Find Friday: the fashionista staple

This week my dear friend introduced me to an amazing store, Francesca's. When I saw this piece, I knew it would be coming home with me.

This modern kimono cost $38.00. (Unfortunately not everything is on sale.) It may seem pricey, but the piece is actually really worth the money.

Finds like these are what I would call "the fashionista staple". A fashionista staple is an article that you can wear for an extended amount of time that displays big trends in an unforgettable way. Francesca's piece is a kimono, has a beautiful floral design and flaunts fringes. All three of these are big trends this season.

The best thing about the kimono is that it is perfectly unique. Until walking into that store, I had not seen a piece like this anywhere, but loved it just the same. Clothing options like this are important because it instantly updates any staple piece you have. Tank tops, skinny jeans, even work attire can be made into a completely new look. 

This kimono is also versatile. The colors go with pretty much anything and it’s lightweight for summer. However, it can be used in layering for when it starts to get cool as well.

A summer outfit idea is to pair it with a romper and cute wedges. 

Shop Francessca kimono's here. 

The men's swimsuit gone bad

Being more than half way through the summer, you have most likely seen a lot of swimsuits. Those glorious times spent hanging in the sun gave you a chance to relax, but also to see what the world of swimwear is offering.

Hopefully you have not seen the most recent fad for men. I cannot bring myself to put a picture of the style on this blog. If you choose to look, just know the image will be forever burned into your brain.

The asymmetric man-thong is basically a piece of fabric covering as little skin as possible. The wrapped design covers the only essential part of a man and uses his gluteus maximus to do the rest of the work.

According to Buzzfeed, there is a wire men can use to adjust the fit to make sure it stays on properly.

The French brand Alter came up with this controversial piece. Calling it a "String Lateral Flash", it is described as an 'original and ultra-sexy string which encloses one side of the waist".

The piece was seen on British reality show stars Bobby Norris and Harry Derbidge. However, every day consumers have begun to adopt the fad.

How did this happen?

According to Prynne, men and women swimsuit fads have reversed this year. For women, the 1950 trends have come back. We are embracing the retro swimsuit with higher waists, one pieces and generally a larger amount of coverage.

The sale of this style at Debenhams has risen 17 percent compared to last summer. Stores are already ordering more of the style for summer 2015.

This is great for women's swimwear. An earlier post will explain why.

Men's swimsuits however, have slimmer fits and shorter lengths. Prynne says fashion experts believe the trend was sparked by seeing celebrities like David Beckham in tighter swim trunks.

According to Southflorida.com, "almost all of the men's brands are reporting 6- to 9-inch inseams with swim trunks, down from 12 to 14 inches". A Debenhams spokeswomen reported that men's swimming shorts are an average of 2cm shorter than in 2013.

The asymmetric man-thong took this idea and emphasized it as much as possible without asking men to go completely naked.

Ladies, please keep your man from wearing this. For one, the look is totally unflattering and looks very uncomfortable. Most importantly though, you can see almost everything. Unless you choose to go on a nude beach, no one should be subjected to this.

I am all for new fashion. But if the piece has to be explained by saying "uses his gluteus maximus to do the rest of the work", there is something seriously wrong. Not all fashion is good fashion.

Correction: Fashion Porn changed to Southflorida.com for correct attribution

Find Friday: And the sale continues

My find this week is another fabulous sale item I purchased at Express on the July Fourth weekend. (Can you tell I love that store yet?)

The original price of these pants was $69.99. I got them on sale for $19.99. In other words, the very same deal I got the lace skirt!

These pants are a staple for every work wardrobe. Skinny, pinstriped and dark navy adds a huge professional impact. These are the kind of pants that say "I definitely came to work today". Plus, they go with anything in your wardrobe.

Seasonally, long skinny dress pants can be worn in the summer, fall or winter. They keep your legs covered, but not so covered that you are burning up in them. Try adding some boots when it starts getting chilly.

I wore these with a pink t-shirt, polka dot sheer cardigan and white wedges.

Find Friday: When you find it, you get it!

This Find Friday is all about getting great pieces in a sale. Over the July Fourth weekend, Express was having an additional 50 percent off sale on the clearance rack.

That's where I found this amazing skirt. Its original price was $69.90. I bought it for $19.99. Look out for these sales. Stores like Express run them regularly on holidays and certain times of the season: What is normally very expensive becomes very affordable. You are getting great quality pieces for an amazing price.

