If you wait until Memorial Day weekend to break out the whites — it’s here. And white dresses are the best. I have two, but I would like to have a little more of a tan as one of my accessories. I’m working on that right now! These dresses are from Zappos.

You gotta love a name like White Haute Fashions. Click on that link for some great looks — white with plenty of colorful accessories to pop some style.

Have a spectacular Memorial Day weekend!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step grandmom to one.

I have seen this idea in a lot of places, but the folks from Kohl’s sent me some really cute and inexpensive choices for sunglasses shapes that flatter your face for $17 and up. Here they are:

If your face is round: Create contrast, wear square or rectangular frames that are slightly wider than the broadest part of your face.  These floral shades at left are from L.C. Lauren Conrad at Kohl’s for $18 — on sale.

If your face is square: Choose sunglasses with a higher top than at the bridge with oval or round frames that soften facial features. These babies at left are only $11 on sale at Kohl’s.

If your face is long: Choose angular and squared lenses. Try on those bad boys at right from Apartment 9, $13 on sale at Kohl’s.

If your face is oval: Anything goes. These cool Candie’s Retro Florals are $14.99 at Kohl’s.

If your face is heart-shaped: Choose a pair that adds width to the lower part of the face. Glasses that are wider at the top and narrower at the bottom — aviators and cat-eye sunglasses are good choices. Check out these Cat’s eye lenses from Apartment 9 for $12.99.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom of three and step grandmom of one.

I’m not a flats kind of girl, but an e-mail spoke to me about “Earthing.”

The makers of Pluggz teased me about how good it feels to walk barefoot on grass or sand — they explained that it’s because we are in direct touch with nature  – Mother Earth.

We absorb energy, electrons that “ground” us — called Earthing. Well that caught my attention, so I visited the website and found  leather and linen ballet flats that have “pluggzproprietary” grounding technology, padded arches and heels with memory foam, moisture wicking, anti-microbial lining and trampoline heels for extra comfort and support. They retail for $129 per pair. I am hoping to get a free pair to try them out for everyone. They have a men’s version — flip flops.

White nails — they’re everywhere –Huffington Post, Harper’s Bazaar and more. This photo is from InStyle. The white nails look pretty good and some folks add little decals, stickers and other adornments. Check it out in the latest edition of InStyle magazine. 

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom of three and step grandmom of one.

Are you seeing people wearing white year round? I am, and it appears that old Memorial Day to Labor Day seasonality of white is gone — thank goodness! Fashion stylist Christie Maruka says wearing white all year long is a new trend. Here’s her advice on wearing white:

1. Does white work for you? It works for many women, but not everyone. If you have a great tan or naturally dark skin, it’s beautiful. Warm skin tones go well with white. If it washes you out, forget about it.

2. The hottest way to wear white this season is head-to-toe. It can be really flattering if the proportions and the fit are just right. White jeans and a v-neck T-shirt or crisp button-down tailored shirt are great looks.

3. A pencil skirt with a classic white top can be fabulous. Be sure everything is slim but not tight. White can be unforgiving. As for jeans, make sure they are not cropped ,or they can make your legs look shorter. Pass on white skinny jeans unless your very slim. 

4.  An all-white look can be really great accessorized with one of summer’s uber-bright colors such as coral, turquoise or royal blue. A handbag, sandal or scarf in one of these shades can make white pop. A bright print top paired with white pants and blazer is beautiful. And don’t forget stripes with white, especially navy, black or white stripes.

5. The biggest mistake women make with white is what they wear underneath it. When wearing white, it’s critical to wear lingerie that is as close as possible to the color of your skin. Don’t wear white undies because every line will show. Don’t wear colored undies unless you are trying to make a statement.

6. When shopping for white clothes, opt for natural fibers, especially linen or cotton, which are beautiful in white. Avoid white satin or polyester.

7. Beware of cling when wearing white. White doesn’t take well to being too tight or showing bra or panty lines. Dresses that flow gently past the curves look best. Some flowing and billowing sundresses or flirty tops can be lovely in white as well, especially when paired with a narrow silhouette such as a skinny jean or leggings.

8. Avoid white for photos or TV. While it may look lovely in person, it can, sadly, add pounds when worn on TV or captured in photos.

9. When buying something white, especially a dress or pants, it’s important to make sure it’s opaque or solid and not too see-through. Try holding the dress up so the light shines through it.

10. Invest in quality white pieces that you will have for a while. This is where you can feel good about spending a bit more..because quality white pieces hang nicely, wash well, and you can wear year after year.

For more info on Maruka visit fashionfixnj.com.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times andHouse to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step grandmom to one.

This week I found must-have rain boots and sandals — for the April showers and May flowers.

I really liked these boots at left, but then I discovered they were for kids. So I searched for them for women, and I found them. They are on sale at Bootshop for $49.95 on Amazon. There’s also a ladybug version — see below. They are a little childish looking, but I would wear them to shovel snow and garden, and they make me laugh just looking at them.

The kids’ versions are at Kohls for $32.99 — if I can get my feet into them I am buying them. And I have a granddaughter who must have these, but she might prefer the Minnie Mouse rain boots ($24.99) at Toys R Us.

