Right now Style United is featuring my top picks for rain boots. Although we’re in for a sunny Easter weekend here in Seattle, it’s going to rain again next week. Unfortunately, I have to keep weatherproof shoes on hand throughout the year in our neck of the woods.

If rain boots don’t match your outfit, never fear. Wear them to commute through bad weather and swap out to regular footwear when you’ve arrived at your destination. Do you wear rain boots in bad weather? If so, care to share your favourite brand and style? 

Belgium has only one department store chain that is comparable in scale to large US stores like Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman. The Galeria Inno, short for Innovation (pronounced the French way), currently has sixteen branches in all the major cities. For Antwerp, the store located in a six story historic building on the main shopping street, has become a retail landmark. One I stop by regularly. As much as I love browsing the unique offerings in small boutiques, I also enjoy the convenience of having such a wide range of quality brands under one roof. 

My Mum used to take us to the “Inno” twice a year to stock up on school clothes. We never left without exploring the toys section, and traditionally ended our visits with delicious little fruit tarts and a pot of tea in the café on the top floor. It has been a favourite haunt of mine ever since – undoubtedly part of this has to do with fond memories of all our family shopping trips. Even now, each time I set foot in the door, I remember one particularly fun afternoon. We set out looking for a wedding guest outfit for Christel, our eighteen year old neighbour, but quickly got sidetracked, trying on hats and sunnies, testing perfumes and giggling and chatting our way through the many different departments. It’s funny how nothing spectacular happened, yet that day is stamped on my mind. And oh, rest assured, in the end we did find Christel a fantastic pair of mid-grey silk slouchy trousers. She paired them with black stilettos and a beautiful oversized colour-blocked top in the same grey and a pale yellow. A volume on volume silhouette that would look completely modern again today.

Are there certain stores you’ve been shopping at since you were a child? Perhaps you too have fond memories of visits to a specific store.

New in YLF Books

Ira Neimark was chairman and CEO of Bergdorf Goodman for seventeen years. In The Rise of Fashion and Lessons Learned at Bergdorf Goodman he recounts the company’s evolution from the late sixties to the early nineties. He explains how he and his team developed a very specific strategy that made Bergdorf Goodman into a legendary luxury fashion emporium, and shares his views  on the fall of service, the loss of customer loyalty and the importance of the human touch.

I am so enjoying rich combinations of orange, coral and tomato red paired with their tonal mid-tone and pastel companions like peach, nude, blush and apricot. The colours remind me of my favourite flavours of yummy gelato – sweet, refreshing and cool. I have yet to put this palette into practice for my own style, but it has been popular with my clients this season. 

When creating a tonal ensemble with these colours, I like to choose one bright or mid-toned clothing item per outfit, and keep the rest of the clothing items in lighter shades of the same (or similar) hue. 

For the footwear and handbag, you have two options. Either use light neutrals like tans, off-white, cream, beige, taupe, gold, caramel, pewter, mushroom tones, light grey or silver. Or use tonal shades of the clothing items.

The items above actually create quite a nice mix-and-match capsule in this colour palette. That’s because some of the bright items work well together, like the tomato red blouse and the coral skirt. And although they are both in lighter shades, the apricot jeans and the light blush blouse work well together too. These lower contrast ensembles are great, but right now I find the ensemble stronger when it creates a contrast like I have done in the picture above.

I’ve kept the pieces solid, but feel free to create the same effect with tonal patterns and textures. Add in jewelry and accessories as desired. And treat yourself to some gelato!

Los Angeles native MaryK recommends browsing through Studio of Style, a Los Angeles based blog that takes an intricate look at LA Style. It includes updates on  museum openings as well as fashion, travel, home decor, celebrities, old movies, artists, and so much more. I enjoyed looking through this fun blog.

Laurinda suggests taking a peek at the interesting head gear on these ladies.

Inge had to do a double take when she set eyes on these AMAZING comic strip bags by Jump From Paper while browsing through Izismile. My goodness! I had to look at those bags 10 times before I could believe that they were three dimensional. Mind blowing. 

After reading the “Retailer’s guide to being a jerk and manipulating consumers” on Empty Emptor, Sharon questions whether there are retail stores who are upfront about their practices and sell good quality clothing.

Anna recommends reading how Kate Middleton’s wedding dress was kept a secret on Grazia Daily.

Lisa likes these make-up organization tips on Putting Me Together. 

Bj111, believes that the saying, “clothes make the man” has scientific validity, after reading an article in the New York Times that suggests the possible cognitive effects of clothing. Sometimes a White Coat Isn’t Just a White Coat.