Swimsuit Season

This weekend got me thinking about the dreaded swimsuit season. It’s here gals, and if you need a good suit, you should have started shopping by now. Don’t wait until mid June, because the selection will be limited. You can look for bargain suits, but fit and comfort should always be your top priority. A nice suit can last for years and is worth a little extra cash (especially when it makes you look and feel fabulous). Here are a few tips to help you find a suit that flatters your figure:

1. Appear Slimmer: choose darker colors, especially in areas you want to camouflage and stick with matte fabrics that don’t have a lot of sheen. Also, don’t draw attention to your widest body part. Vertical stripes are your friend, horizontal are your foe (particularly when placed at your widest point).
2. Thick Middle or Stomach: try diagonal and vertical stripes or fabrics that stretch to hold in the area.
3. Short Legs: try styles with higher cut bottoms.
4. Long Torso: try higher cut bottoms and higher waisted bikinis and tankinis, tank and scoop neck styles.
5. Short Torso: try lower cut bottoms and lower waisted bikinis (boy shorts, hipsters), deeper v-necks and vertical stripes.
6. Big Arms/Broad Shoulders: try halter style suits and those with wider vertical straps and v-necks.
7. Large Hips and Bottom: try short-style, sarong and skirted bottom suits, deep v-neck styles that draw attention away from your lower body.
8. Small Bust: look for ruching and gathering on top or lightly padded, printed suits and steer clear of the bandeau style tops.

Better hurry up and get shopping!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

Yippie! My favorite three day weekend of the year is upon us. Time to barbecue, hang out with friends and let the kids run wild. It is also time for one of our secret sales. Beginning today through the end of May, take 25% off everything in our store (sale items included). Just our way of saying thanks to all of our wonderful customers and friends who read our blog.

Enter MEMORIALDAYSALE in the coupon code area during checkout to receive the discount. Any questions? email us at customer@ladylanguage.com and we'll be happy to help.

Have a fun and safe holiday!

Latest Obsession Update - Summer Handbags

Alright, so I must admit that I gave up on my purchase of a new handbag. I posted recently about my great finds, and they are still great, but I am always wondering if there is a better deal out there. Enter my new Sierra Trading Post catalog. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this store, they are similar to Overstock or Smartbargains and sell discount designer merchandise. They tend to have higher quality, classic items rather than the more trendy stuff and you can snap up some super deals. Plus, if you are a classy kind of gal, many of these bargain items will stand the test of time.


Take for instance the Sak Classic Hobo Bag in Grey Metallic. Hot this year, but maybe not so much the following year. But you can bet that the classic style of the bag will endure and you can continue to add it to your wardrobe as necessary.


Always, always check out this site if you are looking to add timeless, good quality pieces to your wardrobe. Not sure what to look for? Timeless pieces include; basic wrap dresses, sheath dresses at knee length, A-line and pencil skirts with a flat waistband that sit at or slightly below knee length, straight and bootlegged trousers with a flat waist, single-breasted blazers that end slightly below the hip line, basic camisoles and simple, tailored blouses.

Oh yeah, I did snap up that red hobo bag from ebags.com. I love it! Great buy and perfect for the summer plus I love the bright color and nylon outer.

Summer Wardrobe Help

A recent dilema from one of our customers prompted this post:

Q. Help! I would like to update my summer wardrobe and have gained weight around my middle this winter. I don't want styles that make me look pregnant (because I am not!), but I need to look good and feel comfortable! Any suggestions? -Claire

A. I think many women have this same problem, especially this time of year. With your trouble area, I would look for trapeze and blouson style tops. These will skim over your stomach even when you are sitting. And, they won't add that prego look. You can also opt for babydoll styles - just make sure they don't billow out in the front too much. Here are some good style choices for you:

Summer Jackets

Recently a friend asked me for some advice on what type of jacket to wear in the summer. She wanted something versatile that could be worn to work with skirts, with jeans, trousers and dresses. In my opinion, jackets are worth the splurge and every gal should have at least one good quality summer style in the closet.

