Brand Crush : Innika Choo

This swoon-worthy summer dress obsession is courtesy of Innika Choo, an Australian-born, stylist-turned-designer who launched her collection in 2016. Choo’s designs, which use renewable and biodegradable plant based fibers, reflect the care-free island lifestyle one might find on Bali, the island where Choo currently resides. Known for her adult take on sometimes childlike details – like smocking, gingham and in her most recent collection: short dresses paired with bloomers –  there is nothing immature about these playful pieces. I love them not only for their lady-like quality but also their beat-the-heat practicality.  Check them out for yourself:

 

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4   //  5   //  6  (for kids!)

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New Boutique Opens in Mid-Town

Every gal with an unruly shopping habit can relate to the story of Sarah-Marie Land, owner of the new St. Louis boutique, The Golden Fig, a curated collection of new and pre-loved women’s clothing. Situated on the corner of Olive and N. Cardinal, Land opened The Golden Fig to give credence and purpose to her shopping habit, specifically her knack for finding incredible deals.

Let me explain. Land’s business model is unique in the sense that she sources her inventory from places accessible to you or I –  think eBay, Nordstrom Rack, garage sales, etc. – but scores them at such rock-bottom prices that she can still sell them at a huge discount AND turn a profit. So like a resale or consignment boutique there is only one of everything- no size or color runs here – but unlike most resale shops, over half of Land’s inventory is “new with tags.”image1-2image1

Inside The Golden Fig, located in St. Louis’ mid-town neighborhood.

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Bedroom to Boardroom

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A few years ago my friend’s kids, who were perpetually late for school, suggested to their mom that they sleep in their clothes soas to save time getting ready in the morning. The experiment lasted a few days, until presumably the kids and the mom ran out of clothes that could take them from nighttime to daytime.  Not many PJ’s double as ready-to-wear and vice versa. Well, until now. The silky sets are everywhere for Spring and while they are lauded as a must-have trend item, I think the real appeal is in the convenience. In other words, feel free to hit snooze.

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Help! My Instagram Ads are Insulting

What started innocently enough has recently snowballed into a downright offensive and hurtful attack waged on me by my Instagram account. At first they were slightly annoying, a nuisance at best — those paltry advertisements that muck up my feed and keep me from the important stuff, like the foam on my friend’s latte or where in the world is Derek Blasberg. And while I might have time to scroll endlessly thru social media, I definitely don’t have time for the ads that go along with it.

At first, I bothered to hide these unwanted posts, citing “I see it too often” as my justification for doing so. However, I soon realized that it wasn’t the frequency of the ads that were so disheartening, but rather the ads themselves.

Take, for example, last month’s personal affront: Applebee’s. Ziiing. Yes, I live in the Midwest. And in a suburb. And we rented a minivan once to go on vacation. Yet despite what conventional wisdom would esteem, I’ve never eaten at an Applebee’s. My taste buds prefer something with less national reach.

Applebee’s opened the door for Pepto-Bismol and Clean and Clear Acne Fighting Wipes, last Wednesday and Friday, respectively. So okay… I admit, the timing was rather pertinent, as I’d eaten my fair share of fried, greasy food over the weekend and yes, I did have an unusually large break out on my chin. But how did Instagram know? And wasn’t there a more subtle way of telling me? Maybe recommend a juice cleanse. Or a new concealer.

I’d feel better if these ads were random, kind of like a Starburst pack in which I just happened to be getting all the yellows, but I know better. There’s a formula to these things, as even Instagram will concede: “We want to show you ads from businesses that are interesting and relevant to you, and to do that, we use information about what you do on Instagram and Facebook (our parent company) and on third-party sites and apps you use.” Fair enough. But what happens when said formula goes horribly awry?

Well…

This week the whole ordeal came to a head. I got a Hatch Gal clothing ad. Hatch Gal: a clothing brand. For. Pregnant. People. Pregnant people. That is the virtual equivalent of being asked if you are pregnant when you’re actually not. Said Hatch Gal ad was followed a few days later by Aveno baby wash and Buy Buy Baby, complete with 20% off coupon. Nope, still not pregnant but beginning to feel like I am.

So I took a step that I hadn’t in a while and bothered to hide this ad. Filling out the requisite questionnaire and forgoing “I see this too often” for “It’s offensive.” Because really… isn’t it?

 

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cheap AND chic

You guys! I went into H&M last week looking for something cheap and green to wear for St. Patrick’s Day, and came out with a boatload of stuff (albeit nothing green). Maybe I caught it on the right day or maybe I was just in the mood, but H&M is looking so good right now. Take a gander at my favorites below! I don’t think anything here costs more than $50 (except for that white midi dress that at $199 is a bit of an anomaly).  And those raffle slides at top right ?? SUCH a bargain. My Starbucks bill this morning was more (only a mild exaggeration…).

