Winter Wednesday: 4

Welcome back to Winter Wednesday! I know I missed the third, but with Monday's "Merry Monday" post, technically we're back on track with the fourth Christmas Outfit post! You may recognize this dress from an earlier post. It was my bachelorette dress. I have to say, this dress was a great purchase! I almost didn't order it, thinking it would be too fancy for a bachelorette party (it wasn't), but I've worn it a few times since! It's so easy to dress up or down for events! I'm very tempted to order another Ophelia dress in either a pattern or another colour. As impractical as it would be with the other choices, the gold version would make a fabulous holiday dress!! 

dress: Lindy Bop

belt: forever 21 (old)

shoes: Ruche (old)

brooch: luxulite

The girlies wanted to make a Christmas appearance on the blog. Sadie Diamond (on the left) is our newest family member. I'll do an official write up on her soon. It's an emotional one, and I haven't had the courage yet to share the story. And Lucy (right) is our lovable "Garfield-ette" kitty.

Ivory, green and gold is one of my favourite holiday combinations. I have this belt and shoes from a previous holiday outfit, which I paired with an ivory Heartbreaker dress. Sometimes it feels like such a splurge to buy event-specific items, but I almost always manage to wear everything again. This outfit is entirely made up of past-event-splurges!

I had to tough it out and wear this outside for some snow pictures. I love ivory, aka 'winter white' with a snowy backdrop. It definitely helps out the overall Holiday look.

Merry Monday!

Merry Monday everyone! It's officially one month until my favourite day of the year! Christmas Eve! I have to say, it's great timing as well. If you didn't notice, and I hope you didn't, I missed my Winter Wednesday last week. With that in mind, I decided to post a Christmas outfit today in it's place! And in trying to make up for last week, I'm even posting one of my favourite Christmas dresses! 

dress: Bettie Page/Tatyana via swap (available at ModCloth)

shoes: borrowed from Melissa

necklace: gift

flower: vintage box 1947

petticoat: american apparel

I have to admit, I didn't have any intentions on getting this dress, especially with the $150US price tag. It happened by fluke in a swap. I had a pair of beautiful mint shoes that I just couldn't walk in on my swap board, and the girl who was interested in them only had this dress available. I agreed to the swap so she could get the shoes, and my plan was to re-swap this dress, especially since it was a size too big. When it arrived, I loved it. But the problem remained: it was a size too big. My seamstress said she could fix it for me, even with the detail at the top, and as promised, it now fits like a glove.

This dress is the perfect holiday dress. It's a vibrant red and has just the perfect amount of detailing! I think this may just be my Christmas Eve dress this year! I'm also going to admit it: it's worth the regular priced amount. The fabric is thick and a great quality, it's well made, and the twirl factor alone... I didn't take any twirling pics this time, but I definitely will on Christmas Eve!

Checkers, Cherries & Polka Dots!

I'm almost ashamed to post this outfit. I *just* posted this dress, it's way too early to post a remix! However, I did say "almost", for two reasons: 1. As I mentioned, I'm having a hard time grabbing photos after work because it's getting dark so early, and I'm currently in Toronto, and this was my only saved outfit. 2. I feel like this combination is so fabulous that it's okay to post it so soon! Am I wrong?

vintage dress: borrowed from Marisa

cardigan: forever 21

brooch: luxulite

shoes: miss l fire

belt: from another dress

I'm absolutely in love with this dress. I need to get a gingham shirtdress asap! It looks great on its own, with mint AND polka dots... and I also paired it with cobalt tights and white shoes. I regret not taking photos of that outfit. It was a perfect outfit for all of you Red-White-and-Blue ladies!

And again with this brooch. Are you guys tired of seeing it yet? Because I'm definitely not tired of wearing it. This huge collar was just screaming for a brooch! I'm absolutely over-the-moon with all of the fabulousness of this dress. I'm definitely going to be stalking Marisa's etsy shop in hopes that this dress finds its way there! Have you guys checked out her shop?? She has a yellow gingham dress and a navy scooter dress (that would be divine with red tights!) that I'm coveting right now! 

Red Retro...

