Featured Fit: Dresses in the Winter...

By Cool J in Minneapolis

A cold front hit Minneapolis pretty hard this past weekend. What do Minnesotans do when even the highs are below 0?

Well, the men go ice fishing, apparently.

...where they sleep in ice cabins on the lake.

Yes, Dusters headed "up north" with some buddies for the weekend. Eight men slept in this little bunkhouse for two nights. No showers. A tiny "bathroom" of sorts. No running water. Sounds fabulous, right?

No? Well, how about an outing to a warm, cozy theater to see Silver Linings Playbook (loved it. Bradley Cooper sure is dreamy) followed up by a dinner with some friends at Red Stag Supperclub, and then some piano-style karaoke at Nye's Polonaise Room (voted best bar in America by Esquire magazine- yes, in Minneapolis! Take that NYC!)

I wore a casual denim striped dress and colorful scarf, both from Anthropologie.

I paired the dress with an orange Cole Haan purse from Haute Look (for quite a steal of a price!)

 I love wearing dresses but sometimes they just aren't the right fit for the cold. It's nice to find a dress that works in the winter (i.e. long sleeves, warm material). Paired with a scarf, this look was cozy, but still a little dressy for a Saturday night out. Though let's be honest, no dress will keep you warm with temps like we've been experiencing...eeks!

Who is ready for spring?

Karaoke at Nye's Polonaise Room- definitely a favorite fit of mine in Minneapolis!

{I've learned my iphone camera does not like these temperatures either!}

Functional Fit: The Same Dress?

By Jessie

My husband often gives me a hard time that I'll take any excuse to buy a new outfit or dress, and usually it's true. However, every girl has her budget, right?  And that means I must repeat dresses.

Another option for new dresses is a LTB- long term borrow- with my sisters, or perhaps another fashion swap! In fact, LL may be wearing this same dress to her holiday party in December!

So, I attended my coworker's wedding last night at the Landmark Center in St. Paul, and the same dress I wore to Abby's wedding (read about it HERE) made its second appearance.

{Abby's wedding}

{Same dress!}

I paired the dress with a faux fur jacket from Francesca's Collection, which was necessary for a  November wedding!

The wedding was lovely-

 The bride looked beautiful!

We planned to get up early for our long(ish) run, so we didn't stay there too, too late. But the ceremony was nice, the food was great, the toasts were touching, and I was happy to be a part of the special day.

And the dress enjoyed another opportunity to sparkle!

Throwing a Fit: Anthropologie's Fall Dresses

By Jess

I would probably consider myself an "Anthroholic." However, I am definitely not the true Anthroholic scammer of THIS STORY- "Alleged Scam Rocks Devoted Anthropologie Community - yikes!

I only mean that I love to shop at Anthropologie. There is one located directly on my drive home from work. At least once a week, I swing by just to see what's new...or better, yet, what's on sale. (I can often find some great items on the clearance racks that really fit the bill!)

During my stop this week, I was throwing a fit for all the ADORABLE new fall dresses.  I could barely resist these items:

The Pleated Pointe Dress retails for $158 (check it out here). I love the vibrant color, combined with the simple, classic cut.

The Oxidized Medallions Dress retails for $148 (buy it here). I love the pairing of this dress with the funky brown necklace, as well as the combination of maroon and navy, perfect for fall.

The Sunblaze Lace Dress really caught my eye, but with the $328 price tag, I could only throw a fit for this one. (Buy it here)

My favorite was definitely the Honeycomb Lace Dress, retailing at $288. (Find it here) Mustard is such a wonderful fall color, and this shift dress was gorgeous.

Without any fall weddings or events, I wasn't able to justify any new cocktail dresses at this time. I'll continue to throw a fit for these wonderful dresses.

Fingers crossed that in a few weeks, one of these dresses will find its way to the sale rack, where I can snatch it up at a price that fits the bill!

Finalizing Fits: Black Tie Affair

By: LL
In an exciting turn of events, my husband and I will be attending a prestigious black tie fundraiser event at the beginning of September. Needless to say, we are very excited, but now I am tasked with finding a new cocktail dress ... and accessories, of course! Unfortunately, I haven't had a spare moment to do any actual shopping -- that will happen this weekend. But, I have had a few moments to begin brainstorming dresses and searching online. Here is what I have come up with so far:

1. Tahari Bonded Lace with Beaded Neckline Dress - $149
2. Adrianna Papell One Shoulder Chiffon Dress - $128
3. Adrianna Papell Illusion Bodice Pleated Dress - $158
4. Max and Cleo Brianna One Shoulder Jersey Dress - $118
5. Stuart Strapless Asymmetrical Colorblock Chiffon Dress - $114
6. Dorothy Perkins Raspberry Lace Dress - $55

I am leaning towards a muted color so that I can add accessories that pop. Since there will be dancing (under the stars to the music of Huey Lewis and the News), the Dorothy Perkins Dress might be too constraining. So many decision and too little time. But at least I am finding a lot of solid, affordable choices. I've set the goal of $250 total for dress, shoes and clutch. Might be underestimating, but I am up for the challenge ... in only 3 weeks! Yikes!!

Fit the Bill: Target Dress WITH pockets

By: LL 
Spring weather in the midwest is in full swing, which means that one minute it is hot and steamy, the next it is pouring rain. Luckily, there was a break in the rain, which allowed us to head out for a later afternoon stroll. Here is a peak at the cute little dress with pockets (#1 selling point for me) that I picked up at Target when I was supposed to be making a necessities run ... aren't cute dresses with pockets necessities? I wish my husband saw it that way!

Anyway, the dress, in stores now, is reasonably priced at $24.99. It comes with a matching tie belt, which I thought was a little too matchy-matchy, so I went ahead and paired it with a leather J.Crew belt.

{Dress - Target; Belt - J. Crew; Sandals - Steve Madden; Sunglasses - Rayban}

This steal of a dress comes in prints and solids, and has a striking resemblance to a dress featured in the InStyle "Under $50 Summer Must-Haves" (Page 201 for those of you with the June issue), but was even more of a bargain!