Kate Hepburn Meets Kate Middleton

Of all the dresses in my collaboration with Carlie Carson, this Vintage Camel dress is the best blend of Kate Middleton and Kate Hepburn vibes.

Like the previous dresses in this collab this dress has the perfect pencil skirt to it that hugs my curves without that awful puckering across the front when a company cuts corners.  Not so with Carlie Carson, which is why I love all their dresses! 

But, this dress also has this very interesting pleated bodice with a lovely rhinestone studded collar button and matching smaller cuff buttons.  Little details like that make all the difference.  In addition to the style and the cut, this dress is also comfortable, with a casual fit but a classic style and I adore this color.

All Dresses April has certainly started strong.  I have so loved all these dresses from CarlieCarson.  They've added such class and elegance to my wardrobe.  It's been a wonderful collaboration and the first of many I hope.  

Shopping Info:  A similar style to this Vintage  Camel dress is the Peach Delight Dress-$124 from CarlieCarson.com 

Little Black Dresses from Carlie Carson

I hope you're loving all dresses April as much as I am, and yes, I do intend to do one full month of dresses although the occasional skirt may make it into the mix.

If there's one dress that should be in every woman's wardrobe it's a Little Black Dress, something basic but elegant that you can wear anywhere.  Carlie Carson has so many chic, elegant dresses but their LBDs are style staples.

With a pencil skirt, fitted waist, and a little ruching for tummy camouflage, this dress has it all.  There's a clasp at the front and a zipper down the back, and this fabric is soft and has some stretch.

A little black dress should be something you can go-to for any occasion and know that you look amazing, even if it's last minute.  This dress checks all the boxes for me, making me feel both stylish and comfortable, especially since the pencil skirt is shaped so that it fits my curves without puckering across the front.

This collaboration has to be one of my absolute favorites for the sheer elegance and timelessness of all these dresses.  There's still more on the way from Carlie Carson and All Dresses April, so join me back here on Wednesday for another great dress.

Shopping Info:  This LBD is from CarlieCarson.com  The Panthea Dress-$124 is a similar style.

Spring Pink with Carlie Carson

If you love dresses and wish you had the excuse to wear them, All Dresses April is the time and the perfect excuse to don a dress and strut your femininity.  Spring has sprung and the world is once again full of colors, so I thought it best that I break out the colorful clothes as well.  This Subtle Touch dress from CarlieCarson seemed the best pick for this lovely spring day.

From the gorgeous sleeves to the vintage silhouette, this dress is gorgeous and it just so happens to be my favorite shade of pink and it fits like a dream.

All my pencil dress fears just melt away when I put this dress on.  It fits so well, especially in the skirt where a poorly cut dress with have puckering that leads to low self-esteem.  No thanks, I'd rather just have a pretty dress that makes me feel as good as I look.

I love the pink belt that comes with Subtle Touch, but I can easily see this outfit working with a black belt or even some pastels and polka dots.  I can't wait to try them all and post them here so you can see just how versatile this dress really is.

All Dresses April continues with more pretty dresses including a couple more beauties like this from CarlieCarson.  So join me to celebrate this most enjoyable of pseudo holidays.

Shopping Info:  The Subtle Touch Dress -$124 from CarlieCarson.com

New Collab with CarlieCarson

It's All-Dresses-April, (if ever there was a "holiday" made for me, it it this!) and what better way to kick things off than with a haul of chic sophisticated dresses from CarlieCarson.com

I've worked with many different brands over the years and have had the opportunity to try clothing styles from all across the spectrum for super sexy to casual cozy and nearly everything in between.  This new collaboration with CarlieCarson is in a league of its own however.  

CarlieCarson contacted me and asked if I would like to try four dresses from their collection.  After browsing their shop, I realized it was going to be very hard to just choose four because they had so many timeless and sophisticated styles.

