Stitch Fix #2 Review – June 15

Eek! My new stitch fix is here! I hated having such a big break between fixes, but financially, I just can’t do them monthly, so I’m going to switch to every other month..  for more info about this site, check out my previous fix here.

I got 5 items in this fix – and I loved it all!

COLLECTIVE CONCEPTS RILO TAB-SLEEVE CHAIN PRINT BLOUSE – $68

The colors and style of this shirt were so great, but ultimately, I decided it was too similar to some shirts I had in my closet already.

CARTER SKINNY ANKLE-LENGTH JEANS – $88

I wanted these pants so bad. SO SO bad. They were the best color and the fit was perfect. The only thing that deterred me was the price tag…

ARK&CO VIANNA BELTED A-LINE MINIDRESS – $88

This dress is AMAZING! The fit was great, and I loved how versatile it is. I can wear it to work or out and I can change out the belt for a totally different look.

How great is the scoop back! I love that little surprise peek of skin! Totally kept this one!

ARK&CO SIVA CHIFFON ROSE PRINT BLOUSE – $68

This shirt was nice, but not special enough to spend $68 on.

FACETED GEM CLUSTER NECKLACE – $32

They listened to my request and gave me a bubble necklace, but I could find this for $15 elsewhere, no?

So in the end, I only kept the dress, but I seriously wanted all of it so bad! I just didn’t need to break the bank! Stitch Fix really is SO much fun – if you love all the garments or not. If you want to sign up, click here and I’ll get a $25 credit towards my next fix!

Let me offer a small amount of praise as well – I found a tiny snag on my dress and emailed customer service a photo of said snag. They offered to either send me another (which could take a while since it wasn’t in stock) or give me a $15 credit so I could have it repaired. THAT, my friends, is customer service. Not to mention, they responded to my inquiry in less than half an hour! I opted for the credit just because it was less trouble and that was $15 in my pocket. Win-win!

Board #9 – Modern Tangerine and White

When I got married I already knew what my wedding colors were going to be, but I contemplated one other color combo for a hot minute. I love orange/grey/white as a combo, because it’s unique and contemporary. But orange is a much harder color to come by than yellow, which is I why I opted for yellow instead. In hindsight, I wish I had used these colors because I see yellow and grey EVERYWHERE now. OH well! Hope you enjoy!

Clockwise from top left:                                                                                                                                            1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 

Board #8 – Turquoise, Coral, and Gold

I have a serious crush on this festive and fun color combo. It has the feminine coral touches without being over-the-top girly and is also glamorous with the touches of gold. I usually don’t LOVE pink in a wedding, unless it’s brightly hued and combined with some fun non-pink colors. I pulled some of my favorite images from a shared Pinterest board for this board. Hope you enjoy!

The numbers will link you to the original, gorgeous weddings these images are pulled from! Clockwise from top left 1. These Bari Jay bridesmaids dresses are a personal favorite! / 2. How sweet and simple is this cake? Perfect for an outdoor bride / 3. I have serious love affair with succulents / 4. Mason jars with striped straws are a perfect way to serve a signature cocktail! / 5. Those envelope liners and fun quirky calligraphy drive me wild! So fun! / 6. Turquoise bow ties are the bees’ knees. / 7. Kate spade. Need I say more?

Board #7 – Preppy Navy, Olive, Ivory, and Gold

Clockwise from left: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

For more images with this similar color palette, check out my Pinterest Board! And congrats to my newly engaged friend, Amy Cook, who I made this board for!

Stitch Fix #1 Review – April 29

Stitch Fix is:

1. $20/Fix (or month if you sign up for monthly) – if you buy anything the $20 is a credit towards that item.

2. A shipment of 5 fashion items – My first box was 2 tops, 2 bottoms, 1 pair of earrings.

3. 25% off all items if you buy all five items.

4. Customized based on a survey you fill out, you have a personal stylist that tries to match your likes and dislikes to garments in their collection.

5. By invite only – click here and sign up! I’ll get a $25 credit if you do!

6. Confusing? Any other questions can be answered here.

7. AWESOME! My friend Katie Nall told me about it, I signed up, and had to wait almost 2 months for my first box, but I was SO excited I could hardly stand it!

My box came in looking all pretty and stuff! I literally stood and waited for the mailman to come into the leasing office because I couldn’t wait to open it!

