It’s breaking into the 70s outside in San Francisco later this week. Spring at last! Our Trendsetter Mademoiselle Robot guest blogs for us on her first splurge of the season. She’s a Parisian living in London with a vintage-meets-modern sense of style, and her blog is full of adventurous outfit inspiration. (She was also recently featured in a Parisian newspaper – très excitant!) Here’s her take on spurge-worthy investments this spring.

        

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This photo, from the blog of Material Concern (a Shop It To Me Trendsetter), instantly made me think about re-organizing my closet (it’s that spring cleaning time of year!)…  and the merits of organizing clothing by color vs. by type of garment.

I’ve always been a personal fan of organizing by item type (pants together, skirts together, dresses, etc) with color being secondary.   Of course, after sorted by clothing type, all of my white t’s are nicely stacked and black pants hung together….

However, I definitely have some friends who primarily organize by color-coding their closet, sometimes even in rainbow order!   A little quirky I think!

How about you?

        

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You thought I was joking about the return of the onesie. (Okay I was, at the time.) But it has arrived! Or at least something close. PSFK spotted these Stella McCartney pumps connected to tights. On the one hand, they have a pair of built-in heels that complement the style of these fabulous tights perfectly – one less article to worry about. Still, I can’t decide if they would make life easier or more difficult.

How would you wash them? And how long would it take to get them on and off? If you don’t wear shoes in the house, would you have to take off the whole shebang when you got in the door? How awkward would that be?

My onesie prediction came true so I’m going to keep the prophecies coming. Stay on the lookout for the slipbag-shants, the slipper-handbag-shirt-pants combination, in the future. It’s going to be hot. Just putting it out there…

If you’re a Stella McCartney fan, make sure to add it to your preferences. Just log in to your account and click Women’s Clothing – Brands. Then select the All Brands tab and scroll all the way down to the “S” section.

        

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Here comes the bride, all dressed in…things she found online!?

Net-a-Porter has just launched a wedding boutique, where the bride-to-be can find everything from the perfect gown, shoes, and honeymoon lingerie to bridesmaids’ dresses and jewels, with the mere click of a mouse!

From Oscar De La Renta to Christian Louboutin, the boutique is filled with beautiful things that are, if nothing else, inspiring for the woman-in-love beginning to plan her special day.

And for all you hopeless romantics, it is not required that you are planning a real-life wedding to take a peek. Nobody said a gal can’t dream!

Who knows, maybe some of the lovely items will even go on sale!

        

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In this economy, you need to give yourself every advantage you can get when it comes to interviewing for a job. That’s why we were thrilled when our Trendsetters Jennifer and Melissa, Editors of Workchic.com, decided to guest blog about interview outfits for us. Workchic is the one of the most useful, personalized sites we’ve seen when it comes to workplace attire, and it offers tons outfit suggestions for every body type and work environment around. Here are Jennifer and Melissa’s recommendations on outfits to help you stand out while still looking appropriate for your next interview.

Let’s face it times are tough out there.  That means less jobs and more competition.  You remember the old expression — make a first impression without even saying a word? Well why not do that with your interview outfit!   We’ll teach how to do this while keeping your look professional.  Even if you are interviewing in a casual office environment you don’t want to cross the line between casual and unprofessional.  Here are a few of our suggestions that will add some excitement to your interview attire.

The right jewelry can make your otherwise predictable interview suit impressive and memorable.  Try delicate gold hoops when wearing your business suit instead of pearls to modernize your basic jewelry. Wear a necklace with soft color beads to highlight your neckline.  We took these pieces and added them to a more corporate business interview outfit below. 

If you are going for a more business casual or even casual look at your interview remember  you can still wear lightweight tweeds and wool, linen or silk blends, and even boucle. Texture whether it is in a jacket or pants can add a personal touch and keeps your look seasonal.  For the look below  we paired a cotton jacket, silk blouse, and a belt to add more interest to the outfit.  You can layer on a chunky cuff bracelet or scarf to accent the look.   Top the outfit off with a fun tote that has a fun contrast color and really ties the whole outfit together.

You can see that no matter what type of interview you are going on the use of shoes, accessories, and even a scarf can help make a lasting impression.   Have fun creating your own signature look and best of luck from Workchic.com!

        

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Recently we were invited to see a concert at the radio station Star 101.3. We were stoked, especially because the artist was Natasha Bedingfield! We were sitting so close to her we could just about reach out and touch her, (but we didn’t — that would be creepy.)

She’s a fantastic performer, seemed totally down to earth, and sang all our favorites. And it must be said that both she and her guitar player had a great sense of style. In fact, halfway through the performance Natasha got hot and took off her leather jacket, and we strained to subtlely take a peek at the label.  (We failed, by the way — couldn’t see the label, and I’m pretty sure people saw us trying to catch a glimpse. It was awkward.)

Anyway, isn’t her outfit adorable? She has the laid-back rocker look down.