I got in touch with customer service for help with sizing, provided them with my measurements, and they recommended that I go with size Small.  Normally I wear XXS or XS depending on the brand, but when shopping with a new company, I think it's best to reach out and double check with them to make sure you get the right size and fit.

Normally quite apprehensive about wearing pencil skirts, I was pleasantly surprised by just how well this dress fits.  Very often, companies cut corners on their dresses by making a pencil skirt that looks like a rectangle, but these dresses from CarlieCarson have a rounded shape so that they fit nicely across the hips and thighs, narrowing at the knees, without that awful stretched puckering across the front.  Instead, this dress fits my curves smoothly and perfectly.

I love the delicate ruffling around the neckline and these faux layered sleeves.  One viewer on my YouTube review said that these dresses look like what Kate Middleton would wear and I whole-heartedly agree because that's exactly how I feel wearing these dresses.  There is perhaps no higher fashion compliment than to be compared to actual royalty.

There are three more dresses to share in this collaboration and I know you're going to love them, but just in case you're feeling a little impatient, you can watch my YouTube review or checkout CarlieCarson.  Find something you love and that makes you feel like royalty.

Shopping Info:  Dress from CarlieCarson.com

A Long Winter's Rest

I woke up this morning to the second snow of the year.  Typically we only get one or two, but it's only mid January and we've already hit our quota, which may mean we're in for a rough winter.  After a long week of really dreadful insomnia, it felt good to sleep in late this morning and be greeted by that added brightness that snow brings only to know that apart from the mad dash to feed and water all the critters, I did not have to be out in the snow.  

It was around this time last year that I decided to step back from blogging a little.  I was doing one post per day and it was taking up a lot of time.  I didn't mind too much when I had more free time, but life has become particularly busy and I just found myself becoming more and more exhausted trying to work it all in.  Something had to give.

Unfortunately it was the blog.  It was really the only thing I had the power to prune in the schedule, so I did.  I cut my blog posting in half and it made a big difference.  The trouble is, sometimes the less you do something the less you want to do it.  I love taking photos on a beautiful spring, summer, or autumn day, and I'm thankful that the warm days lasted all the way through December last year, but winter is finally here, and I have not missed winter photo sessions, so this winter, I may do next to none.

I have lots of things in the works right now, lots of projects and lots of plans.  Just....waiting on the weather to cooperate a little more.  After so many years of waking up before dawn and taking photos in freezing temps in order to have a little privacy during the golden hours, I'm taking a little break this year.  

Instead we're spending most weekends sleeping in, enjoying the sunrise instead of racing against it, bundling up in lots of layers and looking at the cold world through a window instead of shivering out in it, hoping my goosebumps don't ruin the photos so that we have to go out again and re-shoot.

This also gives me the opportunity to use a lot of the shots that get lost in the shuffle.  I hate to see them sitting in the folder, just waiting for their turn, so now it's their time to shine and my time to hibernate for the winter.  I'm sure I'll get out and do a few photos in the next few months, especially if we have another lovely snowfall, but if not, then I'll definitely be out for the spring flowers once they come around again.

All Creatures Thrifting

I've been watching the newest version of All Creatures Great and Small lately.  I'm a fan of James Herriot and read the illustrated versions of his animal tales to my children when they were younger, and this latest television adaptation is so very charming that I look forward to it at the end of each week.

Set in the 1930s-1940s of course I adore the fashion too.  I've noticed an abundance of Fair Isle sweater vests on the show on both men and women and it has tickled my fancy so I did a little thrift shopping and managed to find this cute little argyle number from ThredUp for about $20.  I think it lends a little of that All Creatures charm to my wardrobe, but the search will likely continue for some more authentic looking pieces, so this post is To Be Continued.........

Shopping Info:  Skirt from Chicwish, Vest from ThredUp, Use my link to sign up and save $10 off your first order.

