2017 Superlatives

Another year has come and gone, which means it is time for me to look back at what I've purchased. If you'd like to look at last years' superlatives, you can click here.

The Past: Starting in 2014, I have kept an excel chart of my purchases, documenting brand, price, size, and end of year reflections on the item (how much have I worn it, alteration costs, and so on); a few insights:

1. This year, only 35% of my wardrobe was purchased secondhand, which is a bit down from last year. 
2. The single store/website that I purchased the most items from was Nordstrom Rack (16 items) and my most purchased brand was Rag & Bone (8 items). 
3. I ended up going about $100 over my budget (although I did buy a wedding dress this year, which was a one-time purchase and caused the total budget to grow above what I'd normally expect it to be).
4. I did save a whopping 81% off the retail price of my clothing (up from last year)! (For anyone wondering how I calculate that number, some clothes - like from Nordstrom Rack, still have the tags so you can see what the retail price was, and for items that are secondhand, I do a google search to try and locate the exact item, but take a guess when necessary, based on comparables). 

The Future: In looking ahead to 2018, I'd like to increase my second-hand purchases to make up at least a majority of my total overall purchases. I said that last year too, so I guess I want to try to actually achieve it this year. There are a lot of good second-hand and vintage stores in the Bay Area, some of which I already know about, but I bet there are even more, waiting to be discovered. Also, I honestly like mostly everything I bought in 2017 and there isn't anything currently that my heart desires. Usually there is a specific item, or a general category that I want to tackle, but right now I feel pretty content. My plan is to try to capitalize on that feeling and do a better job of  organizing and displaying my clothes, so that I remember what is in there. One of my favorite things about the spreadsheet is that it is always a good reminder about what is in my closet, and what (if I see it on the sheet and haven't thought about it for a whole year) should probably go.

Anyway, enough of that, let's get to the roundup:

New Jeans

Top | Amour Vert
Blazer | Theory
Pants | Rag & Bone Dre Jeans
Belt | Talbots
Shoes | Cole Haan

     For me, 2017 has really been a "the days seem long but the year seems short" kind of year. I've had a bit of a posting hiatus while I sort out a few things and wind down the year. I am, however, looking forward to going through all my 2017 purchases and figuring out my best and worst purchases of the year. 

All Over the Place Lace

Dress | Self Portrait Prairie Dress
Clutch |  Reed Krakoff for Kohls
Coat | Rebecca Taylor

    I've written before about my interest in the brand, Self Portrait, and their use of lace. It is always creative, and they pick such great colors. Thankfully, with each passing season there are more and more of their pieces popping up secondhand or substantially discounted (there are quite a few on TheRealReal and I bought this one for 50% off from Neiman's last year).

Mulberry

Tank - Grana Silk V Neck Camisole (xxs)
Pants - Frame Denim (secondhand)
Shoes - Coclico
Cardigan - Target

     I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. I didn't do that much Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping, but one of the things I did do was finally place an order with the brand Grana. I have been hearing about them a lot (I just randomly listened to their founder on a podcast) and they had a 50% off flash sale, so I rolled the dice and ordered a few items. I'll do a more in-depth review of what I purchased in short order, but for now, here is a sneak peak at their Silk V-Neck Camisole, which I can already tell I am going to wear all the time.

The Dress I Got Married In

All photos taken by the talented DP.

      There is a lot that I could say about the day I got married. In fact, I think I could probably do a month of posts: describing the groom, the location, our decision not to have a traditional wedding, my friends, our honeymoon, etc. However, that isn't what today's post is about. It is just about the dress. 

     In case you are just joining me here, I love clothes and I love fashion. Once I knew I was getting married, I turned my attention to finding something that would make me feel like a boss. I wasn't having a wedding in the traditional sense (we went to city hall) and I knew I didn't want to wear white. However, I didn't know what I did want to wear, and I didn't have a lot of time to find something. I started out by going on the Real Real, and scouring their dramatic gowns and runway dresses. The only issue was that I had no idea how some of these dresses would fit, and I was concerned about time lost in shipping and returning. I spent a few hours looking at department store websites, seeing if anything jumped out at me. Then, I remembered this dress (the one I ended up wearing) that a friend and I had seen at a consignment store 6 months back. It was on a manikin in the window of the store and, to be totally frank, the owner was a little bit rude when I asked about who the designer was. She simply told me not to touch it. (Helpful.) I figured it was unlikely that it was still there, but I should go back, as the store had a deep selection of gowns and at least I could try them on in person. 

