livforstyle

A Day (Dress) In May

         It’s about time the sun has peaked out from behind the clouds.  Although, still on the chilly side, the bright sunny days have inspired me to wear some of my new, favorite daytime dresses.  Nothing is better than those days where you can just throw on a dress rather than worry about wearing jeans and finding a matching top.  Dresses like the one in today’s post are the best because they act as a blank slate, meaning you can wear pretty much whatever you want with the dress to capture your own personal style.  Keep on reading to see how I transform a basic dress into one stylish look with only a few pieces.

         So the formula for a simple, yet stylish outfit is a no brainer. First start with a basic piece.  In my case, I chose to wear my favorite new dress from Tobi.com.  This dress is described as the perfect “day dress,” and I totally agree.  This dress with a subtle olive colored tie-dye pattern and the ruffle overlay is perfect to wear to any day event.  Think graduation parties, summer barbeques, pool parties and much more.  The ways to style this dress are endless.  I can totally see myself wearing this dress with a jean jacket, kimono, layered necklaces, or statement earrings.  You can wear this dress in so many ways to numerous events and people won’t even know it’s the same dress, which is always the goal when finding pieces to add to your wardrobe.  But today, I ditched a jacket and excessive jewelry and instead tried out a new fad, the bandana trend.

         Another versatile piece to add to your wardrobe, a bandana can be worn in countless ways, either on the head, the neck, or the wrist.  If you want to experiment with something different than the usual scarf, bracelet, or headband, I highly recommend adding a bandana to your collection. Since the bandana is really trending for this season, you can find a multitude of bandanas in any store.  For me, my favorite bandana is one that features warm colors and tassels, so this bandana by Mudd is perfect for me. Since my dress is on the low cut side, I tied my bandana around my neck.  I love the warm colors paired against the olive shade of this dress.

         Since, I wanted to keep my jewelry minimal, I decided to just wear my favorite Hollis Hayes bracelet.  Of course, my bracelet features a beautiful elephant charm, which goes perfect with the boho vibe of my look.

         Lastly, for shoes I am not ready to break out sandals just yet (waiting to get a little tan first) so a pair of short booties works perfect with this look.  Although, the weather is getting warmer don’t put away your booties just yet.  Instead, continue to wear your favorite booties into the early summer months with dresses and skirts for one stylish outfit.  I love these taupe colored booties from Marshalls because they feature lots of cut outs to keep my feet cool and fashionable.

         Finally, I am starting to wear some of my new spring clothes.  Nothing is better than the feeling of styling a new wardrobe for a new season.  If you are looking for new dresses to add to your closet, I highly recommend heading to Tobi.com for the best collection of dresses for any style or occasion. Keep this conversation going and let me know in the comments below about your formula for the perfect spring/summer outfit.  Talk soon!

Dress: Tobi (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) | Bandana: Mudd (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) | Shoes: Marshalls (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) | Bracelet: Hollis Hayes (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR)

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Best Dressed At The Met Gala 2017

         Last night was a special night; I had the honor to attend the 2017 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  HA! Just kidding, I wish.  Instead, I admired all the beautiful celebrities and designers from my couch while in my pajamas.  One day, I will get invited to this exclusive fundraiser, but this year I relied on the tons of photos that my favorite celebrities and designers posted on their social media accounts.  Although, I did not experience this invitation only event first-hand, I can still recap all the amazing fashion on the red carpet and that is exactly what I am doing in today’s post.

         Before, I can jump right into my best-dressed list, I feel obligated to share with my readers a little background on last night’s invite.  So The Met Gala is one of the best and fashionable parties on the East Coast.  During the event, tons of famous designers, models and celebrities, like Kim Kardashian, Nick Jonas, Katy Perry, Tom Brady, Bella Hadid, Pharrell, Tory Burch, Anna Wintour, and so on strut their stuff on the red carpet.  Each year, the Met Gala has a special theme and this year’s exhibition is devoted to 74 year-old Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo.  This is the first time since 1983 with Yves Saint Laurent that the show is dedicated to a living designer.

Designer Rei Kawakubo is extremely successful, starting in 1969 when she founded her avant-garde label known as Comme des Garçons, which is French for “like some boys.”  She is known for defying norms and creating something new.  As a designer, she challenges ideas about beauty, gender, and identity, making her one of the most inspirational designers in the world.  Kawakubo goes against traditional fashion rules, designing pieces that are unique.  Most famously, she is known for creating pieces with contrasting themes, like then/now, male/female, past/present, self/other, clothes/not clothes, which emphasizes her fascinated with “in betweenness” (Vogue).  So with that being said, of course everyone at The Met Gala took some fashion risks to celebrate this amazing designer.

 

(https://www.yahoo.com/style/met-gala-2017-everyone-wore-slideshow-wp-221828678/photo-p-york-ny-may-01-photo-221828572.html)

Cara Delevingne

Since, designer Rei Kawakubo loves to challenge gender norms, I admired the stars that decided to ditch the typical dress and opt for a fabulous pantsuit instead.  So of course, Cara Devlevingne dazzled in her shiny, metallic silver pantsuit by Chanel, which also featured a plunging neckline and a chunky belt at the waist.  She continued with the head to toe silver theme by even painting her shaved head with silver paint, which totally is a fashion risk that I am sure Kawakubo celebrates.

