Finding The Perfect Wedding Guest Attire
Guys have it so easy when it comes to getting dressed for a wedding. They just take out a suit and perhaps buy a new tie. But the ladies…we don’t have it that easy! I always feel like I need to wear a “new” dress…or at least one that I haven’t worn in front of the other wedding guests before.
Formal wear can be very expensive, too! A trip to Macy’s for a new dress and shoes can easily run into the hundreds. (Add that, plus your gift for the newly weds, if you have travel or hotel costs…multiply by how many weddings per season. That adds up to being broke!) Needless to say, I started bypassing the mega retailers for my attire and decided to thrift instead.
Here’s a few items that I saw over the weekend at Savers. Now, please look at these with an open mind. Remember that most anything can get personally tailored, and even with the costs of custom work, you’re still paying less than shopping at other places.
The red and blue dresses below look like a flashback from the 80′s, but I have a soft spot for that era, and if the pieces were hemmed a few inches up (and the large bows removed), the dresses would be perfect for some cocktails and dancing. You could also have a tailor (or do it yourself) detach the top and bottom, add your own black pencil skirt, and you’ll have a cute color-blocked outfit.
There were also tons of black dresses at Savers! One could do so much with a $8 black dress…change the hem line, add slits, stitch on some fancy beading…so many options!
I bought the long black dress. One of the weddings I have to go to this year will be very formal. The dress itself doesn’t need a whole lot of changes to it. It will have to be taken in a size though.
Here’s a few things to consider when shopping for formal wear at a thrift store:
1. Make sure zippers or other closures work! Those could be difficult to replace/repair.
2. It’s easier to buy something in a larger size and have it tailored down, than it is to buy a smaller size and have the seams let out.
3. Consider chatting with your local tailor first before purchasing so that you know what they’re capable of.
4. Give yourself time! Find a dress at least a few weeks before the event so that you have time for alterations and cleaning.
5. Be creative! With a little open-mindedness and creativity, you’ll have a perfect one-of-a-kind gown!
And if you’re feeling a bit iffy about checking out that thrift store, or want to find cute accessories for that dress, stop by Shopcade, your personal shopping app, to help you scope out deals on your favorite stores. Plus, right now its Shopcade’s Wedding Month. They are going to be having a HUGE Twitter party tomorrow (June 20th) at 9 pm EST. I signed up with Shopcade so that I know when those special things that I want go on sale! (I’m also digging this cute bracelet from Ettika…perfect for summer layering!)
Braving White
As much as I worry about wearing white and other light colors, I’m proud to say that this outfit survived sauce-covered ribs and a glass of Shiraz.
A belly full of happiness and clothes that don’t show for it…that counts as a good day.
skirt, vest – thrifted // shoes – Target
Linked up here, with Marionberry Style, and WIWW
6 Lessons To Teach My Daughter About Appearance
I never realized how much my daughter understood about this blogging stuff until she had Grandma take pictures of her in her “outfits”. When you’re around kids, they’re always learning things indirectly from you. However, there are some (style-related) things that I’ll make sure to directly talk with Julia about.
6. Make different outfits using the clothing from inside your closet, rather than running out to the mall to buy something new. It will challenge you to be creative and your wallet will love you for it.
5. If you have to tug or pull or adjust any part of your outfit when you walk around, go change.
4. Feel confident in what you’re wearing, and who you are. Walk with your head held high.
3. Before you leave the house, make sure you wouldn’t be embarrassed in your outfit if you were seen by your boss, your grandmother, or that special someone. You never know who you’ll run into once you leave the house.
2. Your clothing should showcase your best features (in a tasteful way!), and your problem areas shouldn’t appear to be problems at all.
1. It’s ok to experiment with trends and test things out. Fashion is meant to be fun…don’t take it too seriously!
Linked with IFB Project and Monday Mingle
A {fantasy} Gift for Mr. Fabulous
If my pockets were bigger, (ok…a lot bigger!) I’d really like to get my husband a luxurious watch. (Men like to have “special pieces” too!) One of these timepieces would also be a great heirloom to pass down to Ivan or future grandsons.
Until I hit the big one, my Mr. Fabulous is going to have to settle on a Keurig and artwork from a 4-year-old. How are you spoiling your man tomorrow?
Watch images from here.
Adding Color to the Wardrobe
If you were to look into my closet a few years ago, you would have seen about 70% of the stuff in there was the color black! I thought sticking with black was easy. I mean, wearing black is easy. It’s a no-brainer…buuuut it’s also boring! So, slowly I started to add color to my wardrobe. This purple dress was one of the very first “color” pieces that I bought.
