VINTAGE VIBE

The weather is warming up and spring is everywhere. Don't you get the urge to throw on a vintage printed shirt dress, drape a cardigan over you shoulders and go for a convertible drive? This is the perfect spring picnic/Saturday afternoon/strolling through town ensemble. I love vintage because nobody ends up looking just like you and the prints and colors create such atmosphere - nothing is more evocative of spring and summers past. We found this dress on Ebay and the sunglasses are Forever XXI.

SPRING FLORAL PRINT

It seems that floral prints are the print du jour for spring and summer. The question for me is always, how to wear floral prints without appearing overly feminine and precious? First of all, the type of print is important. Mod or graphic floral prints seem dated and not current lately, so I would set that type of print aside for now. Blurred, messy, somewhat impressionistic floral prints feel fresh - think Monet, not Hawaiian swim trunks. I've given my floral a little edge with bright red jeans and leopard print heels, then balanced all the color with a tweed blazer.

PALES, WRAP & RUFFLES

Pales with a little bit of color are so pretty right now. We love pairing anything pale and feminine with gray or white jeans - it makes everything feel so fresh. Here we have a ruffled blouse by Diane von Furstenberg, wrap sweater by Marc Jacobs and Zara jeans. The pretty floral sunglasses are some of our favorite from Topshop.

THE SLOUCHY PANT

I'm loving a slouchy, tapered, tailored trouser lately. It's a lovely change from all the skinniness going on (but don't get me wrong, I still love my skinnies!). This pair has a defined waist so a girlish figure doesn't get lost in the extra volume. Topshop has a very nice, similar pair right now. I personally like pants of this shape to be worn with a pair of sky high heels, but I've also seen very chic girls wear them with oxford flats and pull it off quite well. Here I've chosen a pair of leopard print stilettos from Forever XXI. The blouse is from Target and the pants are vintage.

MET GALA 2011

Here are some of our favorite looks from this year's Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala. The Met Gala is one of the most elite fashion events of the year. We love that some of the world's most fashionable women were gorgeous in very modest dresses. Here we've shown Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Hailee Steinfeld all wearing Stella McCartney and Joan Smalls wearing Tom Ford. Perfection. Which is your favorite?

CHINTZ FLORAL & DENIM

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As of late, a favorite combination of ours has been denim paired with chintz-y floral prints, or those "granny" types of floral prints. The two together evoke a  perfect retro-1930's-Dust-Bowl sort of feeling, or that Route 66 in a vintage convertible vibe that will be perfect for spring and summer. Denim is great to wear with chintz because it keeps the floral from seeming too precious, while still anchoring it with a bit of toughness.