Fashion Advice From a Sloth

Mrs. Sloth, that is.

So, Mrs. Sloth said her goodbyes yesterday and I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little sad about it [sniff sniff]. I met her in real life, and I was all like "OMG, Mrs. Sloth, all my friends and I just think you are the coolest thing since sliced bread. They are all like so totally jealous that I am hanging out with you right now. Can I get a picture?"

In her other life, she provides some awesome fashion advice. I love to read her blog What The Frock  for a number of reasons. 1. It's a super cute blog design. 2. I always wanna look like a celebrity on the cheap. And 3. You (yes, you!) can write to her and get real live (ok, live over the internets) advice on your very own personal dilemma.

So, I sent her my very own personal dilemma with the white, shiny dress and she tried to fall it up for me (although she says the white is fine, she does think it is too shiny for a casual bbq and I TOTALLY agree!).

Image via What the Frock

David's Bridal Dress $99 - Forever 21 Earrings $6 - Anthropologie Top $98

Seychelles Shoes $70 - ASOS Bag $39

I am totally digging that top from Anthropologie, but I do think the dress is just too freakin' shiny. Plus, I just got these boots in the mail today...

Rosegold Women's Gaddy Knee-High Boots / Image via Endless

I bought them on Gilt for much less than their price on Endless, but I still feel kinda guilty about buying them at all when every last cent should be going to the wedding or my new business. But...if I wear them for the rehearsal dinner, does that make it better?

So, I think the shiny white dress is out, and the boots are in. Just got to find another dress, or skirt, to go with the boots now. This is getting...well, "ridiculous" is the only word that comes to mind.

Have you ever obsessed over an event outfit this much? Is it because it's much easier to obsess over clothes than, say, seating charts and RSVPs?

Dress Doubt Disorder: Part 2

I am having another attack of dress doubt disorder!!!!!! Cue freak out here.

 

Image via Pitch.com

The good news is, unlike the last bout of this disorder (which is apparently cyclic), the doubt is not about my wedding gown. That is amazing and beautiful and basically the best dress in the world. Insert sigh of relief here.

The bad news is, the doubt is back and I think it's here for a legitimate reason this time. You see, as a church going little girl raised in the South, my grandma taught me that you cannot wear white after Labor Day. And what color is my rehearsal dinner dress?

Image via David's Bridal

It's super white and shiny! You know, for our casual NC bbq rehearsal dinner! Fail.

I bought this dress in the summer, when the birds were singing and the sun is shining. Now it's all pumpkin spiced lattes and back to school and AFTER FREAKING LABOR DAY. My grandma would not approve of this.

So, what to do? Try to dye it (it's polyester)? Sell it (it's a size 4, brand new, in case you're interested)? Try to "fall it up" with a cardigan and accessories? Embrace the whiteness and wear it, even if it's a total mismatch with BBQ and hushpuppies?

Or...buy a new dress. Like, I don't know...how about this one!

Image via Francesca's Collections

Anyone else get season confused when purchasing wedding attire?

Expensive Gauzy Headpieces

I don't think I've told you about my veil yet. You’ve been waiting, I know. I’ve actually had my veil forevah-evah…I bought it before I bought my dress. Allow me to explain.

I tried on the dress that is The One, which I haven’t technically revealed to you fully yet, but did give you a partial view. OK, fine, here's another snippet. 

Crappy photo of lovely dress and Barbie veil, courtesy of Yours Truly

I hadn’t bought the gown yet, or even fully committed to it, but I had tried on veils with the dress that would become The One, and I knew that the veil I wanted was a Barbie veil. That’s not the actual name for it.

I guess cathedral veils are really in these days, but when I tried those on, they made me feel like, um, what’s the expression? A wolf in sheep’s clothing? No. A whore in church? Eh, closer. It made me feel, basically, like I was pretending to be something I wasn’t.

 Image via Dino Direct

But then I tried on the Barbie veil, and it made me feel happy and floofy and like dancing! People also kept trying to put it lower down on the back of my head, which I guess is more classy or something. I was like “Heck no, y’all, stick it up there near the top for maximum floofiness!” And then they had to listen to me because I am the bride.

Image via Wow Dolls

I went to a Brides Against Breast Cancer event, trying to find The One. The dress was not there, they had had it, but sold it in Ohio or something. But then I tried on some veils, and they had a Barbie one for sixty bucks! Which I still thought was outrageous, but the new one I had tried on previously was 220$.

