Fresh

Waistcoat, NY & Co. Dress, Ann Taylor. Glass grape pendant, Anthropologie. Peeptoe platforms, Wet Seal. Earrings, gift. Purse, Miss Lewis. Watch, Raymond Weil.

I have a problem. I cannot get enough of the vest trend. I think I have five now.



This dress is a finalist in Kaboodle’s My Favorite Spring Dress contest! I’m one of twenty eligible for the Grand Prize. (Honestly, I don’t know what that is. Maybe it’s free issues of Marie Claire. I could go for that.)



My poor Bear baby is snuggle deprived. We got a new cat a few weeks ago and he’s afraid of it, even though Bear’s much bigger. I fed him some catnip to make up for the injustice of it all.

Mail Bag: Accessorizing a Black and White Print

Hi Kasmira,

I'm Fiona, a 18-year-old high school senior. I've got this Forever 21 dress in a severe (hmm, how do I say it?) print, the prints are black-and-white swirls/florals. I don't know what to wear with it without distracting from the prints. Colorful heels might be too loud, while black heels are too monochromatic? What do you think?

-Fiona
PS I'm a great fan of your site! I aspire to be like you :)

Like you, the first accessories I think to pair with this dress are either black or bright. Both are valid options. I assume you are going to wear this dress more than once, and would like to try some different styling options.

Safe. Accessorize in black or white. There is nothing wrong with pairing this dress with black heels and a black bag. In fact, that might be the route you’d choose if you wore this dress to a conservative event, like a church service (hopefully with a black cardigan on top!)

Obvious. We’ve all become so style-jaded that adding a bright “splash of color” to a neutral outfit is considered predictable. True, adding red heels is pretty obvious, but also carrying a bright yellow clutch can add a note of originality. What about bright turquoise shoes and a fuchsia shrug? Feel free to accessorize with brights, but add two different colors for a fresh approach.

Browns. It might feel odd to consider, but mixing browns into a black and white outfit can be very chic. Try this dress with a short-sleeved, chocolate brown, safari jacket, a wooden bangle, and woven brown flats. The dress is transformed from sharp and graphic to earthy and ethnic. If you do brown, though, do it thoroughly. If you wear just brown heels with this dress, people may think you dressed in the dark.

Print Mixing. Admit it – if you wear a dress like this, people will be watching you. Why not live up to your inner diva fantasies and pair this with accessories in black and white prints? How about zebra pumps? Or a black and white checked bag? Use caution if you’re adding more than one additional print; you could cause a car accident. I’d choose a printed bag or printed shoes, but not both.

Subtle. As I mentioned earlier, bright colors are the obvious accent choice. However, a more muted tone, like eggplant purple or sage green can add color to your ensemble without screaming, “Look at me! I’m an accent color!” With a toned down color, you can add two accessories of the same shade without looking too matchy-matchy. I’d stay away from pastels, though. Maybe it’s just me, but pastels seem very out of date at the moment.

Perhaps my readers have some more suggestions?

Feelin' Breezy

Sheer blouse, Forever 21. Waistcoat, Old Navy. Linen skirt, Richard Malcolm. Pumps, Mossimo. Earrings, Xhilaration. Bangle, NY & Co. Purse, thrifted.

Yet another sheer blouse/vest/skirt ensemble. However, today’s version is much cooler than yesterday’s. The fit is looser and the materials (wool vs linen) are much lighter. It was another hot and steamy day, but the downtown breezes kept it from being completely unbearable.











I love the colors in this skirt. I seldom match to the pale green, but instead pull out the blue of the ribbon or the orange and purple of the stitched orchids.

Talbots and Bebe

Sheer silk blouse, Bebe. Waistcoat, H&M. Pencil skirt with pockets, Talbots (thrifted). Pumps, Bandolino. Bird necklace, gift from my friend Elaine. Purse, Apt 9.


This was the lead picture, until closer inspection revealed that one button of my vest is undone!

I must wear this necklace more often! I received many compliments. (Although, every time I’d get a comment, I’d look down at the necklace and discover another dried droplet of the Frank’s Red Hot I’d spilled while eating my breakfast. Quite embarrassing.)

