A new outfit from Catherine Summers of Not Dressed As Lamb, whom we introduced to YLF in June 2013.

What a showstopper this frock is! With its fit-and-flare silhouette and bold gingham pattern, it would have been right at home at the 1950’s French Riviera. Yet, its timeless integrity feels just as retro modern and fun today. The wrapped waist with bow in the back is a beautiful design detail that accentuates Catherine’s small waist. The colour blocked flats with metallic accent show that you don’t need heels to make a midi work. Note how Catherine has picked colour blocked accessories in neutral colours. They cleverly complement the checked pattern of the dress without competing with it. Her braided hair, Panama hat and playful starfish earrings are the perfect finishing touches.

2015 has been one of my best shopping years ever. I came back from our month long trip to the Netherlands and England with ten amazing wardrobe items that went into rotation right away. Soon after returning I found several more stellar pieces at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. It’s very unusual for me to add this many items in less than two months, but my style has evolved a lot recently and I’ve been lucky to find exactly the right items. It does mean that my shopping is going to slow down quite a bit for the rest of this year.

With the help of a few gift cards, I purchased seven trendy items and was only slightly over the budget I set for my NAS shopping. The items  are neutral to complement my colourful travel shopping spree. Dresses are a NAS highlight, but I didn’t buy any because I’d recently bought two on our trip. Instead, I put the lion’s share of my budget into tops because my top-to-bottom ratio was not as balanced as I’d like it to be. 

1. Current/Elliott The Cropped Straight Ankle Jeans: I loved these because they’re different to what I have, and I adore the shade of light blue denim. Remember that you needn’t be swayed by how items fit the model. Choose the way you want the item to fit your body. I’m into wearing tailored blue jeans on this leg of my style journey, so I sized down to create a more snug fit than what you see on the model. I can wear them with ankle strap shoes in the Summer, and with ankle boots with higher shafts in Autumn and Winter. This was my trendiest purchase, which I debuted yesterday with snakeskin ankle strap pumps.
2. Autumn Cashmere Fair Isle Sweater: Although I’m not generally drawn to Fair Isle, I loved this right away because it’s cream, cropped, warm, and complements the shades of my hair. I like the way it blousons at the waist and has extra long scrunched sleeves. I don’t have anything like it. I can wear this with my high-waisted flared jeans, high-waisted cream trousers, dressy black trousers, and a few skirts.  
3. Vince Textured Crewneck Sweater: I was drawn to this item because it reminds me of Greg. I love the asymmetrical zipper, shade of ink blue, cozy integrity, and relaxed fit. It’s great with my old ink blue booties and new “white painted” G-Star Jeans. Fab with my very old zippered dark blue jeans and jodhpur jeans too. 
4. Theory Jodi Cotton & Cashmere Short Sleeve Sweater: Although grey and I are not friends, I do like a very soft and textured light silver grey worn with white or light blue denim. The high neck on this pullover is great for my long neck. The cropped length and short sleeves are fashionably fun and a little different. The fluid fit is dead right.  
5. Diane von Furstenberg Dezi Jumpsuit: This is my pièce de résistance. I’ve been looking for the right jumpsuit for years and finally found it at this year’s NAS. Very unexpected. Spontaneously trying on this ‘70s inspired piece was extremely fun, and it ticked off all the boxes. Non-black, sleeved, substantial fabric, great drape, dressy and elegant. Hello Studio 54. It’s an impractical piece that’s not going to get much wear, but we’re allowed one of those from time to time. It’s too Modern Retro to date all that quickly, and far too fun and perfect to pass up. The French seams on the pocket linings were grinning through to the front of the trousers so I’m having them restitched. I also had the length shortened to work with low heels. 
6. A.L.C Clay Print Silk Top: I tried on this exact blouse last year and loved it, but it was not within my budget at the time. A year later it’s within my reach, so I grabbed the feminine little darling that looks amazing with my flirty black Valentino skirt and black silk harem pants. I love it’s soft and pretty integrity, high neckline and structured fluidity. The only reason I bought a breezy blouse at this time of year is because we’re having the very best hot Summer. It’s not going to be orphaned.  
7. Timberland Glastonbury Six Inch Sneaker: I’m bored with regular sleek ankle boots and moto boots for Fall and Winter, which is why the haute hiking boot and sneaker hybrid appealed to me — another wild card. I chose the Glastonburys because their sleek silhouette is a proportional match to my low volume feet and narrow ankles. They don’t look like they’re wearing me, which is so often the case with chunky footwear. They are comfortable, practical and funky. They’ll inject a lot of newness into my casual outfits and look great with cropped jeans, straight leg jeans or streamlined white boyfriend that are rolled at the hem. After creating outfits with both the black and wheat colours at home, both worked well with my wardrobe. But I went with the wheat because the colour excited me more than the black.  