I bought the veil, which is an elbow length two layered double ribbon edged veil. It was too white for my dress, but the lovely ladies at Victorian Rose (where I bought my dress in Raleigh) tea dyed it for me for free, and now it matches perfectly! 

And that’s the story of how I got a veil before the dress. Did you buy anything “out of order”?

I Never Liked the Taste of Crow...

Occasionally, I am wrong. Not often, not sometimes, in fact, it's pretty rare. But occasionally, I am wrong.

As a blogger, I try to stay away from sweeping generalizations or being too extreme. I mean, I stay true to what I like, think, and believe...but I might temper it as to be more reader friendly. One time I said I hated those mustaches on a stick, and surprisingly, nothing bad happened to me. Although now I've gone and said it again, so maybe I'm really pushing my luck. [Although I've got to admit, if anyone can pull off a mustache on a stick it is the lovely and ohsocool Mrs. Sloth. For reals.]

Anyways, there's another thing I never really understood about weddings.

 Image via MyGarter.com

I mean, what the hell y'all. It's an overpriced scrap of usually cheap, scratchy lace and a cheapo fake satin ribbon. Maybe there is a plastic charm strung on there. No one sees it, unless you choose to participate in the garter toss, where your partner reaches under your dress, in front of everyone you know and God, removes the overpriced lace and satin thing, and flings it to the unmarried men who are gathered in the room. No judgment.

I just don't get it. And, I never saw a garter where I thought "Oh my gawd, I just have to have that immediately!"

Until, I did. And then I realized that a garter is, in fact, jewelry for your leg. Which is, frankly, brilliant. Wanna see what made me change my mind?

 Serenity garter set from etsy shop woomi

 Beaded Bow 1 from etsy shop woomi

 Crystal Charm 1 by etsy shop woomi

 Crystal Charm 1 by etsy shop woomi

 Glitter series from etsy shop woomi

 Keyleigh from etsy shop woomi

 Golden Dew garter from etsy shop woomi

Madison garter from etsy shop woomi

These are just from one etsy shop...I'm scared to research more because I'm already overwhelmed with such lovely, unique choices! Now, I want an assortment of garters, so I can wear one anytime I'm getting dressed up! I have done a complete turnaround. I admit it, I was wrong!

I never liked the taste of crow, but baby, I ate it.*

 Image via Nashville Scene

Were you ever vehemently anti-something and then did a 180? I'll share my crow with you!

*Lyric from The Band Perry's song You Lie

Original Thoughts: Part One

I'm not sure I have any original thoughts!

When I first got engaged (almost a year ago now!), I immediately jumped to dress shopping. As I was trying on dresses, I knew for. a. FACT. that I definitely, absolutely, and totally wanted to wear a flower in my hair. How romantic! How pretty! How creative and unique!

Then, I began reading wedding blogs and learned that every bride in 2009, 2010, and 2011 has worn or plans to wear a flower in their hair. EVERY bride, you ask? Really?

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I realize this is only pictures of 3 brides, but a Google search for "bridal fascinators" (because, of course, a fascinator is a hair flower or other type of hair adornment) yields 67,500 results. A search for "hair flower" on weddingbee.com yields at least ten pages of results, likely even more. (I also learned that while every bride in the entire world, probably including this one, is wearing a hair fascinator, these brides are also going the extra mile and making them themselves. I might have to be "original" here and just buy the damn thing, just for uniqueness's sake!)

Suffice it to say, while I thought wearing a flower in my hair would be unique and awesome and special and romantical, turns out that bridal hair flowers, I mean, fascinators are as ubiquitous as Uggs and rain boots in a sorority house.

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(Side note: Are weather-specific boots a trend everywhere with sorority girls, or just in the South? Has the trend become more generalized to include most college girls? Maybe my little sis can weigh in on this timely and important topic!)

OK, so what? I mean, Uggs are fine and rain boots are fine. Cute and functional. So what if they are super trendy and everyone's doing it?

It's just a little disappointing that something that I thought was so ME turns out to also be sooooooooo everyone else too.

Unfortunately, this is only Part One of how creative I am not. Stay tuned for the next post, where I go on to tell you all the other ideas I have apparently stolen from brides who have gone before me!

Have you ever thought you were being creative and unique, only to discover that your "original thought" was totally commonplace in wedding land? Were you bummed out by this revelation, or did you decide that you were the original trend setter, and everyone else was just following your lead (which is, secretly, what I think every time this happens to me)?

And, are you wearing a hair flower? :-)

Mmmmmm Sparkly!

