Daylight Savings Time in the fall is always a delightful extra hour of sleep that is followed by earlier, darker evenings (which I really don’t like) so it’s hard for me to enjoy it as much as some people probably do. It’s a definite sign that fall is nearing its end and winter is quickly approaching. Although I really hate being cold, I cannot wait for snowboarding in the mountains, hot chocolate and bread bowls of chili to keep me warm :).
This outfit is a new personal favorite of mine! I think it’s such an unsuspecting combination that really came together perfectly and I really didn’t even mean for it to happen. Here’s what I mean…
What appears as a grey blouse is actually a grey shift dress from Urban Outfitters. The texture is unbelievable.. it has a buttery/suedey/silky feel to it that I have yet to find on any other garment. A shift dress is defined as ‘a straight dress with no waist shaping or seam’. I actually don’t own a ton of shift dresses because without a shape I feel that petites can often get lost in a shift dress. I think that depending on the fabric, dress and body type these can work for or against you. Remember how I discovered the fabulous vintage store Ragg Mopp in Los Angeles? Well, I told you I made friends with Vince the guy who buys for the store and on our way out he mentioned that he had just picked up tons of pieces from a really petite woman who had some really great dresses and stuff. He pulled the bag out and was showing me a few different things but the one piece that really caught my eye for some reason was this little black petticoat. I think it struck me partially because I’ve been secretly looking for a black tutu-like skirt for a fun party occasion and haven’t found anything and partially because I am a sucker for old fashioned things and using them in a modern setting. He totally threw the petticoat in for free with our purchases and off we went. I didn’t really know what I was going to do with it, so I brought it home and tried it on, which much to my surprise it actually fit since I’m pretty sure it was a child’s petticoat. So I am staring at my grey shift dress (which by the way has black lace trim at the bottom) and thought, what if I wore the petticoat on top of the dress so that the bottom layer of lace was the bottom layer of the petticoat and the grey color came through making this skirt actually wearable? Well, as you can see, it turned out to be quite a spectacular idea! I wore this outfit to my sister’s wedding shower with these amazing BCBG Max Azria booties I picked up at Neiman Marcus Last Call that have a mod/funky angular heel and are the only pointy toed shoes I actually like right now. (Much to my dismay I think the pointy toe is making a comeback this Spring and I’m not too excited about it… we’ll see if there are any surprisers that turn my tastes like the Clog did). I also did something a little different with my hair – I teased the crown some and then did a side plait which mainly happened because I didn’t like the way my hair looked down and I was running out of time. I’m also newly obsessed with this black clutch I got at the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale. It’s the perfect black clutch I have been looking for – it’s edgy but dressy and is spacious as well. The only downside is that it’s a little on the heavy side, but other than that I’m in love. We had a fabulous time at the shower and I’m so excited that my sister will be married this time next month!
The shower was put on by our family friends who we have grown up spending all of our holidays with. We’ve had tons of amazing memories with our “extended family” and it definitely took me back being home and seeing everyone again. It reminds me of Christmas group vacations, piano lessons that we were all forced to take, the excitement of holiday meals because of the infamous dishes our moms make, and the remembrance that family is not only about blood but about the people who are there for you when you need them the most.
