Review: Cosabella Never Say Never.

      These days, mostly all of my undergarments are purchased with only functionality in mind. Which basically means black and nude no-show bras and underwear. Boring, I know. Cosabella sent me this lovely bra and panty set from their most recent collection to try out. I do already own two sets of Cosabella lingerie from years and years ago. I fell in love the colors and the softness and they were just so pretty. Sadly, I didn't get too much wear out of them, as they didn't quite fit my petite frame all that well, especially back then when I weighed a bit less than I do now. 

      For a little background on Cosabella, the company was founded in 1983 by Ugo and Valeria Campello. Their design headquarters is in Miami, Florida, but all their pieces are manufactured in Italy. When Cosabella contacted me allowing me to the pieces I wanted, I was a little bit hesitant. Many of the items did not come in XS/P, which according to the sizing chart, would have been my size. I hoped that this just meant the sizing ran a bit small. I chose these two beautiful pieces:

            Sorry, there are no IRL modeling photos, I am many things, but lingerie model is not one of them. ;) But here are a few photos of the Never Say Never Hottie Lowrider Hotpants and matching Sweetie Soft Bra in Rouge:

         The pieces are very pretty and soft. They also contain a good amount of stretch. If you own any Hanky Panky underwear, the material is very similar. I do have to say though, that the Cosabella hotpants in size Small fit smaller than the Hanky Panky which only comes in one size.

         When I put them on, the pieces actually did fit extremely well.  I wouldn't recommend it for anyone smaller than myself or they will be too loose. but the soft bra did at least have adjustable straps. Because the Soft Bra is not lined or padded or have any wire, there isn't much support and it doesn't give a lot shape which I find is necessary for the small-busted such as myself. But of course, if you are just going for the pretty factor and just needed for those easy days when good structured undergarments aren't necessary, then these are wonderful and they come in so many beautiful colors. Keep in mind, Cosabella does offer other bra styles with underwire and push-up padding, but unfortunately those particular bras only go down to 32A, which actually is new because they only used to go down to 32B. Hopefully in the future they might consider making the wired bras even smaller that cater to those of us with smaller frames. As for quality, these pieces appear to be made very well with (being made in Italy likely a factor) and will hold up if well cared for.

         A few of my own suggestions from the new collection include the Dolce Soft Bra, which does come in Petite (28-30A), so pretty:

Never Say Never Prettie Underwire Bra:

Never Say Never Cutie Lowrider Thong:

        They also have camis, slips, robes, swimwear, and other apparel that are worth checking out. See the Cosabella collection in their new spring colors here!

FORBES STYLE FILE / Style Strategy: Can I Wear Polka Dots to Work?

    For my second post with Forbes Style File, I am discussing how I would wear this J.Crew Factory Polka-Dot Popover Shirt, a purchase I have actually made myself in the past few weeks:

Check out my post at Forbes.com!

Copycat.

    

        When I saw this J.Crew Tipped Boy Shirt online, I was immediately enamored by it. Somehow I managed to resist purchasing it...that is, until I saw it on Tam and she immediately pushed me over the edge. Unfortunately, when I decided I wanted to purchase it, it was sold out in my size. A week later, it popped back up online and I wasted no time, not even waiting for an extra 30% off discount code. And do I regret it? Not for a second. I am a huge fan of black/white blouses whether it be in the details or the print, due to their versatility. All black/white tops in my closet are workhorses and I use them for both work and play. I do wish I could spend my money on more "fun" work pieces,  items with more unstructured shapes or classic pieces with somewhat trendy details, but at this point, as I'm still trying to build my career wardrobe with good quality, classic, and tailored basics, I don't have a whole lot of money left over for such fun things as much I'd love to add them to my closet. I'd love to get to a point (hopefully soon!) where I only have to add a few pieces each season to keep it fresh so as to not get bored and uninspired and be done with it.

Blouse: J.Crew Tipped Boy shirt (Alabaster Black, size 0P).

Skirt: J.Crew Telegraph Skirt in Super 120s (Navy, size 00P).

Pumps: LAUREN by Ralph Lauren Amaya Pumps (Black, size 6)(newer version here).

Handbag: Olivia Harris (Dark Teal Patent)(similar here or here).

Ring: Le Chateau Shield Ring (Gold).
Jacket: Veda Max (Black, size XS)(similar version here).

