Wine country

Aaaa, Napa! Can we just move there now? What a country! (and I call it that because obviously it’s wine country!) Why wouldn’t I want to move to a city where it’s acceptable to begin drinking wine at 10 am, and the weather is like fall in Louisiana all year round? It’s sunny, hardly ever rains, and the landscaping is beautiful. I can’t get over how beautiful the landscaping is. Does everything bloom out here? The weather is also extremely conducive to great fashion. There are days in New Orleans when I simply can’t wear what I want to wear because it’s too hot. I am a slave to the heat, but I digress. I picked out specific outfits for this honeymoon escapade, and I must brag… they were adorable! Straw hats (which I wore almost every day) White pants, and yes, I said pants! I even got to wear a sweater and some slippers! (but that was in the bedroom, so I’ll spare you those details)  I think that just feeling comfortable in articles of clothing I would not ordinarily wear was the most fashion-satisfying part of the trip. I love Nautical-themed clothing, and to my devoted readers, you’ll remember that I wrote a blog about it many blogs back. I don’t get to wear nautical clothing down here in the Big Easy. If you are on the water, it is Cajun-themed. “Cutsie” is not for this gulf area. There are many things I love about this city and would never change; however there is a handful of things I would change, and one of them would be the “beach attire.” I loved being out there in my stray hat and crocheted top, because it made me feel good. I wore what I wanted, and I enjoyed every second of it, because that’s what good clothes can do to a woman. Run on fashion friends!

Wedding Bells are Ringing!

Ok, so I’m back! New name, new home, and new blogging subjects! Boy do I have a lot to tell you! We will start with July 14, 2011. This night was my rehearsal dinner. It went seamlessly. The food was incredible, the drinks were flowing, and the company was incredible. My outfit: a BCBG Maxazria adorable candlelight lace dress with ruffles at the waist and bottom. This dress was the absolute perfect pick for my rehearsal dinner. As the bride, I searched high and low for the perfect dress to wear at my rehearsal dinner; I think that it was more difficult to find this dress than it was to find my wedding dress, but I will get to that later! I even planned on making my own rehearsal dinner dress, but with the planning I had to do, and the deadline steadily approaching for me to complete my Personal Training Exam, I had no time; so here we are, my mom and me, frantically looking for the perfect dress to impress people and blow them away even more than I did at my engagement party in April. Searching corner to corner at Sacks Fifth Avenue in New Orleans, My mom and I spotted the dress at the same time. Walking toward the dressing room, we had our expectations, but the dress went above and beyond. It’s funny how an item of clothing can make one feel on top of the world and so satisfied when she finds it. A simple and understated off-white dress was the perfect garment to wear at the dinner. Fast forward one day to July 15, 2011, and now I am as calm as a cucumber, getting my hair done and drinking Champagne punch with my incredible bridesmaids. I cannot wait to put on my gown. It is a…wait for it… Vera Wang candlelight gown with tulle overlay and incredible imbellishments at the bust. This dress, just like my new husband, was the very first dress I spotted and, I immediately fell in love with it. Now any girl who has been dress shopping with her mother knows that her mom can be skeptical to commit to the first dress, and this is understandable. “We have to see what else is out there.” Since she is footing the bill, I reluctantly agree, and we leave Mimi’s without a dress. Off to Mississippi with my mother-in-law to be and my mother, and we visit 3 shops there; nothing can hold a candle to Vera. I find myself dreaming about walking down the ailse in it, and I even compare every dress I try on to it. Back in New Orleans, my mother thinks it’s a good idea to try Pearl’s Place… don’t EVER go here. They have a huge selection, but you will feel as if you need three showers after you leave, and the service is awful. My mom knows how badly I want Vera, so without trying on a single dress in Pearl’s Place, we leave, and she gives me the second best gift I could ask for for my wedding (the first was throwing the party, and let me tell you… It was a BLAST).As for my veil, I already knew what to do. I knew that the dress was much too magnificent to distract it with a veil, so I would make my own birdcage. A simple, flirty, and effortless piece that complemented my dress perfectly was the perfect thing I could have added to the gown. Not once did I ever think I made a wrong decision by choosing this dress, and not once did I think I needed to see more gowns. Ladies, treat your gowns like your men, once you find the right one, stop looking, because you could drive yourself crazy with all of the options out there. Yes, there are many gorgeous gowns, and you would look good in more than one of them, but you must embrace your decision and enjoy the big day, because it goes by way too quickly! Below are some pictures of all of my outfits I wore for all of my events. Enjoy! And run on fashion friends, run on!

                                                               Engagement Party April 1, 2010

                  

                                                                      Shower #1 April 10, 2011

                                                        Shower #2: Mad Matter May 14, 2011

                                                            Shower #3 Stock the Bar Party

                                                                          Bachelorette Party July 8, 2011

                                                                       Rehearsal Dinner July 14, 2011 

                                     

The Skinny on Pants

Be sophisticated, be edgy, or be classic all with one pair of pants. The skinny pant can be worn so many ways, and give people so many different looks, that this look is really for anyone. You can pair the pants with a fur vest and sheer top for a sophisticated look that you could wear on a date with your absolutely perfect new man. (Just be sure that he takes you to a place where your fur vest won’t be jacked!:) The oversized top half gives the outfit a great balanced compared to the skinny, fitted bottom half. You can also pair the pants with oversized cowlneck top and leather heels for an edgy, rocker look. This look can say, “Hey, I’m a rocker chick with a tough attitude and a hell of a fashion since; mess with me and find out exactly how fitted these pants are!”  Finally you can pair these pants with a white t-shirt and a sassy blazer for a classic look. This look is so simple and looks so put together (of course, we already know that I love the blazer from my boyfriend blog). It is so easy to wear these skinny pants in so many different ways, that you should invest in a few good pairs of these so that you can wear them every fall/winter day! Run toward them, run in them, just get some of these fashion friends!

