Looking forward to spring

This is the time of year in which many of us fall into a rut. Resolution determination has worn off, we're being inundated with Valentine's Day merch just a bit too early, after a six-week-long Christmas season. And while paying off the bills for said season, we're often practicing self-restraint whether we like it or not. And I don't like.

But one of my favorite things to do to avoid seasonal affective disorder, winter pastiness and midwinter paunch is admire spring clothes. No need to buy just yet, especially as most of the pieces are overpriced right now. But with recession sales rocking, you could score a good deal. And even if you froze your credit cards in a block of ice, just looking at clothes that are lighter and brighter will do the same for your mood.

Here are some pieces I love for spring. Some I intend to buy, some will have to wait for a sale, but all of them help me lighten up and look ahead to sunnier days and outdoor happy hours. Make a wishlist of your own, and allow a little late-April-walk-in-Central-Park fantasy, featuring the guy with the nice arms you saw in the Greek sculpture garden in the Met. Feel your mood instantly lift!

JCrew camp shirt, $59.50


JCrew straight skirt, $49.50

Gap hip-slung pants, $54

Gap cropped trench, $78

L.L. Bean chino blazer, $74

L.L. Bean anchor wellies, $59

Gap belted cotton dress, $59.50

Gap striped skirt, $59

Just Grabbed from Gap

My favorite kind of clothing is the transition piece, because I love accessorizing, and accessories make or break the season-appropriateness of any outfit. Below are some pieces I just ordered from gap.com, for under $70, and how I'll wear them when they come in this week, and next month as well.

Jersey Shirtdress in Plymouth Rock, $26.99
Wear it now: bright flats and my Paris houndstooth summer scarf
Wear it later: knee-high boots as shown, or tights and heels


Pintucked Silk Cami in Plymouth Rock, $9.99
Wear it now: on its own with jeans and sandals
Wear it later: under a tweed jacket (the rough fabric makes a great contrast to the silk)


Pleated Belt Dress in Chocolate Brown, $26.99
see Jersey Shirtdress


Satin-Placket Dress in Anthracite, $24.99
Wear it now: with sandals or metallic flats
Wear it later: over an Oxford, or under a cropped cardigan, with heels

What to Save, What to Store

Hello everyone.... I'm sorry I haven't posted in about two weeks. I didn't mean it... really. I was thinking of you the whole time ;-)

Anyway... it's that time of year again - Labor Day sales, weather is cooling down a bit, and the kids are going back to school and getting off the beach and out of the mall. So it's a good time for all of us, after accepting autumn's impending arrival, to do a good closet inventory and make a shopping list.

Of course, it's far too early to winterize the closet. But transition pieces, my favorite kind of clothing, are a great thing to stock up on with sales coming up. Plus, you can still wear some of your feel-good summer items, as long as they are part of an outfit that is wholly season-apropos.

Here's what you should pack up until next May:

• all linen


• all seersucker


• all eyelet


• white pants


• straw/wicker bags


• critter flip flops


• anything tropical


• cropped pants


• florals that are too sunshine-y (lots of coral or white) or too pastel

All of those items scream "hot and sunny," and will just look and feel wrong once the mercury drops below 75. These items can't be added-to to create a fall ensemble without looking wrong.

Here is what you can, and should, keep handy through Halloween:

• lightweight scarves


• gladiator sandals


• leather/dark flip flops


• canvas totes


• lightweight oxfords


• medium-color florals


• breezy tanks


• cotton dresses (no tent dresses)


• polos (an all-year item IMHO)


• flowy skirts


• Bermuda shorts

The reason that all the above "summer items" work in fall is this one word: layering.

Here's what to grab at the Labor Day sales near you:

Jackets & Blazers. Scarves, lightweight tanks, all jeans, khakis, and even certain sandals look fabulous with a good jacket. Military-inspired styles give chiffon tanks a tough edge, and shrunken wool blazers can go over sundresses or Bermudas to give them some autumn weight.

Lightweight Cardigans. Simple cotton and summerweight cashmere cardigans layer with oxfords, polos, and tanks very well. Pair with cords or jeans and you have a great fall look.

Cotton dresses. Solids, in low-maintenance cotton or jersey will serve you well through autumn, when you wake up and don't feel like having to think too much about an outfit. Make sure the colors are not turquoise, hot pink, lime green or of course, white. But grays, black, navy, dark colors and subtle prints can be layered with tanks, oxfords and jackets to work through October.