1. Amour Vert’s Catriece Sleeveless Crossover Knit Top in white – $88

I really liked the cut and shape of this shirt, and I never would have picked it for myself which made it kind of fun, but at $88, that was just too much to spend on a white tee in my opinion.

Here were the style options they offered up for this shirt. Love the one with the blazer – it’d make this shirt work appropriate!

2. Marjorie Baear’s Triangular Spear Danglers – $38.These earrings were a really nice shape and I loved the hammered matte gold, but I would much rather have paid $18 than $38. I’m not one to spend a lot on jewelry that isn’t handmade.

3. Kensie Jeans’ Bay Polka Dot Cropped Skinny Jeans – $88

I kinda liked these, and kinda felt they were too junior. Not to mention I bought some polka dot pants a week ago (see pics 3 & 4 above), but the fit, shape, style was spot on. I just didn’t like the color / print!

4. Fraiche by J’s Sansome Striped Maxi Skirt – $88

Notice that the 2nd style option is the shirt I’m wearing in the picture above! I actually really liked this skirt a lot, but the drawstring was bulky and the hips had to be covered as the skirt hugged me strangely. I will now actually consider buying a maxi skirt and I never would have had they not shipped me this!

5. Aryn K’s Sonia Silk Colorblock Blouse – $88

This shirt was non-negotiable! I loved everything about it! The colors were so fun and unique, the sheer fabric was awesome, and the shape / style very versatile, I could easily wear with a blazer for work or skinny jeans / black dress shorts and heels for a night out! Definitely a must for my wardrobe!

The style options were kind of uninspired for this look! I thought of better ones on my own!

So of my first five items in my fix, I only kept item #5, but that was mainly because of the prices. I seriously liked all of it except for the polka dot denim! This was so much fun – I cannot wait until my next fix! I requested beachy items for my upcoming Memorial Day family trip! Check out Stitch Fix and sign up! It was so much fun!

Which items did you like most? Did you agree with my decisions?

Angel Sanchez Bridal Spring 2014

This man is a vortex of some of kind of insane creative energy. There is much to be envied about him in the bridal world. He takes risks, while still maintaining a very commercial appeal. There isn’t a single one of these dresses that is too outlandish to imagine not being worn by some real bride out there on one of my gajillion wedding blogs I follow. I love him. Look at the cube thingy on that girl’s head. I mean, really? What’s NOT to love?! Maybe it’s the architect in me, but this guy has GOT it. Whatever IT is.

Enjoy this journey of gorgeous bridal fashion and when you are done, tell me which is your favorite. I think this is one of the best collections I have EVER seen. Maybe you can help me decide because I simply do not know how to pick one.

Carolina Herrera Bridal Spring 2014

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I felt it truly best to just leave out my idiotic commentary in this post and let the gowns speak for themselves. She’s really outdone herself. So much detail, so much range of styles. Look at them again and again. You won’t regret it. My personal favorites are the first two gowns. Which are yours?

Carolina makes me swoon. For those of you who don’t know, my gown was Carolina, and I got it for $1,200. CRAZY. This woman is my inspiration. She’s a goddess.

Spring 2014 Bridal

A few of my favorites from recent bridal shows. I only picked one from each runway, with the exception to Angel Sanchez and Carolina Herrera, who will get a whole damn post. Cuz they are that good. I took all of these images from Women’s Wear Daily’s Spring 2014 archive. Leave a comment and let me know what your faves are!

Nicole Miller – what a unique sexy this is! I love how it hugs her body and reveals a little bit of her ribcage area for a subtle sex appeal.

Oscar de la Renta – so, the volume of this dress makes it! It totally has a Victorian bustle-esque pouf on the back and I love that! Don’t even get me started on the gorgeous cascading embellishment on the front. Swoon.

Reem Acra – oh, me and Reem walk a fine line. Some stuff I adore, and other stuff I cannot stand. I happen to adore this one. The plunging sweetheart and illusion neckline is stuff dreams are made of.

Rivini by Rita Vinieris – Her collection was quite disappointing. I chose this dress because it reminded me of Jen Aniston’s somewhat controversial Valentino Oscars gown. It works well for bridal!

Temperley – ok, honestly, Temperley just does not do it for me. I don’t get it. This was the only halfway decent one of the bunch. The rest looked like honeymoon nightgowns.

Vera Wang – do yourself and look at the rest of the collection. Black and white, really?! Girl, get back to your normal awesome self. I do quite like this gown, such intricate detail on such a modern silhouette.

