What to add to your spring wardrobe? Item #3 is...

an anorak!

Yes, it sounds odd, but aren't you always digging through your closet looking for that perfect, light-weight jacket that you can throw on and still look great?  We spend SO much time looking for the perfect outfit, only to throw on any old jacket over it.  This is a perfect piece to throw on everyday - for running errands to picking up kids.  

The anorak I'm talking about is not the traditional, fur-lined, heavy jacket.  This is a spring jacket, usually with a hood and a cinch waist.  The cinch waist is universally flattering, either showing off the curves you have or defining your waist.  

I purchased an anorak 2 years ago and just pulled it out of my 'off season' closet.  This 60-degrees-in-March weather is perfect for it!  Here are some anoraks I've seen this season that I'm kind of crazy about too.

First up, from Nordstrom, a MICHAEL Michael Kors anorak, and I love the way they've styled it over stripes.  At $150, it's a great price too.

Photo from nordstrom.com

Next, a black one (although I recommend purchasing one in a color which you do NOT wear a lot on the bottom - if you wear a lot of jeans, don't do blue, if you wear a lot of black pants, don't do black, etc.), by Laundry, with a gathered waist in the back.  Great price point at $128.

Photo from nordstrom.com.

Not quite the deal-of-the-day, but lovely none-the-less, the Burberry anorak at Bloomingdales an investment item at $650.

Photo from bloomingdales.com

Another investment piece is this one from Worth Collection. The sleeves are easy to roll up as the weather gets warmer, and the length is great for a little more coverage of your 'seat'. It comes in orange too!

Photo from worthnewyork.com.

The deal-of-the-day is a Forever 21 anorak jacket I randomly came across while surfing the 'net.  At $38, we should all own one, if not 2!  

Photos from forever21.com.

I had to show the front and the back to show the detail of the cinch waist ties in the front - this would be SOOO much cuter when gathered in the back.

One last one, for a pop of color.  With hood tucked into the back collar, this MICHAEL Michael Kors one looks pretty useful as well as cool.

Photo from nordstrom.com

If you find any other anoraks that we should know about, please post links in the comments! Have a great day! ~ JH

What to add to your spring wardrobe? Item #2 is...

A pair of espadrilles.  They are back, and better than ever!  There are SOOOO many styles and colors to choose from, it can be daunting.  Let's break it down by heel height.

Flat Espadrilles

These can be a ballet-flat-alternative that look great with jeans, cropped or ankle length pants and then with skirts and shorts in the summer.  They will be something different to throw on your feet as soon as it warms up, and will put a little spring (literally and figuratively) in your step.  I have a couple of favorites for this category.

This cute Michael Kors pair is part ballet flat/part espadrille, but at $69, it's a steal!  They come in tangerine, gold canvas, navy, and tiger print.  Here's the tangerine - a hot color this summer.  Pair it with all of your navy & white items.

Photo from zappos.com

I'm not a big fan of Sperry shoes (why the Topsider?), but they made this cute, flat espadrille in stripes!  And only $65.

Photo from bloomingdales.com.

Heeled Espadrilles

Ok, this is where my heart really is this spring.  I purchased a gold pair of Castañer, open-toe, wedge espadrilles last summer, and wore them to DEATH, with jeans, white pants, dresses, skirts, you name it.  I never had a pair before last summer, and now I'm not sure how I lived without them.  The Castañer ones I own are a gold version of these, which are currently for sale at Calypso.  

Photo from calypsostbarth.com.

(I'd like to take a moment to talk about Castañer as a company.  Founded as a formal company 1927 in Spain, its roots go back to 1776 with some of the first espadrille makers, including Rafael Castañer.  In the mid-1960s the company was considering shutting down, until Yves Saint Laurent asked Castañer to make a high-heeled espadrille.  A high-heeled espadrille hadn't been made before, it took off, and the rest is history.*)

Having worn them so much last summer, I'm looking to expand, and maybe find a pair that would work in the cooler months of April and May, using a closed-toe or a heavier material to help make the transition.  Here are some examples of what I've seen.

These arrived by UPS a few evenings ago, and I must say, I might be in love again.  J.Crew did a great job with these Seville espadrilles, and they come in black, flax (color I purchased), and red.

Photo from jcrew.com.

These Dolce Vita ones from Nordstrom are suede, which would work well as a 'transition' shoe because of the heavier materal.  I'm partial to the 'Cognac' colored ones, but there are 3 other colors that are cute too.  $78.95 is a great price on these.  Get your pedicure on.

Photo from nordstrom.com.