     Well, I'm sure you can guess what happened - the dress was still there! Also, since it had been there for a while, it was on sale, and since I can't help myself sometimes, I ended up talking them down on the price even further. I knew I'd have to get the hem shortened and assumed I'd need to find a tailor who could do a proper job, which probably wouldn't be cheap. (It actually was totally reasonable, and was worth every penny.)

    To back up a step, this dress is from the Antonio Marras 2014 Spring Ready-to-Wear collection, shown in Milan. This is what it looked like on the model, and I think if I'd only seen this photo, I would not have bought this dress, whereas in person, it was totally dreamy.

Dark Florals

Top | Tanya Taylor Nessa (secondhand)
Pants | Citizens of Humanity (secondhand) 

     As someone who generally loves solid colors, and eschews prints, I was shocked that I was so taken by this top. At first glance, it has a lot going on - bright color, embroidery, long sleeves and an off-the-shoulder cut.  That being said, the print has a bit of a nostalgic pull for me. When I was little I took a Ballet Folklorico class (it is Mexican Folkloric Ballet...and pretend there is an accent on the second "o" in Folklorico, I can't figure out how to do it on Blogger), and a lot of the shirts have this same embroidery flower pattern. I don't remember particularly liking or disliking the dancing, as a child, but I did love the outfits.

     Did you ever engage in extra curricular activities solely for the outfits? Honestly, I feel like most of my excitement over youth soccer involved these elaborate fringed ponytail holders that one of the Team Moms made and sprayed with glitter glue.

Fiery Sunset + Weekend Reading

Dress | J. Crew Monday Dress (sold out, but some other red items are below)
Shoes | Coclico

     The weather in the Bay Area has basically turned, and it is officially foggier, rainier, and chillier from here on out. That being said, we had a few last random days of hot 80 degree weather, and I was inspired to be a bit bold. This is a basic cotton dress I bought on final sale, solely because of the color. If given the choice between red and (i) black (ii) grey, or (iii) any color in the navy-family, I usually pick the latter (I never think I look that good in red) but the name of the color of this dress was Fiery Sunset. How can you turn that down? It feels so much more exciting and encouraging than red. For crying out loud, a woman at work told me I looked saucy.

Dressing For Someone Else's Wedding

I did not manage to take a photo of every wedding outfit, but here are the ones I did get. 
Read more about them: Blue Floral Dress | Coat and Boots | Plum Dress| Tory Burch Top

As I've briefly mentioned here before, I have gone to a lot of weddings this year (including my own - but that outfit will get its own post, obvi). For those weddings, it is a rare opportunity to dress up and get out of my 9-to-5 comfort zone. I put a lot of time and effort into outfit planning, and thought I'd share some of my thoughts:

Variety: Taking a step back, if I had wanted to, I could have worn the same dress to every wedding I went to this year (baring inclement weather). I had a brief moment of thinking I shouldn't repeat outfits because "the same guests will be at Wedding X as at Wedding Y" but quickly realized I don't care. My family, friends and co-workers routinely see me in repeated outfits, so I'm not sure why it should matter for wedding guests. Also, I saw a lot of the same men at these weddings and they all wore the same suit, over and over, with no one saying a word about it. If having one go-to outfit is how you like to get dressed for weddings, you do you. 

Dress Code: For me, I think finding the right outfit for these events is something that should be planned out and mulled over. It's almost like a sport (or so I would imagine, not being particularly athletic). You've got to game-plan! I like looking at what the official dress code is (be it Cocktail Attire or Mountain Formal or You Have To Wear This Dress Because You Are a Bridesmaid) and combing through my closet to find something that will honor the theme, while keeping with my personal style.

New vs. Old: I don't think that just because you are going to an event, you have to buy something new. In fact, of the outfits shown above, all of them are entirely comprised of pieces that were already in my closet prior to the year 2017 (including shoes and accessories) except for the floral dress on the left, and the bridesmaid dress on the far right. That one might be easier for me than others, as I have a pretty deep closet and I hoard my clothes (so if you take nothing away from this post, it is keep all your clothes, forever...).

Preparedness: I managed to get through all my weddings with no fashion emergencies. The closest I got was with the plum dress. Something exploded in my suitcase, staining the dress. Thankfully it was water based and washed out once I lovingly blotted out each spot, but it would have been a stone cold bummer if my dress was spotted. In the future, I'd consider a garment bag, or wrapping my dresses in plastic. Other than that, I always carry bandaids, bring at least a few pieces of fashion tape and an extra hair-tie in my clutch (or on my wrist, if we are being honest).

