Warm Winter Weather

To my family in Boston, look away. This post might make your heart hurt, and it’ll certainly make your frozen footsies burn with a raging jealousy. The days here in SF have been mid 60s and sunny. I think we had a day last week where it was like.. High 50s and only partly sunny. The horror! Of course it gets “chilly” once the sun starts to set, but it’s nothing an extra layer and a pashmina can’t fix. So, fellow San Franciscans, read on to see some stylish suggestions on what to wear to help you stay cool in the sun, and warm at night. And, as always, stop into Retail Therapy on 2086 Chestnut to get your hands on the merch before it flies off the shelves!

One of our personal shoppers showed up today looking easy, breezy and beautiful in a cute Spring-like ensemble of her own white tee, printed trousers, and sandals. But, smart girl that she is, also wore our cozy knit duster cardigan to keep her warm once the sun goes down.

Remember we were raving about wearing tights with just about anything and everything (Oh, you don’t? Here you go!)? Well, we’re still in love with that idea. Pair this printed miniskirt with some black tights and booties, and top it off with this super fuzzy sweatshirt with zipper details for an outfit that’s comfy for the sunny days and provokes serious cuddles at night.

Fabulous fashion blogger, Sincerely, Jules, was raving about the appeal of wearing a short, boho-style dress paired with an oversize knit and boots. We’re feelin’ ya, girl. We’ve replicated the look with one of our new babydoll dresses and a big, chunky cream- colored sweater. So chic!

Dressing for the Decades

One of our favorite blogs, Man Repeller, has recently posted some totally tubular posts about different style eras (see here and here) and so did the wonderful Who What Wear (read this), and they’ve got us thinking about all the different trends that come and go, and that get recycled from one decade to another. Some of them (ahem, scrunchies) we are happy to see disappear and hopefully never come back, but others just never go away, and we are evermore fashionable for it! We’ve got a bunch of pieces in-store right now inspired by some of our favorite decades, so take a trip down memory lane as you read on, and come play dress up with us at 2086 Chestnut!

<Mod: This Theory shift dress has the clean lines and graphic print that would go perfectly with a thick cat eye and go-go boots, as seen here worn by one of our personal stylists.

Hippie Chic>: Perfect for the Spring, we’ve got a bunch of new dresses with some great psychedelic prints that look groovy topped off with a wide-brimmed hat for a girly take on the free-spirit style of the Woodstock age. Try our black, white and blue paisley dress for a sophisticated twist. Peace!

<Material Girls:  Leopard print, neon colors, scrunchies and Madonna! If the 80s is your era, we’ve got some fun pieces perfect for you. Throw this studded leopard print top on with some acid wash jeans and you’re ready to rock at a hair-band concert!

Clueless Couture>: There was Nirvana with Grunge; minimalistic Calvin Klein and his racy denim ads; and then there was Cher- the spunky blonde whole stole everyone’s heart and vocabulary with her totally awesome closet and fuzzy pens in the classic Clueless. With this lime green faux leather skirt and coordinating Haute Hippie blouse, you’ll be all that and a bag of chips!

Add a Little Pop

Admit it- even here in beautiful, sunny San Francisco, you’ve given into the fashion doldrums of winter, haven’t you? It’s hard this time of year to break out of the gray, black and dark-all-over uniform that, while very chic and versatile, can become a little…drab. Thank goodness for accessories, right? Especially the rainbow of bright bags we have here at Retail Therapy! Read on to see some bright pops of handbags to spice up your winter wardrobe and to brighten even the grayest of days.

First of all, we never get sick of a good pop of red, and we almost always have a dash of it on our lips. Add this bold quilted leather bag to your work look and it’ll surely get you spotted in the sea of proletariat messenger bags.

For a fun day time look perfect for a weekend market or a day of shopping, choose an over the shoulder or cross body bag in a bright hue, like the 2014 Pantone Color of the Year- Radiant Orchid. This woven stunner is a comfortable size that won’t weigh you down through hours of shopping, but it’ll still fit all the necessities.

Nothing completes an evening look like a moto-inspired leather jacket with some funky details (this Rebecca Minkoff jacket is getting its second blog mention it’s so fab), but the tendency with a piece like this is to stick with all black, which is fine. But, we think it’s a nice contrast to soften up the look with an unexpected clutch color, like a girly blush leather.

Come into the store to shop some of the other hues of genuine leather bags, or to pick up the ones featured in this post. And as always, check us out on Pinterest (@retailtherapysf), Twitter (@RetailTherapySF) and Insta (retailtherapysf) to see some more bags that we’ve got in store and that we’re craving!

HighLow

OP topped off her high-end look with a bright Old Navy pea coat

One of our personal shoppers paired our 3.1 Phillip Lim over-sized embellished muscle tank with a thrift-store jacket, Retail Therapy skinny jeans and studded booties for an uptown-downtown look

Fashion maven and ever-evolving style icon, Olivia Palermo, has recently expressed her ennui for always dressing in head-to-toe designer looks- “How boring!” she was quoted in a recent interview with Flare magazine (and yes, she can walk the walk: Palermo has been spotted various times in Old Navy and Zara, for starters!). We couldn’t agree more! Not only is a full-on designer look costly, but what’s the fun in that?

This Rebecca Minoff moto-inspired leather jacket looks tres chic thrown over an Old Navy striped long-sleeve tee

We here at Retail Therapy challenge you to create your own look using both high-end and low-end fashion. Check out how we’ve played around with designer duds and everyday pieces, both of which you can shop at Retail Therapy at 2086 Chestnut!