My Greatest Fall/Winter Weakness

If there is something I swoon for more than a killer pair of heels or a luscious handbag, it's outerwear. Coats, jackets, capes- I love them all. I adore the idea of creating a second outfit to cover up another outfit so as to have TWO amazing stylish looks at various points throughout the day. This is no small feat, of course. In order to be as stylish outside as inside, there need to be quite a few outerwear options hanging in your closet. If I run into an amazing jacket or coat while shopping, I will be hard pressed to walk away from it.

Give me drama in the form of a bold color or a bright print or a full, fur collar. Give me an hourglass silhouette with a nipped-in waist and a full bottom. Give me a sleek look with a slim trench or simple cape. Give me toggles, give me buttons, give me zippers! Give me wool, cashmere, and fur for the cold months. Give me denim, suede and silk for the warmer ones. Just give me coats!!!

Outweear 1 by rtboo featuring wool coats

Of course the red coat would be Alexander McQueen. I can't help my great taste, I suppose.

Outerwear 2 by rtboo featuring monki

Blue is a universally flattering color. Get yourself a coat in some fabulous shade of blue and do it now.

Trench Coats by rtboo featuring a trench coat

You don't think that you need multiple trench coats? Silly. You need at least three. The first is a casual, every day trench in a neutral color such as taupe or grey. The second is a dressier, black trench for those times when you need to look a little more polished. The third is whatever you want it to be- a bright color, a funky collar and/or belt, a crazy print- it's the trench you wear to stand out in the crowd. Everyone needs a coat that makes them stand out in the crowd.

Are you beginning to understand the depths of my obsession with outerwear? (And we didn't even discuss accessories...) Do you have a similar obsession yourself? Please share!

Hello, there...

Hey, friends. It's been a while. I have to admit that life has been pretty full, pretty busy for the past year or so. There have been lots of brides, lots of gowns, lots of flights and lots of fun. When I moved back to New Hampshire just over 2 years ago (can you believe it's been that long?!?!?!?!), I had no idea what direction my life would go, but I couldn't be happier with things as they are right now.

Here's a not-so-brief update:

Work: My job is still the most awesome job I've ever had. I still have the best co-workers and bosses on the planet. Brides are mostly pretty great to work with, although we will always have a few doozies each season. (Just remember, they'll eventually get married.) I even got to go on a buying trip to Chicago where I got to see all sorts of gorgeous (and some not-so-gorgeous) dresses and even help decide which ones we will be carrying in the store next season! As for the alterations department, we're still alive and kicking- we're a fierce bunch and it takes a lot to get us down!

This photo was taken directly below the center of the famous "Bean" in Chicago's Millenium Park. Can you find me? 

Relationship: Things are going really well with "The Professor." In fact, just last weekend, my amazing coworkers flew him up here as a surprise for me- JUST BECAUSE! There was no special occasion, they are simply amazing friends who wanted to do an amazing thing for me. I was truly humbled by the experience- it's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. It was amazing to see my adorable BF, who has officially been my BF for a year as of this Monday, November 5th. How crazy is that? I remember when we started dating, everyone was like, "Yes, he's perfect for you, but you need to find someone just like him who lives in NEW HAMPSHIRE!!!!" I admit, early in the dating process, before he and I had become exclusive, I went onto match.com in search of this elusive man- the one just like the Professor, but who lives up north. On match.com, when viewing a member's profile, there is an option to click a button and "view others like him." I clicked. Here's what I got:

Yup. Denied. And  I have to admit, match.com was right- the Professor is truly unique and truly perfect for me. We've had our ups and downs over the last few months and fighting via Skype is particularly difficult. Fortunately the ups far outweigh the downs and right now we're stronger and happier than ever. I'll be flying down to visit him a week from tonight, actually. Just for funsies, here's a photo of us and the Sailors from Labor Day weekend when he came up for a visit: 

Friends and Family: Since I last posted, McKenzie got married, so that's pretty exciting! She wore a stunning gown by Jenny Packham and I had the pleasure of making her veil (which blew right off her head the minute she stepped out to walk down the aisle. Oh, well. My good friend Jen was recently engaged and I plan to attend her wedding with the Professor. I had the pleasure of helping her find her wedding gown and I also made her veil for her. The wedding is in January and I haven't even begun to think about what I'll wear. My mom has been busy as ever with her adorable German Shepherd dogs and the shutzhund training she does with them. I've even grown to enjoy the pups and even miss them a little when they're gone.

