it's Fall 2013: Camouflage.

Years ago at the day-after-Christmas-morning-sale-at-Saks, I found a pair of gorgeous, Prada camouflage flats. 1/2 off the sale price.  I shrugged, said 'why not', and purchased them.  I've loved them over the years, but it's only recently that camouflage has become mainstream.  I'm going to live in them this fall.

Fall 2013 is the season to shop it and wear it!  Camo is everywhere.  J.Crew has already sold out of their camo pants for fall.  The Gap I was in today had also sold out.  My oldest daughter even got in on the act and fell in love with these camo leggings.

Image from splendid.com.

But just because some looks have sold out doesn't mean you have missed out.  There are tons of great options out there!  Some of my favorites?  Let's start with these Pretty Ballerinas pointy toe ballet flats.  What do you wear them with?  A column of black, black cropped pants and a top, with a denim skirt.  Heaven!  If I didn't already have camo ballet flats, I'd be on the phone in a heartbeat.  

Image from prettyballerinas.us.

And what about this tank, layered under a sweater, black jacket or long cardigan?  A subtle nod to the trend if you don't think a pair of camo pants is the answer for you.

Image from piperlime.com

Or heck, go for the full pant.  These pants by Baldwin Denim aren't skin-tight and have nice lines.  I kind of love them.  (And they are on sale.)

Image from shopbop.com.

How to wear camouflage?!  Here are some thoughts:

• If you have a camo pant/legging - think of black, deep navy, jean or chambray, white, light gray, or light pink tops to pair with them. I really like a light pink - can you see putting a J.Crew pink v-neck sweater on top of the Baldwin camo pants?!  I can.  I think a pink softens the 'tough' of the camouflage.
• If you have a camo jacket, keep the rest of your look neutral underneath.  That's a lot of print you are wearing already.
• Use camo as a 'pop' in a tank under a sweater or jacket or on your feet with a fun pair of flats.  I've worn my camouflage flats with jeans and black skinny pants.  (Maybe I should pair them with white jeans or winter white cords.) A camouflage scarf would be a fun way to dip your toe in the trend also.

Whatever you decide, don't be afraid to try! ~ JH

W2WW: Camouflage

Christopher Kane camo hoodie / DKNY crew neck pullover / Madewell camo jacket / TEXTILE Elizabeth and James skinny jeans / rag & bone/JEAN slouch skinny jeans / Baldwin Denim boyfriend jeans / Sam Edelman flat shoes / Anniel ballet shoes / Clare Vivier clutch / Roffe Accessories fringe shawl / Glam Bands elastic hair tie / Alternative Print Short Sleeve Crew Tee Shirt

...you need a winter hat.

Yes, it's January and so it's a little late to be tackling this topic.  Nonetheless, here I am, January 2nd, and I need a new winter hat to go along with my Post Card coat.  Just an everyday hat that's cool.  I realized at school pick-up today that I've been wearing my North Face Cable Fish Beanie hat for way too long.  If you know me, you're sick of looking at it.  And, quite frankly, it's been to the gym, spinning, apres ski, the stable, etc.  In other words, it's seen better days.  Oh, and this other mom had an AH-MA-ZING hat on and I was jealous.  There.  I said it.

So, while I was sitting at afternoon-kid-activity-number-1, I started trolling online sites on my phone and not only got an education, but found some interesting hats out there.

First, the education.  On Nordstrom's site, I could choose from 'beanie', 'cloche', 'fedora', 'cap', and 'wide brim'.  Instinctively, I knew I wanted a 'beanie', but needed to know what 'cloche' was.  They are small-brimmed hats, sometimes very elegant.  See below.

Image from nordstrom.com.

Enough with education; back to shopping for a 'beanie'.  They had plenty of choices, ranging from $20 to $130.  With free shipping and free returns, I had to order a couple.  Here are the ones that will be stopping over for examination.  First up, a Missoni.  Really, I couldn't resist.  You KNOW it's super soft angora.

Image from nordstrom.com.