Wearing White: This is an interesting topic, which I've discussed with a lot of ladies at weddings this year. It seems like people are still solidly in Camp Don't-Wear-White, but that peach and blush and other nude colors are creeping in. I often see multiple guests in something vaguely "bridal", and it seems like attitudes are definitely shifting here. I personally don't care about white (everyone wear white!), but nevertheless I take a conservative approach.  If I know the bride well, I can usually guess what she prefers (or she has told me), and if I don't know the bride very well, I stay away from white/blush/cream/ivory. 

Do you have any wedding outfit tips? What is the most befuddling dress code you have ever seen?

Peak Plum

Dress | Diane von Furstenberg

     This dress was made for "staring into gorgeous scenery photos", was it not? The open back is basically the reason I bought this dress, which I purchased (not rented) from Rent the Runway. They used to hold an insane sample sale (think long lines and very aggressive attendees) that I would try to visit when I lived in NY, but they have since started selling dresses that they don't rent out anymore, online. The pricing for the items they sell varies, to be honest, but I was pleased with the markdown on this dress, which ended up being a little over 75% off of its retail price. When I found it, the only dress left was a couple sizes too large, but in looking at the reviewer's photos on the RtR website, I didn't think it would make that much of a difference, since the fit is very drapey and loose. Turns out I was right, it looks like most of the size difference is reflected in a change in the length of the dress, and I knew I'd need to get the dress hemmed no matter what. 

Try, Try and Try Again

     I sometimes read posts by people who plan out their next week of outfits ahead of time, and think that I should try it. My usual objection is that I like to get dressed "in the moment" based on how I am feeling that morning. I tell myself that I might not end up wearing my pre-planned outfits, making it a poor use of time to do the planning in the first place. On the other hand, a lot of the time I hit snooze too many times, and then am in a rush out the door, grabbing an uninspired outfit. As such, there isn't as much creativity as I'd like, and some of my work wardrobe languishes. (Presumably, while I'm gone, my clothes obviously animate and start singing, "ten years we've been rusting, needing so much more than dusting, needing exercise, a chance to use our skill...")

     Sounds like I should just give it a shot and report back. In the meantime, I thought I'd show some of my thought process from a recent weekend outfit. I have this awesome pink suede skirt, that I bought from a thrift store in 2014. It fit perfectly in the waist, but was a floor length, maxi skirt (query why someone needed a full length pink suede skirt) so I bought it and took it to a tailor. The tailor very nicely saved the cut material, and I still have the rest of the skirt. I keep vowing to do something interesting with the leather (like maybe make a little coin purse) but I guess it has now been 3 years and I haven't acted on that impulse. I still really love the skirt, but I have a hard time finding ways to wear it casually. Now that fall is finally starting in the Bay Area, I thought I'd break it out, and see if I could find it a good match.

Top | Susina

Ruffles & Fringe

Dress: Tabula Rasa Akoto || Dress: Fame & Partners
                                                                Earrings: Banana Republic 

     I am back from my trip, and in case the lei doesn't give it away, these photos were taken in Hawaii. Today, I am featuring two outfits that each have a fun architectural element, in this case fringe and ruffles. 

Retro + Weekend Reading

Sweater | J. Crew (Thrifted)
Dress | Diane von Furstenberg (Secondhand)
Shoes | Matt Bernson

Hello and happy Friday! Just a simple outfit today, featuring my tried and true system of putting a black sweater over a printed dress, and calling it a day. It is a particularly nice Friday for me, because I am going on vacation next week, so all I need to do is get through the day. I am looking forward to coming back refreshed, and sharing some photos from my trip (as there are weddings involved, I think it'll be a much more fashion focused sort of vacation). The two weddings I will be attending are the last two I have for the year, and I plan on doing a recap of how I interpreted dress codes, and what I wore, including for my own wedding day (dun dun duuuuuunnnnn). 😊 

Long Game

Coat | Reformation
Boots | Cole Haan Marina

     About once a year, I'll see some item that clothing that, even if it seems wildly impractical or unusual, I know that it will pay off in my wardrobe if I just buy it and play the fashion long game. It really has to be something special, and even though it may seem like a surefire method for closet-disappointment, it is almost never the case. This coat, was my 2015 gut-driven purchase, and even though it has been taking up precious space in my closet the last two years, I have no regrets. (In case you were wondering: my 2014 one was a vintage couture jacket, this top was my 2016 one, and I haven't made such a 2017 gut-driven purchase yet, so hopefully that means I'm in for a treat over the next 3 months 😉.)