J. Crew Crystal Drops Necklace

Would this look pretty with my dress? You don't know, because you don't know what my dress looks like. But I think it might be a contender.
Mmmmmmmm sparkly.

Bridesmaid Style

Why is picking out the bridesmaids' dresses so freaking tough? Because it IS tough. Really, really hard. I've been searching online for months and nothing really reaches out and grabs me. I've looked at the Dessy Group, Alfredo Angelo, and David's Bridal. They are all fine, some are OK, but nothing is stellar to me.

Here are some of the confounding factors:

1. I've been a bridesmaid before, and know how it feels to shell out a lot of dough for that role. And particularly, for a dress that is just OK, or a dress that I feel like I could have found a very similar one for a lot less on my own. Or for a dress I will never wear again. Cause really, when will you wear it again?

You won't. It's [probably] statistically proven. source

2. My style is definitely not the same as my bridesmaids' styles. So I have to be careful to pick something they will all be comfortable in, and not something with ruffles and flowers just because I like them. Right?

3. I always thought I'd do the "just wear a black dress" thing...that the newly married MRS. Pumpkin did, and it looked lovely, see?

personal photo

But I'm getting married in the fall...and somehow black dresses feel wrong in our outdoor, colorful, autumn influenced wedding.

4. I want to pick something moderately priced. This seems to be more challenging now than in the good ol' days (I can say that because I am 30). I'm looking at you, J. Crew. Why are you jacking up your prices for*??? Have you not heard about the global economic crisis?!?

5. I have actually found some bridesmaid dresses I like. But they are, um, designer. Jim Hjelm, to be exact. Yes, I have a problem.

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Are these dresses really better than those other more affordable ones? I think so, but I am also swayed easily by my label whore tendency.

6. Last confounding factor, I promise. Cardigans! Oh how I love a cardigan. I was originally thinking about letting the brides pick their own style of aubergine colored dress, and I would gift them a cardigan (in either a contrasting solid print or a floral print). But then I stumbled on this image....

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Bridesmaids are wearing identical dresses and different colored cardigans! Freaking cute! I love the neutral dresses with the bright cardis! Swoon!

I think I'm just gonna keep waiting for some inspiration. I have awhile anyway until the wedding. But until inspiration finds me...

Do you have a preference over style versus price point? Where did you find your bridesmaids' dresses?

*For the grammar freaks out there, yes, I am aware that you are not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition like "for." But, it's my signature preposition at the end of a sentence for when I am especially frustrated. Thanks for giving me a pass.

I Don't Usually: Dress Mr. Polar Bear

Really! I'm not that girl (not that there is anything wrong with that). But apparently, I AM that fiancee. Or, I am that bridezilla, if you're feelin' nasty.

So, here's the sitch. Mr. Polar Bear dresses pretty well on his own. When I first met him (which no, I don't remember when I exactly met him, sheesh, it's just a figurative expression here OK?), he liked to rock some jeans, a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up...and a tie. On every day occasions. He looked cute and a little bit eccentric, and it's one of the reasons why I liked him.

Now he dresses pretty much the same, except no tie. He has to wear a suit to work, and in his free time he wears raggedy jeans that are too big, and button down shirts, and occasionally a funny t-shirt or a musically influenced t-shirt.

He looks kinda pissed here huh? He hates camping.

He knows I like him to wear a polo shirt, so he will wear one approximately six time a year.

Looking through my photos, I noticed he mostly wears the polo shirt
on special occasions, for instance, when I got my Master's degree in Social Work.

The times I have helped dress him have been for Halloween and costume parties. One year we went as Amy Winehouse and her boyfriend Blake (I still cannot believe he did this). One time I suggested he be Dumbledore, but he put the costume together himself. And then there was the 80s party....

Not sure why we look so angry here.

But the one time I really put the smack down on clothes was for the e-pics. As previously mentioned, his jeans are pretty raggedy...the hems are totally gone, and they are holey. So we went to Nordstroms (aka denim mecca). Luckily, they were having their big Men's Sale and some metrosexual salesman really helped us out big time. Mr. Polar Bear walked away with 3 pair of well fitting jeans...and a new, blue polo shirt! I think he's excited about the jeans, and mostly got the shirt to oblige me. Now he's all ready for our engagement shoot tomorrow!

Too bad I nixed my e-pic outfit and am making a last minute change! I'll let you know about that when I, um, figure out what I'm wearing!

Do you dress your significant other, and if so, how does he/she feel about it?