Donning a dress gives you the smug satisfaction of "I just made an effort" while keeping you nearly as comfortable as that velour tracksuit you almost wore this morning. (Congratulations on stifling that urge.) Given the comfort factor and this season's lovely shapes, dresses have become both the goal and the fallback plan. Here are three of my favorite dress trends.

Sweater Dresses

Ranging from elegant to cozy, sweater dresses are a good way for those Michigan gals to avoid becoming fetchingly garbed popsicles (hint: this equation includes high boots, textured tights and a very large coat).

Known for its luxurious cashmere, TSE's wine-hued cowl neck shift will keep you warm and happy all winter. TSE Cashmere Tunic Dress is available here for $495.


Proving that alpaca wool can still say "siren with a scoop neck", the Ya Ya Cable Knit Sweater Dress is available here for $395.


Fluffy charcoal wool with short kimono-style sleeves, the Anthropologie Over-Easy Sweater makes me want to curl up in an armchair with a fire, a long fork and some marshmallows. Available here for $168.


Perfect for schlepping around the house or comfortably running errands without resorting to the velour tracksuit, the Free People Stripe Sweater Dress is a wise choice. Available here for $98.


Mod Shift in Black

Update your little black dress with this sleek sheath style. Crisp lines flatter virtually every shape and look fabulous with all the flats in your closet.

Silk with a boatneck and elegant silhouette, this Foley for Foley + Corinna Boat Neck Shift Dress is my top pick. Available here for $315.


Above dress a bit too restrained for your taste? Try the rosettes and extra gathers of the Rebecca Taylor Solid Silk Shift Dress. Available here for $350.


True Bond Girl Glam is in the bag with this vintage 1960's Rhinestones Little Black Dress. Available here for $109.


For the "Bond Girl on her day off" look, the Curved Seam Dress with Hip Pockets is here for $119.


The Pouffe

Guaranteed to cover a multitude of fudge brownie sins, short skirts with volume are a prime way to make your legs look both slender and miles long.

Here's a trust fund baby version and it's a beauty. The Temperley London Silk Halter Minidress is available here for $1068.



Yellow was all over the runway in New York, and you too can jump the mustard train with a Tibi Flowered Embroidered Dress, available here for $430.



A beautifully structured dress in earth tones du jour, the Max Studio Corseted Tulip Dress is available here for $398.



Mixing the shift and the bubble skirt into one lovely brocade style, Anthropologie's Short Dress is available here for $248.

Young girls everywhere dream of being a movie star, a European princess, or snagging Clark Gable. Grace Kelly is possibly the only woman in history to accomplish all three. Having one of the most infamous and enduring It Bags named in her honor is just icing on the Impossible Dream Cake. Lovely, well-dressed, and with a resume to die for, Grace Kelly is everything you could want in a style icon. We can't hand you Clark Gable, but we can help you track down Grace's look.



Billowing skirts of the nip-waisted variety can be found at Posh Girl Vintage, the first place I search for '50s stylin'. This double strap evening dress with chiffon overlay can be found here. If some retroista with a fast internet connection nabs your find, just keep clicking - the site is full of gems and is restocked regularly.


Hollywood glamor in feathers is a stellar way to set yourself apart in a crowd. Toss the white marabou stole over your shoulders (which you can find here) and prepare to have doors opened as you sweep past and drinks placed in your delicate fingers all evening.

Miu Miu bags are so luxe looking that you'll be petting your screen before realizing they're merely pixels on your (slightly dusty) computer screen. Soft leather, elegant design - Miu Miu bags shout, 'Classy broad with a killer handbag.' (Fine. They don't shout much of anything: they're bags. But they still look beautiful on your arm - and carry your lipgloss and snacks.)

The Napa Spring Frame Bag is, appropriately enough, made of Napa leather in caramel - a chic color this winter. The frame doctor bag style and gold hardware make it the perfect bag for projecting professionalism at work, meeting the boyfriend's parents, or choosing lettuce that really needs to be impressed. Find it here for $1095.


