Ikat get enough of these pants
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Take a peak at peep-toe Cole Haans
There are few things better than the marriage between shoe maker extraordinaire and sneaker maker extraordinaire. Several years ago, I bought two pairs of Cole Haan ballet flats with Nike Air technology. I was pregnant at the time, and just needed comfortable shoes that I could chase my then 2 1/2YO around in, without looking like a schlep.
They were on sale, so I treated myself to both pairs, one leopard calf hair with chocolate patent around the edges and the other, which were zebra calf hair with black patent edges. They have been amazing shoes now for over 3 years, and may just be the first pairs of shoes I have actually “worn out.”
So, I’m looking for new ones. These Cole Haan Air Tali Jeweled Ballerina flats are a little more summery and a little less all-purpose than the calf hair ones, but I still love them. And if I’m going to pay good money for a pedicure, I definitely want to show off my toes anyway!
Daily Covet: J. Crew’s Crewcuts for the crew
I often forget to update my older son’s wardrobe. The younger one has clothing to wear and grow into en masse.
However, it never fails that a calendar turn to a new season leaves my 5YO with floods (I like to call the “mapris,” men’s capris) and too tight t-shirts, which hey! look great on on super hot fireman, but not so much on skinny little boys.
I invested a small fortune into shorts last year, and those seem to fit, but we are quickly growing out of the over, oversized H&M tees in the 2-4 size… really more like a 5-6 size. And luckily, I have been able to ban the bears watching TV on a shirt that says, “Salt Lake City,” a gift from unnamed family members.
So out with the old and in with the new. New J.Crew that is. As soon as their bi-monthly 30% off sale hits, I’m going to fill my virtual cart with adorable, distressed tees and sweatshirts in one size larger, so I don’t have to do this again next year… barring a ridiculous growth spurt.
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Paris in the Springtime
I’m so needing a vacation right now, and so is my husband, who works too hard.
There’s no place I’d rather be than in Paris. I love Paris.
I was there in 2004 with my mom, and we stayed at this boutique hotel near the Louvre, called the Normandy Hotel. It was literally around the corner from the wing, in which Napoleon III’s apartment stands.
It was also a stone’s throw from the Place Vendome, the Opéra and the shops on the Rue de Rivoli. We could take a pretty good hike to the Champs Élysées or an even braver hike to the Marais – my favorite neighborhood. What could be better than Paris in the Springtime with the one you love? Right. Nothing.
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Derby Day!
It’s Derby Day, y’all. And we will soon be gearing up for our Kentucky Derby party. I have my linen dress and hat all ready to go, and my kiddos have their seersucker shorts and pastel polos ready too. I’m still supposed to be finding my DH his outfit, and as of yet, I’m coming up short. But in a perfect world, a seersucker suit, some suede “Bucks” and a sherbert-hued bow tie would fall from the sky just in time for the 5:24pm CST start time.
It’s not looking good, my bloggy friends….
Complete shopping info on Polyvore.com
Get Into the Stripes of Things
There is notshortage of stripes this spring.
You will find them on throw pillows, dresses, wedge sandals, iphone cases and pretty much anything else you can think of. So because I love them, and because there are so many to be found, here is a little bundling of some stripes I tracked down. (Complete shopping info via Polyvore.com too.)
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French Connection at the end of the Rainbow
You would assume by the amount of speial occasion dresses I put on this blog, that I live a very interesting life of event-hopping. However, I would quickly remind you of A) the name of this blog (littleblacksweats.com), and B) the reason I write this blog is because I do not have that life, but love those clothes. It’s my virtual closet of sorts.
With that disclaimer out of the way, here is another fantastic dress by one of my all-time favorites, French Connection. I adore yellow this season, and am lucky enough to be able to wear most shades of it. And of course, it’s top to bottom and back again embellished with stunning sequins. I love the contrasting panels in a neutral and the shift shape of French Connection’s Rainbow dress is one I gravitate to most often.
Add a silver clutch and an occasion, stir and voila!
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Unnamed shopping event…
Ok, so that’s not a very exciting title and sadly, I haven’t thought of anything clever yet either.
With that said, here’s a new little twist for LittleBlackSweats.com. Regularly, people shoot me a quick email or call me up and say, “I need something for….” Insert person, place or event. And I always try to find the right thing for said person, place or event either by knowing said person – personally. Or by getting a few key details about their lifestyle, personal style or personality. My thoughts were that maybe, just maybe, you’ll have a tricky gift situation and one of these fun ideas might work for you too!
Today was kind of a tricky one.
My husband told me recently how they will be picking out their top 10 clients and will begin doing nice, personal things for them. (Business 101 here too!) An account manager that works for my husband emailed me with this little tidbit this afternoon:
Amy –
I am very sorry to bother you at home, but “DH” said you are the perfect person to assist with a shopping task. I have a customer that is 25 and a very metro sexual type. He loves the color white and wears bow ties and diamond studs. If you have any ideas on what would be a great little personal gift for around $50.00 I need all the help I can get.
Hmmm, this could be a tough one. My first instincts were that this is a guy, who would love expensive accessories to wear in a flashy way. Burberry belts, TAG Heuer watches… you get the idea. But the $50 limit posed a problem, as both of those things are well over the limit. After about 10 minutes of trolling the Internet for interesting men’s accessorries, I found these personalized collar stays at Red Envelope – one of my faves for unique gifts.
My idea was to personalize them with inspirational personal and/or professional quotes, which he will be able to read every time he gets dressed for another successful day. The idea was a big hit!
And oh! they have them specifically for dads too. You know dad’s day is right around the corner, right?!
Kentucky Derby Style
Next week, my husband and I will be attending a Kentucky Derby Party. Hats Required.
And you know me? There’s nothing I love better than a theme party. So I’m on the hunt for some Derby-worthy duds to wear while I sip Mint Juleps and cheer on my favorite ponies.
Oh! And guys, don’t leave home without your seersucker!
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Nicole Richie… best dressed
While I’ve been sucked into another season of The Voice, I have also managed to catch a few of the shows following its Monday and Tuesday night time slots. And Fashion Star is the object of my affection from 9 – 10pm CST, Tuesday nights.
The primary reason I love this show is because of my love for fashion and my super secret dream to create my own line of…. something.
But the cherry on top is watching Nicole Richie. She has come a long way from her show… whatever that was with Paris Hilton… and I have to say she’s quite possibly one of the best dressed celebrities. She’s got fabulous taste and I love the direction that she takes with the designers on the show.
So here’s a little summer inspiration from the bathing beauty herself.
