Solange-ing It

Solange Knowles is known for three things: (1) her supernova sister Beyonce aka Goddess, aka Queen Bey, aka Yonce if you so dare to address her majesty with a nickname, (2) her elevator brawl with a then-jittery Jay-Z (what exactly unfolded there will forever be an unanswered question of the universe) and (3) her inimitable style dressing to the nines in bright colors, optimistic patterns and incomparable personal touches that sing with style. I'm most enthused by number 3 although I do acknowledge that number 2 is more intriguing than elephants humping on the Discovery Channel.

As one of the most fashionable birds in the flock of stylish chicks out there, I often wax poetic on Solange's style. It's gotten to the undeniably-unhealthy point that when I see something terrific dangling from the racks at Topshop or clicking through the virtual treasure trove that is Net-a-Porter, I squeal in jarringly-high-pitch bird-cry: "Solange would wear this!"

Well, Solange would wear this outfit above fer suuureee. A lime-green and groovy yet niftily nautical dress from Topshop and spectacular statement heels from Tibi adorned with gobstopper gems and monochrome stripes (now on sale for $178 - down from the wince-worthy $445 price-tag so buy it right this very second!!!) have the Solange sass. Add in an Edie Parker-ish clutch and strut around like you learned it from Beyonce... just like Solange did!

Shop this Outfix:

Dress by Topshop, $140  /  Clutch by Halston Heritage, $348  /  Heels by Tibi, $178

Color Block

Color blocking is a shi-shi-fu-fu-fancy and totally-unnecessary word that, put simply, means vividly-saturated brights have been mixed and matched together to the heart's delight. And while copious color is a staple of summer style, this season it seems to be headed right into fall with a sartorial bang. Designers tangoed with the idea of color-blocking for their fall shows: the usual suspect color pailette of the season (dove grey, banal black, wintery white) were mangled and injected with shocking pops of color (among them - cobalt blue and fervent fuschia with some tangerine orange at play). So rest assured you can wear this outfit now and later, like the candy but also not at all.

Pair this yappity yellow crop knit from Topshop with a Carven A-line mini that zigs and zags with a colorful trio that really freakin' works. A perforated bag in a crisp white is an unexpected complement to striking saturations of color and minty-fresh pumps from Aldo are better with this look than an Altoid (assuming of course that you brushed your teeth this morning for the required and humbly-suggested two-to-three minutes). If this look doesn't make you want to wear a box of Crayolas, I don't know what will.

Shop this Outfix:

Top by Topshop, $50  /  Skirt by Carven, $25  /  Lips by MAC, $20 /  Bag by Zara, $80  /  Shoes by Aldo, $40

Mary-Kate and Ashley Realness

Remember when 'boho' was a thing. Like a thing to end all things. The thing. Everyone was buzzing about boho. Half-bag-lady, half-pseudo-hippie, and all-Anthropologie/Vintage-shop-treasure-finds graced the slender and slivering bodies of Mischa Barton, the Olsten twinz and Rachel Bilson. 'Boho' garbs in swirling prints with a nod to 70s vintage danced through New York and California and a tab open at Free People was a status symbol. Flash-forward to 2014 and I'm seeing traces of boho skitting down the runways of daring designers (Givenchy's fall collection screeched with spot-on Olsen-circa-2005-realness) and has trickled into the fast-fashion arena (Zara had upwards of 4,000 boho dresses for sale a week ago and 3,999 of them were cuter than a fat baby). 

Embrace this new wave of bohemian galore with a more upscale, professional take. What was once hippy-dippy is now as cool and trendy as kale. The big fat point - Raffia-fringy sandals, patchwork denim, a white blouse with little criss-cross laces, a romantic-ish clutch and strands of fluffy, tassel-dangling necklaces - what's not to like.

Go boho or go home... and shop this Outfix below:

Top by J. Crew, $98   /  Jeans by Current/Elliott, $248  /  Necklaces by Anthropologie, $87 for both necklaces pictured  /  Heels by Candela, $398  /  Clutch by Anthropologie, $68