Why yes – I am wearing a frilly dress with black tights and my Doc Marten Darcies!  I seriously wear these boots all the time.  They gave this dress a 90′s grunge rock, babydoll-dress-with-boots-vibe.  I was going to be taking photos – I wanted stability in my shoes.

The dress itself is interesting.  It’s three different textures in the same color – which I’m a big fan of.  The mesh top is so subtle, that accessorising was an interesting feat and I didn’t want to cut into that subtlety too much.  I opted for hair bling, pairing feathers and bold glitter in a light gray that almost matched.  I just happened to forget I was sporting that spoon necklace.

This is the point where I lament the fact that I didn’t have a tough moto-jacket to toss over the top.  I went with a long gray cardigan and Mister told me I looked like something out of Clueless.  Like, Woah. I attempted to wear a cute little blazer with studded epaulettes (for lack of a better description) but Mister told me I probably shouldn’t leave the house looking like I did.  Unfortunately, no photos of the entire outfit.  It was warm in the club that night, and I had to bribe a pretty lady to snap my photo.

I admired all the party girls out that night in their cutest club outfits.  Pictured here, Birdie Royale in a striped bustier and gray pencil skirt, and Katie Marie in an amazing animal print number.  Me-yow!

I wore:

• Rodarte for Target Blue lace dress
• Doc Marten Darcie boots
• Black sweater tights from Sockdreams
• Spoon necklace found on Etsy
• Sparkly feather headband from CharlotteRusse
• Not Pictured: Gray cardigan from Ann Taylor Loft, Asymmetric coat from Allsaints

It was fun and hilarity.  And champagne and cupcakes.  My favorite kind of party.  If you were there, you can check out the photos on the Bonne Vie Facebook page!  Give us a like, little kittens!

Luckily it was sunny and warm; perfect for cute little skirts, still paired with knee-high boots.  This outfit seems so fall-like, but since spring in the Emerald City is so much like fall (and winter for that matter), I figured I’d be fine just this once.

I definitely felt a little “Francophone” in my knit beret and striped top.  Oh, hello!  Do not mind the mess, or little G’s dog bed in the background.  As for my outfit, I jazzed it up with my red Fluevog boots, and this crazy beaded granny-necklace.  The great part is all the red matched the lining of my blazer.

The color combo felt a little strange when I originally pulled it out, but with a few finishing touches, I think it came together well.

What I wore:

• Striped sweater top: Banana Republic
• Gray tank: J Crew
• Gray skirt: Papaya
• Black knee socks: Sockdreams
• Red embroidered leather boots: Fluevog
• Denim blazer: Thrifted
• Red beaded necklace: Vintage – from Mr.’s Granny
• Blue crochet beret: Bird & Belle (AKA: Made by Me!)

The weather held, and class was great!  I was a little nervous, but my nerves were swept under the rug toute de suite. It turns out I’d actually forgotten less than I originally thought!

Unfortunately, the weather was not as kind, and the very next day was rainy and gray.  I stashed my little skirt away for the moment – until the sun comes back out and the rain goes away.

Uniform project, photo found via Instant Stylist

My  hurdles: My current lifestyle is killing my creativity.  I get up at 4:30 or 5a to go to work and it takes an extra effort to shake off sleep and dress myself properly.  I’d set out an outfit at night, but I often forget because I’m working.  Even if I did set something out, generally by morning, I’m disinterested in what I’ve put together after looking out the window and realizing it’s dark-o-clock and pouring rain.  I default to maximum comfort, maximum warmth, very little effort.  It’s hard not to just slop on a hat, a pair of jeans and my coat – especially since all I want to do after work is go home, have dinner and go to bed.  The office is constantly 65 degrees and I end up just wearing my wool trench all day.  Why dress up underneath if I’m just going to cover it up?!

Meanwhile, the career market has gotten more serious as I grow older.  Since I’m not a student right now, I need to stay within the confines of dreary “business casual”.  Oh joy – gray slacks, sensible shoes and easy sweaters.  I doubt I could pull off harem pants at work – or could I?  At my office, I’d probably be made fun of (a sad fact – interesting style choices are often constantly questioned, or ridiculed).  I can imagine more serious workplaces frowning upon some of the current styles as business casual.

