1. One shoulder/asymetrical tops and dresses are hot and sexy. This trend also extends to bikinis. Summer 2009 has a much more modern approach than we have seen in previous seasons.
2. Tasteful see-through, sheer, and nude fabrics. Draping and layering will be utilized as to not expose women.
3. Backless will also be popular.
4. Grecian dresses, both maxi length and short, are in style. This is a perfect carry through to the one shoulder styles.
5. Jeweled clothing carries through with more vibrant and bold colors in a more sophisticated style. Encrusting rather than embellishing will take center stage.
6. Tribal and Ethnic inspired trends are slated for this Summer 2009, as well as Summer 2010. Items that will inspire a safari or travel to an exotic location will be all the rage.
7. Bold/Statement jewelry is also still in style. Think huge earrings, cocktail ring or large cuff. These are not to be worn all together though.
8. Gladiator style shoes, with and without a heel, are a must have. Strappy and sexy is the look. Some of the shapes will be very avant garde.
9. Super high platform shoes.
10. Highly colorful footwear.g and layering will be utilized as to not expose women.
3. Backless will also be popular.
4. Grecian dresses, both maxi length and short, are in style. This is a perfect carry through to the one shoulder styles.
5. Jeweled clothing carries through with more vibrant and bold colors in a more sophisticated style. Encrusting rather than embellishing will take center stage.
6. Tribal and Ethnic inspired trends are slated for this Summer 2009, as well as Summer 2010. Items that will inspire a safari or travel to an exotic location will be all the rage.
7. Bold/Statement jewelry is also still in style. Think huge earrings, cocktail ring or large cuff. These are not to be worn all together though.
8. Gladiator style shoes, with and without a heel, are a must have. Strappy and sexy is the look. Some of the shapes will be very avant garde.
9. Super high platform shoes.
10. Highly colorful footwear.

Style and comfort reign supreme with the Seashore Dress from Boy Meets Girl! This dress is perfect for running around town, a slightly dressed down evening, and travel. Plus, everyone can always have an extra black dress!

What I Love? While this dress isn’t loaded with details, it is a clean line and modern look. The details it does have are great. The slouchy pockets, hood, and flaired bottom give it a relaxed feel. The pockets have some great pewter grommets to give it some edge. The sleek a-line style is a great shape for most bodies. Combine the a-line shape with black and a scoop neck you have a very slimming style.

What I Am Wearing It With? Given the 32″ length of this dress, I opted for some flat sandals. It’s perfect to pair with some gladiator sandals. I chose silver but you could do any color (think red, bright yellow, blue purple). That is what I adore about black, you can choose any color to accessorize. This dress however would also look great with a cute pair of sport shoes. I think next time I wear it, I am going to pair it with my bright lime green, silver, white, and black Pumas. Since it may be a bit short for some women, it would work really well with leggings. If you don’t already have some, check out the Urd Leggings by Goldencut at Artfulwears.com.

The Basics: The Seashore Dress from Boy Meets Girl is made of a substantial French terry that is 95% cotton/5% spandex. This fabric doesn’t wrinkle so it’s great for travel. It’s 32″ long.

How To Get Yours: Artfulwears will be featuring the Seashore Dress, as well as 4 other great dress from Boy Meets Girl from Sunday June 14 to Sunday June 21, 2009 starting and ending at 7:00 p.m. EST.

The Story Behind Boy Meets Girl: Designer/Creator Stacy Morgenstern Igel has had a clear vision of her career path since nursery school, where she outfitted her pre–K classmates with make–shift designs and home–made charm bracelets. Stacy and I would have gotten along well! Her designs are all about comfortable clothes that make you feel happy and sexy. Inspired by a variety of eclectic influences ranging from unique vintage styles to the cutting edge music and art scenes of downtown NYC, and all the way back to the glamorous Hollywood icons of the roaring 20’s. Boy Meets Girl radiates an effortless lifestyle brand. Boy Meets Girl is for every girl—she can define herself hundreds of ways—as eclectic, as edgy, as demure or as casual cool, or perhaps some combination of them all.

Re-mix is a dream come true for women who love shoes. They are not only beautiful and chic, but mostly importantly they are COMFORTABLE!

I had the pleasure of reviewing the fabulous Veranda Wedge in red and I have lots of great things to tell you about these shoes. Versatility and comfort are key here. They are perfect for a variety of casual occasions including work, dinner, errands, etc. You can easily pair them with a variety of skirts, pants, and dresses. The wedge design gives you so many options. I love the red because it’s fun and a great neutral alternative. Red looks great with almost everything. However, if you are in need of a neutral they are available in brown, black, and sand.

