Black and White and Patterns all over

Continuing with my mission to get the women of Pittsburgh to step outside their pattern box I wanted to offer some easy tips on how wade in the shallow end of the patterned pool. The water feels great, you just have to give it time, and adjust. Black and white patterns are the easiest to wear and style. The number one rule I teach my clients is decide what the main color is in the pattern and style from there. Patterns are statements in themselves so any accessories should be used sparingly or to enhance the pattern. If the pattern is in the top, wear a statement shoe and either a great pair of stand out earrings, or a simple necklace and simpler earrings. If the pattern is in the pant, then you can do more with the accessories up top. Maybe even going for that beautiful scarf you've been trying to find a reason to wear or a fabulous cocktail ring. I say the bigger the better. Mixing patterns has always been a trend on the runways, and many designers have encouraged the look for everyday wear. I believe in practicing what you preach and it has been so much fun mixing patterns and creating the wow factor with a great cardigan and a pair of fun pants.

Sitting is the fabulous high-backed animal print chair
at Cioppino in the Strip District. Cardigan, lace trim camisole,
cross-hatch pants, orange leather perforated shoes and
crystal chandelier earnings, all Ann Taylor. Steel vintage flower
bracelet, a gift from Juanita Lewis- grand-mom   

Mixing black and white patterns is a great place to start. If you dare to try, start with simpler patterns to mix. If you don't quite have the courage to wear the patterns on the outside like I have, try a patterned bottom and a shell or tank, with a black or white cardigan.  When you add the accessories you can either keep it in the color scheme or use them to add a pop of color. I do believe black and white with a pop of color has become my mantra for the season. While out with girlfriends at Cioppino in the Strip District I met a lovely woman who was wearing a great black and white top. Me being me of course approached and asked her wear she got her outfit.

With Chris after having a laugh and showing
off her outfit and fantastic leggings to my
girlfriends, at Cioppino in the Strip

I learned that her name is Chris, she's a mom from Monroeville, and she shops at JCPenney. She was gracious enough to take a photo with me. Intrigued the following day I took a look at the website www.jcpenney.com and found some great stuff. You don't have to break the recession bank to look great. Though I could not find Chris's great tunic top, I did find some other cool things. Here are some of my pics from stores in Pittsburgh easily accessible from all areas of the city, including JCPenney.

Equipment 'signature' sheer silk shirt
Nordstrom $218

Striped Georgette gathered-waist blouse
Ann Taylor $78

Worthington Side-ruched top
JCPenney  $16

Liz Claiborne ruffled top
JCPenney $20

Give them a reason to look Down

 My foray into the world of the boldly patterned pants and bottoms is nothing new, though the print has made  it's mark in a HUGE way this season. Florals and bright colors are always a fun way to try to usher out winter and welcome Spring, sooner than Mother Nature intends to. Especially here in Pittsburgh, the second grayest city in the country. This year seems to be all about mixing patterns and as a result the patterned pant is more important that ever. In my experience most people I come across are absolutely terrified of drawing any attention to the lower half of their body, let alone put a print down there. In styling my clients I have found that for the timid, getting them into any non-neutral pant or skirt is a challenge. Some clients fully embrace bright beautiful yellows and blues and are open to suggestions for how to wear them. But a PRINT?!!! lol Forget it.

Milan Fall 2006

       I bought my first pair of boldly printed pants over 6 years ago while studying abroad in Italy. For some reason traveling over seas gives us courage to meet people, eat things, and wear things we might not dare back home. I have always been a bit more adventurous and I'd like to think I'm an open minded person, and the opinions of other's is something I try not to give too much thought when making decisions about what I wear, or to what I listen. The phrase "when in Rome" is one that resonates with me, and while living in Tuscany I was determined to bring home a piece of fashion that was quintessentially and recognizably Italian.
        First let me say that while in Europe, I quickly learned how little I actually knew about fashion and style. I had style, and I understood how to dress, but I didn't understand anything about the footprints and trademarks of a great fashion house. Enter my first encounter with the great house of Missoni. I had heard the name Missoni, and I had seen ads in high fashion magazines so I knew it to be an important name in fashion. That's are far as my knowledge went. Missoni as I would learn is all about color, knits and fabrics that flow, and of course patterns. While walking through the streets Florence my first week in Italy, my colleague and I ventured into several high end fashion hallmarks.

me in Florence on the steps of the Duomo after my purchase
Fall 2006

 When we entered into Missoni, where we were overwhelmed with a see of bright beautiful colors demonstrated in lush and soft fabrics and knits. Their terry cloth towels looked so inviting. I wanted to just wrap myself up and perch on the red hued zig-zag ottoman in the corner. Mind you, being that I was a student, there were no delusions about the affordability of the product. After 10 minutes of perusing, we made a line straight for the sale section.
     I went through the rack just hoping to find something I could actually afford. I love color, and I love prints. I love expressing myself through my wardrobe and I don't mind being noticed. Missoni's brand spoke to me. I had to find something. I can't tell you the anxiety I felt while looking at the price tags. I also can't express the almost irrational state of elation I was in when I found not one but three items. A beautiful open stitched knit poncho in a wave of blues, purple, and pink and two pairs of pants. Both pairs of pants were beautiful, and they both fit. The poncho was a no brainer. It was definitely going home with me. I was already imagining the numerous tops and dresses it would adorn. The two pairs of pants were completely different and in my mind I could justify purchasing both, though my wallet and the need to eat the rest of the semester still had to be considered. The decision making process began. One was a pair of charcoal gray knit pants with horizontal steaks of whites and grays.