And just when we started to get “Unwritten” out of our heads, what do we see in the April issue of Marie Claire but a full page featuring Natasha Bedingfield! In the article she talked about her travels as an ambassador for Global Angels, a charity her mom founded to support orphaned or abused children.

The work is serious, but she’s all smiles in her photos. “I’m not saying I’m some saint,” she said in the article. “It’s just that when you help someone else, it helps you.” Spoken like the type of person you’d expect to have written an album called Pocketful of Sunshine. Right now she has even more to smile about since she just got married in Malibu! You can check out more Natasha Bedingfield photos on Star 101.3’s site.

        

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Taking a cue from “The Girl with the Green Scarf” — that is, using an economic perspective — our decision must be based on multiple variables. (For those who are unfamiliar, the green scarf reference is from Confessions of a Shopaholic. It’s a silly movie, but worth watching — you’ll relate to some of the situations.) Here are the most important factors:

Overall design and color preferences. Are you a bathing suit girl or a bikini girl? Bikinis are more common nowadays but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are right for you. When thinking about colors, take into account your skin tone in the summer. Black is always a good choice.
Body shape. What part of your body you like the most? What would you like to emphasize? What do you want to hide? For instance, high-waist styles look better on tall women.
• Culture and costumes. What you wear has a lot to do with your region’s culture or where you are visiting/traveling. For example, for Brazilians the rule is “the tinier, the better” while on the Mediterranean coast what matters the most is aesthetics (including accessories).
Comfort. First and foremost you must feel comfortable in your swimsuit.
Use. What do you want it for? For the beach, for the swimming pool, for sunbathing, for partying…
Age. As with many garments, there’s a suitable swimsuit for every age.

Price and brand. These two are often related.

It’s your decision. Now use Shop It to Me and find the perfect swimsuit for you!

Make sure you edit your profile to include swimwear — you can do this by visiting www.shopittome.com/login, clicking Edit Categories/Sizes and selecting Swim.  Some great brands for swimwear include Victoria’s Secret, BCBG, Roxy, DKNY, Michael Kors, American Apparel and Juicy Couture. 

Photos: 1. La Perla, 2. Missoni, 3. American Apparel, 4. Emilio Pucci, 5. Azzaro, 6. American Apparel

        

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Remember the first “grown-up” handbag you ever purchased–perhaps for work, interviewing, etc?  You probably had the desire for luxury, and to convey confidence through this purchase.

The quest for a classic looking accessory these days can sometimes be a tough one — it can be a real gem to discover a timeless piece within the large number of over-the-top bags emblazoned with fancy logos or adorned with other hardware.  According to today’s Wall Street Journal, “…as long as fashion trends favor showy, easily recognizable bags, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find an entire collection that is altogether discreet.”  The article discussed that although Coach, a legendary favorite for quality luxury goods, has veered toward modern statement collections, they still carry a small selection of their signature classic bags.

When asked for suggested Coach alternatives to achieve this grown up classic look, the article recommended a few other brands: Bottega Veneta, J.Crew, and Ann Taylor.

For me, Ralph Lauren came to mind instantly… although perhaps Via Spiga or Cole Haan are a bit more fiscally responsible!  Other thoughts?

Reg: $1395.00
Now: $519.00

Reg: $225.00
Now: $119.99

Reg: $395.00
Now: $179.99

        

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Over the course of the past week, multiple friends have told me they are in the middle of Spring Cleaning.

There’s nothing like a little sparkle, sass, and the joy of wearing something new (!) to make cleaning a bit more enjoyable.  So when our friends at InStyle tipped us off about these spring cleaning gloves, we thought they were an amazing find.  And — they’re even on sale for $28 at Neiman Marcus!

Speaking of spring cleaning, our Trendsetter Bargain Babe shared a great post this week about “7 Ways to Make Money From Spring Cleaning“.  In addition to the standard tip of taking your old clothing to consignment stores, she shares all kinds of ideas for how to get rid of old electronics and more.

So, good luck and have fun — whether you’re sifting through dusty boxes or making your counter/kitchen sink glisten!

        

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Started by schoolchildren, there’s a well-known tradition of pinching those who don’t wear green on St. Patrick’s day!  To avoid this harassment (which has graduated to offices, where we sometimes act like schoolchildren ,  today green is overwhelmingly the color of choice.

In the spirit of St. Patty’s, here are a few green finds from today’s Salemail — not only would they have been great choices for today, but these are appropriate all-year round!

Jessica Simpson Dark Green/Grn Turqu

Use code MSAVE at checkout for this price.

BCBGMAXAZRIA – willow jersey stitch detail empire dress

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BCBGMAXAZRIA – kelly green print chiffon flutter sleeve blouse

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Cole Haan – green bean snake ‘Keaton’ buckle clutch

And for those of you who prefer to keep your green a secret, here’s even something for you!

Le Mystere – seafoam mesh ‘Isabella’ lace trim thong

We’d love to hear what fashiony finds you are wearing that we should be green with envy about!

        

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