The Friday Five: The Classic Striped Dress

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I used to avoid stripes at all costs. Now, I embrace them. I have a collection of too many striped tops (but, really, can you ever have too many), and a few classic striped dress. They’re easy to wear, and are good for work and for evening events. And, they come in every price point, so there’s something out there for everyone’s budget. Here are five that have recently caught my eye.

t-shirt dress, $34.99 USD, L.L.Bean

stripe flounce-sleeve dress, $109 USD, Talbots

stripe flutter-sleeve dress, $160 USD, Kate Spade

bell sleeve dress, $192 CAD, via Nordstrom

MDS stripes dress, $245 USD, Club Monaco

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Fashion: Leather at L.L.Bean

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If you’ve been hopping around the blogs this winter, then you’ve surely seen the hype over L.L.Bean’s signature Bean Boots. Heck, there’s even a Bootmobile that’s been on tour! But, L.L.Bean has much more to offer than Bean boots and tote bags (two of its popular items, of course). On a recent browsing adventure, I realized how much I was drawn to L.L.Bean’s leather collection, and I thought the collection would start off some beautiful, wearable, and affordable outfits (all items from L.L. Bean!).

Outfit 1 was built around the leather crossbody. It’s a classic shape and works beautifully year-round.

 three-quarter sleeve scoopneck, trench, chunky wool-blend sweater,  sunglasses,  baseball cap, black jeans

Outfit 2 was inspired by Trask’s perforated slide. We’ve seen slides since the fall, and I think we’ll be seeing more of them this spring. These perforated versions are super sleek.

signature ankle jeans, scarf, black boat and tote, collarless shirt, sweater,  container, field jacket

Outfit 3 was built from the bottom – up. It began with these handsewn leather loafers in a potentially surprising version – white.

sailor’s shirt, silk scarf, havana hat, polartec fleece, denim shorts, sunglasses, boat and tote

Thanks to L.L.Bean for sponsoring this post.

 

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Fashion: So Many Stripes

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Just until about 3 or 4 years ago (or maybe 5?), I completely avoided stripes in my wardrobe. If something had stripes on it, I’d look the other way. Nowadays, though, I can’t resist them. Mostly, I go for the horizontal variety, but I also look for something a bit unusual (e.g., I loved this Banana Republic top as soon as I put it on).

Here are several stripes that caught my eye.

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stripe t-shirt, Max Mara

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Signature boatneck stripe top, L.L.Bean

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Gemma flats, J.Crew

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ruffled bell-sleeve shift dress, J.Crew

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stripe bead top, Banana Republic

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draped cami, Tibi

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stripe tee, Old Navy

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glitter spot Breton, Boden

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boxy stripe top, Boden

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striped tee, Le Petit Bateau

The Friday Five: 5 Spring Must-Haves from L.L.Bean

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Yes, it’s true, I’m a newbie fan of L.L.Bean, and there’s no turning back. I have been so extremely happy with the quality and design of the items I have received in the last few months. Now that the weather has warmed up slightly, I’ve hung up the long 850 DownTek coat (except when it suddenly gets cold), and I’ve been wearing the Maine Lodge 850 DownTek Hoodie almost daily. So many people have complimented me on it, too, and it seems like they’ve been surprised that it’s an L.L.Bean jacket. Their curiosity has been piqued! In addition, my black L.L.Bean skinny jeans have been put through the washer and dryer on a weekly basis, and they’re still holding their quality and shape. Good news!

So today I thought I’d share with you my top five must-haves for spring from L.L.Bean.

LLbean-eyelet shirt

eyelet shirt popover short-sleeve, $49.95

cotton-slub-pullover-LLBeancotton slub pullover, $39.95

fedora-LLBeanfedora, $79

birds-eye-sweater-LLBean

Signature bird’s eye sweater, $59

Signature-skinny-jeans-LLBean

Signature skinny ankle jeans, $69

What do you think? Do you have your eye on other items? Let me know!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Friday Five: 5 Ways to Style Black Jeans

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I wear a lot of black. As in, I wear black just about every single day. And on the days that I don’t wear black, I wear white. Black and white. White and black. This is my basic uniform. While some of you colour-loving readers might think I live a boring fashion life, I would completely disagree. I jazz things up with textures, layers, and accessories.

You know I’ve been working with L.L.Bean this year, and I was thrilled to try out their signature skinny jeans. After I received them, I wore them for three days straight, which basically sums up how I feel about them. I love them. They sit a little higher on the waist, they have plenty of stretch (but do not stretch out), they have a slim leg, and the back pockets are perfectly placed. They have washed well so far (I hang them to dry), and they keep their shape. Needless to say, I have no complaints at all. If you’re in between sizes according to the L.L.Bean sizing chart, I would go for the larger size as these are a skinny fit, and you don’t want them to be totally uncomfortably tight.

White-Cabana-LLBean-jeans

I’m wearing*: L.L.Bean signature skinny jeans c/o, ruffle trim sweater, boots (similar)

Considering how often I wear black jeans (and I imagine you might, too), I thought I’d share five ways to style a sharp pair of black jeans.

First: The Classics: black jeans paired with a classic white shirt

black-jeans-white-shirt

white shirt, belt, shoes, crossbody bag, necklace, earrings

Second: Casual Confidence: black jeans paired with classic Converse and a hoodie

black-jeans-casual-converse

Converse, hoodie, tote, tank top, watch, earrings, sunglasses, wallet

Third: Feminine Perfection: black jeans paired with lace and sparkle

black-jeans-lace-feminine

top, shoes, clutch, cuff, earrings

Four: Getting Down to Business: black jeans paired with turtleneck, blazer, and Chelsea booties

black-jeans-turtleneck-blazer

purse, booties, turtleneck, blazer, earrings, scarf, bracelet

Five: Rock and Roll: black jeans paired with stripes and leather

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shoes, leather jacket, ruffle back tee, clutch, earrings, bangle

What are your favourite pairings for your black jeans?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

*I took my coat off for 1 minute for this jump (brrr!). Thanks for the snapping the jumping photo, SY!
Thanks again, L.L.Bean, for sending over the signature skinny jeans. Read my previous L.L.Bean posts.
All opinions are my own.

 

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