I'm Obsessed Thank You Very Much - Midi Skirts

All of my life I've wanted to be a girl who felt comfortable throwing on a pair of shorts or a mid-thigh skirt. Heck, I'd love to even feel comfy in a skirt that is just above my knee. I'm not one of those girls.  My legs are definitely my least favorite feature and my ample hips and much smaller waist are more suited to full skirts instead of pencil skirts. That's why I'm so obsessed with midi skirts. Their longer length and fuller silhouette are made for me. They are flattering to my figure and I feel great when I wear a skirt that hits just at or below my knees. I'm loving that there are so many options available.

ASOS Full Quilted Midi Skirt / ASOS Pleated Midi skirt / ASOS Striped midi skirt / ModCloth Essential Elegance skirt / ASOS Burnout Floral midi skirt / Talbots Pink Sateen Pleated Skirt / Talbots Blue Sateen Pleated Skirt / ASOS | ASOS Midi Skirt with Full Pleats / ModCloth One Tweet Morning Skirt / ModCloth Bettie Page B. Jones Style Skirt

I selected skirts in all sizes and colors. The pink and blue skirts from Talbots are on sale for $20 or less!  I love the retro feel of the skirts from ModCloth and the modern take of the Asos skirts. There is something for every style and mood.

Happy Shopping!

Frugal Fashion Friday - Making the Most of Seasonal Sales

The stores are full of sales right now. They are clearing out their spring and summer items to make room for fall and winter. It's the perfect time to grab items that you can wear now but also transition to fall. Two of my favorite stores for sales and items are Talbots and Nordstrom.  They both carry clothing in all size ranges and items that appeal to all styles and ages. I could have filled pages and pages with items I'd love to own but here are just a few of my favorites.

 

I've been in love with these House of Harlow 1961 Chelsea sunglasses for ages. It's rare to find them on sale. Nordstrom just posted this color for $91. This flowy blouse is light enough for a summer evening but edgy with the added faux leather collar and cuffs. Wear it now with some shorts or later with pants. I had to throw in this awesome skull wrap bracelet. I love them, no matter the season. I rarely wear shorts, except for cut offs at the beach. I would consider wearing these longer Bermuda shorts and they'd even look cute when the weather begins to cool, with a blazer. Converse are seasonless and this edgier version with studs is great. I've been looking for a neutral tote. This Michael Kors design is sophisticated and versatile. Full skirts are flattering on all body types. I would wear this one with a graphic tee now and with a pretty sweater later. These printed pants will transition well from summer to fall. Just change up the topper and your shoes. You can also dress them up or down. There are so many ways to transition items from summer to fall. With just a change in the pieces you pair the item with, you can take it from warm weather to cool weather.

If you order, make sure to save even more by using a site like ebates.com. Ebates will pay you a cash % for each of your purchases. Just go to ebates before you shop, create an account and a select that retailer.  Also, search for free shipping or discount codes for your shopping by goggling the store name and discount code or free shipping.

Have you been eyeing any fun items during all of the sales?

Easy Weekend with Flair ala JewelMint

When I was younger I would haul ridiculously large suitcases with me for weekend getaways.  I'd take a ton of clothes and only wear a few items. Years of travelling, hauling my own suitcase and TSA restrictions have turned me into a traveller that can pack for a weekend in a small carry-on bag. That means easy to pack items, double duty clothes and accessories to spice up my looks.

You all know my love and obsession with JewelMint. I love their jewelry. Every month I have to decide how many of the new pieces I can afford.  When my friends at JewelMint offered me the chance to choose three of their amazing pieces to style for a weekend trip, I jumped at the chance. Inspired by the Egyptian influences in some of the July pieces, I picked a ring, earrings and a necklace.  The pieces I chose were the Scarab ring, Isis earrings, and the Farrah necklace.  One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is a vintage scarab bracelet given to me by my dad and the Scarab ring is a modern take on that bracelet.

When choosing the items to style, I wanted pieces that could be worn together or separately and I love the possibilities in the Farrah necklace.  I styled three looks using all three pieces. Since I received my new jewelry I've worn them toether but I've also worn these stand out pieces alone at various times. 

For a day time look I paired a simple white tee with a flowy skirt, scarf and sandals. The JewelMint pieces compliment the look and give a little bit of an Egyptian touch.

