How to make your Fashion Dollars stretch in a down economy

As a woman, I love to look my best whenever I go out.

When you look good, you feel good. I also never want to be caught out in public looking terrible, because your bound to run into someone you know. How awful would it be to run into an ex and you're in pajamas and rollers? You know they're going home thinking, "wow best decision I ever made was dumping her."

If you're like most people in this economy and you've had to cut back but you feel you need a little pampering once in a while, you're not alone. Companies are laying off workers and doubling the workload of employees (I'm dealing with it firsthand). The stress and overwork with no increase (and sometimes even a pay cut ) is hard to deal with.

If you bump your attitude up into something positive and decide to dress for success, you can get yourself noticed by your own company or possibly another if you're looking for a new job.

If you're wondering how to do it with a closet full of tired, old, I'll-fitting clothes, I have some tips for you to go out and get top notch looks for less.

• I've discovered the wonderful world of consignment shops in high-falutin' towns. It's amazing what you'll find. Brand new Louis Vuitton handbags, never used for more than 50% off retail. Designer jeans that were $150 and worn once for $25. Dresses, suits, jewelry and watches all designer and unaffordable for most, now at much less than retail.

You really shouldn't snub consignment shops. They're definitely worth a look. The nicer the town, usually the better the quality. 

 I got a pair of gorgeous Gucci shoes that were never worn for $189. I promptly went online to check the retail cost of $475.

Elihav Sasson 2012 Bridal Collection

1920's Hollywood Glam was the inspiration for this collection by Elihav Sasson. There's lots of beading, lace and feminine details in this hint-of-lingerie look.

Almost all the looks in this collection tend to be sleeveless despite the current trend of sleeves, boleros and other more modest looks.

If you love the look of satin, beading and traditional Wedding Gowns, this collection is definitely for you.

Need some color inspiration for your wedding?

via fizzyblog

If you're in need of some big color inspiration and you're totally in love with the spring and summer fashion lines coming out in 2012, you're in luck!  I've been tirelessly searching and putting together a fun, cheerful and funky inspiration board for you.  It's for a carnival inspired wedding, but the bright colors are great for any exotic color themed wedding or tropical destination wedding you might be planning.

via pinterest

"A carnival themed wedding is all about fun.  The colors are bright, bold and cheerful.  Think teals & turquoise paired with orange and fuchsia."

The food and decor should be just as fun as the colors.  Instead of a big towering wedding cake, instead try a dessert bar with fun foods (carnival finds like fried dough/funnel cakes) or bright pink whoopie pies with rainbow sprinkles.

Get ready for Versace at an affordable price

Ever wanted to own something beautiful from Versace, but couldn't justify the price?  Now you can own gorgeous dresses, bathing suits and more from the new collection launching in partnership with H&M.

Clothing goes on sale January 19th, 2012.  You can see the preview collection here.

I'm currently in love with the blue silk dress.  If you're planning on going on a cruise, (read honeymoon) this cruise collection will definitely make you look like a posh celebrity.  Best of all, if anyone asks, you can just tell them it's Versace. :)

Wear this for any hot spring events including bachelorette parties, your rehearsal dinner, and of course, your honeymoon!

Vintage Style Glamour

From Movie W.E.

I think that Hollywood is starting to finally realize that everyone is sick and tire of the same old regurgitated story lines at the theaters. The biggest box office hits are more original plot lines and historically interesting figures.


I'm quite happy about this as we get to see some beautiful set designs, story lines and fashion.  The above photo is from the movie W.E. about King Edward who gave up the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, an American woman who was twice divorced (scandalous at the time).  She was known for her slender figure and homely face. She put her figure to good use as she was always dressed beautifully and fashion forward. 

She didn't capture the attention of men from her looks, but from her fashion sense and how put together she was.

You have to love the woman that coined the phrase, "You can never be too rich or too thin".