Amsale – I’m pretty much in love with this. I can’t say I’ve seen it before. It’s great. Look at the baby bow!

Anna Maier-Ulla-Maija gown – love the silhouette and details on the bodice. The waist kind of points up and the sweetheart kind of points down, no? Very slimming effect.

Lela Rose – such a clean and urban silhouette for Lela! Usually she’s all about some lace so this was a refreshing addition to her mix.

Rafael Cennamo – this is a really unique take on lace. It has a sexy lingerie look – definitely not appropriate for a church wedding!

Romona Keveza – seriously, what’s not to love about this?! SUCH a showstopper. So sparkly and ethereal!

Legends by Romona Keveza – this hearkens back to the 50′s. Check out the sweet little swiss dots in the skirt.

Theia White – this is a very unique texture. Is it some kind of lace? It’s breathtaking.

Christos – this would be so great for the beach. I love the touch of sparkle on the bust – and a plus, no wedding diet necessary! It could even be a maternity gown!

Kenneth Pool – no offense to the guy but he’s probably one of my least favorite bridal designers. I find most of his gowns uninspired. That being said, there are a few exceptions and I have seen one girl take a Kenneth Pool dress and make it AMAZING.

Marchesa – This dress is so over-the-top glam. It is Grace Kelly’s with a twist. It’s just, fab, in a word.

Monique Lhuillier – this woman just knows bridal. I adore this dress. It’s modern and clean, but still sweet and dainty. The neckline and the peplum detail is such a nice touch.

So readers, which do you love?! I think the Marchesa, Romona, and Oscar are my favorites, but Oscar edges out the rest with that bootie bustle!

SAG Awards 2013 Best and Worst Dressed

Here comes the… black and blue? I was interested to see how much of it there was on the red carpet. As always, dark dresses just don’t photograph that well. You simply cannot see the detail in these amazing dresses! That doesn’t mean that some of my favorite dresses weren’t dark this time – they most certainly were. Please excuse the out-of-orderness of the letter grades, I got distracted doing this post. On a side note, does anyone else wish that Emma Stone was on all the red carpets this season? I miss her…

Justin Timberlake in Tom Ford – A+. Yum. I like to call this nerdy hot.

Amanda Seyfried in Zac Posen – A+. I’ll excuse that truly awkward necklace. I love this gown. The hemline is amazing and unique, the color looks gorgeous with her skin tone, and her hair is stunning.

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior Haute Couture – B+. I love this dress, but not quite as much as Amanda’s. I wish it wasn’t quite so wrinkled, but she looks amazing and I really appreciate her minimalist styling.

Marion Cotillard in Dior Haute Couture – A+. I LOVE this gown. I WANT this gown. It’s so preppy and unique and fun. Her hair looks so good too. This girl can rock an asymmetrical hemline and pick damn good shoes.

Nina Dobrev in Elie Saab – A+. This color and silhouette is just all right on her. She looks stunning. Elie Saab is really good at bold colors on tiny women. See Kate Middleton, Halle Berry, Mila Kunis, Mischa Barton, etc etc.

Giuliana Rancic in Max Azria – A+. I have too many A+, I know. But I love this gown SO much. The silhouette and color look so good on her and I really love her hair. Well done, G!

Julie Bowen in Johanna Johnson – A-. How FUN! You wouldn’t think leather + gown would work, but it really did. Sadly, photos don’t do it justice and I wish her hair hadn’t just been in a ponytail. But this look is so funky I just had to praise it.

Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen – B+. I was going to rank this among the top honors, but on second glance I really think this is much too tight on her and a little too wrinkled. She definitely wins most improved since the Golden Globes though.

Tina Fey in Oscar de la Renta – B+. You go Tina! This looks so good on her. I love the cut, tiered hemline, and belt. I just WISH it wasn’t black.

Jane Krakowski in Kaufmanfranco – B+. Another great, great color. She looks so stellar in this amazing coral shade and her hair looks great. I don’t love the bangle and the distracting red clutch.

Vanessa Lengies in Marchesa – A-. AHHH. Love this! I would usually not like this color but it looks so good on her! This dress is amaze. Accessories? Dull.

Sally Field in J Mendel – B-. Damn, Sally! SEE, she understands color. It looks amazing in photos! Her hair looks so so good and this color looks great on her. My only complaint is that the neckline kind of looks ‘tattered’.

