A Midspring's Night Dream

Not much that I love more than a maxi dress.

Blazer:  The Limited (Available here)

Enter one in black in a silky fabric with sheer cutouts, and I'm in dream land.

Dress:  The Limited (Available here)

Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)

Earrings:  Ixora Boutique

I paired the dress with pretty pastels - a mint blazer, a blush clutch, and pale yellow nails.

Bracelet:  LOFT

The pastels soften up the black dress and give it more of a spring feeling. 

Pendant:  Antiquarian Couture (See more here)

The sheer insets are right on trend for spring evenings, but I'm also having fun thinking of ways to style this dress for fall and for more casual situations.

How would you style this dress?

Did you miss this morning's 1st installment of Dress Week 4?  Check it out here!

Fall 2013 Fashion Trends: Lingerie-Inspired Clothing

Today's glimpse into fall fashion actually incorporates five major fall trends. 

Skirt:  The Limited (old)
Peplum top:  Ann Taylor Petites (Available here)

Lingerie-inspired clothing was a huge trend on fall runways, and I love this trend because I have always loved corsets and bustier-style tops, especially when worn with tuxedos.

Jacket:  Forever21+ (Available in pink here)

Tuxedos and new, ingenious takes on the tuxedo continue to be popular this fall, as does leather, real or faux.  Peplums remained a strong trend on fall runways (More on the leather and peplum trends coming soon).

Surprisingly, pink, in just about every shade, is also a major color trend this fall.  

Ring:  Earthbound Trading Company (Available in stores)
Handcuff bracelet:  The Limited
Earrings:  Target (Available in stores)

Clutch:  Target
Heels:  Prabal Gurung for Target

 From the runway:

Nina Ricci Fall 2013 Lingerie-Inspired Look
Source:  Huffingtonpost.com

Nina Ricci Fall 2013 look
Source:  Style.com

My favorite lingerie-inspired looks came from Nina Ricci, but silky pajama dressing was also a big trend.

Louis Vuitton Fall 2013 look
Source:  Style.com

Bracelet (left hand):  The Limited

Today's outfit incorporates the lingerie trend through the bustier top, the corset-like seams on the pencil skirt and the lace-up booties.  I love that each piece is a nod to lingerie without being overly frilly.

Would you wear the lingerie trend?

For this skirt in another look, see here.

For this tuxedo blazer in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Source:  SaintLouisFashionWeek.com

P.S.  The Official list of nominees for the St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards is in, and I'm nominated in three categories!  Thank you to all of you who nominated me!

You can vote at http://www.saintlouisfashionweek.com/bloggers/st-louis-fashion-blogger-awards/ for People's Choice Awards winners in each category!  

Please take a look at the nominees, and if you think I'm the best in my categories, I'd appreciate your vote!

Vote once a day through September 16th.  

Meet the bloggers of St. Louis Fashion Week here.  Many of them are nominated!  It's always great to discover new blogs.