Embracing Yellow

I've found myself drawn to--maybe even a little obsessed with--yellow lately. Which is strange. I've always said that yellow is the one color I could never wear, thinking it was reserved only for blonds and the dark complected (of which I am so neither). Aside from some '80-ish neon yellow pumps I purchased during some drowsy late night shopping a few years ago I can't remember ever owning any yellow clothing or accessories.

But it seems I was simply not looking for the right shades of yellow. Pastel yellows makes me look sickly, but, I've recently discovered, rich, deep, warm, honey-hued yellows with brown undertones are definitely doable.

I'm not sure why I'm feeling such yellow love. Maybe it's the promise of summer sunshine. Maybe I've been watching Transformers with Cheapy Junior too often and Bumblebee is burned in my brain. Maybe it's because I've spent a lot of time in New York this year and I've been affected by the cabs. Whatever the reason, the purchasing has begun.

Among the yellow items recently added to my closet are two tees from Simply Vera, Vera Wang's line at Kohl's. (The t-shirts in this line are great. I wear them constantly. Click the pix to view these tees on kolhs.com--they are more on sale now than when I bought them a few weeks ago.)




I also got a couple of yellow items from J. Crew. A cardigan with chiffon details (which is now sold out) and this cotton-linen-silk blend dress which is the perfect cut for my shape.



And besides all this shopping for yellow clothing, I recently blogged about yellow shoes for High.Heels.com. (Soon the neon pumps may have a more subdued neighbor.)

Birthday Shopping with My Mom for Simply Vera at Kohl's

My mom is a big fan of Kohl's. She says: "It's such a nice store--it's clean and they have good stuff." Plus her best friend Mrs. Valentini works there. During one of her frequent trips to Kohl's, my mom saw a Simply Vera dress she thought I would like, so she wanted to take me there to try it on and possibly buy it for me for my upcoming birthday. Here it is.


Today, since I was off work for the holiday, we went to check out the dress. I didn't buy it--it was not structured enough for my shape, but I loved the pattern and I thought the fabric was very nice. I did come home with a few other Simply Vera by Vera Wang for Kohl's items. Pictured below are the anaorak and printed tee Mom bought me. I also got a plain lavender tee and a black embellished tee (neither of which I could find online).

This is much ruchier in person. The collar has adjustable ruching. The fabric is really thin and light. It will be perfect for warm rainy days in spring and it could probably fold up small enough to fit in my bag.

The cotton this tee is made of is super super soft and it's thin for layering. The gray-on-gray pattern is cool. I am really into gray lately.


Overall, I liked the current offerings of the Simply Vera line. Good shapes, good colors (a lot of black and gray, but some greens, yellows and purples thrown in here and there). Compared with the Target GO lines, the Vera pieces are more expensive (although a lot of them were marked down) but the Simply Vera garments seem to be of better quality than the GO items I've tried on. Here are a few more pieces I liked. (All are clickable to the item for sale online.)

This dip-dyed cardigan is a great color. (One cannot have too many cardigans.)

This cami has beautiful detail--even on the back.


This nice, crisp pin-tucked shirt in a good pale gray is a nice alternative to a white shirt. (It was sold out in my size.)

I like the color and pattern of this ruchey jersey shirtdress. (I love me some jersey.)


There were also a few cute and highly affordable Simply Vera bags.

This canvas shopper is nice for spring and comes in three colors.


I dig this ruched nylon tote, particularly in this buff color. (It's also available in black and khaki.)

Randomly

• I've been on vacation. There was not much in the way of shopping opportunities since I was with all my in-laws, my three-year-old, and Cheapy. I did, however, manage to hit an antique mall, a pawn shop, and an estate jewelry store and picked up a great faux diamond cocktail ring, a quite fab turquoise necklace (partly subsidized by my mother-in-law), a pair of sterling hoop earrings, and a really weird necklace made out of...I'm not sure what it's made--acrylic or plastic, but with an organic feel. I saw said item in a wonderful jewelry section in the antique mall (which was one of the nicest ones I've ever seen--very classy and well-stocked, yet not overwhelming). I tried it on. I couldn't quite figure it out. I thought about it for two days. I went back and bought it. I have no idea what to wear it with, but I think it would be cool just hanging on my wall. I think my sister would dig it.

• There was an interesting article in the September 9th issue of the New York Times Magazine on designers doing lines for lower-end stores (Payless, Target. etc.) and how it has effected their careers. The gist of the piece was that the designers upped their visibility despite the fact that they occasionally were dropped (at least temporarily) by more upscale stores. For instance, I heard that Macy's dropped Vera Wang's lingerie line because her Simply Vera line, which recently debuted at Kohl's, includes lingerie. (If you haven't seen the Simply Vera commercials or ads, you might possibly be living under a rock. There was a good 9- or 10-page ad in September Vogue and I've seen TV spots, ads in Lucky, etc. It's also selling out online. I imagine in the stores as well.) I say hurray to the young up-and-coming designers and the Issac Mizrahi types alike. Those of us with limited discretionary funds should have a chance to find some affordable style.

• I'm beginning to get over my sequins phase (although not completely) and I'm working up a leopard print jones. I have this buttery soft brown leather tulip skirt I got at the end of the season last fall (a steal on eBay--the skirt cost a little more than the alterations). I'm thinking and nice animal print shoe would be just the thing to wear with it. Somehow boots just seem too, well, leathery. I found a tremendous pair by Donald J. Pliner. (If you click through to view them check out the multi-view and be sure to admire the heel. Since I can't really afford them at the moment, I found a cheaper alternative by Oh...Deer! (at right) They're cute and furry and I love the print/red contrast, but can I actually wear a shoe by Oh...Deer! Called Lipstick?