In keeping with inspiration from vintage fashion, I've put together many gorgeous bridal gowns with inspiration from the 30's on up to the 50's. 

So In love with Vintage Garters

Emily Riggs Bridal "Vintage"

I spotted these beautiful lace and rhinestone bridal garters today and fell in love.

If you're sick of all the cheap polyester mass-produced garters (probably from a sweatshop in China) that you find everywhere, this is a lovely change.

Emily Riggs Bridal "Trousseau"

The site also has other lovely lace and jewel encrusted baubles for you to wear on your special day. 

Boston Brides take two big hits in a couple of months

Brides trying on gowns at the Running of the Brides

We were all disappointed to hear that the fantastic designer house, Pricilla of Boston was going out of business. This high end designer Bridal Boutique was a luxurious and well-loved fixture in the Boston Bridal scene. While many of their gowns were priced well out of reach of Brides on a budget, Boston Brides always had another source for beautiful designer gowns, for a fraction of the cost; The Running of the Brides.

A Pink and Navy Autumn wedding

Happy Halloween Everyone! Boy do I have a Treat for you!  It's a Pink and Navy Autumn wedding. This wedding took place in Gloucester, MA at the Ocean View Inn.

When we met with the fantastic Andrew Kubika of Stay Focused Photography (the talent behind the fabulous photos), we knew he was the perfect personality for our wedding.  He was fun and of course, he took some fantastic photos. His motto is "creatively capturing your most important moments". I'd say that's perfect for his photojournalistic style.

What was this wedding like?  It was a little bit of tradition and a whole lot of fun. Dig into that big bowl of candy and enjoy the Talented Mr. Kubika.

Sneak Peak....September Wedding in New England

This Pink and Navy Nautical wedding in New England was perfectly beautiful.  Here's a sneak peek of the big day. 

The Wedding took place at the Ocean View Inn in Gloucester, MA, one of the oldest fishing villages in New England.  Stay Tuned for more shots and all the details on this gorgeous wedding!

Diy super-cheap Shoe bling

As you know I've been going wedding shoe crazy. I first didn't want white shoes because I felt, "where the heck will I ever be able to wear white shoes again?" and, "colored shoes would be so fun!"

So I bought two pairs of Nina Shoes (elke) in Navy and Fushia.  The fushia I returned immediately because they were quite purple.  Not even close to the super hot pink I imagined.  The Navy I loved, but was concerned with the heel height.  I still have them, not sure if I should keep them or return them.

Then I heard the screaming from my mother and grandmother.  OMG I can't believe you're going to wear colored shoes, how: ugly, aweful, disgusting, terrible, horrible (insert adjective here).

So I decided to go on another shoe shopping journey to find the perfect shoe.  I ended up falling in love with two more pairs!  (There goes my wedding budget)  The first I loved because it was practical.  It looked like a shoe I could wear with multiple outfits and not look "wedding-like".  That was the Nina Evelixa.  It was Ivory, but I was concerned it would be too light for my dress.  I then found another shoe that I loved in gold.  It had fluffy fabric flowers on the side of the shoe with bling centers!  It was made for me.  I brought both home and the ivory ones matched perfectly, while the gold was, well... too gold.  But I am keeping the gold ones because they are awesome.  How can you say no to a shoe with fluffy flowers with bling centers?

To jazz up my shoes for the wedding I looked online for shoe clips.  Not only are they expensive, they didn't have anything I loved.  I did want a temporary solution to just add the bling for 1 day and didn't want to spend a fortune.  Then it came to me.....

I had recently made a trip to Michaels craft store for some rhinestones and found some cool embelishments in the scrapbooking section that had adhesive backing on a strip.  I had bought ones that had a mix of pearls and rhinestones, but you could get all rhinestones, all pearls or colored rhinestones if you wanted.  The brand I used is called recollections.

Each package cost around maybe $2.  You would only need 1 package to do a pair of shoes.

