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?

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?

2016 Superlatives...

...and now, I present some of my favorite and least favorite purchases from 2016. For the past 3 years, throughout the year, I keep an excel chart of all of the items that I purchase, and include data such as retail price, how much I paid for it, where I got it, online vs in-store, and general thoughts (could include if I had to get it tailored before wearing, if it is Made in America, etc.), and then at the end of the year I go through and review/analyze what I bought. This might sound clinical, or crazy, but I like shopping and my system helps me identify trends from my own shopping data. 
     For example, last year I noticed that most of the items that I purchased and never really wore/lost interest in quickly were items I ordered online from J. Crew and Banana Republic. That helped me curb mindless online sale shopping at both of those places, and remind me that if I am going to shop at either store, I need to do it in person.
       This year, just to give you a flavoring, 31% of the clothes I bought were dresses, 42% of the items I bought were used or second-hand, and I saved, on average, 79% off of the retail price of all of the clothing I bought. That last number is heavily weighted by the secondhand shopping, and some key Nordstrom Rack and RealReal.com clearance item finds. 
1. Best Sport: Rag & Bone Varsity Jacket

Jacket  Rag & Bone
Pants | Joe's Jeans

This first piece is a great example of my commitment to bargain hunting. I really wanted a varsity jacket, and had seen a few Rag & Bone ones, but did not want to, and could not, pay $500 or more (retail here, although mine, to be fair, is probably last year's model) for one. I waited and waited and eventually the one I am wearing above popped up on the RealReal for less than $80. Boom. It was one size larger than I would have ordered normally, but the slouchy look totally works on this piece and everything else about it was exactly what I wanted, so I purchased. 
I really adore it and wear it all the time, even though sometimes I think it makes me look like a local high school student. Go Bulldogs? 

2. Most Unflattering: Caslon Pants

The back of these pants is pretty unflattering - even more so in person. I ordered online, drawn in by a $15 price tag, and then missed the return window, so here they sit in my closet. I will probably force myself to wear them to work one time, and then donate them. Mental note to stop adding things to cart just because they are cheap, or because I am like $8 away from free shipping.

3. Best Assist
These pants, on the other hand, feel like they were made for me. Both the top and bottom here were actually random second-hand finds that I did not initially intend to try on. In both instances, I was in the dressing room and needed a top/a bottom, because I was wearing a dress that day and trying on a top/a bottom, so I randomly grabbed these from the rack to assist me in the dressing room. I'm so glad I did because I now wear this top once a week (who knew a metallic could be so versatile....probably Stacey London actually...), and I have worn these jeans multiple times a week, to be frank. 

Long live the skinny jean! 

Top | Calvin Klein
Pants | Citizens of Humanity

A Tale of Two Shoes

I'm like a Dickensian clothes-horse today, as I've got a tale of two shoes.They probably could not be more different (other than the fact that they are both open toe) but yet they both work with this weekend outfit. First up, its the crunchy hippie classic - the Birkenstock. 
When I first saw these sandals come back into the main stream (fully realizing that for some people, they never left) I told myself it was trendy nonsense and I would not buy a pair, which is basically like a cosmic guarantee that I would end up owning one. Even though my parents, and my friends, make fun of me, I love them. They are sooooo comfortable, and I think kind of cute. It is also a little hard to make out in these photos, but these have white, patent straps, and pink soles. The Birkenstock website says "...add 31 to women's US size and 33 to men's US sizing to determine Birkenstock size". For me, that ended up running a full size large, and it could depend on the kind you are interested in. These are the Arizona, purchased through Amazon, but you can find them on sale lots of places (Amazon, 6pm, etc.)

Top | J Crew Made in America (under $20 - I am in xx-small)
Skirt | Kate Spade
Shoes | Birkenstock Arizona

 On the opposite end of the spectrum, are these tasseled Tory Burch beauties. I found them at Nordstrom Rack (where I feel like I buy all my shoes these days), and they were marked down on clearance, with an extra 25% off. I honestly did a mini triumphant fist pump in the shoe section, and tried them on immediately. They match this skirt, and bring out the orange thread, although I can't wait to wear them with jeans or solid colored dresses for a little visual punch. 

They are like shoe piñatas. 

What is your favorite pair of sandals, and will you wear them long after open-toe weather has faded away? Any recent purchases that made you giddy?

Friday Earrings

I rarely wear jewelry on a day-to-day basis, but I am trying to change that. I'm not even sure why I don't, because I like it, I like it on other people (I'm looking at your Iris Apfel) and I see the importance of jewelry to pull together an outfit! Also, I have some pretty pieces that currently don't do much other than keep my jewelry box company.
I think it is because whenever I put on more than 1 or 2 skinny bracelets or a minimalist ring, I feel like I'm just piling it on. Like I'm just being ornate - which is nuts. For a casual Friday outfit I pushed myself, and made myself wear earrings AND a top with a beaded bauble neckline.  There are always things I'm trying to refine about my personal style, but this one feels pretty darn achievable. 

What are your go-to jewelry pieces and what designers do you love?

Style Dtour in Denver

Another type of detour =)

Colorado Consignment
This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Denver - it was my first time there, as well as my first time in Colorado! I had a great time, and, because there was some time for shopping, I wanted to do a review of three consignment stores I visited with my friend Ang. We had a great time exploring the second-hand scene in Denver, and finding pieces for each other and, of course, ourselves.

Mercer Place

First up, the delightful Mercer Place. 

When we pulled up, there was a sign saying that a summer clearance sale was happening, which is always a great thing to be greeted with. The store had a lot of clothes and jewelry, as well as really cute home furnishings. We also got to meet the lovely owner, and chatted about everything from her store to fast fashion.

Leifsdottir High Tea Dress

The color of this dress caught my attention on the rack and once I zipped it up, there was little doubt I would leave with it. Also, it has pockets!

Giving a twirl, for good measure.