I’ve also found myself in a sort of  body-awkward phase, moving out of my gangly 20′s into a now filled-out almost-30s.  I’ve been running with Mister and have grown quite the posterior.  It looks nice (I did just give my butt props… and proof that it’s not just my butt!) but some of my wardrobe just doesn’t fit now.  I hate that in-between stage where I know my body is changing but I don’t have the means to keep up with it.  In an uncomfortable twist of fate, many of my sweaters have shrunk in the body (improper washing! ARGH) or they seem too twee to wear around.

At times I know just what look I’m going for, but have no idea how to get there.  I want my wardrobe to look svelte and beautiful, while interesting and quirky.  I don’t want to look like a teen, trying too hard to be adult, but I want it to look fun!  My closet is filled with my past mistakes (you know; big and baggy, meets too-tiny minis) and I don’t understand some of the current fashions – for example, I wish people would get over harem pants, yet at the same time I kind of want a pair.

I realized the other day that the only time I’m dressing up is if we’re going out.  I don’t know what my day to day style is.  I set a style statement, but it’s escaped me considering my schedule and lifestyle right now.  So how do you work against this sartorial malaise?  I’ve created all these hurdles not to dress up so I feel the need to brainstorm ideas to overcome the hurdles… And they need to be ways I can break out of the rut without going broke!

Set out clothes for the morning: In my case, it means just wearing whatever I set out the night before – no grumbling allowed!  It also means checking the weather forecast when I’m trying to decide, and it means looking for maximum comfort that looks good.

Keep track of what works: Post it notes maybe? I’ve heard Polaroids work, but who has the cash to keep up with buying the film?!  Sheesh!  This seems like a great failsafe if I decide not to set anything out the night before.  Easy reference!

Create inspiration: I have magazine tears for this and that – a mood board would maybe help with inspiration, right?  I was gifted a copy of The Sartorialist (the book) for my birthday and what better inspiration to leave on my dresser.  Pick a page at random and use that for outfit inspiration for the day!

Change your lifestyle: Okay – this may be extreme in some cases, but I can imagine it’d work for people who don’t get up at the asscrack of dawn.  Maybe getting up an extra 15 minutes early would help a person wake up, so that they can make clearheaded style decisions.  Maybe scheduling time to do creative things during the day would help change my perspective of my work life right now?

Create a wardrobe challenge: Like those people who do the 30 for 30 challenges, or the little black dress thing – where you wear the same basic uniform, but style it differently each day.  It could turn out really well, building a mental portfolio of different styles, or I could end up just wearing the exact same thing every day, and liking it!  Mixing in color is also a good way to get out of a rut of gray-black-gray that I tend to adapt when I become bored of fashion.

I scoured the internet for pearls of wisdom and came up – for the most part – empty handed.  Got any tips for me that might help?

In truth, I hit a wall. Fashion kinda started to meld together – it all started to look the same. I know other bloggers have felt that…

And then I’m trying to extricate myself from a weird situation at my day job that’s requiring all of my daytime attention (read: I don’t get lunches anymore, where I can spend my time babbling at the internet masses).

Besides that, we spent 3 of the last 6 weekends out of town. First was Portland for my birthday, then a week in between to rest. Then we hit Portland again for a good friend’s birthday – which was so much fun. And I went with a couple of girls, so there was much shopping to be had. The boys could be off watching football, and we girls hit the Rack for some excellent finds.

Then there was a week or two in between (gosh, I can’t remember!) where we saw a concert or two… And then it was off to Vegas for a weekend of madness, football, drinking and fun. We got to wander around the Plaza casino and hotel in Fremont – which is deserted, because it’s closed for renovations. It was seriously zombie creepy. I found myself plotting escape routes as we wandered around in there.

We stayed on the 23rd floor at the Flamingo, which smells like coconut body oil and stale cigarette smoke. The room was slightly hilarious with quilted vinyl floor-to-ceiling headboards, salon lights, and a very pink glass bathroom… (pics to come).

We had dinner Saturday at Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris, which was delicious fun. We watched the game, I was pelted with Bloody Mary by a poorly thrown football (don’t worry, if you don’t let it dry, and soak in cold water, that tomato will come right out. I wonder if the vodka helped?). We won some, lost some, and generally had a raucous time.