My favorite find from Maxstudio.com (and on sale for $118) is a feminine, linen and silk jacket with a flouncy hem and puff sleeves. This style would look great with pencil, a-line and pleated skirts as well as narrow and wide-legged trousers. You could also throw it on with jeans or capris and black and white cotton sundresses. Well worth the splurge.

Another great find that pairs well with many outfits is the Soft Focus jacket from Anthropologie. In white or black for $88 by Elevenses.

And if red is your color and if it's a bargain your looking for, check out this pretty jacket by Forever21.com. I wish they had it in black and in white - I would snap up all three colors at $28 each.
I found other cute jackets on the Forever21 site and a few more on Rampage.com.

My friend snapped up the jacket from Anthropologie in black and absolutely loves it.

Cool Summer Tees

I am always on the lookout for chic and affordable summer tee shirts. I favor the urban look and love screen prints and feminine details. I frequently shop the internet to find unique items and designs.

If you haven't visited Etsy.com, please do. It is a great site for all things handmade and you can find some great bargains and very unique items. I like the poofy sleeved tee (shown at left) by Flux Productions for $35.

Global Girlfriend is a good site if you are looking for organic items from a fair trade boutique. I visited the site recently and found a pretty, basic top with a scoop neck and flowy design (shown at right) in a sweet berry color for $24.

And don't be afraid to visit some of the junior clothing stores. I am in my mid-30s and wear a lot of shirts that are made for the younger crowd, but it fits my style. One of my faves this season is the Stencil V-neck by Ransom (sold at Alloy stores) in purple on the left. I love the deep v-neck and gathering details - it's an all around feminine tee with an urban edge $19.50.

Also, check out chicchemise which is a site for all things related to t-shirts. This site will keep you updated on the latest trend and finds if you are a serious tee gal. It is also a fun read.

Latest Obsession - Summer Handbags

I have been scouring the web looking for the perfect summer handbag. I am not about to spend over $50 for a bag that may end up soiled with mud or red juice stains (yes, my 3 ½ year old daughter loves to claim my purses as her own). Last week I found a ripened and somewhat smashed banana plus an opened Juicy Juice punch box in the bottom of my favorite suede handbag. Ah yes, the joys of children and one of several reasons to shop for bargain handbags!

Ebags.com - I love big hobo bags, especially in a bold color this season - the red hobo by Star 50 is nylon and can easily go from the beach to shopping and holds a lot of gear - $58.64.

I also love Kooba and Chloe style bags - they are very chic and effortless and also fairly expensive. I am not stuck on the label, but the look they represent, so I usually shop for inspired or budget styles that are on par with my chosen designers. As far as I am concerned, if you like the bag and it looks good, it doesn’t matter what the label says or how much you paid. Identify designer styles you love and keep this in mind when shopping.

Baghaus.com is awesome - you can shop by designer (inspired, of course) by price or by style:




Inspired by Kooba - the White Natasha Tote is very chic and elegant - $49.99.

Inspired by Chloe - the Blue Paddington has a kick of color - $52.99.

I also found a silver clutch perfect for evening events $24.

The little white dress is a summer staple this season and these little clutches from stylenetworkcafe.com would make it pop - all under $25!

Bag Borrow or Steal has a great outlet if you want to pay a little more for the real thing (used of course, but recycling is a good thing, right?). You can also pay to borrow the bag for one week or one month if you need it for a special event.

I will keep you posted on what I bought and if they meet my expectations in a few weeks!

Testing Post

New to the blogging game here and hoping to catch on quickly. We have lots of great fashion ideas and life experiences to share with our customers and readers. We will also be posting our secret sales and promotions occasionally - currently we have a dress sale running until June 1, 2007. Enter coupon code DRESS20 during checkout to take 20% off.

Thanks for visiting!

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