Mission for Missoni

Remember what happened just a few weeks ago on September 14th? Some of us got up at 7AM to hop on Target.com in hopes of avoiding the craze of shoppers on a mission for Missoni. To our dismay, the site was down due to the other hundreds of thousands of people just like us. Those that braved the in-store madness may have snagged an item or two, but most people I know were let down after the hunt.

However, my co-worker, Meredith Stiles not only found the block heel suede pumps, but their signature chevron pattern on a colorful blue knit dress. Her strategy was to check out what was returned after the sell-out sale.

She wore the dress to work yesterday, and I just had to share!

Meredith chose to keep the outfit simple since the dress does all the work with bright blues, pink and yellow weaving through the knit. Her tights and heeled booties were perfect in jet black. Sorry for the poor pic quality! My camera is le crap-py.

Hats off to Meredith for finding these pieces and not getting trampled!

M.S.'s outfit head to toe: dress (Target obviously), black tights by Assets, and black booties from Francesca's.

I Wish I Were Parisian

Most people who get the chance to travel to Paris instantly fall in love with the city. Its charm, art, culture and chicly styled women are just a few things that will keep you wanting more. This outfit and location for the shoot felt just that. Parisian.

Although many of us are in denial that fall is here, we might as well embrace the change in wardrobe and take on the chilly weather without getting rid of color and charm.

My favorite purchase for fall is this red knit dress. Since the dress does all of the talking, I chose simple gray tights with black riding boots. I love boots since you can get a low heel and be comfortable and warm all day. 

Since I was wearing a black jacket, I decided to wear a colorful scarf that compliments the red with purple and mauve.

For the pièce de résistance, accessories including a little sparkly black ring and dangling Eiffel Tower earrings.

My outfit head to toe : earrings from H&M, scarf from Urban Outfitters, jacket by Marc New York by Andrew Marc, dress by Tulle (also available at one of my favorite Chicago boutiques: Penelope's), tights from Paris, and boots from Nine West. 

Bisous! (kisses)

Photo cred: Ian Merritt

Chic Travel

These days there is no shortage of fashionable versions of just about everything we use in life. If you do a little digging you will find those perfect black flats that are cute but functional for work, or that stylish trench that makes you look chic while keeping you dry.

I recently helped a friend, who I refer to as JWhite (Jennifer White), who needed a fashionable laptop bag that could also hold all of her purse items. This was a delightful challenge, and I found a few keepers that I thought I should share with you!

• Silver bag from icered: I love the can’t-miss shine of this sportier bag. The cool metallic is unique and will compliment any outfit.
• Black LeSportsac: The patent leather makes the bag look chic and fun while keeping it all about business with the traditional laptop bag shape. (TSA friendly - you don't have to take our your laptop when going through security. The bag opens butterfly style.)
• Orange retrostripe from Oxio: This is one of my favorites in terms or incorporating a fun color with a functional bag.
• Red leather by Kologbags: This classic red leather will be fashionable forever. I love the short handbag handles, but it also comes with a shoulder strap. This one really pulls off that purse-like look with all of the baggage room.
• Retro pink by Rainebrooke: Stand out in a crowd of black-clad travelers with this pop of pink. It’s modeled after a train case and will hold your laptop and a few extras.

And which one did JWhite choose? The black LeSportsac. She's already traveling in style with her new trusty tote.