So, here’s the deal.  I live in South Florida, and the dawn of summer brings the dawn (and afternoon, and evening) of humidity.  So, since I have pretty long hair, I’m all about the ballerina bun.  It’s pretty much my go-to from May to September down here, and I have bangs (to cover up my, I’m not kidding, bald spot).  Just wait, ladies, once you hit 40, stuff happens.  But the bun and bangs thing works for me.  Kind of Audrey Hepburn meets South Beach, right?   I also danced pretty much my whole childhood and teenage years, so it just follows that I’m all about some ballet style.  Here are a few tips so you don’t end up like the serious “don’t” at the end of the post!

Ballerina Flats:  This is a can’t go wrong staple.  I am crazy about ballerina flats, who isn’t?  Short story long, I was literally ON MY WAY to Gucci on Madison Avenue the morning of 9/11 to buy a pair of these awesome satin ballet flats with ribbon straps and all and, well, really bad stuff happened.  That was the last I thought about those shoes then, but for some reason that terrible moment sticks in my mind and whenever I think of those shoes, I think of that day.  Horrible.  So, I was kind of a high roller in my twenties (but definitely not now, I buy mine at Old Navy), but my love for ballet flats remains.  These ones from Urban are really pretty perfect, and you can’t go wrong with the standby Repettos or Taryn Rose. Honestly, I think flats are so much more sexy and classy than heels, and you can wear these with jeans or skirts, or even shorts.

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Bun:  Enough about the bun, it just looks really good and is flattering on most people.  Here’s a tip.  Skip the fake clip-on bun if you have shorter hair, those just look, well, fake.  A better bet, and I sometimes do this, is to find some clip-in extensions that match (and I mean match!) your hair color, and add a few of those first before doing the bun.  It gives it some volume and also keeps the extensions off your neck (they can be super hot).

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Tulle Skirt:  Are these out?  I think  you have to be really careful with the tulle skirt, this is a fab example of tulle done well.  The key is only one “fluffy” item (same key to basic style, one statement piece, keep everything else simple). I love the turtleneck with this, it’s exactly what I would wear:  simple, conservative, and then splash out with the tulle skirt (and notice I said “tulle skirt” not “tutu”).
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Ballet Sweater:  You know what a ballet sweater is, right?  It’s basically a wrap sweater with ties, and the original point was to wear it over leotards between classes, to keep you warm, or before you warmed up in class.  Because it fit snugly and wrapped around the body, it didn’t interfere with dancing.  Well, just like the bun and tulle skirt, the ballet sweater has definitely crossed over to the fashion world, I’m not big on tight sweaters but there’s some awesome ones that are a bit bulkier and looser, like this one below.  Those over-the-knee socks?  Just a bonus!
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These are all awesome pieces that you can incorporate into your everyday wardrobe for a bit of that graceful and elegant ballet style, but definitely don’t do more than one or two of these items at a time, or you’ll end up like this huge “don’t”:

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Of course it’s from BCBG, God love that company but unless you’re like, 12 (in which case the clothes are too slutty ), nothing I have ever found there seems to look good on me.  But then again, I’m the kind of gal who would rather spend my time at the barre than the…  bar 🙂  Enjoy!