adoreble fashionable: extravaganza

Showing posts with label extravaganza. Show all posts

A Little Celebration

I turn 22 today, so I'm going to take this opportunity to paint my nails with glittery polish at my desk and eat an entire plate of cheese for dinner. Here's to champagne and having a job and playing with beauty products and graduating and family and happy hours and this dress (need it, but my wallet just shriveled up and died from sticker shock) and heirloom teacups and friends, both new and old.

Things I learned when I was 21:
1. If you can smell the whiskey on his breath through the door, keep it closed.
2. I hate Ikea. I love Ikea. I have a love-hate relationship with Ikea.
3. Whispering is rude.
4. Wearing a slip is important when your dress is sheer. Owning a full-length mirror is also helpful.
5. How to tell the difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA.
6. Pear and bleu cheese ice cream exists. It's not too bad.

[photo cred here]

Back It Up

3.1 Philip Lim Juicy Couture Alice + Olivia

I love dresses that showcase the back. In my opinion, the small of the back is one of the most subtly sexy spots of the female body. It's alluring and (for the most part) never strays into skank territory. How to pull this off? Don't let the hem rise too high nor allow the back to dip too low. The end result of this look should be demure and enticing; if you show too much skin, it's the fashion equivalent of telling everyone that Dumbledore dies in the sixth Harry Potter book before they read it. If you go for straps, try to keep it simple (explanation to follow shortly). In the case of the Philip Lim dress, the basic cross-strap and higher backline allow for the shorter length of the dress (but not for those boots, which horrible stumpify what are probably mile-long legs). The Juicy Couture is a sweet choice because it doesn't bare very much skin -- as opposed to a halter design, the shoulders are covered and the back rises safely above her waistline. The Alice + Olivia dress is probably my favorite; the sheer paneling is so unexpected yet it brilliantly updates the little black dress. It's one of the most clever ways to straddle sexy and classy. (All three pieces are available from Shopbop).

Heaven & Earth Asos

Feeling a little shy? These dresses lend a bit of intrigue without committing to it. They are equally seductive with the addition of charming details; the Heaven & Earth dress offers the ever-sexy lace, which serves the ironic purpose of covering up, while the the piece by Asos features discreet draping and soft material. Nevertheless, the sneak peek doesn't decrease the captivating capacity of showing a little back. The cut-outs still amp up the typical dress and add a dose of skin that a dress without them might not have. (Lace cut-out dress by Heaven & Earth, available at Asos, and blue jersey dress by Asos, also featured at Asos).

Alice + Olivia Zimmerman

I actually liked this Alice + Olivia dress at first glance. Then, when I was thinking of a good description of it, all I could come up with was "S&M! S&M!". I think it's the thick black straps that, although they're not pleather, remind me of pleather, which reminds me of anything I've ever watched on Sex & the City concerning S&M. Hence, S&M. Combined with the up-to-whoa hemline, even the most innocent shade of white can't save it.

The Zimmerman dress proves my earlier point about the necessity of simple straps. It's as though she sat on a brocade Louis XV chair, wandered (with it) into a paper shredder, and got tangled in the remains. Exaggeration aside, I still don't understand how I could figure out which hole to put my arm through. Although, could you imagine the sort of Spiderman-esque tan lines you'd acquire with that?

Breton Extravaganza

(Meg Ryan as Kate in French Kiss)

First, you dear wonderful lovely people, thank you so much for all of your comments. When I read them, a lot of blushing and bright smiles slip into my day no matter how hell-bent Chicago is on keeping the weather at a chilly and grey 55 degrees. I usually make a bad habit of starting a project, working religiously on it, and then abandoning it shortly afterwards with a declaration that "I'll never be a writer/watercolorist/personal shopper for my older brother/pianist/seamstress/professional Food Network chef à la Giada DeLaurentiis!" But you keep me so inspired that I'll probably never quit this and for that, thank you!

I'm so into Breton stripes, which first captured my heart with Meg Ryan's role in French Kiss. Yet the classic styles (skinny-striped, black-and-white) rub me the wrong way. Naturally, I've taken it upon myself to hunt down a few options that add some oomph to the nautical staple without going overboard (pun so intended). Whether it be a dolman cut, a luxurious material, a shot of grey, sleek necklines, or variation in the stripes, any update brings it away from the coastline and into the city. Or, in my case, a college campus. I've compiled a list of styles that I would own in a heartbeat if I could; I know I just have a huge thing for worn denim shorts, but wouldn't these look awesome with worn denim shorts and canvas sneakers (I'm thinking bright Keds or these Bensimon)? Or maybe slim dark jeans and last week's wedges?

(from top to bottom)

Vince Breton Stripe Tee, Nordstrom, $195

DKNY Striped Stretch Silk Tunic, Saks Fifth Avenue, $145

Vince Striped Cashmere-blend Sweater, Bloomingdales, $142

J. Crew Featherweight Cashmere Stripe Boatneck Pullover, J. Crew, $188

Aqua Striped Cotton Boatneck Sweater, Bloomingdales, $68

Tory Burch Bernadette Striped Top, Saks Fifth Avenue, $195

Wedge Extravaganza

Weak spot: wedges. Wedged boots, wedged sandals, wedged anything. I can wear them to class without feeling too dressed up or out for the night without worrying that I'll end up barefoot on the walk home. I don't have the longest legs in the world, so these provide length without sacrificing comfort. A nude-hued style is by far the most flattering, as it visually extends the leg line. I happen to be a sucker for cute ankle straps as well: my two favorite picks from the list below are the Charles David "Dizzy" and Pour La Victoire "Tarissa"; if I could afford the See by Chloe wedges, they would be cradled in my arms right now. I prefer spare details and the occasional bold pop of color (couldn't you just see the red with worn, rolled up jeans and a slouchy striped tee?). It's just sheer convenience that these are considered "trendy" right now. I'd like to rename them "never leave my feet ever I love you I promise I'll get pedicures we'll be together forever."