Fashion Friday

This Fashion Friday and the rapid approach of July have me thinking about navy. It’s such a timeless color, flattering to all, and pairs perfectly with hints of metallic in jewelry and shoes. Here are a few of my favorite navy numbers.

The fabric belt at the natural waist creates the perfect silhouette, the flowy chiffon will look great on the dance floor and there’s a pop of sparkle with the sequined yoke that carries over onto the back of the dress. Dorothy Perkins, $75.

The elbow sleeves make this dress a winter navy option. The delicate lace contrasts beautifully with the rugged brown belt. Dorothy Parker, $49.

Hello one-shoulder wonder with sparkly belt! Yes, please. The ruched bodice is a little bit Grecian but the metallic belt is totally modern. Max and Cleo Comet Tail Hour Dress from Mod Cloth, $187.99.

The classic silhouette of this J.Crew dress is timelessly flattering. I especially like the sweet cap sleeves. Mirabelle dress in silk chiffon, $265.

I’m always hesitant to recommend a floor-length gown since you’re less likely to have an occasion to wear it again. That said, there’s no doubt a long gown can make a dramatic and stunning statement and I felt amazing when I wore one at Michele’s wedding. I can’t help loving this one’s delicate pleated bodice and the sash available in custom colors. Wtoo, $216.

Signature Drinks: Raspberry Mint Limonata Cocktail

No celebration is complete without specialty cocktails. For a bachelorette party or bridal shower, you can come up with a drink that honors the bride, or turn mixology into a theme and ask each guest to come prepared with a cocktail recipe to teach the group. This weekend while at a rooftop BBQ I tried a variation on a Tom Collins that would work beautifully at a summer bridal shower. It’s the perfect combination of sweet, minty, fruity and bubbly. All my favorite things! Here’s what you’ll need:

Gin (or substitute vodka if you don’t like gin)

Diet tonic water

San Pellegrino limonata

Raspberries

Mint

Ice

Mason jar (optional)

Fill glass halfway with ice. Muddle 3-4 mint leaves and raspberries together. If you don’t have a muddler, just rip the mint leaves into little bits and crush the raspberries before you drop them in. I added a few whole raspberries as well because they are pretty and yummy.

Add one shot gin, about half a can of limonata and top with diet tonic water. Stir and serve (preferably in giant Mason jar).

The limonata provides the sweetness, but it’s mellowed out by the tonic water. The mint is super-refreshing and you will knock yourself out trying to fish out the raspberries (which also give the drink its pretty pink color). If you don’t like gin, this would work just as well with a smooth vodka. Enjoy!

Bachelorette Party Favor: Mix CD

I entered adolescence in a very specific era: after cassette tapes but before mp3 players. We were the children of the “compact disc,” with our portable CD players and giant binders of CDs. Sure, there was a time when I had to queue up a tape if I wanted to record a song off the radio (God, that was hard! And you always missed the first two or three seconds of the song!), but when the mix CD came along? WOW! Let’s just say that high school was filled with CD exchanges and mixes specifically tailored to long road trips. In homage to the era of the mix CD, I decided to make one as a favor for Marisa’s bachelorette party. I emailed the attendees to ask for songs that reminded them of Marisa and then put together a mix.

I started off with songs that would remind us of specific events—when Justin and Marisa met, when he proposed, our girls’ weekend—and then added songs that I knew Marisa loved from different eras. I wanted to include a lot of “love” songs as well because I know sappy love songs annoy her, so I chose upbeat, peppy ones with the word “love” in the title. It turned into a ridiculous mix of songs, but they are all personal to her.

Then I bought some jewel cases and CDs (man, that took me back) and set about creating a CD cover. I am by no means a graphic designer, but I do know how to use InDesign, so I created my case there. I stuck with polka dots, typography and a color palette of pink, black and white, because I felt like I couldn’t screw that up. I bought some pretty polka-dot ribbon on sale at a local craft store. Ribbon can be expensive, so look out for deals! I needed almost 15 yards for 15 CDs—about a yard a CD. Then once we checked into the hotel, I left a CD on each pillow so the guests would find them when they arrived.

Fashion Friday

Trina Turk at Banana Republic? Yes, please! I did a bit of a double take when I found this mini collection. Trina Turk’s Palm Springs-inspired neon-patterned dresses usually run in the $350 range, so at half the price these are a steal. Her clothing has a very specific resort feel, but it would be perfect for an oceanside destination wedding in Miami, the Caribbean, or Costa Rica.