Tee - Old Navy, Skirt - Lane Bryant, Scarf - Goodwill, Sandals - Simply Vera Vera Wang for Kohl's



Combining a halter style tankini, a sarong and the JewelMint pieces, I created a chic look for a pool party or the beach. I decided to wear the Farrah necklace as a bracelet to give the look a bit of a different flair.



Takini - Target, Sarong - Beach shop in Key West





Farrah Necklace as a bracelet, Scarab Ring - c/o JewelMint



  

Inspired by the caftans of Morocco I chose a comfortable maxi dress for an evening look. I added some strappy wedges and the JewelMint pieces but tied the Farrah necklace as a bit of a choker.

Farrah Necklace as a choker

I have a special offer for you my dear readers.  Do you love these JewelMint pieces or want to see more? Compliments of my friends at JewelMint, they are offering you 50% off of your first piece of JewelMint jewelry, for one week only! 

You'll take a quick style quiz and then you'll get personalized recommendations from JewelMint stylists. They have great new pieces each month. Every piece of jewelry is just $29.99 which includes beautiful packaging and free shipping.

Click on the link and when you check out, just enter the code below.

http://jmnt.co/q0Od8i

RealGirlRunway50

Code expires: 8/25/2011

Using easy to pack pieces and great jewelry, I created three outfits for a weekend trip.  The beauty is that some items can be changed up depending on your plans. How do you pack for a weekend getaway?

Trends I'd Like to Try

There are so many trends that grace runways and fashion magazines. I pass on many of them because they are just not for me. There are some that I just can't get out of my head and really want to try. Here are a few that are inspiring me right now.

Full Leather Skirt

I love the idea of a full leather skirt. The midi version would look better on me than the mini version. 

Rachel Comey

Louis Vuitton

Feather Hair Extensions

Clip in, temporary feather hair extensions would be a fun way to liven up an outfit.

Bold Lips

All summer I've been wearing bright pink and coral lips. During the 90's I loved wine colored lips.  I'd love to find a new sophisticated shade of burgundy for fall.

Fall Trends 2011

I know it seems so early to be thinking of fall trends. We just started shopping for cute sandals. Fashion waits for no girl, even Real Girls.  On Tuesday night I attended the Fashion Group International's presentation of fall trends for 2011.  It was great to see and discuss things that are coming up for fall. I reported on the event for GalTime.  To read the full post, click here.

My personal trend favorites for fall are:

• Capes
• Pleats
• Colored Fur (the faux kind)
• Structured Bags

Fall Trend Picks 2011 RGR by Real Girl Runway

DIY - Instant High-Low Skirt

Instant DIYs are my favorite way to change up an item of clothing. Use it in unique or different way but not alter it permanently.  A little while back I showed you how to Instant DIY an infinity scarf. Safety pins are right up there with the most amazing inventions of all time (next to post-its, twist ties, and duct tape). You can do almost anything with them. They can also save your ass in a pinch, like when your pants rip at the pocket seam and your undies are showing. Yes, that really happened.

I love the look of a cool high-low dress or maxi skirt. I have a great high-low dress I've been dying to wear but dumb me, didn't put it in my 30 for 30. These are little formal and higher that what I wanted but they were good inspiration.

I took my basic gray maxi skirt and with a few instant DIY steps, I created a high-low skirt. In my next outfit post, you'll see the full effect.

Supplies
1. Maxi Skirt (any longer skirt will do)
2. Safety pins

First determine how high you want the "high" part of your skirt to be. Then determine how large you'd like the drape (just in the front or across the whole skirt). If you want your drape to be wider (across the whole skirt) you'll need a few more safety pins that the three I used.

Accordian fold your skirt at the center, tucking the hem under.  When you have your skirt at the height you desire, beginning at the bottom push the safety pin up through the back edge of the folds on the inside of your skirt.  Repeat this at even intervals across the skirt.

The final product...

Next time I'll try out a higher hemline and a broader skirt drape.

It's Fashion Week!

I think I just heard the angels singing. It was so hard to get through work yesterday without looking at the shows online. This year marks a new chapter in NYC Fashion Week history. The shows have been moved from the tents a Bryant Park to Lincoln Center.

Trends are set based on what is shown at Fashion Week. A few of the things I love from the first day are:

The flowy pants at the Richard Chai LOVE show.


The sleek white pieces at Christian Siriano.


The full skirts at Ruffian.


I'll post more as the week goes on.

photo credits: nymag.com