Fashion: I admit that I haven't been blogging much partly because I've been in a strange and new place shopping-wise. I'm perfectly content with everything in my closet and I have no real need for anything. I have great clothes that fit well and are in good shape. I have far too many shoes, but I make a point of wearing them all whenever I can. I love all of my accessories and I really don't see a void anywhere. I'm sure at some point, this phase will end. For now, my bank account is enjoying the break. (It's not that much of a break when all my extra money goes toward airline tickets and rental cars, but whatevs.) I'm still surrounded by fashionable people, so there really is no excuse to blog a little more.

Sewing and knitting: I've been doing a little of both in the last few months. I made a fabulous dress that I wore to McKenzie's wedding in September and I've knit quite a few little projects over the last couple of months. Here are some photos:

This lovely set was intended for my BF's 7-year-old daughter Grace. I actually just put it in the mail with her Halloween goodie bag this past week.

I could hardly knit something for Grace and not make something equivalent for the Professor's 10-year-old son, Owen. These pieces were made using the Appalachian State University colors (the Professor's alma mater and the school Owen wants to attend someday.)

After knitting a cream-colored version of this scarf for Juhree last year, I thought about making one for myself in green. I finally got around to it about a year later. Better late than never, right?

Blogging: I actually HAVE been blogging, just not here. You all know how I've taken over the blog for Madeleine's Daughter and I've really enjoyed doing it. Here are some of my favorite posts:

November 26, 2011
December 29, 2011
February 14, 2012
April 28, 2012

Since the busy alterations season is coming to an end, I'll be getting back into my blogging groove at the store, so if wedding-related posts are your thing, you might want to follow that blog, too! The posts I enjoy writing the most are the "Meet Our Bride" ones. I love seeing the photos from our brides and hearing what they have to say about their experience at the store. It's a great feeling to be a part of such a special time in a person's life.

I'll leave you with a silly photo from "The Sailor's Garden Party" that happened this past spring. I wrote a little about my outfit, but never posted a picture. Here you go:

I hope this is the first of many blog posts to come. I recently became a MacBook Pro owner and I have a feeling that owning a laptop that's a pleasure and not a chore to use will inspire me to write more posts. Time will tell. In the meantime, let me know what you'd like me to write about! Leave a comment! 

Shoesday... Wednesday...

Hey all! Is it a gorgeous day out today or what? I have the day off and I have been thoroughly enjoying myself. Over the last few months, my life has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. First, in February, one of the seamstresses who works at MD fell and broke her arm. The weeks following were a scheduling nightmare as I tried to reassign all of her brides to the remaining seamstresses. I even had to call in reinforcements and ask a couple of our contracted seamstresses to start much sooner. I remember when it happened, it was stressful, but everyone kept saying, "At least it didn't happen during the peak season!" (Peak season for bridal alterations is generally defined as April through October.)

Well, just when I thought we'd recovered and were on our way to a nice, smooth, well- organized summer in the alterations department, another seamstress suffered a major health issue- she had a stroke. Unlike the broken arm incident, this was incredibly emotional for everyone at the store. A stroke is such a serious thing and all I wanted to hear from anyone was that she was going to be okay. And fortunately, that's exactly the news I got- almost immediately. Even though I know she's fast on the road to recovery, there is still a piece of me that feels sad every morning when I go in to work and see her sewing machine without her smiling face behind it.

So what does a bridal alterations manager do when it is in fact PEAK season and she tragically loses a key seamstress? Well, she hops behind the sewing machine herself, of course! And she pins the brides gowns herself at their fittings. And she does her best to keep everyone's spirits high despite the enormous influx of additional dresses to sew. It was about a month ago that the stroke happened and I'm proud to say that not only has the seamstress made great strides in her recovery, so has the alterations department. Because after all, the weddings are still going on as scheduled- whether I have a seamstress to sew the dresses or not.

