Back to School means Back to Blogging!

I am back!  I took a summer break from blogging--one of the many perks of my self-created new job profession!  As you can all relate, with the kids home from school all summer, I had little time to visit my favorite stores and even less time to sit in front of the computer and blog about them.  It was a busy summer, which ended with a family vacation to London, Paris and Amsterdam.  Although I loved taking in the history and culture, one of my favorite stops was Harrods in London.  Forget all the great paintings of the past, what can compete with floors and floors of high end fashion?  All I could afford there was a PVC Harrods logo bag!  It was great browsing, and I did enjoy a lovely afternoon tea with my daughters at Harrods.

Then in Paris, there was the Champs-Elysees, where all I could afford was a pair of socks!  Seriously, they had an adidas store there, and I was in desperate need of some socks as I was wearing my gym shoes way more than I thought while touring Europe.  I love my Tory's, but with all that walking, my feet were aching.  Even my faithful Sperry's gave me blisters.  I fought wearing the gym shoes around, but eventually had to succumb.

While London and Paris are both known for their fashion, I found the coolest and trendiest fashion was in Amsterdam.  Probably, also because it was the most affordable.  I found lots of cute boutiques in Amsterdam, but the kids and husband would have none of it!

Needless to say, I am a little delayed in surveying the fall fashion scene here in the states.  But, as a heads-up and an FYI, most of what I've seen from my first glances is that last year's trends are still big this year.  So there should be nothing earth shattering to anyone when I post about the biggest trends for fall in a future blog post.

Today, I am blogging about my old friend, Hot Mama, which I figured was a great place to start.  However, Hot Mama is now called "Evereve".  They had a big announcement over the summer in which they changed the name.  They still have the same great fashion, and here is what I found at my visit to the Deer Park, Illinois store last Sunday:

Cute sweaters like this one under $60:

Kimonos are a hot new trend.  I don't own one yet, but I do like them.  They are easy to wear, and many look just like a fancy cardigan.  Great for layering!

Leather is back with a vengeance, and I love this rocker-girl look:

Another trend I have seen is the quilted skirt.  This one is adorable.  You just need the skinny waist!

Plaid is everywhere, which is the easiest look to pull off.  Just layer with a T or tank underneath and dress up with some great jewelry.

And, yet another look is denim on denim.  I especially loved the color of this cardigan below.

Well, what do you know?  I actually inadvertently covered a few of the latest fall fashion trends just by posting a few Evereve pics.  Don't worry, there will be more to blog about, I assure you.  I am back…let the blogging begin again!