I wanted to get in on the fun celebrating the opening of their new location, so I popped into their Natick store to shop for a new look. The staff there was in the process of unpacking their new collection and I'm absolutely in love with it! When I laid eyes on the block party dress I could see myself wearing to beach days, cookouts, and even running around the city on warm summer days. I'm hoping the weather gets better so I can wear it alone, but until then I'll be layering it with their dusk dress jacket. I'm absolutely loving this lightweight layering piece for meetings and running around town and I have my eye on the matching pants!

By far my favorite new piece I picked up from Nic + Zoe are these Brynn Wedges. They come with these beautiful printed scarf ties for the ankle but they also came with leather ankle straps for a more traditional espadrille. It's like two pairs in one! And did I mention they're amazingly comfortable? A great shoe all around.

My updated self care routine begins with opening a can of my favorite Lila Wine; since it's the peak of summer the Bubbly Rosé is the obvious choice, but sparkling is a close second! Then I move onto running the water for a bath, lighting my candles, and burning a little sage. Just before settling into the bath, I apply one of my favorite face masks. (A reusable straw is a must-have when sipping wine with a face mask to avoid a messy can!)

Then I just relax! Sometimes I put on music, usually something soothing or instrumental like Nina Simone or Explosions in the Sky, or one of Asha's incredible meditation recordings. Sometimes it's hard to tune things out (like the neighbors or the sounds of traffic on Route 1), or Bubzy will interrupt by barking endlessly at the neighbors or just by being the nosy little bugger he is, but that's life, right?


The whole point is to carve out time for yourself and attempt to reconnect with yourself and enjoy the little moments. And each of those moments is made better with a little bubbly! Lila Wines come in 4 packs and are perfect for keeping on hand for unexpected guests and summer adventures. We keep a few packs on hand in our bar cart; they're the perfect size for stashing in a beach bag, weekender, or in the cooler for pool parties and barbecues.

Style Wire: Being a fashion designer is every girls dream! What gave you the confidence to set out on this adventure?
Colette Chretein: I think it has a lot to do with how nurturing and supportive of my goals my parents have always been. They are both entrepreneurs themselves and have never pressured me to get a "normal" job. It's always been my dream to have my own fashion line, and having their support behind me made things a lot less scary starting out.

SW: Has fashion been in your genes from the get go? How did you know designing was in your future? 
CC: I think so, yes! As a toddler, I would get so much satisfaction out of putting together my own wacky outfits, and as soon as I could draw, I was designing pouffy little princess gowns. When I made my own prom dress when I was 16, that was a big moment for me. I thought then that maybe this could be a career that was going to make me happy in life.

SW: How did you come up with the name for your label?
CC: Like all designers, I was thinking about who my customer is– who my "girl" is. My name is French, so I played around with the idea of who the Colette girl is, in French, "fille" being French for girl.

SW: What's your favorite piece you've ever created and why? 
CC: My Cleo dress from my first season is still one of my favorites. Everyone loves how easy it is to wear, while still making a big impact with its design details. I love watching people try that style on and loving how they look in it!

SW: You put a lot of thought into the fabrication of your pieces, what do you look for in garments when you're shopping off the rack? 
CC: First I think about my immediate reaction to it. I never buy things I'm only lukewarm about. And I can justify a lot to myself if my first reaction is "I can't leave here without this piece!" After that, I look into the craftsmanship that went into making it to see if I think it will last a long time. I check the seams, the inside, and what it's made of. I try not to go into fast fashion stores, so that eliminates any temptation for me to buy something that was made in an unethical way.

SW: Where do you find inspiration for your designs season after season?
CC: I never know when or where it will hit me. Sometimes a dress just pops into my head fully designed, and sometimes it's a lot more work, and back and forth on a design. Is there a season or occasion you love designing for? Why? I love designing dresses I imagine people will wear as guests to weddings. At my age, it's our main reason to get dressed up, and so many people complain about not having the right thing to wear to weddings. I love putting out a style that's versatile enough to look super polished at a wedding, but that wouldn't make you feel overdressed when you wear it to a more low-key event. I don't like the idea of having dresses you can only wear to one kind of event. The other thing I love about weddings is the dancing! So it's really important to me that you can move in my dresses and they'll be comfortable all night. …

SW: When you're not dreaming up new designs where can we find you?
CC: I love to be at the beach in the summer and skiing in the winter! …

SW: What's your favorite way to spend a day in Boston?
CC: On a nice day, I love walking around and meeting up with friends for some shopping on Charles St or Newbury, and grabbing a drink at a cute restaurant's patio. Our nice weather is so short, you gotta make the most of it!

SW: What's the best piece of advice you can offer young girls who want to start their own line? 
CC: Think hard about whether you only want to design clothes or if you want to be an entrepreneur and deal with every aspect of the business on a daily basis– marketing, sales, accounting, etc. For me, the amount of time spent actually designing is pretty small. If designing is all you are interested in, I would definitely recommend thinking about working under an existing brand– more time spent designing, and you won't have to worry as much about day-to-day operations. It turns out that I have loved learning new things about this industry and running a business in general, but I definitely didn't consider all the things I would actually be doing before starting the company! If you think running your own business sounds like a rewarding challenge, I say follow your dreams! There are more brands out there than ever, but no one else has your specific aesthetic or ideas.

Magazines and nutritionists say the easiest way to drink more water is to add fruit to it, but I'm not one to spend all day chopping fruit and playing with flavor combinations. (Why do you think I order delivery so often?) Spindrift is America's first and only sparkling water made with real squeezed fruit making it an easy, delicious, and enjoyable way to drink less soda and coffee, and more water. Yup, that's it. Real fruit and sparkling water. 


It's not unusual to spy a can of Spindrift in my bag to enjoy with my lunch or after spin class. Target stores and lots of my favorite lunch spots (like The South End Buttery) carry Spindrift too, so I can easily grab a can of my favorite Cucumber Spindrift to go along with my California BLT when I'm out for lunch. Okay, so maybe I'm just a little bit obsessed.

But what's not to love? Additional flavors include Strawberry, Raspberry Lime, Orange Mango, Grapefruit, Blackberry, and Lemon and they're all equally refreshing. They're all unsweetened so there's no added sugar, making some flavors like (Lemon and Blackberry) refreshingly tart. Cucumber and Strawberry are by far my favorite, but you'll pretty much never see me turn down a Spindrift!

Ramblerose Co. caught my attention when I learned that designer Maggie Antalek handcrafts each and every one of the pieces she creates. The attention to detail shows; the titanium crystal quartz and vibrant lapis stones in my Savannah statement necklace complement each other perfectly and because she uses natural stones, no two Ramblerose pieces are alike. This bauble was the perfect finishing touch for this date night look! 

Whether you're popping bottles on a Friday night, want to make a wow-worthy impression on a first date, or are going out on the town with the girls, this dress fits the bill. It really speaks for itself so I kept the accessories at a minimum; just a simple crescent moon necklace, nude sandals, and a nude lip complete this look. This is just one of three looks I styled with LIT, make sure you're following along with Style Wire on Instagram to get a sneak peek of the others before they go live on the blog!