Kiernan Shipka in Oscar de la Renta – B-. This is a great gown, I really wish I could see a close-up of the detail on the bodice. Such a wonderful, age-appropriate shape for her. Her hair/eyebrows are a little intense and I think she could have been more brave with her choice of shoe.

Rose Byrne in Valentino – D+. Gosh, I miss Rose Byrne’s jumpsuit from SAG last year. Sweety, that dress is way too fluttery and fabricy. I love her hair and makeup though!

Julianne Moore in Chanel Haute Couture – D+. Sweety, save the boobies for the bedroom. You are BEAUTIFUL. That dress could be beautiful, but the neckline is so wrong. And you wore black and white MUCH more successfully at the Golden Globes (thanks, Tom Ford). So sad.

January Jones in Prabal Gurung – F. This is just like a bad look all around. Bad hair, bad dress, BAD dress. Geez. So bad.

So what are your thoughts readers? My favorites are Marion and Amanda for sure. Comment below!

Golden Globes 2013 Best and Worst Dressed

Red Carpet season has begun. I can officially quit holding my breath. This time of year is probably my second favorite behind Christmas. If you think I’m joking, you can ask my husband, who has to listen to me chatter endlessly about it – as if he cares. At all.

I’m going to give the ‘letter grade’ method a whirl. I have 4 top favorites, but I feel like I need to share more than just 4 and I want my readers to understand my logic in why I graded them what I did. PLEASE TELL ME YOUR FAVORITES AND DIFFERENCES OF OPINION IN THE COMMENTS! I LOVE TO HEAR WHAT MY READERS THINK!

Kate Hudson in Alexander McQueen – A+ I love this dress for a number of reasons. The gold accents really accentuate without overpowering, especially since she wore her hair down, slightly covering some of the bling. Kate always knows how to enhance one sexy feature – in this case her decolletage. Her makeup is soft, which is a good contrast to the edginess of the dress.

Jessica Alba in Oscar de la Renta – A+ The color is SO right for her skin tone. That in and of itself is reason enough for the A+, but the bonus is that amazing $5.8 mill Harry Winston necklace and furry Roger Vivier clutch.

Isla Fisher in Reem Acra – A+ People haven’t really been raving over this dress on the blogosphere the way I have, but I think that this is the best she has ever looked. This is an example of flawless styling. That lip color and hairstyle is to DIE FOR. The dress is beautiful with the illusion neckline/sleeves, and it just fits her so well. There’s just nothing wrong with this look. Pat yourself on the back, Sacha Baron Cohen, you’re a lucky bastard.

Michelle Dockery in Alexandre Vauthier – A+ I really really love this dress. It has such interesting gold lace detail at the top, and it’s so modest, yet so so sexy.

Naomi Watts in Zac Posen – A- Ok it truly pains me not to give this an A+, but the color just didn’t quite do the trick for me. I just think a royal purple or blue would have done it better justice. The back of this dress is ah-mah-zing and I love her side-swept hairdo.

Marion Cotillard in Dior Haute Couture – B+ There is lot I love about this look, the shoes, the asymmetrical belt and the minimal styling. My only qualm is that the length feels slightly awkward and the gown is casual compared to lots of other outfits I saw.

Kerry Washington in Miu Miu – B+ I love how unique this gown is. The color looks great on her and I love the sheer neckline but I could have done without the sheer hemline.

Olivia Munn in Armani – B- While the silhouette is somewhat plain, I love the bodice detail/color and the ombre belt. I also dig her sleek hair. She’s just such a tomboy I like seeing her dolled up some.

 

Jennifer Garner in Vivienne Westwood – B- I love this gown on her a lot. The color works great and the silhouette is super-flattering. The loose updo accentuates her beautiful shoulders. The only reason I don’t give this a higher score is because I don’t find this dress particularly exciting. It’s a very classic silhouette though and it looks stunning on her.

Julianne Hough in Monique Lhuillier – C+ I want to love this gown. When I saw it move, I really really liked it, but for me, her styling totally screws up the ethereal glamour of this beautiful dress. She’s trying too many things with the rocker hair, smoky eye, and bug jewelry.

Lucy Liu in Carolina Hererra – D+ I appreciate a good couture gown as much as the next red carpet junkie, but this just does not work for me. Strange pastels and a medieval pouf silhouette just does not fit into the context of the Golden Globes. Perhaps for a more indie occasion? And a braid? No.

Halle Berry in Versace – F This is just gross.

Weigh in below, friends! And stay tuned for the SAG Red Carpet post coming soon!