summer dress – Page 2

An Easy Blue Dress

June 15, 2015 No Comments

Pregnancy brain is a real thing. I once drove to work in the wrong direction for almost two miles before realizing what I had done.

And now I’m asking myself if I’ve written this already because it feels like I have…(see what I mean!?)

I can’t give you a scientific explanation for it, but I do know that the minute you look at that little positive stick a whole new world of thought opens up in your brain and sticks with you (I’m assuming) for the rest of your life. It’s not just about you anymore, it’s about a whole lot more.

Knowing the mental load that pregnancy carries with it, I determined early on that I didn’t want maternity clothes to be a point of frustration for me. So I did a lot of planning, looked at a lot of pictures and started formulating how I was going to translate my style while pregnant. I did something else that I believe was the greatest help of all, but you’ll have to wait to read about that on Friday :)

Shopping for shower dresses started way early and I went at it hard. Dresses are a very tricky thing to shop for when you have very specific taste. Then add to that a baby bump and you have me for the past month – scouring every dress website known to the wide world.

If I found one with a pattern I liked, it had two slits up the sides that my husband pointed out would only get higher when worn with a baby bump. Ha. True. Pass.

If I found one with a perfect bump-accommodating shape, it would have some kind of print that definitely didn’t translate “Elizabeth” (more like boho hippy child, on an Indian reservation).

I even ventured into the world of maternity dress shopping, which I’ve purposely treated like the plague so that if I can wear as much as I can now and later.

This dress gorgeous non-maternity-yet-bump-accommodating dress was found on Amazon (Lord help us all when you can get free 2-day shipping through Prime) but I originally found the same dress much more expensively on a big department store’s website. I copied the name of the dress and searched for it on Amazon, and sure enough there was a cheaper version (over $20 cheaper). Score!

It’s so comfortable and it’s got pockets!

I wore it to a beautiful baby shower thrown by my sister-in-law, and I’ll be able to wear it to Jackson’s kindergarten graduation if I so choose (and that’s no joke, I plan to re-wear one of the dresses I bought for my bridal shower).

A draping maxi dresses like this one flatters all kinds of body shapes, because the draping masks a lot. And if you want to balance out fuller hips and disguise the tops of your arms, pair it with a structured and hip grazing jacket.

I also really loved pairing it with a gold chain right at the neckline to give the top of the dress some interest.

dress, dress shopping, wedding, west town mall

You’re Cordially Invited to Wear This to a Wedding

May 20, 2015 No Comments

There’s an unbelievable amount of thought put into wedding invitations. For example, did you know how the parent’s names are listed indicates who’s paying for the wedding?

If the parents names are written as inviting you to the wedding of their son Billy Bob then the parents are paying, but if Billy Bob is listed as inviting you together with his bride Tookie, then ole’ Billy is footing the bill.

Invitation should also indicate the level of dress. They’ll do this by either explicitly saying “IT’S BLACK TIE” or more subtlety with the look of their invite and the location.

But even if everything’s spelled out for you it’s still hard to determine what to wear. So I’ve found four looks that will help with wedding guest attire conundrums.

Outdoor Weddings:

These days it seems everyone is getting married outside. Whether it’s in a barn, near the lake or in someone’s backyard, the biggest problem an outdoor wedding poses is the ground. Walking through a field is definitely not 4″ stiletto friendly. Therefore if the wedding is outdoors, regardless of the time of day, you’ve got to craft your outfit around wearing wedges or flats.

The two options I’ve put together are perfect for either shoe. The daytime look from Ann Taylor is nice and light and would work perfectly with nude colored wedges.

For the nighttime look I went a little crazy and picked out a jumpsuit from White House Black Market. It seems you can’t walk five steps in a store without bumping into a jumpsuit these days (unless it’s just me and my prego belly).

It’s definitely a refreshing choice over a dress and is probably pretty comfortable (except for when you have to pee which I do about every ten minutes and oh yeah…this would look crazy with my prego belly). Choose one that’s short enough for you to pair it with flats.

Indoor Weddings:

Daytime weddings can be a little tricky especially if there’s no indication of dress on the invitation. For this I say, dress as if you’re going to church. This blue number from New York & Co. would work in that instance, and it’s definitely a great choice for indoors as it would look great with ankle strap heels (like that girl is wearing). It’s also great for disguising a larger midsection (notice the rouching) and the little bit of sleeve will help hide heavier arms.

An indoor nighttime wedding? *Rubs hands together* They are my favorite! Typically they’re dressier so you get to pull out all the stops. And if you ask me, this black and white dress from Chico’s pulls out all the stops and throws them as far as they can.

I made an audible “wow” when I scrolled down and saw this. I love the whole look – from her bun to her chunky silver bracelet (although I would put the bracelet on the other arm to balance out the look). This is the kind of dress you wear when some of the wedding guests include people you haven’t seen in a while.

Be sure to walk in the room in slow motion like the camera is slowly panning your look and there’s a sexy song playing behind you…or would that look ridiculous? You be the judge.

By the way, all of these stores are at West Town Mall so be sure to get out and grab something glam for your next wedding invite!

