Wedding in Seattle: Outfits

The wedding in Seattle that I have blogged about a while ago is coming up this weekend and I will fly out to Seattle on Friday. I have worked on my outfits in the meanwhile and want to share with you what I have decided to bring.

I have listened to your comments and looked for a cardigan to wear with the watercolor dress (in any case even in NYC it would have been too cold to wear it alone). I don't have a black cashmere crewneck (a no-brainer) and the only option currently available is the featherweight cashmere cardigan that is still full price. After trying different alternatives (including the Jackie in pink frost that is a perfect color match for the dress), I have settled for the Celosia cardigan in black, which goes very well with the style of the dress and also has the advantage of being very thick so that it should keep me warm. I am going to wear this to church, probably:





I think that the black Celosia is a nice option for those of you looking for an evening or dressy cardigan: the ruffles are elegant but not overwhelming. Before buying this one, I sold my other Celosia in cinnamon spice on the JCA Weekly Exchange because I didn't want to have many cardigans in the same style, especially ruffled. I think that I am going to wear the black much more often than the cinnamon spice.

For the evening reception, I have two options and I think that I am going to bring both and decide at the last minute.
The first option is to wear my BR cocktail dress with my BR velvet blazer from last winter and a BR necklace. I hadn't thought about it when I was putting it together, but it's a 100% Banana outfit, which, for me, is kind of unusual as I don't own a lot of Banana:





In pictures the dress is a little bit loose on the top but that's because for the life of me I couldn't zip it up and I didn't want to force and break the zipper just to take pictures of myself (that would have been silly, right?) The necklace is very sparkly IRL and I bought it along with the dress on supersale for something like $18, after seeing it on the adorable Slastena who highly recommended it.

The second option is more elegant in a classic way. It features an old dress by Caterine Malandrino that I had bought years ago at a sample sale and I was simply afraid to try on because I was sure that it wouldn't fit any longer. Well, it looks like I did loose all that baby fat after all, as it fits me again like a glove!
It's made in a double layer of silk chiffon and has a beautiful draping:




I think that it is maybe a little too serious for a friends' wedding but the advantage over the first outfit is that I am very comfortable in this dress and I can dance the night away without worrying about my ladies coming out (which is always a problem with a strapless). What do you think?
The only outfit that I haven't figured out yet is the one for the rehearsal dinner. The invitation says "Dressy Casual" and I interpret it as evening casual without jeans. So I was thinking of a pair of pants or a mini and a nice top, like the ribbon beaded one. Any advice?

If you have something to say speak now or keep silent forever ;-).

Saturday Outfits (Checks for the Day and Black for the Night)

I hope that everyone is having a good start of their week. For you today I have a post on the outfits that I wore this past Saturday, as I broke out one of my favorite purchases (non-JCrew) of the season, that I hadn't the occasion to blog about yet.

But let's start with the first part of the day, when I went shopping for a car seat for my daughter (and I also stopped by a Jcrew store nearby to check the sale section because as they say you never know). It was very sunny Saturday (even if not as warm as one could think) and I felt like wearing something summery, and what's more summery than white jeans? I paired them with my navy check shirt and added the navy cashmere tee that I have bought at the last sample sale. I have to say that many people stopped me while I was at Jcrew to ask me about my shirt. A lady in particular looked like she was going to open her wallet and offer me to buy it off my shoulders, had she been my size. I think that I made her day when I told her that it was offered online. Does it count as good action?





