OOTD (Colorblock Monday)

I haven't played much with color blocking this past summer: even if I admired it in the fashion magazines and in the H&M summer Collection (which employed a great deal of color blocking), I must admit that I more of a matchy-matchy person and I can't push myself to wear, say, a pink blouse with orange pants. I like the Jcrew colorblock perfect tee very much but I am at a loss when it comes to think what to pair it with (I don't think that I could do a bright bottom like showed the model with it without feeling ridicolous).

But yesterday I found the perfect colorblock piece for me. The Petit Bateau boutique on Madison Avenue is having a sample sale and I popped in yesterday, mostly to see if I could find some great deal on back-to-school outfits for my daughter. I didn't find anything for her (as she said she has "enough clothes already, mommy") but I scored a pretty much talked-about colorblock dress for me for $15 (I had my daughter's approval, she is playing the fashion police these days).

I had seen this dress several times and always thought that it was a great way of doing colorblocking without going over the top, but the price always threw me off even on sale (the prices that they charge are kind of crazy, especially if you compare to the original price in EU. People must have noticed because the boutique is closing. Sad face.) and I wouldn't have bought a short-sleeved tee-dress at this time of the year if it hadn't been such a good price. I also bought it because in this colorway it will transition well into Fall, with a black open cardigan and tights.

I am wearing a 14a, which is the equivalent of a S in Petit Bateau women sizes (I prefer my Petit Bateau knits to be a little bit loose):

It's a very easy, throw-on-and-go kind of dress but I like how it can look very chic with the right accessories. Here with an elastic belt and Prada patent platforms (splurge from my trip in Italy, that I haven't worn much because when I was in the Prada boutique I entered a trance-like state and I "forgot" that I don't wear much black in the summer here in NY. I should have bought them in white, just because it is so difficult to find white shoes that don't make you look like a nurse or a bride):

I feel like this outfit could easily be featured in a fashion magazine, what do you think (admittedly wearing Prada shoes immediately elevates any outfit from the ordinary)?
As I was saying before this will transition well into Fall, with a long cardigan, tights and boots (just imagine the tigths and boots part):

Are you adventuring in colorblocking territory this Fall?

Have a great Monday!

I am back and I am wearing stripes

Hello dear readers, this is a quick post to let you know that I am back from my vacation in Europe. The only purpose of the trip was to visit my parents who were dieing to see my daughter (they hadn't seen her in a year) and spend some time with us. So we didn't do much but we had a great time especially because the weather was just lovely (very sunny but not humid). I love Milan at this time of a year, there is a mix of relaxed, I-just-got-back-from-a-month-in-Ibiza atmosphere and excitement for the new season ahead. I don't feel the same thing here in NY, probably because people tend to take less days off during the summer and the city is never really "closed for vacation", unlike the biggest cities in Italy.

Anyway, we came back last Friday after a quite exhausting 10-hour daytime flight (meaning that my daughter didn't sleep in the plane) and my husband (who didn't come with us) had a surprise for me: he had booked a night in the Hamptons to celebrate the end of the summer. I almost told him that I was too tired to even think of leaving again but then I thought that it would probably be our last occasion to go to the beach this year and that I could do it. So I spent the Saturday unpacking, doing laundry and repacking but it was worth it because we spent two fantastic days and it turned out to be the best cure against the jetlag (my daughter is back on track already, while last year it took her almost two weeks).

I wore this outfit on our way to the Hamptons and again today and I just love it. The top is Petit Bateau and it's one of the (many) purchases that I made while I was in Italy. I always visit a Petit Bateau store because the prices are so much lower than the prices here in the US (which are a little bit ridiculous). I also got a nude slip that I had tried here before leaving and retails in the US for $81. The price in Europe? 28 Euros!





The shoes are a pair of TB Thora thongs that I found on ebay at the beginning of the season. They were supposedly worn but in reality they looked like new and I am thrilled with them. I wore them a lot this summer (along with my silver pair) but I think that I never posted a pic:



Did I mention that they are the Most. Comfortable. Thongs. Ever? And I say this owning at least 4 pairs of Havaianas. If you can find a good end-of-summer deal on them, I really recommend to grab a pair while you can.

