From NY to SF

Wedding inspirations (ethnic vs. traditional)

One of my closest friends from Duke is in the midst of planning her wedding right now - one of my VERY favorite things in the world.  I love, love, love planning, and a wedding is pretty much one of the most amazing things a girl gets to plan.

So I've been looking around to help out with inspiration for her (and also just because it's a guilty pleasure).  Her wedding will be an Indian wedding, so I've been on the lookout for beautiful pictures of "cultural" fetes.  (That's what the wedding websites seem to call weddings that aren't of the the "I do / I do" variety, I'm not really sure how any wedding is any more "cultural" than another, but anyway).

I thought I'd post a few beautiful pictures of attire - "cultural" and otherwise.  And I'd love your comments on these and all things wedding, and any pictures you'd like to share!

First, a Christos gown.  I almost bought a gown by Christos - it was the runner up - but in the end I went with a Vera.  Can't really go wrong either way.  I love that this dress is so elegant and ethereal, and I especially love the tulle neckline and bodice detail.  FABULOUS.  And a great solution for all the brides who don't want to do strapless.  My thoughts on that:  strapless dresses are a bit of a red herring.  Your wedding dress is not going to fall down the way your average strapless dress might, so brides need not worry so much and be overly concerned about avoiding strapless.  Wedding dresses have a ton of boning, construction, and tailoring so you're really not going to need to worry. 

And here are a few pictures that I love from this wedding on Style Me Pretty. I love the colors, the flowers, the subtle variations in the sarees.  I am just learning about the different traditions, options, and styles for Indian weddings . . . so much fun!  The bride and groom have chosen a hybrid approach to the attire, with bridesmaids in sarees and the bride in a white gown.  It looks great, and I think a bride should do whatever she wants on her wedding day!

i die (for burberry)

So last post I was talking about purple . . . and then I got an email from NM featuring this AMAZING Burberry Prorsum trench.  Sigh . . .

 

 

embrace the trend: maxi dresses

the maxi dress trend is obviously not new.  it's been going on for at least a year in hollywood.  i ignored it for a while, for various reasons.  i thought it might be a fad, that i might be too short, that i would look preggers, that the dresses were too hippie-dippy for me.  (for those that don't know me, i am hardly a hippie, i am a yuppie through and through.)

but i digress.  last week, i broke down and bought a maxi dress.  in ORGANIC COTTON no less.  and i love it.  it is amazing.  i am obsessed.  it's by Gypsy05 and i found it at y & i on chestnut in SF.  here's the website, but they're totally sold out so i suggest trying to find one at a boutique near you.  i went with black.  i tried other colors, but they just weren't me . . . although i encourage you to embrace color.  here's the dress in red, b/c that's the color that had the celeb pic of LC, and who doesn't love the hills.

for the men that read this blog, let me throw you a bone here.  i also bought a case of rubaiyat last week, which is a DELICIOUS, special, red wine blend by cakebread.  it's very manly, because it is specifically known for it's ability to pair well with grilled food.  a "barbeque" wine (although having spent 4 years in NC, it's not bbq, it's grilling people, get with it).  there's a summer special on it right now ($10 shipping), so get ordering!

wedding planning

i have been quite remiss about posting recently.  there are two primary reasons - one, i got a new job at yahoo! (yay) and two, damon and i are getting married in september.  the combination of the two have led to a very fun yet very hectic summer.

i love to plan, and wedding planning is the ULTIMATE in planning.  needless to say, i love it.  i am happy to help any brides-to-be.  if you are feeling overwhelmed, just comment and i'll see if i can share any words of wisdom. 

one of my most recent accomplishments was an inspiration board for my event.  in order to finalize the decor (linens, flatware, china, crystal), lighting, flowers, etc I had to be able to communicate my vision to all of the various designers and vendors that i had researched and hired months ago.  i found two amazing wedding design blogs, snippet & ink and style me pretty.  combined with the knot and flickr, i set to work.  here is the result . . .

mood:  elegant, romantic, urban, autumnal
colors:  platinum grey, bright orange

it's meant to be a communication of the overall look and feel of the event, not to depict the actual details and choices.  those are going to be a surprise at the wedding! 

this week's obsession: gray is the new black

I bought the most amazing shoes at the Macy's Friends and Family sale a few weeks ago (thanks Natalie!)

