Oscar Fashion!

I watched mainly for the red carpet fashions...and I was rooting for the ladies of The Help and George Clooney because I really really loved the movie The Descendants.

Here were my misses of the evening....

Melissa McCarthy...a lot of fashion blogs are crazy over how great she looked...this reminded me of a grandmother of the bride dress..I'm not a fan of the rouching around her chest..I think the flowy sleeves also make her look wider than she is..

I think she should have taken a couple notes from Octavia Spencer's stylist...although she might not be toothpick thin like Angelina Jolie..she looked fabulous playing to her strengths and accentuating the right areas

I'm a huge fan of J-Lo's but didn't love this dress..everyone else went for this old Hollywood glamour and I thought she stuck out a little with the plunging necklace. I also feel like she wears her hair like this to every award show.

I didn't love Meryl Streep either...it just seemed like a lot of gold material..

.

especially when there was one other golden girl on the red carpet to compare to Meryl...and she hit it out of the park...Here's Stacy Keibler..talk about a good looking couple!

Other favorites....

RI's own Viola Davis...loved the color and loved how she showed off those killer arms and shoulders!

Michelle Williams...another standout...love the color, the style and the texture...

Emma Stone..I loved this look!

I also loved Gwenyth Paltrow's simple look in white...

While most will probably put Angelina Jolie on the best dressed list...I wasn't a fan...this girl needs to eat a meal or two...I think she's just too skinny...it's nice to rock a high slit like that but I'm all set seeing her bony leg.

My other miss of the evening...Billy Crystal...I think his ship has sailed with hosting the Oscars...I just didn't find him to be that funny or entertaining and thought there were more awkward pauses than laughs!

I'm more of a less is more type gal when it comes to dressing showing lots of skin ....but Serena Williams believes in letting it all hang out...maybe if I could get my boobs to do what hers are doing I'd be more open to this look

and Baby has definitely got back!

SJP on the August cover of Vogue

seeing this makes me miss Sex and the City sooo much. Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick and the kiddos grace the pages of Vogue for their August issue.

One of my favorite summer buys....

Love these bad boys. Perfect summer shoe with good height and they're quite comfortable!

Here's what they look like when you're not staring down my leg at them...Seychelles Purr wedge

Available at Nordstroms..HERE

My Current Summer Want List

Mr. Allan is probably chuckling to himself reading this title and commenting..my wife's want list is never ending. But..a girl can want, can't she? In my house I can want and buy as long as I never ever use a credit card! It's the secret success to the financial part of our marriage and  keeping my shopaholic tendencies that sometimes get the best of me at bay.

So...I've been organizing my want list in my head all week, trying to figure out what's a must for summer and what can wait....

#1 Want...A maxi dress that doesn't require a strapless bra. I think of maxi dresses and how they're everywhere..they look so comfortable..but one thing that I need are straps that I can wear a normal bra under. Because...once you put on a strapless bra..the comfort of wearing a maxi dress will last me about 2 hours. So I found my dream...at Banana Republic..the stores are selling this in a blue and white print as well...the reviews are saying it's long so I'm hoping my 5 foot 8 amazon frame is just right for it. I'm already picturing all the fabulous dinners Mr. Allan can take me to as I wear this....

available at Banana Republic stores..it's constantly sold out online to the point where they remove it from the dress category!

#2. A new purse. Mine is something like 8 or 9 months old. Doesn't sound too bad, but when I buy a new one that I really really really like, I use it daily, hardly every swap it out, and wear it to death. I love this Cynthia Rowley bag that I have.

But..it's seen better days as the tassels are falling off and the handle is practically changing color on me at this point. While I'd like to go out and spend $300 or $400 on a fancy new bag, I'm trying to be economically responsible and decided I need a Longchamp bag..the Mini..it comes in lots of bright cute colors and is a steal at $98...well at least compared to the others I was looking at!

Longchamp Mini Tote available at Nordstroms

#4..I need a back up pair of sunnies...I love the ones I have now but need a back up pair to alternate with so I don't wear my favorite ones out...so I feel like I need a pair of aviators. They're on Nordstrom's list of the top ten trends for this summer, so I'm using that as a sign that a pair is a necessity. Ray Ban seems to be the way to go.

Ray Ban Semi Rimless Light Weight Aviators available at Nordstroms

#5...Stripes are everywhere. I was always against the horizontal stripe for fear it would make me look wide..but I love the blue and white I want to be a sailor looks...a touch of nautical is where it's at this summer

Martime Dress from JCREW

or

the short sleeve Row Boat dress from JCREW

I grabbed this for our weekend trip and was surprised at how much I loved it...super comfortable, provided just a little something to throw over an outfit.

Long Sleeved Cardigan from Ann Taylor Loft

I also own this cardigan from Ann Taylor Loft..maybe not so nautical with the grey and white stripes but I love this stupid thing. The picture off their website doesn't do it much justice...

Here it is in person...and it's on sale for $34.99 plus the Loft is having a sale with an EXTRA 40% off sale..what a steal!

