What 2 Wear When...: Prada

Showing posts with label Prada. Show all posts

Monday, October 27, 2014

Reunited and it feels so good...

...unless you are my wallet, in which case, you took a beating.

As I was returning more black coats to Bloomingdales 2 weeks ago, I was distracted by a blonde woman. I caught her out of the corner of my eye. I recognized her. Was it? Could it be the devil herself? Yes, it was. It was Loren Munro, our original stylist and co-star of our series on 'Demystifying Personal Shopping - Part 1'. I squealed with delight! Loren Munro Lush (married since we last posted about her) was back in town and had recently started working at Bloomingdales. Amen. After a quick text to Lisa, I immediately made a shopping appointment with Loren for the next week.

That appointment was last Thursday. I know, you are wondering, does Jen REALLY NEED MORE CLOTHING. Honestly, no. Don't tell my husband I said that. But it is LOREN after all and I couldn't wait to see what she would pull together for me.

I asked Loren to pull some out-to-dinner and holiday looks for me. And when I arrived, a large, fully-stocked dressing room awaited me. Lots of goodies.

And as in the past with Loren, the first outfit was a home run. An out-to-dinner look, date or girls-night-out. Or a hostess outfit. Blue silk top by Reiss over high-rise, skinny AG Farrah jeans with Prada pointy toe black patent pumps. Oh, and throw on that Vince grey wool coat too. Oh, and tuck this navy clutch by Whistles under your arm.

Loren is a DRUG DEALER when it comes to clothing and I'm her addict. Honestly, I would never be able to pull this all together for myself, out of 4 separate departments. Would I really pick up that clutch by itself and say 'I have to have this'? No. But with the entire outfit, it just works. That's the beauty of personal shopping; find someone with great style who knows all the merchandise in the store. That person can pull it all together.

For holiday, Loren pulled several cute and sparkly looks. This tunic by All Saints is staying. Over leather leggings (which I already own, and no, we are not too old to wear them) and the same Prada pumps, I'm ready for December.

This is a look that I'm still trying to get used to, but that's what shoppers do to you; they pull you out of your comfort zone. This sequin top by Whistles is insanely cute and has a silk back. Not sure if I can personally pull it off, but I love how edgy and different it is. Wear over those skinny jeans for a fun night out, or cigarette-leg black pants for a more 'grown-up' look.

Ah, it was a good day. Too good. I might have to slow down my shopping, but just a little. ~ JH

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

…it's Spring 2014: the Blue Oxford Shirt

Yes, it sounds so plain and easy, and it's just that! I kind of became a little obsessed with finding a perfect one for spring. Easy to wear and easily accessorized! And I knew I was onto something when I read in Bazaar that it was one of the 10 Key Pieces for Spring.

I satisfied my obsession at my Saks appointment with a Boy Band of Outsiders oxford. Yes, it looks PLAIN AND DULL in this photo.

Image from gaaie.com.

But roll up the sleeves, do a "half-tuck" (tuck the front of the shirt in your pants and leave the back out, add a tank top and unbutton the front to the tank, and it's a whole different look! Check out these images for inspiration!

Images from pinterest.com.

I totally plan to wear mine with white jeans, white cords, jeans, black cropped pants, black waxed jeans (did you get those black waxed jeans from Madewell? - just add a blue oxford shirt and ballet flats!). Add a tank when it's cooler or a scarf, stack some bracelets. Feeling it?! ~ JH

W2WW Blue Oxford Shirt

Joie chambray top / Ann Taylor button front shirt / Uniqlo blue top / T By Alexander Wang pleated shirt / H M blue long sleeve shirt / Theory top / John Lewis sleeveless tank / Vince jacket / Foxcroft blue long sleeve shirt / J.Crew white straight leg jeans / Diane Von Furstenberg zip pants / AG Adriano Goldschmied ag+adriano+goldschmied jeans / J.Crew strap shoes / Prada animal print loafer / Givenchy black ankle strap sandals / Superga laced up shoes / Tory Burch cage sandals / Tory Burch ankle wrap shoes / STELLA McCARTNEY white flat sandals / Hermès wide bracelet / Hermès leather bangle / Cartier bezel watch / Hermès leather bangle / J Crew belt

Friday, December 27, 2013

EPIC morning at Saks!

It's December 26th. And instead of sleeping in, Lisa, our friend Heather, and I were at Saks, bright and early at 7:45am.

Waiting for the doors to open at 8:00am, we felt the press of the crowd growing behind us.

Why you ask?!?!? The SALE people! 50% off of reduced prices from 8am until noon. Always. Every December 26th. Lisa, Heather and I have been going for years, and some of the best deals we've ever seen have come out of this sale.

We always start in the shoe department. It's madness, but oh so fun!

What was hot this year? How about these Tod's wedges for 65% off?

These Prada ballet flats were hundreds less than the original price. Hundreds!

Gucci loafers in all colors - at the morning price, how could we leave them in the store?! Look for brightly colored loafers on all of us.

We ended up with an epic number of shoes. Really, it was something else. This was 2 of us checking out.

But, we didn't just stop at shoes. On the advice of Lisa, I picked up this Weekend Max Mara coat, at 70% off retail! 70%! Adore. Thanks Lisa!

