i like your style.

i went to a wedding a week ago today for the couple i mentioned a few posts ago, and style was all around. from the bride's lovely handmade gown from china and the purple and origami accents, to the music and brilliant outfits and hairstyles of the guests.

i just have to share the look of one of my fellow partygoers here. alex, one of my husband's newest friends he met at the bachelor party, had such a smashing look for a spring wedding with his pink button-down, periwinkle frames and plaid bow tie to match his exuberant personality, curly locks and scruffy but manicured beard. guys, want to get attention - in a good way - at your next event? sport this look.


my own bright getup probably matched his better than it did my husband's, as i wore a purple lip color, yellow chain collar necklace and pink sari-inspired dress from last summer by rachel from rachel roy. the rrr line might just be my new favorite "younger sister" collection because although more affordable, it still works with high quality fabrics and interesting shapes and patterns, unlike most other designers' second-tier fashions for big box and department stores.

it's a little off topic, but my point is further supported by evidence of the newly purchased leather-blocked pants by rrr i finally got to wear in nyc this week, for instance...

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.

back to blogging.

it's been a while since i've blogged. ok, ok, ok, before a few days ago it had been a year and a half. what can i say? life got in the way, but i'm happy to be back to blogging!

since then, i've had a few life changes. i ran the boston marathon, moved to the beach, did my first triathlon, had nine friends announce they were pregnant - and then five of them already had the babies - and had several more get married. oh ya, one thing i forgot... i replaced my bcbg studded skull ring with a tiffany & co. solitaire and a pair of black and white diamond bands (i still wear that skull ring; just moved it to the other hand)!


needless to say, wedding planning may have also had something to do with my lack of blogging too. the one thing seems to remain the same is my obsession with teen stories. the only difference is that it changed from twilight and "gossip girl" to hunger games and "pretty little liars." they might be silly, but at least they all have good style!

over the next few weeks i'll catch you up on the past few months and more of my new loves in between other regular posts, and i bet you can guess what one of those recent additions is if you've read my last two posts...

clothes for bros: wedding wear

i received this question on twitter today from @myPBC (follow me @pretaporterpb) and thought i would take to the blog to answer:

"question: wedding invitation says dressy/casual ? what is that? blazer with shorts no tie? thx"

short answer...i'm usually against shorts, unless it's a beach wedding, then we can potentially re-consider! and though i love love love caddy shack, i must also steer him away from going to rodney dangerfield's character for fashion advice. great idea for a themed party, but definitely do not wear this to a wedding!

long answer..."dressy/casual" and any attire ultimately depends on the location, time of year, time of day, and the couple getting married. if the couple has a wedding web site - on theknot.com, for instance - you may want to check it out to get a feel for their theme.

it's hard for men to go wrong with j.crew...

all that being said, i think for a dressy-casual wedding it's safe to go with a pair of khakis, a collared button-down shirt and tie. a good idea is to bring a blazer with you (navy is a good, casual color that goes well with khaki), which you can opt to wear or leave in the car once you get there if it looks like it's not necessary. if it's a beach wedding like many in palm beach county, go with sandals, but if it's anywhere else, go with a pair of casual dress shoes....and guys, remember, match your shoes and belt...no black with brown!

want more ideas? check out the knot's wedding dress code cheat sheet.

81 years of marriage backed by one dress

this past weekend provided evidence for something i've been trying to prove all along: the perfect dress will lead to a lifetime of happiness.

ok, so maybe it was the partner and not really the dress that equated to happiness, but when i looked at my grandparents' wedding photos at their 52nd anniversary party this weekend, i was inclined to think otherwise. my grandmother was breathtaking in her stunning silk gown, with my tall, dark and handsome grandfather at her side. they look like a couple straight out of an old elvis movie.

but what caught my eye when looking through their wedding album were the wedding announcements. they were much more stylish in the 50s! they not only described my grandmother's "floor length gown of off-white rice silk and lace with a sabrina neckline," "long pointed sleeves and a sash at the hipline that crossed in the back," and "fingertip veil...held by a lace crown accented with seed pearls and sequins," but they also detailed the dresses, hairstyles and flowers of the bridesmaids, flower girls and even the mothers of the bride and groom. this is even more detail than you'll find in the new york times wedding pages!

side note: this bridal gown (and the veil!) has actually led to a total of 81 years of marriage and counting, since my mother also wore it when she married my father in 1980. she made it her own by wearing it without the hoop and lacing the sleeves. though my mom wore it for sentimental reasons and not for the sake of fashion, she is so lucky she made this classic and timeless choice...have you seen any of the poufy-shouldered disasters from the 80s?!

now since both my mother and my grandmother both weighed less than 100 lbs on their wedding days, i won't be able to fit one leg in the dress, much less wear it on my special day. my hope is to take pieces of it to add to my own when the time comes.