Whether you loved or weren’t very impressed with Kate’s wedding dress, you can probably agree that it was the most interesting thing she’s ever worn. Duh, it was her wedding dress. But now that Kate’s married — and has a few extra pounds in her pocket (she needs them somewhere!) — she might be stepping into some snazzier dresses.

Today she wore a sparkly, pale pink Jenny Packham gown for the ARK gala in London, during which William reveals his new charity or something, but back to the dress.

It’s the first time I can think of that Kate’s worn anything embellished besides a hat, and while she could have slipped on a bracelet or mismatched her clutch, this is major progress. The royal stylist probably has cabinets full of samples and ideas for her new charge, and I can’t wait to see them.

Photo Credit: Hollywood Life

Life 2.oh!: My high school friend Julie Miller (and 4th grade talent show co-choreographer) has moved on from Seventeen and now maneuvers the quarter-life crisis. She and her friend Lauren Metz just launched this spring Life 2.oh! — an online magazine dealing with fashion, relationships, career advice and party planning tips. Its contributor-style, social media-rich platform makes browsing the site feel more like an actual break-room pow-wow.

XOJane: Former Jane and Sassy founding editor Jane Pratt has a new webzine, XOJane, and it’s hilarious. Pratt’s willingness to take on — and search out — hushed up topics explodes on this site, supported by a team of (yes) sassy, smart, confident (but still self-deprecating) writers who publish articles like “Men I’m Over: Foodies,” “I Am Online Stalking My Dream Dress,” and “How My Friend’s Canceled Wedding Saved a Cab Driver’s Ass.” Please hire, me Jane Pratt!

**Oh, and just in case you were confused, that is not a picture of me getting ready to jet off to Chicago and Seattle. That’s Giuliana Rancic sitting first class, in a picture I stole from Life2.oh!

Last week Fashiontoast’s Rumi Neely reminded me of the slept-in trend, which is apparently still having a moment, even on the West Coast. She paired her red JBrand 811s “with the tshirt [she] slept in all weekend.” No offense to Rumi Neely, I just keep wondering, if you have enough time and respect for yourself to do your makeup, your hair, and put together a cute outfit, why can’t you pick out a clean shirt?

And if you do love the slept-in look enough to actually do it, are you one of those people who shuffles down to the hotel breakfast buffet in our pjs, shaking your dead skin cells all over my scrambled eggs? I just don’t see the difference.

Summer’s a natural season to look to crisp, classic looks that battle heat and humidity, and dresses, shorts, sandals, and blouses from these two outfitters are reasonably priced for their quality and reputation (particularly L.L. Bean). So get over your hipster or trendsetting ego and stock up on some of these season-spanning looks:

Fossil Willow Skirt

Fossil Rachel Dress

L.L. Bean Signature Desert Bootie

L.L. Bean Signature Ruffle Tie-Neck top

Mr. Larkin designs

On probably the last gorgeous day Houston will see until mid-October (if that), I hit up the fashion market, The FIND, at Boheme. It was the perfect venue, too: designers and their booths snaked around the cafe and bar’s back yard and patio area, drinking cocktails in the sun and chatting with customers and curious parties from inside. Here’s the best of what I found, and who I’ll be featuring in the coming months:

Keep reading…

• Little Minnow: Two sisters harness their screen-printing and pattern designing talents into tees, tanks, prints, and awesome little scarves you can throw in the washing machine and wear this season and next: whether you’re battling the chill outside or in air-conditioned restaurants and
  

  Little Minnow

  grocery stores. The unisex shirts just showed up on the Etsy shop today. I wore my tank yesterday — love it.

• Jocas Handbags: These bags — made from animal hide — are truly some of the most original and beautiful bags I’ve ever seen. Designer Susan Ross-Henderson’s clutches and shoulder bags are light and thinner than a Moleskine, but expand to fit your entire life. Each one is custom made and entirely different, with pieces of leather and hides patchworked together with luxe skill.
• DEPetra jewelry: Stones and jewels from around the world — Pakistan, South America — are turned into feminine but strong pieces. Click through the images on their FB page (linked) for bracelets that should inspire your next vacation.
• Piper and Ellie: One of the cutest designers at The Find was from Piper and Ellie, a line of personalized cosmetics bags
  

  Piper & Ellie

  and pillow cases for your couch throws and bolsters (I knew I couldn’t keep my ivory Pottery Barn pillow clean!)

• Sea Salt: I also went home with one of my new favorite jewelry pieces: a beaded bracelet handmade from South American artisans, who reap all the profits. Owned by Claudia Gutierrez, Sea Salt boasts colorful, texturally pleasing necklaces and bracelets, as well as handbags and housewares. Only the fiber bracelets are available on their website at the moment, but I’m determined to find out where the beaded treasures are hiding.
• Mr. Larkin: Designer Casey has recently relocated to Copenhagen, but her breezy, minimalist designs — made from sustainable “ingredients” including dye from roots and berries — fit just as well in Texas as they do in Denmark. I regret not
  

  Caged Yarn BeerSox

  snapping up a sky blue shirt dress.

• Katie Mahoney, The Caged Yarn: Katie is awesome. She experimented with knitting in college, gave up, but has since picked up the craft again, specializing in making koozies — “BeerSox” — for your pint glass or beer bottle, wraps, and scarves that any hipster or country girl would love.

Wednesday, May 25, you can pop into the store for lite bites, cocktails and bingo. The first of three games starts at 6:30p.m. Do yourself a favor and take it seriously: winners get prizes from BCBGMAXAZRIA.

I’m hoping this is a regular, or semi-regular event?

To keep things in perspective — and in budget — I’ve limited myself to checking a few sites and ignoring all the rest. No ShopStyle search engine browsing for this shopping task. Here are my favorites for sandal and spring bootie shopping this year:

Zappos: Completely overwhelming inventory, but the ability to narrow choices down by color, size and other qualifications helps me shop without needing a cocktail.

Free People: Great for laid-back and rocker-chic sandal fixes. Sizes run out fairly quickly, but at least once you’ve picked out a pair you like, then you can jump on ShopStyle for a more edited (sane) experience to find your size elsewhere on the web.

DSW: Customer reviews are a big plus, as are the cheaper prices!

Endless: Look for free shipping and other deals frequently offered by Endless.com, a veritable sandal Mecca come spring and summer.

Lori’s Shoes: Adorable sandals and summer shoes for all style types, especially good for finding comfortable, simple looks with a twist. Fabulous brands, too.

As upscale as the brand hopes to be, six-year-old Serena’s walls were more likely decked with Warhols and disco balls than pastels. Even the Caravan Gypsy Tote Collection is to vanilla for Lily’s groupie days. But this has me thinking, wouldn’t a mother-daughter Van der Woodsen collection be a realistic plot line…and something for Lily to do while she’s under house arrest? It’s coming, I just know it.

Oh, and Austin chicks: a Find fashion market is headed your way soon.

Buy your tickets on their website ($10; link is above), and if you bring a pal, take advantage of this 2 for 1 Groupon special.

When you go: Boheme’s in Montrose, at 307 Fairview, Houston, TX 77006