It's been an emotional ride for all of us involved, and there have been some tough decisions made, but I'm happy to report that despite all the craziness, I think we're starting to get ourselves out of the weeds.

"Why haven't you replaced her?" so many brides have asked this question. Honestly? Finding a truly skilled bridal seamstress is difficult to do in the off-season. In the middle of the summer? It's impossible.

So here I am on my day off, finally starting to feel as though I can take a breath and relax and all I can think about is my outfit that I'm wearing to a friend's party this coming weekend. Who knows where the idea came from, but my friend Juhree is throwing what she calls "The Sailor's Garden Party." Where do I begin?

Why "the sailors?" you ask. Well, my boyfriend came to visit for my birthday a few months ago. We went out on the town with my very beautiful and very stylish coworkers and friends. At the end of the night, he remarked to me, "Your friends are just the prettiest bunch of sailors I've ever met!" When I looked at him quizzically, he explained, "Well, you know- with all the drinking and cursing." They embraced their new nickname with enthusiasm like I'd only seen when they're cracking open a fresh bottle of wine.

The "Garden Party" seems pretty straightforward- an outdoor affair with lawn games like croquet and badminton, right? Well, somewhere in the midst of all the planning, there came a discussion of appropriate attire for such an event. Effie Trinket served as the inspiration and guests have been encouraged to wear colorful, outlandish clothing, and to be sure to complete their outfit with a stylish hat or fascinator.

I've decided to wear a white dress that I made for myself a couple of years ago when I still lived in Pennsylvania- it's a perfect dress for an afternoon party:

Instead of the blue sash, I spent this morning creating a bright pink one with an enormous bow in the back. I also ordered a raspberry colored full-skirted petticoat from Petticoat Junction to really pump up the volume on the skirt. As for what hat to wear? Well, that's a surprise, but I'll tell you this: it's going to be a borrowed pieces that LITERALLY walked the fashion runway very recently. 

Unfortunately, even with the haute couture headpiece, it was all looking a bit too sweet- there wasn't enough of a funky edge to the outfit. Then I found these and it all came together: 

Enigma Floral Oxford Booties, DSW, $49.94

Only available online, I had to take a chance and get them. I think they are the perfect finishing touch to a zany look that I believe will be just right for this silly event. I'll be sure to take lots of photos and post them here or on facebook and twitter for you all to see. 

Have you had any fun parties to dress up for in the last few months? Leave a comment and tell me all about it! 

Funny Story....

So over the last couple of months, I've been wearing some pretty adorable stuff. I have not been posting very regularly (or at all) about it, mostly because I'm one of those girls who suddenly got an awesome boyfriend and decided to drop most of her nightly activities to Skype-date him. However, after take a break, I realized that I do miss the daily blogging.

Spending last Sunday afternoon with my bestie Beth and our friend Adele was what really made me want to blog again. We went to the SoWa Vintage Market and all felt a little offended by the term "vintage." They should just call a spade a spade- the term should be "flea market." Second-hand and vintage are actually NOT the same thing.

Anyway, that's just a little negative tangent- what I really loved about the day was seeing lots of cute outfits walking down the streets of Boston. Of course, the three of us looked pretty fabulous and I really regret not snapping a photo of us. We all had on simple outfits reflective of our individual style, but what we each had in common was a fun pop of color. For Adele and I, it was a brightly colored bag- hers in fuchsia, mine in bright coral. Beth's pop of color was an amazing bright orange scarf. None of us found much at the market, but it was still fun to shop together.