If you are reading this, thanks E and K for taking these photos.

Pack of Peplums

I love a good peplum, and think that a peplum top is a nice way to add a little visual interest to a work wardrobe. They are a bit unusual and fun - I mean they are basically a kooky little skirt for your top, but I don't think that means they can't also be office appropriate. Here are two examples of how I recently wore a peplum to work.

Top | Rebecca Taylor
Cardigan | Abound
Pants | DvF
Shoes | Coclico 

Rose

Top | Nordstrom Collection
Jeans | Citizens of Humanity
Shoes | Paul Green
Bag | Baggu Basic Tote

     It is taking all of my restraint not to make a "on Wednesdays, we wear pink" joke (not the least of which because it is Monday). I've had a bit of a posting hiatus, but hopefully will be getting back into a rhythm soon (I mean not like the sartorial world has just ground to a halt without my astute observations, but whatever, blogging makes me happy). I think about my outfits, take the photos, and write the posts in order to capture the creativity that my clothes allow me to convey. Also, I love talking about clothes and outfits more than most people I know want to hear me do so, so I write those thoughts down here, instead. 

Beat the Heat

Top | Amour Vert
Skirt | Banana Republic
Shoes | Paul Green

     I've paired together two recent outfits that are both drape-y, if that is even a word (quick google search produces mixed results, no hits from OED). I've recently been drawn toward clothing that is more soft and flowy, avoiding anything tight or structured. Part of this might be because of the recent heat waves the Bay Area has been having. It got up to 106 degrees in the city last weekend - the hottest ever on record. 

     Now, I know what your thinking, "my city also got up to 100+ degrees" and I hear you, and that is hot, but heat is always tough in SF because it never gets that hot, and as a result, no one has air conditioning. No A/C in your apartment. No A/C in the bogeda on the corner. No A/C in the majority of restaurants. No A/C in most coffee shops (except Starbucks which was a madhouse). I and about a thousand of my fellow city-dwellers decamped to the movies, which is one of the few places with air conditioning.

     On Tuesday, when I was back in the office, I still couldn't bear to wear sleeves or closed-toed shoes. So instead I wore this:

Top | Calvin Klein
Skirt | Amour Vert
Shoes | Coclico

H2T

Dress | J. Crew
Cardigan | Halogen
Shoes | Coclico Banks Sandal 

    When I was in college, I used to watch America's Next Top Model (aka ANTM). It was a totally batshit-crazy gem of a show that pumped out 22 seasons (or cycles, as they would call them) in a little over a decade. I did not watch all of the cycles, but I certainly saw quite a few of them. Supermodel Tyra Banks was the main host, with a rotating cast of judges that ranged from Twiggy (former supermodel herself), to Andre Leon Talley (former Vogue editor), evaluating a set of women (and apparently later men) who were vying to become, you guessed it, America's next top model. 

    I mention it here because Tyra had a lot of mantras and sayings that she would repeat to the ladies over and over, cycle after cycle. One of them was that you had to model from H2T aka from head to toe and when I was taking these pictures, I heard Tyra's voice in my head. Suffice to say, I bring all of this up because I recently got these shoes, I think they are amazing, and I wanted to try to get a good photo that showcases their beauty. H2T.

In-vested

Dress | Amour Vert
Vest | Rag & Bone Ines
Shoes | Calvin Klein 

     I am always mindful to avoid looking like a restaurant waiter whenever I wear a vest, the same way I never wear a red shirt and khaki pants when I go to Target. For this particular outfit, I knew I wanted to wear this knit dress (another new Amour Vert find), and couldn't figure out what else to wear with it. My blazers were too long and made the skirt look a bit short, a sweater pulled over the dress sort of ruined the nice lines of the dress, and I didn't feel like wearing a cardigan. 

     Vest to the rescue. This vest shows off the long sleeves on the dress, the white provides a striking contrast to the navy, and, as the vest has pockets but the dress doesn't, it adds a level of functionality. Also, since the vest has lapels, it invokes the style of a blazer in a way that still looks polished, for work. I don't wear this vest very often (I was actually surprised to see that I purchased it back in 2014) but it keeps surviving my closet clean-outs because when it does work, I really love it.