This is my favorite, and I know what you’re going to say. Caitlin, it’s white. Yes, yes, I noticed. But only partially white! Just picture it! All the girls lined up on the beach, tanned skin, the bride in sparkling clean white flanked by her bridesmaids in pops of neon, perhaps holding bouquets of coral and yellow flowers.

Can’t get past the white? I offer you this alternative. I love the band at the natural waist and the very slight sweetheart neckline. The seaglass blues and sunset yellows are perfect for a seaside nuptial.

Too much pattern for you or not planning a beach wedding? Let me direct you to the accessories. The bangles and rings would be a perfect bridesmaid favor.

Or, how about this adorable makeup bag? It strikes me as the perfect container for a bridesmaid survival kit.

Lingerie Shower Invites

Finding invites for a lingerie shower can be a monotonous task of wading through pink and black, lipstick kisses and corsets. So, I’m always on the lookout for invitations that step outside that box and come off as classy and cute. Like these!

Simple and sweet, this invite makes lingerie modern. It’s not showy or fussy, and feels chic and clean.

As a woman who greatly appreciates detailed schedules, this is my kind of invite. It’s perfect for a packed bachelorette weekend, giving the guests a sneak peek when it arrives in the mail and a quick reference throughout the event. I love the personalized icons—they make the invite feel really special!

I fell in love as soon as I read the sweet little poem (incorporating the groom’s name) and saw the dainty pastel lingerie. This invite feels a bit Parisian to me with the flowing cursive and striped envelope liner (not included). J’adore!

Most of the “women in retro lingerie” invites really annoy me, but I think this one is the exception. It’s all in the execution. First, the woman looks chic with her messy bob, chandelier earrings and demure pose. She’s not trying to be sexy, she just is! And the pen-and-ink technique gives this more of a ’20s vibe, which I prefer to the ’50s pin-up look. The round corners are the perfect finishing touch.

Ok, maybe “cheers bitches” isn’t the definition of cute and classy, but how can you argue with a call to “libations and debauchery”? The typography is simple and the colors are customizable on this cheeky invite.

Bridesmaid Survival Kit

As a gift to her bridesmaids, Marisa put together this amazing survival kit. It was the perfect gift, both thoughtful and useful. It’s a great idea to have a kit like this on hand for the wedding day, so make sure to pack some of these essentials. Here’s what Marisa included in her gift box:

Kleenex (for mid-ceremony tears), Altoids, hair spray, Band-Aids, hair ties and bobby pins, Tide to Go pen (for emergency spills and spots), Soft Lips tinted lip conditioner with SPF 15 in Rose (love), a combination mirror and pop-out brush, clear nail polish, a tiny emery board, a small bottle of our favorite liquor (gin pictured for me), Roxy flip-flops to slip on at the reception, chocolates (not pictured, because I ate them) and gorgeous pendant necklaces to wear with our dresses.

An extended bridesmaid kit, ready for the day’s emergencies, should also include some meds: Advil, Tums, maybe some Claritin if the bride has allergies. Dr. Scholl’s heel liners have absolutely saved my life in the past (I once had to beg the father of the bride run to the nearest Walgreen’s to buy six of these). Two-sided tape can come in handy, both in keeping up slipping strapless dresses or fixing a hem that starts to come out. And if someone has a portable MP3 player or speakers for an iPhone, ask them to bring them along! You’ll be happy you have some jams while you’re getting ready!

Fashion Friday

This Fashion Friday is dedicated to this gorgeous one-shoulder number from Alfred Angelo. This is the kind of dress that I would have passed right over if I’d been browsing their website and just seen it on the model. The selling shots are pretty terrible and don’t do the dress justice at all (which is why I won’t even put you through it and post them here). Then I saw these pictures of a high school friend wearing the dress at a recent wedding in Jacksonville…and I fell in love. The silhouette is so flattering and the flowy fabric is romantic and pretty. You can really see the movement in the amazing jumping picture below. Don’t even start me on the color she chose! So perfect. You can see more photos from the event at Tonya Beaver’s blog here.

Here are the details:

Style 7138 by Alfred Angelo

Fabric: Chiffon

Colors: 36 shades available!

Price: Cost will depend on your retailer, but it looks like it runs about $160.

Wear It Again factor (1-5): 3. The one-shoulder silhouette, structured bodice with empire waist and delicate flowers on the strap all make this dress super-flattering, and my guess is you’ll be coming up with excuses to wear it. But there’s no getting around the fact that it’s an “occasion” dress, just right for dress-up events but not a day-to-day pick. Still, I absolutely love it. So chic (and photogenic)!