Do you love supporting local, independent businesses?  Are you in desperate need of some fun with your girlfriends?  If so, head on over to Frances and the shops at  Union at the Biltmore Thursday, the 28th from 6-8 p.m., for a great night of shopping, treats, and supporting local, indpendent businesses!

We are back with another installment of gift guide finds. This time we are concentrating on gifts that range in the $50-$100 range, which makes them appropriate for the special ladies, friends or family, in your life.  (I had to slip that ring in even though it technically doesn’t meet the $50-$100 price point.  It’s just so dang cute and would make a perfect gift for any woman!)

Style Notes: J.Crew Refined Crystal-bow Buckle Belt $68 / Anthropologie Lyra Booties $59.95 / Kate Spade Sweeten The Deal Idiom Bangle $88 / Anthropologie Peter Pan Pretender Sweater $49.95 / Anthropologie Sunrise Bow Cloche $68 / Burnish Rose Gold Monogram Necklace $50/ Anthropologie Peter-Pan Paillettes Sweater $89.95 / Anthropologie Flicker Fly Ring $38 / Kate Spade Working From Home iPad Sleeve $50

Style Tutor has been a big fan of the Clothing Swap hosted by the CO-OPhx ever since we first met its brainchild, Kelsey Wong, at WordCamp Phx earlier this year. We love participating in this event, where people bring their lovingly used clothing to swap with others, because it combines all of our favorite things: fashion (obviously!), community, a social and festive atmosphere and philanthropy. The CO-OPhx Swap team has been working overtime with the fall swap, which will be held this Sunday, October 28, from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. at Frances Vintage (10 W. Camelback), to make this event bigger and better than ever. A variety of local collaborators — including us! — will be on hand with giveaways and fun DIYs, and several food truck vendors like Short Leash Hot Dogs, Mamma Toledo’s Pies and Shine Coffee will be there to keep all the swappers well nourished. And the best part is that all unswapped items will go to the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, a comprehensive self-help center whose mission is to empower women and help them improve their lives.

Not sure what a clothing swap is? Check out this video put together by Alonso Parra of Lamp Left Media:

Clothing Swap CO-OPhx from CO-OPhx on Vimeo.

Style Tutor is proud to be a part of this fantastic event; we will be on hand to offer style advice and are excited be giving away a free closet visit to one lucky swapper. We hope you can stop by on Sunday with your swappable items — you can even make a day out of it: do some shopping, make some new friends and grab lunch, all while supporting your community and a great cause! See you then!

We are beyond thrilled to partner with one of our favorite local boutiques, Frances Vintage, on Thursday, October 11th for an evening of snacks, fall fashion tips and tricks, and shopping!  The fun begins at 6 p.m. with snacks and shopping followed by the workshop session at 6:30 p.m.  Kristy and I will share some of our favorite fall clothing and accessory trends, give you some tips and tricks for how to incorporate these on a budget, and be on hand to offer some styling tips as you shop!  Frances Vintage is also generously offering all workshop participants 20% off their purchase the evening of the workshop.

Registration is $15 and is as simple as stopping by Frances Vintage (10 W Camelback Rd) or calling the store (602-279-5467).  We hope to see you October 11th!

The Style Tutors were excited to receive this request recently from a mother-to-be on the hunt for fashionable and affordable maternity clothes:

Dear Style Tutor,
My husband and I are expecting our first baby in October, and we are very excited. I am less than excited about shopping for maternity clothes. Having always been able to be fairly confident about sizes and styles that best suit my body and my taste, I am now struggling to find cute, decently priced maternity clothes. I mistakenly assumed that I could go to my local mall and have a pick from a variety of cute options. Boy, I was wrong! There are very few stores in my area that actually carry maternity clothing in the store, and the ones that do are less than desirable. There are local boutiques that carry pricey maternity clothing, but I am having difficulty purchasing expensive items that I will wear for 5 more months. So, I am forced to turn to mostly online shopping. This is also challenging as I am not really sure about sizes and fit. I am about 17 weeks along. I am 5’6′ and weigh about 132 pounds. I definitely do not fit into my regular clothes as I have already gained about 14 pounds (forget about belly bands when I can’t get my own pants past my hips). So, I need to buy maternity clothes because I am getting bigger by the second. Help! Who knew shopping for mommy clothes would be so challenging? By the way, I should mention that I have to dress up for work–awesome!
Maternity Clothing Woes