Before leaving I was in a fall-ish mood already (probably induced by all those JCrew fall rollout) but now, especially after the last two days, I wish that summer never ended. Unfortunately Labor Day marks the official end of the summer and reminds us that we will be wearing our boots in a heartbeat. Sigh!
At least we can look forward wearing new fall clothes and I will share my Italian shopping purchases in the next posts. This year I splurged on two pair of booties and as usual I couldn't leave Italy without shopping at Zara, where I got my "camel" fix (I mean the color, not the animal lol).

Stay tuned!

OOTD (Playing Matchy Matchy)

Good morning! A quick outtif of the day before I take my daughter to ballet class (they get to wear a real toutou today, so I will have my camera ready).

I have been wearing a lot of stripes recently. Not only I am wearing my JCrew pink and camel vintage boatneck tees quite frequently, but I also bought a striped knit cotton sweater from the Gap two weeks ago that I wore quite a lot already as it is the perfect weight for the season (very thin). This was my yesterday OOTD:



As the comments on the website say, it goes really well with khaki pants:



It is a little bit pricey in my opinion but I bought it with one of 40% off in-store coupons that are only valid on Wednesdays (by the way, take 20% off adults styles online with code GAPSPRING now through Thursday). I must admit that the real reason why I bought it was to play matchy-matchy with my daughter, who has a similar top from Petit Bateau (from last year), that you have already seen in my Easter weekend post:



Petit Bateau is extremely expensive in the US compared to Europe, so I mostly buy when they have their big sale twice a year (or I "order" stuff for my daughter through my parents in Italy). However, I went into the store two weeks ago to buy a birth present for a girlfriend who just had a girl and they were running a promo where you got 20% off one out of three items bought (and you could choose the item). So along with the present I couldn't resist buying this top for me:



It has the weight of a sweatshirt and golden nautical buttons on one shoulder:



Petit Bateau is available in the US through their website (you get 25% off full price items in your first order if you subscribe) and Zappos (for kids only). Buying Petit Bateau through Zappos could be more expensive (as their sales are not great) but worth it to check out their styles and fit thanks to their awesome one-year return policy (and free shipping/free returns policy as well).

To go back to my outfit of the day, it was was windy yesterday, so I topped my sweater with this coat from 2007 (I remember that it was 2007 because I bought it for very cheap just after my daughter was born):



It is the one with the pretty striped colored lining:



Do you buy Petit Bateau? Are you wearing stripes?

Have a great start of the week!

Yesterday Outfit of the Day (featuring Petit Bateau)

Yesterday morning the sky was cloudy and not promising at all but by noon a little bit of sun came out of the clouds and in the end we had a gorgeous summer afternoon. I was so happy! I love being in the park in the late afternoon when everything is glowing under the declining sun.

Since I knew that this weather wasn't going to last, I thought that I wouldn't pass the chance to wear a dress that I bought some weeks ago and I was dying to wear ever since (who knew that we would have two days of sun in June?) It's the perfect easy summer dress and it's from the French brand Petit Bateau.
I don't know if you are familiar with this brand that specialises in children's clothes but has also a line for adults. In France (and in Europe in general) is very popular but the in US it's quite expensive due in part to the strenght of the euro (basically the prices here are the double of the price in EU). The quality is very good though and I generally buy during the sales when they have more decent prices, and when I see something that I really like and is not on sale I ask someone of the family to buy it in Italy or France and send it by mail. The bonus is that I can exchange in store or get a store credit if it doesn't fit. In this particular case I used a store credit to pay for dress but I think that I would have bought it anyway as I liked too much (it costs $111 - overpriced, I know).

They are famous for their stripes and this dress is this year's take on the nautical theme:



The dress is in a very soft and light cotton knit and I'm wearing a size 14a. Their sizes for adults go from 12a (12 years) to 18a that basically correspond to the sizes XS to L. I could have sized down but I liked the lenght and the fact that it doesn't stick to my body (meaning that I can wear any sort of panties without the seams showing). Because we were going to the playground I changed the shoes for the Gap gladiators that I reviewed in one of my first posts (by the way, they are extra-comfortable):


It is really a dress that you put on and feel good and it's the epithome of Parisian chic to me.
If you have the chance of going to Europe this summer, I reccomend to check out Patit Bateau (even if you don't have children). In Paris they have a store in pretty much each neighborhood and it's sold in all the departement stores.

Have you ever bought Petit Bateau for you or your kids?