August 22, 2009
I’ve said it before, I’m against the maxi dress. But according to, uh, FINAL SALE [stamped on the receipt, thanks BCBG!], I’m stuck with this one. Nevertheless, I need to know which of the two above choices should be worn on a night out in Miami – clubbing optional – and if the maxi dress could be appropriate for the actual mid-afternoon wedding.
The orangey dress is very much like something Fiona would wear … so it feels like it’s right for Miami, but it was a bit pricey. And it has pockets!
Ehhh … I dunno. But what do I know? I’m no fashion maven and y’all already know that. Help?
July 1, 2009
As much a lightly-packing ninja I fancy myself, there are always some fantastic tips out in the blogworld that are worth repeating:
From the Unclutterer:
Plan your wardrobe around a limited color scheme and choose your neutral first. I typically choose EITHER black or brown, and then plan the rest of my clothing around two other colors such as blue and tan. This way I can mix, match, layer and create a bunch of different outfits without needing a ton of items.
Use your shoes as containers. I can get three pairs of socks and my sports bra into my sneakers! Mens’ dress shoes are roomy too, as are some ladies shoes. Plus when your shoes are stuffed it keeps them from getting crushed. Bonus!
From Ms. Minimalist herself, FB:
Pack properly
Put your liquids, gels and aerosols ALREADY stuffed into that tiny little plastic bag (you can reuse them, they don’t care how new they look), and put it in the FRONT sections of your carry-on so you can easily grab them out and throw them into the bin before going through.
I have this down to an art now.
I also put my laptop in a section where it’s easy to pull out and throw into the bin as well.
My main rules about packing are:
1. Bring only what you NEED. Only one “just-in-case” top is allowed, because I have been known to muss myself.
2. Bring only what you can carry. I’m pretty darned small, and can’t expect to be helped by strangers, so if I can’t bench it, I can’t bring it.
For this nine-day trip, I’m going with browns/blues: two day dresses, two skirts, five tops. Also, two black dresses in case we go out or I go dancin’, business suit, and pajamas. A towel is stuffed into my most lightweight purse that I’ll use during the day, and the pair get packed into the carry-on suitcase, while the laptop goes into the backpack.
Five tops seems excessive, but I’ve been told to pack for hot and humid. I’d like to be a fresh smelling tourist, and I’ve got room to spare. As for shoes, I’ve got sneakers, the new pair of brown walking flats [pleaseplease be kind to my feet in NYC!], and one pair of sandals to go with the business suit and evening dresses. It’s all pretty flexible, but not as minimalist as I would like.
Since my experience with packing tends to be business-oriented, we’ll see how my business +vacation packing skills hold up.
May 25, 2009
Drat.
This summer’s wardrobe allowance: one summer appropriate, semi-formal dress, one pair comfortable-for-walking flats, and one pair walking/running shoes.
I missed the New Balance sale on 6pm.com, but something else will come around soon enough. Endless.com’s shipping two pairs of flats, ETA: Monday. I love free shipping and returns; if I never have to go shoe shopping in a brick and mortar store again, I shall pen an ode to Endless.
The dress allotment, however, is totally covered. Was totally covered. After days of scouring the ‘nets, I found five promising designs on Etsy. Only two of the designers I convo’ed responded promptly, and of those two, one offered a more flexible design. The price was higher than I wanted, but not ridiculous considering the off-the-rack sales prices out there. Together, we drafted adjustments so that it will flatter my body, not just my type, and should fit 100%. Special trips to the fabric store were made, colors were considered, delectable details like “A-line,” “boatneck,” “silk georgette,” “timeless, classic shape” were bandied about.
The cost of buying custom, saving the price of a seamstress post-delivery, might actually beat the cost of finding a great designer dress on sale and having it tailored. It’s certainly saving time and effort trying to find that great designer dress now that the order’s been made, and sewing has commenced.
Sadly, oh-so-sadly, the anticipation for this lovely semi-formal frock has been derailed by the horrifying discovery that the event for which this garment was commissioned is Black Tie. Ugh!
I like being gussied up once in a while as much as the next girl, but with less than a month to go, oughtn’t the intrepid organizer have sent the invitations stating that sartorial splendor was expected? True, it was as much my fault as hers that I simply assumed semi-formal was the order of the day, but still. I’d venture that no one is going to be surprised and thrilled by the late revelation that tuxes and tails will be required.
Now that my new dress has been rendered redundant, but the money’s already spent, it’s back to the drawing board. Rather to the internet! What does black tie mean?
For men, indeed, tuxes or dinner jackets are expected. For women, “remember that black-tie means very formal.“
Some style recommendations:
Look for full-length skirts and dresses; lengths that hover around the knee are usually considered semiformal.
Consider the material and texture. Silk, satin, embroidery, beads, rhinestones, velvet and metallics are all well-suited for formal attire.
Remember that your dress options are unlimited. Consider spaghetti straps or a jewel-neck collar; a plunging back or a revealing front neckline; and side or back slits. Some events may call for more conservative attire, so consider this when making your selection.
