Happy summer everyone! Today I am sharing with you St Roche’s easy breezy Spring-Summer 2017 lookbook. St Roche is a very young brand but with deep roots. Founded in 2014 the brand has gained quite a following in a relatively short period of time. And I can see why.

The duo behind the company is husband Paud Roche and wife Sue Stemp. With a long background in fashion working for such luminaries as Alexander McQueen and Tocca Sue Stemp brings her high-end expertise and combines it with a laid back, folksy bohemian aesthetic to create excusite yet wearable feminine clothes.

With a clean summer-bleached palette and easy go to separates the line up is a renaissance of laid back chic

Using eco-friendly materials and forming partnerships with manufacturers in India and Peru who are committed to ethical labor practices they produce clothing that is cruelty free and does not leave a negative footprint on the environment. So refreshing in this age of fast-fashion. And the collection for spring-summer 2017 fully embraces the relaxing so-cal vibe the company has strived to maintain.

With it’s artisanal hand-crafted details, embroidered touches, and relax fit silhouette the looks here quietly girlie. With a clean summer-bleached palette and easy go to separates the line up is a renaissance of laid back chic. Just add ruffles, stripes, tassels and some retro high waisted shorts and you have one effortlessly gorgeous collection. To see more from this collection and to learn more about St Roche head to StRoche.com

It has been brought to my attention more then once that I do not smile often in my photos. And my regular readers know that I don’t smile in photos because I do not like my teeth or really even my smile itself. When it comes to good health and good teeth I did not get lucky. I will spare you here the story of my health issues, but if I could change one thing about myself (not including my health) it would be teeth/smile.

After your eyes, your smile is the next thing most people notice. And having a less then stellar smile may seem trivial to some, and maybe it is, but to those who are the not so proud owner of a less then stellar smile it can be a bit daunting at times to live in such an image focused culture.

living here in the states the struggle is real for those who are less well endowed when it comes to their teeth

Seriously look around. In The States it seems it is all about having a winning whiter then white smile. A friend of mine whose parents are from Ireland, spent some time living in Scotland and she said there she is considered fairly attractive but here in the states her smile is considered problematic, and she has had multiple dentists bring up the subject and try to talk her in to improving her smile.

So yes living here in the states the struggle is real for those who are less well endowed when it comes to their teeth. I have thought about laser whitening but due to nerve damage I sustained when I had a root canal done I am very leery about having this procedure done as it can make your teeth more sensitive.

And don’t even get me started on my sisters uber white, perfect Oprah Winfrey teeth

Then there are veneers and lumineers but they are very costly, and can be over ten thousand dollars, not exactly affordable. So here I am with my less then stellar, not even close to white teeth. Perhaps I could travel to another country and get veneers? I am currently using drugstore white stripes and my teeth are about 7-10% lighter (not whiter) which is also a struggle as they don’t fit well due to all my missing teeth and even as a child my teeth were not “white.”  And don’t even get me started on my sisters uber white, perfect Oprah Winfrey teeth.

Yes my fixation on my teeth my seem trivial. And there are much bigger problems for me to worry about, both in my own life and the world at large, but still it bothers me. The young woman in this photo is an activist who worked for Hilary Clinton. So it doesn’t bother me a bit that she has this gorgeous smile. And don’t you love this capture from Garance Dore? Such a beautiful photo. To read more about this inspiring woman head on over to Garencedore.com.

And how do you feel about your smile? Do you even think about it? And if you don’t like it how far would you go to improve it?

What would Grace Kelly look like if she had let her hair down, threw caution to wind and became a bohemian hippie chick? Well she just might look like she shopped at the eclectic collective otherwise known as Doen.

Doen was founded by sisters Margaret and Katherine Kleveland. The company has taken on additional partners over the years to become the vibrant collective it is today. Creating easy breezy wearable pieces with a vintage so-cal vibe and made with fine luxurious fabrics with hand-knitting and embroidery the clothes that they make and sell are flattering, comfortable, affordable and exclusive.

You will find beautiful on trend clothes made by hand from exquisite fabrics that are affordable, ageless and that will last

They are only available on their website www.shopdoen.com and speak to the independent spirit the founders like to foster among themselves as well as their employees, business partners and customers.

Observing how few women there are at the helm of most fashion brands, the founders sought to not only create an empowering and supportive work place for women but also within the supply chain and community. To that end every factory they work with over seas has either a female owner or co-owner. Seriously girls if boho is your thing, be sure to check out Doen. You will find beautiful on trend clothes made by hand from exquisite fabrics that are affordable, ageless, and that will last.

To read more about the collective check out their Collective Page and to read more about how their fabrics are sourced and how they help the communities they work in go to their Mission Page.

Yes all the fluttery gossamer textures and touches are still there, but added to the mix are over-sized man tailored garments that give the collection a decidedly defiant feel.

Feminine mystic could be an apprope description of Nicky Zimmermann’s offering for Fall 2017, known for creating frilly bo-ho inspired clothing, the look for fall 2017 has a bit more of a masculine edge. Yes all the fluttery gossamer textures and touches are still there, but added to the mix are over-sized man tailored garments that give the collection a decidedly defiant feel.

Said to be inspired by old photographers of collage students in the 1920’s where young woman were depicted wearing frilly dropped waist dresses with boxy mens styled coats over them, this lineup does indeed walk the line between the masculine and the feminine.

Though distinctly more girly then tomboy the collection is a beautifully romantic offering of multi-tired dropped waist dresses balance by boxy elongated mens inspired suits and pretty sensual frocks and overtly sexy thigh-high leather boots.

Ruffled shoulders, tiers of pleats and billowing lace sleeves come together with form-fitting wrap styled dresses of interlocking lace and floral patterned silky fabrics. Add over-sized shearling coats in pale pastels, buttery soft turtle-neck tops and sparkling sequins and this lineup is at once romantic and provocative.

To see more from this collection head to Zimmermannwear.com

Summer is arriving in fits and starts here in the north east. This past memorial weekend was cool and overcast but there were some breaks of sun so all was not lost. I met up with a friend for lunch and was super excited to wear this crocheted ruffle cropped top from Shein.

I paired it with these patch work jeans from Gap for a casual boho look. The shoes believe it or not are from Forever 21. They are surprising comfortable and I love the low shine leather and metal stud details. The crossbody saddle bag is also from Gap which I got on sale as is the hat.

The top from Shein is great for the warm weather, it is light and breathable and the crochet panel adds a little sex appeal while still being fairly modest. And I love the ruffles and peplum,really taps in that hippie chic look I was going for. It retails for $23.00 which is surprisingly affordable and I am sure I will have this on heavy rotation this summer.

So if you are in need of some affordable, cute go to tops for summer head on over to Shein.com and here’s hoping the rest of the summer will be bit more sunny.

Photos take by Indigo Bird Studio, styling, art direction and photo manipulation by yours truly. 

*Disclosure: This top in this post was gifted by the Shein Corporation as complimentary apparel. No other compensation was provided or excepted. All words and opinions are exclusively my own. For more information on my copyright, affiliate links, product reviews and other polices please refer to my about page.

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