I was instantly sympathetic to Maternity Clothing Woes’ dilemma. Anyone who has ever been pregnant knows just how difficult finding flattering maternity clothes that are both fashionable and affordable can be.

After my first pregnancy, I went into my second pregnancy and second maternity clothes hunt with much more clarity and a few rules that helped me feel as good as possible. Here is what I found to be my favorite pieces throughout each pregnancy:

1)  No panel or demi panel: I highly recommend the no panel or demi panel for every single maternity clothing purchase.  I found all the other panel styles to be annoying, especially as the pregnancy progressed. The demi panel does offer some much needed support, though, in the latter months of a pregnancy, so if you are trying to maximize your dollars, just stick with the demi panel for all purchases.

2)  Skinny jeans: This is the pair I bought a pair from Gap and they survived both pregnancies.  (These might be cute too.)  I like the dark wash b/c it is slimming and is easy to dress up or down.

3)  A great pair of shorts.  I actually found a very flattering pair of jean shorts at Motherhood Maternity.  They fit well, made my legs look long, and made me feel like I looked cute, even days before each kid was born.  This pair from Gap are a great pair to dress up or down.

4)  Work pants.  Again, I turned to Gap for these. (Are you noting a theme here?)  They were affordable, had a demi panel, and were flattering.  They, too, survived both pregnancies.  I had a light kahki pair w/ a light pink (very subtle) pinstripe, a dark brown pair, and a black pair.  I like these and  these (they come in three colors).  Old Navy also has a nice pair that seem less maternity like than other pants, which for me is ALWAYS a huge plus for maternity clothes!

5)  Shirts:  Liz Lange for Target makes some great maternity t-shirts.  This top is adorable and would look great with some skinny jeans for a more casual look or with a blazer and some trousers for work! (Unfortunately, no matter how much I wished for this line to be my go-t0 source of chic and affordable maternity clothes I found all the other pieces in the line ran unflatteringly large, including the shirts that did not have a fitted cut.)

Gap has comfortable shirts as well.  How cute is this? (paired with these black skinny pants, a great pair of shoes, and you now have a great outfit for work, going out, more casual events…it seems like a great go-to look).

With my second pregnancy I scooped up shirts at Loft whenever they had a certain % (often 30-50%) off of full price or sale items.  They have cute, comfortable shirts that are often a bit embellished, which made me feel a bit cuter than when I would just wear a plain t-shirt.  I simply bought a size or two up, depending on how far along I was.  (I was able to sell these shirts at Buffalo Exchange after it was all said and done.)

5)  Skirts/dresses:  Honestly, I hated how I looked in a dress or skirt, so I just didn’t wear them very often, which broke my heart because I am definitely a dress person.  From time to time Motherhood Maternity has fairly cute, affordable ones. This maxi dress is on trend, adorable, and looks comfortable; paired with a blazer or structured cardigan it becomes more work appropriate. Gap has some cute dresses as well.  When I did happen to wear a dress I stuck to something like a wrap dress or a tailored shift dress.  This dress is very cute; if it had existed when I was pregnant I would have purchased both colors and worn it with leggings, which means two dresses, four looks!

6) The majority of your shopping will have to be conducted online, unless you happen to be lucky and live in a city that has a variety of maternity clothing retailers.  (I love in Phoenix, and aside from pricey boutiques, my local mall only has one store that carries maternity clothes.  In order to get to a Gap that carries maternity I had to drive 60 miles!)  There are some great online retailers that are fairly well known like Gap, Old Navy, Motherhood Maternity, and A Pea in the Pod and some lesser known, but equally amazing retailers like ASOS, Loft, and Hatch Collection that are worth trying out if you are struggling to find clothes locally.

