Almost Like Stealing

The other day while shopping at Buffalo Exchange I found this United Bamboo dress.

UBD 4

UBD 3

 Though I have sworn off buying black clothing I just had to buy it. It fits impeccably! It is also wool which obviously wont be good for summer haha. It has this beautiful pleating at the waist and an almost corseted top both of which enhance the fit quite well. The straps also come off if you want to make it strapless. For those that don’t know, United Bamboo is a designer label. They show at New York Fashion Week. They are not super expensive but I would not be able to afford it if I hadn’t found it at Buffalo! What I cannot understand is why it was only $25 when it originally sold for around $400. Buffalo Exchange is usually pretty good about pricing things properly but someone definitely slipped up on this one. Also, because they only give you half of what they will sell it for the poor person who sold it to them only got $12.50 in store credit or less in cash. I have some bad experiences selling clothes to Buffalo Exchange but they do have some cute stuff there so I have no problem shopping there. However, I do believe there are much better buy/sell/trade stores out there. I seriously feel like I am stealing this dress for $25 though!

Below are pictures of it on the runway in the United Bamboo Fall 2005 show. It’s hard to see all the detailing on this dress in pictures but it really is a good looking dress.

United Bamboo Dress 1

United Bamboo Dress 2

I like how they styled it over shirts. That gives me a good idea of it’s versatility so that it doesn’t have to just be a knock out cocktail dress. It hits me just above the knee but I may end up shortening it a little but leaving the option to lengthen it again, I’m not sure yet. Either way I feel like this dress is an investment piece that I will have for a long time but didn’t have to invest a lot for! I am very excited to begin thrifting heavily again once I move. I am also toying with the idea of opening up an Etsy shop to sell things!

Runway pictures from Style.com

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Running Errands

I apologize again for my lack of posts recently. In one week I am going on a trip and directly after that I am moving to a different state so I have been very busy! Today I was running a lot of errands and packing boxes so I dressed casually. Sometimes I think it is nice to see how people dress to do mundane things while still looking good so I wanted to feature a running errands outfit. After not taking outfit pictures for a little while I swear my photography skills (or lack there of) have gotten worse! I am working on it though haha.

errands1

errands2

In motion (for fun)

In motion (for fun)

This outfit is pretty self explanatory. It is composed of basic items that I wear a lot and that are really comfortable. I love stripes and nautical things and this tunic has cute little anchor buttons on the sleeves. These leather paneled leggings were shown previously in this post and I have shown the boots several times. I had actually packed these fringe boots away in a box with my other winter items but I started to have serious separation anxiety from them. Plus, it’s still kind of cold and rainy here so I can wear them for a week. I think I might have to keep them with me even though I will never have any use for them during a hot Midwestern summer! Do other people form strange attachments to articles of clothing? I might have a problem here haha.

Also, these shoes came in the mail today!!! I have been waiting for them forever.

I love this color!

I love this color!

errands5

I have wanted these Seychelles heels since last year. They came out last summer (I think) but I couldn’t afford them. Then they went on sale and I STILL couldn’t afford them. Finally, they seemed to be sold out everywhere. Until, I saw them months later on the DSW website. I swear this is the last place on earth to have them in this color so I figured it was meant to be and now they are mine! As I have confessed before I have a slight shoe addiction so I get really excited about shoes (and probably bore people by talking about them). Below is my cat checking out my new shoes…she either likes them or she thinks I’m crazy (probably the later).

 

Included for cuteness

Included for cuteness

~ Top/Tunic: Urban Outfitters
~ Leggings: Urban 1972
~ Sweater: Ann Taylor (thrifted)
~ Boots: Chinese Laundry
~ Turquoise Heels: Seychelles

 

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The Virgin Suicides

I will start off by saying that I love The Virgin Suicides (1999). It seems like most people like Lost in Translation more in terms of Sofia Coppola movies but this is my favorite. I love the 70’s setting, the washed out green tint of everything, and of course the 70’s summery fashions. I have meant to use this movie as summer wardrobe inspiration for many years but have failed each time. This year will be different! Below are my favorite looks from the movie and I also included a couple of shots of the Lisbon house because I love the way it is decorated.

This is such a pretty shot of the girls room

This is such a pretty shot of the girls room

70's knit dresses and lace

70’s knit dresses and lace

Continue reading

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2011 Met Costume Institute Gala

Tonight was the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Benefit Gala (whew that’s a mouthful!). This event is one of the biggest nights in fashion and it is co-chaired by Anna Wintour. It is an opportunity for people in the fashion industry to get really dressed up in way out there gowns. Unlike a mainstream red carpet event, like the Academy Awards, the object here is to go as crazy as possible while still looking good. Every year a theme is picked and then usually each designer chooses a model/celebrity/actress to be their muse and wear their designs to the gala. This year the theme was “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” in honor of the late designer. I had a hard time picking out favorite photos this year because many of the ladies went over the top but unfortunately a lot of them did not look great doing it. A lot of the dresses I picked were on the simpler side because I just think they looked and fit better than most of the crazy ones. I’m not sure that many people really embodied the “Savage Beauty” theme anyway. I picked these based on the clothes alone not because I like these particular actresses/models. Here are my favorites:

Amy Adams in L'Wren Scott

Amy Adams in L’Wren Scott

Amy Adams looks great, I love the braid in her hair and it is so unusual to see a pattern on an evening dress so I like that this beading and color is unexpected.

Ashley Greene in Donna Karan

Ashley Greene in Donna Karan

This is just a beautiful dress. It is a very safe choice but I can’t help but love the ballerina tulle and silver embellishments. It also fits her so well and she looks beautiful. Continue reading

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I Made This!

I saw a “skeleton back” t-shirt being sold online awhile ago and thought I could make that pretty easily. I decided to test it out on a cheap shirt that I don’t wear much. So I cut slits all the way down the back on each side so it looks kind of like a rib cage. It turned out pretty much exactly like the one I saw online but I’m not sure I love it. I think I will do the same thing on a different shirt but only slit the top half of the back so it is not quite so extreme. I love the open back look but this is a little too extreme for my every day wardrobe. This version may end up being relegated to work out wear. So, I tucked it in to a high-waisted skirt to tone it down a bit and voila it looks a little more presentable. skeleton1 Continue reading

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