The blouse and skirt are two of my favorite wardrobe items. I thrifted the skirt for my part as Joanne in Vanities. At the time, I thought it dowdy, but I later realized that, with the right styling, it was actually very sexy. I like not only the cut, but the pockets and the secret elastic at the back of the waistband. Based on the tag, my friend Julie guessed that the skirt was from the early 90’s collection at Talbot’s. When was the last time pocketed skirts were popular?



I’ve been fascinated with Bebe ever since my dancing buddy in Phoenix revealed that her car had been repossessed because she spent all her money on Bebe clothing instead of her car payments. Everything in her closet was Bebe and none of it fit me (sigh). I’ve always been too poor to buy much from that store. I found this blouse at an outlet in Honolulu. My favorite thing about it is the asymmetrical ruffles on the sleeves. Because the shirt is sheer and somewhat unstructured, I usually wear it under something else, but I always try to ensure those lovely cuffs show!



Edited to add purse close-up. Click the image for a larger view.

Classy Lady

Blouse, Daytrip. Pencil skirt with fishtail hem, Banana Republic. Pumps, Victoria Spenser. Charm necklace, thrifted. Flower cuff, Forever 21. Faux python clutch, Express.



How sad that I’ve only worn this skirt once since I bought it in December! After seeing the pictures, I was afraid it was too long on me. Later, I saw someone much shorter than me wearing the same skirt and it fell to mid-calf on her. I decided I should just be happy with my nearly 65 inches and wear the skirt with my highest heels and a lot of attitude.



Do you ever wonder what I crop out of my photos? Usually, it’s uninteresting things like dirty laundry or a blank wall. This time, though, it pained me to cut away the backdrop so that you could better see the outfit details in the “medium” sized picture I always lead my posts with. It makes me feel better to share the original, uncropped photo with you.

Stripes Over Florals

Striped blazer, Mossimo. Ruffled blouse, Worthington. Floral skirt, Herman Geist (thrifted and shortened by me). Belt, don’t remember. Slingbacks, Linea Paolo. Purse, Isaac Mizrahi for Target. Earrings, Xhilaration.

Yes, a velvet skirt was a little warm on a 95 degree day. I was saved by the fact that the skirt is short and poufy, so it admits breezes. Still, it’s time to retire it to the fall. (But first, Londyn is borrowing it. I can’t wait to see how she styles it.)








I have a strong interest in pattern mixing. So far, I’ve mostly experimented with stripes and florals. I’d like to try something more daring like two florals or combining a tartan with another print. Past pattern mixing (featuring this striped jacket twice):



(I’m not sure if the last one counts. Does pattern + lace = pattern mixing?)

Summer Mixers - Pink and Green

Silk sweater, Moda International. Floral embellished tee, Daytrip. Shorts, Old Navy. Wedges, Montego Bay Club. Purse, Isaac Mizrahi for Target. Rose ring, Forever 21. Acrylic hoop earrings, Claire’s (?)


In Style inspiration page



Wait a minute… What’s that I see over there? It’s a Smunchy kitty! I think he needs some snuggles.



Doesn't he have the cutest tummy? We call it his chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream tummy. Not because he's fat from eating ice cream, but because the spot looks like a chunk of dough surrounded by vanilla ice cream.

This is the last of the In Style Summer Mixers inspired outfits.

Summer Mixers - Red and Blue

Denim jacket, Forever 21. Dress, Jovavich Hawk for Target. Belt and beads, Xhilaration. Peeptoe pumps, Mossimo. Faux croc bag, Wilson’s Leather.



In Style inspiration page










I took some liberties with the In Style scheme. Instead of mostly blue and red with a splash of white, I started with a white (actually off-white) base and accented with blue and red. I also skipped the prints and stripes.






I really dislike it when dresses or long shirts tie in back of the waist. Not only does it look juvenile, but it speaks to the laziness of the clothing designer who wouldn’t cut the garment to fit a woman’s body without the self-adjustment of the attached sash. In this case, the dress fits perfectly without the tie, so it is purely decorative. I’m cutting it off.