Cut-Outs and Greek Key

Now that we are in May we have begun to encroach upon Wedding Season!!!! This year is light for me, just one wedding and bunch of pre-wedding fun (see bacholorette parties, bridal showers, and dress shopping). Even though there is only one main event, I decided I needed a new dress for the occasion.

I popped down to LIT on Newbury and tried on what felt like 25 dresses. As much as I love the store, they are all about the short girls - most frocks barely covered my bum and the long dresses barely covered my ankles.

In the end, I bought a dress by The Addison Story. It is super comfortable but impossible to describe. After scouring the internet, I finally found some pictures. Voila!

The key holes around the neck and down the back are what really sold me on the dress. They are elements that just spark interest. Additionally, I sometimes have redness on my upper arms, so I am extremely grateful for having the coverage without having to have full on sleeves. Can't wait for June to wear this out!!

Uli!

I've been keeping tabs on NY Fashion Week and saw Christian Siriano's new collection. This immediately made me wonder about some of my other favorite PR contestants. I found Uli Herzner's website. Her dresses are still amazing and fun.

I won't pretend that these dresses are in my price range, but there are some that are only $270ish, and maybe some day I can treat myself to an Uli original. The prints used and fluidity of pieces really draw me in. In my opinion, they are visual expressions of my own personality.

Normally, I don't care for one shoulder numbers, but the dress featured here really calls to me. I think it has to do with the proportions along with the tight bottom and flowing top, aka my M.O.

If I were to walk the Red Carpet

Like many others out there, I have decided to devote a number of my Sunday nights to the major awards ceremonies. The best part of the whole pomp and circumstance is the pre-show Red Carpet coverage, obviously. Haute Couture Spring 2012 were shown a little bit ago, and I just went through and decided to pick out what I would wear, if I were invited and allowed to borrow the good stuff. :)

Versace

As this is my first awards show, I would want to make a statement. The rookie mistake is to go with the first pretty dress you see. While I adore this dress, I do understand it is probably a bit too busy for me. I just don't think I am tall enough to pull off a silhouette like this. There is a lot of design going on, very visually appealing, but I don't think I have enough practice "owning" my look to come out on the Best Dress List after getting photographed.

Valentino

The daredevil in me is drawn to this sheer number. I had no interest in Rihanna's sheer, but this, I love. I think because it is just showing the outline of the body underneath. The purple hue keeps me from wondering if the woman is wearing any underwear, and her boobs seem to be covered well enough. This photo is taken during a runway show, I do have a few concerns that it could be little bit more see through on the RC. Let's keep going

Dior

Voluminous skirts win over sheath dresses any day in my book - well maybe not on a wedding day but that is a whole other bag of chips. Dior provided me with a number of dresses to consider. I could see myself going with this if I were a pro at the RC, not for my first go.

This is getting warmer. The skirt is a little flat for me. But the colors are good for my hair/skin/eyes. Really the draw back is the sleeves. I overheat and tend to be a bit sweaty in long sleeves. No one wants pit stains ruining a good awards ni

And it is Dior for the win. Yellow is my color and tulle is my thing. The design along the neck would help give me a more womanly as it creates an illusion of a bust. I don't think I would style things the same way though. The gloves are fun but would have to go - remember I need to stay cool.

I can't wait to see the Oscar dresses, those women better bring the glam!

Grammy Favorites

The Grammys aren't known for having a classy and tasteful Red Carpet. This year was no exception. Even with some of the crazy disco ball dresses - I'm looking your way JLo - there were some celebrities that simply knocked it out of the park. I tried to think of an order of addressing my favorite looks, but ended up just loading pictures at random.

Justin Beiber

I'm going to get the only male in this post done first. In general, white suits look silly on white men simply because there isn't enough contrast. Therefore, he looks ridiculous, but I would like to think this was his idea which makes me warm up to it. Think about how many boys went to prom looking exactly like this - they thought they look hot and urban, but no, just silly. It's nice to know Beiber really is like any other 15 year old boy.

Nicki Minaj

Of course Nicki would be mentioned. She rocked this. Leopard from hair to toes is no easy task and she just went for it. At first I was on the fence, was this outfit too much for me? Then I saw it came with pockets. SOLD. This girl is definitely growing on me and I can't wait to see what she wear next.

