It’s that time of year when all the high school reunions start happening.  Since they typically happen over a 2-day period, you may find yourself at a casual dinner or cocktail party and then at the park with family the following day. If you are planning on attending your 20th (or above) reunion, here’s a couple of  ideas for inspiration:

Cocktail Party

Since this is typically the first event, you’ll want to make a grand entrance and look your best.  The perfect designer for that? Laila Azhar. I met Laila four years ago when she was starting her line — she is the master at draping and making a woman feel beautiful.  And the lovely thing is that she is every bit beautiful on the inside and out. This one shoulder dress in purple is the perfect style for rectangle body types because it adds a little detail at the shoulder and the hips to create more of a defined waist. For a lower-priced, but still fab alternative try this one by Maggy London.

For shoes and accessories, wear some gold chandelier earrings and some
Stuart Weitzman mushroom peeptoe pumps or these great priced Bandolino gray suede peeptoes.

Family BBQ at the Park

This outfit inspiration is courtesy of Yvonne. I saw her wearing this yesterday and she looked super chic – heads were turning when she walked by.  If the weather is 75 degrees or under, this whisper thin vneck is absolutely perfect.  Push the sleeves up a bit and pair it with a lightweight scarf — obviously, the scarf is for dramatic effect and you’ll want to tuck it in your purse when you’re eating and such. (Note: it looks even more chic if you wear a scarf in the same color as the top but since that was not found, the one shown is a great alternative.)

White jeans look best with this lightweight knit and they also reflect the sun so you won’t burn up.

Add some flat fringe sandals in a yummy caramel color to complete the sea-inspired color palette.

What do you think? Would you wear these to your high school reunion?

You’re the hip aunt or friend whose been invited to the college graduate’s celebratory dinner or after party.  You are sophisticated, well-traveled and make your croissants from scratch. But you’re also good at telling very funny stories about your boss and tend to quietly gather an admiring crowd at any event you attend.  You are the independent 21st century gal and so are your fashion choices.

Enter Helmut Lang.  As you walk in wearing this cool stretch wool dress (wool breathes!), you look modern and unassuming.  Yet, once you turn to grab a glass of champagne, you get double-takes.   For what was once considered another take on the classic black dress has now turned into a full-fledged love affair.  The dress now matches your charmed personality.  It’s love at first site.

The dress is so hot, you could probably walk in barefoot and still look utterly chic.  But because we love shoes as much as this dress, you’ll want to try something architectural to match the style.  These Robert Clergerie Dielo’s should be enough inspiration.

A big patent leather clutch pulls it all together.  Or try a clutch in a unique shape – here’s one by Alexander McQueen for inspiration.

Since June graduations are upon us, it’s only fitting to figure out what to wear when it’s an outdoor ceremony.  If you are fair-skinned like me, SPF is only going to protect you for a couple of hours so a hat becomes a necessity.  Not only do they provide great sun protection, they also add an amazing amount of style to an outfit.

When selecting a hat, you want to think about your face shape to ensure that you’re wearing the most flattering style.  I know it can be tough to figure out if your face is heart-shaped, triangle, square, oval, round, etc so here’s Wardrobe 911’s two easy rules for hat selection:

1.  If you have a long face, wear a hat that has a flat crown and a wider brim.  The wider brims will balance you out but the medium brims look flattering as well.  Hats that look great are shown as numbered: 1) Eric Javits Celeb Hat , 2) Ann Taylor’s Wide Brim Hat, and 3) Eric Javits Squishee Cap.

2.  If you have a short or petite face, wear a hat that has a high crown and narrow/medium brim.  These styles won’t overpower you and will give you some needed height. Hats that are especially flattering are 3) Eric Javits Squishee Cap – flattering for all face shapes, 4) cloches, and 5) Eugenia Kim’s signature style hat, the “Muffy“.

If your face shape is fairly proportioned, you are not limited by hat styles, just by personal preferences.

