The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale ends when prices go back up on Monday morning. Click the collections at the end of this post to browse my top picks for the sale across various wardrobe categories and price points. All items were winners on my clients, who cover a range of body types. 

An alternative to my top picks is to browse the items with high customer ratings for footwear, clothing, and accessories.

Here are the items I purchased, also posted in the YLF forum.

I’m impressed with the Fall collections I see from Nordstrom and other retailers. Spring 2014 was a hard act to follow, but it looks like we are heading into another brilliant season. I’m loving our hot Seattle Summer, but am also looking forward to the style opportunities that Autumn will bring. 

Top Picks Collections

Click each collection image to browse the items with my notes.

Note that if you’re a member, you can also create collections like these to keep track of your outfits, your wardrobe capsules or anything else where you need to group items together. Check out Greg’s post for more information.

Macy’s is boosting its sustainability efforts, Peanuts’ characters Snoopy and Belle celebrate their 65th anniversary in style, Nordstrom acquires a personal shopping service for men, and other style news from around the world this week.

• After launching into five new markets last year, Gap is now also opening stores in Slovenia and Austria.
• More electric vehicle-charging stations, less packing materials, paperless billing and extra solar energy projects are all part of Macy’s new sustainability programmes.
• This Fall, Vivienne Westwood is bringing out a unisex clothing line that will feature anti-fracking illustrations and political slogans.
• On Monday August, 4, a new collection of Missoni for Converse sneakers will be launching exclusively on Nordstrom.com.
• To celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Peanuts comics, Snoopy and Belle are being outfitted, for the second time around, by renowned designers like Dries Van Noten, Isabel Marant and Diane von Furstenberg. 
• Nordstrom has just acquired Trunk Club, a startup personal shopping service for men.  

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know there is a fan museum in Greenwich, London where you can admire more than 4,000, predominantly antique fans? It’s the “UK’s only museum devoted entirely to every aspect of fans and fans making”. I discovered this while reading The Invisible Woman’s latest article that has good tips on how to stay cool during a Summer heatwave.

Things wind down a little for me at the end of July, which means that I can dress more casually. We’ve been having delightful warm weather in Seattle, so I’ve been able to thoroughly enjoy breezy Summer clothes and soak up the heat. This means lots of walking sans layers, and I love it. 

To change things up, I bought two unstructured casual dresses this year, which are polar opposites to the structured dressy Kamaliculture dresses I bought last year. As it turns out, both new dresses are dark blue, although one is denim and the other silk. Banana Republic’s chambray shirtdress is one of the new frocks, and I’m thrilled that it has sufficient length. It’s seen quite a lot of action this last month now that the weather is cooperating. This might not seem like a breezy dress to you, but it’s a great weight for a milder Seattle. 

The dress was styled with rolled tab sleeves and a self-fabric belt, which did not tickle my fancy. So I altered the silhouette to create a more modern and on trend vibe. First, I did away with the belt and cut off the belt loops thereby creating angular drape, straight lines, and a loose fit. This also lengthened the dress even further. I ignored the tab sleeves feature and simply scrunched the long sleeves in the same way I do all my shirts — after all, it’s a shirtdress.

The just-above-the-knee length of the dress and its curved hem provide just enough structure. The slimmer fit of the sleeves plus forearm skin provides a little more structure, as does the square fit on the shoulder line. I LOVE leaving off my topper because dresses often look best that way. That’s why I usually only wear dresses in hot weather. 

I mentioned in an earlier post on casual ensembles that I was planning to wear an unstructured shirtdress with big white sneakers as a nod to the Sporty Luxe trend. That’s what I’m doing here. I know it’s an acquired taste, but it doesn’t get much easier and more comfortable than wearing a breezy dress with an uber comfortable pair of shoes. Oh, how I love dressing for warm Summer days. 

I chose Propet’s Washable Walkers as my white sneaker because they’re extremely lightweight, extra cushioning, and were available in a narrow size to fit my low volume feet. To my eye, this sneaker look is nostalgic and a retro nod to the ‘80s, a decade I loved. Tucking away the laces of the sneakers creates a more streamlined and fashionable effect, as does leaving off the socks. 

My white backpack enhances the Sporty integrity of the outfit. Matching the sneakers and the backpack with a dress creates the Luxe aspect of the look. Silver watch and wedding ring match the hardware of the bag. I chose my only pair of prescription sunglasses instead of my apple green specs so that I wouldn’t squint while taking these photos at the crack of dawn. We were shooting at 5.45 am to capture the lovely light that you see in these photos. Good thing I’m a morning person.

I also wear this exact outfit with my white loafers from Munro, which are almost as comfortable as my sneakers. They create a slightly dressier and more classic effect that I enjoy sporting just as much. If white Chuck Taylor Converse and slip-on sneakers were an option, I’d be wearing those here too, but sadly they no longer work for my growing fussier feet. 

This outfit keeps me adequately ventilated and covered with very happy feet. I can walk for miles in the city in hot weather and feel comfortable, pulled together and fashionable. It’s a blessing that we can manipulate the current trends so that we don’t have to sacrifice practicality for style. Yet another reason to love 2014 fashion.

Panama hats, floppy hats, baseball caps, bucket hats or fedoras. A Summer hat is a nifty way to make a style statement and provide extra sun protection while out and about:

• Style.com has a roundup of the best straw hat looks of the Summer.
• If you’re in the market for one yourself, The Guardian suggests you check out these 10 straw hat options.
• Fashionising brings us 11 of the coolest boho wide-brimmed hats for Summer.
• Refinery29 thinks bucket hats are the next Birkenstock. While The Guardian asks: “Bucket hats: what’s the appeal?“
• The Telegraph’s Kate Finnigan just had to have a panama hat to board the Eurostar to Paris in style.

Fab Links from Our Members

Une Femme d’un certain âge addresses inconsistent sizing. Joy reports that Une Femme seems to agree with Angie that it can be a good thing. It’s not the size, it’s the fit.

Vanessa Friedman of The New York Times was recently in Israel to see a show of new designers. Shevia found her take on the situation there very interesting.

Angie lets us know that Sally has great suggestions for tailored button-down shirts for ample bustlines.

Refinery29 has info on the denim collections available at Madewell this Fall. Ironkurtin comments that they seem to be betting on skinnies for the next season.

Laurinda says that this response to Banana Republic’s Startup Guy clothing line (at the moment not featured on their website) provides a fun snapshot of what men are currently wearing on the job.

Gradfashionista found these three Guardian articles on sunbathing topless an interesting read: The real reason French women have stopped sunbathing topless, Going topless on the beach was never really about women’s liberation, and ‘A bikini body’? My advice is don’t bother. After reading them, Gradfashionista asks: “Has social media affected how you dress, and what you choose to reveal or conceal?”