red coat + the 'a' team.

those who are as obsessed with "pretty little liars" as me surely caught the big season finale last night. in typical teen soap opera fashion, it was as absurd and cliff-hanging than ever before. and i loved every second of it.

since "red coat" kept popping up all over this season, here are a few red hot items that might be better suited for the always stylish "a" team and friends foes to get you through the off-season. we much prefer these diagonal zippers, leather, leopard, studs and sans-sleeves to the boring apple-colored coat "a" wore...plus none have a hood to hide her face! 

red coat + the 'a' team by pretaporterpb   

clockwise from left: steve madden red coat, mod cloth / "always a step ahead" t-shirt, kidsonlyworld.com / distressed bomber jacket, forever 21 /embellished guess vest, shortyshorts on etsy.com / dolce vita red leopard print coat, urban outfitters


the "always a step ahead" tee is just a  bonus, as it's an on-trend and subtle way to show the show some support, and only those who watch will know what it's all about.

it's hard to wait for june 11 when the summer season starts up again, but until then, click here for an exclusive clip and look into what lies ahead that abc family posted on facebook last night.

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.

triathlete in training.

this time last week a couple friends and i were prepping for a shower to honor one of the absolute coolest chicks, along with baby catherine, a lucky little girl i can't wait to meet when she's welcomed into the world in a few months.

jen is not your typical future mom, and i love her for it. she's a kick-ass triathlete and probably the strongest person i know. teresa, lillia and i opted for a "triathlete-in-training" theme since i'm pretty sure every guest in attendance had that in common, but of course we couldn't leave out all the girly pastel colors and candy too!


one of my favorite parts of the planning was looking at all the clothes she could wear and deciding what to hang from our clothesline decor. mini tri clothes were a must, and in our research i found the best website for fellow swim-bike-runners, trix-gear.com. the somewhat new company offers cute triathlete-inspired lifestyle apparel for men and women of all ages, including some for the kiddie "elites" (and their moms!). i bought the matching "swim", "bike" and "run" onesie set for little girls, but the trix mobile was a close second on my list.

to keep with the theme, and satisfy jen's desire to hit the pool this summer with baby c, i also couldn't pass up the most adorable swimsuit found during a quick stop into gymboree at cityplace. the teeny pink, one-piece bathing suit featuring this smiling snail is not sold online, but i did find a similar design on the brand's website today, if interested.

for soon-to-be moms who are not as fitness-focused or just want a little more glam for their tiny tots, we've got a few options for you there too. i gave the book, "this little piggy went to prada: nursery rhymes for the blahnik brigade," by amy allen to another oh-so-stylish friend, chrissy, for her beautiful little girl, eliza. hey, you gotta teach 'em early!

not enough for your fashion fan-in-training? get her started on the bold lip trend with this "kissy face hand-painted custom pacifer" we found by piquant designs on etsy. made with non toxic paints, this is sure to be her hottest accessory.


this one's for the girls. check back in a few weeks for some ideas for all the future rock stars and prepster little boys in your life.

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.