This Franco Sarto one at Nordstrom is a great buy at $79.95, and you can go neutral with the 'Cloud' color, or go bold with the 'Red'. (PS - you might think these look like a heel, but with the platform in front, the pitch is really only an inch and a half or so.)

Photos from nordstrom.com

And I might be jumping ahead to summer with these (ok, I am), but I simply love the lines of this Tory Burch Adonis espadrille.

Photo from toryburch.com.

So, when you are trying to update your casual look for spring, think about adding an espadrille or 2 into the mix.  They pair well with jeans, both white and blue, dresses, cropped pants, skirts, just about anything. ~ JH

* As read in "The One Hundred - A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own" by Nina Garcia

W2WW News Flash - rag & bone opens store on Newbury Street.

It seems as though the empty storefronts on Newbury Street are starting to fill up.  One of the latest stores to open is rag & bone, at 111 Newbury Street (former home of Pierre Deux).  A brand favorite of ours, Lisa and I first came upon rag & bone through their jeans - the RBW8 jeans were our favorite skinny jeans about 4 or 5 years ago.  Since then, they have expanded their offerings, including shoes.  I like that the majority of their clothes are produced in the US, starting in Kentucky back in 2002.

Their fall 2011 line was amazing and what we have seen so far for spring 2012, we like.  Can't wait to check out the new store.  Have you?  Please tell us what you think! ~ JH

Photo from boston.com.

What to add to your spring wardrobe? Item #1 is...

Spring clothes, shoes and accessories have filled the stores, and the big question is, what should I add to my closet?  Jennifer and I will be filling in those gaps over the next few weeks and will be sharing our top picks for spring with you!


Up first?  Lace.
  

Yes, lace!  Lacey looks have been all over the runways since last year when the trend first began to emerge.  Lace and crochet are showing up in a big way this spring in a mind-boggling array of colors.  The challenge is how to wear it without looking like a bride or a hot mess.  Take a peek at the styles we're loving, along with some tips on how to make lace work with things you already own.  All you need is one piece to add a bit of style and glam to your wardrobe! 

If you're at all skeptical about trying lace, dip your toe in the water with a neutral color.  Love this little cream top which could easily be paired with jeans, slacks, skirts or shorts for a very chic spring to summer look.  A simple navy or white blazer would polish the look.  Done by Madewell, for $118.

Photo from fashionista.com.

J. Crew is getting it right this spring with this fabulous silhouette, in two colors for $118.  A friend rocked the cream one with a velvet blazer, minimal jewelry, jeans and heels at dinner in the city the other night.  I got the pink one and will pair if with bootcut white jeans and red heels for casual, and dressier wide leg trousers for a night out.  Pink is also making a comeback this year so check the back of your closets ladies and pull out those old favorites to see if they could still work.

Photos from jcrew.com.

This look is not exactly lace, but the dot pattern see-through top with tank under from Madewell ($65) is a versatile one.  The pairing with black leather shorts is HOT and if you don't have 25 year old legs (like me), you'll take it down with cropped black pants and call it a win.

Photo from madewell.com.

Jennifer and I saw this cute dress at Juicy Couture ($298) last week and loved the pattern and hint of yellow on the trim.  

Photo from net-a-porter.com.

If you need a special occasion dress, Nanette Lepore's "Around the World" dress in poppy or cream is a classic ($348).

Photo from cusp.com.

Photo from piperlime.com.

When reaching for the jewels to pair with busy and intricate lace designs, keep it simple and go with TWO pieces only:

• Studs and a long necklace
• Large hoops and a cocktail ring
• Dangling earrings and bangle bracelets
• Diamond studs and a big cuff

The best part about lace is that you can easily dress it up to go to dinner, party or event and then dress it down with jeans or shorts for an every day look.  We'd love to know what you find, so please share links in the comments section. ~ LB

Current favorite things at J.Crew. (Could also be entitled: Demystifying Personal shopping - Part 6.)

Yes, we are getting carried away with ourselves.  In the name of research (and desire to support a local organization through a shopping benefit), Lisa and I set up personal shopping appointments at J.Crew in the Natick Mall.  It was also someone's birthday (ahem, Lisa, ahem) and what better way than to spend the day - shopping with friends!

We contacted Sylvia Gesell and arranged our appointments for the same time, giving her our sizes and ideas of what we were interested in.  I was looking for summer tops (still) and white jeans and Lisa was interested in finding white jeans and some transitional looks.

I arrived at the mall to meet Lisa at J.Crew, only to find a friend in the parking garage and encouraged her to come along.  The more the merrier, right?!

