Fashion

Outfit of the Day, Vol. 8: The Abi Ferrin Nikki 5-Way Dress

April 21st, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

abi ferrin nikki dress 1

So, I gotta know: Do you have any clothes in your closet that are designed to be worn a bunch of different ways? I’m fascinated by pieces that magically transform from a dress into a shirt, and then, with a few twists here, an adjustment there, BAM! — you get a cape. 🙂

I have something like that called the Nikki 5-Way Dress. I wore it the other day to grab lunch and run some errands.

So far, I’ve tried it the five different ways, but to be honest, the only way I really feel comfortable in it is if I wear it off the shoulder, draped and tied at the waist like in these pics.

abi ferrin nikki dress 2

When I wear it with my arms through both sleeves, or as a tunic (where you hike up the dress), I feel like I’ve been devoured by material, like I’m swimming in it.

Yeah, might be a little too much dress for me… It would probably be easier if you’re taller.

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Outfit of the Day: Romper Room!

April 18th, 2012 by Karen 48 Comments

leifsdottir romper

Cue internal monologue:

Oh please, oh please. Don’t let the sleeve fall in the toilet! Why is this thing so hard to get out of!? It’s like origami… I knew I shouldn’t have had that third cup of tea!

Here’s the thing about rompers: I think they’re super cute! — in theory. But they can be tricky in practice, especially — ahem! — if you’re accident-prone and have a small bladder.

leifsdottir romper

But that didn’t stop me! I’d been eying this Leifsdottir Scattered Wing Romper at Anthropologie for ages and finally caved.

Isn’t it cute? The color, the snazzy print, the fluttery sleeves. Oh, and it even has pockets! — which Tabs really appreciates because I use them to carry his turkey flavored Temptations when we go for walks.

leifsdottir romper
My left hand (is in my pocket)!

It’s very lazy-friendly, too, and being lazy at heart, I like not having to think about matching my pants with a shirt. With this, it’s all just there, BAM!

Since this particular romper has stylish little details like the sleeves and the print, it doesn’t need anything extra to jazz it up, but you could add a favorite pair of wedges, and maybe sunglasses or a simple ring.

leifsdottir romper
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Outfit of the Day, Vol. 6: Layered By the Bay

March 15th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

outfit of the day (7)

You may have heard the old adage, “If you’re planning a trip to San Francisco, always dress in layers.”

Some good advice right there, because despite being only 47 square miles, S.F. weather can vary wildly from one neighborhood to the next. One minute, you’re sunning yourself at a sidewalk cafe in the Mission District (here’s a city map); the next, you’re freezing your booty off by the beach in the Richmond (my old stomping grounds!).

Better to be safe than sorry.

Enter layers! — pieces of clothing you can quickly peel on/off.

Before driving into the city yesterday, I set aside a few of my favorite things to layer…

My crunchy outer shell (LOL!) consisted of this zippered faux-leather jacket I found at Nordstrom a couple seasons ago… I think the rich chocolate color goes well with black and gray clothes.

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Under the jacket, because the city can get pretty cold, and because I also wanted to be able to cover my head if it started raining (which it did), I wore this zippered hoodie by Zella.

(SIDE NOTE: Zella is a line of fitness clothing kinda like a less expensive version of Lululemon. I’ve been finding their stuff at Nordstrom.)

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Out on a Wedge With the Comfy Unisa Kami Shoe

March 5th, 2012 by Karen 19 Comments

unisa kami wedge review (1)

So, I made a shoe pact with myself a few weeks ago in which I pledged, from now on, to only bring home new shoes that I can actually walk in.

A novel concept, I know. 🙂

I probably should have done it sooner, too, because I can barely walk in half the shoes I own.

But it’s not my fault (well, I mean it is). It’s the high heels! They’re the worst offenders. It’s too bad they’re such tasty eye candy…

The very uncomfortable Seychelles Squeak Sandal

So this pact of mine, I started doubting my commitment to it the other day at DSW, surrounded by aisle after aisle of sky-high heels. Then, the $49.95 Unisa Kami Wedge walked into my life.

I’d been on the hunt for a stylish, comfy pair of nude wedges to wear with jeans and spring dresses, and had visited a bunch of different stores and poked around online, but nothing really struck my fancy until I spotted these wedges.

unisa kami wedge review (2)

I don’t know much about Unisa beyond the fact that they’ve been around for a while. The Kami, which is fashioned with faux leather straps and has a synthetic sole, comes in tan, white, black, dark brown and a neutral reptilian print.

As soon as I slipped on a tan pair and took a few steps around the store, I knew they were comfortable and a good height for me. The cork wedge measures about 3 inches tall, but because of the Â½-inch platform, the heel feels more like a 2, or a 2Â½.

I love how stable I feel in these shoes, like there’s no chance I’m going to topple over, and I think it’s mostly because of the wedge, which is thicker than most of the other wedges I’ve worn.

The vintage-looking t-strap helps. It secures my heel better than slip-ons do, so that’s another nice plus.
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Look Taller, Slimmer and Curvier in the Anthropologie Pieced Column Dress by Bailey 44

February 23rd, 2012 by Karen 76 Comments

This has been a brutal winter in the war I’ve been waging against my natural tendency to dress like a 12-year-old skater boy. Some battles, I won. Others, well, I fell back, retreating into my old routine of jeans and t-shirts.

Still, I feel like I’ve made a little progress here and there…

After the dust settles, when all is said and done, I think I’ll look back at the day I came across the Pieced Column Dress by Bailey 44 ($178) on the Anthropologie website as the turning point in the war — the day I took a major step toward dressing like a 30-something-year-old woman with a quirky sense of style.

It was the reviews that made the difference. So positive, so encouraging. They convinced me that this war could actually be won. People were talking about how the dress made them look taller, slimmer, curvier and cuter. Basically, they made it sound like the fabric equivalent of a minor miracle, so of course I had to try it on.

I drove down to the closest Anthropologie store and tried on the dress in Neutral Motif (it’s also available in Navy).

I was careful not to get my hopes up too high, though, remembering that stripes usually make me look wider and shorter, but I’ll be a monkey’s uncle — I think it had the opposite effect.

Man, I really love this dress. 🙂 Everything about it except the price (and the fact that it’s dry-clean only).

I feel like I look 10 pounds lighter and three inches taller when I have it on, which must have to do with the design, with its stripes that zigzag at different angles. They seem to slim the tummy and highlight curves at the same time.

The gal who was helping me said that she’d seen a whole bunch of women try the dress on, and it looked good on everyone, women of all different body shapes and sizes.

So cool. And it’s even comfortable. Very comfortable. It’s made from rayon and spandex, so it’s soft and stretchy like a pair of yoga pants for your whole body.

I usually dress it down with boots and a denim jacket, but I also like the way it looks jazzed up with heels and a black blazer.

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