Mad Men-Inspired Line from Banana Republic

The much-anticipated return of the next season of Mad Men has been delayed, but the capsule line from Banana Republic will still launch this month- August 11th to be exact. Click here to view a slide show of the collection.

Critics are saying the styling of this line is more 60's- inspired than the actual clothes and accessories. I am inclined to agree, however, I think it was smart of BR to create a line that is current as opposed to a bunch of costume-y pieces. In order for the clothes to sell, they need to translate to 2011, so to the critics I say, "Shut your trap and just enjoy the line."

These two dresses are my favorite looks in the entire collection:

I am usually partial to full-skirted silhouettes, but the color of the dress on the left and the print of the dress on the right were every bit as appealing to be as the shapes. I also really adore the neckline and bodice of the solid-color dress on the left. And while I may lean towards full skirts, there is a dynamite sheath dress in an amazing oversize houndstooth print that is making me drool:

It isn't all for the ladies, though- there are suits, sweaters, ties, and even fedoras for the gentlemen in this capsule collection:

The accessories are also really appealing- I especially love the leopard print bag and the multi-strand pearl neacklace:

Skinny ties and bow ties are both part of the collection for men and I'm thrilled to see them. I hope to see some guys around town sporting such a cool, retro look.

What do YOU think of the new line from Banana Republic? Are you a fan of Mad Men? Would you have noticed this line if it hadn't been associated with the TV show? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear what you think!

Mixing Prints- How to do it Flawlessly

The trend of mixing prints has been around for quite a white, but it's one I hope sticks around for quite a while longer. I love seeing how different prints paired together can create a really interesting look. However, I've seen one technique in particular that seems to work flawlessly almost every time. It's the perfect way to wear mixed prints if you're a little afraid of doing it right. After all, there are some combinations that don't look trendy or put-together at all. Instead, they look more like you got dressed in the dark that morning. Since I don't want any of you in that position, please allow me to educate you on this simple technique.

I have not personally attempted it, there are two fashion bloggers who used this technique this week, so I figured with that kind of coincidence I just couldn't let it go unnoticed. Kendi of Kendi Everyday and Tiffany of A Reason to be Fabulous each created flawless mixed print outfits that I just have to share with you all. Hopefully, they don't mind!

Each of these fabulous style bloggers created a look using two scales and color schemes of the same print. Kendi was successful with her use of stripes and Tiffany rocked some fabulous polka dots:

See Kendi's full post here.

 See Tiffany's full post here. 

Side note: these ladies put me to shame with their photos. I really need to up my game in that department. Although, I'm pretty sure they both have husbands that help out in that respect, and I think I do pretty well with just a tripod. But I digress...

Anyway, my point is this: these mixed print outfits work really well because they have something unifying them. In both cases, it's not only the color combination of each pieces, but also the fact that it's the same type of print in a contrasting scale. The large polka dots with smaller ones, but all in black and white makes for a sophisticated combination. The stripes are youthful and retro-looking (if we can call the 80's retro), but the blue and white that is consistent in both pieces really pulls the look together. After seeing these two posts on the same day, I started to wonder if there was a style blogger club that I'd missed out on, or maybe the Every Body Every Wear trend of the month was mixing the same prints. Or maybe those two ladies are just cosmically linked. 

Have you been mixing prints these last few seasons? I've definitely done it a few times, but my favorites was this outfit from last year: 

In this case, the unifying factor was the black and white. In fact, most people complimented me on my dress, but when I pointed out it was actually a dress and a blouse, they were flabbergasted! See the original post for this outfit here. 

Enjoy your Friday and please feel free to leave a comment if you have anything to say about mixing prints, or fashion in general.  

The Help

I just finished read The Help by Kathryn Stockett and now I am desperate to see the movie. If you read one book this year, let it be The Help.You will not regret it. I laughed and cried in the first 30 pages and as soon as I was done, I wanted to flip right back to the beginning and read it all over again.

I really hope the movie has done the book justice- I hate when I love a book so much and then the movie lets me down. I suppose I just have to go into it knowing they're going to make changes and that I should just accept the changes and enjoy the film. And if it's really bad? I'll just focus on the fashion. I've looked at some of the production photos and it looks like it's going to be a movie full of beautiful, colorful 1960's attire complete with hats and gloves and kitten heels galore! Just these few photos have me drooling:

I love just about everything about the clothing from that era- the silhouettes, the colors, the prints, the accessories- oh my gosh, the accessories! 