We all arrived at J.Crew at 10:00am, and Sylvia was there to greet us and usher us into the dressing room area.  Sylvia had pulled this for me (in the way of tops).

Additionally, there was a dressing room across the hall for Lisa and Sylvia started right away to pull items for our friend from the garage.  We started digging through and found some great things for spring!

With bright colors being one of the recurring trends this spring, Lisa found herself in love with a pair of red pumps.

Not something I would have pulled off the shelf on my own, but look at how they weave their way through the next few outfits.  I might have to consider a pair myself.

Next up, a lace top, another spring trend.  Please comment and tell Lisa how fabulous this looks on her! (Note the red pumps too!  Gives a great color-blocked effect.)

I really took to the Tabitha blouse.  It's a very easy cut that looks great on a multitude of people and came in both solids and a print.  I couldn't resist the paisley print - how great will this look with white jeans and a gold pendant necklace?  Very easy for dinner out or a casual meeting.  Throw a navy blazer over it when it's still cool out.

Photo from jcrew.com

A striped sweater looked great on our friend - layered with a bright tank underneath, it's a steal at $69.50, and will be worn to death over the next few months and on cool summer nights.

Photo from jcrew.com

And speaking of stripes (again), this is a great, relatively inexpensive knit jacket at $128 - navy and white striped, with a hint of orange from a tank layered underneath.  (Again, red pumps!)

Sylvia was great, pulling additional sizes, making suggestions, and giving advice on fit.  We had a great time!  A big thank you to Sylvia and the team at J.Crew for not only a fun morning, but for acknowledging Lisa's birthday with flowers, a little breakfast, and this.  Why can't all shopping experiences be this great? ~ JH

Unless otherwise noted, images are Jennifer Houston's.

...your sweaters are all pilled with fuzz.

This week, I looked into my closet and thought 'yuck'.  I'm getting tired of the same clothes and can't wait for spring and 'transition' clothing, just so I'm wearing something different.

I think my sweaters are saying 'yuck' too.  I pulled out a forest green Vince wrap sweater, and it was full of pills and fuzzies.  Kind of like this:

Photo from dailyapple.blogspot.com

Ladies (and gentlemen), this is the time of year to bring out your sweater shavers or sweater de-pillers.  These little, wonderful gadgets are the secret to making your knits look fresh and fuzz-free after so much use over the winter.  Here are a few selections I found at Amazon.com.

Remington makes a nice looking one for $10.99 (batteries not included):

Photo from amazon.com.

Here's a Sunbeam Lint Shaver, quite similar, for $12.70.

Photo from amazon.com.

Turn on the gadget, and run the face over your sweater.  There is a little shaver under the face's holes that pulls off the fuzzies and deposits them into the clear holding area.

A couple of minutes of 'de-pilling', and my forest green sweater looked 100 times better, and got worn, for the hundredth time.  ~ JH

...you have a fabulous leather skirt. (Could also be entitled: Demystifying personal shopping - Part 5.)

You may remember reading that I picked up this fabulous 3.1 Philip Lim caramel leather skirt earlier this season and have been wearing it with black mostly.  

Photo from net-a-porter.com

I want to wear it into spring and don't really know what to put with it besides the obvious white T-shirt to lighten it up for spring.  Enter Personal Shopper Amy Swartz at Nordstrom!  A really great personal shopper knows her store inventory and can all sorts of options to work with a favorite item you already own, marrying it with all sorts of unexpected pieces to create whole new look.  That's just what I need for this skirt.  Something fun and unexpected.  

My appointment was right in the middle of February school vacation week, so I brought my own personal photographer (9 yo daughter) and her assistants (5 yo brother and sister) along for counsel.

Here's what Amy had ready for me...

And some of the looks with the skirt and lovely Yves Saint Laurent navy patent wedges.

Here's a casual look with silk tee and denim skirt.

Another casual look with a Vince Camuto striped top.

Another Vince Camuto silk top...a bit more reserved.

Navy is always good with caramel.  Here's a silky top from Parker.

And another fun, colorful top from Diane Von Furstenberg.

A cream silk tee, from Joie, always looks good.

This was AWFULLY frumpy and the color was horrid on me.

A crochet tank from Vince that I've had my eye on for a while.

This jacketed look from Elizabeth and James is pretty hot.

Can you believe all the combinations that Amy thought of for one great skirt?  So, which ones do you like?  Which should I get? ~ LB

Unless otherwise noted, photos are Lisa Bida's.