red coat + the 'a' team.

those who are as obsessed with "pretty little liars" as me surely caught the big season finale last night. in typical teen soap opera fashion, it was as absurd and cliff-hanging than ever before. and i loved every second of it.

since "red coat" kept popping up all over this season, here are a few red hot items that might be better suited for the always stylish "a" team and friends foes to get you through the off-season. we much prefer these diagonal zippers, leather, leopard, studs and sans-sleeves to the boring apple-colored coat "a" wore...plus none have a hood to hide her face! 

red coat + the 'a' team by pretaporterpb   

clockwise from left: steve madden red coat, mod cloth / "always a step ahead" t-shirt, kidsonlyworld.com / distressed bomber jacket, forever 21 /embellished guess vest, shortyshorts on etsy.com / dolce vita red leopard print coat, urban outfitters


the "always a step ahead" tee is just a  bonus, as it's an on-trend and subtle way to show the show some support, and only those who watch will know what it's all about.

it's hard to wait for june 11 when the summer season starts up again, but until then, click here for an exclusive clip and look into what lies ahead that abc family posted on facebook last night.

fade away.

dresses, nail polish, cakes, jeans, curtains, sweaters, and now even hair.

i've been rocking the look for as long as i can remember. the favorite faded orange tank from abercrombie & fitch in middle school. my first-ever prom dress from jessica mcclintock my sophomore year that went from hot orange at the top into watermelon at the bottom...and yes, i just dated myself by saying jessica mcclintock. my dip-dyed, lime green dress from bcbg maxazria that i bought to wear to rush at fsu, but never put it to use since i realized halfway through the week that i wasn't a sorority girl (hundreds of matching ralph lauren polo dresses over forced spanx and identical ribbed tank tops paired with seven jeans...does that sound like me??). my white wedding dress six months ago with a touch of pink lace at the bottom.

shaded. faded. dip-dyed. tie-dyed. multi-colored. graduated. light to dark. two-tone. it is all the same thing and it's nothing new...the ombre trend.

i, for one, have always loved the "ombre" effect, but am really getting sick of the word and don't like seeing it get so played out. that being said, i felt it was necessary to touch on a few of my favorites and some of the pieces that might still be a fun or different way to wear it.

1. tights.

i saw these on the bzrshop on etsy through pinterest a couple weeks ago and adore them. i haven't seen anyone wear them in person yet and want to go for it myself, but just can't fathom spending $50 on a single pair of tights.

2. faded colors over other patterns.
i've typically liked shading in a more formal sense, but the most recent use of ombre that is a little different is dip-dyed patterned apparel, like this shaded, striped shirt i found on cotton & curls. i think i'm going to try one of the blog tutorials like hers and make my own soon.

3. sophisticated tie dye.all of my favorite stores for weekend apparel - urban outfitters, brandy melville and free people - are now offering more sophisticated twists on the typical tie dye. here are some i might cash in on soon:

dress from urban outfitters' kaleidoscope collection

levi's vintage rainbow sherbet shorts from brandy melville

the one i can't wrap my head around? ombre hair. it's actually been around for months now and you could say i'm sporting it now too... it's called letting your highlights or faux hair color grow out. i just do not understand wanting to spend money to color your hair to look like someone whose roots are showing! the exception...

4. cotton candy hair.
if i didn't work in a professional office and fear the looks of my boss, co-workers and clients, i would surely do the dip-dyed, mermaid hair trend with no questions asked. instead, i'm trying out the look in a different way, so stay tuned to find out more about my weekend-only hair color party. in the meantime, get inspired by the capitol with my past hunger games post, or check out what it looks like to use kevin murphy's "color.bug" below.

it's a nice day for a...white pair of jeans

spring is approaching - athough at an overnight low of 43 degrees in parts of palm beach county early this morning, it is certainly difficult to believe - and that means it's almost the season for white denim. i know, in palm beach you can pretty much wear them year round, but now is the time you can actually find them in stores. that being said, where is the best place to find them?

i received the following note from a friend and co-worker today:

"ok, so i’m in the market for a new pair of white jeans. who makes the best butt enhancing awesome white jeans (with just like, plain back pockets)?"

i'm partial to my white lucky brand skinny jeans, which i've had for about two years now, but i'm also on the shorter side and she's a little taller. fashion god michael kors is pretty much king of white pants and jeans, but not all of us can afford his $225 to-die-for stretch jeans. i keep coming up with "buts" ... anyone else have ideas for her? help a girl out and post your answers under comments please!

* photo from michaelkors.com

will you accept this dress...oops, i mean rose?

creative title, i know (remember the shoe edition?), but while watching the first episode of the bachelor monday night, i felt a little deja vu in more ways than one. i recognized the majority of the dresses the bachelorettes were wearing to meet jake from my own search for a gown to wear to the palm beach heart ball earlier in the day - especially the red ones.

you may have missed out on the chance to snag yourself a sexy pilot, but if you want to mimic one of the girls' looks, here are a few options. and red must be the color of love...every one of these girls received a rose...

rozlyn

this abs by allen schwartz "eva" gown has a sweetheart, scalloped neckline that certainly showed off rozlyn's top half. originally priced at $350, this modern-day mermaid gown is now only $175 at bloomingdale's.

valishia

the photo of this layered bcbg gown doesn't give it justice and it is much better in person on the hanger or on the person wearing it. it's also better if you're a little on the shorter side so it hits the floor. orginally $398, this dress is now $278.60 at bloomingdales, or 50 percent off at bcbg at cityplace.

elizabeth from nebraska

now i can't be certain, but it looked like elizabeth was wearing the nicole miller cross-back silk charmeuse gown, which is going for full price at $320 at macy*s right now. if not, then it was probably a halter that looks just like it! like rozlyn's this dress also puts the top half on a platter.

