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Memorial Day Looks
Fashion Fabrics Club’s roundup of chic looks for every Memorial Day festivity on the social calendar.
BBQ
A casual get together calls for a casual-cool look. Try your favorite distressed denim and a pair of cool kicks with a crisp cotton off-the-shoulder tunic (the season’s most coveted silhouette).
Pool Party
A chic bathing suit cover-up takes the guesswork out of dressing for any water-fun-based event—making it a great summer investment piece. Try a super lightweight cotton (even slightly sheer if you want a little sex appeal) shirtdress if you’re looking for something versatile, as this piece could easily become a go-to in the rotation pairing perfectly with jeans and shorts.
Family Brunch
A little dressed up, a little laid-back, a seersucker dress is the perfect brunch-ing outfit. If going somewhere on the fancier side, simply pair with heeled sandals and a statement necklace to dress things up.
Dinner Al Fresco
A maxi dress is one of the easiest pieces to transition to twilight, making for an easy pick when choosing what to don while dining outside on a steamy summer evening. A flowy chiffon has just the right amount of elegance and whimsy to work from day to night, casual to more formal.
Summer Dresses
With the unofficial start of summer coming up, it’s officially time to get the summer dress rotation in order. Check out Fashion Fabrics Club’s top 5 recommendations for the best fabrics to use when crafting your summer dresses.
Seersucker
A seersucker sundress makes for a great summer travel companion—the natural crinkle hides any wrinkling from being packed, and also gives the fabric a natural breeziness, as it minimizes the surface area touching the skin.
Linen
The ultimate summer fabric for its insouciant vibe and incredibly airy nature; linen is an obvious, and perfect, choice for summer dresses. For something a little unexpected, try it in a shirtdress with an extra long hemline—it’s an elegant update from last year’s mini shirtdress obsession.
Silk
Silk is another front-runner in the summer fabric realm thanks its cool, slinky feel and light weight. Opt for a 100% silk rather than a polyester blend to maximize on the airiness and go with a bold pattern (as it helps cover up any pesky perspiration stains).
Gingham
Evoking that classic sunny picnic-in-the-park look, a gingham sundress is one of those timeless pieces you’ll reach for again and again, year after year—especially if you go with a classic silhouette like an A-line or fit-and-flare.
Chiffon
Whimsical and sophisticated, playful and elegant—chiffon is one of those best-of-both-worlds fabrics that makes it the perfect pick for a chic summer dress. Keep in mind that many chiffons are transparent, so inserting a lining is essential (and it also happens to keep you cooler too as chiffon falls into the less-breathable spectrum of the fabric realm, especially if directly in contact with skin).
Loving Lace
Breezy, whimsical lace—a longtime summer favorite. Find Fashion Fabrics Club’s 5 unexpected ways to wear lace, one of the season’s most sought-after fabrics.
Crop Top
An easy way to transform your favorite pair of denim into a whole new look? Simply pair them with a lace crop top. Done and done.
Maxi Dress
A breezy cotton maxi dress is a summer essential, to give it an easy update, try adding lace inserts into the skirt for a little playful peekaboo effect. Bonus point if you take it one step further and add an off-the-shoulder component like this super of-the-moment look.
LWD
The little white dress is the LBD of the summer months—versatile, easy, and dependable. For an everyday look, try it with a favorite denim jacket to temper its dressy nature.
Midi Skirt
While lace skirts are typically seen at more dressed-up affairs, this summer they’re making a major appearance in street wear. Try it paired with an easy cotton T or tank, or a chambray or light denim button up to tone it down for everyday wear.
Blouse
Use a lace blouse as an added layer of texture (and sophistication) under a blazer for a cool office look. Simply pair with distressed denim to transition to off-duty.
Mix Master
The season’s mixed-print looks take a keen eye; luckily Fashion Fabric’s Club has an easy guide to pulling off these eye-catching ensembles. Here are 5 simple rules to mastering the art of mixing prints in one killer look.
Keep Your Proportions in Check
To keep from looking like a squiggly mess, make sure your patterns are of varying sizes. For example, pair a large floral print skirt with a narrow striped top.
