10th Annual Dog Days of August Sidewalk Sale

This Saturday and Sunday (Aug 1 and 2) the tenth annual Dog Days of August Sidewalk Sale will be happening along the 14th and U St. corridors. 

Read my Examiner.com article for more information.

The Fall Must Have By Carrie

Boots! They are the ultimate Fall must have. Boots can be pairs with dresses, jeans, leggings, and shorts. You don't need to spend a lot of money for a cute pair that will last all season long.

Try this pair from Forever21 for only $32!

Purple is the new black this

fall, so these peep-toe booties are a must have from Steve Madden. Only $54!

These Madden Girl slouchy boots look great with

a pair of skinny jeans. Only $69 from DSW.

Don't be afraid to wear boots! They look great with almost anything for any event. No matter what price point, there is a boot for you! Happy Shopping!

New Blog Discovery

Just discovered a new fashion blog to follow.  Cupcakes and Cashmere.  This adorable gal takes pictures of her outfits and more.  The beautiful photography makes it a very stylish blog.  She also gives style and shopping advice.  I'll be checking back in regularly!

New Arrivals!

Loving these new arrivals from Martin+Osa.  I'm definitely a summer person but I can't help but get a little excited about fall fashion when I see fabulous outerwear like this.  The trench is cuter in gray but I was having trouble saving the picture.  And prices aren't anything to jump at but are pretty reasonable for outerwear.  $170 for the trench and $140 for the safari jacket.  If you wait a couple of months, you may even be able to get them on sale.

Summer Plaid

-Dress from Target

-Thrifted belt

-Random bracelet

-Steve Madden sandals

If you're interested in seeing how I updated this dress from last year, click here.  I belted it and added bold sandals, two essential accessories this summer.

Shopping in West Hartford

A couple of weekends ago, I visited my sister and her family in West Hartford, CT and, of course, we did some shopping. The sweet boys (bf, brother-in-law and nephew) actually patiently shopped with me while my sister was working. :) If you're ever in West Hartford, here are my top picks. We mainly shopped around the Town Center and I have one essential stop-off a little outside of the city, worth the 20 minute drive.

Town Center:

1. Homeward Bound: This was probably my favorite store in the area. They have a few racks of clothes and an adorable kid section but the best part of this spot is the furniture. I loved it! It was all very unique with somewhat of a vintage feel. Great chairs, couches, desks and an adorable little vanity that I'm still dreaming about - it would make my mornings just a little more fabulous. The store even offers home design services.

2. National Jean Company: You'll also find locations of this chain in Bethesda and Reston for those of you in the DC area. They remind me a little bit of Cusp with a great selection of the denim brands you're used to seeing, familiar brands such as Ella Moss and Juicy, and then little surprises every once in a while. When I was there in Hartford, I discovered a new-to-me line called Nieves Lavi that I kept gravitating toward.

3. Kimberly Boutique: This is a tiny boutique but worth stopping into. They carry a range of prices and brands from BCBG to Tulle. I even saw a dress by Paramita, a very unique Spanish brand I haven't seen in years, although I'm starting to think I imagined it because I can't find anything about the brand online now.

4. Ten Thousand Villages: When I just looked up this store, I discovered it has tons of locations, including Austin, TX and Alexandria, VA. Who knew? I'd never heard of it before. They carry all kinds of great handmade gifts and home decor pieces representing cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. And to make it even better, they are one of the largest fair trade organizations in the world. If you shop online, you can see pictures and bios of the artisans who make the goods from countries like Peru and Haiti.

South Windsor

5. Francesca's Collections: Francesca's has been one of my and my sisters' favorite boutique chains in Texas for years. We love to browse all the jewelry and very reasonably priced clothing. I picked up this adorable navy dress for only $38! But we had no idea it was a national chain. We were thrilled to discover this one near West Hartford. It's located in an outdoor shopping area that is worth the trip with neighbor stores such as Anthropologie.

Washington Life Magazine: Men of Summer

For this month's issue of Washington Life, I got to help style these adorable men: Redskin Brian Orakpo (who just joined us in DC from the University of Texas!), Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals, and DC United player Santino Quaranta.  The shoot was so much fun to style and the guys were easy to work with (not a diva in the group)!  I think it turned out great.

Cocktails & Glosses Event by Carrie

What girl doesn't love Lip gloss and cocktails?!

This Saturday July 18, from 12-5pm shop at "Cocktails & Glosses" presented by Uptown Girl Entertainment.

This event is held at the Helix Hotel- 1430 Rhode Island Ave, Washington, DC 20005.

Will be offering cocktails and makeovers by profession make-up artist and free spray tans. All guest will receive a complimentary cocktail, a $5 gift card and 2 lip glosses.

Tickets are on sale now for $25 for “Simple Chic” and $35 for “Diva Style” which includes a summer beauty swag bag

Receive 10% your ticket purchase when you use the promo code “cityshop” at check out. Sign up for City Shop Girl

Online Sample Sales

Check out my Examiner.com page for a list of must-belong-to sample sale websites. Happy discount shopping!

The New Short

I'm finding that a lot of my clients are still in their bermuda shorts (or knee length shorts) this summer.  For some women, the longer shorts do work and these shorter styles are not flattering but there are many of you out there who would look great with an update to your shorts wardrobe.  I'm not encouraging anyone to wear super tight or super short shorts, in fact, please don't!   These shorts are great examples to get you started.  The navy silk ones from Martin+Osa are fabulous.  I love the print on this yellow pair from J. Crew and these dark denim ones from Banana Republic are a perfect fit.

 You want the shorts to be about 3 or 4 inches long.  This is referring to the length from the crotch to the end of the short.  You could even do about 2 1/2 inches if you're short but don't push it further than that.  

Also, make sure that the leg openings are not tight around your leg.  You don't want them to be flared out but but keep a little open space for your leg to breath.    

The short should be tailored though without being too tight.

Jewelry Tree

Little know fact about me: I love to organize. :)  A lot of my clients are already good organizers but those who aren't know this little secret of mine as their closets always somehow end up more organized than when I came in.  So, a couple of weeks ago, I bought a new necklace and realized that my necklace storage solution was on the verge of overflowing.  (I currently have stacked trays in the lingerie drawers of my dressers, which works very well.)  I set out in search of some additional jewelry storage and found this great jewelry tree (literally!) on Etsy.com for only $12.50!  It would look great sitting on top of my dresser, not only as extra storage, but as a stylish way to display some beautiful pieces. 

Outfit Post

I forgot to upload this outfit from Friday.  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend, I know we did!

-Free People tank

-BCBG cardy

-Shorts from Martin+Osa

-Marc by Marc Jacobs bag

-Steve Madden sandals

New Design Team at Ann Taylor

I've never been an Ann Taylor shopper, personally, but a lot of my clients are so I'm on their email newsletter just to keep up with any sales and discounts that are going on.  Yesterday,  I received an email that their new collection had arrived.  I didn't even open it yesterday and almost deleted it today but decided to take a quick look and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.  The outfit I saw was more appealing to me than Ann Taylor usually is and as I read on I noticed that their July collection was from their "new design team".  I was intrigued.  It turns out, Ann Taylor has hired a new designer away from Club Monaco, which happens to be one of my fave stores.  I caught a glimpse of Ann Taylor's fall collection, which looks even edgier.  I don't know if I'm won over yet as far as my own wardrobe is concerned but I'm definitely more excited about shopping there for my clients and look forward to seeing what else they come out with!