Marc by Marc Jacobs had a cute, polka dot and striped cap that I want to try out as well.  A little flare with this one.

Image from nordstrom.com.

This Michael by Michael Kors one is something simple with it's cheetah print.  I think I ordered the last one they had online!

Image from nordstrom.com.

I was also looking for something a little off-the-beaten-path.  Something a little inspired.   At this point, I was home and instead of cooking dinner, I was surfing around net-a-porter.com and shopbop.com to see what they had.  It was on net-a-porter that I noticed Eugenia Kim hats for the first time.  (After more research, I found that she attended Parsons, won a CFDA award for accessories design in 2004, and her millinery work can be found/purchased everywhere from Bergdorf to Barneys. I know, more education!  Read about her here.) Not cheap, but certainly different and cute.  While pompoms look ridiculous on me, I love this hat!

Image from net-a-porter.com

Net-a-porter was also featuring the Marc by Marc Jacobs one above, so I knew I was in good company.

A trip over to shopbop.com featured MORE Eugenia Kim hats and I loved these in particular.  Both are fabulous, and I'm hoping to sample one or the other.  Probably the first one.  Grrr.

Images from shopbop.com.

In short, there's a whole world of winter hats and I have only scratched the surface.  If you have any great hats I need to know about, please let me know! I'm on the hunt! ~ JH

...attending a wedding in Scotland.

Hi everyone!  We are back and digging into fall fashions!  Before we start with a series on 'what 2 wear this fall', we received a fashion question from a reader:

"My brother is getting married in Scotland - early November. So it will be a little chilly. I have a vision of wearing a green dress, as I feel I look good in green. My budget is around $300. Where could I get the perfect green dress. ... Also after having twins my body is less than perfect, so not too clingy.  Thanks in advance for any advice."

Happy to help! Lisa can relate to working with a new, post-twin figure.  Her twins are 6 years old now, she has learned about cuts that work best for her and believes in the power of Spanx for special occasion wear.  We feel that green in textures (velvet, lace, silks) will be fresh and on trend this season, though there's not a ton in the stores yet as we head into August.  But, the first round of fall dresses is out, so we jumped in to see what was out here.

First stop was Reiss.  This UK company produces great dresses that are around that price point and perfect for weddings and other such occasions.  If you are Kate Middleton, you wear Reiss a lot.  We found this intruging, 2-layer dress, which should work well for 'no clinging' with the structured underlayer.

Images from reissonline.com.

It's such a different dress that it caught our eye.  Stick a black blazer or wrap over it if you need to cover shoulders for a church service, add some black pumps, and it's done.   At $340, it's a little over budget, but it's worth a look.  Disclaimer:  Reiss has a very strict, 14-day return policy, so if you order, you have to be able to turn it around quickly if the dress doesn't work for you.

The next dress we found is out-of-budget-bounds at $475, but so fabulous we had to show it.  Found at shopbop.com, this Issa faux-wrap, silk jersey dress (a favorite fabric) has tons of ruching in the belly area, long sleeves and a great v-neck.  

Image from shopbop.com.

The best part about this dress is that it's a classic that you will wear for YEARS.  A perfect investment dress.  Issa runs a little on the small size, so if considering it, order up one size.  Note that shopbop.com also has a tight return window of 15 days.

If the Issa dress price is too much to swallow, consider looking at Rent the Runway, currently featuring an Issa wrap dress in a fabulous green for rental at $125.  (We haven't personally used Rent the Runway before, so if anyone out there has, please let us know about your experience.)  The feedback on the Issa dress was amazing.  

A little more sea-green, this Donna Morgan dress is well within range at $148 at Nordstrom.  The asymmetrical waist is flattering, and the fit information says to order up one size.  I'd pair this with nude heels, gold earrings and bangles.

Image from nordstrom.com.