If you need a gorgeous handbag that could also serve as a pillow in emergencies, the Scamosciato Coffer Bag is the purse for you. Braided handle: sweet detail. Quilted suede: extremely comfortable. Get it here for $1295.



Butter soft leather with gold hardware, this purse is both up-to-the-minute in its coloring and a lifelong classic for the lucky lady with $995. Buy the Calf Soft Frame Bag here.

When you hear the word "applique" you immediately think "quilting," "prune juice," and "dear god, I hope she doesn't put her teeth on the dining room table again," don't you? I'm happy to report that your secret adoration of the applique can now be ushered out of the closet, because these babies are no longer the sole domain of your great aunt Bessie. Round appliques are a quietly circling (ahem) trend that you probably won't see plastered on the cover of Vogue or prancing past you on the street six times a day.

Take a look at my top circle-worthy picks:

Cacharel Satin Circle Dress, $455, available here.


Melissa Odabash Monaco Short Kaftan, $480, available here.


Rebecca Turbow Turquoise Shift, $180, available here.


Pop Art Dress, $129, available here.


For the bonus round of circled goodness, feast your eyes on the Chocolate Wool Dotted Bucket Hat, $48, available here.

Very few of us can pull off the Daisy Dukes while still eating all four food groups. But just because we don't have Jessica Simpson's trainer doesn't mean we can't rock her look.


To get Jessica Simpson's paparazzi-snapping ensemble, keep scrolling.

Chloe Empire-Waist Crepe Dress takes the mod shift trend and turns it up a notch. Bold purple and pintuck detailing sets it apart from the usual quiet black. Pick it up here for $460.


Elie Tahari Marlene Cuffed Tall Boot in soft black leather, complete with that trend-setting flap, can be bought here for $695.


Hoop earrings have a time-honored place in fashion, but you bought your first hoops at the age of 13. You're not wearing that neon off-the-shoulder t-shirt anymore either. (Besides, with the above pirate boots we're one parrot away from the Spanish Main.) Laurice Curran Circle Earrings in 18 karat gold are a stunning alternative to the basic hoop. You can get them here for $180.


If you want something more unique, try Individual Icons' Diamond Dust French Wire Earrings, $136, available here. Diamond dust shimmers with your every step.

Want Clear Skin? Head to the Fridge

1. Olive Oil Trick (Or, Thousands of Mediterranean Women Can't Be Wrong): I've spent a lot of money in my day attempting to keep my face, if not porcelain smooth, at least incapable of frightening small children. Imagine my delight when I realized that all that money was wasted. Yes, wasted. Because, apparently, all you need for a fresh-faced glow is a bottle of castor oil, a bottle of olive oil, and a wash cloth. All of which are far cheaper than your average Sephora trip.

Rubbing oil into your pores may seem counterintuitive. But my skin hasn't broken out once since I started this regime o' skincare. Here's how it works: Rub generous amounts of castor oil into the blemish prone sections of your face. Rub generous amounts of olive oil everywhere else. Rinse a washcloth in hot water, squeeze it out and lay it on your face to let the warmth open your pours and allow the oil to penetrate. Repeat once or twice. Remove the oil with the wash cloth and splash your face with cold water. (Keep the wash cloths on a steady washing machine rotation to avoid rubbing yesterday's dirt into your pores.) Voila. No soap, no moisturizer - just oil. It's a remarkably good deep cleanser and gratifyingly cheap. Olive oil even removes eye makeup and layers of foundation.

If you have sensitive skin, use cotton balls instead of the wash cloth. Dry cotton balls to apply the oil and wet cotton balls to remove it. Steaming your face with a bowl of boiled water before removing the oil is an excellent replacement for the heat of the wash cloth. (Recommended even if you use the wash cloth. Water heaters are sometimes sluggish.)

2. Mattifying Mask: One of the best things you can do for your oil prone skin is slather yogurt on it. Put that yoplait back in the fridge. The yogurt needs to be plain and all-natural to be worthy of slathering all over your (soon-to-be) pristine visage. Spread the yogurt on clean skin and neck and allow it to dry for five minutes. Remove the yogurt with warm water and revel in your soft, matte skin.

