Rate My Look- 2nd time today!

Good afternoon everybody! Bonus post today- ANOTHER "Rate My Look" for your reading pleasure. Today it was a little chilly when I left for work, so I decided on wearing a coat and since it was another spectacularly sunny morning, I thought I'd do another photo session outside. The pictures look a little crooked because my camera was on my car (still doing the self-timer portrait) and it wasn't a completely flat surface. Despite that, I think the pictures came out fine. I'm starting to get a little bit better at editing the photos. I always crop them down, but yesterday and today I actually adjusted the scene balance to reduce the glare from the warm morning sun and was amazed at how easy it is to do. Honestly, I've deleted many a photo because of the exposure, but now I realize there's hope even for such a terrible self-photographer like myself! Anyway, on to the outfit:

Despite being a little large all around (and especially in the shoulders), I really love this coat. I believe I bought it at Burlington Coat Factory which in my family is affectionately referred to as "the BCF" years ago for around $50. I'm guessing at the price, but knowing when I bought it and what I could afford at the time, I'm pretty sure that even $50 was a splurge. I would normally dress up a coat like this with a brooch or scarf or something to add a little punch to the outfit." Too bad I was a bit behind schedule this morning and didn't have time! But to be perfectly honest, I think that sometimes simple is best and if the garment is well made and well tailored, it doesn't need a lot of bells & whistles for it to be perfectly fabulous. And there's something about pure winter white coat that just seems a little rich all on its own, don't you think? Moving on... Under the coat is this outfit:

Pants: TJ Maxx, $19.99

Top: JC Penney, too long ago to remember the price, but I'm thinking somewhere in the $10 range

Shoes: BCF, $19.99

Faux Pearls: Rue 21, $8 total

Sunglasses: Michael Kors, gift

I love a nice wide-leg trouser, but these are especially comfortable- the fabric is so soft and fluid- it's almost like wearing pajamas. Almost. The sailor buttons are fun, too, although it basically means that I almost never wear a top that doesn't get tucked in because what's the point of cool sailor pants if no one can tell that they're cool sailor pants, right? The top was purchased years ago at JC Penney when I still lived in New Hampshire. I rediscovered it this year and I fell in love all over again. I feel incredibly feminine in it, and that femininity is only increased with the addition of all those strands of faux pearls. Statement necklaces are all over the place, as are multi-strand beaded necklaces and I'm loving the trend. Ann Taylor and the sister store Ann Taylor Loft both have lots of really fun necklaces available right now. Unfortunately, most of their jewelry is running in the $35-$80 range. My faux pearls were only $2/strand at Rue 21- I'm wearing 4 total, but they vary in size, so I think it works pretty well. If you have the eighty bucks to drop on a trendy necklace, may I recommend this one from Ann Taylor:

I'm in love with the steel blue color, but it would actually have to be a little longer of a necklace for me to wear it. I'm "short-necked" as they call it, so a large necklace that isn't very drapey just makes me look like I'm being choked. It's not pretty. Trust me. Here's a closer look at my faux-cessories:

I had to take the last picture quickly because I was starting to freeze. It's getting colder and colder each day and I really wish it wouldn't. I'm not looking forward to shoveling snow. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it's another light winter here in South Central PA.

Have a great day!

Rate My Look

Yesterday was such a spectacularly beautiful fall day- the sun was warm, but the air was crisp and cool. It was the kind of day you want to spend hiking or playing outside with your dog (if you have a dog). If you're like me, you had to work. I spent most of the day catching up on paperwork, which is always my least favorite aspect of my job. The department is always a disaster right after we open a show- fabric covers the cutting table, thread is so thick on the floor, you can hardly see the carpet beneath it, and costume pieces are in disarray everywhere you turn. In my office, the folder that houses my receipts is usually overflowing by this point, piles of rejected costume pieces are stacked on the floor, on the extra chair, pretty much everywhere, and my desk isn't visible beneath the piles of paperwork that's accumulated over the past 2 or 3 weeks. It's really shameful, but the point is that the first day back after opening a show needs to be spent in comfortable clothes. This was my outfit yesterday:

I mentioned in yesterday's post about my shopping excursion that I got some bargain accessories at Aldo. The purple and black necklaces in this picture were some of the bargain pieces I scored. Here's a closer shot:

Jeans: Old Navy- $19

Cowl neck top: Fair Indigo- $22

Sweater: Target- $14

Shoes: Etienne Aigner purchased at TJ Maxx- $29.99

Necklaces: Aldo- $9.98

Sunglasses- Michael Kors- Gift

I can't guarantee that the prices are all exact, but they are pretty darn close (within 1 dollar or less). I have no idea how much the sunglasses would cost, but I'm thinking they weren't cheap. After all, they are the real deal.