A little 'warmer' dress for November-in-Scotland weather, this Tory Burch Kathy silk dress stood out to us.  Right on budget at $295, it's perfect for a wedding, and we love the emerald green color.  I'd style it with a big, gold cocktail ring, drop gold earrings, and a nude pump.  It's hard to see in the picture, but it has a keyhole neckline.  We can see this dress at holiday parties too.

Image from net-a-porter.com.

(Note that Net-a-Porter has a tight 14-day return time frame as well.)

Zara just got in a lovely green, lace dress with gathering at the waist.  The price is most certainly right at $89.90.  Sizing runs a little smaller at Zara; be aware.  We like the emerald tone of the green and lace will continue to be big through the fall and holiday seasons.

Image from zara.com.

Lisa also spied this printed, sequin dress at Zara, with a more structured look, but still enough room in the a-line skirt to move around in.  And, at $99.90, it's another dress that's wedding-worthy and well within budget.

Image from zara.com.

Finally, we looked at J.Crew's fall offerings and liked the Louisa dress in silk chiffon for $250, either in gallery green or monterey pine (shown below).  The pleating at the bust and skirt are universally flattering.  

Image from jcrew.com.

There you have it - the best of the green dresses.  Good luck with shopping and let us know what you find.  We'd love to see a photo of the final outfit! ~ LB & JH

...you want free shipping.

Image from asos.com.

Our informal poll of fabulous lady shoppers at a recent softball game brought home the fact that no one likes to pay for shipping.  So much so that we will purchase elsewhere rather than fork over for shipping.  You've been there, haven't you?  You carefully fill your cart and complete your shipping information only to find a $15 dollar shipping fee, and no in-store return.  Frustrating!  Here are some of our favorite places to shop online and ways to get around paying good money for shipping:

J.Crew - Forget free shipping with a $150 purchase or trekking in to use the instore red phone!  Call J.Crew at 1-800-562-0258 and make a friend with the Customer Service professionals.   My Customer Service friend, Kevin, and I have been together  for a little over two years now.  He can help me with anything I need – tracking down hard-to-find items, tips on size and styling, putting outfits together, sneak peeks at upcoming collections, you name it. Just about everything shy of balancing my checkbook and watering my plants.   It's all about service and Kevin takes care of me in spades, plus free shipping.  All the time.

Net-a-Porter - For the latest designer women's clothing, shoes, jewelry and much more from over 350 of the world's leading designers.  Free shipping all the time.  (And, as an aside, they have complimentary gift wrap too.)

Image from net-a-porter.com.

Amazon - Feep your eyes on this powerhouse as the company finally recognizes the opportunity and refocuses to fashion.  Amazon PRIME gets you free shipping. 

Asos - Over 850 fashion labels, and offering free shipping, both ways.  Everyday.

Under the heading of obvious:  Nordstrom, L.L.Bean, Zappos, Gap family (Piperlime, free shipping all the time, Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic, free shipping on orders over $50), Neiman Marcus (usually with a code, but NOT Bloomingdales or Saks), and Kate Spade.  

I got a fabulous leather t-shirt (which you'll see more of this fall) from Topshop.  And it came with....free shipping (on orders over $100).

ShopBop has one of the best selections of Diane von Furstenberg I've seen, and has a  limited edition collaboration with Current Elliott.   They feature familiar brands like Rachel Zoe and more obscure, coveted ones like Soludos.

If you're like Jen, in the eternal search for T-shirts, try StyleMint from Mary Kate and Ashley. You complete a fun profile and then voila! The Olsen sissies put together a ensemble of tees to choose from. All $29.99 and shipped free.

For men, Bonobos is at the top of my list.  Featured in the NY Times, Bonobos was started to solve a simple problem: men’s pants just don’t fit well. They’re either too tight to be comfortable or too baggy to look good. But, by innovating in a few key areas, they’ve developed a fit that they say actually looks and feels great for a wide variety of men.  They have sweaters, jackets, accessories, golf, swim, outerwear and boast "Fast and Free shipping.  Insanely easy returns."  Keep talking 'cause I like what you're sayin'.

What are your favorite shopping sites that offer free shipping? ~ LB