hallowednesday: wigging out.

here's to my favorite holiday: halloween. from the massive amounts of candy to the skull decorations to the social acceptance of dressing up like someone else, what's not to like? except for maybe the sexy {insert witch, little bo peep, cop, mobster or other generic character} costume, of course.

so to start celebrating early, i picked up a few $1 and $5 treats from target like glow-in-the-dark skeleton window clings, a glittering faux pumpkin and orange and pink light strands to decorate the new home. while i was there, i also spotted these works of art:

to kick off my weekly october "hallowednesday" posts, it only made sense to start with these "big fun" wigs by chris march. they are fantastic. unfortunately my iphone pic doesn't quite do them, or their size, justice. with options that range from geisha and medusa to monster bride and a pink afro, i wish i owned every single one.

plus, they remind me of the crazy "hair" adorned and created by my fabulous drag queen waitress during my bachelorette party at lips in ft. lauderdale, so you know i'm in love. 

which style of the big fun wigs would you wear?

blown away: boca's blowdry bar.

tonight i was blown away...almost literally.

showing off our new 'dos in the facebooth!

i'll get to the full post with details and much better photos later this week, but wanted to give you a quick preview of tonight's "bloggers, bubbles & blowouts" event at soblo in boca raton. 

in addition to the super sweet employees of the spa team who showed us around and pampered us, we were all there thanks to the lovely hostess, kristin of living in color print. i also met some pretty cool chicks in the blogging community and can't wait to share with you here...more to come soon!

the average girl's guide, april golightly, living in color print, haute frugalista, beauty delicacy and moi! 

sunfest street art.

having sunfest withdrawls already? not to worry. there are a few festival pieces you can still visit without having to wait until may 2013, that is, if you were a fan of the art.

there were a few art dealers with a fashion focus that both my husband and i stopped to check out, starting with these mistura timepieces, which were probably the coolest watches i've ever seen.

 

we chatted with the owner for a minute, a colombia native and really nice guy who took the time to tell us all about them. the watches came in so many cool colors, straps of different widths, and faces made with exotic wood from south america...all one-of-a-kind and eco-friendly, so you know i was hooked. i couldn't decide on just one for myself, but if alex had his way he would have taken home the white cracked leather band shown on the upper right. the pieces range from about $165 to $200, with some a little more, some a little less.

our next long stop was at the booth for andremi designs, and with so many interesting and innovative items "for the bohemian and the princess," i didn't know where to look. the bison leather "pocket belts" (much cooler twist on the fanny pack) and some leather belt/skirt thing (some things just don't need an official name) were what brought me in, but the leather and stone rings, cuffs and intricate macrame necklaces kept me around. 

the owner of this booth was from colombia also - a land that apparently breeds hot design - and explained some of the products to us. the pieces are pricey, but the materials and craftsmanship seem to make it worth the cost. unfortunately he wouldn't let me take a photo of the product though, even for the blog, so you'll have to settle for his sign here and then go check out the website.

moving away from accessories and onto outfitting the home, we were on our way to see joan jett when we were captivated by the whimsical little mixed-media illustrations from pbs artstudio. artist patti ballard and her husband were great to tell us the stories behind all her work, and we couldn't keep our eyes off all the mermaids, angels, fairies, animals and other storybook characters she created. they're the perfect mix of pretty and edgy, just enough to get the the attention of not only me, but alex too. if we had a little girl, it'd be safe to say her room would be covered in these.

we couldn't leave without adding at least to our home; the difficult part was choosing which to purchase. we picked up these two prints for the sunfest deal of $50 total, titled "so happy together," and "in my own little world." want your own? check out her etsy shop.

the last booth that caught my attention was the garnier fructis salon, even though i didn't take advantage of it. they gave away samples to festival-goers within the space, but it was the large mirror at the self-style station that came in handy for the girls with wind-blown, sweat and sun-soaked hair. damn good marketing, if you ask me.

what were your favorite parts of sunfest - the music, art, fashion or food? share with us in the comments, especially if we can check out some of the artists now that the event is over.

fade away.

dresses, nail polish, cakes, jeans, curtains, sweaters, and now even hair.

