I’ve never really been an orange-loving girl. You’ve got some water-colored pretties? Sign me right up. Neutrals? I’m with you. But orangey shades? No thanks. Until this year.

The year of Tangerine Tango have thrown this color into my face so often that (gasp!) I’m finding myself loving it. I’m starting small, by adding coral nail polish and lip color and then maybe–just maybe–I’ll go with something like one of these cute striped dresses.

1 ASOS skate dress :: 2 Proenza Schouler bag :: 3 Ella Moss swim dress :: 4 Revlon creme lipstick :: 5 Forever21 skirt :: 6 ASOS clutch :: 7 Anthropologie fedora :: 8 Felicity & Coco maxi :: 9 Essie nail polish :: 10 ModCloth dress :: 11 World Market infinity scarf

What are your thoughts on this orange explosion? Are you loving it or are you ready for a new color of the moment? Do you have any favorite coral pieces? I’m on the hunt for inspiration!

If you read my blog with any regularity, you know I’m a huge red carpet geek. Any excuse to drool over pretty gowns and fab styling is OK by me.

What I (almost) like more is figuring out how I can translate my favorite looks into pieces that wouldn’t look terribly out of place in my own closet.  Last night’s Tony Awards gave me just that opportunity.

Amanda Seyfried / J. Crew dress / J. Crew belt / Marc Jacobs clutch / ASOS sandal

Amanda Seyfried strutted her stuff in a beaded Givenchy dress last night. I won’t lie, this look isn’t my favorite. The beading and change in color of the dress plus the bright belt is a bit much. What I absolutely love, however, is the combination of bluish-purple with bright pops of neon orange. So fresh and modern, don’t you think?

I decided to create a look that is inspired by Amanda Seyfried’s, but which is stripped of unnecessary extras. I focused on the color and I think the result is much cleaner and kind of perfect for summer. What do you think?

I know I’m a little slow here, but I am officially on the maxi train. I’ve been obsessing over them for more than a year now and I’ve finally found a recipe that works for my body.

tee: Old Navy / maxi: Old Navy / necklace: Hive & Honey / bangles left: Tinley Road / bangles right: Hive & Honey / sandals: Forever21

First, it’s all about the gauze. Breezy and loose fitting, the pretty gauze skirts and dresses out there won’t cling to you (ie won’t show any lumps and bumps that you’d rather keep under cover). I had been drawn to cottony pieces but have found that they just don’t work for me. I bought the maxi skirt above at Old Navy last week and I am madly in love. I’m seriously considering heading back in and buying a few more.

The other thing I’ve learned is that I need something that can be nipped at the waist. I love the really loose and flowy looks, but I need something that has at least a little bit of structure. Whether it’s darting in the dress itself, the addition of a belt, or using separates to create a shape, I need something or I run the risk of looking larger than necessary.

I’ve also learned that lots of the dresses that are out there have tiers that create a sort of drop waist effect. This is a huge no for my body, as it does nothing but cling to my gut–something I’d rather not make the center of attention.

Now that I’ve perfected my maxi recipe, I’m pretty sure it will become my new summer uniform.

Is there a trend that you’ve had to fiddle with until you find the best way to make it work for your body? I want to hear about it!

I’m completely obsessed with retro swimwear. And I’d be lying if I told you it’s solely because I think the silhouettes are cute and feminine.

I mean, they definitely are. But my favorite thing about retro swimsuits is that they are so very forgiving. They cover up areas I don’t feel like showing off to the whole world (hey upper thighs! hey baby pooch that just won’t melt away!) and they nip you in at the waist to create an hourglass shape that anyone would kill for.

Take a look at some of these fab shots to see what I mean.

So how do you rock a retro-inspired bathing suit without looking either frumpy or as if you fell off the set of a period piece? Luckily there are tons of options for retro swimwear out there. You just have to know where to look! ModCloth and Anthropologie are great places to start. Pin Up Girl Clothing also has some great options.

clockwise from top left: Anthropologie retro poppy bikini :: ModCloth two piece swimsuit :: Anthropologie gingham maillot :: ModCloth one piece bathing suit

So what do you think? Will you be wearing a retro bathing suit on the beach this summer?

PS You may have noticed things look a little different around here. My fabulous sister, Michele Frechette, redesigned my blog header (she needed something to do to keep her mind off of the baby that’s trying to crawl out of her uterus) and helped give the blog a fresh facelift. And a Facebook page is coming this week! What do you think of the change?

Whenever the temperature starts to rise and bare feet no longer means frostbite, I find myself on a hunt for bohemian pieces. There’s something about golden rays of sunshine and feeling a warm breeze on your skin that releases your inner hippie, don’t you think? It just makes me want to wear flowy skirts and flowers in my hair.

This is a major reason why, when we were putting together the first issue of our bridal magazine (a summer issue), we decided to do a bohemian photo shoot. We chose flowy, laid back dresses, piled on bracelets and big floral hairpieces (which I made!). The result was a gorgeous spread that even non-brides can look to for inspiration.

Since way back in December I shared my list of to-dos for 2012 with you, I thought I’d share some of the fabulous photos from my first big styled shoot!

photographer: JacPfef for Bijou
makeup: Meredith Hayman
stylist: Jen Garry

Are you drawn to bohemian fashion as much as I am?