In the evening I met up with some other JCAs for a fantastic private event organized by Summerilla at the Collection store. I wished I could have spent the entire evening shopping with these fabulous ladies but I had to run off after half an hour because one of my best girlfriends was throwing a dinner to celebrate her 40th birthday and I couldn't have missed that.
For the (double) occasion I wore a dress that I bought during the Bloomingdale's F&F event (along with my Marc Jacobs purse). I first saw a version of this dress on the lovely Dinagideon of My superfluities who wore it around the holidays. It's by INC, which I thought was a brand only sold at Macy's and hers was black with a white embroidery (if I am not wrong) on the front. When I saw it on Dina this it wasn't available for purchase any longer, but they made another version for the spring in a different color combination that was featured in one of those Macy's special 4-pages ads that are distributed with the Sunday newspapers. When I saw the ad, I immediately checked the website and I would have bought it if the color (of the embroidery) wasn't called "parrot green" (it looked more like a gold in the ad). I made a mental note to go to Macy's and see in person as the website showed that it was available in the NY store, but never got around to.
Soooo, to make a long story short I stumbled upon this dress when I was at Bloomingdale's for the F&F event and I ended up buying with the 20% off.
I like the versatility of this dress because being short-sleeved and made in a cotton-modal blend it can be worn in the winter, with tights/boots and a cardigan or in the summer, with bare legs and flats or sandals (not in the summer hottest days though, because the fabric isn't the most breatheable). I think that for the price ($78) is one of the most flattering dresses out there.
On Saturday night I wore it with tights and my Juliet mid-heels as it was too cold to wear it without tights:




The parrot green color of the embroidery is very similar to the Jcrew spice olive color. In fact I had planned to wear it with my soiree jacket from last year (but I ended up wearing a coat instead):



My husband liked this dress A LOT but when I topped it with my (new) black script coat he asked me a little bit puzzled if I hadn't a coat like that in another color already (note: it is very unusual for him to notice something like that, but I guess that the script coat doesn't go unnoticed, even by easily distracted husbands). Well, yes, but the black popped back during the last 30% off sale and I couldn't resist buying it for around $120 as it is one of my favorite coats ever and I needed a black coat (unfortunately I didn't have the time to take a pic of the entire outfit). What can I say, I guess that next year I won't need to buy a coat.

I didn't buy much at the event because I was in a hurry and also a little bit shopped out, but I did buy the Cozumel tunic that they had received just that morning and I will review it soon (fits BIG). For more about the event at the Collection store, read this post by Summerilla.

OOTD (Gold and Earthy Tones)

This outfif was inspired by the last issue of Harper's Bazaar (that I have just finished "reading") that not only featured the JCrew metallic beach cardigan in metallic camel, but also made the fashion statement that earthy tones are "in" this summer. I was already wearing the scout chinos, golden belt and irish moss tee this morning (and actually I was freezing because it is much colder than yesterday and what the gorgeous shining sun that we are having today would let you think), so I added the metallic beach cardigan that I bought a long time ago and was already half-forgotten in my closet:





I love how this outfit turned out, even if I am not sure that I am actually going outside like this this afternoon as I am taking my daughter to yet another birthday party with danger of chocolate cake ending up on my cardigan.

Thanks to all your comments on the midnight swiss-dot shift dress I have decided to return it and wait for it to go on sale: it is definitively too expensive for what it is and the wear that I am going to get out of it. By the way, I am wondering if "someone" is reading this blog, as the day after I published the post, the dress was back in the right place (under the women's dresses section) on the website...

Have a great weekend everyone!

Stripes again and a ATL find (two, actually)

So I am on a stripe kick and I wore my camel tee again on Tuesday. I feel very elegant in this tee. Actually I feel like a mini-version of Jenna Lyons, who has been seen sporting this tee to parties and events everywhere (I don't get the same feeling with the pink one). I had my dangling disc necklace on from the midnight dress try-on and I really liked it with the tee, so I kept it (plus, it was completely tangled with my hair and I didn't have time to un-tangling it):



Speaking of necklaces, I stopped by ATL yesterday to check their current offerings (as you probably know they are running their F&F event, 30% off now through Sunday). I didn't find anything in the clothes department (I am not feeling the love for ATL this year, it's very deja-crew) but I got two necklaces that I really recommend to anyone.