What I love about this outfit is the unexpected combination of the purple beaded necklace with the orange-rust sweater. It feels like fall but with a twist. I was very comfortable all day and I got my office completely back to the organized, clean state that I like it in. Paperwork is under control,  receipts wer organized and turned in to the finance department, and you can actually see the clean desk and floor now. Hurray!

This morning I'm off to work, then I have a meeting about a freelance costuming gig, which I'll fill you all in on soon enough. Have a fabulous day and enjoy the cool fall weather- it looks like today will be just as gorgeous as yesterday, if a little cooler.

AMT Christmas Show Pictures

As you all know, American Music Theatre's Christmas Show opened over the weekend. I currently work there as the resident Costume Designer and Wardrobe Manager and I have to tell you that I absolutely LOVE what I do. I got into costume design completely by chance, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I've learned a LOT over the last few years, so if you ever have any questions about how things are done, please feel free to leave a comment or email. Today I want to post a few pictures from the show because I'm really happy with how it came out. The first section of the show is like a Victorian post card. It's a very energetic opening, followed by several beautiful arrangements of contemporary and traditional Christmas songs. The dancers are busy in the beginning with just about every style of dance. I honestly don't know how they do it in the heavy dresses I've put them in:

The singers don't have it any easier with full length gowns in heavy brocades and velvets, not to mention the men in all their layers, plus wigs and hats- it's a lot to pull together, but I'm happy with the outcome:

There are so many capes and muffs, and even additional dresses for some of the singers who have to quick change into them before their next song. After the Victorian section of the show, we move on to "Christmas Around the World." This section cracks me up- there's a Swedish Chef food fight on stage, a man in full Can-can drag, and Irish step dance, O Tannenbaum sung in its original German and a Caribbean limbo game complete with audience participation. It really flies by. My favorite costumes are the French Can-Can dresses that were made by one of my seamstresses, Vanessa. She really rocked these dresses and I hope she's as proud as I am of how they look:

It's hard to tell in the picture, but the dresses are lined with sequin fabric and over a dozen layers of red and green ruffles. They're really fun. (P.S. Isn't my friend Jen a babe?) Another standout performer in my opinion is Todd Mitchell who sings the above-mentioned "O Tannenbaum." I think he actually likes his lederhosen:

Oh! I almost forgot to mention the "Frosty the Snowman" number with another fabulous dancer, Samantha. She starts off in a huge snowman costume and then is revealed as the "Sexy Frosty" and literally burns up the floor with her spectacular tapping. I honestly have no idea how her feet move as fast as they do. She's ridiculous.

Act two has my favorite part of the show. "Shelly," a little girl character who appears in nearly every AMT Christmas show (played by Michelle Mishler), spends the beginning of the act on a magical trip to Toyland where she discovers a woman in a light-up dress (sorry no picture yet), as well as dancing and singing elves, and of course, Santa Claus.

   

The Toyland Elves were my favorite costumes to work on for several reasons. First, just look at them! The fabrics alone are super fun- so much color and pattern. Also, I loved creating outfits for each person rather than have all matching elves because then the costumes could reflect each person's unique personality. For example, my good friend Brance (in orange and yellow above) used to do this "leg guitar" trick, so when I chose his wig, I purposely picked one that was styled like Elvis only in a bright, funny color. The elves are not traditional looking elves because the backdrop the scenic designer chose was styled much like Who-ville, so I thought that stylized elves would work best as opposed to the traditional ones we're all used to seeing.

Finally, the last section of the show is very presentational, and I love that style of show as well because it means I get to shop for beautiful gowns, snazzy tuxes, sparkly shoes and jewelry. Let's be honest- who wouldn't want to shop for gorgeous clothing? For the performers, it means singing a song in one gown or suit, then running off stage to quickly change into their next formal outfit- it's like the prom on over-drive. One of our singers, Angela Birchett, is fun to dress because her skin tone works really well with just about any color. I love to put her in rich jewel tones like this aubergine:

I chose the color combination of gold and white for the final song in the show because it complemented the scenic design which was- you guessed it- gold and white. Once again, I enjoyed choosing a "look" for each person as opposed to being very matchy-matchy. You can see each woman in the cast has her own style of gown. It's hard to tell in the picture, but each man also has his own color and style of vest, tie and pocket silk combination, although their suits are all the same white tuxedo with white patent shoes. I think they look pretty sharp, myself.