NOLA

Here is an article to my extremely rare male readers. Since I am going to begin living in New Orleans in a week and a half (after I get married on Friday… Which I will begin blogging about soon enough, don’t worry!), I am going to let you in on my favorite southern-themed ties: NOLA Couture. These ties are adorable, yet chic, beautiful, and fun! I have already forced one upon my Fiancé, and begged him to get each of his groomsmen one. I think these ties are the most influential statement a southern man can make when he has to dress for an event (like a wedding). There are an inordinate amount of NOLA themes in these ties: street cars, hurricanes, pelicans (my favorite), crabs, beers, and so many more. These ties are a statement piece that every man should have, and to my female readers, get your significant others these ties! They are the best. If you don’t live in New Orleans, go to http://www.nolacouture.com/ and order him one, two, 60, whatever, just run towards these ties friends!

Fall is in the air

As Fall steadily approaches, my next few blogs will be following the major designers runway shows and what I think about their collections. Today, I am going to talk about Michael Kors Fall 2011 collection. I like it, but I don't love it. It's a little plain. The monochromatic color scheme is simple and elegant, and it works for the runway, but let’s be honest, when you watch a runway show you are watching the models, looking at the clothes, and studying the garments. You are there to look at the clothes, so that is all you do. However, if you take one of these garments and wear it to a cocktail party, no one will notice you one way or another. Now, this could be a plus if you like to be a wall flower and don't want people looking at you in discussed and running in the other direction just to avoid being seen with you, but where is the fun in that :)? I am a really big fan of Mr. Kors' big, fluffy brightly colored fur jackets that are really impractical, but oh-so-fun; however, I didn't see any this collection. He has black, beige, brown, and mauve colors in this collection, and my favorites are the sparkle pieces. I think even in a monochromatic ensemble, these dresses can make a fashion statement. So to sum it up, this show didn't stun me, but it didn't horrify me either, so I think that it could be a good option for just about everyone, fashion-daring or not. Run towards Michael always fashion friends!

Oh-Bam-PAlease!

Is anyone else as over Michelle Obama as I am? Now this is not a political blog, and I will not get into any politics whatsoever. I will not even tell you if I like or dislike the president, I could think that he is doing a great job running this country and I hope to see him back for a second term, or I could think that he is doing the worst job in presidential history since Nixon, but it really does not matter. The truth is, if I see another "news" story on how Michelle is wearing a "$29 dress from the Gap," I am going to vomit. I mean, considering the pickle this country is in financially, she should be wearing $2 dresses! I am a firm believer in not looking at price tags, ok, that's not entirely true, I would never buy something I couldn't afford, but if a dress is chic and cute and only costs $6... WHO CARES! Can we not put so much emphasis on how much a piece of clothing costs? I mean, these "reporters" may think that we, as the public, are going to get excited because "us commoners" can afford to wear the same outfit, but it does not matter. Designers will always make a cheap version of the outfit anyway. I personally think that we should want to dress like our mothers, our best friends, or our sisters, because it is what that person represents. I mean... what do we really know about Michelle anyway? Run on fashion friends.

In the eye of the beholder

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This statement is partially true; beauty is in the eye of the beholder’s country. If you think about it, beauty standards are different from country to country, and I mean they can be significantly different. In my personal opinion, beauty is whatever is rare. Just think about a diamond; jewelers can get away with selling these rocks for thousands and even millions of dollars. Both women and men think diamonds are “beautiful” and why… because diamonds are rare. At a more realistic glance, you may realize that all diamonds really are are pressurized pieces of coal, and no one would ever go around wearing a black chalky piece of coal on her finger.

In America, slender, skinny women are considered beautiful because food is so present. The fact that a woman is thin means she has restraint. In Africa, food is more scarce, so larger, even fat women are considered beautiful. Women in Africa will even go so far as to drink whole milk every few hours and eat extremely fattening foods and stay in their cottages so as to not burn off any extra calories weeks before their wedding so as to “fatten up” for their betrothed. As these women are stuffing their faces in Africa, women in America are starving themselves so they will be slender and look “beautiful” in their wedding dresses and wedding pictures. (And I should know because I am getting married in a month!) Women in Asia are constantly bleaching their skin so that it looks lighter. They are staying out of the sun as much as possible because the sun is so heavy and abundant there that lighter women are rare. In Europe, lighter women and men are considered beautiful because it means that they have a lavish night social life, while darker skinned people are considered day laborers, and therefore, they are considered poor. Beauty is all about rarity and individuality. It changes from country to country, and it changes drastically. If a skinny white girl showed up in Africa, the men would be repulsed. The bright side is, if you don’t fit the “ideal” for beauty wherever you are, you can take comfort in knowing that somewhere else in the world, you are considered ravishing! Run on fashion friends, we are all beautiful.