Speaking of fall, I’ve been really into the clean lines and classic hourglass shapes of 40s and 50s inspired clothing, and recently, in a fit of passion for fashion blogs, I stumbled across this post about a line called Stop Staring that creates just these types of dresses. The post belongs to a blog called The Fashionable Housewife, which is, indeed, very fashionable. I also love the message of the blog, which is that even moms — especially moms — deserve to feel sexy and beautiful!

Here’s a peek at the Stop Staring dresses featured on The Fashionable Houewife:

I know, I know, I’m the one who was all excited about the arrival of warm weather — but I can’t help being excited by the debut of the fall collections and all of the glory that goes with them (ie: pashmina scarves, cashmere lined gloves, leather boots, coats)! And let’s face it, I end up wearing most of my frocks during the fiercely cold months anyway, layered with sweaters and knit tights anyway. So, here is my favorite new transitory piece, the Silence & Noise dress at Urban Outfitters:

Rumor has it that purple is the color for fall, and this shade is sort of plum-purple, which is my absolute favorite. I would pair it with a great pair of high heeled leather boots (Frye Catherine 10, below), which I know I will probably not be able to wear without sweating until October, but a girl’s got to be prepared, right?

While I’m all about living in the moment, it’s hard not to look forward to fall with all of the shops putting their pretty autumnal clothes in the windows already…and it’s not even August yet! Perhaps it’s the influence that Italy had on me, or maybe I’m just growing up a little, or perhaps I’m finally taking to East Coast style, but I am smitten with the sharp, 40s inspired office wear that I’ve seen in fall previews. This one by Black Halo on Shop LA Style:

And, as my friend Emily has pointed out, snake skin is all the rage recently, and the Gwyneth “Quartz” Pump is particularly fabulous! I have recently become a fashion blog addict, and I must say that HeelCandy.com has got me salivating over a whole range of shoes that I never would have found otherwise. These are sexy but still subtle, and I think that’s sort of the theme of the whole outfit, don’t you?

I am fresh off the plane from Italy, where my girlfriends and I had an excellent time shopping, quite literally, til we dropped! After a veeeeery long plane ride, though, I’ve decided that dresses are the best things to travel in. True, I’m a little biased here, but they are definitely more comfortable than jeans and easy to layer to adjust to the ever-fluctuating temperatures on board.

This kimono inspired number from Banana Republic  is really pretty, and I think that it would travel well, too. I know all of the stores are coming out with their fall lines already, but remember that there are at least two more months of warm weather left, and even once they’re gone, this will look great with tights, boots, and scarves!

Traveling has become a tad tedious with all of the security restrictions, and fussing with straps and shoe laces is a hassle, so the ingenious Anna at Shoe Smitten Blog has created a list of fashionable shoes that easily slip on and off at the security checkpoint…any of which would look mighty fine with this shift!

I love my sandals!!!!! After falling in love with these, oh, four months ago, they finally went on sale at Lindsay Lou. They are the BEST. SANDALS. EVER. Soft, supple leather like velvet. Okay, I know this is a dress blog, but I had to post about these because I had to share the loveliness.

 But, of course, I didn’t forget about dresses. It’s just that to balance out the hefty price tag of these sandals, I’ve had to be a little more budget conscious. That doesn’t mean complete deprivation, though. Check out this sweet little number from Old Navy. It looks like they’ve come out of a long, dark winter after all.