I hope you've enjoyed this little trip into costume world. If you live in the area (Lancaster, PA) and would like to see the show, drop me an email or a comment. It's a great family show- the singing and dancing is spectacular, there's something for everyone and it moves along quickly, so kids and adults are entertained throughout. It's directred and choreographed by Curt Dale Clark and Marc Robin, who also live locally here in Lancaster and who work at the Fulton Theatre downtown.

P.S. All pictures are by Ken Bruggeman and courtesy of AMT

Shoesday Tuesday, Rate My Look, etc.

Good morning, all! Yesterday was my first really relaxing day off in a while. Whenever I'm working on opening a show, I just can't relax. As you know, the Christmas show opened this weekend, so I was able to really enjoy Monday with some friends. I ended up going shopping with a couple of cast members and had a blast. Since I shop so much for work, it's often hard to separate myself from that when I'm in a mall or shopping center. But yesterday I was able to completely relax and enjoy myself and it felt great! So I got up after sleeping in a bit, dressed in a comfortable shopping outfit and met up with David to shop. Here's my "shopping outfit:"

Cowl neck top: Fair Indigo

Dress: Max Studio (but purchased at Marshalls)

Belt: Gap

Shoes: Maurices

Tights: Target

I like to be comfortable when I shop, but I also like to wear "easy-on-easy-off" type of clothes just in case I'm in and out of the dressing room a lot. I didn't spend a ton of money, but I got a fairly "big ticket" item (for me, anyway). I bought myself a new watch. I have not worn a watch since I was in college, so about 8 years. I've been getting sick of looking for my phone when I want to know the time, so a few weeks ago, I decided it was time for a "big girl watch." I wanted something nice but neutral that I could wear every day. Also, it needed to work with my Tiffany's signature bracelet since I wear it every day. I'll tell the story of that bracelet sometime soon. Anyway, at the Kenneth Cole store, I found this watch at 50% off:

Originally $95, I only paid $49.97 for it. Not bad for a nice watch if you ask me. I had decided to get myself a "nice" watch as a sort of show-opening treat for myself. I don't often spend that much on anything, but I felt I earned it, so I bought it without feeling guilty for spending that much. Other than that, I didn't really buy very much- a few accessories at Aldo (since they were buy one get one FREE!) which I'll show you soon. I also stocked up on my scent at Bath & Body Works. I was there recently and had trouble finding my scent. I have been wearing Velvet Tuberose since it came out a couple of years ago. I was running low not too long ago, plus I had a coupon, so I went in to stock up. I had trouble finding V.T. so I asked a sales person who gave me a pitying look and said, "It's over here on this shelf with the such-and-such scent. You know it's a bad sign when they start sharing shelf space with another scent. It means it's on the way out." I died a little inside. I love B&BW scents but I hate how they discontinue the ones I love. For years I was in love with the aromatherapy Jasmine Vanilla, and they discontinued it. I replaced that scent with the Velvet Tuberose and now they're discontinuing that, too! I stocked up and I think I got about 9 or 10 months worth so I'll be good for quite a while, but in the meantime I'll be looking for a replacement scent. Has that happened to you before? It seems like the scents I hate are the ones that stick around forever, but the ones I love always get discontinued. It's so sad.

Now I'm sure you're wondering where the Shoesday Tuesday element comes in. Well, I've been searching online for a picture of a pair of Miss Bisou blue suede pumps that I tried on yesterday, to no avail. I should have taken a picture in the store, but I just wasn't thinking. Probably because I was in so much pain. These shoes looked like the perfect "Renee" shoe: high heel, bright color, fun texture- all the things I love in a shoe. I asked for my size and from the second I slid my foot into the shoe, I was in major pain. BEFORE I stood up, mind you, these shoes were squeezing and pinching and killing my feet. Walking in them was even worse. The shoe pinched at the knuckle, almost as if the shoe was too narrow at that one spot. I've never experienced anything like it. I rarely try on a shoe that I love and walk away without getting it (it's a sickness, I know) and these Miss Bisou pumps were a less-expensive version of these bright blue Aldo pumps I loved so much in this post:

The Aldo version has a peep toe and exposed platform, where the Miss Bisou version was a closed-toe pump with a narrower heel and a hidden platform, but the color was spot-on. You couldn't pay me enough to wear the Miss Bisou version, no matter how much cheaper it is. Have any of you ever worn that brand of shoe? I've never worn them, to my knowledge, and after trying them on, I'm pretty sure I'll avoid that brand in the future. They were seriously like a torture device. I'm not even kidding.