Superstition + Weekend Reading

Top | Vince
Pants | Rag & Bone

     I am not a superstitious person. At all. The most I will do is pray to the parking gods occasionally, and I'm not even sure that counts. However, I was superstitious about wearing these pants again. They are this Rag & Bone pair of jeans with a coated denim stripe down the side, along with a small chevron of leather. They are also like impossible to photograph (at least indoors, so I apologize for the poor quality photos, I had to crank the brightness up to an 11). I bought them secondhand at ReLove in SF, and took them on a recent trip. However, when I was wearing them, I got food poisoning (or something), and ended up puking my guts out. That was obviously no fault of the pants, but I was honestly scared to wear them again. I have such a visceral memory of how I felt right before I yarfed and I remember seeing these pants when I was doubled over. Obviously, as I had just bought them, I couldn't simply give up on these jeans without giving them one more chance. 

Amour Vert Sample Sale

     I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love a good sample sale. This is especially true when it is in San Francisco, since they are few and far between. I thought I'd write a review since this Amour Vert sample sale is going on this weekend (August 17-20) AND next weekend (August 24-27), in case anyone else in the Bay Area is interested in checking it out. 

Sailor + Navigating the RealReal

Sweater | Rag & Bone (currently on clearance)
Skirt | Theory
Bag | Clare V

     I've bought quite a few pieces on The RealReal over the years, since I first started shopping there in 2015. A common question I get asked is how I shop on the site. While there are great deals to be had, the user experience design of the website is bad. Like really bad. It is sort of hard to navigate and can be overwhelming. However, I've scored enough pieces that I think it is a worthwhile place to shop, and so I wanted to share some tips. Also, if you have any of your own, or if you have ever consigned with them (I have not, I've only purchased) I'd love to hear about it. 

Veronica Beard + Weekend Reading

Jacket | Veronica Beard
Top | Banana Republic
Pants | DvF Gennifer 2 Pants

    I've seen this Veronica Beard jacket a few times over the last year, and the design always catches my eye. However, this jacket, although it has a cool lace applique, is an unlined, $700, utility jacket, so obviously I was not going to pay retail. It started to get marked down during the summer sales, but often my size was sold out, or the price was still sort of high. I toyed with the idea of doing a DIY version.

Eureka

Tunic | Tory Burch
Dress | Derek Lam 10 Crosby
Shoes | Paul Green

     I am in the middle of a few months of almost back to back wedding weekends, which has been amazing and lovely as I am so excited to celebrate all of these unions, but it is also secretly great because I get to dress up more than I usually do. I plan to do a comprehensive post of all of the outfits and how I game-planned them once I attend the last wedding in October. 
     For a recent wedding, I was really struggling with what to wear. It was outdoors, would most likely be quite warm, and it was important to me that I was colorfully and joyfully dressed. That was of particular importance because this absolutely resplendent lady was the bride:

     She wanted something bright and joyful to wear on her wedding day, and I think she nailed it. It fits her perfectly, and the color really popped against the wooded backdrop. I actually helped find the dress, and I was so happy I could help her achieve her vision. When she asked for my input, I took the job very seriously, haha - it is one thing to dress yourself, but quite another to help dress another person, especially for such an important event.  The actual shopping was pretty painless though, and it only took us one mall, two and a half hours and one Wetzel's Pretzel to find it, although I did do hours of heavy scouring of the interwebs before then.  
     In regards to my own outfit - bright and early, in the middle of a stressful work morning, it hit me. I have this insane Tory Burch embellished linen tunic that I purchased at a heavy discount late last year, and have been very much wanting to wear, but that I was unsure of how/when to wear it. It is a more casual fabric (linen) but heavily beaded, and also it isn't quite a top but also isn't a dress by any means. I always pictured it paired with black cigarette pants, and high stiletto heels, but up until now, I have been unable to find the ideal pants. Also, for this wedding, as you can see from the photos, I couldn't really wear stilettos, unless I was trying to aerate the grounds.  

     What finally dawned on me, that morning, was to layer the tunic over a dress! I wanted a dress that had a little more volume in the skirt, but that was otherwise pretty simple, since this top has a lot happening. After trying it on with a few different dresses, I remembered the one I ended up wearing, which is actually the slip of this dress. I loved the color pairing and thought the pleats fit in well. Not only that, but since the slip had a low v-neck, I ended up flipping the tunic front to back, and wearing it backward! You can see what was supposed to be the front, in one of the images below. I also had to remove the tag, as it otherwise kept sticking out and gave away my secret. I was pretty pleased with myself, and am glad my subconscious was working on this issue while my conscious was hard at work. I also received some valuable input at the wedding on how else I can wear this top.

