Style Dilemma Solved: Summer Stripes

I had my own Saturday Style Dilemma: what to wear to The Bean's 2nd Birthday Party! I needed:

• Comfort


• "Disposable" (read: who cares if it gets cake or BBQ sauce on it 'cause it washes easily)


• Chic-ness


• Shows up well in pics - posterity, you know

My solution: actually shaving my legs and donning a b&w striped minidress. Sleeveless cowlneck, it was cool and easy to move in. Can't really go wrong with black & white, either. Red toes, silver flat thong sandals stolen off my mother's feet (literally - I had forgotten shoes), and 3-day hair originally blown out and curled by Jae.

I felt good, and it made it easy to celebrate 2 years of The Bean.

Update on the Solved Style Dilemma

Other than my entire family (yes, seriously) going black & white for BabySis' BabyBoy's baptism, the weekend was lovely and stylish. My newly purchased frock was comfy and flattering, if almost too revealing (the Girls looks fabulous).

The one caveat: I'm pretty sure some of the looks I got weren't because of the Girls - at least not in that way. Let's just say that I saw a couple of "knowing looks" from women. The Girls looking busty and a "forgiving waistline," well...

No, I'm not.

Just for the record.

Style Dilemma Solved: Cool, Fluttery Cotton

I love it when I'm Super-Efficient Shopper Girl.

Grabbed 2 sale books at Barnes & Noble (one crappy trashy mystery, one Jacques Pepin cookbook - aDORe him), lunched on a ho-hum sandwich in the cafe, then hit The Loft. In and out in less than 1/2 hour.

The dress selection in the Clarendon store isn't fabulous, but tried on the red knit, the white shift, a white sleeveless shirtdress, and the winning black fluttery cotton number.

Results...

Red - probably needed a bigger size, but just didn't like it enough to bother. Still a good color, though.

White shift - very pretty retro conceptually, but fit just wasn't right on me. Next size would've ballooned, but this size didn't sit right (I apparently have a long torso).

Shirtdress - there's a reason I don't wear them. They're oh, so boxy on me. Would love love love to find one that works, but have yet to get there.

Black cotton - for some odd reason, there's no pic of it on the Loft website. It's cool, shapely but loose, and the black, gauzy cotton will let me sweat without showing. It might show yogurt fingers all over, but the pretty rosette detail (yes, bad PR flashbacks, I know, but it's sweet, I swear!) makes up for it. Flattering v-neck with a loose fluttery collar.

I didn't think I'd want black, and I spent a little more than I'd wanted, but while it's not the most amazing piece of clothing in my closet, I can see it being my "go to" summer number. On Sunday, with a statement necklace and Chie Mihara pumps. On Wednesday, at the simplysoles event, ankle-tie wedges or flat strappy sandals.

Oh, and I picked up a pair of fun, on sale shades, as The Bean finally tore apart (literally) my beloved $10 Target pair. $14.99 is almost as good, and the gold detail cracks me up.

Style Dilemma: Chic in Church

My nephew is getting dunked this weekend. Well, it's a Presbyterian chuch, so just drizzled on, unlike my Bean, who was full monty and dipped to her head (screaming and peeing on the nice priest).

BabySis (better known in this world as Prettyinpink) has a lovely navy jacket and pale skirt, very demure, ladylike, and appropriate mama.

I, on the other hand, am at a loss. I have a standby suit - which I wore to The Bean's baptism - but it's navy and cream. Am not going to do that to BabySis.

So I'm searching for a nice summer dress, as I have none in my wardrobe. My only recourse is Clarendon shopping, which is oddly mixed with boutiques and chains. I'd love to Buy Boutique (Farinelli, for example), but just can't do the cost right now, even with summer sales. I can't stomach spending more than $50 on a dress. (A quick run through South Moon Under last week yielded nada that wasn't fit for the beach.)

So Ann Taylor Loft it is. My choices, per webbrowsing...

White with a toddler is a serious risk, but love the cut and detail. And slightly over my $50 budget

Maybe not summery enough, and maybe not daytime enough, but pretty color and looks effortless.

Pretty rich pink, adorable detail, but maybe too casual.

Potentially shapeless (though I rarely give credit to models, as half the time things look better on real people), and maybe too beachy.

The other consideration? One of the two choices I'll give The Bean is deep pink - not too far off from the 2nd to last dress above. Now that would be just too, well, Junior League. Will just have to see what looks good in the dressing room!

On the verge: Buying on the Summer Cheap

Well, I've yet to hit the "checkout" button on my gap.banana.oldnavy.piperlime.com shopping cart, but at the rate I'm going, I'm going to have to so I have something to wear on the steamy summer days.

I have nothing right now, and even getting to Target at the moment is a huge challenge, so I'm going to have to resort to online. Normally a fan of web shopping, I was really hoping for a little me-time to browse racks.

Not to be. Other than a massive computer problem that gave me some found time to wander the Clarendon shopping district (really not a bad place to shop), there's no way in heck I'm gonna get to a store.

But I really want a fun summer dress and a pair of sandals - at minimum. And I'm willing to buy a few extras & return if I have to. In my cart now...

Reminder: Give in Style

Don't forget! Gap.com (and Banana and Old Navy) is giving you a chance to save big - and give big this weekend.

What: Gap Give & Get - 30% off (using the online coupon), and 5% of your purchase goes to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

When: Starting today! through Sunday.

Why: Duh.

See you there! I'm pondering this adorable Old Navy keyhole dress (from an already affordable $24.50 to $17.15, and .$85 goes to LLS)

or maybe this polo dress for The Bean.

Or maybe this lovely red knit

Or maybe this fun orange wrap dress that looked so gorgeous on my cousin

Or...

Wow.

Disappointment reigned (and rained, for that matter) over a Big Saturday Night Shopping Expedition. I've been obsessed with taking The Bean to the pool for the first time, but needed to get a UV-protectant wetsuit-like thingy for her (she's fair like her mommy). One buys those things at Big Box Stores like babies r us. Which are in suburban shopping malls.

BlueSuitGirl agreed to tag along (H was on Bean Duty), and suggested we try Kohl's to find some Cheap Summer Dresses. Perfect. We have two beach trips coming up, and a $20 dress is just what I needed. The funniest part? When her neighbor wished us a good time at babies r us. I think he was really befuddled that a hip thing like BlueSuitGirl would spend her Saturday night in a baby store. She's a good friend.

First, babies r us didn't have the darned wetsuit thingy. Sold out, I guess. Miserable selection of bathing suits, for that matter, but some adorable clothes. The Bean needs NO clothes. She has more than I do.

So we hop in the car and drive to the next part of the shopping center...to Kohls'. Now, I have friends who swear by Kohl's, and Vera's now designing for them, and Daisy has her line there, so I was hopeful.

Wow, was I wrong.

1) Vera's Simply Vera line? Boring, old, frumpy. Drab colors, shapeless, and fabrics not worth the paper the money's printed on. What was clearly supposed to be simple, elegant, and understated? Stated NOTH-ing.

2) Daisy's line - better colors and styles, but each time we pulled something off the rack, it would just go south. There's always just one detail too many. Great block color tops? Marred by oversized paste "jewels" or patterns that just shouldn't be. Can't remember if that's stolen from some past runway, but it shouldn't be.

3) Anything else? If it was cute, it was just too much money for what it was. Adorable, great colored Ts? If I'm shopping at Kohl's, I sure as heck don't want to spend $26 on a T-shirt. $12? Maybe. $26? No way.