Florence (sans The Machine)

I hate shear dresses with cut-outs...normally. This I love. Best Swan Dress ever sported on the RC. Quirky but elegant. She is totally making a dress that revolves around an angry/unfriendly bird and turning it into rock-star fashion. (Seriously, probably my favorite of the night)

Kathy Griffin

This dress is cut well and compliments her frame. The detailing is amazing. But the main reason this dress is worth mentioning is the color. Kathy has been really into this mustard yellow shade for the 2011 award shows, and I applaud her for going for it. This is the exact dress I would put on my fake roommate, she also has a soft spot for this color and while she is curvier, I feel she could rock it.

Nicole Kidman

I forgot how much I love Nicole. Her addiction to Botox threw me these past few years, and I would have a hard time looking past her face. Now that she is allowing her forehead to return to it's former glory, I can appreciate her style. What draws me to this dress is that it is so earthy in its tones. No glitter, but the texture draws you in. Again, here is a case where the sheer doesn't bother me, it makes the skirt cloud-like.

Rihanna

This was the best stage dress of the night. I have no desire to post up her RC dress. A friend and I were sitting on our respective couches in our respective apartments and feeling the same way - how was this allowed to be shown on tv? The dress was tacky and all it made you wonder was, is she wearing underwear? Unlike the other dresses posted here, I would have no desire to wear that thing. Oooops, didn't focus on the gorge dress that is above. Well, it rocks.

Katy Perry

I'm ending with this tall glass of bubbles. The wings are a bit much, but given that it is the Grammys, I like that she went with them. When else could she pull it off? I think the only reason I like the dress is because she is wearing it and it fits her persona. The other reason I wanted to end with Ms. Perry is because of the interview she had with Seacrest. Loved that Granny has a bedazzled cane and didn't know Ryan's name. Also found Ryan's question so bizarre about Russel being there, only to find out Giuliana asked the exact same thing when talking to Jesse Eisenberg a few weeks earlier on the SAG RC. Clearly Ryan doesn't watch E!'s Red Carpet show, or he would have stayed away from repeating a stupid question.



Phew, that was a long post. Can't wait for the Oscars!

New York Fashion Week - Get in my closet

While browsing through pictures of NYFW I found that in addition to runway looks I wish I could have (to be posted soon), there were many outfits in the audience that I would be happy to take off these celebrities hands. I mean they don't wear clothes more than once, so donate to me :)


I really have a thing for white and black dresses. Sadly, I can never find one that works for me in my size. Normally, I stay away from long sleeves (even my sweaters are 3/4) but I really think the sleeves make this dress. Tinsley, want to let me know who this is by? Ok thanks



Polka dots are not my thing. But by adding two rows of larger dots makes it look more like a tasteful pattern/embellishment, rather than fabric that should be the base of a dolldress or table cloth. I am pretty sure the salmon/pink color would flatter my complexion more than my usual taste of hot pink crazy.

Here I like the silhouette more than the actual print. Given my small bust, I find that when I wear looser tops with tighter fit bottoms I appear much more girlish. Tight tops just remind everyone that I am lanky and slightly boyish in the torso. I'll keep my eye out for similar looks.

Ok, clearly this outfit is not for me. But Mr. Hamm just looks so darn cute. I mean who wouldn't want to have him around to hang out with?

More to come about the runway shows/new spring collections, and of course the Grammy's (dropped the ball on the Globes and the SAGs).

Some Pretty to Combat the Dreary

Yes, I chose to live in the Northeast.
Yes, I chose to live in the greater Boston area, in the most densely populated city.
Yes, I have a car but no off-street parking which means I depend on street-parking.

But, even with this, I am so overwhelmed by snow and cannot handle any more until some of these snow banks melt down.

The snow has already started up again, and I am just going to waive my white flag. My car is going to stay in the garage at work, and I will depend on the bus to get to work. To help me cope with the exhausting morning commute that will be my future (~80 minutes from start to finish) let's look at some color, quirk, and happiness by Mary Katrantzou

I would so wear this skirt. Alright, I would wear this outfit

This necklace is to die for

Loving the colors in this one

Ok, I can do without the arm things

Gorgeous Calendar

I was due back from FL in Boston at 7 pm on the 11th. Instead, do to one mega b*tch of a storm, my friends and I didn't touch down until 10:30 am on the 13th. While my friends were concerned about missing work, I took it as it was, and looked for the silver lining. God just gave me two more days of relaxation before Opening.

