I wanted a couple of bags to spruce up my boring basic bag that I use to carry my family’s stuff. That’s what moms are for right? I really liked this Christian Dior’s Plisse tote. It’s intricately designed and the pleating is amazing. The hardware made it feel a little more casual.  So I can stroll around with this anytime.

Each year I like to look at new beach bags, ok I should admit right now I have a fetish for Coach Hampton bags. This year a new trend caught my eye. Not at a store either. My daughter had a bag hung on her door. It was simple bag made out of cotton fabric with rope. The only design it had on it was a single flower. I went to look online for some bags like these for the beach and pool.

To my surprise there are lots of options! Target calls them eco bags, Kohls has them online and you can find them from street vendors in the city for a few bucks.  I even saw Jessica Alba in a magazine carrying one while in Central Park. New trend? I don’t know. But I can tell you they are great beach/pool bags! I got a couple from Target for around $10 each. Love it, love it, love it!

I’ve got a few examples of fun dresses. But I’m also going to talk about fabric. Two of the dresses I want to profile are made of fibers that are very unique. I hope this helps you understand what you’re paying for in a brand name. The first dress is a casual Jo Jersey gray dress by French Connection. I would wear this dress to do my errands, my shopping, and even play with my kids. All this with a pair of flats of course. The fabric it’s made of is strong. It’s 100% tencel, a fiber made of natural wood pulp cellulose. Tencel feels like silk and drapes beautifully. It wrinkles less than cotton and it’s breathable. Oh, it also shrinks less than cotton. Tencel is a little expensive but can be woven into other fibers so I expect to see it used by more designers into their clothing line.             

The second dress is the Sequined Keyhole Dress by BCBG. I love how this dress drapes. It’s sexy and cool. The sequins are not the only cool factor to this dress. It’s 100% modal.  You may have seen modal at Target since Merona has been using it in their mens underwear. Calvin Klein also uses it in his undergarment line. It’s rare to find 100% modal in a garment. This fiber is also a wood base fiber but from beech wood trees. Modal has become known as the“artificial silk”. But it wrinkles less than cotton and shrinks less as cotton as well. Don’t mistake that nickname. The fabric is good quality.

Banana Republic has a beautiful Georgette Dress for this season. Because its Spring, go with the yellow color if your skin tone can pull it off. It’s so classy and would flatter every figure. I also found a wonderful Vera Wang Chiffon Dress at Kohls for a great price. It comes in black or gray, I would pair with a colored pair of shoes and accessories.