So... aside from my excursion this past Sunday, you may (or may not) be wondering what I've been up to these last couple of months. Aside from Skype-dating and jet-setting to North Carolina whenever possible, I've been busy at work. I've taken over the blog at Madeleine's Daughter and that's partly why I haven't been blogging here quite as much. Check it out when you have a minute! We feature a different bride of ours every week. I've also been spending a lot of time with my coworkers outside of work. It's one of the things that makes me truly appreciate my job. I genuinely enjoy spending time with my coworkers whenever possible. It seems like one of us always has a Living Social deal to spend or a Groupon that's about the expire. In addition, we've started a new weekly tradition of cooking dinner together on Saturday night when we get out of work. The menus have been so fun to create and of course the social aspect is a big draw every week. The girls bring their husbands, boyfriends, etc. and we all contribute to the cooking. A couple of weeks ago, nearly everyone showed up in a similar outfit- everyone was wearing stripes:

Not only did five people in attendance wear striped shirts (one isn't pictured here), but as you can see McKenzie and Juhree wore the exact same shirt! Regardless of outfit choice, we always have fun on Saturday night "Family Dinner" as we like to call it. Next week we're making Chicken Pot Pie. Yum!

So, aside from working, traveling, Skyping and family dinnering, I haven't been up to much. I wish I had lots of fun stories to share, but it's all a blur right now. I did have one very interesting (and pretty funny) thing happen to me last week. It all started with this hat:

I wore it a few months ago (you can see the entire outfit here) and most people absolutely loved it. On this particular day, I wore it with a bright pink sun dress and adorable cream-colored flats. It was a super cute outfit. However, I remember seeing myself in the mirror at work and thinking, "I hope there aren't any angry or upset customers because if I have to talk to someone sternly, they might have trouble taking me seriously in this outfit." Well, sure enough, there was an angry MOB (mother of the bride) who decided to cause a little scene as her daughter was checking out after her alterations appointment. The issue itself is irrelevant- the MOB was irrationally angry and kept storming around the store causing a scene over it. I had to take my somewhat hard-ass stance and stand my ground. Customer service issues are never fun to deal with, especially when you have someone just snapping and making snide remarks at you. Anyway, the next day, the MOB called the store in an attempt to speak to someone higher up than me. She of course wanted the situation resolved in her favor, but even upon speaking with the store manager, nothing changed for her, really. And here's where it gets good: at the end of the conversation she said to the store manager, "You should know: I was NOT impressed with that girl in the STUPID LITTLE HAT!" 

It's not as funny telling it here, but trust me when I say we've been laughing for a week over that remark. Yes, my hat is a little ridiculous and yes, this MOB probably didn't like having a serious conversation with me while I was wearing it, but ultimately I was calm, professional and did my best to take care of the bride. She may not have been impressed with me, but it was a pretty low blow to attack my personal style. I just wish I could plan it so that I was always wearing a stupid little hat whenever that MOB comes into the store! 

Well, it's a gorgeous day here in New Hampshire and some of the ladies from work are heading over to my neck of the woods for an impromptu picnic! I've made a delicious Thai-style peanut noodle salad with fresh veggies, as well as some Asian-style orange chicken lettuce wraps. I may even whip up another cucumber salad, too. We'll finish off the lunch wish fresh watermelon and lemonade and some relaxing in the sun! 

I hope you have a great day- leave a comment and let me know what YOU'VE been doing these last few months! 

Shoesday Tuesday: Jet Set Style

I'm not going to waste time on this post explaining why I've been M.I.A. You'll understand once you start reading:

This post is all about jet-set style. I've been spending more and more time traveling these days. In fact, a week ago today I got up at the crack of dawn, drove to the airport, hopped on a plane and flew to Charlotte, NC. Then I picked up a rental car and drove two hours west to the far side of the state and surprised my boyfriend for Valentine's Day. It was literally a 24-hour trip from start to finish. The very next morning I drove my rental car back to Charlotte and hopped on a plane back to Boston. By 2:00 Wednesday afternoon I was home and unpacking.

I remembered that episode of Project Runway where the designers were tasked with creating a look for a jet-setter. While I haven't even been crossing time zones in my travels these last few months, I have learned how to pack, how to dress and even how to look fresh after hours of travel. I will of course share my secrets with you.