7)  Don’t negate the power of cute accessories, a great pair of shoes, and a nice handbag to punch up an outfit, pregnant or otherwise!

ASOS Maternity Shirt In Bug Print: $60.88/ Gap Striped A-line Dress: $59.95/ ASOS Maternity Tee In Photographic Flower Print: $38.27/ ASOS Maternity Cropped Pants In Floral Print: $48.71/ ASOS Maternity Blouse With Double Collar: $31.31

Hope these tips help!

xoxo- Style Tutor

Need some style suggestions for an upcoming event, or just want to liven up your everyday wardrobe? Send us an email or comment on this post and we’ll jump on the case!

The Style Tutors were excited to receive this request recently from a bridesmaid on the hunt for an affordable dress:

Dear Style Tutor,
Please help!  My dear friend and sorority sister has asked me to be a bridesmaid in her October wedding at the South Mountain Farm in Phoenix.  For the bridesmaids dresses, the bride has decided that she wants all of us to pick out different style dresses in the color blush.  She would like the dresses to be around knee length and fall on the less pink side of the blush color spectrum.  I am currently in graduate school and therefore limited in shopping time and financial resources ($250 would be the most I could spend).  Can you help me find some affordable options for this fall wedding?
Thanks,
Pretty In (Not-So-Pink) Blush

We were instantly sympathetic to Pretty in Blush’s dilemma. Anyone who has ever been part of a wedding knows what a pain the wardrobe can be. We like that the bride is giving her maids the opportunity to choose the dress they feel most comfortable in (and that best fits their price point), but we know it can be stressful trying to pick one the bride will like, especially in a color as open-to-interpretation as Blush. So we took to the Web and found five options that meet our bridesmaid’s needs.

1. Silk Dupioni V-Neck Bridesmaid Dress from Ann Taylor: $235. It’s a great price, and the simple shape and elegant neckline make this dress suitable for any number of occasions. Blush is a tough color to pin down, though, and it is sometimes tough to tell what a dress will look like in real life when you’re online shopping. So this one might be a bit on the coral side — Ann Taylor calls it Lush Sangria — and it may not work with the other maids’ dresses. The same dress also comes in Cameo Pink (which is probably too pink) and Cobbled Path (which is probably too brown), as well as in a few different neckline choices, which are worth looking into.

2. Hailey Dress in Cotton Cady from J. Crew: $215. J. Crew is the go-to for refined, stylish bridesmaid dresses at a reasonable price. This basic sleeveless dress is casual elegance at its best: you can dress it up with some sparkly accessories or tone it down for the office. J. Crew does not have a true blush option this season, but this Sweet Orchid color looks pretty close.

3. Soigne Skirt from BHLDN: $150. If the bride is open to it, this fun skirt is a beautiful shade of blush, and can surely be wore again and again. The camisole it’s paired with in the picture is lovely, but at $150, the outfit is over budget. Another option is the Naomi top in champagne from J. Crew (adjacent to skirt). At $98, it keeps the entire outfit right at $250.

4. Battened-Down Dress from BHDLN: $250. This dress could not be any more adorable. The bow is sweet, but still sophisticated. And while it might not be practical in the daytime, it could certainly be worn to future special events.

5. Donna Morgan Belted Ruched Chiffon Dress: $158. Although this dress is chiffon, it’s demure cut and soft color don’t scream wedding. Throw a fitted blazer or cardigan over it and it’s certainly work-appropriate.

We hope our suggestions are helpful, dear Pretty In (Not-So-Pink) Blush. Please be sure to send us a pic of you in your dress on the big day!

xx- the Style Tutors

Need some style suggestions for an upcoming event, or just want to liven up your everyday wardrobe? Send us an email or comment on this post and we’ll jump on the case!