Opening consists of the first two weeks of school. Our office opens all of MLK weekend, extends hours to 8-7 Tues-Thurs the first week and 9-7 Mon-Wed the next, and we have the pleasure of working these long hours with 30 minute lunches. The plus side is that lunch is provided by management. Oh, and by the way, while all this is happening, I started my second semester of school: 3 classes this time, including a Saturday one!

I had hoped that those days would help keep the stress out, but we are at the end of Tuesday and I am already crying for a vacation day. Blogging is pretty much out of the question. I did find a series of amazing photographs. Fortunately for me, I also found a video that goes through all twelve of them, if this wasn't here you would have gotten at most three. Let's face it, I would have stopped after two. I hope you enjoy!

Hair Tinsel??

Who would have thought I would turn to the Real Housewives franchise for fashion ideas. In my defense, it is a tacky but awesome idea. Silvery tinsel like hair extensions. Adrienne Maloof, who is one of my favorite RHOBH, has been sporting such a do for the last few episodes.


Um, this outfit is amazing. Love it and her. The hair tinsel is just the kind of Christmas flair I need. Subtle bling at its finest. I seems to be on the right side of professional on the potentially tacky scale.

Google is God's way of letting us know where anything and everything we could possibly want is sold and for how much. Bella Via Hair Glitz sells 24" hair tinsel for $14.99 a pack (50 strands). There is a how-to dvd that can be purchased for $4.99. I'm glad there is instruction, but I am a little sad you have to pay for it. Oh well. Let's keep this on the back burner of possible awesomeness that I need to incorporate into my look.

PS - Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday to Me

The December issue of Vogue UK featured a beautiful editorial entitled "Star Signs" which was photographed by Tim Gutt. As a Capricorn, (Dec 22 - Jan 18) I figured I should feature my sign. If there is some chance you haven't seen the entire spread, please indulge yourself in some beauty.

Marc Jacobs Wake Up

Ok, here goes, let's get some blogging done. While fishing through all the websites, articles, and pictures I have bookmarked over the last week, I figured why not start with something super colorful and easy.


Marc Jacob's 2011 spring collection was presented recently, I like it a lot. For some reason when I watch this show, the models look to be even taller than usual. I don't know if it has to do with the proportions or what, but seriously, they look like they could be pushing 7 feet!

In case you were unaware, boobs are in this season. Shear tops have been popping up more and more this season. It's a shame these clothes are just impractical for the real world because they are breath-taking.

Love the palette and that the show didn't go full force with the neons, but had some beautiful chocolate pieces mixed in.

Fancy Feet

In this economy, I can't afford to purchase new clothes as often as I would like. But one way I can spice things up is get a few new accessories to make old outfits pop. What is better than an eye catching accessory? How about a functional one! Socks and stockings are the way to go. They add just a bit of pizazz; maybe a splash of color or some extra texture.

I came across Hansel from Basel and was so impressed with the patterns that the company came up with. They sell socks, tights and bags. The bags I will pass up and ignore. The tights and socks pages, however, have taken up a good chunk of my time.

The Clemence Knee Hi caught my eye immediately. It just makes me smile tons. The price, not so much, but a girl can dream. Turns out that they do occasionally cut prices, I would be more inclined to purchase the Cable Knit Pompom Tights now that they are down from $42 to $26.50. Don't worry, I said more inclined, there is still no way I am jumping at that one.

Squeeeeee! I just noticed that there is a section on the website that lists all stores that have their products in stock. Low and behold, they are in a store on Newbury Street in Boston. Score. I was hoping to stroll down downtown window shopping the first weekend in December, so I might just have to stop by Minilux. Twist my arm.

Just as I get comfortable in skinny jeans

Tom and Lorenzo let me know that wide legged pants are back. I know that fashion is always changing, but I invested in my first pair of skinny jeans only last fall. After falling in love with the way they enhance my butt, my skinny jean collection has multiplied pretty significantly. As long as I am not having a "fat day" I tend to grab one of those bad boys over their more relaxed fit friends. One of the biggest appeals is that they fit so well under my boots which keeps me a bit warmer.

I get that wide pants are fluid and comfortable but in the end, they tend to look a bit messy. When you see starlets sporting them on the red carpet it looks like a mess, the whole time I just stare trying to figure out - awkwardly long skirt, or super ginormous pants?