You also want to be considerate of other people in the audience who may get the privilege of sitting behind you.  Seeing the grads cross the platform is important and if your hat is so big that you are blocking others from seeing, you may find yourself the object of a few unkind remarks.  So…pick a hat that covers your head appropriately and if you love the wide-brims, sit in an aisle seat.

Happy June!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and took a moment to see Sex and the City with your best gal pals.  I now will always think of the term “coloring” with a smile on my face.  Besides maybe looking for a LOVE keychain, I thought the outfits were great for the characters Miranda and Charlotte, but some of the outfits they threw SJP and Kim Cattrell in were frightening.  What did you think?

Anyways, here’s our reader question of the week:

A Reader Asks:
My oldest son graduates high school this month.  There are many functions to attend.  A senior ball, a church service, scholarship luncheon and the graduation.  I’m forty-five years old and I’m not a high heel wearer.  Have any suggestions?

Wardrobe 911’s Style Prescription:
Congratulations on your son’s graduation!  There are certainly options for what to wear for the church service and luncheon as long as you follow the flat shoe rules we posted last month.  Since we only have time to focus on one outfit solution, the graduation ceremony is the most important. You’ll be looking at these pictures for a long time <wink> so make them count.

A simple sheath with a bit of detail in a flattering color is perfect for most body types, especially rectangles.  This one by David Meister has princess seams to create the illusion of curves.  Pair it with a great bracelet that has an edge like this stingray cuff — it shows a bit of personality and is a wonderful juxtaposition against the ladylike outfit.  Since flat shoes are your modus operandi, try these black Cole Haan peep-toe shoes which have Nike Air technology.  You’ll want to carry a nice handbag to hold your camera and tissues.  Yves St Laurent’s Uptown bag is the perfect size and amazingly chic.  If investing in the bag isn’t your cup of tea, borrow it for a week from Bag Borrow or Steal.

Summer is fast approaching and so are the many events that occur during the season where figuring out what to wear becomes a high priority.  There is one that causes much angst because we realize we need to look absolutely smashing, no excuses.  It’s the high school reunion.  So here’s our reader question of the week:

A Reader Asks:
I seriously need your help! I recently received an invitation to my 20th high school reunion, so I checked your archives to see if you had any words of wisdom. I didn’t see anything specific to reunions, so I thought I’d ask.

My 20th high school reunion is this summer. I graduated from a small town and the invitation specifically stated that it will be a casual affair. There is a Friday night mixer and a Saturday afternoon/evening family affair. Can you recommend a few summer outfits that are understated, yet simply fabulous?

Wardrobe 911’s Style Prescription:
No matter if the invitation says “casual affair,”  I guarantee you that every gal will make a special effort to look great.  There is something about reunions that carry so much emotion for us and coming back home looking fabulous is paramount in our quest to overcome our awkward teenage years.

With that, you don’t want to look over-dressed, just effortless.  Dressing for your personal coloring and body type are crucial in looking your best.  (If you don’t know your body type, take our just-updated body type quiz.)  The outfits shown are best for rectangles, hourglasses and inverted triangles — 85% of women according to research we conducted in 2007.

For a Friday night mixer, you will want to up it a notch because it’ll be the first time your former classmates will have seen you in 20 years.  A beautiful summery dress is perfect and this season is all about the dress — there are TONS of wonderful options in the stores that will make your head spin. We’ve chosen a cute halter dress from Castle Starr in a shimmery neutral and paired it with a colorful strappy sandal. Other great dress options are Foley + Corinna’s jersey dresses or even Vince’s effortless shift dress.  Wear a beautiful silver cuff on one arm and your handsome sweetie on the other.

For the afternoon/evening family affair, something more casual is going to be appropriate.  Shorts or jeans are pretty much the standard here. Dress them up a bit by choosing a dark wash or colored denim.  Here, we choose a white jean by AG (a cropped version is also great) and pair it with a super-flattering knotted jersey top by Chaiken.  These tops are worth the price — stores can’t keep them in stock because they look GREAT on the body.  Wear a cute sandal and throw on the same arm candy from the night before and you’ll come across effortlessly stylish.