Getting #LittleBlackDressed with Ann Taylor

So... Kate Hudson has already been a long time fashion icon and hero of sorts for me. For one thing, she was one of the first celebrities I remember saying something along the lines of "You don't always have to wear makeup", back when I was an impressionable and highly self conscious teenager... plus, she just embodies a casual girliness that I've always related to.

Recently Kate designed a capsule collection of 5 LBDs for Ann Taylor. The dresses, each with a cute name, are perfect for a variety of uses including events, casually chic lunches out, and running (fashionable) errands. I fell in love with the Camera Ready dress from when it was first unveiled in advanced ads for the collection. It has strong lines, an interesting shape and cut-outs in just the right place.

As you know if you read my previous two posts, I was fortunate enough to win GoBank's Project Runway shopping trip, which took me to NYC to stay at the Ace Hotel in Midtown and spend $500 on clothes with Project Runway's lovely Dom Streater. The last day of my trip was also the day that Kate's dress collection launched.

Thanks to scheduling conflicts (plane scheduled to leave at 5pm), I knew I wouldn't be able to attend Ann Taylor's dress launch event that evening. I stopped by the 5th Avenue store in the morning, though, and the staff was kind enough to not only let me snag one of the dresses early, but act as a personal cheering squad in the dressing room when I tried it on.

Lovely Kelly from The Glamourai happened to also be at the 5th Avenue store at the same time, photographing the collection for her blog and picking up her own dress. Very cool!

Kate's LBDs all ring up at less than $200, and the fit of the dresses varies so they will flatter women of many shapes and sizes. Kudos to Kate for keeping the price range reasonable (she's quoted as saying she wanted the whole collection to be, together, less than the price of one investment dress) and for providing pretty dresses that can look great on tall, short, thin and curvy ladies.

Go get yours while you still can! And make sure to tag me in pictures when you wear it... I wanna see! :)