Thus armed with information, I’ve dug back into the closet to pull out old bridesmaid dresses because I’m not spending any more money. I’ve narrowed it down to two: the already tailored, navy blue bridesmaid dress and the still-uncut, never been worn, silky peach dress. Seems like the latter would be more appropriate for a summer evening, but it would require yet another trip to the seamstress. Eh. What thinks ye?
December 3, 2008
Dr. Allison Cameron of House, M.D.! I didn’t get it quite right as it’s not a button down, but it’s a lovely, black, v-neck sweater vest that looks similar to the above vest for my professional wardrobe. Ahem, I have an announcement. Ladies and gents, H&M has opened at my local mall and this could be a disaster for my wallet.
Back to the sweater vest: this is one of the two items I knew were missing from my wardrobe since I am quite content with everything else I have. It’ll go with the short sleeve and long sleeve button down shirts I already own, and possibly a few regular short sleeve tees as well. I haven’t experimented with the pairings yet, but the possibilities are myriad.
The feeling of having just enough and not wanting is quite refreshing. Recent storage purges have revealed that I have just enough dresses, jeans, button down shirts, and sweatpants. (Not the trendy kind of sweatpants that can ostensibly be worn out’n’about but that is a good thing because I don’t need temptation to leave the house so casually attired. I believe the message there is: Gave up on life.)
The other item is a replacement winter dress. I have a classy black cowl-neck knit sweaterdress and for ages that was the go-to dress for any cold weather event. Dress, tights, and a coat were the perfect trio, and it was good for every occasion. Well, if I were to have “occasions,” a rarity, but you know what I mean. It was the when-in-doubt winter dress, and the sleeves are fraying. It’s actually hard to tell, but history shows that my clothing failures are such that there’s no gentle easing into retirement. Oh no, the item goes from “acceptable” to “whoa nelly!” in a single catastrophically poorly-timed movement. I’d like to have a back-up for the moment this dress unravels.
November 13, 2008
Because BF is sweet and loves a useful bargain, he gifted me with a lovely vanilla white fleecey jacket for no reason whatsoever. Because I’m me, I wore it to work today, and promptly got a smidgen of purple ink on it. I don’t normally even keep uncappable pens at my desk for fear of this of stupid problem, why would I do that on the first day I wear a brand new white jacket?? Honestly. At least it matches my shirt and socks?
Never mind. I should have these sorts of things memorized by now, (and should carry my Tide to go pen!) but since I don’t and didn’t bring the pen, this is courtesy of HowStuffWorks.com:
Remove Ink Stains From:
Acrylic Fabric, Cotton, Linen, Modacrylic,
Nylon, Olefin, Polyester, Spandex
Try a light spray of hair spray to loosen the laundry stains. Soak in a solution of 1 quart warm water, 1/2 teaspoon dishwashing detergent, and 1 tablespoon white vinegar for 30 minutes; use care when using vinegar on cotton and linen. Rinse with water and allow to dry. If Stain persists, apply rubbing alcohol to the stain and cover with an absorbent pad moistened with alcohol (use alcohol sparingly on acrylic and modacrylic). Let stand as long as any stain is being removed. Change pad as it picks up the stain. Keep both the stain and pad moist with alcohol. Flush with alcohol and allow to dry. If any trace of stain remains, soak in a solution of 1 quart warm water, 1/2 teaspoon dishwashing detergent, and 1 tablespoon ammonia for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water and allow to dry.
And I’m banishing the pen to the bottom of my desk drawer. Again. Let’s hope it stays there this time.
October 31, 2008
In a fit of craftiness, I amateurishly cut up my nerdy-as-all-get-out gamer X-men Legends sleep shirt and made it a strapless dress.
There was an in-between phase when it was a t-shirt dress and it was infinitely cuter, because I’d inadvertently sewn perfect armholes, but it was too short. In my brainstorm, it was meant to be strapless to make it long enough to be decent, but I liked the interim phase much better, had I been able to stretch the material lengthwise, somehow. Unfortunately, that middle phase photo is lost and gone forever (dreadful sorry, Clementine) because I’m daft and took the photo without a memory card.
Before:
After:
Note: In the making of this shirt, I’ve discovered that I’m a terrible tailor and depend entirely on luck. And, had it not been too short, it would have fit as a tshirt dress, so depending on luck isn’t actually a terrible plan (see: armholes). But it was too short. So never mind that.
October 10, 2008
The washing machine’s done gone and done it again.
This time, it’s not just dyed the straps of my tank top pink, despite the fact that nothing else in the same load has colorfastness issues, white or light. This time, it chewed up the straps of the tank top and ripped one of them apart.
I can’t tell if I should be grateful that white tank tops are cheap or cranky that, because they’re cheaply made, I have to spend money on more tank tops. I think it’s the latter, and then it’ll be the former once I get into the stores. I’m not even sure if they really are all that cheap anymore, it’s been a while since I’ve been in the market for tank tops.
The last time I bought some were from Forever 21, and they were really nice and soft, and only about $8? $6? Or I can get two for $15 from Aeropostale. I think I still have a free shipping code somewhere around here ….
Updated: I just stopped in at Aeropostale and bought two white tanks for $16.50 last night. We were shopping for a newly (ish) pregnant friend and we managed to get in and out of two stores, with everything we wanted in under 15 minutes. Ninja shoppers!