jessie

now what i want to know, is who makes jessie's dress. i thought it was a bit much at first (like her - the "guns" pickup line, really?!?), but as the show went on i came to like the saloon-ish red gown with black beading.

in the end, i didn't settle on any of the dresses worn on the show. i chose this red hot silk chiffon layered gown from bcbg. i risked it by purchasing it online without ever trying it on since bcbg sale items are final, but priced at $174 plus an extra 30 percent - down from the original $348 - i just couldn't resist! be sure to hurry into the bcbg store at cityplace too, i know my co-worker also made some good finds with a short red dress and lbd on sale for a few of her upcoming events.

p.s. after all that red, i'm still team ali. yellow was a good choice for her. so was the peacock feather :)

fashion line of the day #5

"we are definitely excited to wear the all-white uniforms. it's historic because fsu has never worn white uniforms at home before, so it's going to be fun to be a part of that. it should be exciting for the fans, and we want to see them in all-white, too.''

~ florida state university's senior free safety jamie robinson,

from the miami herald

photo courtesy of seminoles.com

this proves my point that fashion is important in all aspects of life, even in football. it also shows that it's ok (and encouraged by me!) to wear white after labor day, especially if you live in florida. but if you have a difficult time breaking this old school fashion rule and still need a reason, then here is one for you...wear it to support your seminoles!

so don't want to wear one of fsu's official white-out shirts and need a few ideas for wearing white to the game? shop summer sales first since white is typically not a color included in most fall collections. you might want to start with macy*s fashion+home sale first, and pick up the extra 15 percent off coupon in the main section of the palm beach post or online today.

try this lightweight and playful spring twill tunic by bcbg and pair it with white leggings or wear alone if you're short enough like me. originally $148, this shirt-dress is now only $63 if you use the macy*s coupon.

originally $98, free people's disco jersey dress is also a good pick for the game now that it's reduced to $62 with the macy*s coupon. the relaxed drapery will keep you cool in all aspects of the game.


sorry to all my tampa readers out there, but you might want to wear black because it's going to be a dark day out there for you saturday!

wellington gets all american

in honor of independence day today, i thought i'd let you in on a little local and somewhat patriotic retail gossip. the other night i heard that american apparel is coming to the mall at wellington green. though i haven't read any other news stories about it yet, there are a bunch of job postings - or "open calls" as the company calls them - posted on the aa web site and others for a store in wellington that is "coming soon." no details on the date yet.

though i have been known to boycott the provocative brand in the past (mostly-nude, drugged out looking models in scandalous poses, paired with claims of ceo dov charney holding meetings in the buff - among other worse accusations not to be mentioned here = not the ideal company i'd like to hand over my money to), i actually think adding this is a good move for the wellington mall. the mall i called my own in high school has severely gone down in the past few years and the only reason to go there over cityplace or gardens anymore is the giant forever 21. a hip brand like american apparel will put it back on the style map around palm beach county.

adding the store to the mall mix is good from a fashion sense, but especially on a day like today, i can think of a few other reasons to bring it to the area. the shop known for it's comfy tees and other knits sticks to its name and is 100 percent all-american, with all garments completely created in its downtown la facility. the company also offers workers pay rates above minimum wage, as well as esl classes, company-subsidized lunches and affordable healthcare for employees and families. with pro-america standards (and pro-earth since they do not abuse labor systems in other countries), it's hard not to appreciate american apparel.

so while celebrating the fourth of july today, consider outfitting yourself in red, white or blue from american apparel. here are a few festive options that will make you cause fireworks:

polyester micro-fiber tulip skirt, $28

sheer jersey bandeau dress, $43

nylon spandex micro-mesh long sleeve mini dress, $42

(use as a coverup, or create a bandage-style dress by wrapping white ribbon or thin pieces of fabric around, as seen on mystyle.com. add red shoes and you're ready to go).

piqué cross-front jumper, $38

stear clear of the gold leotards though (or any leotards for that matter). the 80s might be back in style, but there are certain things that should be left in their place at 25 years ago and not brought to the fourth of july picnic.

gray is the new black

ok, so i know i'm not really ahead of the game on this one considering i only discovered gray nail polish in january and am just now posting about it, but i am still loving it. gray was a hot color for winter this year, but as a paler and less harsh version of black or silver, i think it can be incorporated into spring and summer fashions too.


my favorite is the above "on the prowl" color from mac's hello kitty line, but it's apparently everyone else's too because it's sold out online and at every store i went to! in the meantime i found a way to get my fix from mac's darker metallic "nightfall" and a bluish-gray l.a. girl polish i got from urban outfitters for only $5 (also sold at forever 21).

i was excited when i first learned of the gray polish trend because i had already been using sephora's wet & dry pale gray eye shadow for a while to line my lids. i had always heard purple tones make green eyes really pop, but since using this product i noticed that gray has the same effect.

gray is also good when i'm stuck in an outfit and neither black or brown quite matches...which is why i purchased this puffy jill stewart handbag that gets me through at least half of the days in a week. there are some great stone-colored chloe handbags on bluefly.com if you'd like to get one of your own, but if you're not sure you want to throw down $1,000 or even a few hundred like me, old navy and target have a few good picks.


lastly, here is a way i found to incorporate gray into my spring outfit. mixed with white checkers and subtle pink lines, this shirtdress from forever 21's new heritage line is perfect by day with gray or pink opaque footless tights and sandals, or by night with my washed out gray jeans (of course!), silver heels and dressed up accessories.


what do you think...can gray be a spring/summer color or is it strictly for winter? how would you wear it?