An ongoing love affaire with all things fashionable, tasty and fun

Posts tagged “Nightgown

Reader Request – The Chilly Tourist

I received a cry for help from a reader who was planning a trip to Washington DC and needed some cold-weather outfit ideas. Specifically, she had planned a day of solo wandering around historic Georgetown and needed something warm & comfortable, two days of hanging out with a friend, a low-key date night outfit and cute PJs for the PM.

Moi Contre La Vie to the rescue! 🙂

The number one thing to keep in mind about in this situation is the weather – This is going to be all about layers and winter accessories so that she can stay warm but keep her looks cute.

Girl About Town:

While Emily wanders around DC seeing the sites she needs to be comfortable and be able to lose her layers easily & stylishly when she heads indoors and the temp rises. This look is going to be centered around the perfect boots for sight-seeing.

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Whether you go with knee-high hiding boots, combat boots or flat ankle boots, a comfortable, cute boot is a must. The two ways that I especially like to wear boots are either with slim pants or with a skirt – both looks can be “winterized” and both looks can go with most varieties of boot.

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You can take either of these models as inspiration and pair a dress, tunic or flowy maxi skirt with riding or ankle boots. I specially like the look off thick tights and warm socks with a skirt or dress in Winter to make sure that you keep warm. If you choose to wear a dress, tunic or skirt & top combo and want to go for a more classic style wear a long coat (like below) and if you want a more fun & funky style, pair it with a cropped jacket at or blazer, maybe even a short coat layered over a cardigan for extra warmth. 

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Another way to pair your boots is with jeans, slim pants or leggings for a sleek daytime look.

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Both shots do a great job of showing how to layer over pants – scarves, cropped jackets, ponchos, sweaters… The options are endless. It’s also a great idea to carry a larger bag rather than a small handbag, so you can carry gloves, a scarf, an umbrella and other cold-weather accessories.

Low Key Lady:

Whether you’re running errands, hanging out at the local coffee shop chatting or catching an exhibit at the local museum, a good trip always has some down time. So the question is, how do you dress for your less active days without sacrificing style?

My go-to downtime look is either a shift dress or a tunic over slim pants with ballet flats, both of which can easily be layered over to stay warm and tweaked to fit your personal style. Here are some of my recent acquisitions for trips to the farmer’s market and lazy walks along the Bay on weekends.

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What I love about each of these dresses is that they can be worn a million different ways – just add tights, a pashmina, flats or boots, a cardigan or cropped blazer and tons fun jewelry – et voila!

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The same goes for a tunic or oversized sweater over pants or leggings, you can wear this combination a million different ways and make the look as interesting as you’d like – brightly colored skinny jeans, corduroy pants, leopard leggings, a colorblock tunic, an oversized boatneck sweater or even a basic tunic with a jean jacket on top. Layer away!

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Check out EatBreathFashion.com’s Candy Colored Legs post for more ideas on bright skinnies.

Date Night:

For a mellow night out when you’re traveling you can easily reorganize the pieces that you already packed to put together a cute nighttime look, all you have to do is mix & match and accessorize accordingly.

My suggestion would be to throw on either a dress, tunic, or slim pants with a sweater, add a blazer on top and then pumps or booties, fun jewelry, a pashmina and a sleek up do. Both a dress or pants with a blazer will keep you warm and they’re also both fun, flattering silhouettes.

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It’s a perfect look, comfortable but cute, ideal for a low-key night out and using pieces that you’ve already packed for your daytime or traveling outfits.

Pajama Party:

Personally I’m partial to Victoria’s Secret and PINK pajamas & night-shirts, they’re soft and come in fun, funky colors and patterns. You can also check out Forever 21 which has some pretty cute sets, rompers and oversized t-shirts or Bloomingdale’s sales for great deals on Juicy Couture, Betsey Johnson, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Oscar de la Renta sleepwear.

So whether you’re in the mood for short shorts and a tank, old-school PJs or a girly silk night-shirt, there’s something for everyone’s comfort zone.

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You can see other packing and traveling related fashion posts if this is a topic of interest for you: Reader Request – Packing & Traveling or Wanderlust.

And please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any styling or fashion questions that you may have.


The Art of Lingerie

I’ve loved lingerie for as long as I can remember. I used to steal borrow my mom’s slips and nightgowns when I was little and when I got older she used to bribe me to go to the dentist with trips to the Nordstrom intimates section. That lasted through college actually… 🙂

Vintage - Marilyn Monroe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I’m not sure what first intrigued me about lingerie, perhaps it was the bombshell glamour evoked in the movies I grew up with. Grace Kelly’s nightgown in Rear Window, Take Back Your Mink from Guys & Dolls, Natalie Wood in Gypsy, or Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot.

What I can say for certain though is that my love affaire with lingerie was consummated, if you will, when I lived abroad. It was everywhere, much more prevalent and “acceptable” than in the US, and I just couldn’t get enough. I wandered into all the little shops I could find in Paris, Madrid, Milan, and Rome. I still have a handful of the pieces that I found while I was there, including a gorgeous lavender dressing gown.

And regardless of what first inspired me this has been a love affaire that’s lasted 29 fabulous years, and at this point I have nightgowns, separates, slips, matching sets, and dressing gowns filling up my closet and an entire bureau stuffed satins, silks, and lace.

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In my experience lingerie can serve a woman in two distinct but interconnected ways – the way it makes her feel and the way it makes her look.

The right cut, color, fabric, and style can make you feel beautiful, glamorous, and sexy. And I’m not just talking about pieces that you’re wearing for someone else, I’m talking about the simple pleasure of sleeping with the feel of satin against your skin or feeling soft lace wrap around your ankles when you take a step. It doesn’t have to be about anyone but yourself!

In addition to making you feel fabulous the right undergarments can make your clothes fit and look even better. It doesn’t matter whether you favor Lily of France, Victoria’s Secret, La Perla or Agent Provocateur, it’s about finding pieces that complement your body type, personal style, and the clothes in your wardrobe. And for whomever invented shapewear (Spanx anyone?) deserves a medal, those glorious garments can hide all manner of sins.

However, despite my love of lingerie the “lingerie as clothing” trend is one that I must caution you to be careful with. Outside of Halloween it can be hard to pull off wearing stand alone pieces as clothing a la Easy A.

Easy A

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That being said, you can evoke the same boudoir feel by wearing a lacy cocktail dress, pieces with sheer panels, satin and silk, or even by layering a bustier in your look.

The lacy layers of this dress make it simultaneously sweet & naughty

Source Needs some inspiration for adding a sexy, boudoir flare to an outfit? Check out Giorgio Armani’s Fall 2011 Boudoir runway show or these sumptuous advertisements that were influences by beautiful, retro lingerie.   

 

  With the luxurious cuts, delicious fabrics, and just a hint of bedroom glamour, these clothes are a treat for the senses and a great way to indulge your lingerie fantasies in the real world. Do you love lingerie too? How do you feel about daytime wear?