Bach[elorette] Please

If you know anything about my personal life, you know that this year I will be attending [& participating in] 12 weddings. Yes. I just said that. TWELVE. It was one of those things where I was casually going through my 26 years of life thinking, “Hm, why doesn’t anyone invite me to their wedding…” & then. Thanks manifestation.

However, here I am, & bring on the love.

That all being said, with all this love comes engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners & obviously, the big day. But what the hell do you wear & how do you select pieces in a productive & efficient way without turning into bridesmaidzilla?

Here I am darling, to help save the day.

Seeing as I now consider myself a wedding spectator expert, I’ve consolidated my top wedding tips on what to wear without losing your mind.

ENGAGEMENT PARTY: your bff, sister, friend, cousin…whomever, has just said “Yes” & you’re invited to the engagement party…

What To Wear: engagement parties are just the beginning of the process, so going overboard is not for this affair. Opt for feminine details [dresses being easiest], solid basics, soft prints, & minimal accessories [things that prevent from taking away from the bride]. Think cottons & polys. Top it off with a fun shoe & call it good. Here’s a few examples:

BRIDAL SHOWER: it’s time to show the bride your love; likely with mimosa’s flying & afternoon sunshine beaming, today is about being your classiest self. Think tea time with a little edge.

What To Wear: I say go all floral, sequins, chiffon, & lace on the brides shower day. Make it as whimsical & beautiful as possible. & if you can’t rock a cute heel, then at least play it up with a stylized flat or sandal. Like so:

two piece

BACHELORETTE PARTY/WEEKEND: it’s bound to get wild, so put on your best Vegas & go all in.

What To Wear: chances are high that you will be at a club/bar/restaurant at some point during this time together, thus having your best hairspray & sexist LBD is vital. However, don’t forget your most comfortable sweatpants & tee shirt for the morning after. Like this:

REHEARSAL DINNER: chances are if you’re a bridesmaid, you’ll be at this event; a crucial & probably most serious part of the wedding process.

What To Wear: the rehearsal dinner is the time to put on your best professional attire & not get sideways. Grab your favorite pair of grandma-approved heels, a cute top, or maybe even a reasonably long skirt & prepare to memorize your role.

As for what to wear to their Big Day, well you’ll just have to wait & see what I conjure up in coming blog posts ;]

Regardless of when the wedding festivities begin or how badly you ~~even~~ want to go, finding great pieces that represent who you are, while remaining comfortable & theme-appropriate is not an easy task. But it also shouldn’t cost you your sanity [or your life savings]. If you like any of the pieces shown above or have questions on finding the right outfit for your specific event, feel free to reach out in the contact section.

Fashion should be fun & approachable. & so should wedding season.

Happy Bridesmaiding, babes. Xx.

Similarly Opposite

As I scoured department stores the past few weeks [not forgetting to add congratulations to us all for surviving yet another holiday shopping season without a warrant for our arrest] for that “perfect gift” [whatever that even means] for my loved ones, I naturally found myself doing what I do best: fashion stalking. No, I don’t get weird or harm anyone. I just look. A lot. I silently survey fellow shoppers, I view mannequins, I look at wall decor, & colors & patterns & sidewalks, & I touch everything; clothes, hardware, curtains, blankets, jewelry…I’m basically a freak for texture. I watch for patterns, trends, habits, pretty much anything that tends to lead the pack in one general direction or another. & then…I break it. Mentally, of course. I imagine a world turned upside-down, where these trends no longer drive a major group & I conjure up ways in which I can educate my clients on how to do it differently & for their own self.

After slamming two [possibly three] Cinnamon Hazelnut Latte’s from Peets & heading home, I reviewed my findings. & I recognized a major common thread among many of the men & women I’d seen during my research: over-planning. Outfits that reeked of over-intention & matchy-ness. & I started to wonder, what is it that makes for a successful outfit?

My answer: the sweet spot. The similarly opposite place in your world that holds all things in balance.

The sweet spot is the tiny nook in your fashionista[o] world where color, individuality, comfort, pattern, intention, practicality, & flair all come together to make a beautiful outfit baby. & it exists. Without much energy exerted on your behalf. Yes, really. [That’s why I’m here].

Where do we start? The color wheel.

To understand fashion [or basically life itself] one must first know & understand the color wheel & what it all really means. Most importantly: color harmony [the theory of which colors are analogous with others]. Layman’s terms: find the color you’re feeling that day on the wheel above & match it with the three colors next to it. Literally. That’s color harmony. The second most important concept of the color wheel: complementary colors. Take the color you want to focus on//rock the hell out of that day & pair it with the three to four colors across from it on the color wheel. This ain’t rocket science people.

& now you’re a color expert.

But visuals make everything better…

[Pink meets Mint meets Yellow meets Blue meets Leopard]

[Chartreuse meets Blue meets Leopard]

[Purple meets Green meets Brown meets Stripes meets Coral]

[Navy meets Orange meets Chevron]

[Gold meets Grey meets Coral meets Black]

Need I say more?

Sometimes those two pieces you never imagined working side by side are dying for you to finally bring them together. & you should. For fashion’s sake & for your own creative identity.

& the next time you find yourself reaching for that black on black ensemble that you’ve been working all Winter long, try some color on for size. After all, creativity drives greatness.

Happy 2015 babes. Xx.