Stay Within the Same Color Family
If you plan to mix more than 2 prints in one look (yes, it’s a thing and it’s super chic when done correctly), the key is keep everything in the same color family. This monochrome look combines herringbone, polka dots, check, and stripes but because it’s all in black and white, it’s a totally polished combination.
Pair Geometric Patterns with Fluid Ones
Paisley with stripes, florals with checks, leopard with plaid, polka dots with a leafy print, cheetah with gingham…you get the idea.
Keep Accessories to a Minimum
When you’ve got so much going on in your ensemble, there’s no need to throw in more excitement into the mix. When sporting mixed prints, opt for the most minimal of accessorie—like classic bare sandals and solid clutches.
Throw caution to the wind
Once you’ve experimented and learned the rules, you have every right to break them—that’s the most fun part about fashion after all. If it looks right and you feel right, it IS right.
Festival Fashion
Festival season is in full swing, and it’s hard not to get inspired by the boho laid-back looks of the chic attendees. Here are 4 fun ways to bring a little festival chic into your everyday look.
The Off-The-Shoulder Top
A major mainstay in the closets of the bohemia crowd, the off-the-should top just happens to be one of the biggest trends in more mainstream fashion this spring as well—a clear winner in the sartorial realm. To tone down the boho vibe, try it in a white cotton gauze and pair with a favorite pair of skinny jeans and sneakers.
The Fringe Skirt
Suede (or its vegan-friendly counterpart, faux suede) takes the main stage when it comes to festival looks, and it’s also super easy to citify the piece with the right styling. Take a lesson from Olivia Palermo and go with tonal pairings; the button-up and heels bring a polished, daytime appeal to the look while still keeping to the boho roots.
The Lace Kimono
At the festival, the lace kimono adds an extra layer of whimsy to the boho look, but in the everyday realm, it’s an easy way to dress up the easy summer go-tos like cut-offs and a tank. Looking to take in up another notch? Just slip on a pair of heels.
The Maxi Skirt
Paired with a crochet crop top and layered necklaces, the chiffon maxi skirt (a.k.a. the summer essential) becomes an easy festival look. For everyday, swap the crochet top for an easy cotton tank, and if you need an extra layer for a cooler day, toss a denim jacket into the mix.
Getaway Chic
As summer approaches, the social calendar starts to fill up with weekend trips, and spontaneous getaways seem to become the norm. How to always be prepared? Having easy-to-pack pieces at the ready—here are 5 essentials to get you through vacation season.
Cotton Maxi
A cotton jersey maxi dress is the perfect traveling partner; it’s incredibly comfortable (feeling more like pajamas than a dress), while still looking totally chic and put-together. Bonus: it packs up nicely, and any en-route wrinkles can be easily steamed out, just hang it in the bathroom while you take a shower.
Denim Jacket
An easy toss-on with nearly every go-to in the rotation, an easy denim jacket is a packing essential: it’s nearly wrinkle-proof and adds another layer to looks, in both chicness and warmth. For something unexpected, try it with a dressier ensemble like this pencil skirt outfit.
Knit Sweater
Even if you’re planning to go somewhere tropical, don’t forget to pack a knit sweater—you’ll appreciate the extra blanket-like layer if a plane ride is involved, and often times once the sun goes down, the temps can dip low enough to call for a heavier layer.
Chiffon or Cotton Cover-Up
For those beachy vacations where you live in a bathing suit each and every day, a chic cover up that also doubles as an evening dress is a sartorial MVP. Try it in a flowy chiffon or the lightest cotton to keep things breezy.
Linen Pants
To cap off the suitcase, toss in a pair of easy linen joggers for those days when it’s a little overcast—or for towards the end of the trip when your skin’s had enough sun exposure. Yes, linen does tend to wrinkle easily, but embrace the laid-back vibe…it is vacation after all.
Denim for Days
Style mavens everywhere are reinventing how to wear denim. Here, find Fashion Fabrics Club’s roundup of unexpected ways to rock the season’s most sought-after material.
