Tale of Three Dresses

There are times when making certain decisions are so easy for me - of course, that one, couldn't be anything else  - and there are other times when I wonder how I get dressed every morning. Today is one of the latter. While browsing Urban Outfitters (I'm a big fan of their chic and affordable dresses), I found a great candidate for a birthday dress... only I kept wavering between black, navy, and lavender. What's a girl to do but buy all three and badger her roommates to help decide?

I couldn't think of anything either.

The garment in question is the Pins and Needles Ruffle dress, a floaty and breezy piece with a double layered ruffle collar. It's a tent shape naturally but when cinched with a belt, the dress lends definition and is super flattering. The chiffon material is great for summer, and the collar creates visual interest. Length is great for petites (I'm 5'2" for reference), but would likely be too scandalous for somebody much taller.

First up, lavender! This color has the most "summer" feel and would be beautiful for a daytime wedding, although you'd have to be careful with the sheerness of the fabric. I'd wear this with cognac/brown accessories for a casual outing. Love the color... but not on me. I thought the pale lavender washed me out, and the material felt flimsier with the lighter hue.

Second was the navy, the safe choice. I had wanted to step away with the lavender but some colors are tried and true for a reason. It's great that both gold and silver tones work with the dress. Here I am with both heels and silver flats. Dang, why do legs look so much better with heels and so stubby without?

Finally, the ubiquitous black. No matter what, I was going to keep this color since it's a classic shape and I didn't have a floaty black dress in my wardrobe. It looks good with gold accessories, which was key since I wanted to match with a certain something I had gotten for my birthday - to be revealed shortly =)

I really debated keeping all three but that would be ludicrous (... right??). I'll probably return the lavender (sadly!) and be happy with the blue and black. Hmm. I just changed into both the navy and lavender again and want both. SIGH. What would you do??

Also, here's a shot of the byCORPUS dress I picked up after seeing it on Michelle and couldn't resist. Love polka dots, they're so fun! I discovered that hitching up the dress at the ruched waist transforms the piece into a tunic, super cute with jeggings and flats.

Hugs and big thanks to Jessica for playing photographer and stylist =)

Bubblegum Nails and Summer Dresses

Poor little me, I can't go to work on Fridays on the new project I'm staffed on... What does a girl do with a 3-day weekend? Roam around and do what girls love best, of course! With the sun shining down and a whole extra day to spare, my friend, Maria, and I treated ourselves to spa mani/pedis before heading out to Old Town Pasadena to see what we could find. I love shopping on weekdays when everyone else is at work... No lines and clean, well-stocked stores! With all the stores rolling out their summer must-haves, it was definitely a fun day to explore. Excuse the awkward, cut-off pictures, but hopefully I will get the hang of taking better fitting-room pictures in the future.

First stop of the day was my favorite: Zara. I have already raved about their spring collection, but was still excited to see what new items they've added since I was last there in DC. When Maria stumbled upon something I've been desperately on the search for, my love for the new collection was solidified! Being a measly 5'1 means I never really thought I could pull off the maxi dress look. However, after seeing plenty of petite girls successfully sporting them, I've always wanted to try one on. The bust area of an XS fit perfectly and although I still need to have it hemmed a few inches to get rid of that stumpy look, this is the best fitting maxi I've found. The entire top of the back is ruched, so it fits snuggly and allows for some stretch for a more customized fit. I also tried on the TRF nautical dress and fell in love with the cut and stripes! I don't own very many things with sleeves, so this was a fun change! The gold buttons even have cute little anchors on them. The light cotton material is also thin enough that I wore it as a swim cover-up this past weekend.

I have always, always loved Urban Outfitters' casual, but chic looks. Since UO puts all its items on sale within a few weeks of releasing them, I usually only window-shop and wait to order everything online. The byCORPUS Polkadot Dress fit so nice, though... I couldn't resist! This was my favorite purchase of the day! Love that the silk material makes it so easy to dress up. Plus, did I mention that it has pockets?! The adjustable tie-straps also make it possible to adjust the neckline for a more or less conservative look (more cleavage for dates?). I heart versatility. I grabbed the Silence & Noise Cardigan to see how the dress would look for work, but I ended up really loving it and bought it as well. Yes, I have no self-restraint whatsoever, but look how cute it looks on the model paired with shorts! Next on my list to try is the Lucca Couture Strapless Floral Lace Dress, so hopefully I can find it (on sale) soon. UO practically releases a new set of dresses everyday, so I'm also going to keep checking for more potentials.