What I Love? Perhaps my favorite thing about the Veranda Wedge is that they are a great alternative to heels. If you have been following my advice, you know that your pants or jeans should hit just above the floor. This means that you may have had your favorite pair of jeans hemmed to wear with heels which is fine if heels are approriate and/or comfortable for your day. For me, that’s not always the case so the Veranda is perfect.

What I Am Wearing Them With? I love them with jeans and a top. For me they would be a perfect shoe to wear for a long day of buying. Believe me ladies, buying trips are murder on the feet. Most recently I paired them with a denim skirt just above the knee and a flirty red crinkle top with white polka dots. They look great with black, white, or denim and a printed tank.

The Basics: The Veranda is an all leather wedge that is about 2 1/2″ high. They are available in Cherry, Black, Sand, or Brown. The contrast stitching adds a little extra interest. The padded foot bed is great for all day wear.

About Re-Mix: Re-mix takes it’s inspiration from the early to mid 20th century.  Many styles are very accurate replicas of styles from those periods.  From the 1920’s on, modern, never before seen fashions were being developed that have now become classics.  The intention of most fashion then was to flatter the wearer and provide function and wearability.  That is why many of my styles have to be seen on to appreciate how good they look (and feel). I saw pictures myself but when I tried them on, it was truly a love affair!

The Re-mix customer is a woman that knows how she wants to look;  fashionable and distinctive and a little “fun”.  She is not a follower.  She wants something that is fairly timeless, not in one season and out the next.  The customer can be urban or “artsy”, but the looks appeals to many women from all over the country in a large age range.  Think  smart, cute, sexy…comfortable.

Other Great Style From Re-mix: The Studio Wedge from Re-mix has a similar place n your wardrobe but a little more “Summery” as it is a strappy sandal. This also has a great wedge to give you height while not causing you high-heel pain. We LOVE the pewter color. It can literally be worn with anything.

The Taxi is a great “heel” that is still very comfortable. It has that timeless vintage feel. We love the combination of metallic leather with patent leather trim.

Most women I know are thrilled when Summer arrives to shed their heavy layers and show more skin. To make sure you are doing it the right way, here are some great trend tips for Summer 2009:

1. One shoulder/asymetrical tops and dresses are hot and sexy. This trend also extends to bikinis. Summer 2009 has a much more modern approach than we have seen in previous seasons.
2. Tasteful see-through, sheer, and nude fabrics. Draping and layering will be utilized as to not expose women.
3. Backless will also be popular.
4. Grecian dresses, both maxi length and short, are in style. This is a perfect carry through to the one shoulder styles.
5. Jeweled clothing carries through with more vibrant and bold colors in a more sophisticated style. Encrusting rather than embellishing will take center stage.
6. Tribal and Ethnic inspired trends are slated for this Summer 2009, as well as Summer 2010. Items that will inspire a safari or travel to an exotic location will be all the rage.
7. Bold/Statement jewelry is also still in style. Think huge earrings, cocktail ring or large cuff. These are not to be worn all together though.
8. Gladiator style shoes, with and without a heel, are a must have. Strappy and sexy is the look. Some of the shapes will be very avant garde.

The Crash Graffiti Totes by Sobella certainly make a statement! For those of you who don’t know this about me, I am ALL about making a statement. Truth be told, before my Train North/South Tote arrived from Sobella, I wasn’t sure what I would think about it but now that it’s here I am completely in love. I was pleasantly surprised by so many things about this tote, particularly the number compliments I got from the New York City design contingent! They can be a very tough crowd.

What I love? First and foremost, the graphics. These colorful, vibrant, and fun designs are the work of artist John “Crash” Matos. This truly is art to wear. It was not until I touched this bag that I could have envisioned how delightfully soft the canvas would be and how extremely lightweight it too. Most everyone I know is always searching for a lightweight bag and they seem to be hard to find. The Crash Totes are extremely well crafted, as you would expect from an Italian design. What’s even more fabulous is that it works equally well for work and play. There is plenty of room to put a portfolio or file folders inside and still zip it. It’s great for shopping and carring any small purchases with you. While it’s very roomy, it has a slim profile as to not make you feel like you are carrying a huge bulky bag.

The comfort factor for me critical and the big test is a buying trip. I carried it ALL day and found it to be extremely comfortable, even with my portfolio full of paperwork inside. The handle length was perfect and again, I love the weight.

What I am wearing it with? This is important. While this tote can’t be paried with anything in your wardrobe, it’s a great addition to a wardrobe a simple or solid outfit. For my customers who wear all black, I highly recommend a Crash Tote.  It will give some life to your outfit. I love it paired with black and/or white with a splash of color. You have to let Train Tote be the center of attention and not to try and fight with it. I first paired it with white pants, a yellow/gold tank, with a black v-neck long sleeve tee over top. The second time, I added it to a white tank, denim skirt, black belt, and green shiney jacket. It’s a great Summer bag and one you would definitely need to store for Fall/Winter.

