TEAL AND CROPPED NAVY

Here we are, loving the cropped tee shirt again. This time we've paired it with a narrow, higher waisted skirt. We are digging the casual feel this cropped shirt is giving what would otherwise be a somewhat prim skirt. Tee shirt H&M, skirt vintage, heels Chinese Laundry, and necklace from the Kennecott Copper Mine gift shop. There are also great cropped tee shirts at Zara, Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters.

GET THE LOOK

vogue.com

Yes, this is an entirely designer look (Rick Owens jacket, Helmut Lang shirt, Chloe skirt, Lanvin shoes, Proenza Schouler bag), BUT you can find similar pieces to recreate this look in a much more affordable way. There are faux leather jackets at Target and Lulu's that will get you in on the moto trend without breaking your budget and a  Trouve skirt from Nordstrom that is high end looking but much more affordable than the Chloe one Anja Rubick is wearing here. What a lovely way to start the transition into cooler weather.

PLEATED BLOUSE

We love pieces that have that special something - a distinct detail or something that keeps the clothing out of the ordinary. We even worked with a stylist once at one of our photo shoots who would describe beautiful clothing with detailing as 'special',"Oh, this blouse is special....and this dress is really special with all these ruffles' etc. It got repetitive after a while but the description has kind of stuck in my head. I'd have to say this silk blouse has some special pleating that makes it, well, special. Blouse vintage, jeans and belt Urban Outfitters, bag from Target, and Michael Kors wedges. Also, I happened to be wearing just this outfit when a correspondent for another fashion blog took my picture. Check it out here. The See by Chloe and Joie tops she suggests are really pretty.

INNER HILFIGER

Inspired by the Tommy Hilfiger ad campaign for this year - "Meet the Hilfigers" - this is definitely a reference to the polo/nautical/tennis look suggested.  We've unearthed our inner Hilfiger (or Royal Tenenbaum) and donned the red white and blue combination. The sweater is vintage, pants are H&M and flats are Kelly and Katie. By the way, if you happen to have the preppy look down you could snap a shot and send it to Tommy... you never know, you could end up spending a "prepped-out weekend" somewhere.

VALENTINO FALL 2011 COUTURE

I think you know by now that we think Valentino's recent collections are to-die-for, but his latest Fall 2011 Couture show out of Paris is out-of-this-world and a modest girl's dream show. With this collection Valentino again proves that the chic-est and most modern shape for evening is cut up to the neck and down to the wrists, knees and ankles. Nothing skimpy here, just pure elegance. We've shown a few looks but the whole collection is so beautiful. You should view it here...

Remember, runway looks are taken as inspiration. We at Thread Ethic are lovers of lining sheer pieces, buttoning lower necklines, etc, etc. :)

WEDDING ATTIRE

The summer isn't over yet, which means you probably still have a few weddings to attend. What to wear? Why, a perfectly sleek Mad Men-esque dress! This dress is vintage but Banana Republic has teamed up with Janie Bryant, the costume designer for the hit AMC 1960's television drama, and is offering Mad Men inspired clothing. You'll find the line full of lovely, ladylike dresses and skirts that will give you that polished, retro look. You can also easily go online to sites like vintageous.com or Ebay and find the real deal - actual fabulous vintage dresses from the 1960's.