This weekend is all about catching up. I have some photos to edit and post for Totally Blown Glass, Recycled LOOT!, and Bird & Belle.  I have some photos to take, some posts to write for both this site and Seattleite.  For now, it’s delicious meals with the Mister and a little relaxation as I try to ease myself back into the routine of normal life.  Because sometimes normal, laid-back, relaxing routine is just what you need.

I was looking through my Flickr and noting how I had played on my projected 2010 style direction.  I was pleased at how I’d presented myself through photo, even though I completely lost track of my anticipated direction.  I had a heavy series of outfit posts at the beginning of the year.  It gave me something to look at, to reference and document.  Also it helped me keep track of all the fun stuff I was doing at the time…

I think I lost a little bit of identity when I changed my haircolor though.  Looking back at these photos I missed the pop of My Little Pony Magic that my hair had.

And it was all really cute.  I felt good about the way I was styling myself.  Also, the skeleton in the top corner of that last pic is one of my favorite decor oddities in my house. Â

I branched out and started wearing gold, which I’d previously shied away from.  I had mixed metallics, bird pendants, feathery hair and fun shoes.  I dressed it up.

I felt vintage and modern at the same time.  Retro and futuristic.   I mastered pincurls.  I wore fun hats.  I bought opera gloves and carried vintage bags out of sheer frivolity.

And then right about HERE, there was a hugenormous break.   I forgot about dressing and committed to 6am Work Madness, Wedding Planning, Puppy Wrangling.   I had a serious bout of the blues for a bit, there, and I lapsed into tees and jeans.  I was confused by our weather, and my daily schedule.  I felt like I wasn’t on point.  I also had that post-26-year body change to contend with, that was redefining the way I wore my wardrobe.   I was only dressing up for occasions.  Or if I needed to look cute for an after work happy-hour and even those were sparse.  I needed something serious – a big change.  I was going through one of those lifestyle lightbulb moments when you realize you’ve outgrown your current state.  It wasn’t just my style that had flopped, but something inside me wasn’t being fulfilled.  I needed catharsis.

When I resurfaced, I found myself in the cusp between cute, funky 20′s clothes and more modern, svelte upper 20′s early 30′s hotness.  I figure my style direction for 2011 will be that catharsis along with a well as a needed lifestyle change!  I’m excited to be working towards a more fitting and fun style statement, and I’m overjoyed to get back to the things that drive me.

And I really didn’t expect that to be the case when I slapped on these funky Parisian breeches, found by Dana from Sustalux.  In fact, when I found them, I was like, “These are so silly I must put them on immediately!” And then they followed me home like some semi-friend who thinks he’s coming up for a nightcap, but is pr0bably mistaken.  They sat on a chair in my bedroom during my “trial run”, totally staring me down – “Whatcha gonna do?  What do you pair us with?”

Then one morning, I happened to snap them up out of sheer rushed-necessity, along with a loose-weave silk sweater from Banana Republic and a pair of trouser socks and somehow they magically became my favorite (and ONLY) Parisian pants.  Cus look at these buttons!  Seriously.

• Sweater: Banana Republic
• Breeches (right? That’s kinda what they are): Found by Sustalux
• Fishnet trouser socks: Sockdreams
• Wedges: 80/20
• Pashmina:  Affordable Scarves
• Badass spike earrings:  Alicia of Instant Vintage

I love it when no-plan comes together.

The wedding dress design

Though my dress didn’t have nearly that price tag, it very well should have. The silk was silvery gray, $35-a-yard silk crépe-backed satin, and I’m sure Kimberlee put at least 20 hours into it (and probably much more than that). Much of the dress was hand sewn – the hem, hand rolled. It was gorgeous for a formal event but definitely not a dress to party in – it wasn’t heavy, but it was hot. I love the dress so much, though, that I couldn’t think of wearing anything else on that day so Kimberlee (the GENIUS) suggested we alter my gown pattern to make a shorter party dress. It would be easy – the pattern was already cut and she’d assembled it once so it wouldn’t take long to construct. In fact, she told me I could probably assemble it in a couple hours – and I did.

Kimberlee had this amazing and gorgeous “granny lace” that she’d used for the little bed jackets last spring. We decided to use that because we wanted my dress to be light – being the bride and all. We still had to line it and since my shoes were a seafoam green (I swear they weren’t that color on the website!) it made sense to put a green cotton or linen underneath. Kimberlee sent me to Joann’s for zippers and a me-sized swatch of green cotton.