Off-The-Shoulder
Using a lightweight denim or chambray in spring’s coveted off-the-shoulder silhouette brings the style from a peasant-y look to a more urban-chic place, while still staying true to its bohemian roots. For extra style points, pair with a darker shade of denim jeans.
Under Layer
For a totally new way to wear your favorite denim button-up, take a lesson from this chic mix: instead of using it as a top layer, try it underneath an oversized blazer to instantly give it a more polished and dressed up appeal.
Overalls
For a super chic take on the season’s oh-so-coveted overalls, opt for a form-fitting, tailored silhouette, cut off at the ankle in stretchy black denim. To keep things sophisticated, pair with other black pieces.
Vest
While the denim vest isn’t necessarily a new way to wear the material, it’s all in how you style it. For a modern look, try it as a top layer over a simple cotton jersey dress.
Halter
The effortless halter is an easy-to-pack piece that also doubles as a bathing suit cover-up, making it a summer essential. In denim, it makes it even more versatile, pairing well with other denim, dresses, leggings, and more.
Brighten Up
Now that spring has arrived, it’s time to brighten up the daily rotation with vivid hues and eye-catching shades. Here, find Fashion Fabrics Club’s 4 easy-chic ways to rock the season’s most-coveted colors.
Orange
This vivid orangina, or “flame” as Pantone calls it, evokes summer sunsets and cooling off on hot days with a tub of orange sorbet. To bring it into the sartorial realm, try it in a simple one-piece like this poly blend short-sleeved shift dress. Be sure to pair with accessories that are minimal and neutral to keep things sophisticated.
Yellow
Straddling the line between vivid and subdued, Pantone’s “primrose yellow” is the perfect pick for pieces that tread the line between upscale and relaxed; take this tailored-yet-slouchy stretch twill blazer for example, the perfect balance of laid-back and polished.
Hot Pink
Pantone calls this look-at-me pink tone “pink yarrow” and it’s one of the most eye-catching of the season’s bold palette. Embrace its brightness and try it head to toe like this super versatile, no-brainer chic silk one piece.
Lime Green
Lastly, if you don’t have lime green (also known as Pantone’s “greenery” and designated color of 2017) in your arsenal yet, it’s high time. Luckily, it’s surprisingly easy to wear despite being so vibrant—pairing well with the full spectrum of neutrals, other shades of green, and a whole host of the season’s favorite shades. To rock the playful color grown-up style, try it in a tailored piece like this tweed pencil skirt.
Spring Blooms
Beckon spring (or embrace, depending on your geo) by bringing fun floral patterns into your look. Here, find Fashion Fabrics Club’s favorite ways to rock floral fabrics in interesting and unexpected ways.
A flowy floral chiffon is the perfect lightweight fabric for spring and summer dressing—to give it a more polished and less whimsical appeal, try it in a pleated skirt, the structured nature of the pleats temper the ingénue of the floral print. Pair with a favorite cotton V-neck and you’ve got an effortless go-to outfit to take you straight through summer.
A floral silk cardigan is a great medium-weight layer to toss on for those in-between weather days. To keep things sophisticated (and versatile), opt for a print with a dark or black background.
Want to bring florals into your office look? No problem, try a floral-printed poly blend in a tailored piece like a high-waisted pencil skirt. Keep the rest of the pairings simple and subdued, keeping the floral as the focal point to keep things from looking too busy.
For more of an off-duty look, try florals in a laid-back bohemian look like this floral off-the-shoulder peasant top in subtle, ‘70s-inspired shades with distressed denim. If you want to dress it up, you can instead pair the top with a hip-hugging maxi skirt.
Looking for an easy way to transform the simple go-to of jeans-and-a-T into a full-on look? Try a silk floral print kimono-style cardi over the top. Also a super fun layer over a dress, too!
Pretty in Pastels
Spring’s arrival brings with it a lightening of the wardrobe—in both fabrics and colors. The season’s most sought-after hues? Pastels. Get Fashion Fabrics Club’s guide to bringing these pretty pales into your wardrobe right now.
