One Day Older

I'm sure I've said this before: Fall is my favorite season of all. I get to step outside my home without fear of being reduced to a sweaty, wilting mess. My favorite stores somehow save the best of their creative juices for their respective fall turnouts. Holiday season is around the corner and anticipation is the best part of living. More than anything else, though, the thing I love most about fall is the small sensory pleasures that I get to enjoy unexpectedly, and usually keep to myself.

 

Humble travels are one of those things  whose immense positive impact on one's well-being become apparent only in retrospect. Here are a few quick snapshots that detail my time in Chicago, a city that will forever hold a fond spot in my heart:view more

 

      

A lot has happened in our little style A-Line Prom Dresses blogging community over the last couple of days. It has come as quite a blow to many that something so significant and horrifying could have gone on unreported for so long. Ever since this situation first started to unravel, I have been thinking about what, if anything, to say about it all. Torn between indignation, embarrassment and sympathy, I finally came to the conclusion that I would bare my soul and just say everything there is to be said, start to finish.

My hope is that this post will:

(a) allow me to finally purge my own thoughts and lighten my emotional load,

(b) answer many of the questions posed by readers and members of the blogosphere, and

(c) begin to set a foundation for rebuilding some of the trust that has understandably been lost from this formerly trusting community of women.

Although summer is technically my favorite season, fall is undoubtedly the most anticipated by my closet. I'd even go so far as to say fall is what Anthropologie does best. Maintaining a degree of whimsy and femininity through the bulky layers of cold-weather apparel is quite a feat in and of itself. This fall, Anthro seems to be gearing up to make some changes to my usual dress-cardi-coat routine, which I really appreciate. Among others, there are two trends that the brand seems to be espousing this fall that really caught my eye. One is a tendency towards prim, vintage shapes, à la tie-neck secretary blouses. The other is a play on lengths, as evidenced by hemlines that are longer or shorter than the standard fare.

The thing I'm looking forward to most this fall, is something I generally avoid: sweaters. A welcome change from the dozens of cardigans I usually turn to in the colder months.view more

Once upon a time, I was an anemic little seven-year-old, and the doctor ordered a daily spoonful of iron tonic to help matters along. As the universe, in its infinite wisdom and its cruel sense of humor would have it, the tonic stained my teeth an unsightly, splotchy brown, which reduced me from a giggly little kid to a self-conscious, giggly little kid who spoke, smiled and laughed with her hand covering her mouth. A few years later, the splotches were gone, but the self-doubt remained. Cut to 2010: like many brides-to-be, I wanted to flash a dazzling smile for the camera, and dove head-first into an out-patient whitening regimen that left me underwhelmed, and with a much lighter wallet (seriously, I could have had hired a videographer for what I paid that dentist.)view more

    

One Shoulder Beaded Slit Side Chiffon Prom Dress

Silhouette: A-line 

Neckline: One Shoulder 

Waist: Empire 

Hemline/Train: Floor-length 

Sleeve Length: Sleeveless 

Embellishments: Ruching, Slit Front 

Fabric: Chiffon 

Built-In Bra: Yes 

Fully Lined: Yes 

Shown Color: Royal Blue, Grape 

Body Shape: Apple, Hourglass, Inverted Triangle 

Occasion: Prom, Evening 

Season: Spring, Fall, Winter, Summer

 

Of Rainbows, Butterflies And Other Innocent Hobbies

Anthropologie Native Birds Dress

Anthropologie Climate Control Cardigan (similar here)

Seychelles Box Step Pump (similar here)

Dooney & Bourke Ostrich Purse (similar here and high-end here)

Life has gotten impossibly busy all of a sudden. But here I am, popping in to say a quick hello, and to share a recent outfit. I haven't forgotten you, I promise!

A long time ago, when I was a toddler, before I had a little brother to keep me company, my parents instilled in me the idea that one must be self-sufficient in terms of entertainment. Look inward. The walls of our home would always be lined with what seemed like endless shelves of books and, I am told, even before I could actually read, I would pull them all out and sit on the floor, surrounded by them, attempting (pretending) to read. Fortunately, I didn't have to pretend for very long. As a child, I read voraciously.

    

As a young adult, I lost my way for a while, as I stumbled through the prospect of finding my place among my peers. I once went almost six months without reading a book that wasn't related to schoolwork. Now, as I grow older, I frequently find myself recoiling from the world around me in terror and confusion. Thank goodness for old lessons well-learned.view more

     

I've been known to have a weakness for novelty prints: frogs, bees, hot air balloons....you know. Postage prints, however, evoke an especially pointed nostalgia in me. With a hot summer fast-approaching, my thoughts turn to my Didi, my beloved grandmother. She was the last of the people in my life with whom I would maintain regular, old-fashioned Simple Prom Dresses correspondence via fortnightly letters. Incidentally, she was also the one I spent every one of my summers with until I turned twenty, and then a few. We walked barefoot in the dewy grass and stole lemons and gardenias from the park. We are now estranged.view more

    

This dress has come to be somewhat of a uniform for me this spring. It was the very first thing I bought myself after a months-long shopping hiatus. It was more or less instrumental in dragging me out of my sartorial rut, and out of my winter-hobo-chic phase (a period left undocumented for the sake of my beloved readers.) Speaking of which, I realize I haven't quite swung back into the thick of things when it comes to the blog (yet), but I wanted to say a quick thank you to those of you who are still tuning in. 