I am now being stalked by frogs, ladybugs and mice on every website I visit. In spite of that, I discovered some blingy sandals for $16.99 at Zulily – the sale ends in two days, and my size is gone. Never fear — Zulily has a lot more sandals in stock. Anyway, they all appear to have plenty of lily padding — haha! Happy Fashion Friday!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one. 

Can any of us afford a little piece of Chanel? Well, I covet the buttons. And we can buy buttons. And it isn’t even Fashion Friday, yet.

First of all,  today’s blog resulted from my friend Susan McChesney posting a video on the classic Chanel jacket on her Facebook page. Then I Googled Chanel buttons and discovered the jewelry that has cropped up with Chanel buttons.  Here’s an article about it. Pieces are available for $200 to $390 — still not everyday pricing, but it is Chanel, vintage Chanel, at Monkee’s. A lot of sites offer Chanel buttons, but not everything is genuine, I am guessing.

Trellis in Erie, Pa., has a selection. So does Traditions Unlimited in Erie. Call them and a few vintage stores and ask — you might find some gems that will have you wearing Chanel.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one. 

Dresses, dresses, dresses. I am loving the dresses. This one from ModCloth.com speaks to me because it is called Author Outings Dress. It has a vintage feel — here’s the ModCloth.com description: “goldenrod-yellow fit-and-flare frock! Its retro hue, lightly textured stretch fabric, and see-through, crocheted details make this dress as intriguing as your latest work. You know it’s not fair to judge a book by its cover … ”

I had a dress that color many moons ago, and I also had that collar on another dress. It’s all back!

It is $79 and it is one of a million dresses I love. I am also coveting many frocks from Ruelala.  The site has numerous BCBGMAXAZRIA designs. Click here to see a few. I have friends who told me about these sites. Thanks friends.

Just a heads up — you do have to join to see all the stuff, but it costs nothing — just your e-mail address. So far they have not been stalking me like Zappos does (I get reminders that they miss me on nearly every web page I open — it’s a little creepy!), but I am a huge Zappos fan.

If you’re going to shop online, here’s the full glossary of terms I never knew, thanks to Recessionista.com. Get the full story here:

• B&M = Brick-and-mortar (aka, this deal is redeemable at the store’s physical location).
• BOGO or B1G1F = Buy One Get One Free
• C/O = Cash Off
• CPN = Coupon
• DND = Do Not Double (aka, no doubling up on coupons allowed!)
• GDA = Good deal alert
• GWP = Gift With Purchase
• H/F = Handling Fee
• LPG = Lower Price Guarantee
• MIB orNIB = Mint in Box or New in Box (aka, the product is brand new).
• NAZ = Name Address Zip Code (to see if you are eligible for the deal).
• NED = No expiration date
• NOCC = No Credit Card
• NWOT = New WithOut Tags
• NWT = New With Tags
• POP = Proof of Purchase
• PP = Purchase Price
• SMP = Specially Marked Packages
• TMF = Try Me Free (samples, anyone??)
• UNL = Unlimited
• YMMV = Your Merchandise May Vary

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

There’s an entire fashion show dedicated to chocolate clothing. See the video here.  Of course this topic made me think of Lady Gaga’s meat dress — it has its own Wikipedia page — see it here. But instead of showing a picture of that, I found some other fun stuff.

Kara Rodemer from Delish.com wrote about some yummy and oddly stylish dresses like the one at left, a chocolate bubble dress. She had more — like Cloris Leachman in a cabbage dress,  a spaghetti and meatballs dress, an artichoke dress, a creampuff dress, stale bread dresses (and slippers) and more salad dressings — err make that dresses. Click here to see 10 fun outfits all made from food on the Delish.com website.

Now, we know what to do with those leftovers!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.  

I love gloves, and I usually lose gloves — well at least one. Some styling glove lovers like me invented colorful, clever gloves that are pop-tops — to free up your fingers.

The gloves at left combine the best of both worlds — pop-top mittens over gloves that pop off when you need to use your fingers. These are $28 at Zappos.

You can find the cashmere gloves at right from clickmom.com that have an index finger that pops off, and these softies come in seven colors.

Here’s another shot of fingerless gloves at left. These are $25 at clickmom.com, but a lot of places sell fingerless gloves and flip-top mittens. Zappos, Amazon and other boutiques have quite a selection and you can get pretty much anything you want for $8 and up — including wild patterns and more.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

Did you get shoes for Christmas? Did you want them? Well, I did. Shoes, according to fashionistas and researchers, hit some record level of sales in the three months leading up to November. A West Indies article in the Trinidad Express — read it here — said women’s fashion footwear grew 3.2 per cent and cross training shoes rose 16 per cent.

The article also included that men are buying shoes for women. ”Shoes have turned the corner in the gift category,” said Robert Burke, a New York-based fashion consultant. “They’ve become the new handbag.”

While I was Christmas shopping, I saw plenty of men buying shoes, purses and much more for their ladies.

I got new sneaks for Christmas, but I also need some new black pumps and other shoes. I found deals at Target.com. I also found some funky comments on gifting shoes. It’s apparently an old wives’ tale that giving shoes as a gift is  a bad omen — the person will walk away from you. Giftypedia and some web forums had some surprising  comments from folks who stand by the superstition. And boots — ohhhh boots — now there’s a gift!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.