i've been rocking the look for as long as i can remember. the favorite faded orange tank from abercrombie & fitch in middle school. my first-ever prom dress from jessica mcclintock my sophomore year that went from hot orange at the top into watermelon at the bottom...and yes, i just dated myself by saying jessica mcclintock. my dip-dyed, lime green dress from bcbg maxazria that i bought to wear to rush at fsu, but never put it to use since i realized halfway through the week that i wasn't a sorority girl (hundreds of matching ralph lauren polo dresses over forced spanx and identical ribbed tank tops paired with seven jeans...does that sound like me??). my white wedding dress six months ago with a touch of pink lace at the bottom.

shaded. faded. dip-dyed. tie-dyed. multi-colored. graduated. light to dark. two-tone. it is all the same thing and it's nothing new...the ombre trend.

i, for one, have always loved the "ombre" effect, but am really getting sick of the word and don't like seeing it get so played out. that being said, i felt it was necessary to touch on a few of my favorites and some of the pieces that might still be a fun or different way to wear it.

1. tights.

i saw these on the bzrshop on etsy through pinterest a couple weeks ago and adore them. i haven't seen anyone wear them in person yet and want to go for it myself, but just can't fathom spending $50 on a single pair of tights.

2. faded colors over other patterns.
i've typically liked shading in a more formal sense, but the most recent use of ombre that is a little different is dip-dyed patterned apparel, like this shaded, striped shirt i found on cotton & curls. i think i'm going to try one of the blog tutorials like hers and make my own soon.

3. sophisticated tie dye.all of my favorite stores for weekend apparel - urban outfitters, brandy melville and free people - are now offering more sophisticated twists on the typical tie dye. here are some i might cash in on soon:

dress from urban outfitters' kaleidoscope collection

levi's vintage rainbow sherbet shorts from brandy melville

the one i can't wrap my head around? ombre hair. it's actually been around for months now and you could say i'm sporting it now too... it's called letting your highlights or faux hair color grow out. i just do not understand wanting to spend money to color your hair to look like someone whose roots are showing! the exception...

4. cotton candy hair.
if i didn't work in a professional office and fear the looks of my boss, co-workers and clients, i would surely do the dip-dyed, mermaid hair trend with no questions asked. instead, i'm trying out the look in a different way, so stay tuned to find out more about my weekend-only hair color party. in the meantime, get inspired by the capitol with my past hunger games post, or check out what it looks like to use kevin murphy's "color.bug" below.

may the fashions be ever in your favor.

friday night i did something i've been waiting months for...watched the hunger games! i couldn't wait to see one of my favorite books put to life, especially through some of "the capitol's" coveted clothes and katniss' fiery fashions. after seeing the costume designers' views of panem's styles, i put together a few of my own movie-inspired mashups.

some of my film favorites were effie trinket's effing hot hairdos and makeup, but here are a few looks i pulled from pinterest that i think were missing from the mix, including dip-dyed locks, glitter substituted for eyebrow pencil, mauve tresses, and a trend i've been taking up myself lately, deeply purple lips:



as for the look i'm certain everyone was waiting for - the cinna-designed gown and hairstyle katniss wore during her breakout interview with caesar - i think the costumers dropped the ball. the movie version of the ensemble was a little tame for my taste, looking much like a current dalia macphee design.

i would've much preferred to see a more daring fusion of a few red carpet fashions from this year's academy awards. the shimmery bottom of cameron diaz's gucci gown would have been absolutely perfect for katniss' famous fluttery twirl. pair that with the one-sleeved draping of kate mara's soft and flirty beaded dress by jack guisso, and top it off with the most sought-after color of the year from michelle williams' louis vuitton choice and i think we have a winner.

i didn't care for the hairstyle the movie's "cinna" chose either. it was a little too prom queen for me, and one of these goddess-like braided looks would have been much better, which i also pulled from pinterest:

one look i thought was spot on was the futuristic, head-to-toe leather suit both katniss and peeta wore as they entered the games' opening ceremonies. allsaints carries a number of pieces to help us wear it ourselves, that is, if they were set ablaze with cinna's flaming cape creation.

what costumes were your favorite? and can you think of others that would have better fit the bill? share in the comments!