First of all, the biggest issue when traveling in the winter is figuring out shoes. Boots are of course the most practical and yet they also take up the most space in a suitcase. Why not simply wear them when traveling, then? Well, it's not exactly an easy thing to slip your tall boots off and on at the security gate. Also, while boots look fabulous, they're not always the most comfortable when sitting in coach for two hours. It was a conundrum for me until I found these amazing "shooties" from Target of all places!

I purchased them in black, but I had to show you the picture in the burgundy- aren't they scrumptious? They are super flattering and not excruciating to wear for such a high wedge. They aren't a model of comfort either, but you know my feelings there. Beauty hurts. I wore these with a pair of dark-wash flared jeans from Old Navy and a comfortable but stylish top. They were super easy to slip off at security and then back on once I'd walked through the full-body scanner. (How awful are those scanners, btw?) And the best part about my "shooties" is that I got them on sale for $20! 

I'll post again with more advice for traveling in style. In the meantime, leave a comment below if you have some great traveling advice for me! 

What to Wear on a Skype Date

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I've been seeing a gentleman I met on match.com. Since I live in New Hampshire and he lives in North Carolina, there has been quite a bit of flying and Skype-ing over the last few months. Skype is pretty awesome because I can be on a date in my pajamas or some beat-up, old sweatpants. I'm not gonna lie, there are times when I'll put on a more dressy top with my most comfortable sweat pants.

Since Skype dating is less about the outfit and more about the face, I've actually found myself spending more time on my hair and make-up. Here's the view from my webcam:

Sexy, right? Haha- just kidding! But seriously, this is the view when my laptop is on my lap. The lighting is usually better than in this photo, but you get the general idea. As you can tell from the photo, it's all about looking great from the neck up. I will sometimes add a cute pair of earrings, or a nice necklace if I want to be a little more dressy. For our first Skype date, I was super careful about lighting and camera angle. I'm much more comfortable these days, but I still try to look decent. 

For Christmas, I got the most fabulous gift- an amazing eye make-up palette by Stila called "In the Light." It was definitely one of my favorite Christmas presents this year and I've used it nearly every day since then. I was considering purchasing the Urban Decay "Naked" palette for months, but the price was a bit high and I didn't think I would wear a lot of the darker colors. It's not often that I do a dark, smokey eye, but I wear shimmer- nudes nearly every day of the week. When I saw Stila's "In the Light" palette, I knew it would be a better choice for me. 

 This palette includes 10 beautiful neutral shades, mostly in nude and brown tones. My favorites are Kitten (second from left on top row) and Sunset (second from right on top row). The palette includes matte and shimmer shadows, all of which are perfectly blend-able and look amazing layered over each other. My daily look always starts with kitten. I dab it over my entire lid, making sure I hit the inner corner of my eye and directly under my eyebrow. Next, I layer on a slightly darker shade, just over the lid. Sunset is perfect for this. Finally, I add a bit of contouring in the crease and on the outside corner of my eye. Luster (center bottom) is perfect for contouring and adding dimension to the overall look. I finish with mascara most days. If I want a dressier look, I use the eye liner as a finishing touch. In the end, I have a beautiful, nude, shimmery eye: 

If that's not a great, casual date look, I don't know what is! This palette is definitely my new favorite and I will continue to use it every day until it's all gone! What is your favorite eye make-up product? Do you use a palette or do you mix and match different shadows from different companies? Leave a comment and tell me your beauty secrets! 

And Outfit for a Night at the Museum

Juhree and I spent a night out in Boston last week. We went on a Wednesday night to the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. On Wednesday nights from 4:00 till closing time, admission is free! We loved spending the evening looking at amazing artwork. The room full of Renoir was one of our favorites, so we snapped a quick photo. It was a chilly December evening, so I layered a warm cardigan over my long sleeve cowl-neck top from Fair Indigo. My suede cap kept my head warm when we were walking from the museum to a nearby Italian Restaurant. Juhree looked sleek in all black, but her feet froze. You can't see from the photo, but she wore dainty ballet flats with her skinny jeans. Silly girl- it's boot season! 

It was a fun night out and we looked pretty fabulous in Beantown. What fun things have you done with your girlfriends lately? Where have you been for a night on the town? What did you wear? Leave a comment and tell me all about it!