Casual Dress Trends I Love + Favorite Black Dress Designers to Shop

These past few weeks will definitely go down in history. And, as I continue to educate myself in doing better, I am committed to the on-going support of black businesses, in the lifestyle category, on my platform. So, instead of only sharing my favorite dress trends, I want to also highlight some amazing black women dress designers to shop and support from my growing Hot List as well. I also added a selection of dresses from Target to include their collaborations with Cushnie, Lisa Marie Fernandez, Love Shack Fancy, and more. (Scroll down).

As summer progresses, it looks like we may be able to start responsibly socializing (hopefully in small get-togethers, six feet apart, with masks on). I think it’s a good time to break out of our sweats and leggings to make way for cute dresses - a refreshing and welcome change to our recent springtime, stay-at-home looks.

In my latest monthly feature for Who What Wear, We're in Our 50s and Think These 9 Casual Dress Trends Work for Everyone, Janet Gunn, The Grateful Gardenia, and I shared a few favorites that will have you looking forward to getting dressed again. Read on to check out the styles I am currently loving.

Dress on Janet by Natalie Martin, Kaftan from Puglia boutique

Floral

Nothing says springtime like a pretty floral print.

Dress by ASTR The Label (sold out). More dresses here from the designer. Bag by Ulla Johnsson. Sandals by Soludos.

SHOP Faithfull The Brand X Revolve Lennox Midi Dress

SHOP ASTR The Label Floral Midi Dress

SHOP Floral L*Space Isabel Dress

White

A white dress always looks clean and fresh.  

SHOP BA&SH dresses on sale here

SHOP LoveShackFancy Edie Dress

SHOP ACACIA Emmett Dress

Flowy

I love wearing loose-fitting dresses with beautiful prints for an easy beach to lunch summer style.  

Dress by Natalie Martin (sold out). SHOP similar here.

SHOP Floral Dress by Nudz Beachwear

SHOP R13 Midi Tiered Slip

Long dresses

Midi/Maxi/Kaftan

It’s easy to go with the flow when wearing a chic boho style. Reminiscent of a beachside vacation in a foreign land, we love to wear these dresses all summer long.

Janet Gunn. Dress by Natalie Martin (sold out). Shop similar here.

SHOP Island Tribe Zanzibar Bohemian Maxi Dress

SHOP Natalie Martin Danika Long Sleeve Dress

Dress by Ulla Johnson

SHOP Free People Adella Maxi Slipdress

SHOP Ulla Johnson Pink Eudora Beaded Organza Midi Dress

SHOP Revolve Keepsakes Without Me Maxi Dress

SHOP Ramy Brook Audrey Dress

Ramy Brook is a talented designer who has always been extremely charitable and is offering a new initiative on her website to help our healthcare heroes. 

You can purchase a gift here for our brave and heroic healthcare professionals that will be sent to them from the registry. In addition, Ramy Brook will be gifting 1,000 items to them. 20% of all proceeds will be donated to two charities,  No Kid Hungry and Jumpstart, who have been feeding, educating, and caring for our most vulnerable children during this pandemic.

Gift Healthcare Heroes with Ramy Brook’s Healthcare Heroes Registry!

Slip Dress

The perfect dress to slip into when the temps start to climb. Throw on with a sneaker to run around town or with a cute sandal. 

Dress by Rag and Bone (sold out). SHOP their dresses here.

SHOP Vaea Slip Dress by Cali Dreaming

SHOP Dresses by Hark +Hammer

SHOP Elodie K Dyana Dress Stretch Satin

SHOP Slip Dress by OYUN. Slippers by R0AM.

Short and flirty

Whether worn with a flat or a heel, a short dress always screams flirty and fun! 

Dress by LoveShackFancy sold out. SHOP dresses from the line here.

SHOP LoveShackFancy Popover Dress (limited sizes)

SHOP LoveShackFancy Popover Dress in Sunset Pink

Dress by ElodieK. Shop the line here.

Below is a list of some favorite black designers to put on your radar. Click on the links directly to shop.

Fe Noel

“Eat well, travel often and dress to inspire,” Fe Noel's design motto definitely speaks to me! Heavily influenced by her Caribbean heritage, she is known for her feminine designs, simple silhouettes, and quality fabrics. Another thing I love about this dress designer… she aims to mentor and empower other women to start their own businesses through her Fe Noel Foundation for young girls who are passionate about entrepreneurship.

