rock 'n' ruffles.

one of my favorite brands is also the creator of one of my favorite blogs. free people's bldg 25 is my go-to read for horoscopes, beauty diy projects, home and wardrobe styling ideas, and even gluten-free recipes...so pretty much everything. 

just when i thought it couldn't get any better, one of the bloggers, "fpjana," revealed these killer dresses last week (and so sweetly allowed me to borrow the photos!).

photo credit: fpjana on free people's bldg 25

the perfect blend of old school rock t-shirts and feminine fringe, ruffles and tutus, i'm really developing an unhealthy love for them...which is not so good for me - or my husband - considering they round up to $200.

according to jana, the limited edition vintage t-shirt renewal dress collection is an in-house collaboration between the brand's vintage loves and we the free lines. 

photo credit: fpjana on free people's bldg 25

i'm going to add one (or two, since i can't decide between the pink or black skirt) to my christmas wish list this year. until then, they'll continue to make my heart skip a few beats and i'll just have to pair my guy's 80s gnr tees with some tule.

~~~~~

side note: if you choose to "pin" any of these images, please link back to the original source. thanks!

christmas in september.

so i know it's only september, but i'm pretty sure i found my holiday dress...christmas, new year's, a december wedding in vegas, whatever. i'd wear this to anything and everything.

one problem. i just spent way more on a new bike than i should have, and the beautifully blackberry floral frock by rachel rachel roy is still full price at macy's...and there is only one left in my size. 

it's got almost all the elements i'm loving right now: a purple hue, sheer fabrics, a peekaboo sweetheart neckline, flowers, a low back and a near-perfect fit (it's missing leather, but let's be honest, that would make this dress more fit to be worn at monarchy on clematis or liv at fountainebleau rather than a dinner at grandma's house...and the vegas event is still not that kind of wedding).

if you just had deja vu, that's because i had a similar situation back in may. i'm going to officially dub it the "rachel syndrome" since i have a feeling it will come up again. 

p.s. i can't find it online anywhere so i don't have a link to share. even if i did, i probably wouldn't anyway because while i love you all, i am greedy when it comes to this dress and don't want you scooping up the last one before i can! but if you like the look of the rachel rachel roy "party" collection, try the black and gold louise dress instead :)

fashion capital.

i had a quick trip to new york for a conference this week, and in between my sessions and a dinner with a friend one night, i walked a few blocks over to what's considered one of the most stylish streets on the planet: fifth avenue.
while i much prefer the character of antique row in west palm beach or shopping along south la brea avenue in los angeles where my new favorite american rag cie resides, when in manhattan, a few stops on fifth ave. are a must.



h&m is part of an nyc tradition my friend and company vice president started me on, so that one was a no-brainer. i was a little disappointed in the selection this time, but bought a few staples i've been needing to work into my ever-growing closet.

the real shop i enjoyed visiting on fifth, however, was urban outfitters. the multi-level store is much more of what i'd expect from the company than its counterpart in palm beach gardens, with wooden floors, open ceilings, small designer sections and a special sale room.

another high point of the cold weather, northern store that you won't find locally in the sunshine state? this mini wall of tights with more colors and patterns than i could imagine.


another thing i was able to see in person, this sunny, pleated dress by silence & noise from urban's colorful kaleidoscope collection that i've been eying online for a while. and i must say, it's even more stunning in person...i just wish i had somewhere to wear it!

i did.

i'm going to a wedding this weekend for a very stylish bride and groom, which brought my memory back to a few months ago. probably the most important getup a girl will wear in her life is the one she'll wear on her wedding day, and mine was no different. after searching long and hard, high and low, i found the one.

ok, so that wasn't really how it went down. in reality, for as much as i love a good dress, there's not much i can stand less than a boring or over-designed bridal gown. i've never liked a single design featured on "say yes to the dress," and knowing that, i vowed not to say yes to a bridal shop.

instead, i remembered a name i had come across before i was ever engaged: ktjean designs. and with that, i visited her etsy shop online and hit "add to cart" on one of katie walker's made-to-order designs (so not prêt-à-porter of me!).

katie worked with me to create a custom dress that was full of history, eco-friendly and unlike any other. we started with her romantic vintage slipdress design, in which she layers a skirt of recycled lace and other rustic fabrics from the top of an antique slip that i chose from options she provided.



then comes the best part...i've always adored gwen stefani's hot-pink dip-dyed dress and wanted a version of it for my own. in a much more subtle way, katie created an ombre effect with tiers of lace in shades of ivory to a pale ballet pink at the bottom to match my sparkly steven by steve madden flats.




i fell in love. once i incorporated some extra lace trim to the slip's straps, plus added a specially designed belt and flower embellishment, it was perfect. the "belt," by the way... ya, well we it lost on the way from my house to the wedding in a near disaster. luckily my unbelievably talented friend and makeup artist saved the day by refashioning one for me two hours before the wedding from my bridal robe and another random silk flower...and no one knew the difference!

it was a risky move ordering a dress online from phoenix after never even trying on another gown, but ktjean was a perfect choice for me and i wouldn't have done it any other way! the ktjean brand has so many other choices too, from playful party skirts to romantically chic bridal designs, so check out ktjean.com to see what she has in store.

can't wait to see what the bride has in store this weekend. more post-wedding posts to come soon.

lulu love: 1 dress, 20 ways

all of my running buddies know that lululemon athletica is my brand of choice...i like to run in style. i don't look so hot (ok, ok, maybe i do temperature-wise) after my three-hour runs, but as least my plaid and pastel shorts still do after logging in 20+ miles.

because the brand is a little pricey for athletic apparel on my low budget - though 100% worth it as it's cute and holds up time after time - i never ventured much farther than the run: speed shorts or run: swiftly racerbacks. i might have to make an exception after this popped up in my fb newsfeed from the the lululemon athletica at The Gardens page today...
the renew dirt dress.


i love it.

the company's main website says you can wear it three different ways, which is great already, but my lovely lulu gardens girls found 20 different ways to wear it! 20! that means you could technically wear the same thing every day for almost a month! it comes in black and white, wish blue and citron, and coal and pig pink, which is by far my favorite (who would've guessed?).

which of the 20 styles is your favorite?

12 steps in heels: step 3

think jessica mcclintock, bright orange fading into watermelon pink, rhinestones, black and white color blocks, red hair dye, big silk flowers, and pink polka dots mixed with tons of tule. ya...those would be the memories of the ghost of wellington prom's past...mine to be exact. needless to say, i liked flashy fashion, even back then.

so even though it made me feel old, i couldn't have been more excited or proud when my lovely younger cousin told me she was going prom dress shopping a few weeks ago. we searched all around the mall at wellington green and she probably tried on 50 dresses, but in the end, she went with one of the first dresses she tried on. and i had so much fun shopping with her the whole time.

all this brings me to my next step to kicking my shopping addiction...

step 3 ~ if you need to get your shopping fix, head with a friend to help her or him shop for what they need...and only what they need.

in case you're wondering, here are the two she was deciding between...which one do you think she went with?

i'll post pics of the lovely prom princess and the dress she chose soon. and if you're lucky, you might even get to see some pics of my past prom days...