similar to the pants I didn't buy but
thought really hard about bringing home
Missoni Collection

    The other was a knit trouser leg pant with bold horizontal zig zags in bright blue, yellow, winter white and green. One was the safer purchase as noted by my coleague, but the other was undeniably exciting and as the sales woman pointed out, recognizably Missoni. I bought the bright bold pants. We sat on the steps of the Duomo and took photos with our bags.
I wore the pants in Milan and felt great. I felt like part of the throng of fashionable Milanese walking the streets through the fashion district. One of my proudest fashion moments however, was when I was in a perfume store in Paris and a woman approached me from across the room and in a somewhat hushed voice asked "are those pants Missoni?" I tried not to beam and responded in the affirmative.
         Fast forward 6 years later. I wear the pants to work and the compliments I receive have nothing to do with an understanding of the Missoni brand but the simple beauty of the pants. It's women expressing gratitude in seeing someone wear something so bold and unexpected. One client told me the outfit made her happy and the pants were Awesome! Admittedly it took me a long while to feel completely comfortable wearing the pants here in the States. When I finally got the courage to put them on, the response only confirmed what I learned. Missoni is a powerhouse and prints on the bottom are to be embraced.You don't have to buy "designer" and you don't have to jump into the deep end. Take baby steps if you have to. It's never too late to venture out of your comfort zone and fashion is a risk free way to have fun doing it. ;)

me before meeting friends for happy hour
Fall 2012

The Easter Ensemble, my first Love

This being my first series of blogs I wanted to start by sharing personal stories and that shaped my ideas about fashion, style, and the importance of caring about and for yourself both on the inside and out. You'll also find in these stories consistent references to my mother who was and is the greatest influence and architect of the personal style and styling skills I poses today. Being that Easter is right around the corner and I've moved from one great protestant church town to a great catholic church town, I felt this blog entry to be most appropriate. You see in many communities Easter is of course about the rising of Jesus Christ and celebrating the hallmark of Christianity.... which of course makes Easter Sunday outside of Christmas and Mother's Day one of the biggest Sunday's on the Church calendar. That being said it's THE most important Fashion Sunday on the church calendar.

As a little girl, Easter was a very exciting time of year. My brother, sister and I were always visited by the Easter Bunny and would wake up to large baskets filled with treats. There were the extended church services with more music and fanfare than usual, and of course after church there was the Easter egg hunt. But most important of all....... the Easter dress. You see the Easter dress isn't just a dress, it was and is an ensemble. For a time my sister and  I had matching uniforms, but oh were they glorious. The dress was always in a shade of pastel, probably a few layers of ruffles. At least two. The undies with the ruffles, the opaque white stalkings or the ankle socks with ruffles around the ankles. Some years I wore a hat (my favorite years). The hat would be made of straw, most likely white or a matching pastel shade. I almost always received a white patent leather purse which would contain tissue, chapstick (over the age of 8) and maybe a piece of candy. All of which my mother for the most part was able to acquire on her own with a sense of ease upon understanding the height and bodies of her children. She could maneuver the crowds in the mall picking out the Easter outfits on her own and avoid the difficulties of towing her youngster along.

But the shoes. The shoes were special. They were almost always white, and always patent leather.  The shoes were acquired from the same store almost every other parent in Baltimore bought there children's Easter shoes. Sammy's in East Baltimore was the Easter shoe haven of Charm City. If you understood quality and value, you stood in that long line, reminiscent of those you see outside of an apple store during the premier of a new iphone, and patiently awaited you chance to peruse the aisles as your child sat on the wooden bench restlessly swinging their feet while the adults chattered, and hurried, and yelled shoe sizes and styles at the attendants trying to quell the throng of church going Baltimorians concerned that their child's shoe would be bought before they even had the chance to try it on. I hated going to Sammy's. To me it was dark, and grey, and crowded, and noisy. It was a shoe in a converted row house on East Fayette Street. I didn't understand that being there meant I was going to have an amazing pair of quality shoes, made with a care and skill you won't find today. I didn't understand that these shoes for whatever reason were a fraction of the cost they should have been and I didn't understand how lucky I was to be able to have a pair of the shoes. What I do remember is being there and how pretty I felt on Easter Sunday when I put on my beautiful shoes. I also didn't realize this was my first lesson on the importance of being an informed consumer. You see, my mother was never one of those blinded by bright lights, advertisements, and the way of the crowd. She's an intelligent woman who always spoke the mantra of quality over quantity and cost. My mother has never been impressed with the cost of something, but rather the style and beauty. This applies, to clothing, furniture, and the home you live in. Sammy's is unfortunately no longer in existence, at least it wasn't when I checked the yellow pages, but it's clear to me why even now you'll find me searching for the small neighborhood store owned by the man or woman who just had a passion for furniture or vintage clothing, and enjoy seeing others who share their love for beautiful well made articles. Take me to the specialists, the people that still know and care about their product. The people that still care to stand behind their reputation and brand.

I hope you enjoyed my first post. Please leave comments and subscribe. And if you know anyone who is as fashion obsessed as I am or can relate please share. There will be a lot more to come....