The Basics: The Train North/South Tote (as well as all the North/South totes in the Crash collection) is 18″W x 14″H x 8D. The handle is 18″, which I found to be perfect and very comfortable.  It has a sizeable inside zipper compartment, as well as two pockets for cell phone and lipgloss. Isn’t that what everybody puts in their purse pockets? The BIG bonus feature of this bag is that it has a small makeup bag attached inside made of black leather. It’s awesome. The bottom of the bag, trim, and zipper are also all leather. It is extremly well constructed and durable.

About Sobella and the Crash Tote Collection: Based in Arezzo,  Sobella handbags are inspired by the latest fashion trends in Italy;  including a sense of beauty, mystery, and Italian history. They combine functional style and clean lines with exquisite leather or beautifully woven fabrics. The Crash Collection was a collbaoration with world famous graffiti artisit John “Crash” Matos, who’s work  was first noticed through his murals on subway cars and dilapidated buildings.  As he got older he transferred his art to canvas and has now exhibited at museum’s world wide.  In 1996, Crash painted a Signature Stratocaster for Eric Clapton and gave it to the artist as a gift,  which Clapton used through his 2001 tour. In total Crash has created 5 guitar’s for Clapton and was commissioned by Fender Musical Instruments for 50 guitars he titled the “Crashocasters” Today  Crash is not only recognized as a fine artist, he is also regarded  as a pioneer of the Graffiti art movement.

How  To Get Yours: The Graffiti Totes By Sobella will be on sale at Artfulwears.com for one week only: Sunday May 10, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. to Sunday May 17, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

Needless to say, I read a lot of fashion magazines. In fact, I am pretty sure I read ALL of them. In perusing a recent edition of Marie Claire, I was amazed at the fact that they were so proud that every item in the issue is under $250.00.  In most people’s worlds that I know, $250.00 is a pretty sizeable purchase and not necessarily afforable. So as I read the issue, I kept thinking to myself, are they serious? They literally dressed up a model or celebrity from head to toe and each individual item was under $250.00. So for example, you could have a $245.00 dress, a $229.00 pair of earrings, a $237.00 pair of shoes, a $145.00 belt, and a $219.00 bag. So this supposedly afforable outfit is now $1075.00! I would have been far more impressed had they put an entire outfit together for $250.00. I also think that would have been far more useful. Just my thoughts. I’d love to hear yours!

Women everywhere are elated when Spring rolls around. I mean sweaters and jackets and layers all sound great in the Fall but come Spring, we want to shed our layers and show a little skin. The great news is many of the pieces you have from Winter can easily be transitioned into your Spring wardrobe. For example, that great sequin or embellished cami you have been wearing with a sweater and jacket it over it can still be worn minus the jacket. Perhaps you will throw over it a little lighter weight cardigan or a new jacket for Spring. Or if you have a great skirt that you have been layering with tights? Take off the tights and put on a pair of Spring boots. Spring Boots are all the rage this year. Think perforated leather and lighter colors (ecru, ivory, pale violet).

Many of todays fashions can cross easily from one season to the next. This Sequin Mini Dress from Chili Pepper could have easily been paired with skinny jeans and a great black velvet jacket or a wrap and some hot black boots. For Spring however, you can do some great strappy sandals and put a light weight cardigan over top. As the weather really heats up for Summer, wear it all by itself!
The Luna Pullover from LTB is a great light weight sweater. In the Winter, you could have easily worn it jeans and a heavier jacket. Now that spring is here, throw it on with a denim skirt or some great white pants!

A black skirt can take you anywhere. The For Linda Skirt is another great transition piece. For Spring, you can pair it with a cute light weight top and endless shoe options.

For those of you who don’t have the pleasure of knowing me personally, all of my friends and loved ones can attest to the fact that I always have some obsession of fashion. While I discussed previously the trend of nude/skin color pumps, I finally have a pair of my own! I am so enthralled with them that I have been wearing them around the house for hours. I think that a nude patent leather pump actually have even more options than black. They literally look great with EVERYTHING. If you don’t own a pair, I suggest you run out and get some right away.

Spring 2009 is all about BOOTS! Yes, I said boots. This doesn’t mean you can take your heavy black or brown Winter boots and start wearing them in the Spring time. There are hot new style for Spring. Look for lighter colors such as ivory, light grey, lavendar, slate, peach, yellow and any soft hues. You will also see a lot of perforated suede. Not only does it look lighter and prettier for Spring but it will also be a bit more comfortable for the weather.

This season the colors of the sea will be at the forefront of fashion & style. Think pale blues, light greens, and aqua mixed with soft Earth tones such as ivory, taupe, or sand. I personally love this beautiful palette and find it calming. With soft subtle hues, it makes accessorizing a breeze. You can pair both more powerful accessories or delicate pieces with these great tones.