Our Best Life

All of our dreams have come true. Animal prints have reached peak saturation, and we need to take advantage before the trend passes. Why dress like a normal person when you could dress like Fran Drescher?

I’m a traditionalist in the sense that I love a leopard print the most, but there is something to be said for a snakeskin too. I have a pair of snakeskin pumps and they are my solution to every outfit. Below are some of the items I’ve been eyeing.

I think this sheath dress from J.Crew is such a no brainer for work. All you need is a black blazer or cardigan and some black shoes and you’re all set. A print like this just makes you look put together.

The only thing better than a leopard print dress is a leopard print maxi dress. Leopard takes on weekend brunch.

When I feel like wearing all black, these shoes are my solution. They instantly make the outfit look intentional rather than lazy.

Again, and outfit is made by one piece. Just throw on these pull on pants with a black tee, sweater, blouse, bodysuit, what have you, and you’re all set. It’s statement and neutral all at the same time. The best!

I love this for a weekend look. It’s so easy with some jeans or leggings whether you’re out and about running errands or hanging on the couch. So cute and comfy!

I’ve learned very quickly that a snakeskin pump is a classic and a staple. If you want compliments all day long, these are your shoes.

If you’re not from New Jersey and you can’t quite handle the all over print, this is your answer. It’s leopard lite to add a little interest to your basic black sweater.

When in doubt- accessorize.

What animal has caught your eye this season?

Hits and Misses

The moral of this story is that you need to try everything on before you buy it. I am between sizes right now, so depending on the store, the time of day, and the style of the clothing I could go up or down or just be realistic and skip it. Here are some the successes and failures I’ve had in the past month or so. If you can’t tell by the below, I am so ready for the warmer weather so I can wear shorts!!

Hits

I’ve been plotting to get a classic navy blazer for a long time. The Regent blazer from JCrew was finally on a decent sale (sometimes this style is excluded from sales) so I jumped. I’m planning to wear it all the time.

The only thing a navy blazer doesn’t go with is navy pants. Enter the fine gauge long cardigan. I love to wear a long cardigan with trousers or ankle pants and a white blouse. This one from Loft will go really well with all my black/navy/grey pants.

I love jean shorts. I remembered that my jean shorts from last summer were ready for permanent retirement so I started looking for new options. I got these from the Gap which is wear I get a lot of my shorts. I find, however, that jeans run a little small at the Gap at first, but then loosen up significantly when you wear them. That makes it hard to gauge when trying them on, but I decided to size down, and I think I made the right decision.

Misses

I’ve been looking for a cute pair of linen or chambray drawstring shorts as an alternative to my standard jean and khaki style shorts. I saw these at the Loft and I almost bought them online, but I decided to go to store and try them on. The larger size was falling off of me and the smaller size looked like tight booty shorts… Pass.

I tried these Ann Taylor pants on just to give this cropped wide leg trend a shot. I wasn’t optimistic but you never know until you try. It was a no go for me. I’m not sure if it was the pleating or the length but it wasn’t for me.

I wanted to love this shirtdress from Anthropologie. I thought it would be nice change from my plain jane work dresses. For this one I erred on the side of caution and sized up because it’s Anthro. I think the dress is supposed to be a little looser but it just looked too big on me. The shoulder seams were too far past my shoulders and the length was a little longer than I expected. A sad return.

Have you had any good shopping luck lately?

Spring Trend Alert: Micro Floral Prints

Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.

As Miranda Priestly knows best, florals are in. There are definitely examples in every size floral print right now, but there a lot more smaller floral prints than usual. I’ve heard that the size of the print should correlate to your overall size, meaning petite women look best in smaller prints where as taller or plus size ladies look best in a larger print. So this trend might skew toward the petit women, but fashion rules be damned. If you like it, wear it.

JCrew has partnered with Liberty of London for several years, who specializes in the micro floral print, but it’s definitely coming up roses all over the place this season. Here are a few of the examples I’ve seen so far:

From Loft

From Anthro

From Ann Taylor

From JCrew

From Gap

From Boden

So, are you doing florals this spring?