Tracy Reese 

Best known for her ready-to-wear styles, her new capsule collection collaborates with artists from her hometown of Detroit and uses ethically-sourced materials in unique prints. Gentle on the earth and fashion-forward in style. So many cute summer finds in this collection! 

SHOP Tracy Reese for Anthropologie Devin Flounced Mini Dress

Island Tribe 

Island Tribe is a brand where boho and beach style collide! This California-based fashion house practices social good and fair trade with a mission to better the environment with sustainable designs. Their dresses are right on trend with summer’s laid back, free-spirit vibes, and are inspired by peace, love, and blessings. Who couldn’t use more of those three things these days! 

lemlem 

An artisan-driven brand focused on sustainability, lemlem is made in Africa and is the inspiration of Supermodel Liya Kebede. Elevating the artisans and expanding jobs across Africa, the designs of her handwoven dresses are perfect to add to your summertime wish list.

SHOP lemlem Koki Peasant Dress

McMullen

Founded in Oakland, California in 2007 by Sherri McMullen, McMullen is a delightfully curated concept shop featuring luxury womenswear by emerging and established designers from around the world. They have a selection of dresses that will take you anywhere from cocktail hour to summer bbq. I love that they support design and manufacturing that can impact communities and empower women with a mission to specifically support African and African-American apparel and home décor designers.

SHOP Lisa Marie Fernandez for Target Yellow Gingham Midi Dress

Cushnie 

This luxury ready-to-wear brand was established in 2008 and is known for its sophisticated and modern femininity. Their dresses are sleek, minimal and designed to enhance the contour of a woman’s body. While most of their dresses are more suited for cocktail or red-carpet, they are now bringing their timeless designs to Target with a limited-edition dress collection. 

SHOP Cushnie for Target Two-Tone Slip Dress

If you’re looking for great affordable summer dress options, check out Target's Who What Wear collection, as well as their limited-edition collection featuring acclaimed designers like LoveShackFancy, Cushnie, and Lisa Marie Hernandez...just in time for summer!

Click on the images in the carousel below to shop more of favorite dress styles and designers.
Now available at Target!

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I hope you've found some fun, feminine dress styles you're excited to try, as well as discovered a few new designers you may want to add to your closet this season. Be well!

xx Melissa

My Experience with Celebrity Chinese Astrologer Anita Rosenberg

Following my ‘Celebrating International Women’s Day’ post in March, this week starts the launch of a new female partnership series on The Glow Girl blog. One which celebrates women and invites them as a guest feature every month bringing their unique knowledge to you. Today we start with celebrity Chinese Astrologer Anita Rosenberg and I am excited to be sharing my experience with her - once you read on, you will understand why she is an important resource for me and can be for you too!

INTRODUCING
Meet Anita Rosenberg, former movie director, award winning writer of Feng Shui Luck and ‘go-to expert’ in Los Angeles, Aspen, India, Panama and Vietnam for Feng Shui & BaZi Chinese Astrology. Anita helps people reach their wealth potential, improve their businesses and enrich personal relationships. She works with many notable clients including Miranda Kerr, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow and many fortune 500 CEO’s. Anita’s unique blend of Western and Chinese Metaphysics along with a vast knowledge of many spiritual modalities, from tarot to kabbalah, crystals and wicca allows her to transform and illuminate homes, businesses and the lives of each client she works with. This was certainly true of the wisdom Anita poured into me during my time with her.

“I have opened the portal to a more spiritual way of being in the world  and there's no going back only forward.”

HOW WE MET
When I first moved to LA six years ago, a mutual friend in New York introduced me to Anita. We soon met for lunch and she told me all about her Chinese Metaphysics and Feng Shui journey and to be honest, this kind of talk was way too California ‘woo woo’ for me. Although I found her story interesting, I still remained reserved about booking a BaZi Chinese Astrology session with her - I kept thinking this is kinda out there for me, especially as a born and raised pragmatic New Yorker! Crystals? Feng Shui? Meta-what?!