The first is called Long silvertone paillettes necklace and retails for $39.50 (before the 30% off). It is a great necklace for the summer, very shiny and most of all silver-toned (and you know how difficult it is to find a silver-toned necklace). It is pretty casual and it looks great with a simple tee (but I also see it with a maxi-dress for example):



The tee that I am wearing here is the Linen-cotton soft v-neck tee in irish moss that I had ordered to wear with the Pastiche pencil skirt. I bought it FP as a ride-along but lucky me it went on sale a few days after, so I got it for the sale price (thanks to price adjustment) without the hassle of stalking the website (colors are selling-out quickly). I already have the heather grey one and I plan on buying more colors. I simply love this tee!

The other necklace is more dressy and I don't see it currently on the website. It is in clear Plexiglas and reminds me a little bit of the JCrew "chandelier" necklace from last summer, but without the huge size (and the price tag). I really liked the idea of a clear necklace like the chandelier (it goes with everything, right?) but that one simply didn't work on my frame. This one is VERY pretty on a dress, especially a dress with a bold print like the Lilly Pulitzer or Liberty of London ones where there is already a lot going on with the pattern.
Here is with the Piazza dress from last summer in the beautiful aqua color, bought for a few bucks last winter (which makes think that I should wait for the midnight swiss-dot one to go on super-duper sale):




If you want to call a store, the reference (SKU) for this necklace is 87208023 and it retails for $34.50.

Happy shopping!

The Mysterious and Disappearing Midnight Swiss-Dot Shift Dress (Advice needed)

I am probably not the only one who immediately liked this dress, mulled over it because a tad expensive ($145) and then, when ready to pull the trigger, wasn't able to buy it because it had disappeared from the website. I tried with the keyword search, but nothing worked (neither "midnight", nor swiss-dot", nor "shift"). Disappeared from the face of earth (or at least from that very little world called the JCrew website), I tell you. For a moment I thought that it had sold-out because the last time that I had checked on it, at the end of the 20% off dresses promo, only the size 4 and up were left. Still, a little bit weird that it had gone like that without leaving a trace.
Until someone on the JCA blog provided me with the style number (23993), which is the only way to pull it up. It was still there (in all sizes), only it had been misplaced somewhere under the man's section. Not that buying it had suddely become a lot easier, now that I had found it. As soon as I clicked on it, it would disappear from my cart. I told myself that at least it wasn't going to sell out if nobody could find it and I waited for the right occasion.
So last time that I was in store and I had one of those 10% off coupons that they gave away a while ago for providing the email adress, I ordered it from the red phone and my PS got me the 10% off on it (and free shipping because it was a full price item).
When it shipped I still couldn't believe it, but it arrived yesterday and I am happy to announce that this dress does exist!

Now, do I like it? It is certainly a nice dress and the fit it is much better than other shift dresses that I tried this year (like the portico dress). Really, I don't have any complain and it is very much my style of dress (it has a downtown vibe to it), but I wasn't carried away like I thought I would be and I am a little bit puzzled by my own reaction. Maybe it's because it's a little bit "dark" (duh, it's navy and black!), maybe it's because I thought that the fabric would be nicer for the price (while it is a cotton like the one that they use for the linings when they don't use poly, nothing extraordinary and actually a little bit ordinary), or maybe it's because I am a little bit shopped out and nothing excites me these days (which means that I am ready for a little bit of rehab again).

Anyway, I am going to show you the pics and I would appreciate your opinion. If you notice something wrong with this dress let me know. I think that I am going to keep it for the time being because it was so difficult to get it that if I regret it afterwards I don't want to go through ordering it again. I have to say that I liked it better once that I put on my TB Miller sandals as you will see in some of these pics (instead of trying it barefoot).