And finally, a few items you may be tempted to take out that won't look truly great until early October, at least:

• leggings and tights (leggings never look all that good to me, but whatever)


• wool pants and skirts


• furry boots


• turtlenecks


• sweater dresses


• North Face fleeces (in fact, let's let this one go this year, m'kay?)

Remember girls: it's not 8th grade, and the cool kids won't make fun of you if you don't trot out all your new fall gear immediately after Labor Day, when it's still reaching 85 at 1:00. Embrace the perfect weather and humidity-free hair, have fun mixing pieces, and seamlessly glide into autumn.

Cheers and mulled wine,

Hayley

Favorite Autumn Jackets and How to Wear Them

My favorite piece of apparel could very well be the jacket, in all its carnations. It can make you look professional or edgy, leaves room for contradiction in your outfit, and comes in many weights, lengths and fabrics. Best of all, it instantly pulls an outfit together.

Below are my favorite forms of the autumn jacket, and what outfits go best with them. For optimum figure flattery, keep in mind a few things:

- jackets that hit at the hip and knee are universally flattering.
- look for seaming or belt details that will emphasize your waist, ergo making a feminine silhouette.
- pockets adds volume and attention, so be wary of placement. Breast pockets, for example, draw attention to the girls, so if you're well-endowed like me, try to avoid those!
- double-breasted styles draw the eyes in a horizontal direction, so they can make larger women look boxy.
- mixing a loud jacket with a vibrant outfit is a move only supermodels should attemp in shoots for Vogue. If you're wearing a statement jacket, pair it with solids and classic pieces.

The Traditional Blazer

L.L. Bean Galway Herringbone Jacket, $99
Dress Up: short-sleeved blouse, wool trousers, Oxford boots.
Dress Down: beaded camisole, jeans, bright flats

The Modern Trench

Calvin Klein Belted Trench, $159.99
Dress Up: wrap dress, round-toe heels
Dress Down: cardigan, jeans, pointy-toe heels

The Leather Jacket

Michael Kors, $299.99
Dress Up: short-sleeve blouse, pencil skirt, knee-high stiletto boots
Dress Down: chiffon cami, skinny jeans, almond-toed heels

The Ladylike Jacket

J Crew Pique Andrea Jacket, $230
Dress Up: silk shell, wide-leg trousers, almond-toe heels
Dress Down: silk shell, wide-leg jeans, ankle boots

The Patterned Jacket

Bella Pelle Cotton Jacket, $158
Dress Up: black tulip skirt, round-toe heels
Dress Down: straight-leg dark jeans, black flats, red clutch

A Weird Time of Year (For Fashion, Anyway)

Late January. The holiday rush of sequins, flash and glimmer is past, the post-Christmas sales are wiped out. Meanwhile, the display of spring clothing seems both irrelevant and depressing, given that temperatures above 50 are basically out of the question for another two months.

So what's a girl to do?

Enter: the Transition Piece.

Transition pieces are a valuable part of everyone's wardrobe, because of their obvious purpose: to straddle seasons. Transitional pieces in my closet include driving mocs, lightweight cardigans, sateen jackets, khaki pants, pencil skirts and short-sleeved or sleeveless, thin turtlenecks. They are neither too heavy nor too flimsy, are classic items that rise above trends, and are ideal for layering. This lets you adjust for unexpected temperature changes, and mix-and-match pieces for lots of combinations. Use the perfect accessories to push the transition pieces towards one end of the season spectrum, or the other.

As transition pieces look best in traditional cuts, and therefore make good investment pieces, it's hard to get started on collecting these if you're on a limited budget. Let's face it, if you make $35,000/year, the navy cotton button-down cardigan from JCrew will do the job just as well as the same cardigan from Old Navy, provided you care for it properly.

I've found many surprisingly classic bargain items, listed below. When choosing transition pieces, it's important to err on the side of neutral, both in color and details. Linen, tweed, seersucker, and velvet are very season-specific. Materials like cotton, cashmere, twill, oxford cloth and sateen don't scream "Fourth of July" or "Thanksgiving."

Some of these items are on sale, and some aren't, but they have two things in common: they're undoubtedly affordable, and make for classic, seamless transition pieces. I recommend picking up a few today.

OLD NAVY:

KOHL'S:

LL BEAN: