Outfits: Vintage/Costume

I wore my brand new (to me) vintage dress to church yesterday & got more compliments on it than I have on any other outfit I've ever worn. Huzzah! And for only $24? That's my kind of dress. ModCloth has some amazingly gorgeous vintage-inspired dresses, but at $40+ (usually much more than $40), that's not the sort of dress I can afford to buy too often, or ever.

-Vintage Watercolor Print Dress: $24, pegasusvintage

-Wide Gray Belt: $4.50, Forever21
-Apt. 9 Gray Tights: $5, Kohl's
-Black Predictions Oxfords: $19.99, Payless
-Multi Chain Turquoise Teardrop Necklace: $4.80, Forever21
-Cut-Out Circles Stretch Bracelet: $4, Charlotte Russe

And this is my Halloween costume:
I know most of you guys aren't familiar with my dad, but for those of you who are, you may be interested to know this is my dad's Navy uniform. His pants fit me perfectly. I don't know how to feel about this....

Autumn tartan dress

The top part is made from handwoven Donegal tweed fabric from weaver Jimmy McNeil in Shandon, Ireland. It is lined with think suiting cotton and the skirt is made of heavy knit wool in a full circle.

Outfits: The Calvin Klein Dress

Meet my new best friend:

Calvin Klein Julep Belted Dress, $98 at Macy's

I just love love love this dress. The color is perfect, and the style is simple enough that it can be dressed up or down to suit almost any occasion. These are only three ways to accessorize it that I came up with off the top of my head... there are really so many possibilities for this dress!

Jessica Jensen - a dream of beauty shared

At exactly 00:55 I stumbled upon a tweet that led me to the Jessica Jensen page, and my mouth filled with saliva. I kid you not.

After a long stint in fashion marketing, Jessica finally put her beautiful concept into her own collection and label in 2008 and boy, am I glad whenever a creative mind escapes the clutches of office careers, and even more so when they bring to the world something like THIS:

From the dreamy, cloudy and mysterious images to the sparkling blue eyed brown haired models to the subdued background of a much wanted beach to the most amazing of all - the dream clutch.

No, I am not one of those bloggers who say "Look how pretty". This is literally the dream clutch, presented like a dream and perceived like a dream. I find it strangely coinciding that Jessica Jensen has not only chosen the same fabric as I did but also the same type of model! Needless to say I have my eyes firmly placed on that clutch and my heart wide open for Jessica Jensen. I am not a bag girl (we all know I'm a shoe girl) but I can really see myself getting my hands on this - even if it is to wear with the Puddle Dress!

As some of you may know, I am in the process of creating a dress, which resembles the natural phenomena of the ripples witnessed when wind sweeps across a puddle nestled on the background of city concrete.

Doing so, I am preparing strips upon strips of double sided satin - colored dark gray and semi matte soft brown. As it comes across the body, there is a lift which emerges bigger and smaller according to the sweep, tilting up and exposing the shinier, lower level of the fabric - the vertical surface, which reflects the light.

Very initial sketches outlining the distribution of the waves

This will be an addition to the Nature DeLuxe Collection - a collection which aims to point out and translate the beauty in nature we look at before us but which most don't truly see. I see myself as an ambassador for beauty, and nature gives us most of it - right there. It's frustrating how little people see but if they need a reminder - this collection is one. And in the spirit of this, I thank Jessica Jensen - for capturing beauty as I see it, and representing it as I would.

SCORE!

I had to stop by David's Bridal this afternoon to pick up my bridesmaid dress for Stacey's wedding. Not only did I NOT get lost on my way there, but I also stumbled across an Old Navy :) [conveniently located right across the street from the dress shop].
I walked in looking for a dress for my Uncle Tony's wedding and walked out with a dress for my Uncle Tony's wedding! (That's a first for me!!--actually sticking to a shopping goal)



Okay, well I lied. I got a dress--in a MEDIUM!! and on sale (under $16)--but I also picked up two cardigans that were both on sale then dumped on the clearance rack for a further discount. I was able to snag each one for $7!

I wasn't able to find a picture of the dress online, but I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures at the wedding/mini-family reunion (only two weeks away). I was however, able to find the cardigans online and realized that they were incorrectly placed on the clearance rack and mixed in with the other sale cardigans.

This cardigan is SUPPOSED to retail for $26.50 -- I luckily got it and a white one for $7!

HOLLAR!

I just LOVE good purchases and awesome sales and deals!!!!

Tomorrow I can promise that I won't be shopping and wasting money... 

The niece and nephew have a soccer tournament tomorrow and Sunday. I'll be spending tomorrow (from 7AM to ??PM) working volunteering at the water tent with my brother and one of his co-workers. His company/store is one of the sponsors for my niece and nephews teams this year. His company was able to donate over 30 cases of water, hundreds of reusable water bottles, drink koozies and chapsticks all for the kids and their parents. Apparently there are going to be over a hundred teams attending the Atlanta Peach Classic this year--this weekend is going to be crazy.

I'm a little sad that it's a soccer tournament that I'm supporting and not a RUGBY tournament, but it's okay. I've got one nephew and a questionable niece or nephew on the way that I can make sure they play rugby. I've got to get at least one 'lil rugger out of the four of them... JUST ONE (is that too much to ask for?)!!!

:)

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW!!! 

Go Thunder Soccer!!!!!

GOODNESS ME

Update...

items recently lusted over have officially been PURCHASED!

Amici Accessories Braid Trip Shopper in Cream
Juicy Couture Gardenia sequin espadrilles
(LAST PAIR--now SOLD OUT)
Sun Dot Dress

And my credit card weeps with both the joy of new items and the loss of invisible money.

Poop.


NOW I am officially done spending $$ for the month of March. No more extras just bills... :(

SUNNY AND SEQUINS?!

Alright...

Dilemma time...

and I need my loyal readers help!

To Buy or Not To Buy.

That is the IMPORTANT question at hand.

Sun Dot Dress
Original retail $148.00 NOW $79.95
Anthropologie.com

Juicy Couture Gardenia sequin espadrilles
Original retail $255 NOW $76.50
theOutnet.com

For further aid, so that you may help me decide.


Here is the back of the dress:

And the dress on the model:



Now for the justification part of this post.

• I do look pretty cute in blue and yellow. Both look great with my pale-ish (I can't get a nice tan anymore because my body hates me) skin tone.

• My uncle Tony is getting married this summer.

• Two of my friends are also getting married this summer.

• This dress/shoe combo would be suitable and especially perfect for my uncle Tony's wedding since it is in the northern part of Georgia and in a wooded area. The espadrilles would be great because they won't sink into the ground...

• Both items are on SALE... and the shoes are ONLY AVAILABLE IN MY SIZE!
  
  (That could be a sign!)

• I could wear the dress again... plenty. It's a nice casual dressy dress, don't you think?

• As for wearing the shoes again... I could find something--Mr.A is taller than me, it'll be okay. And if not. There is always eBay or SA mart. There are always girls with big feet (LIKE ME) looking for a cute pair of designer heels for a steal!

Please leave me some advice. I'd love and appreciate the help!

Thanks loves!

--Chuck

*********************Update*********************

Okay, so I'm getting overly excited about this possible outfit... I decided to put it together via paint... It sure does look promising... CAN I DO IT?! SHOULD I DO IT?!

Opinions!? Please!

UH-UH's FLASHBACK FRIDAY [iii]

Once upon a time there was a woman name Uh-Uh.
Uh-Uh liked to glam it up.
Uh-Uh liked to shop.
Uh-Uh had a strong appreciation for the color white.

Some of you may disagree with me and my Uh-Uh about white not being a color and instead a hue... BUT once you set foot in my Uh-Uh's [old] Condo or raid her wardrobe you will be a white-as-a-color converted individual.

Please excuse my ramblings if they don't make one bit of sense this evening. I'm working off of 4 hours of sleep between the past 48hrs [all my own fault and completely WORTH it, and also the reason why this Flashback is on Saturday evening and not on Friday... my bad.]

Back to the business of my Uh-Uh liking the color white:
My Uh-Uh lived in a white walled Condo with white carpets and white couches and white linens.
Everything was WHITE.
But everything sparkled. There were large windows and lights in every room. When I would visit I would always get in trouble for turning all of her lights on in her house. I loved the way her spot lights on the ceiling would make the items in her china cabinets shine.

The shining and the lights and the white-ness of everything in her house is one of the main reasons why I was so drawn to the item of today's flashback.

The white (more creamy colored with age, wear, and old stains) of this dress reminded me so much of my Uh-Uh. Yes, I know the dress belonged to her, so obviously it will remind me of her, but it's more so the White-ness of it, the flow of it, the elegance and air around the dress.

It screams Uh-Uh.

[In the good way of course]

Now, on with the show:

[My Uh-Uh liked her white dresses]

[My Uh-Uh liked to alter her clothing... this dress was pinned in the front. She obviously didn't want to show the world her 'goodies'--My Uh-Uh is a classy lady.]

[Here is a close up--as close as I can get with my busted camera--the dress is silky, pleated (all OVER), and has this added belt to cinch the waist.]

[Here is the back...]

[This is NOT how my Uh-Uh would parade around... not with her lacy slip showing to the world--no siree-bob.]

[I pulled the back down on the dress, pulled up the waist to make it more empire. I like both ways.]

[These are my Uh-Uh's boots... I confiscated them a few years back. My Uh-Uh was a stylish lady back in her day!]

[More of Uh-Uh's dress and her boots! Hollar!]

If you don't know what next week's Flashback is about:

Boots!

I love me some boots! And so did my Uh-Uh!

:)

HOLIDAY OUTFIT

This Christmas I'll be splitting my time between my boyfriend's home in NJ and my home in MD. Christmas Eve we will be having dinner with his Aunt and family, and I am at a complete loss of what to wear.
I picked up this great black linen dress from Gap on eBay for $7 (original price tag $55). I was going to wear it, a pair of patterned tights, and my black suede boots for a friend's commission today, but since it got cancelled, I think I'm going to wear it for lunch/dinner at his aunt's place.
My only concern is that it's too much black. I've got my forest green long pea coat from Gap I picked up a few year ago to break up the black, and of course the gray tights will do that as well. I just hope my outfit doesn't come across as bla...

Here are a few pictures of the outfit pieces. (My camera is busted, or else I would take a pic of the outfit on and show you what I'm trying to pull off)



Unfortunately I don't have a picture of my coat (which I absolutely love!--it goes great with my skin tone and eyes and hair color--absolutely the best purchase I have ever made)...

I was thinking about wearing a colored scarf to break up the black, or maybe even my two tone AA scarf to make the tights 'pop' a little more...


But again, is it too much black? Oh I don't know! Ugh! Holiday outfits are entirely too stressful.

All I know is this: I really don't want to show up in jeans for a Holiday dinner (and a first meeting), I just want to look nice and appropriate...


Ugh. Holidays.