Even though the styling here is simple, you can see that this dress has as much potential (if not more!) as its black counterpart.
I don’t know why I stuck with boring for so long when there’s so many fabulous color options out there. If you gotta get dressed everyday, might as well make it count!
dress – Target // jewelry, clutch – vintage/thrifted
Linked with Visible Monday
A Checklist of Must-Haves for the Beach
Besides for having fun with the flu last week, I also had the chance to escape with a few besties for my sister’s un-honeymoon.
We went to St. Croix, which is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In between exploring the island and sipping tropical drinks, we spent loads of time at the beach. Here’s what we consistently had in our beach bags:
1. My two sisters and I were nearly always in our denim cut-offs! We each had done our own diy…I love how each pair has its own characteristics.
2. When you’re this close to the equator, you need sunscreen! My sisters wanted some color, so they wore spf 15 or 30. I stuck with 50. Long gone are the days when I fool around with sun exposure!
3. Hats helped us at the sunny beach and when we wanted to skip messing with a hair do. You can probably guess that my hat is the big, floppy hat. The only downside of hats…they were constantly getting swept away by the wind. Or in my case, the waves!
4. Magazines and novels joined us at our beach chairs. It was actually nice to have a chance to read a self-selected text!
5. Sunglasses were always on our faces. Unless they were joining my hat in the sea! Not only did my hat get washed in the salty water, but my sunglasses did too! Thank goodness my sis had an extra pair to lend me until I picked up another cheapo.
6. One final item on our beach checklist…a cooler! Filled with ice, bottles of water, and plenty yummy drinks, the cooler kept us hydrated and happy.
Here’s a shot of me, the bride-to-not-be, and our other sis, right after arriving on the island. I have a few more fun things to share with you from the trip!
When you head to the water, what’s on your checklist of pool or beach essentials? Do tell!!
Linked with WIWW
Layering Necklaces: Summer Style
I’m out with the flu today, so this little cutie is here to help me show you some of my favorite ways to layer necklaces for the summer.
In the cooler months, I have no problem layering on the big and bulky necklaces. But that’s just too hot for summer! Summer is all about light layers!
One long necklace with a few shorter necklaces always look perfect. I used a long safety-pin to add a little more length to one of the short necklaces.
gold chains – gifts // bird necklace – c/o John Greed
When I have a detailed necklace, like this winged crown, I keep the other necklaces simple. I also used a safety-pin on this winged crown necklace. Instead of lengthening the chain, this time the pin shortened it.
winged crown necklace – c/o John Greed
Sometimes all I need are two long necklaces. I usually pick two necklaces in a similar color…like these gold tone ones.
elephant necklace – c/o John Greed // chain necklace – Bitten
One last safety-pin trick…when I layer thin necklaces, I pin them all together in the back so that the clasps don’t spin around to the front.
Are you a fan of layering necklaces? What are your favorite ways to wear them?
Linked with Monday Mingle, Style Elixir
Wearing Prints – Taking it a Step Further
Continuing on with the print play action from last post…this time instead of a printed skirt, I stuck with a printed top. (Side note: I actually wore last post’s black and white printed skirt with this top last summer.)
Whenever I’m unsure about what to wear with what, I know that stripes are almost always a safe bet!
Linked with Visible Monday
How to Wear a Printed Maxi Skirt
Now this is what warm weather is all about! A fun (borderline crazy) printed skirt with a bold color on top. This skirt is easy to wear because the print is in black and white…so basically any solid color top will work. When I’m feeling really brave, I mix a printed skirt like this with a printed top.
I think I feeling brave…I’ll show you next post.
sweater, skirt – thrifted // shoes – Target
Linked with Mix & Match Fashion
Accessory Mercado
I’m a big fan of costume jewelry. (If my husband only knew of the hidden stashes!) Accessories are what makes an outfit. So when I have a chance to grab some new pieces (bonus if they’re wallet friendly!) I take it.
Accessory Mercado is a new retailer that uses Facebook to offer flash sales on trendy pieces of accessories. They have some pictures up on their page of some really cute stuff…perfect for summer!
Here’s how AM works (in a nutshell). They they post what’s available every Wednesday evening, you comment “SOLD” if you want something, they email you an invoice, you pay, and your new pieces get mailed to you.
So simple, right? I have to tell you, I’m a little giddy about this. This Wednesday is the first flash sale, and I can wait to see what’s going to be shown!
top, skirt – thrifted // necklaces provided by Accessory Mercado, opinion provided by me
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Congrats to EMMA G. for winning the e-gift card to The Children’s Place from Coupons.com. EMMA G. please contact me! (If I don’t hear from you in 48 hours, I’ll have to pick another winner.)