Then about six months ago Cristina Cuomo, editor of The Purist invited me to a celebration for Donna Karen’s 70th birthday at Urban Zen in West Hollywood where Anita was also a guest. I was so happy to see her - we chatted quite a bit and I truly felt like the universe reconnected us that night. In light of the more holistic direction I am heading these days, I decided to explore Anita’s gifting further and my time with her was certainly enlightening.

‘Pay attention to signs when certain people enter your life even if you are not sure why at the time’

WHAT IS BAZi?*
BaZi (Destiny) is a life map. It does not predict the future - it DESIGNS it. Based on your birth date, BaZi charts read like the story of your life where you are the star. It shines a spotlight on your true nature so you can maximize your talents, excel at work, strengthen relationships, overcome weaknesses, make healthier choices and inform decisions based on luck cycles. BaZi is not a fixed outcome, which is why it’s so interesting. Using the element of free will, you decide to do things differently allowing control over outcomes. Understanding BaZi will shed light on what makes YOU happy and which is achievable.

MY SESSION WITH ANITA
During this session I had so much to learn, luckily Anita produced a report with my BaZi Chinese forecast. A life map with specifics to my health, wealth and career. It was fascinating with the last sentence saying “when you are clear on who you are, everything is easy.” Anita’s endearing approachable character, gleeful presence and 18 years of spirituality brought something into my life that was very powerful.

A few interesting things to share according to my chart…
. I am a Gui water person so always like to be out and about like a mist (true)
. Setting boundaries is always an issue for me as well as being organized (true)
. I have 6 earth on my charts …more than 2 is procrastinating (true)
. I have money in every pillar, it’s in the bottom meaning in grows (yay…hope this is true)
. Adding water strengthens my chart so I should travel more, drink more water, live out west (yup)
. Partnerships are the key to my success in 2019 (a good one!)

This was so interesting to me as I started the year with the goal to pivot The Glow Girl into a more holistic health and wellness space, supporting, promoting and working with products, services and connections which bring to the life the true essence of a Glow Girl. I am grateful to Anita for recommending that I include a selenite stone and intention card with each purchase of my LOOMA X Melissa Meyers Glow necklaces for additional healing energy (see below for purchase with discount code).

Anita also gave me a quick education on some stones, crystals and magical candles that would be helpful to me in reaching my spiritual goals. She suggested that I select a Lemurian crystal wand when I had my session with her. Then, she had me stand with my back towards my personal Qi Men direction (you need your chart plotted to know this information) and ask it a question for guidance while circling the wand in from of me. If I felt pulled toward the wand, then the answer was a “yes,” if away then a “no”. It was kinda crazy but strangely enough, it works!

Lemurian crystals are all wands and as such, conduct, amplify, and focus the Universal Life Force, augmenting the healing power of the healer. In spiritual healing, wands focus the healing elements of the Universal Life Force on areas of the body that are weak or suffering from being out of balance. Lemurian wands are used to bring a sense of oneness to a person suffering from feelings of disjointedness or detachment.  When life seems to be swirling around someone, and they seem to be lost in the whirlwind, use a Lemurian Seed Crystal in the healing process. 

My morning meditation look: Leopard PJ Salvage Pajamas (40% off), slides by R0AM

Melissa Meyers X LOOMA Glow Necklaces (including selenite stone shown above with intention card.
Use code GLOW20 for 20% off! Click here to buy now!

Below are some of my favorite products which help support me in my wellness space.

Click on images in the carousel to shop directly

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WHAT’S TO COME FOR YOU
I learned from Anita that the 2019 forecast in relation to the year of the pig will be a year to rejuvenate and replenish because of the earth-water combo. The best use of this energy is to make plans for the future, tie up loose ends from previous years and get ready for a new cycle starting in 2020. Therefore, nurturing and building relationships will help you move forward to accomplish goals and establish new partnerships. I hope you get a chance to check out Anita’s website and learn more on how you can live your best life this year!

xx Melissa

Look out for our next guest post with Anita on being ‘Crystal Crazy’
For more information please email Anita - Anita@AnitaRosenberg.com

Glow Girl Faves from Anita Rosenberg

Anita stocks a range of products which all hold healing or prosperous properties. I love the Ganesh Magic candle for prosperity, success and happiness.

*Cited from Anita Rosenberg BaZi Chinese Astrology report.