Oooooophhh. I think I am going to dig my heels in on this one. Especially since I can't afford a new pants wardrobe at this point in time.

Endless Possibilities

I've done zappos.com, aldoshoes.com and piperlime.gap.com. Shoe shopping online is an addiction and I have it bad. For every pair of shoes I keep from an order, I return at least 2. Just as I was ready to throw in the towel on aggressive online shoe purchasing, I mean how can a size 7 vary so much!, I came across endless.com.

For the last few months, I have been coveting a pair of English Riding Boots. But nothing ever seemed quite right. I scoured websites and stores for the perfect brown boot. Anything good was over $400 and anything under $100 looked cheap.

As I was looking through the endless website (which was somehow emailed to me with an online coupon...I would love to know how they got my email address. damn the man!) I saw Michael Kors riding boot. Immediately I had flashbacks to Lord&Taylor's recent shoe sale where I overheard a salesman talk about a Steve Madden knock-off of this very boot. He told this group of girls, that the Michael Kors boot was unbelievable but the Madden was a decent replicate at about $60 cheaper.

I saw that these boots fell at a price point just below $200. For knee-high leather boots, that is awesome. In general, I try to stay around $150 for boots, but I was willing to go a little more for a quality that would be above anything else I had ever own. Before I could even acknowledge this rationalization for the purchase, my fingers were clicking away and BOOM the boots were ordered.

These bad boys showed up 2 days later. I have to admit, they are a little tight in the toes and the ankles are a little stiff, but I think they just need some time to be broken in. Last year I got a pair of motorcycle boots that had the same issues and now I wear them almost every day. Everyone knows, sometimes fashion requires some suffering.

Can't wait for these to completely mold to my feet. Best guesses, these boots will be perfect in about another month. Yay!

Panty Lines for the WIN

Gretchen winning Project Runway Season 8 is soooo last week. I know. Originally I was going to keep with my plan of staying away from that whole mess after I posted up my love for Mondo. There were so many blogs ripping her apart, and as much as I didn't want her to win, I do feel a little bad at all the backlash she is receiving.

For the last few weeks, I have been searching "Mondo Guerra collection" on Google with the hope that he will finally launch a website. Nothing ever seems to materialize. Instead, I end up going into Google News and start reading all that is out there about the finale show. Today I saw something is making me give Gretchen a bit of my blog space. Sorry girl, it what I have to say isn't too great.

I believe it was high school when I first heard about the horror known as panty lines. They were considered one of the absolute worst sins against fashion. Fortunately for me, I never wore tight clothes so my granny panties never were detected. Now that I am an older and more mature individual, I feel confident with my ability to pull off tighter pants which, of course, means that I have to go with the thong. My favorite ones are by Victoria Secret, it has a number of lines that have large elastic lace waste bands. Turns out Gretchen's models also are big fans.

How do I know this? Because in Gretchen's world, panty lines are not only in but she thinks we should be able to see the whole damn thing.

Ridiculous.

November 23rd - Calendar Marked

Lavin announced they are releasing a limited addition line for H&M later this month. There have been a number of designers pairing with H&M and Target. Usually, I know the fashion house, but this was the first time I was at a loss. After checking out their website, I realized that I might have found my new favorite if-I-were-fithy-rich-I-would-own-it-all designer. This stuff is fun, funky, and kind of perfect for my body shape.

As much as I think I love the clothes they have for sale, it might also be that the mannequins have some serious sass. The red lip, black cat eye, and red fingernails are a trip. Honestly, i think it gives the clothing additional appeal, as the forms make me think more of real women than a plastic mold.


















On a price point perspective, purchasing from this fashion house is out of the question. The Fashion Night Out t-shirt is $450.00 and the Jersey-Silk Sequin T-Shirt Dress is $3,550.00. Which brings me back to H&M and November 23rd.

The look book for the H&M line is extremely exciting and wearable. While I would love a good party dress, the item that my eye immediately went to was a fabulous t-shirt dress/tunic piece.
I would love to wear a fishnet type patterned tights and heels just because I think it would be funny. But this would be awesome paired with some regular black leggings or skinny black pants. The clothes are released on a Tuesday. It would a crying shame I got a really bad one day cold that day...

Animal Prints Go!

