What We Want : Bright Pants

Maybe it’s the chilly weather or the abundance of beige we’re seeing on the streets but we have been craving color in our lives! We just painted our walls with blue and teal stripes but it isn’t enough. We want more vibrancy to counter these overcast days we’ve been having.

Enter the bright pant.

While we haven’t been seeing them on the streets, we’ve found bright pants in stores all over. We suggest pairing these statement pieces with white tops and neutral colored accessories. Beige, light brown, and white allow the color to pop and keep the look sophisticated instead of clownish. For full effect, pair the pop of color with another bright pop via nails or a statement necklace. 

WHAT/ WHERE: 

(Far Left) Blue à Opening Ceremony

Green à Zara

Pink à Cycle

Yellow à Opening Ceremony

Light Blue àCycle

Light Green à Ralph Lauren

Light Yellow à Quicksilver

Noted : A Q&A on Constellations

Question: What’s a print that’s cheeky enough to be a head turner but subtle enough to be chic?

Answer: Constellations.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Runway à Dolce & Gabbana

Gloves à Nordstrom

Ankle Boots à Nasty Gal

Fire Pit à Sundance

Ring à Sundance

Dress à All Saints

Bag à Mod Cloth

Necklace à Max & Chloe

Perfume à Karl Lagerfeld

Flats à Fendi

Tank Top à Endless Wishes

What We Want : Mini Menagerie

These woodland inspired accessories are so whimsical yet adult. We love all things miniature but sometime mini can become kitschy. Designer Mai McKemy manages to make her little pieces elegant.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Jewelry à Woodland and Belle

Charmed : Spinning a Tale

The saying, “its jewelry that tells a story” has never rung quite as true as it does with these necklaces by Emily Rothschild . The spinning pendant has charming images on both sides that create an “animation” when put into motion.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Spin-off necklaces à Emily Rothschild

You Can’t Be Serious : Bubble Shoes

Every so often we see things that really make us wonder about the taste of designers these days. Sometimes a good idea is taken just a little too far over the edge until it’s a mess, plain and simple. Bubble shoes are a perfect example of how something modern can become a monstrosity.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Heels à Melissa Gaetano 

Flats à Karen Millen

Update : Noted

One lovely reader requested that we provide more inexpensive versions of the Noted items we've featured. So, we found some more little pieces that will suit any Modern Renaissance lady's fancy.

FYI: We hate the term trend because it sounds so impersonal and dated. We prefer the term noted -- meaning the look stands out to us and is becoming more readily available in the market. And without further ado, some more options of the noted looks from recent posts...

What We Want : Stamped

We Modern Renaissance ladies are loving all of the semi-DIY items we're finding on the market right now. One of the easiest ways to personalize an item is to stamp it. Here are some stamped items we're coveting:

We've got a reputation for our present wrapping prowess and one of our techniques that attracts the most adoration is our personalized paper. It's easy to duplicate! All you need is kraft paper (kraft boxes, manila envelopes, and paper bags work as well), ink pads, and stamps. We really like the effect of alphabet stamps. From a person's name to a festive message, stamped out letters really pack an intimate punch.

WHAT/ WHERE: 
Tank à Delias

Wall paper à Anthropologie

Pillow cases à Urban Outfitters

Door mat à Ballard Designs

V-neck à Anthropologie

Updated : Non-polka dots

Like magic! After our post on irregular dots we began to see these pretty little things everywhere!

Here are four more lovely finds:

WHAT/ WHERE:

Red dress and blouse à Tibi

Cowlneck top à BCBG Generation

Ruffle Dress à Cynthia Steffe 

Noted : Patched With Panache

We often find that magazines latch on to completely different trends than those that we are drawn to. Perhaps it’s due to our lack of advertising dollar obligations or merely our personal tastes but we are not into the current crop of fashions that the publishing world is selling to us. What’s a trend that industry isn’t highlighting?

Noted : Trench Dresses

Sometimes the clothing that's deemed appropriate for the workplace is just so staid and basic. That's why we love the resurgence of the trench dress. More sophisticated than the shirt dress but less stiff than a suit, the trench dress is the ideal office getup.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Bag à Valentino

Khaki Dress à Ann Taylor  

Poplin Dress à Chloe

Tux Dress à Joseph  

Jacquard Dress à Thread Social

Silk Dress à Rag & Bone 

Noted : Dropped and Detailed

Today we had the pleasure of attending the Oscar de la Renta runway show. To say that the pieces are more beautiful in person that in photographs is an understatement. You simply can't get a sense of the detailed beadwork, the shine of the fabric, or the flow of the draping without seeing each piece up close and on a moving body. That being said, we were feeling quite validated in our trend scouting abilities when we saw that the very trend we intended on posting about today was all over the ODLR runway.

What's the trend?

What We Want : Springing Forward

It's far too early to definitively state the key trends presented during New York Fashion Week. However, one trend has clearly begun to emerge: Dressed Up Denim. 

In fact, Women's Wear Daily just reported on Ralph Lauren's new luxury denim line called "Ralph Lauren Collection Denim". 

This isn’t merely denim trousers or dark denim jackets. The new dressy denim involves sophisticated dresses, luxurious trims, and refined accessories.

 Although we first spotted this trend in the high end market, we have found some fabulous yet affordable interpretations of the dressy denim trend.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Designer

Cocktail Dressesà Lanvin

Belt à Chloe

Trench Coat àBurberry

3/4 Dress à  Prada

Denim Suit à Ralph Lauren

Affordable

1 à YMC

2 à Karla Colletto

3 à Kuyichi

4 à New York & Company

5 à Gap

6 à Carven

7 àJessica Simpson Collection

8 àMarc by Marc Jacobs

9 àRepetto

What We Want : Checks

It seems that every time we open a fashion magazine we're told that stripes are "in". We're so tired of seeing stripes season after season. So we were pleasantly surprised when we saw this chic interpretation on checks:

While we can't afford those gorgeous designer creations, we can* afford these variations on the check trend:

*Ok, so we can't afford the Missoni either but a girl can dream!


WHAT/ WHERE:

Dress and Chair à Anthropologie

Braceletsà Green Raising

Dress à Missoni 

Tankini à Coco Rave

Blouse à Rag & Bone

What We Want : Dots

Polka dots feel passé but this messier take on dots feels just right. The look is unsystematic but clean—nothing grungy about it!

Don’t worry about spending an arm and a leg on this style. You can easily replicate it yourself. 

We'll show you how...

What We Want : Chic in Chains

For the past several seasons, while “rocker-chic” reigned over the runways, chain embellishments skewed towards the harsh, grungy, and tough. Androgyny and don’t-mess-with-me style took center stage.

It’s time for a palate cleanser...