I plan on explaining everything once I find my voice again.view more

    

Anthropologie Tied Spicifera Dress

J.Crew Cardigan

Seychelles Box Step Pump

Rufus the pug

   

It's simpler in the Midwest.
 
 
PS: Thank you for patiently sticking around while I ease my way back into this. 

This morning, I read a post by Jewish Girl, that talked about how small, seemingly petty workplace perks add up to a sense of greater job satisfaction than something more significant like, say, less grueling hours. This got me thinking about how often in life my own choices are based on my preference for little pleasures over "the big stuff." Of course, this doesn't (and probably shouldn't) hold true for every important life decision. For instance, I never would have married someone I didn't think was mentally stimulating and likely to be a good father, based solely on the fact that he had a nice smile. view more

  

Some people collect stamps. Some geek out over Warcraft. And then there are those who....well....see for yourself:view more

  

A-line Sweetheart One Shoulder Beaded Ruched Prom Dress

A-line sweetheart one shoulder beaded ruched prom dress is gorgeous chiffon gown! This elegant one-shoulder is

stunning with silver stones and a pleated open back. The open back reveals a pleated elastic shoulder strap, while a

zipper and back waist ties adjust the fit to your body.

Fabric: Chiffon

Style: A-line style, one shoulder, high waist, ruched bodice, beaded embellishment, cut out back, floor length

Washing: Hand wash/dry clean separately, hang dry, iron at low temperature, no chlorine bleaching, less than 10 minutes soak time.

What We're Wearing: Look Inside The Work Wardrobes Of The Grazia Fashion Team

For last week's issue of Grazia, I wrote a piece about my recent experience of miscarriage, the taboos that surround the subject, and the need to break them. I'll admit it: I'd been terrified about it coming out. Questions kept circling in my head like tornados. Was it too much to put myself out there? Would people think me egotistical to bang on about my loss? Worse still, would this piece make me look vulnerable? I knew the answers to all of these questions should obviously be no. But my fears reveal the taboos about miscarriage that still linger.Satin Prom Dresses

The responses I've had to my piece have been overwhelming, though. Some people have taken time to share their own stories, which has been great. Other people have thanked me for being brave. That reaction is sweet, but I don't really want to feel brave. I want all women to feel like they can talk about things that have happened to them, without feeling they're doing something bold, edgy or dangerous. If my piece had any driving purpose behind it, I suppose, it was this: I want it to be normal to talk about normal things.view more

The Chanel ambassadress is the star of the brand’s ‘Where Beauty Begins’ advertising campaign and the accompanying videos sees her trilling - in French no less - about the joys of being Karl's latest muse. Having long represented that Chanelegance, DK admits that the ‘elegance and subtlety of Chanel and the Chanel woman’ have always inspired her. And on the subject of beauty, the German actress believes that it ‘is something that you earn. It’s a question of curiosity, culture, a certain strength of character.’ The Resynchronizing Collection, which features the Le Jour de Chanel, La Nuit de Chanel and Le Weekend de Chanel creams, is described by Diane as ‘a new skincare approach’, ‘very scientific’ but ‘adapted to women today’.view more

So let's start with Cara. The model's Glasto style run Prom Dresses with sleeves began with a kooky Instagram snap (obvs) that showed her wearing a monkey mask with googles [below]. Sliiightly creepy, no? She blinged up the look with a glittering multi-coloured cape thrown over a Security T-shirt. Ha! The only way we knew it was CD? That lion tattoo on her finger. A crafty disguise, we're sure you'll agree.

But Cara soon ditched the costume approach and was spotted stomping around in a purple-y jacket worn with her favourite pair of black Hudson Jeans and lace-up biker boots. The jacket comes courtesy of Irish designer Helen Steele and features a jelly tot and 'Uled' print perfect for adding a twist to the standard festie wardrobe. view more

Silhouette: Column 

Neckline: Spaghetti 

Waist: Empire 

Hemline/Train: Short 

Sleeve Length: Sleeveless 

Embellishments: Beading, Pleats 

Fabric: Chiffon 

Built-In Bra: Yes 

Fully Lined: Yes 

Shown Color: Yellow 

Body Shape: Hourglass, Inverted Triangle, Misses 

Occasion: Cocktail, Prom, Homecoming 

Season: Spring, Fall, Winter, Summer,view more