       I know many women keep up with the trends buy adding inexpensive items from places that make their business in "fast fashion" (for example,  H&M, Forever21, and Asos), but I have a strange idiosyncrasy when it comes to buying clothing of poor quality even if it's just a short-lived trend. I just don't like to spend money on clothes that won't hold up after only a few wears. How do you balance building a classic work wardrobe with more trendy pieces to keep it fresh and fun each season?

FORBES STYLE FILE / Style Strategy: Can I wear peplum to work?

     Something very cool is starting today. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Forbes.com to help launch a new section on their website dedicated to fashionable women in the corporate world: Forbes Style File. I am officially a contributor of a weekly post titled "Style Strategy" where I show women working in a corporate environment ideas on how they might style non-traditional items of clothing for work. If you're interested, check out my first post here. And if it so interests you, please continue to check back. My own posts will be published every Monday at 8am, but there are certainly a lot of amazing style bloggers out there that are also contributors to this great new site, so it might not be a bad idea to check back multiple times a day. ;)

      My first post discusses this peplum top:

      I am very excited about this unique opportunity. Let me know what you all think!!

    

Review: Sam Edelman Noah Flats.

   On my "most-needed" shopping list has been a pair of nude flats. As many of you know, with extremely difficult to fit feet, shoes are definitely not an easy thing to cross off my list. A few weeks ago, I came across these Sam Edelman Noah flats at Nordstrom. 

Sam Edelman Noah Flat in Nude from Nordstrom

      They appeared to be the perfect nude color for my skin tone and they had an elastic opening which is almost always a requirement in order for flats to remain on my narrow heels. Also, my experience with Sam Edelman shoes, they've always been of pretty good quality. Since I was heading back to the U.S. in a few weeks, I didn't hesitate to order them. A few photos (iPhone photos as I did not have my camera with me):

Quick breakdown:

Quality: At first impression, these appear to be of good quality. The leather is soft and it is well constructed. They have a rubber sole as opposed to leather, so they do not need to be zips=oled to extend its life, which is good. I imagine that these would hold up for a while with frequent wear.

Look: I am really happy with the way these look on the feet. Toe is not too round, and although I don't mind a little toe cleavage, these didn't show any at all and still didn't look matronly. I also really like the nude color on these. Not too yellow or pink. A great wear with everything neutral. I could have gone without the little "SE" logo at the heel, but all of Sam Edelman's flats have this and is really not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.

Comfort: Comfortable! They didn't dig into the back of my heels or my ankles, which is always a problem for me. There was no pinching at the toes. I felt a tiny bit of rubbing along the mouth at the front, but it probably would disappear with a little bit of wear. There is a decent amount of padding under the feet. They are certainly flat, but I did not feel as if I was walking in my bare feet.

Fit: This is wear the trouble was. I purchased these in a size 6, my true shoe size. My feet are on the narrow side, and I didn't feel like it was a great fit in a size 6. They felt a little large even with the elasticized mouth. I think that if you have a regular-width foot or maybe even a regular heel, this probably wouldn't be a problem, but I was quite concerned that after the leather on these flats stretched out a bit, I would not longer be able to walk in them especially with my extremely narrow heels. They certainly didn't fit my smaller foot and I could only walk a few feet before I completely walked out of the shoe. I wasn't convinced that going down half a size would have helped in my situation. 

Verdict:  Return. I am much too concerned about these no longer fitting my feet after a few wears. I do recommend them if you have regular width feet, however. You can find them at Nordstrom for $99.95. They also come in white, black, snakeskin, and orange suede.

      A Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! :)

Spring Neutrals.

       I totally ate my words in my last EOTD post when I said I'd be happy to wear my knee-high boots just a little while longer. It took FOREVER for spring to finally arrive in Toronto. Figures. As much as I love being home, I do really miss the mild winters and the early arrival of warm weather in D.C.. So this is actually one of my first true warm weather outfits of the season...and it's May. 

Shirt: J.Crew Boyshirt (Snowcat, size 0). See here in Paisley.

Pants: GAP Skinny Mini Skimmer Khakis (Khaki, size 00).

Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor (Grey, size 6).

Watch: Michael Kors Runway (Silver, MK5076).

Rings: H&M.

Bracelets: Aerie, Forever21.

       As much as I love bright colors in the spring and summer, I decided to do something a bit different today and wear all neutrals.  It took me a few minutes to get used to the combination of the khaki and black/white print, but eventually decided that I liked it.  Super easy and simple, but the fun print of the shirt keeps it interesting. The shirt is one of my most loved and most worn pieces of my closet.