Want to wear something you already own, and just add new accessories? Check out these great options from Vera Bradley…even jewelry!

dress, dress shopping, the limited, west town mall

From the Runway to the Real-Way

March 13, 2015 No Comments

runway looks for everyday wear, how to wear what was on the runway, badgley mischka, the limited dress, scandal dress, bisou bisou, jcpenny, fashion blog, easter dress ideas, flattering dress options, how to find a dress that flatters your figure

Sitting on the floor watching Suits the other night, I noticed that one of the female character’s legs didn’t touch. You could pass an Oxford Dictionary through the gap between her thighs. I said to my husband, “I bet that girl doesn’t eat tater tots,” then popped a tot into my mouth.

So this post is for all of us tot-eaters who don’t have the legs of a supermodel but want to dress like one.

The runway version you see here is from the Badgley Mischka Spring 2015 collection. Which in all reality was probably sent down the actual runway last fall. It’s a beautiful sheath dress with panel pattern blocking on the sides – something that really flatters a gal’s figure.

To the right, are two wildly cheaper options that are accessible here in town (at West Town Mall, in fact).

The first, is from JCPenney. It’s Bisou Bisou (place special emphasis on the “s” in those words when asked who made your dress, and even when not). The white makes it perfectly daytime appropriate, while the side paneling draws all the attention into a smaller version of yourself that the dress has carved out for you. It gives the illusion that your curves are only to be found there in the middle. Consider the black portions of the dress completely invisible. It’s a very cheap, very fast, and very much pain fre e version of liposuction.

Beside that is a dress from The Limited but instead of darker paneling they inserted lace. This is from their Scandal collection (which won’t be around forever, folks!). It too carves out a beautifully slimming mid-section with the addition of the lace and even extends into the back of the dress.

A beautiful white sheath dress like either of these options would make a great Easter dress!

rent the runway, rerun

Rent the Runway

August 29, 2014 No Comments

This summer for my sister-in-laws wedding, I decided to rent a dress rather than run myself ragged all over town trying to find one. Here’s what I thought of the experience…

That dress that I’m wearing? If I were to walk up to a BCBG store and buy it off the rack, it would cost me, $398. You know how much I paid to wear it? Less than $70.

I rented it from a little site called, “Rent the Runway.” If you’re like me, thinking you would never spend that much for something you only get to wear once, let me change your mind…

Back in March I poked around their website, found this dress and reserved it in two sizes (at no extra cost).

I didn’t have to traipse from store to store trying dresses on, getting frustrated. I didn’t have to drive all over town tracking down sizes and colors.

I reserved it, then I browsed through the hundreds of pictures of how other girls wore it so I could get an idea of what accessories to add. I knew the neckline deserved it’s day in the sun, so I just planned to wear some diamond hoop earrings and a silver bracelet. Done.

The week before the wedding, I got an email from Rent the Runway letting me know my tracking number and that I could get text alerts to know when my dress was at my front door.

What I didn’t have to do was drag the dress out of my closet and steam it.

Two days before the wedding, the dresses arrive at my doorstep. I open the box, try on both sizes, determine which one fits, set the other one aside and continue on with my day completely relaxed with my look. (In the event of an emergency where neither options fits, RTR gives you a back up plan where they’ll overnight you a dress in a different size if need be).

You get the rental for four days, and you get to determine when it starts. I chose Friday because that would give me enough time on the front end if something had gone wrong, and it gave me Monday to get it back in the mail.

Included in your rental cost is an insurance fee in case anything goes wrong in shipping, and like I said, they send you two sizes which really helps boost your peace of mind.

After it was all over, I packed both dresses into the UPS envelope they provided, sealed it up and dropped it off. Done. Check. (I get to keep the two clip hangers they came on – suckers!! ;)

Now I don’t have another fancy dress in my closet that will never get worn again. I had a designer dress to wear to an important event, and peace of mind in the months leading up to it.

Would I do it again? Oh, you can bet your sweet Badgley Mischka I will.

Fashion, forever21, jcpenney, maxi dress, summer

Get the Most From Your Maxi Dress

July 8, 2014 No Comments

The one piece I end up missing the most when summer is over, is a maxi dress.

Thus while I’ve got summer on my side, I’m going to figure out as many ways to wear them as possible. This not only helps me when packing, but it also helps to stretch my dollars -and you can’t say that’s not fun!

Here are three examples of how I’ve taken a plain maxi dress and jazzed them up a bit…

There are so many great simple tank maxi’s out there, don’t shy away from them! Look at them as a blank (and wildly comfortable) canvas. Add your personality all over it by way of a belt, a long swingy necklace, a jean jacket…the list goes on and on.

I hate having to work around my bra straps this time of year. That’s why I stock up on printed tank tops that aren’t razor backs so that I can wear them underneath a strappy dress like this one and still be comfortable in my regular bra. If you have a dress that doesn’t work with a tank top underneath, click here to read about a great strapless bra.

This striped dress has been with me all over the country. Because it’s so easy to pack and can be worn 10 different ways. Look for a maxi in a simple pattern like this one so you can wear it with a sweater, a shirt, a jacket, a sweatshirt…you get the idea. It’s freakishly versatile.

Ross has one of the best collections of maxi dresses I’ve ever seen. That’s where I bought the flower print one pictured. The other two came from Forever21 (JC Penney also has a great collection). Get out there and find one you love, then wear it ten different ways from Sunday!

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