Fashion Fixation: Lady-like Dressing

The Fashion Forecast:

Spring is all about new beginnings and fresh starts. In my mind this means that you have an opportunity to clean up your life and your look by embracing my favorite trend this spring season, lady-like dressing. Dressing like a lady combines fun prints with classic shapes and above all a touch of subtile modesty in the length of your skirt and the neckline of your dress.

My Picks:

Milly NY

The Lou Lou Twirl dress from the Milly NY spring 2012 collection is the definition of lady-like dressing. The a-line skirt with inverted triangle pleating is simply classic, almost throwing back to the 1960s. Combine the funnel neckline and nipping at the waist and this dress exempflies the female form without being overtly sexy or showy. One of my favorite things about this dress is also my favorite thing about this brand, the fact that Michelle Smith has designed a completely classic dress that also screams old-time Americana and then cut it out of a modern-geometric print in bold colors like cobalt, shown left. This contrast makes this dress ideal for the modern woman and terribly chic, despite it's $396.00 price tag.

Kate Spade

My next pick is from another favorite of mine, Kate Spade New York. While Spade is known and loved for her novelty clutches and printed bags, the quilted Gold Coast Dove bag, shown right, is perfectly adorable. The bag is named after one of the windy city's "most splendid neighborhoods, the magnificent gold coast district rose in the wake of the great chicago fire. Storied destinations mix with stately homes along leafy byways." This sophisticated cross-body is a quilted cowhide and finished with gold chain handles and detailing. The collection features this bag in four different colors and a variety of shapes and sizes. The Dove bag featured on this page is $318.00, but compared to the Chanel bag it vaguely resembles that is a steal.  

Old Navy

Normally I would feature a pant or sweater at this point but to me, lady-like dressing is all about dresses and want could be a more perfect dress than a wrap dress. The shape made famous by Diane von Furstenberg is now available to the masses at prices ranging from $30 to $400. This "serpent" green wrap from Old Navy hits right above the knee and ties at the waist in typical wrap dress fashion. The dress comes is black and green (if you desire a print) but also in several different colors for a more solid look. The greatest thing about wrap dresses is that they are great for showing off all the right areas of the body and hiding those that may not be as flattering. I.E. If you have a great rack then the v-neck will give you the coverage you need while showing off what you've got in a modest way. More proud of your bum? Most wrap dresses are quite clingy in that region, perfect for showing off your shape. As for my favorite feature, the waist, you can tie it as tight or loose as you want to adjust it to fit your body. What could be better?

DSW

In order to complete every outfit you need a killer pair of kicks and no shoe is more fitting to this trend than a peep-toe pump with an ankle strap.  I found this pair at DSW from designer Audrey Brooke for only $59.95. The color-blocked pump fits another hot trend for the spring while providing you with the support that you need with an ankle strap and platform. The "Beauty" pump has a 4 1/2 inch heel and a 1/2 inch platform and comes in four different color combinations, allowing anyone to find something to wear it with. If you are not so sure about strolling the streets in some serious heels then you can easily find a more flat peep-toe, just make sure your toes are ready to say hello to the world with a fab pedicure.

Karen Walker/ Shopbop.com

As any outfit needs during the spring, the lady-like dressing trend needs the perfect set of sunnies to be completely fabulous. I am so excited to see that the cat-eye has made a comeback and has gone totally mainstream with styles at any price-point. While you could go grab a pair at Target, I am crazy about these Karen Walker "Perfect Day" sunnies. Karen Walkers are right in range with other designers, running at $180.00.

These sunglasses epitomize classic-chic. With a tortoiseshell plastic frame and metal arrows at the wearers temples very few things can compete. Their frame is 5.5 inches wide and 2 inches high giving you the privacy you deserve from the world and the protection your eyes need from those pesky UVA and UVB rays all year. Try out this style as an ode to "Breakfast At Tiffany's" where the shape was first featured, a stylish shape for the queen of classic cinema.

There are many reasons that lady-like dressing is catching this season and as you can see, pulling together a chic look that is totally on trend is as easy, peas-y, lemon-squeezy.