Image from static.buyma.com.

Those are the highlights. Thank you, Saks, for making the day after Christmas so much fun. Now, onto spring. ~ JH

Images from Jennifer Houston, unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

it's Fall 2013: Colorful, Suede Pumps

Fall is BY FAR my favorite season. Sweaters, jackets, boots, oh my! I love the crisp air, changing leaves, and the CLOTHING.

Before I departed for summer pastures, I HAD to stick my head into Nordstrom to see what was arriving for fall. I had my 2 girls fresh out of school, so I only had time to zip through the shoe department. And these were there. The Saint Laurent Pointy Toe Pump. In dark green. Oh, how I love thee.

Image from nordstrom.com.

Note: Yes, Saint Laurent is Yves Saint Laurent. Back in 2012, YSL underwent a 'rebranding' and now, it is Saint Laurent Paris.

Anyway, I LOVE suede and these were lovely. And then, I started looking around and there was an array of lovely, colorful suede pumps. Like these...

Image from nordstrom.com.

...and these...

Image from nordstrom.com.

...and these.

Image from nordstrom.com.

Round toe, pointy toe (which will be the better choice for 2013 - more on that later), platform, metal heel. But all in suede and all colorful.

What would you wear them with?! A neutral pallet - all black, all camel. With denim. Think about it as 'color blocking' your feet! Check out these images from PInterest for inspiration.

Images from pinterest.com.

Very now and very hot. While I contemplate the hunter green Saint Laurents versus the blue Jimmy Choos, check out the Polyvore set I put together, showcasing the wide range of pumps! Happy fall! ~ JH

W2WW Fall 2013: Colorful, Suede Pumps

Manolo Blahnik high heel stiletto / Prada suede pumps / Elizabeth and James leather pointy toe pumps / Cole Haan pump / Diane Von Furstenberg high heel shoes / J.Crew high heel shoes / J.Crew high heel shoes / Madewell shoes / Ted Baker suede pumps / Steve Madden pumps / Nine West suede shoes / Jessica Simpson high heel shoes

Thursday, June 7, 2012

...you have a dinner right after attending kids' sports games.

This is a problem that was brought up to me at a 3rd grade girls' softball game. One of the moms was saying how she was heading directly to a dinner from the game, and had a tough time coming up with what to wear for both sitting in a field AND dining at a nice restaurant immediately after. (Personally, I thought she did a fine job in picking her outfit.) If you are like me, you want to look cute for both occasions but also appropriately dressed.

If you have the right items in your closet, this shouldn't be too difficult. Here are a couple of key ingredients you should have to pull this off.

Ingredient number 1, a chair. Whatever you choose to wear, you shouldn't be dependent on a picnic table or bench. It might be wet, covered in pollen, and you should sit on something clean. Please invest $11.99 in one of these.

Image from dickssporttinggoods.com.

Ingredient number 2, pants. I think it's important to have long pants on for this scenario, either jeans or trousers, if the weather permits. They will protect you from bugs and therefore you can avoid the 'eau de Off' smell later at dinner. Jeans are fine if appropriate at the restaurant. If you need to be dressier, I recommend looking into a darker-colored ponte knit pant. This type of pant will not wrinkle and is completely comfortable to hang around in. Either my $75 pair of Michael Kors pants will do, or these Tibi ones look great.

Image from tibi.com.

I like the idea of the pants being a little cropped too and here's why - you shouldn't wear your 'dinner shoes' to the field. Stick on a pair of ballet flats, sneakers, or rain shoes if you need to for trekking across a field, and have your 'dinner shoes' in the car for after the game. A pant that is hemmed for heels is too tricky to wear for the game, so pass on those.

Ingredient number 3, layers. On top, you'll have to layer a bit, again depending on the weather. Start off with a top that doesn't wrinkle too much. Silk jersey is good for this, and a poly/cotton blend will be the most resistant to wrinkles. Something that you are excited to wear for dinner. Diane von Furstenberg makes great tops for dining out, and this would look great with cropped, black pants.

Image from bloomingdales.com.

If it's cooler out, layer on a cute jacket or trench. Again, this jacket doesn't have to be for dinner; you can ditch it in the car (along with your 'game shoes') on the way to the restaurant. Jackets can range from cute 'activewear' jackets like this North Face one...

Image from nordstrom.com.

...to a classic shortertrench, like this one from Comptoir des Cotonniers.

Image from comptoirdescotonniers.com.

Ingredient number 4, the secret weapons in your car. In addition to your shoes and jacket that will need to be changed, these items should be in your car for the 'transformation' en route to dinner:

Change of shoes.
Change of outerwear to a blazer, if needed.
Clutch - move essentials from purse to clutch.
Change of jewelry - add necklace, stacked bracelets, and/or earrings.
Perfume sample - a spritz will do wonders
Lipstick or gloss, and any other makeup you'd want to apply to freshen up. I usually just powder my face to get rid of shine and reapply lip gloss.

And voila, you are ready to see and be seen. I put together another 'set' on Polyvore (yes, I'm addicted, can you tell?!) showing both 'at game' and 'at dinner' looks using the same base items. Hope it inspires, and please keep the questions coming. We love it. ~ JH