W2WW News Flash - dressboston re-opens on Beacon Hill.

About a year and a half ago, we sadly informed you that one of my favorite shops in Boston was closing.  Boo hoo!

Last week, I received a delightful email, informing me that dressboston was re-openning on Beacon Hill!

Right next to Cafe Vanille, I cannot wait to hit the racks!  Featuring designers like A.P.C., Vanessa Bruno, Clare Vivier (whose clutches I go CRAZY for), and Issa, it's a great addition to the Boston shopping scene.  If you find yourself in Beacon Hill, be sure to swing by.  Welcome back dressboston! ~ JH

W2WW News Flash - Issa London Collaboration at Banana Republic!

This is one collaboration that I'm going to go to ON LAUNCH DAY!  According to the July 2013 issue of InStyle magazine (and Women's Wear Daily, back in April), August 6th is the day that the created-for-Banana-Republic Issa London line will debut in BR stores and online.  (I can't believe we missed the announcement that happened back in April!) 

You might ask yourself 'How do I know Issa dresses?' or 'What is Issa London?'.  Do you remember this photo? 

Image from chiclittledevil.com.

That, my dear readers, is a classic Issa London dress.  Issa London is to the UK what DVF is to the US.  The 40 piece collection will feature, you guessed it, dresses as well as accessories, priced between $39 and $150.  QUITE the bargain when you consider that dress above retails for $595.  (Although I just found a turquoise one on sale at shopbop.com for $416.)

Here are a few sketches of what we might see on August 6th.

Image from trendus.com.

Image from wwd.com.

I actually tried on one of these dresses a few years ago and they are SO flattering.  Would be a great staple to have in your wardrobe (kind of like a DVF wrap dress).  Will I see you at 10:00am at the Natick Mall's Banana Republic? ~ 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 are attending an event with your husband's boss and his wife?

I went for a run this week with a friend who had this very question.  Here is her situation:

• big, corporate fundraiser, not black tie, but dressy, at the end of April
• husband's boss and wife have invited my friend and her husband to sit at their table
• my friend has never met the boss or wife before
• she told me that dress can't be too short, really shouldn't be too sexy, that she'd love a cap sleeve, and she was thinking of something navy or blue.

So, my first thought is 'cocktail dress'.  I promised my friend I would look into it, and here is what I've found.

I love this Marc by Marc Jacobs dress.  The lace over jersey makes it conservative with a little twist - the mid-section is interesting, but not revealing.  I'd pair it with a colored clutch too, but maybe some nude pumps instead of black.

Photo from net-a-porter.com.

This Rachel Roy dress is simple, but has a lovely draped back for some interest.  Love the not-quite-navy color of it as well.

Photo from nordstrom.com.

I love Reiss (a UK company) for dresses, and they have a couple that might fit the bill.  The Sophia dress is a great faux-wrap dress in cobalt blue.

Photo from reissonline.com.

The Magda dress from Reiss is also great - another cobalt blue - with which you can wear a nude pump and call it a day. (Full disclosure - I purchased this dress this spring because it fit so ridiculously well. Don't have an occasion for it, but can't wait to wear it!)

Photo from reissonline.com.

This next dress is a great one from Elie Tahari at Bloomingdales.  The silhouette is classic, but the lace overlay makes it current.  Not too trendy, yet not boring.  My only concern about this dress is the length - might it be too short?  Or, is the model too tall?

Photo from bloomingdales.com.

How about a wardrobe staple, a la Kate Middleton?  This Issa dress at Bloomingdales is a solid little black dress.  (Kate Middleton wears a lot of Issa.) They aren't cheap (at $555) but they are completely fabulous.  The dress is a silk jersey, faux wrap, which means no fidgeting around with a wrap.

Photo from bloomingdales.com

Diane Von Furstenberg makes great dresses, although most of the time, they are too short in length for me to consider.  This DVF dress, the Jori, in purple (also comes in cherry and blue jay) is pretty fabulous though.  The length looks to hit right above the knee, and the classic style will keep it in your closet for years.

Photo from dvf.com.

DVF also made this lace overlay dress - the Zarita dress - featured at bloomingdales.com.  It screams cocktail dress, but I would go bare legged with it with a nude pump for the illusion of endless legs.

Photo from bloomingdales.com.

I hope that gives my friend a good place to start!  You know who you are, and I'm happy to help with more choices!  ~ JH