Trends I'm Loving

The past couple of years has seen the evolution of some rapidly spreading and just as rapidly disintegrating trends: the plaid craze, where college women everywhere donned lumberjack shirts over their leggings and promptly forgot about them 6 months later (including me - anyone want them???); two-toned empire waist block dresses (with plaid!) that looked like a t-shirt tucked into a skirt only lazier; Ugg Boots (let's pretend these are out. Maybe if we all wish hard enough, we won't have to look at them this winter). But there are some really cute trends going on this summer that I'm digging. In no specific order:


Maxi Dresses! Especially maxi dresses in bright, funky, graphic, bold prints. Oh, how I love these. Let me count the ways. First of all, ANY body shape can wear a maxi dress. It's long, flowy, and makes you look like a tall glass of water. They're universally flattering! Secondly, they ARE your outfit. Put one on, and that's it. Doesn't matter what shoes you wear, nobody will see them. Doesn't matter what purse you carry - no one will notice because your dress will be too fabulous. You can wear these to the beach or someplace carefree and casual, or to an awards show as an evening gown. The one thing I try to avoid with maxi dresses is that obvious bathing-suit coverup look. I like Maxi dresses with either full straps or sleeves - when they're tied with a string, they look tacky. I've found my favorite maxi dresses this season at TJ Maxx and Marshall's! But one of my pricier favorites is this beauty.


Lace - yes, even the see through lace tops! I have to admit, when I found a lace cami at Marshall's for $5, I had to debate whether to buy nude or black, and I kind of wanted both (I ended up with nude, but we'll see.) Lace is EVERYWHERE right now - peeking out from underneath tiered ruffles, replacing shirt yokes or entire backs, even on shoes! It's such a simple way to add a romantic and feminine vibe to any outfit. Love it! Shop here, here, and here.


Rolled, cuffed jeans - especially boyfriend jeans. The best part? You don't have to buy anything new! You can cuff your skinnies or even boot-cut jeans, or heck, why not steal your boyfriends? Anything goes! Dress them up with a pair of heels or cute, girly flats.


Rompers! Rompers are fun and playful, and oh so easy. Like your favorite summery white dress, you can just slip on a romper, add some accessories and go, no effort necessary. For summer I love sleeveless or cap-sleeved short rompers, and I'm partial to flowy, airy rompers - but they really have lots of styles! Shop here (search for Romper) or here .


What trends are you loving/hating this season? Or have you not decided? I am currently undecided on socks with strappy heels ... I hated it at first but it's growing on me. It's quite unexpected.

Trend Report: "Antique Romance"

Antique Romance by omglia featuring TopShop dresses

One style that I've noticed trending this season is what I call "Antique Romance." The colors are nude, sand, cream, shell-pink, late afternoon sun, straw, peach, taupe, pearl. The hand is gauzy-soft, impossibly delicate, with practically unfinished, ruffled edges and lace detail. This is what romantic-era farmer's daughters wore around their moderately wealthy family estates: soft, flowing chemises; ruffled peasant tops and blouses; simple, frothy dresses.

Where can you find this look without breaking the bank? Here are a few places (excluding the items shown in my Polyvore trend board - click here to view them). You can find another awesome post about this trend at Cupcakes and Cashmere.

-Jewelry and Accessories-
Pink Rose Ring, $3.80
Pearlescent Cluster Ring , $3.80
Sheer Rosette Pearl Bobby Pins
Mesh Flower Pearl Necklace, $5.80
Rose Pearl Necklace, $8.80

-Tops-
Flowy Draped Top
White Tank with Ruffled Leaf Detail

-Dresses and Skirts-
Tiered Ruffled Skirt
Peach and White Ruffled Chiffon Cocktail Dress, $13.50
Pink Frilly Flirty A-Line Party Dress, $29.99
Peach Ruffle Neck Corsage Dress, $33.00

Tickled Pink Dress, $47.99
Dandelion Fluff Dress, $89.99
Tiered Lace Ruffle Dress, $89.99

Woven White Lace Dress

-Shoes-

Lace Open Toed Slingbacks, $59.98

Camel-Color Lace Open Toed Booties, $79.98

To complete the look, style your hair and makeup subtley: peachy eyeshadow, a nude pink lip, and whispy, whimsical hair. Try this look, from the Alexander Wang s/s 2010 show:

Blow dry hair upside down for extra body and volume - you can also use a volumizing mouse like root pump volumizing spray mouse from Big Sexy hair. Then sweep or flip all of your hair over to one side. Seperate the chunk closest to your face and create a cowlick with either a round brush and a blowdrier, or a curling iron (tousle afterwards for a more natural look if you iron). Leaving the cowlicked section hanging free (or if your hair is all one length, very loose), braid the rest of your hair loosely in front of your shoulder, starting just below your ear. Braid all the way to the end, stopping roughly an inch from the ends of your hair. Secure with an elastic. Starting with the hair just above the elastic, use your fingers to pinch a section of braid and pull it out slightly, loosening the braid. Continue pulling sections outward gently (Don't pull them all the way free from the braid) until your braid is the same thickness all the way from top to bottom (you will need to pull more at the bottom unless you have very thick hair!) Finally, pull some whispy pieces of hair from the unbraided side for a tousled, relaxed look. (Does this make sense? If not, I can make a video tutorial.)