But enough about my purchases and shopping experiences- David got some really nice things at Kenneth Cole and H&M, too. Actually, he bought a great outfit at H&M that I'm dying for him to wear so I can take a picture and put on the blog as a perfect example of great menswear style. (Hint, hint, David!)

AMT TV spot- WGAL

Good morning everyone- I thought today I'd share with you a little video that aired on WGAL today about the behind-the-scenes aspects of AMT's Christmas Show. You'll even see a little bit about the wardrobe department:

http://www.wgal.com/video/21494907/

Sorry I'm not tech-savvy enough to figure out how to embed the video directly into the post. Do any of you know how to do that? I'd love to learn! And I promise I'll take pictures of the show soon to post on here. If you live in the area and want to see the show, let me know!

Rate My Look- Another Black & White day!

I absolutely love color, but just as much as I love color, I love pattern and polka dots are a personal favorite. This dress was only $15 at Dots (such a ghetto cheap store, but every now and then you can score something fabulous! The shoes were a splurge at Macy's years ago and I have gotten quite a lot of use out of them. Once again, I'm a sucker for the two-tone spectator look. And of course, you remember the bag from this post.

You may also remember that I love cooler weather because it means adding a coat and I LOVE coats. One might say I'm as obsessed with coats as I am with shoes. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), coats aren't generally as discounted as shoes can be, so I don't have nearly as many coats as I do shoes. Anyway, here is one of my all time favorite coats:

It's about as old (or older) than the shoes, which means it's at least 6 or 7 years old. It's Ann Taylor and I love it. The piping details get me every time- enough that I'm willing to put up with the slightly long-ish sleeves. It's such a great fit and I have truly gotten a TON of wear out of it. It was definitely an investment piece and I have never regretted purchasing it for a second. It's classic and timeless and I hope to have it for many years to come. As for my accessories, I'm wearing H&M earrings and the baubles cocktail ring from this post.

I adore this polka-dot dress for several reasons: First the fabric, it's a great proportion for the polka dots. Second, the dress is incredibly comfortable- it's almost like wearing PJ's. Also, because it's black and white, I'm able to wear just about any pair of shoes or accessories I like with it. Despite the fact that it's print, it's still a neutral in terms of color. I actually toyed around with a few different shoe choices today before deciding on the spectator pumps. I originally wanted to wear my red Steve Maddens from this post, but the t-strap was actually really unflattering with the dress. This is a great tip for all you lovely ladies out there: if your dress falls at or below your knee, wear an open ankle shoe as opposed to a t-strap or ankle strap. Ankle and t-straps (and ankle boots) tend to cut off your leg at the most unflattering spot, making them look shorter. If you are wearing a short skirt, it's less noticeable because more leg is showing, but with knee length or longer, you have to be careful. Nobody wants to look like they have stubby little legs, right?

P.S. I love how in the second picture you can see my left-overs from Applebees resting on the arm of the couch. Hilarious. Too bad I'm not good enough at photo editing to delete it from the picture. Anyway, let me know what you think of my outfit. Leave a comment before you go!

I'm exhausted!!!

I know I have been remiss in my blogging duties lately, but that is because I've been oh-so- busy getting the AMT Christmas Show finished and running. I'm very happy with the costumes this year and I'll be sure to take pictures soon to post on here for you to see. We built more than half the show in house, which is unusual for us, but it was all worth it in the end. Last night we opened to friends & family, sort of an unofficial preview, but today we officially open to the general public. I'm sure the show will be well-received. It's a great show, very entertaining, lots of amazing singing and dancing, and of course, some fabulous costumes!

So please forgive me for being a blogging slacker, but I promise to get back on track very soon. Just as soon as I rest up a bit- I'm exhausted!