Like Danielle, what seems like the neverending greyness of a New York winter is making me ache for bright colors and some corresponding sunshine. More specifically, I want some yellow.
For a
long time I believed that, as a blonde, yellow was not for me. It clashed with my hair, washed out my skin tone, was too bright and garish. But then there Nina Ricci created Reese Witherspoon, and it was good.
All post-divorce, pre-Jakey G, Reese showed up at the Oscars looking like sunshine personified, with those hot red shoes and perfect shoulders to give it all a little kick.
But I wasn't truly inspired until Blake Lively showed up in this Michael Kors dress. She's like a Grecian goddess for the Upper East Side! I love this shade because it's a very soft yellow, and instead of making her looked jaundiced she looks tan and glowy (which is the ultimate goal of any outfit, right?).
So the search
began to add something yellow to my wardrobe. A quick search on shopbop.com turned up this dress by that evil, misleadingly named company Moschino Cheap and Chic.
This
Brocade Corset Halter dress is darling (sweetheart neckline!), fun (pleating in the skirt!) and hopelessly priced at $950.
A simpler and more classic choice is this
camisole minidress by Twelfth St by Cynthia Vincent, $234. Very cute and simple... too simple, especially since
Old Navy makes the same thing in black for $24.50. On the other hand: black, pah pah.
But
I did find a cute yellow alternative to the dress:
Alice + Olivia Wide Waist Skinny Pants, $242. For some reason these remind me of something Sandy would wear in Grease-- the color says Good, early movie Sandy, but the fit says Bad, end of movie Sandy.
The next stop on my yellow quest was Banana Republic, which has this
cap sleeve silk dress, $150.
It'd be perfect for your dreary office; it'd totally cure your cubicle-mate's seasonal affective disorder! But the catch is that
the belt, which so perfectly creates an hourglass figure and nicely breaks up the wall of yellow, is going to cost you another $33. Pretty sneaky, BR.
Gap has a few nice yellow things: this
dip-dye scarf, $19.50, will add a fun splash of color to a white jacket or grey sweater, if you're maybe not ready to commit to an entire yellow l
ook. Or if you are, there's this classic
Back-tab Mac Jacket, $69.50. Imagine how much more enjoyable rainy days would be if you could stroll around in this?
Next stop is Anthropologie, which is such a pain in the ass because you can't just click and drag the item photo to your desktop. But Anthro is worth the extra work, especially when they make their models
wander through perfectly art-directed forests.
This is the
Sunny Days Halter Dress, $168, in maize (I love clothing in colors named after esoteric foods. Not that corn is esoteric, but you know what I mean). At the hem there's silk and crochet, and at the empire waist is this really surprising basketweave. The Anthro description says it "inspires daydreams of bike rides and picnics," but I always worry about getting things caught in bicycle spokes and the halter has really long ties that hand down the back... so maybe no on the wheel-based sports.
You know, I always think that yellow doesn't match anything, since with too much black you're like a bumblebee and too much other colors makes you sorbet. But yellow looks incredible with a dark charcoal grey
(I don't know why I'm taking all these fashion cues from Little Miss Remember the Titans brat recently, but whatever, the dress is cute). Anthro has a more ladylike take on that color combination: the
Dream Hunter dress, $188. I love when Anthro gets all queerbally in its descriptions; not only is this in the color "saffron," but the "hemline embroidery lifts and swirls like billowing wafts of frankincense." Hmm, I don't see it.
So maybe at this point you're thinking, "Yeah, this is all pretty cute, but where is the cheap shit?" As always, the cheap shit is at Forever 21.
A lot of people hate on
F21, and for good reason: the quality is poor, the stores are always a mess, they're super trendy leaning towards tacky, and they rip off real designers' work shamelessly. But this dress is $17.80! The gathering in the front and two ties in the back makes this
open back babydoll dress worthlowering your standards for. You'll wear it all summer, and if you have to throw it away in September, so be it.
This
Kavi Sleeveless Tunic, $22.80, has see-through yoking around the collar, biza
rrely, is 100% rayon and dry clean only. Who knew you could buy dry clean only stuff at F21? I would wear this with a dark denim miniskirt, flips, and no jewelry for that "It's too hot to try to look cute, but I do anyway" look.
One last F21 shirt:
the Burn Out Floral Top, $15.80, would
be good if you maybe had to go to a tea party with old people so you want to look ladylike, but there could be cute waiters so you want to show some skin. In the event of no cute waiters, you could always wear a white cami underneath to class yourself up.
So are you sick of yellow yet? Are your eyes tired like when you stare at the sun for too long? Well that's too damn bad, because I have more and will be bringing it to you tomorrow, in Mellow Yellow: Part J.Crew.
Moschino Cheap and Chic Brocade Corset Halter Dress, $950Twelfth St by Cynthia Vincent Camisole Minidress, $234Alice + Olivia Wide Waist Skinny Pants, $242.Banana Republic Cap sleeve silk dress, $150Gap dip-dye scarf, $19.50Gap Back-tab Mac Jacket, $69.50Anthropologie Sunny Days Halter Dress, $168Anthropologie Dream Hunter dress, $188Forever 21 open back babydoll dress, $17.80
Forever 21 Kavi Sleeveless Tunic, $22.80Forever 21 Burn Out Floral Top, $15.80
The Lexis Strapless Ballerina Dress, $495, is so Charlotte York, am I right? At least in the earlier seasons of Sex and the City--it's a pretty youthful dress, so I doubt we'll be seeing it in the sequel. And yes, I will be seeing the movie opening weekend just to find out how Charlotte's perfect family is, and what adorable outfits she's wearing in Dubai, and also because Aiden looks better every time they bring him back, I mean seriously, goddamn. Anyway, the dress: the colors remind me of ice cream or cotton candy--it's like what the world's loveliest candy shop clerk would wear. I'd like to see it with a belt in a more contrasting color, like a deeper shade of purple or navy blue. A skinny black studded belt might even work, for a badass ballerina (like Zoe Saldana's character in Center Stage) look.
The Clara '20s Bugle Beaded Dress, $440, could so easily veer into costume territory, as it has a very distinct flapper vibe. But instead, the simple shape and art deco beading keep it from going over-the-top, and it looks like the model just threw it on, walked out the door, and was effortlessly stunning. No jewelry, just a little makeup, simple shoes; let the dress take the spotlight.
The Origami Dress, $460, is in the same vein as a lot of gowns we saw at this past season's awards shows (someone with a better memory then me could supply some names--I'm thinking Anne Hathaway but could be wrong). But in many red carpet cases, I found those dresses to be so architectural/sculptural that they looked wrong on a human body. But this dress manages to put that very structured design on a dress that's flattering and looks fun to wear. The ruffle up the skirt is flirty and a bit bohemian, while the gathering on the bodice looks more deliberately shaped (it reminds me a bit of the tissue paper roses you made in kindergarten, but done in a high-fashion way)--no matter where you wear this, no girl in the room will be able to compare. I also adore the rose pink silk peeking out from the nude fabric, which prevents the dreaded washed effect that often happens with neutral colors.