It is a little bit longer on me than on the model, but besides the fact that if I want I can have it hemmed, it is already a short length:



With imaginary heels:



The detail of the flatter-sleeve in a contrasting black crochet is really exquisite:



Here you can see the subtle shirring at the top:



Three-quarter view:



And a tentative to accessorize it with the dangling disc necklace (or whatever it was called) from last summer (which is the same necklace that I was wearing in the previous pics but wrapped around my neck):



Instead of asking if you like it this dress, I should ask you in which occasion you would wear it. I think that I DO like it but I can't shrug away the feeling that I really don't NEED it. There are many things that I don't need (do I need four striped tees for example?) but in this case I mean that I can't see when I am going to wear it. It feels a little bit too much to just stroll down the street with my daughter (and again, a little bit "dark") and it is a little bit too understated to be an evening dress or a party dress. The only occasion where I can see myself wearing it would be to go out for dinner in the summer with my husband and no baby. But again, how many times it is going to happen?

What do you think, keep it or return it?

OOTD (Playing Matchy Matchy)

Good morning! A quick outtif of the day before I take my daughter to ballet class (they get to wear a real toutou today, so I will have my camera ready).

I have been wearing a lot of stripes recently. Not only I am wearing my JCrew pink and camel vintage boatneck tees quite frequently, but I also bought a striped knit cotton sweater from the Gap two weeks ago that I wore quite a lot already as it is the perfect weight for the season (very thin). This was my yesterday OOTD:



As the comments on the website say, it goes really well with khaki pants:



It is a little bit pricey in my opinion but I bought it with one of 40% off in-store coupons that are only valid on Wednesdays (by the way, take 20% off adults styles online with code GAPSPRING now through Thursday). I must admit that the real reason why I bought it was to play matchy-matchy with my daughter, who has a similar top from Petit Bateau (from last year), that you have already seen in my Easter weekend post:



Petit Bateau is extremely expensive in the US compared to Europe, so I mostly buy when they have their big sale twice a year (or I "order" stuff for my daughter through my parents in Italy). However, I went into the store two weeks ago to buy a birth present for a girlfriend who just had a girl and they were running a promo where you got 20% off one out of three items bought (and you could choose the item). So along with the present I couldn't resist buying this top for me:



It has the weight of a sweatshirt and golden nautical buttons on one shoulder:



Petit Bateau is available in the US through their website (you get 25% off full price items in your first order if you subscribe) and Zappos (for kids only). Buying Petit Bateau through Zappos could be more expensive (as their sales are not great) but worth it to check out their styles and fit thanks to their awesome one-year return policy (and free shipping/free returns policy as well).

To go back to my outfit of the day, it was was windy yesterday, so I topped my sweater with this coat from 2007 (I remember that it was 2007 because I bought it for very cheap just after my daughter was born):



It is the one with the pretty striped colored lining:



Do you buy Petit Bateau? Are you wearing stripes?

Have a great start of the week!

Fun with Mickey

As you know my husband has been travelling all the week. What's a wife to do? Have some fun with Mickey! Not THAT Mickey (even if shopping at JCrew could be appropriately described as having fun with Mickey Drexler). I am talking about this (indubitably more famous) Mickey:



Is he inviting me to have a drink with him?



But Minnie was watching and here he's up for some explanations:



My daughter (who LOVES Mickey) was very appropriately dressed in a Minnie (by H&M) tee-shirt (that she already had and I didn't buy just for the occasion, I swear):



Seeing Minnie at the birthday party of one of my daughter's best friends yesterday reminded me that when I was younger and I had just moved to Paris in the summer I had been scripted to play Minnie at Disneyland Paris (EuroDisney). My husband (boyfriend back then) sent me for a job interview at EuroDisney but when I got there I found out that it was an audition for the main characters that play in the amusement park. So I played the game (which consisted in a choreography contest a la "So you think you can dance") and I was actually chosen for the role of Minnie (Minnies have to be short, as I found out). I never took the job because in the meanwhile I found a "serious" job in a translation company, but I have a fondness for Minnie.

Have a Happy Sunday everyone