It can be a daunting task to dig through the racks at F21 (especially at the larger stores), but the Pasadena store is really well organized! Unlike the craziness of the SF Union Square monstrosity, the Old Town two-story location has neat little niches for each of its sub-lines. I got my cheap, summer dress fix with the two airy floral pieces above. I've been hunting for the one on the left for quite some time now, but it sold out online pretty quickly. I wasn't too sure if the ruffly hemming would be too much, but the over the knee length makes it work somehow. Love the fit and that I can wear it with my new cardi! The one on the right didn't fit as nicely above the waist, so I might have it taken in so that it won't look as bulky on top. The v-shaped ruffled neckline, bright print, and cheap price still made it a good buy though. I found that throwing a cardi over this gives it a quick shape fix, so no biggie! I can't find either of these dresses online, but for a similar look, check out the Garden Spaghetti Strap Dress. Also, in case you saw PetiteAsianGirl's post about her fabulous lace dress she found at H&M, F21 also has their own version of the dress, minus the bubble skirt.

All in all, I would say it was quite a successful shopping day. Thankfully it stays warm enough during the months of May-September to make for some good wear and tear time for all these dresses! I love that even though Old Town doesn't have too many stores, it's got just the right selection to choose from. In addition to UO, F21, and Zara, you can also find a Kate Spade, J.Crew, H&M, and Banana Republic on Colorado Avenue. The domestic nerd in me also loves browsing Crate and Barrel, Z.Gallerie, and Pottery Barn in between shopping for clothes. Please add a Club Monaco, Old Town, and I might never have to go shopping anywhere else.

Tee-Time

Remember back in '08 when all the girls were running to Target to buy those multi-pack Hane's men's v-necks?! My roomie and I (and every other girl on campus) practically LIVED in these. After getting the okay to wear casual dress to work, I'm quickly rediscovering my love for t-shirts and all that can be done with them.

How effortlessly cute does LC look in her skinny jeans and deep v-neck tee? Maybe I can't pull off looking that hot at work, but I've been loving the fact that my shift out of biz cas has made way for some t-shirt and jeans days! Like Lauren, I go for the long and lean tees because they're perfect for creating that slim silhouette--especially on petite girls like myself. Since some of my shirts are a little more low-cut than others, I layer a cami underneath or drape a cute scarf across. For dressier days, I like to pair a colorful baggy cardigan over a ruffly tee. Lauren also dressed up the white tee look (below) with a belt and heels. Perfect way to transition the comfy outfit to night-time wearability! So many options, with such little effort! It really is as easy as 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4... My favorite tees for comfort, style, and quality are from American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, and J.Crew. Now I'm obsessed with buying moreeeee.

LC in a David Lerner organic roll-up tee. The sleeves give the shirt a little more femininity.

Summer Sandals

Summer's pretty much here and with the beautiful change in weather, every girl needs a cute, comfy pair of sandals! Now that I am no longer a scrubby college student at Cal, it's probably time to trade in my beloved Rainbow flip-flops for something a little dressier to pair with my summer outfits (hello dresses and skirts in bright colors!). Unfortunately, despite all the choices that are out there, finding a pair I've liked has been more of a difficult task than I expected.

Finally, thanks to some help from a co-worker, I picked up a perfect pair from Urban Outfitters!

   

The Ecote Braided Leather Sandals are exactly what I've been looking for: simple, cute, comfy, and will go with any outfit. I've been wearing them for a week now and love that they are so lightweight and soft. The sandals come in five colors (all very cute and wearable) and are only $28! They may not be the dressiest or trendiest pair of sandals, but I'm loving how easy they are to slip on for weekend and nighttime outings.

These sandals also appear to be a huge favorite of The Hills' girls. Lauren Conrad has been spotted out and about in black and cognac versions while her BFF, Lo Bosworth, was recently seen with the ivory Ecotes while donning a cute summer dress:

(photo credit to Pacific Coast News)