White, stripes and lots of denim are rocking the racks at Bloomingdale’s in White Plains.
Along with pastels, beach weddings and festival-inspired fashion (a twist on boho chic).
At a summer preview hosted by the store, Bloomingdale’s fashion accessories designer Erica Russo and guest Lilliana Vazquez, style expert and contributor to the “Today” show, discuss the season’s hottest trends.
The show’s styles feature “Today’s Take on Denim,” “A New Look at Nautical,” “Every Day is a Festival,” “White From Head to Toe,” “Pretty in Pastel” and “Beach Wedding and Beyond.” The offerings include luxe leisure wear and a cool spin on casual clothing, along with feminine dresses in flattering colors, textiles and prints and standout accessories.
Vazquez is perfectly dressed for the occasion, her outfit complementing the show’s denim and nautical looks. She wears a flirty denim skirt with ripped detailing and a color-block blouse in white and navy. She accessorizes the outfit with a white, pointy-toe, high-heel sandal bearing an ankle strap and an orange lipstick that pops against her blouse.
Her look is playful, but chic, or as she likes to say, “feminine, with a little bit of an edgy twist.
“I always lean more toward skirts and dresses, but I like to do so with a little bit of edge,” she says. “The edge can come through accessories, like a great bag or really cool jewelry, or shoes.”
She is most enthusiastic about the season’s play on white, stripes and festival-inspired wear.
“I think those (categories) are traditionally summery and now that summer’s here, I’m excited to play with them and wear them.”
The preview also features tassels and textured jackets as well as off-the-shoulder tops that Vazquez considers must-haves.
“Donna Karan said it best when she said, ‘Shoulders never age.’ Every woman’s shoulders look good and, luckily, there are so many options,” she says. “I think the more practical something is, the more wear I’m going to get out of it. And for the modern woman shopper, that’s what she’s looking for. I love a cold- shoulder top because you can still wear a bra with it and it still feels sexy, current and fashion-forward.”
But regardless of trends, fit remains at the top of Vazquez’s checklist.
“If something doesn’t fit, don’t try to make it fit,” she says. “I think you really have to understand what works for your body and your body type. It’s amazing how much more you can get away with when the fit is accurate.”
Our top takeaways from the show are: 1) Wear white; 2) Experiment with stripes of different colors, width and direction; and 3) Rock festival fashion, but with a global traveler-inspired spin.
Of equal importance, she stresses proper underpinnings (for white outfits in particular) and warns against — gasp — ugly shoes.
For more on Vazquez, check out her Twitter and Instagram social media handles, @theLVguide and @LillianaVazquez, and her blog, The LV Guide, at thelvguide.com. For more on the styles featured in the show, visit bloomingdales.com.