#6 Want....a nice, clean lined, tailored, button up shirt. I love the classic look of a woman in a nice crisp button up shirt. I seldom wear them for work because I fear I'll be sweating with so it layered under a suit..mostly because I run around family court like a chicken with my head cut off most of the time. I usually can't find one long enough where I can tuck it in and wear a nice pair of pants with a belt..so my hunt continues. I also love this look for a nice casual summer outfit...a nice pair of khaki short or capris and a crisp cotton button up.

classic button up from JCREW

These are my current wants...we'll see what next week brings!

The Do's and Don't of Summer

In honor of tomorrow being the first official day of summer at 1:16 P.M.....I thought this article I saw in my local paper over the weekend was fitting!

One of my favorite lines from the author, Georgea Kovanis, was "While there's something to be said for the luxury of spending days in shorts and T-shirts at the cottage or on staycation, there's a big difference between enjoying the freedom of summer and being a complete slob. Some things--tube tops, bike shorts on people who are not actively engaged in riding a bicycle, Speedos for men, and super short-shorts on anyone other than Wonder Woman--are just unacceptable"

So true! Just because it's hot out doesn't mean that you should let it all hang out.  So here are the Do's and Don't of Summer!

1. DO take care of your feet!

If you're going to wear sandals, make sure your feet are clean and presentable. Invest in a professional pedicure because no one wants to see your raggedy nails. If you can't afford professional pedicures, do yourself a favor and buy a foot file for a couple dollars and keep it in your shower and use it daily to exfoliate.

2. DON'T wear pantyhose with sandals

as you can see..a big fashion faux pas. If your office requires them, then forgo the strappy shoes or if you think your legs are too white to pull off a skirt without them, invest in some self tanner.

3. DO exfoliate and moisturize your legs

If you're going to show em..them make them look nice. There's nothing worse than dry flaky looking legs. You can make your own exfoliating scrub at home by taking 2 tbsp of oil and mixing 1 tbsp of brown sugar or sea salt.

4.  DO Keep flip flops at the beach

Flip Flops are not a substitute for shoes and are the absolute most casual foot wear you can wear. It's one step away from being barefoot.

5. DO wear a bra at all times

very few women look good when they're not wearing a bra. (Amen!) As Oprah says, the best make over a woman can have is a good fitting bra and some hair dye! A big no no is wearing summery dresses and going sans bra. Invest in a good convertible or strapless bra.

6. DON'T forget to keep it classy

 Just because it's hot doesn't mean to have to dress skimpy. Summertime doesn't mean showing as much skin as possible.

photo courtesy of www.peopleofwalmart.com

7. DO add color to your wardrobe

whites and neutrals are really big for this season, but be sure to add a pop of color...one that universally flatters..coral.

Coral top from Banana Republic

So...I think this is a great list and agree with almost all of them. Maybe the only one I break is the flip flop rule. I do wear flip flops out when I'm running errands etc. Although I do think people take it to a new level when they wear the flimsy thin ones for way too long past their shelf life.

So, get yourself a pedicure, a good convertible bra, and a pop of color and enjoy the first day of summer!

How cute are they?

You might be expecting a picture of my furballs, but, no..it's my weekly Kate Middleton obsession time instead.

The Royals hit the Epsom Derby for one of their first public appearances.

and a huge improvement for these two from the Royal Wedding get ups they had

 

While I'm kind of falling into the category of too old to watch the MTV Movie awards...my sorry 30 something year old ass can still look at the fashion online the next day...

my favorite..Miss Mila Kunis...

Emma Stone

and Kristen Stewart...mostly because I was very surprised to see her in this ..usually she has a puss on her face and is dressed in black...meow!

and onto the misses...

Jessica Szohr...it's very mom in the Hamptons circa 1989

Brooklyn Decker in her sparkly potato sack..only because you KNOW she's got a cute little rockin body under there

Amanda Bynes...the shoes are just overkill with that dress

obsessed

with Kate Middleton in general..but I want her dress....

and another shot

The dress is made by Reiss and it is called the Shola bandage dress. Apparently after Kate was spotted in it, the website crashed due to the amount of traffic on it.

http://www.reissonline.com/

A sure sign the 80's are back?

Sweet Valley High books are back...I heard a rumor they were bringing JEM back..you know the ordinary waitress who touched her magic earrings and turned from plain jane Jerrica to the rockstar JEM! Skinny jeans are in style...although back in the day we pegged our pants to make them look like skinny jeans. While shopping recently here's another affirmation that the 80's are roaring back into style. Look what I spotted at American Apparel.

a bin full of ...are they really? SCRUNCHIES?

The tag confirmed it

and all my junior high and high school memories came back when I saw the model's photo

Holy Snikeys 20% off Sale items at Athleta!

This hardly ever happens! Athelta is having a 4 day sale with a special coupon code! Athleta is an online company in the same family as Banana Republic, Gap, Piperlime and Old Navy. They specialize in work out apparel and more casual clothes and have a pretty decent swim line as well! It's just about that time where I have my holy crap summer is around the corner and you need to get your butt into shape for swimsuit season moment! So maybe buying a new one will be the last little push of motivation I need!

Some of my favorites...the Ananda Capri, the Chaturunga work out pants, the printed muscle tanks, and their bikini tops are sold in special sizes and fitted for gals with a D/DD chest.

Use the code SHIPSHAPE for an additional 20% off until Friday May 20th! Another thing I love...easy returns by mail and free shipping over all orders over $25!

Happy Shopping!