As you can see, they are dove gray patent sling backs from Nine West (you all know how I feel about Nine West).  The heel is not too high (3 5/8") so they can be worn to work, go out, whatever.  Seriously, A-mazing.  Super comfy and perfect for spring / summer.  The key here is the color - it is SUPER fashionable and I highly recommend venturing out of your black comfort zone with this new neutral.  You can wear it with dark denim, gray, black, red.  Any deep, "true" color will do, really.

colorful fashion: do not be afraid!

whew - now that ballmer has hit the road and wedding planning is under control i can return to blogging!

i would like to encourage all of you (all ten) to embrace one of my favorite fashion trends.  COLOR!  do not be afraid, truly.  color is flattering on everyone.  stop sticking to boring, basic, black.  blech. 

first, a quick color primer for those of you who don't know what works best for your skin.  purple / jewel tones are great on darker or olive complexions.  yellows and warm colors are good for blonds / dirty blonds. kelly green and bright / electric blues are generally flattering for many people.  these rules are not hard and fast; you can experiment with different shades and see what you like best!

here are some of my very favorite pieces to give you inspiration.  if you are hesitant, just think of these as jumping off points and dive in at lower prices - the gap, old navy, j crew, nine west are all full of fun, colorful clothes and accessories. 

i love see by chloe.  my sister emily bought me an ADORABLE bright yellow tunic by see which i have worn a ton (probably too much) this spring.  so cute with skinny jeans, a cacharel scarf as a belt and faux-chanel black flats.  but i digress.  here's an adorable see dress that i love but am too shrimp-y to pull off:

 

speaking of yellow . . . another one of my fave yellow pieces is my gap a-line trench.  it is A-mazing.  it's not in the stores anymore, but it is fab.  katie holmes wore it to lunch at the ivy but unfortunately i can't find a pic.  if you can't live without it, it's on ebay!  here i am, in the trench, pretending like i'm on ANTM.  damon looks amused / horrified.

if those looks are "too much" for you, start with accessories.  i am obsessed with my electric blue satin flats from nine west.  they're from the winter season, but i found some adorable faux-python flats which are available now.  now, you all know how i feel about flats, but a girl needs an alternative when wearing skinny jeans or leggings.  i love my sigerson morrison stilettos with my skinny jeans, but they're not exactly appropriate for work, so i have to do flats occasionally.  (however, per my prior post, they do not make my jeans / butt look as cute as the heels.)

while i was searching for the sigerson morrison link i stumbled upon these beauties - sigh.

seriously ladies, enough with the black already.  it is so much more FUN to be bright and honestly, so much more flattering!  go for it!

heels vs. flats

as you know, i feel VERY strongly that women need to wear heels.  period.  full stop.  if you are not a regular reader, the reasons for this are simple:

(1) they make your legs look longer
(2) they make your butt look better
(3) they are sexier than flats

don't give me any bs about how your boyfriend / significant other / husband doesn't think so.  he doesn't KNOW that he thinks so.  trust me, wear the shoes and you'll see a difference.

for visual evidence, please refer to the following pictures.   on the left are $1400 manolo's, which i do not own, but was thrilled to see in today's email from neiman's. now, these are a bit extreme.  all of you ladies do not need to feel compelled to sport knee-high, suede, cut out manolo's.  but seriously, even a pump will do.  patent is hot . . . very in for fall, and shoes are a great foray if you don't want to go all the way and buy a patent trench (although you should seriously consider it).  something like these delman's (on the right) for $295 would do just fine.

for the ladies

this is going to be a short, totally superficial post so stop reading if that annoys you.  but i am astounded by the horrible fashion that i have seen recently, and i feel like perhaps people are unaware that there are some core tenants (for women, especially if you are single and under the age of 35).  let me start w/a couple of simple ones:

1.  if you are shorter than 5' 5" you really should wear heels at least 75% of the time.  and if you are 5' 2" or below, you should always wear heels except during the days on the weekends and at the gym. 

2.  do not layer white long sleeved t-shirts under short sleeved shirts.  do not under any circumstances layer them under dresses.  it makes you look stumpy. 

let me reiterate.  this is not about comfort.  it is about looking good.  you can do otherwise, but realize that you do not look good doing it, and understand that you are not optimizing your assets.  that's all for now :)

red is the new orange

this is my theory.  i think that red is going to be all over this winter, the way orange was all over everything last season.  i bought an adorable red wool skirt and red cable sweater this weekend which i cannot wait to wear.  last fall i bought a puffy cream vest with a fur trimmed hood which i LOVE.  i got tons of commentary on it, although SF people were mildly horrified that i was wearing fur.  seriously, why not.  am i supposed to feel sad about a coyote?  answer = no.  i like to wear coyote, bunny, etc. and i like to eat cheeseburgers with bacon and i'm not going to feel guilty, not for one minute.  anyway, the point is that this season everyone is wearing a vest like mine.  i'm usually reasonably good at being ahead of the curve just enough -- wearing the stuff that becomes totally mass market in the next season.  so i'm betting that red's going to be seen on more than just santa pretty soon.