I love red. I love retro. Put them together and you've got one happy lady. I have to say, it doesn't get much more retro than this... Sparkly vinyl, cherries, red collar, spectator shoes. Four definitions of retro style if you ask me.

blouse & skirt: modcloth

shoes: bait footwear

purse: lux de ville

brooch: luxulite

cardigan: local shop

Since getting my first Luxulite brooch, I've been wanting to wear it every day. Last weekend, I was feeling casual, so I style it with this blouse/cardigan combination. The difference? I wore dark jeans and black cowboy boots. Loved it! It's definitely going to be one of my go-to winter casual looks, that's for sure. I was going to style it that way for the blog, but my jeans were in the wash. I was just too excited, so I paired it with my black skirt and red baits. I have to say, while I like this look, I have a hard time wearing so much black! It's not a problem if it's a dress... but a black top and skirt just feels so dark! Thank goodness for all the pops of colour!

I've been having a hard time blogging again recently. Not for lack of motivation. I feel like I'm finally getting back on track. With the time changing, it's almost dark when I get home from work now, so I'm finding I need to take pictures outside for decent lighting. As you can see, we've already gotten snow, so that's a challenge with shoes, and temperatures of course. This weekend was a busy one, and I didn't get a chance to take a slew of photos for the upcoming week, like I normally do. I feel like I need to plan a photo-schedule, just for taking pictures! Wish me luck!

Winter Wednesday: Two

Today is the second of my Winter Wednesdays, and it's an exciting one for a few reasons: 1. Today is November 12th. The first day of Christmas Season in our house. That means I'm decorating the house as we speak! 2. Today's dress is courtesy of eShakti! 

Dress: c/o eShakti

shoes: Ruche (old)

pearls: gift

earrings: gift (kate spade)

belt: forever21
tights: leg avenue via Rowena

A little about eShakti, in case you aren't familiar with the site... It's an online women's clothing shop. They have a great variety of dresses, skirts and tops. What makes them different from other shops? You can customize almost every item! Change the sleeve length or style, the length of a skirt, the neckline... You can tweak an item to be perfectly how you want it to be!

When they contacted me and offered me the chance to choose an article of my choice, I was beyond excited. There were several I liked and was tempted to try, but in the end, I chose an item I actually needed: a little black dress. I do have one other little black dress, but it's sleeveless. While I love the dress, sometimes I prefer to cover my arm tattoos, and I was looking for a good dress for some time. So when I spotted this one, I knew this was the one to try.

The original dress had shorter above-the-elbow sleeves, and a knee-length skirt. I opted for longer sleeves, to cover my forearm tattoo. That was the whole point of the dress after all.  I also opted for the longer skirt. It's longer than my usual look, but I've been wanting a mid-calf dress. The few inches longer seems to just add to the elegance of the dress. It reminded me of Betty Draper.

 I laughed after I ordered my dress... I didn't realize it at the time, but v-neck, 3/4 sleeves with button accents, crossover bodice, full skirt... it was essentially my wedding dress style, but in black! Clearly, this style is a style I like!

So here it is, dress review time, and I will be completely honest with you on this dress. Pros: I love the style and the overall look. The length and sleeve length are exactly what I wanted. The puckered sleeves were a surprise, but I like the added feminine detail.  I also like that there's a snap where the bodice crosses over. I would have expected it to be sewn, but it isn't. The dress is also extremely flattering and slimming. Who doesn't love when that happens?? Cons: The above mentioned snap... it's a great idea, but it's flimsy (it's possible I just have a lemon for a snap). It unsnapped multiple times while I was getting in or out of the car, and just walking. I'll definitely either get a stronger snap, or just have it sewn.   My big disappointment is with how easily the fabric wrinkles. I ironed it before leaving the house, and it wrinkled this easily just in the car. If I decide to pack it for business trips, I'll definitely have to have it steamed while I'm there.

Another note, not really a con, but just for you smaller-armed ladies out there: the sleeves are too big, but I'm not surprised. I tend to have to alter sleeves often, so I don't mind that I'll have to with this dress as well.

While I may not wear the dress for business trips, I will definitely wear it over Christmas, styled just as I styled it here. Gold and pearls, with emerald green shoes. I'd also like to get a fuller petticoat for this dress (and in general). I think that would've made the look *that* much more Betty Draper.