Couture Allure is my absolute favorite vintage site for that kind of fashion inspiration. I die for the "eye candy" that is posted there on a weekly basis. One of these days, there's going to be a dress on there that is my size and my style and I'm going to snatch it up so fast, the internet's not going to know what hit it! Something like this dress ought to do just fine: 

Vintage 60's Plaid Cotton Full Skirt Dress, $95

Vintage 60's Black Linen Sheath with Rhinestone Buttons, $135

Vintage 60's Orange Cotton Shift Dress, $95

Vintage 60's 2-Strand Red Bead Necklace, $20 

Vintage 60's Mod Stripe Patent Purse, $40 

Where do you go when you want to see some amazing vintage clothing and accessories? Leave a comment and tell me your favorite places! Is it a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop in your town? Or do you have a favorite online vintage boutique? What about your grandparents' attics? I want to hear about it! 

More Confessing...

Yesterday I came clean and admitted that I never actually deleted my Shoe Dazzle and Just Fabulous accounts. I had to confess to all of you because I couldn't go on living a lie. This is partly because of the shoes I get to see every month, but it is also because of the bags. Like this one:

Honestly, can you give me a reason why I should NOT own this bag? You can't think of one, can you? I can't either. This is a difficult life I lead, I know. That's why I had to come clean- it's too hard to drool over bags like this all on my own. I need a support group. 

(P.S. It's available in three other colors AND it comes with the leopard print scarf.) 

Shoesday Tuesday- Amour

Maybe it's my obsession with two-tone oxfords and spectators that has me swooning over these shoes, but there is just something about them that is drawing me in:

They are also available in a black and white combination, but I prefer the beige- it's a more modern mix. The studs on the toe are just icing on the cake. 

FULL DISCLOSURE: I saw these shoes in my Shoe Dazzle Showroom. This month. I threatened to drop both Shoe Dazzle and Just Fabulous a few months ago. Rather than drop them from my life, I just stopped dedicated posts on my blog to them. The truth is that I never dropped them because they send me emails full of pretty shoes! Yes, it got tiresome blogging about them, so that's why I stopped that. But shoes sent straight to my inbox? How could I ever say "no" to that? Don't judge me. 

Please tell me what you think of these shoes- leave a comment or tweet with our special hashtag #ShoesdayTuesday- I can't wait to see what you have to say! 

Project Runway Season 9 Episode 1

Every Thursday night, I work until 8:00, then the girls and I always head out to Margarita's for some dinner. Add my 45 minute commute and by the time I get home, the last thing I'm going to do is watch 90 minutes of TV. That means it's not likely I'm going to have timely re-caps for this season of Project Runway. Since I can't promise my traditional format, I'm just going to write what comes to mind when I have the time to do it and hope you enjoy it!

This season's opening episode was really exciting- I enjoyed seeing the final selection process and I admit, I was happy with the designers they eliminated right off the bat. The remaining 16 designers seem to be a talented and skilled group with some personality, but design ability that will justify their being on the show. I hate when it seems like the judges have only kept someone for ratings instead of for design.

As for the results of the show, I'm livid with the judges for not eliminating Julie. Yes, Rafael and Joshua had horrendous designs, too, but Julie's didn't have a single redeeming element to it! It made me cringe when I saw it. My jaw dropped and I couldn't believe she sent it down the runway. I suppose she must have made it very clear to the judges that she did a terrible job. They probably chose to keep her because she knew her design was awful, whereas the other two seemed to stand behind their horrific looks.

Julie's look

I'm thrilled for Bert- I hope he remains a strong competitor throughout the show. His design was flawless!  And although Michael Kors didn't like the styling, I thought it was actually kind of cool- the aviators, the tousled hair- it seemed kind of effortless and chic.

Bert's look- WIN! 

 The other look I wanted to see in the top was Viktor's. His is a dress I would wear every day. I love it! The tailoring was impeccable, and the black details made it incredibly flattering and funky. It's a lot safer than Bert's look, which is the only reason I wouldn't say he should have won. 

I think that will be my thread when writing these PR posts- I'll try to pick one look each week that is my "I want to wear that" look. This week, Viktor is the winner: 

Viktor's look

Please leave a comment and tell me what YOU thought of the first episode of Season 9- I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions! 

Sneak Peek of the Next Renee Terese Original

Over the weekend, I had a fitting with a friend who has asked me to make her a dress. It went really well- her measurements were spot on and the dress fit almost perfectly. I am so excited to finish it up and get it to her, but there are a lot of little details to complete. I won't show you a photo of the whole dress until after I've given it to her, but I thought you might enjoy a little sneak peek!

The photo is not doing the color of this dress justice. It is so much better in person, but you'll have to take my word for it. I really enjoy sewing, but I especially enjoy when I can make something for someone else and give them not only a unique garment, but a unique experience. 

Happy Monday, everyone!