress from FemmeLuxe, bag from Shein, Heels from ThredUp

Picking Daisies

I haven't lived in the same place for very long in a very long time.  Ever since I was a teenager, I have had a wanderlust that has taken me all over the globe.  Sometimes with friends, sometimes with family, sometimes it's just me and my camera and suitcase.  However it has to be, I love seeing new places and experiencing new cultures.  I love finding out what is just over the next horizon.  It became a driving force in my life at a very young age.  

It was just a few years ago, that I bought my very first home.  It proved harder than I thought to sign my name to those papers.  It seemed too final.  I've been here three years now, which is is typically my maximum for staying anywhere and for the last few months, I have been feeling restless.  New neighbors moving in and out, more and more land being cleared and houses being built, and suddenly this little hilltop is starting to feel pretty crowded.  And I feel myself wondering what else is out there.....

I'm not saying that I'm getting ready to move again, because my family is not on board with that idea.  But, I'm looking around for one day.  Because one day my daughters will find the wind that fills their sails and it will carry them away from me.  That is when I'll set sail too, heading straight for that new horizon.  In the mean time, I have been paying attention to my own little slice of the world.  I've been getting to know the landscape around me and enjoying how it has changed each year.  Spring time has come again, so once again I have been making my way to all the beautiful places I have noticed over the years.  I go back to them to take in the beauty each year and season, but as I return, I have observed that these places rarely do the same things twice in a row.  

Some years the flowers bloom full and vividly.  Some years they don't bloom at all.  This little field has been full of pastel purple wildflowers each spring, but this year it decided to give those flowers a miss and fill itself with wild daisies instead.  What a nice surprise!  As I watched them grow and the buds begin to open, I knew I had to wear a white dress to photograph against such a stunning backdrop.  And I knew precisely the perfect white dress to wear.

Thanks to my collaboration with FemmeLuxe, I have been introduced to some amazingly comfortable Loungewear and T-Shirts which I wear all the time in my downtime.  But, I also love their bodycon dresses and midi dresses.  Angelica Belted Bodycon Midi Dress is the best of both worlds.  It is a style that I adore and have worn in several other colors which you can see here, here, and here.  When a style works, it just works and it works in every color!  But, this is the season of white dresses, so white it shall be for this post among the daisies.

I trust FemmeLuxe for amazing styles and I look forward to our collaboration each month.  When I first looked at this Angelica dress I couldn't help but think it would make an amazing wedding dress, and I considered buying a pillbox hat with a veil and styling as a wedding dress--maybe I will style it that way in the future--but I didn't want to limit its potential to merely a special event dress. Style features I love about this dress include: its form fitting skirt to accentuate curves, and the belt that gives it structure and draws attention to the narrowest part of the waist, not to mention that suggestive without being bawdy neckline and feminine full sleeves, it has so much style potential for any and every kind of event.  

Another great thing about the Angelica dress is that the fabric does have some stretch, so you can move and breathe in it.  Being able to live in fabric, to move in it is a must for me.  No matter where I find myself in the world, I am on the go exploring, enjoying, and taking in all the beauty the world has to offer.  Check back this week for more great looks from FemmeLuxe.

Shopping Info: White Belted Bodycon Midi Dress - Angelica from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk

April Showers

I sometimes wonder how we decide the seasons are a certain way.  I suspect all these ideas we have about what should happen and when as it concerns the seasons, was all put into place a couple of hundred years ago when the European settlers arrived on the eastern most coast, but that part of the country seems to fall perfectly into these patterns, while the rest of us don't.

For example, in this part of the country I've rarely ever seen a white Christmas, but I have seen plenty of white spring breaks.  And the leaves don't typically start changing in September; they usually drag their feet until late October.

When it comes to April, we definitely get the frequent rains, and I try not to complain too much.  I know we need them, even if I'm just desperate for a little sunshine.  I just have to smile at the clouds and wait a little while longer.

Shopping Info: Anthropologie Top is old, Umbrellas Skirt is old from ModCloth and The Zest is History heels are from ModCloth

There is No Time Like Spring

I've borrowed the title of this post from Christina Rossetti's poem.  Instead of putting the rest of the poem here though, I think I'll just let the flowers and photos speak for themselves today.

Shopping Info: Top from Shein, skirt from ChicWish, flats from Charlotte Russe, necklace is vintage Avon

The Merry Months of Spring

This is traditionally the season to begin wearing white.  Even though style experts agree that fashion rule is out of date, there is something about donning a white dress in the merry months of April and May that just sings of spring.

And even better than a white dress alone is a classy cut white dress with black polka dots like this Nora Dress in Cream Dots from my collaboration with KarinaDresses.  

The Nora dress is one of my go-to styles.  It features a fitted waist, gathered shoulder and bust line, sweet V detail at the back and a V neckline, and this dress has pockets!

One of the wonderful thing about KarinaDresses is that they feature a wrinkle-free fabric so you can take it on the go and wear it all day long and it will still look crisp and fresh.

Speaking of KarinaDresses, they've been busy during this difficult time.  They've been busy making beautiful dresses, of course, but they've also been busy giving back to their community by making masks for health care workers.

The longer I work with KarinaDresses, the more I learn about them.  And, the more I learn, the more I love them!

If you've never tried KarinaDresses, I encourage you to check them out.  You're sure to find something you love and that makes you love your shape.

Shopping Info: Nora Dress in Cream Dots from KarinaDresses.com