Browsing through Karen Kane's online store, the Burgundy Palm Print dress immediately caught my eye. Of course, it's completely flattering and wearable - the tank top styling is modest yet very nice and perfect for the really hot weather we get around here in summer. Sometimes you want to look nice AND be comfortable Burgundy is so flattering and looks rich with many colors. I've always loved asymmetrical hems and am thrilled they are once again in fashion. And that huge palm print graphic is so current and edgy - yum!!

But what attracted me the most was that i saw the possibilities for wearing it with a well-loved but very difficult to style piece - the palm tree print jacket i made years ago from an Issey Miyake for Vogue pattern. The pattern was a gift from my mother, who bought it on e-bay after a white-knuckle bidding war with an inexperienced bidder who drove the price up into the stratosphere. That bidder, of course, was me.

Both jacket and dress have palm tree prints and asymmetrical hems, and i thought that could work to tie the two pieces together. I love tan or taupe with burgundy. I love to echo elements in quirky and unexpected ways, and the regimented palms on the jacket vs. the blown-up palm fronds of the dress really tickles my fancy. Along those lines, i thought i'd toss on this hat, which i trimmed for a friend's 'Romantic Hat Girl's Movie Night'. The hat's tan, black and light burgundy colors echo those in the jacket and dress, and the pheasant feathers remind me of the palm fronds.

I shot this look from a couple of angles to give you a feel for the hem of the jacket, and i pinned the hem of the skirt up in front to try to duplicate the look of the dress' hem. Alas, i have nothing burgundy in my wardrobe, so i did what i could to give you a feel for what this outfit might look like with an actual dress.

Karen Kane, Save Me From Myself! (heehee!) steph