     If you are curious as to what the embellishment looks like up close - be curious no more:

This is the front. 

Have you had a recent eureka fashion moment? Where or to whom do you turn to help you sort out fashion questions?

Ice Cold

I just got a haircut - can you spot any differences?
Top | Rebecca Taylor
Shorts | Anine Bing
Shoes | Paul Green

     This type of top is known as a cold-shoulder top - it tries to have its cake and eat it too, by evoking the cut of an off-the-shoulder top, while still allowing you to move your arms freely and wear a regular bra. These have been popping up all over stores and apparently, are a bit divisive (at least they are among my friend group, although thankfully not divisive enough that it stopped my friend Jess from stepping in as my photographer). 

     I also don't like many of them (in particular, when it is a cold-shoulder sweater, as that seems to defeat the purpose of a sweater), but I do love this one =). It is Rebecca Taylor, and was found at Saks Off Fifth. I like that there is a little tie on the sleeve (noticeable in the photo below) so you can cinch it all the way up, or let it fall, like I currently have it, and I like the little window detailing on the flutter sleeve. 

As I was venturing to a warmer climate, I paired them with a new pair of silk shorts, and tucked in the top, creating a faux romper effect. I spent quite a while looking for the perfect adult summer shorts. It is a bit hard because I wanted something that (i) wasn't denim, (ii) wasn't too long and not too short, (iii) didn't have an elastic waist, and (iv) had pockets. This pair is Anine Bing (a brand I had never heard of) and, per Google, looks like it is the eponymous line of a fashion blogger. They are a nice soft silk, and while I wouldn't pay full price for them (and didn't, thanks to the magic of Nordstrom Rack) I have high hopes for them, and this top, this summer. 

I'm still working on my "sitting" poses.

What say you on the cold-shoulder debate?

Fashion Week(end)

Dress| Johanna Ortiz Bluebell Silk Embellished Maxi Dress
Shoes | Paul Green
Jacket | Veda

     I recently attended the amazing wedding of some friends, for which I was lucky enough to borrow an outfit for one of the nights of their celebration. After seeing what I would be wearing that night, I decided to double down and just make it a fashion weekend. I love clothes (obviously) and I think that style and fashion should be fun, and sometimes, dramatic. 

     This is what I got to wear the first night:

I was only borrowing this shalwar kameez (and if you ever happen to read this blog, thank you S!) and thought it was amazing. It is three pieces, the heavily embroidered dress, a pair of pants (which in this case were a loose, palazzo pant), and a scarf. The dress is designed for maximum twirl-ability and the whole look is insanely comfortable. I loved wearing it, and as almost all of the other guests at the event were similarly dressed, it was a great way for clothing to help me feel even more connected to the festivities. 

The henna also helped as well, although as I am sometimes lacking in grace, I got it all over my other hand, and was narrowly stopped from getting it on my face, as well. 

 Knowing I was wearing that first outfit for night one, I decided to break out a Johanna Ortiz dress that I bought this year from UAL (I did a brief write-up on them here), in all of it's peplum-glory. As an FYI, I am wearing an XS, and while it zipped, I could have easily sized up. This dress is totally special, and I felt great while wearing it. I love the print, the little embellishment beads in the middle of some of the flowers, adding a fun 3D effect, and obviously the peplum. 

A peplum, for anyone who doesn't know is a "short, flared, gathered or pleated strip of fabric attached at the waist of a women's jacket, dress or blouse to create a hanging frill or flounce" (and per Dictionary.com). I found out at this wedding that very few men know what a peplum is, so I took upon myself all night to get the word out (and if you don't know, now you know).

I felt like a very fashionable statue all night (I think due to the draping) which is good, because the open back (sadly no photos of this) and the tight waist basically demanded very good posture. I am thinking of having a tailor transform this into a separate peplum top and skirt, so that I can wear get more wear out of it. There is also an itty bitty pocket in the peplum (photo below), but it isn't really large enough for more than some dollar bills and a hair tie. When I found myself alone in the bathroom, some selfies were obviously a necessity:

What is your favorite wedding outfit? 

Thanks for stopping by!