The Thursday before the wedding, my friend Raishawn (one of my bridesmaids) and I showed up bright and early at Kimberlee’s house. I laid out the pattern pieces from my gown, Kimberlee showed me how to pin them down and cut them. Per her instructions (because we all know it can be difficult to read sewing patterns), I assembled the bodice and skirt separately. Then Kimberlee took over. I didn’t see the dress for another couple days.

We arrived on site the Saturday after. I hadn’t tried on the dress at all and had been battling a horrible case of nerves all day. The wedding went well and I only remembered the reception dress after dinner- before we busted out the pinatas. I snuck off into the dressing room and then thought to myself “Oh crap. I never tried this on – I hope it fits.” I sewed the bodice a little smaller than the pattern asked for. Kimberlee had put the two parts together, given it straps and a zipper. Not only did it fit PERFECTLY, but the way I’d cut the pieces out made the lace pattern line up – an apparently amazing feat for not having paid much attention. And girls went wild for the design.

From L to R - Kimberlee (dress design), Scarlet (hair), Laura (Birdie Royale), and Raishawn (decor)

After the party, Kimberlee and I got to talking and decided that it was a simple enough party dress to make, and it’s practical – enough that we decided to keep it in our pocket for a possible Deco Modiste Spring 2011 release. The best part? I came back from my honeymoon, not registering that fashion week had happened. Kimberlee informed me that lace had been big on the runways for Spring. Keep an eye out for replicas of this little number (sorry – small photo…)

Dancin in my reception dress.

For example: I AM A GINGER!

Also I got an excellent package of excellent goodness from Miss Eboni at the Fashionista Next Door and OH WOW WHAT A GIFT! This woman knows both style and giveaways. Check this out:

And did I mention she’s super cute!??

In other news, we have a dog (like you didn’t know!!) and he’s extra stylish with his new puppy-cut.  The groomer gave him a mohawk – but not like a regular rocker mohawk.  He’s extra hardcore with his new FULL BODY MOHAWK.  Yeah.  Seriously.

Awesome.

I snapped a couple pictures before I left the house.  I bought this dress at a STREET FAIR of all places!

It’s from a place called “Silk Dragons” or something and is my go-to party dress.  It’s a fantastic deep blue – though it looks brighter here with the lighting.  Don’t mind the ugly comforter under the sofa…..

I wore it with a little light-blue vintage hat, white gloves, and these crazy gold platforms from Hale Bob – which, I have to say, I’m disappointed in!  Over the course of only a few hours, the finish on the wedges had started to come off around the bottom exposing the white wedge material beneath.

I also tried a new and super-easy method of pincurling, where you use a small barrel (1″) curling iron and set the curls in place, then pin them to your head until you’ve done your entire set.  When you pull the pins out and softly brush through it it creates this curly, wavy look that I achieved.  I didn’t use setting lotion, only this crazy “Big Sexy” root-boost-mousse that I bought at the grocery store, and a little hairspray and I had curls 3 DAYS LATER!

The jewels you see here are vintage.  Krystal of Smashing Divas fame found me the most incredible deal – her great aunt was getting rid of excess and she invited me over to take a look.  I’m wearing a demi-parure I found that’s TOTALLY Trifari.  It’s fantastic.  the pearl bracelet is from the same vintage set.  Notice the incredible “hot magenta” manicure – I felt a little springy and went all out with an insane electric-Barbie color.  Totally eye-catching!

The skirt is an interesting gray, with draping in the front and a backseam (it used to only go halfway up the back of the skirt, but I fixed it so it a) fit me and b) didn’t look like a buttcrack  ).

The full silhouette is very slim and I added a break in the heavy almost Deco-style patterned top with a waist-belt.   The top is a Deco Modiste original!

The rest of my accessories needed to incorporate well with the pattern, but I also felt like I needed a little color.  These green resin earrings came from Banana Republic, and I tossed on some simple silver bangles for fun.   This outfit is worn with my Where CARA brogues.  It’s warm enough for spring in Seattle without feeling overdressed.

I, personally, love the tailored maxi skirt look.  I feel like it’s not done nearly enough though!  The tailoring on this skirt gives it a sort of Steampunk/gawth feel, but is very versatile.  What’s your feeling on the maxi skirt?  Love it?  Hate it!?  Tell me about it!