Beige for ME!

Ok, I had planned on putting together a cute outfit and going outside when the sun was starting to set and the light would be just right for a fabulous shot of my new beige creation. But, I got busy at work and it just didn't happen. If you follow me on twitter, you know the dress has been finished since this morning and you may feel as though I've taunted you with my "tweets" but it really wasn't intentional. Anyway, since I knew I couldn't completely abandon the photo shoot, I did my best, but I'm warning you- the lighting is bad, my make-up is all worn off so I'm all shiny and red in the face and I didn't really have time to make a fabulous outfit with the dress, not to mention the fact that the skirt portion of the dress got totally wrinkled on the way home. So, now that your expectations are sufficiently low, here it is:

So there it is: proof that I can make a neutral dress and not be completely distracted by all the bright florals and fun prints available all around me in the fabric store. The funniest thing about this dress is that when the sales lady was cutting the fabric for me, she exclaimed, "Wow! What a boooooring color fabric!" I cracked up because if she only knew what type of fabric I normally use, she would be even more horrified. She even said that she was surprised I was using this fabric for a part of the garment that would be seen! She thought I would use it as a lining or something! How hilarious is that?

Anyway, enough about the lady at the fabric store, now for a little about the dress. I of course stuck with my typical full skirt silhouette because if it ain't broke, right? This time I used wide box pleats on the skirt and yes, I put in pockets again. I also knew when I started it that I wanted to change the neckline up from my typical scoop and I wanted to make a nice, defined waistband. I opted for the deep "V" so that I could switch out any color cami that I like. I wore a beige cami for the picture because this is really all about the beige today! This particular neckline would be obscene without a cami, although someone with smaller ta-tas wouldn't have that particular issue. I am not that someone, hence the large collection of camis in my closet.

To create the cinched waist, I just used a sash at the waist, but I decided to make it a little more structured and detailed with some pin-tucking:

This is a good shot of the fabric, too- I selected it for its texture. You have to get pretty close to see it, but there's a tone-on-tone plaid texture to the fabric. I also picked it for its color- it's almost taupe which is not a color I'm typically drawn to, but it really worked against my skin tone so I went for it.

I finished off the outfit with my leopard print heels and a new necklace that I got a vintage shop downtown a while back. I've been waiting for the right outfit to wear with it:

I love it- it's so unique and funky, don't you think? I couldn't resist when I saw it. Anyway, it adds a subtle pop of color to the outfit and I think it balances well with the leopard print heels. Not bad for a thrown-together outfit at the last minute under terrible lighting with no make-up and a wrinkled dress. I'm just sayin'.