Power Suits

When we hear the words "power suit" it conjures images of wall street tycoons yelling into the latest model cell phone about stock prices.  But, I would venture to say that a power suit can and should be in so many more of our wardrobes regardless of whether or not we deal in stocks.

The term "power suit" arrived in the 1980s when Wall Street and yuppies seemed to feature in nearly every movie at the box office and through the magic of storytelling, the exact same type of slick-haired suit wearing businessman was either the hero or the villain depending on the view point.  Funny, but even when I knew they were supposed to be the hero, I still felt like they were all just bad men in nice suits.

The whole premise behind the power suit was that it was conservative yet bold and exuded confidence.  All one had to do was walk into a room and every head would turn and everybody would immediately know who was in charge.  Or, so says bespokeunit.com in its guide to mens tailored suits.  

As far as women's fashion goes, I think the power suit has been around much longer.  Do a quick search of women's suits of the 1940s and you'll find some striking silhouettes.  While you likely won't find any of those suits in wearable condition, thankfully there are designers like Alicia Estrada of Stop Staring who keep those classic styles alive.

With just enough shoulder padding to frame up your form, a peplum style jacket, and this fitted skirt, Estrada's Leonora dress is a suit that makes one confident statement.  Notice the way that the navy blocks at the side of the jacket create a slimming effect.  And this fabric does a fabulous job of shaping and contouring.

The best news of all is that this style is typically available at Stop Staring for custom order meaning you can always get your size.  I decided to go up one size from my usual and it is the perfect fit.

Hello curves and hello confidence.  Which way to Wall Street?

Shopping Info:  Stop Staring Leonora Dress, heels from ModCloth

4 Tips for Fashion Blogging

Occasionally I get asked for tips on blogging.  I find it really flattering when people ask me, because it means that they think I actually know what I'm doing.  Yay!  I don't, just so you know.  So, while I can't exactly give you tips like a pro, but I can give you a few tips for what I do with my blog. 

Today's post is one last sunflower post, the last one from last year's photo shoot in the sunflower fields.   I've been rationing them so they would last all through the winter until the flowers start blooming again, and here we are, summer already.  And that brings us to........(fanfare plays!)

Tip 1.  Choose a location.  This typically works well when you've lived in a place for a couple of years.  You can see how certain locations look at different times of year and plan accordingly.  I chose this location because I knew that this field is open to the public and generally looks quite nice each year around this time.

Tip 2.  Timing.  I take photos at dawn, sunset--known to photographers as the golden hours because they create the best lighting for photos--, or on cloudy days.  The simple fact is that I have one of those faces which is cute in the right light and pretty awful in the wrong light.  It happens, I accept that.  

But, the thing is, most of us have this issue, so unless you're prepared to take along professional lighting equipment or you're just a genius at Photoshop, it's best to work with the lighting that will work best with you.  If you can't make it out during those hours and the clouds are no where in site, choose a spot in the shade instead.  Direct sun is so harsh, it doesn't make for great photos.

Tip 3.  Have options.  I like to take a minimum of three outfits with me to any given location.  The most I've taken was probably eight.  The reason is that you never know if you'll have great lighting, how crowded a location may be, or how the background will work with the colors in your outfits, so take some different styles and colors.  If things are going well you'll have tons of great shots.  If they're not, you'll still probably walk away with at least one nice set of photos.

Tip 4.  Do you need help?  The answer is no, you don't, but it's nice.  You can take your own photos with just a tripod, a remote control timer, and a quiet location with a little privacy.  The good thing about taking your own photos is that you might feel more relaxed in front of the camera--I know I do.  The downside is that it can be really tricky to set up your shots and get everything just right when you're not behind the camera.  On the other hand, having a friend or family member help out can be really fun and you'll be able to get more creative shots in less time.  And that's it.  You now know as much about fashion blogging as I do.  So what are you waiting for?!

Shopping Info:  Charter School Cardigan from ModCloth, Love Journey Dress from AmorDress, Flats from Charlotte Russe