 

 

 

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#themtoo

I’ve been remiss in ignoring a large segment of my blog-reading population: men! Yes, believe it or not, the guys love Caradise too. So, without further adieu, here, gentlemen, are some fashion trends for you, hot off the press from Men’s Fashion Week in NYC…

And perhaps the biggest news from the Men’s Fall/Winter 2018 Collections that were shown earlier this month in New York City, wasn’t what went down the runway as much as when it did. And by when, I mean that many designers – including big names like Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss and eckhaus latta- sent their menswear down the runway right along side their women’s ready-to-wear counterparts. This is a shift from where fashion has typically been, when brands would showcase mens’ collections in an entirely separate runway show during a completely different week in February. It’s a shift that begs the question if Men’s Fashion Week as we know it is moving toward extinction in favor of one, unified, co-ed presentation.

However, not all designers opted to defy convention and yes, Men’s Fashion Week technically still occurred (although it was pushed back to Feb 5-7th, so it would immediately precede the women’s shows that began on the 8th) and here are some trends that prevailed:

Not-So-Mellow-Yellow:

The forecast was sunny at NYFW, with almost every designer using some shade of yellow in their collections. Calvin Klein showed a muted yellow mohair tunic (left) Michael Kors used the color to add some excitement to an otherwise basic top coat (center) and even Hugo Boss, whose runway was mostly shades of grey, added a yellow trench (right).

Mad for Plaid

While we expect to see plaid in the collections of traditional menswear designers such as Ralph Lauren and Joseph Abboud, plaid was also present in the smaller, more avant garde labels, like Todd Snyder and Bode. Ditching the staid grey and black plaid for brighter alternatives, Todd Snyder (far left, who gained fame for his collaborations with Timex, Champion and Moscot) sent “Schoolboy Chic” head-to-toe plaid down his runway, as did Ovadia & Sons (far right). Raf Simmons mixed up the traditional plaid suit with a boxy- cut blazer and patches adorning the knees.

Pump up the Volume

There was no shortage of outerwear on the runways and its’ defining characteristic was volume. Metallic or matte, short or long, dressy or casual, they were all puffy. Hugo Boss added down to a traditional grey top coat (left), Perry Ellis created interest with a tie-dye satin, a fabric that popped up in many pieces of his collection (center) and Tom Ford sent down a puffy white vest layered over an (equally puffy) metallic jacket, then dressed up the whole look with black brogues (right).

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No Track In Sight

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The moral of this blog post is that I’m ahead of the trend curve (a wonderful quality for a blogger), but also incredibly lazy (a horrible quality no matter who you are). Because these photos were taken last Fall (October 20th to be exact) with the new track pants I’d snagged from Anthropologie. I was drawn to their side stripe, the comfy silk material and their lose (but not sloppy) fit. And apparently, I liked them so much, I waited five months to share them with you!  My apologies. In fact, I completely forgot these photos were in my camera until I saw track pants popping up everywhere for Spring.  They’re a fun alternative to jeans – plus – without a zipper or a hint of lycra in sight – they’re way more comfy. I wore mine casual with a hooded sweatshirt for these photos, but I’ve since worn them with heels, an un-tucked button down and a blazer.

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My exact pants last seen here // Sweatshirt // Tee

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Get the look, no matter your budget:

$         //          $$          //         $$$      //          $$$$

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Check out this sale! #you’rewelcome

Leave it to a good sale to get me out of blog post hibernation.  All these goodies are on sale and an extra 30% – 50% off depending on how much you spend.  It’s too good not to share!

 

 

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The dress I wore last week on vacation is here and also here // Fruit Raffia Clutch 

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Here are some other favorites from the sale. Can’t beat the price on those silver Loeffler Randall mules and what about those darling yellow drop earrings. Yes, please!

Mules // Lace Dress // Booties

Earrings // Sweater // Midi Dress

Turtleneck  //  Earrings  // Ruffle Dress

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Cheap or Chanel?

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Shop my jacket HERE.

Coming from a family of casual gamblers and odds makers, we are a big fan of the over/ under bet. No occasion is too mundane to propose a little wager… What time will we arrive at our destination? How many watermelons will we buy this summer? How late will my brother be for Thanksgiving Dinner? How many pieces of pumpkin pie will my husband eat?  You get the idea … So, welcoming you into our little club, here’s my question:  I’m setting the over/under on the cost of this jacket at $50. What side are you going to take?

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Falling for fair isle

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Shop my sweater here.

What are your thoughts on fair isle? Yay or nay? I used to think it was best left for apres skiing in St. Moritz or for the pages of an L.L. Bean catalog, but lately I’ve been swayed by the cool colors and retro vibe of the fair isle options out there. Pair it with jeans or up the cool factor and wear with a leather skirt, tweed pants or leopard loafers to give your preppy sweater an updated, edgier look.

My turtleneck version is on sale and fits true to size. Although it is really warm — best not worn indoors … it’s better suited for galavanting thru a prairie while exploring an old white-washed barn … or, well … to apres ski in St. Moritz.

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Hat  //  Sweater  //  Shirt  // Similar Jeans //  Boots

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