If you shopped the NAS, let us know about your successes in the comments below.

The Chuck Taylor sneaker is getting a makeover, Levi’s is expanding its recycling programme, Tadashi Shoji branches out into children’s wear, and other fashion news that caught our attention this week.

• Levi’s is expanding its recycling programme, which will be available at all mainline and outlet stores in the US.
• Eva Chen is joining Instagram as its head of fashion partnerships.
• The 10 finalists of the CFDA/’Vogue’ Fashion fund have been announced. The winner will be revealed on November 2.
• For the first time in 98 years, the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers are getting a makeover. The updated version will feature a Nike Lunarlon footbed for shock absorption, and foam padding inside at the ankle.
• Tory Burch is launching a sportswear line called Tory Sport, with a first stand-alone store opening this Fall on Fifth Avenue.
• Tadashi Shoji is branching out into children’s wear with a collection for the “on-the-move, playful girl.”
• Men’s New York Fashion Week is returning this Winter, and will take place right after the Paris couture shows and before the women’s shows in New York.

Fun Fashion Fact

According to a recent survey by research group Wristly, more women than men are impressed with the Apple Watch. 58% of the women surveyed said they were “very satisfied/delighted” with its ease of use, whereas only 47% of men said the same thing. The group questioned 800 early adoptors, 53% of them didn’t work in tech, and these were the people who liked the watch the most. “It was almost as if the farther away people were from tech or the tech industry, the more they liked the Apple Watch.”

The colour combination for this ensemble was inspired by Marissa Webb’s collection for Banana Republic in which she combined vibrant cobalt with a dark shade of olive. If you’re like me and feel that olive washes you out, pairing it with an electric blue injects the life right back into it. This combination makes me re-think olive completely. It had no place in my graphic black & white, ink, pastels, and sour brights wardrobe. But  you cannot see colours in isolation because their integrity changes when they are paired with another, often complementary, colour. 

Think of combining cobalt and olive in any combination at all. I’ll start the ball rolling with three renditions. 

Olive Top & Cobalt Bottoms

Choose a cobalt skirt, pair of trousers or shorts, and pair them with an olive blouse, shirt or T-shirt. Tuck or un-tuck the top depending on proportions. Finish off the look with a cobalt bag and olive footwear. Metallic bag and footwear are another way to go. 

White Top, Cobalt Bottoms & Olive Accessory

Combine a pair of cobalt bottoms with a white top, and either cobalt or metallic footwear. Choose a white top that works with the style of the bottoms. Finish off the outfit with an olive accessory like a scarf, bangle or necklace. 

Cobalt Top & Olive Bottoms

Combine a cobalt top with an olive pair of trousers, harem pants, jeans, cargo pocket pants, upscale track pants, skirt or shorts. Add cobalt or metallic footwear. Black footwear works well with black hair. Finish off the look with a cobalt or metallic bag. Add jewellery, eyewear, headgear and watch as desired.

Another possibility that I didn’t show is a cobalt blue dress with an olive jacket, or olive accessory like a scarf. Complete the look with metallic footwear and bag. I love how the vibrant cobalt adds a fresh and crisp quality to the olive. It looks ultra modern.