(http://www.elle.com/fashion/celebrity-style/news/a44968/bella-hadid-alexander-wang-dress-met-gala-2017/)

Bella Hadid

Bella Hadid was another celebrity on the red carpet last night who challenged the idea that just because you are a woman doesn’t mean you always have to wear a dress.  Instead, she wears this fierce number by Alexander Wang.  Who could not love her sheer, beaded, and black body suit?  The extreme open back detail of her body suit just shows that a body suit can be just as sexy as a dress.

 

(http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/05/met-gala-2017-see-all-the-looks-from-the-red-carpet/slideshow/2017/05/01/all_the_looks_fromthemetgala2017redcarpet/GettyImages-675613998_master/)

Celine Dion

Not only does Celine Dion have an amazing voice, she also proved that she has amazing style last night on the red carpet.  It was her first time at the Met Gala and she totally knew how to dress to impress in her Versace dress.  I love the silver, gold, and black coloring of her dress.  It really resembles Kawakubo’s style because of the unusual style.  I love how each piece of the dress has a different shape and just seems to be fastened with those gold buckles on the shoulder and waist.  Plus, Celine’s dark smokey eyes totally complete her edgy look.

 

(https://www.yahoo.com/style/met-gala-2017-everyone-wore-slideshow-wp-221828678/photo-p-york-ny-may-01-photo-221828400.html)

Gigi Hadid

 The Hadid sisters can do no wrong on the red carpet.  Just like her sister, Gigi Hadid also made my best-dressed list this year.  Gigi’s nude dress paired with sexy, fish net panty hose perfectly represents Kawakubo’s love for “in betweenness,” considering Gigi’s Tommy Hilfiger dress is short and revealing on one side with a high slit and more covered up on the other side with lots of tulle and a long train. Her look just shows that mixing different fabrics and silhouettes is how you make a statement.

(http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/05/met-gala-2017-see-all-the-looks-from-the-red-carpet/slideshow/2017/05/01/all_the_looks_fromthemetgala2017redcarpet/GettyImages-675603554_master/)

Halle Berry

Another celebrity that stunned in a sheer jumpsuit.  I can’t get over all the beautiful details of Halle Berry’s Versace jumpsuit.  The embroidered jumpsuit featured metallic gold appliqués throughout the entire piece, which totally caught the attention from everyone.

 

(http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/05/met-gala-2017-see-all-the-looks-from-the-red-carpet/slideshow/2017/05/01/all_the_looks_fromthemetgala2017redcarpet/GettyImages-675606914_master/)

Blake Lively

 Blake Lively can do no wrong when it comes to the red carpet, so naturally she made yet another one of my best-dressed lists.  I am obsessed with her Versace dress.  Of course, I love the metallic gold color, but what really caught my attention is that elaborate feather train.  The shades of blue feathers paired with the gold color of the dress really pop.  I would never have thought gold and blue would look so good together, but it just shows that taking risks and going against traditional fashion rules can result in one beautiful look.

(https://www.aol.com/article/lifestyle/2017/05/01/kendall-jenner-bares-all-met-gala-2017/22064315/#slide=5013283#fullscreen)

Kendall Jenner

 Kendall Jenner was yet another celebrity who did not ignore the revealing dress memo.  Her bedazzled, sheer dress by La Perla Couture features many high slits.  However, if you think those slits were revealing enough, her dress is also backless.  Talk about defining fashion norms, Kendall Jenner shows that there is never such a thing as revealing too much.

(http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/05/met-gala-2017-see-all-the-looks-from-the-red-carpet/slideshow/2017/05/01/all_the_looks_fromthemetgala2017redcarpet/GettyImages-675584956_master/)

Lily Collins

 Lily Collins celebrates Kawakubo’s avant-garde taste in her Giambattista gown.  Her dress features a beautiful color combo, black and soft pink which blends femininity with edginess.  Her dress also includes tons of tulle and a corseted top.  I love how the dress plays with different shapes and textures, making it one of a kind.  Plus, her blunt bob haircut and vampy lip color adds even more edge to her look.

(https://www.yahoo.com/style/met-gala-2017-everyone-wore-slideshow-wp-221828678/photo-p-york-ny-may-01-photo-221828024.html)

Rihanna

 What an honor it must be to wear one of Kawakubo’s designs and to wear it so well like Rihanna did last night. Rihanna was dressed in one of the pieces from Kawakubo’s brand, Comme des Garçons. This multi-colored number totally represents Kawakubo’s unique taste making the audience wonder if what Rihanna was wearing was a dress or a skirt and top combo.  Of course, Kawakubo uses her fashion to blur the lines and challenges typical fashion rules.  Rihanna totally pulled off all the ruffles and petal details and of course those knee high strappy sandals, making her look like a real piece of art.

And that’s a wrap for this year’s best-dressed list.  Once again, I will keep on praying that I will be invited to next year’s Met Gala.  But until then, I will just continue to admire everyone’s fabulous looks from a far.  Keep the discussion going by letting me know who made your best-dressed list from last night’s event.

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