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!

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

Art & Culture Trip to Cuba

Cuba is one of the most unique countries in the Caribbean, an island brimming with vibrancy, soul inspiring music, and villages full of Cubans who thrive off a culture of social interaction and a characteristic of openness. I recently went on the most incredible art and culture tour where I visited both Havana and Vinales with a small group of women lead by my friend Rachel Melvald, Founder of Psychitecture. My time in Cuba was happy. Home to incredible history, architecture, culture, art and design, this trip was a beautiful experience. Most of the time we had no internet which made it so much easier to live in the moment. We drove around in vintage convertibles, learned to Salsa dance, sang, went to the ballet, museums, artist studios, Hemingway House, met new friends, rode horses, tried cuban cigars and above all I got to share this with my sister (and fab contemporary artist) Randi Russo.

Below are the highlights of where to stay, dine, explore and what to pack for Cuba or your next warm weather trip. We had a packed itinerary and got a lot in during our four day stay.

STAY
We stayed at The Hotel La Reserva, a boutique hotel intimately related to the neighborhood with a spirit that reflected Cuban soul. Characterized by Spanish style, both through the tile floors and big windows that open to the patio this balance between old restored house with amenities of a modern hotel were ideal. The in-house Art Gallery offered selected works of contemporary Cuban artists. Another fabulous boutique hotel to check out is Paseo 206 (we had dinner there and a tour of the property).

DINE
Cuban cuisine is a blend of Spanish, African and Caribbean influences. This cultural diversity in cooking results a noteworthy combination of spices and flavor. One of the nights, we ate at La Guarida a magical fine dining space offering family history and ambience. Contrasting this with oceanside served lunch of fresh lobster at Miya Cayito the following day with pre-ballet private dining experience at Paseo 206 later that night. Paseo 206 is a ‘romantic jewel nestled among the tree-lined streets’ in the heart of Havana. The Executive Chef, Vincenzo Frassanito at Eclectico, offers a distinctive interpretation of the Italian cuisine, emphasizing artisanal ingredients, working with local farmers and small producers.

Outside The Hotel La Reserva. Dasha Tiered Midi Dress by Alice + Olivia, Shoes by Fendi

Hemingway House

Restaurant Eclectico at Paseo 206

Rachel Melvald, Founder of Psychitecture at Hemingway House

Rachel Melvald and Randi Russo at Eclectico, Paseo 206

EXPLORE
With so much to explore in Cuba we indulged in the art culture. One highlight included our trip to Fabrica de Arte (FAC). The factory inspired art gallery is a super hip communal space where pieces from Cuban artists are displayed to the public. The atmosphere is like a combination of a bar, art gallery, performance arena and club. The factory brings together collective Cuban identity; and modern arts including design and architecture, visual arts, dance, and fashion. FAC is an absolute must-see!

We also went to the studios of famed Havana photographer Nelson Ramirez d’Arrellano and Esteria Segura Studio Space among others.

Havana photographer Nelson Ramirez d’Arrellano

Melissa with artist Esteria Segura

On our last full day of the trip, we went riding through endless fields in the Viñales valley with its green tobacco and fertile red soil, it felt like a land stuck in time. Lined with small wooden homes with faded paint and passing locals on old bicycles, horses and driving vintage American cars. At the Tobacco farm we experienced cigar rolling with the farm owners. A few interesting facts on Cuban cigars - 90% of the profits are paid to the government and they remove the center vein of the tobacco leaf which is the most addictive part containing most of the nicotine! I want to mention how much I normally dislike the smell and taste of cigars, however, these were smooth and sweet due to the fresh honey they use to seal their cigars.

Horse Riding through the Viñales valley

Denim skirt by AG, Top by Rebecca Minkoff, shoes by Golden Goose.

Enjoying a Cohiba cigar!

Beach day at Miya Cayito. Melissa wearing Mott50 X Margherita one piece swim suit.

WHAT TO PACK FOR A WARM WEATHER TRIP
With a beautiful blend of cultures, Cuban fashion is very casual, simple and lightweight especially for the warm climate. Think head wraps, cotton dresses, sexy, femine and colorful.

During this trip I took some of my favorite outfits which included: Alice + Olivia dress which I wore to the ballet. Then the gorgeously femine Wild Thing maxi skirt and tie top by Spell & The Gypsy Collective.

Click items directly in the carousel below to shop!

Melissa wears Wild Thing maxi skirt and tie top by Spell & The Gypsy Collective. Bag by Jade Tribe. Sunnies by Oliver Peoples.

Dinner at La Guarida. Melissa wears Flounce Neck Tank Dress by Zimmermann (ON SALE)!
Below: Pocket Belt Bag by Zimmermann, Rayette Sunglasses and ancient greek sandals

From the market visit in San Cristobal to a delicious lunch at hidden gem, Café Laurent, my time in Cuba was rich with culture and a variety of experiences. If you are interested in an organized custom trip to Cuba contact Rachel Melvald, Founder of Psychitecture at Rachel@psychitecture.com.

I also met New York fashion stylist Evan Elkowitz who offers customized fashion and arts tours in Cuba for small groups of women. Her next tour is April 10th - 14th, 2019. For more information regarding her tours, email Evan at evanelkowitz@hotmail.com.

Tour guide and fashion photographer David Mas took most of my photos throughout this trip!

Lunch at Cafe Laurnet. Devil Girls Graphic Tee by RE/DONE

Tips to remember for your Trip to Cuba:
• Wear comfortable walking shoes
• Bring jeans for horseback riding
• Pack a Water Bottle
• Take along some toilet paper (limited amounts given out in public bathrooms) and pack anti-bacterial wipes
• Your bank card or credit card will not work in Cuba so you want to make sure to bring enough money with you! Euros better as the American dollar is automatically penalized 10% on any exchanges.

Adrianne Tassel Necklace by Anthropologie. Dress by Marina St. Barth.

I left Cuba with a feeling of appreciation and the trip also sparked a desire to travel more in 2019. I am sure to go back again as I was deeply touched by the Cuban lifestyle, culture and people. Definitely a destination to add to your bucket list!

xxMelissa