Jourdan Dunn at Burberry Prorsum {Style.com}

One of the most common complaints I get from men and women is around “being casual”. What most end up with are jeans, a button down shirt or tee ~ and a feeling that they could have done better. Being casual doesn’t mean you need to look like you just rolled out of bed. The keys to being casual …yet chic & curated are:

• Consider more than just jeans ~ slacks, leggings, skirts and dresses count too!
• Casual is more about a feeling than a look ~ it’s about being easy and comfortable
• The “chic” part comes with practice ~ for now, always consider your outer garment as part of your outfit
• Blend colors ~ casual doesn’t have to be funeral drab (read: black); the fun part of casual is about touches of color
• Comfort always ~ most spend time in a suit during the week, so the downtime should be about comfort and ease
• Loose but not hanging ~ look for looser/more relaxed fits but not oversized or dumpy (that says bummy, not casual)

Wee happened upon this picture of Jourdan Dunn and thought she nailed chic casual. Agree?

Some of our favorite brands for chic casual include:

• All Saints
• Burberry Prorsum
• John Varvatos
• Collective Concepts

We love the pictures and, frankly, the four styling offers are phenomenal ~ but only available through Tuesday at 11PM EST!

{photo from Style.com}

Style Notes: it was very Tory Burch with models rocking gloves and very ladylike chic purses; they were more buttoned up than not; the colors were fairly low key with creams and blues with hints of aubergine and earthiness; and the hemlines that hit just below the knee created thoughts of the 50s

Runway to Walkway: Her entire collection is walkway chic if not a bit overly ladylike ~ don’t look for lots of zest except with the handbags that received bit of embellishment with luxe trims and straps.

Overall: liked it and very Tory Burch, but wasn’t in love with it. 6.5/10

{photo by Marcus Tondo, Style.com}

Doo Ri Chung‘s runway show was ‘business as usual’ and she returned to her well known roots as a “drapaing” queen. The overall palette was not colorful ~ highlighted by pale pink, browns and eggplant.

Style Notes: I have been a fan of Doo Ri’s easy silhouette’s and slightly suppressed styling; she presented some very nice looks but nothing stunning

Runway to Walkway: most pieces can make their way into the professional woman’s wardrobe without much fuss, but with a large impact on your overall style savvy

Overall: while Chung returned to her draping-norm and the runway looks didn’t knock you off your seat, they’re very wearable and present fabulous takes on easy pieces. 7.5/10

Romare Bearden

Clearly not the man himself since he passed away in 1988, but Macy’s celebrates the 100th birthday of Romare Bearden for Black History Month in conjunction with The Romare Bearden Foundation. Although the exhibition will be available February 16-19, the reception is on February 16th at 5:30PM.

Born in Charlotte, NC, Bearden focused mostly heavily on the lives of travelers on their way to and from home.  Displayed most prominently in Black Odyssey, his 1977 series of 20 collages based on episodes from Homer’s epic tale The Odyssey, A Black Odyssey is a new SITES exhibition of intellectual and artistic heft.

I aspire to own one of his works, so I’ll keep you posted on that but, in the meantime, make sure to fit this legendary artist’s exhibit into your schedule this week. Macy’s has done an outstanding good to bring it to life!

{photo by Yannis Vlamos, GoRunway.com}

Diane von Furstenberg named her collection “Rendezvous” ~ the program notes said, “Glamorous at a moment’s notice” and that’s that she gave!

Style Notes: The collection used black as a staple but showed a wonderful array of reds, teals, soft dewy pinks, and touches of yellow and aubergine. It was amazingly flowy (read: feminine) without taking you into evening-wear unwillingly; and the bonus were the opera-length gloves featured on several of the models….beautiful and richly colored!

Runway to Walkway: most items were close to the body but not overly snug; all hemlines were workday appropriate; some of the newer style prints may be difficult to wear during the day but most showed ‘day to dinner chic’ and ‘desk to date sophistication’ with ease

Overall: not unlike any other of her collections, you’ll want to add a piece to your wardrobe, so you can be ‘glamorous at a moment’s notice’! 8.5/10

{photo by Amanda de Simone, GoRunway.com}

{photo by Amanda de Simone, GoRunway.com}

So-called “extra men” have a storied history in polite society: they’re natural-born charmers, called upon to make up numbers at the table, dance with undesirables, and escort other men’s wives to functions when the ladies’ husbands can’t be bothered.  Bastian turned up a 1974 listing of the top 30 the city had to offer. They ranged from Charles Addams to Bill Blass to, oddly enough, Norman Mailer, the irascible, six-times-married novelist who famously stabbed one of his wives. “Everybody wanted to sit by them,” Bastian said of the extra men.

Style Notes: very debonair and a definite nod to the 70s; very European in the fit with shorter pant hemlines and close-to-the-body silhouettes; the theme and history of the “extra man” play out perfectly here

Runway to Walkway: the use of color inspires the how-to on manly use of color; the layering makes this very workable now from day to evening; and for the man who wants dapper as his ‘middle name’ this is a text book

Overall: loved what this could do for men…if they followed it! At least, the use of color is worthy of multiple glances. 8.5/10

{photo by Amanda de Simone, GoRunway.com}