Just got two new pairs of shoes. One pair is for work, the other for fun. Of course I would rather blog about the fun pair. As you can see I now own some zebra printed heels, and not only do they have an awesome animal print, but there is some awesome lace-up detailing on the back. They aren't as tall as I prefer, however, they aren't too bad. I can't wait to sport them out and about the city. If only I had a night that wasn't devoted to school, work, homework, or kickball.

Release the Cougars

There may come a time when I can officially sport the title of a Cougar, but there is at least 15 years between then and now. In the interim, I am just going to interpret the title literally and start dressing like the animal whenever possible.

Dolce & Gabbana has created a winter line to help with this endeavor, it is like they are in my mind! Not only is the fashion house using the print of this big cat, but they are incorporating neon colors. No way in hell a person wearing these pieces can be over looked!






I adore this last picture. The glasses and red lips are to die for! :)

**Photos by www.dolcegabbana.com/

Sometimes You Just Need It Shortened

I rarely have to hem pants. For one, many of the pants I buy are just long enough so I don't look like a nerd when wearing flats. If I am able to find pants in long, they are labeled jeans that go with my 3-4 inch heels.

The problem comes when I find the perfect pair of jeans that could go either way. Like my Lauren Conrad matchstick jeans. When I tried them on in the store, I saw that they went perfectly with a pair of flats. Once I got home I decided to try some pumps with them and realized the look only worked if I cuffed them so they looked cropped.

I was at a crossroads. I can't bring myself to permanently alter them to a cropped length but I also don't want to have to fold them when ever I wear heels, because let's face it, that is more often than not. Thankfully Hem Gems have been invented.

These little buggers help to pin up your jeans with some adorable studs. They are only $20 for a set of eight. Depending how I feel at the end of the week, I might have to make a purchase. Normally I don't bother with anything that requires shipping charges, but here, I might have to make an exception.

Shoes for WOmen

I need more shoes. Of course the world knows this and had Piperlime send me an email to remind me I can find great stuff with free shipping. Part of me thinks the following shoes are amazing. The rest of me knows they are pretty much over designed and slightly tacky - but that is about par for the course when it comes to Betsy Johnston.


A moment or so later I decided to browse through the site to see what is new in the world of shoes. My mood quickly went from happy/dreamy to depressed/soured. See one of the top trend was "Boyfriend Inspired" and what we get from this is really ugly old man shoes.

I don't mind crossing gender lines when it comes to clothes. Every now and then I go ahead and wear an over sized button down shirt or go with some baggy jeans and a men's t-shirt. But when it comes to shoes, please don't make me look like a grandpa from the ankles down...

Side Braids, Who knew?

In the past I have dabbled in various forms of braiding and understand what works for me and what doesn't. To start, french braids just look stupid on me. No question about it. Pigtail braids work better for me and are my go to look if I have a sporting event to attend or physical labor to complete. The problem the pigtails is that they never look the same, they just don't match, and I find this irritating. In college, I sported cornrows here and there. These were my favorite, but just take a good hour to get down, given the amount of hair I have.

Now, none of these styles were something I would ever consider to be fashionable, and assumed they were simply never going to be considered glamorous, which was fine by me.

Well, clearly, I was wrong. This past spring magazines and blogs have been pumping up the new side braid. At first I was skeptical. This was a style for swimsuit advertisements, not the runway or the red carpet, yep wrong again. These side braids give the appearance of loose effortless tresses getting pulled into bulky braids. Ugh, there was no way my fine hair was going to stay put put in such an unstructured style. Boooo.

Now flash forward to a early June, I was invited to a beach theme party. I wanted to give my hair a beach feel and bought Surf Hair, a Garnier Fructis Style product, at the local Rite Aid for less than $5. The label says that it is a textured paste that would give my locks the appearance that I spent the afternoon swimming in the ocean. As I was working the product through, I realized that with this texture, the side braid could be feasible, so why not try.

It worked! The added texture allowed for my hair to keep some volume rather than hang along like a limp sad braid. The secret is to braid the side braid as you would normally do, but then tighten the braid down towards the base so that the upper portion can look loose and free. I now have every intention to cruise the streets of Boston with this do the rest of the summer. The only down side is all the weight of my hair pulls my head to one side. now, I guess it is time to work on my neck muscles? Oh what one endures in the name of fashion....