This all-lace skirt is great for work during the summer months. The lace and color-blocking look very professional. However, the shorter skirt under the lace overlay keeps you cool. Plus the long skirt length is very on trend right now!

I wore this with a dark blue, jeweled embellished shirt and red heels.

The FittingRoom

Technology has done a lot for fashion. Live streams of fashion shows, online ordering and dresses made with usable, movable machinery are just a few examples. The phone brought us even farther. Now not only can we order online, but we can do it while we are in the car...or having coffee! 

The invention of this app has brought us a little farther. FittingRoom is an app available through Apple's App Store that lets you get instant fashion advice. 

If you aren’t confident about the outfit you have on or are at a store alone looking at clothes, you can post a picture of your outfit and ask FittingRoom’s “engaged fashion conscious community” what they think. 

The app itself is similar to Instagram. You log-in and instantly scroll posts people have uploaded. You can vote on peoples' outfits and give advice on what to buy or how to wear something. 

Pros

If you have roommates or friends that don’t care about fashion, this gives you an instant connection to those that do. You don’t have to be alone when picking out an outfit anymore. 

This also helps you know you are getting an honest comment. I mean, let’s be honest, we don’t always believe our friends or boyfriends when they say we look good. This fashion community will give you an honest, fashionable opinion to what you have on.

FittingRoom could also eliminate the struggle with a piece you are unsure about buying. We all have those moments when we are not sure if a piece of clothing is worth the money. In a purely economical sense, could save you money on articles that would end up sitting in your closet. 

A quick picture on this app and you will be heartily convinced one way or the other. (Another piece of advice though— if you heart is not in the piece, don't buy it.)

Cons

First of all, it is only available on Apple devices. So if you only have androids, you are out of luck.

Also, sometimes strangers can be too harsh. The people on this app do not know you personally or know what can hurt your feelings. Posting a picture in an outfit you are insecure about runs the risk of getting comments you cry about later. 

That being said, I would hope that people on this app come from the understanding that everyone feels insecure about their outfits at times and need constructive criticism. 

The other con is that this app is open to the public. It is difficult to tell if everyone is actually “fashion conscious”. For that, I would say read the comments carefully and look into their pages, if they seem to know what they are talking about, listen to their comments. Otherwise, don’t take the comments too much to heart. 

Fashion takes a lesson from food

Food trucks. Everyone loves food trucks. The food is delicious and the experience unique. For those of us seeking a little more adventure in our lives, this is the way to go. Who knew we would be able to do that with fashion one day?

That's right.

Starting in 2010, fashion has taken what became so popular with food and made it their own.

Fashion trucks offer a personalized, alternative shopping experience. Like a boutique, the clothes are one-of-a-kind. They each sport a different type of style. Some are only accessories; others go for only edgy pieces.

According to Good Morning America, once the fashion industry saw how popular food trucks were becoming, it seemed "almost like a natural progression." In LA as of this year, there are about 20 fashion trucks alone.

The American Mobile Retail Association says that 68 of its 92 members operate fashion trucks according to Jamesetta Walker. 

The pricing is similar to that of boutiques, with pieces typically costing under $100.

What is so great about this?

Basically, we can now have our cake and eat it too. Fashion trucks eliminate the negatives of both kinds of widely known shopping. Sometimes we want to shop, but don't want to drive to the store. Online shopping involves a lot of risk in not knowing if what you are buying will work.

A fashion truck can come to you and you can try on the pieces you find.

Undeniably there will be days when you are being lazy and refuse to even step out of your house. For those days, take advantage of creating an appointment with a truck (=D). Not all trucks will do this right now, but some will.

You can also host a fashion truck party.

I don't know about you, but I am super excited for this! There is a truck in Denver I am going to be longingly searching for whenever I go out now.

There are two cons that come to mind with this idea. One, the space is very small so less people can go inside at one time. Therefore, it could take longer to find a piece and have awkward maneuvering. Two, less space means less quantity. Sizes and styles could disappear quickly. 

To find a truck near you, check out The Fashion Truck Finder to get contact and location information.

Just because

A new post will be up tomorrow, but in the mean time I wanted to post this link!

Fashion adds can be mystical, fantastical and (sometimes) weird. Take a look at Elle's favorite fashion campaigns and let me know what you think about them.