3. Moisturizing Mask: Mash equal portions of honey and avocado together and scoop it onto your face. The honey works as an antiseptic and the natural oils in the avocado are especially luxurious during the dry winter months.

Product Review: Origins Ginger Souffle Body Cream



Light and luscious, this yummy smelling cream contains both olive and grapeseed oil. Thick enough for those of us who are part lizard but not too oily for those lucky women with naturally silky smooth limbs, the cream is gingery with hints of lemon, lime and bergamot. Use on special occasions in place of perfume, or slick on every day to wake yourself up without caffeine. Pick up a jar here for $26.

(Products I'd love to review in the near future: Laura Mercier's new line of eau gourmand perfumes, Benefit's get bent lash and eye contour kit, and L'Occitane's crushed-grape polish. There are more, but I'm going to stop talking now.)

1. Building the Basics: Everyone has clothes. We just don't always have the clothes we need when we need them. Unexpected interview tomorrow? Guaranteed to be followed by the resounding wail of 'Holy biscuit, what will I wear?' Hot date with the guy who was unaware of your existence until you raced out in your pajamas to grab the paper? Above resounding wail goes on multiple repeat.

This would be a recurring feature on building the basics of a highly serviceable (yet far less boring than that particular phrase implies) wardrobe. It would find quality classics for every budget, with an eye to lifestyle and different options for different body types. Proposed searches: failsafe dress, winter coat that works with everything, everyday purse, perfect pumps, etc. Would be a good foil to the trends featured and help women build (or replace) the basics of their wardrobe.

2. Fab Tips: Advice from the experts on everything from keeping your shoes in good condition to rejuvenating a tired complexion to adjusting your eating habits when those skinny jeans aren't sliding on so easily. The idea is to speak with estheticians, cobblers, nutritionists - whoever knows the subject (or just do research in a pinch). Possible advice column angle (unless that infringes on Dear Sugar's territory).

Which designer would you want to have lunch with?

I'd enjoy eating a roast beef sandwich with the woman whose atelier made shoes for Toulouse-Lautrec and Pablo Picasso. Olga Berluti shines her creations in champagne but wears only white natural fibers and doesn't eat meat. (Which means I should probably rethink the roast beef.) She believes her shoes can change a man, both physically and mentally. That kind of faith in your art probably can't be absorbed over a sandwich, but I'd love to try.

Which designer would you want to work with?

I knew the Prada label before I understood the words "haute couture". Or even the word "snack". Miuccia Prada is a powerful force in the fashion world, but she's rumored to be very grounded and as dedicated to her family as she is to her job. As someone who struggles with balance, I'd love to learn from a woman who juggles a major fashion house and two teenage boys.

What beauty products can you not live without?

The fear of skin cancer (and of resembling a wrinkled brown paper bag) makes it physically impossible for me to leave the house without Kiehl's water-based sunscreen with SPF 25. It's great for oily skin and is protection enough to avoid flinching when the San Francisco sun deigns to shine.

My Lancome compact has been my constant companion since the age of 16. This is perhaps the longest relationship I've ever been in. Our love is abiding.

Lush dream cream is my new crush. It's silky and has a pleasant scent that is blessedly without the overwhelming smell that often allows you to sniff out a Lush store from three blocks away.

Laura Mercier lipstick in fig is, for me, the little black dress of lip color. It never fails.

I love and need my lip gloss. But I'm a fickle mistress. I jump from Benefit gloss to Burt's Bees lip shimmers to Lancome juicy tubes - while dreaming of Lip Venom.

What is your favorite department in a department store and why?

The shoe department sucks me in every time. Even if I have no business staring at footwear, my homing device beeps madly and I'm looking at shoes before I even realize that I'm supposed to be in bedding. High heels are my crack. If $500 were to drop into my bank account right now, I would be at Neiman's before you could say "Blahnik."