Blush is one of hottest shades for this spring, but it can sometimes venture towards looking too young and girly. To temper its ingénue, pair with cool gray hues like this blush knit fit-and-flare dress with gray fleece coat and suede boots.
One of the easiest ways to bring pastels into a look is by using it as a top layer. Try starting with an all black-and-white outfit and then toss on a pastel over the top like this powder blue chenille topcoat.
A cool grownup way to rock pastels is using it in suiting separates, like this light pink suiting blazer. It’s just the right thing to offset dressed-down pieces like a cotton T and distressed denim.
Want to try the pastel trend at the office? No problem, pair a sophisticated peach knit skirt with a white cotton button-up tucked in. Pair with heels and go.
For something a little unexpected, bring pastels into the borrowed-from-the-boys look. Try soft pink twill chinos with a white-and-powder-blue button up, you can pair with easy sneakers as shown here, or to dress it up and still stay true to the boyish roots, opt for a pair of leather or suede loafers.
Monochrome is IN
Whether you prefer tone-on-tone or stark contrast, there’s a perfect monochromatic look for you. Here, find Fashion Fabrics Club’s roundup of monochrome looks you can wear now and well through the spring season.
Look #1
Try this polished-yet-relaxed look for the weekend (or to seriously up your casual Friday game if you work in a creative office), of a crisp white cotton button-up underneath a black cotton twill long blazer with frayed black denim and pair of slip-on sneakers.
Look #2
For those days when the alarm fails (or you hit snooze a few too many times) but the day requires a look that’s totally put-together, a single-piece toss-on is essential. For something that’s easy but also super elegant and flattering, try an all-black cotton jersey maxi dress. Added design details—like the mesh cut out and side slit—make it pop.
Look #3
Looking for something a little lighter (in fabric and color)? Try this preppy little all-white outfit: a mandarin-collared poplin button-up with a pleated chiffon skirt. Perfect for work, drinks after work, and all weekend long.
Look #4
Yes, pattern lovers can rock the monochrome look. In fact, adding a print into the mix gives an added layer of intrigue. This look, a cotton black-and-white striped long sleeve with a thick double knit skirt is a great option for this in-between weather. Simply add tights on the more wintery days.
Look #5
Another way to bring in a pattern is to put it at the bottom, like this look: herringbone cropped trousers, a white cotton button-up with a mixed-media long-sleeved sweater on top. (Style tip: This is a particularly great look for those with long legs and shorter torsos.)
In-Between Season Shades
Dressing can be difficult and time consuming when the weather is temperamental, so here is Fashion Fabric’s Club’s roundup of 5 versatile colors you can always depend on to keep you chic while we wait patiently (or not-so patiently) for spring to finally arrive.
Olive
Olive green is just muted enough of a shade to be appropriate for both sun-filled adventures and overcast, more wintry days. This look of rolled olive green khakis with a mid-weight gingham button-up is a perfect go-to for these anything-goes days.
Gray
Gray is a seasonless shade that has a magical way of looking both put-together and laid-back at the same time. A super chic way to rock the color right now is by layering pieces of the same shade all in one look. This gray denim, gray sweater, gray tweed coat ensemble is perfect for those last winter days when the temperature refuses to rise higher than the 50s.
Blush
Blush is a super easy and understated way to bring a little color into even the simplest of looks. Try an oversized blush cashmere sweater with a favorite pair of skinny jeans and loafers for a fun in-between season weekend look.
Light Blue
To ease into spring’s bold and bright colors, it’s good to start with more subtle shades like the easy-to-pair light blue. This look is a fun lesson in proportion play, the long length and narrowness of the black skinny jeans is evened out with the wide, high volume shape of the short-sleeved button-up on top. Perfect for a more spring-like day and if the weather starts to cool, simply add a chunky scarf or light coat.
Cream
Winter and summer whites are classic and clean, but for the months in-between, a neutral cream is the way to go. A tailored, cream-colored lightweight wool coat makes dressing for these questionable weeks in the middle easy—a simple toss-on that instantly adds warmth and chicness to nearly any outfit.