Simply open the package, pull off a strip of rhinestones/ pearls and place across the center ruffle of your shoe.  The adhesive is sticky enough to feel secure and hold on the shoe for about 1 or 2 uses, but not permenent enough to be stuck on forever, being the perfect fix for ANY pair of shoes you want to spruce up for an event, but don't want it to be permanant.  You are also able to reposition if needed.  Now you can purchase these rhinestones and even wrap you heel with them!

Remember to remove the stickers after you are done with them.  I'm sure that while not permanent, the adhesive could leave a discolored mark on your shoes after a bit of time.

How to make a 1-tier "poof" veil

If you've been to any bridal salon, it can seem a bit crazy how the shops can charge hundreds of dollars (even thousands) for a piece of fabric that sits on your head.  (At least I thought so). 

I found myself going through racks and racks of veils thinking, "How do they get away with charging $150 for this short piece of fabric, and it's not even what I want or like?



Point D'Esprit fabric in Ivory



I decided to observe how they were made and figure out how to make my own.  There are several types of veils out there.  The most common that I saw was the 1 tier "poof" veil.  What I mean by this is that the veil sits on top of your head and goes straight back and has a bit of a poof on the top.  It doesn't sit flat on your head.  The amount of "poof" can be adjusted based on how tight your stitching is of the fabric.  I did a very small poof on this fabric. 

I used ivory point d'esprit (it's got little "dots" on it) to match my dress.  After doing the 1 tier poof veil below, I decided I wanted a mantilla style veil that drapes over my face (another tutorial on that later) so I ended up undoing everything below and completely changing my veil.  I originally did this because I didn't think I'd find ivory lace to match my veil.  I ended up finding the perfect lace on the cheap!  I was so excited.  If you do want lace on the edge of your veil, make sure NOT to attach it to the top part of the veil where the hair comb is.  It will not sit correctly.  I recommend placing beading, sew-on flowers,etc. on that part instead.

What you'll need:

- Fabric in a length you like. (elbow, shoulder, waltz, chapel, cathedral, etc.)

- sewing needles

- thread that matches your veil color

- a hair comb that's clear or matches your veil color

- any beads or embelishments you'd like for the top of the comb or edging of the veil

- scissors

- pins

- a rounded edge (a dinner plate works fine)

step 3

Step 1:  Your fabric will most likely be a straight peice of fabric.  If you want it to have rounded corners or be a rounded peice of fabric you should lay it out flat and iron on the lowest setting if needed.  If the fabric is long or extra wide, fold it in half and have the edges meet up. Pin in place.

Step 2. Take your dinner plate or round edge and place in the open (a.k.a not folded) corners.  You can mark with a piece of chalk or just carefully cut along your rounded corner.  Discard your excess fabric.  You may only want to do this to the bottom of the veil and have your top be straight.  the amount of "roundness" is completely up to you.

Step 3.  Unpin and unfold your fabric.  Take your top edge and gather it into an accordian fold.  Place an elastic band around it if you need to hold it in place securely.

Step 4.

Step 4.  Take your hair comb and align your gathered fabric to where it will be sewed on.  Wrap your fabric around the comb top for easy stiching.  You can also pin in place if needed.



Step 5.



Step 5. Begin sewing your fabric around your comb.  Matching thread ensures that you don't notice the stiching.  It's also good practice to make small stitches.  If you don't have matching thread, you can use clear thread(fishing line), however this may have some reflection to it.



Step 6.



Step 6. Your veil should look similar to the step 6. picture. 

The comb will be placed on top or slightly back on the head and the tight poof at the comb will be softened as the rest of the fabric falls around your face. 

If you would like to add beading or embelishments to hide the stiching or just to add interest to the top of the veil, it's recommended you do it now.  Again, small stitches are key to a professional looking veil.  I did larger so you could see how the veil wrapped around the comb.

Win Free Bridesmaid Convertible dresses for your Wedding!

I found out today about this wonderful contest and it starts in a few minutes!

visit this link to become part of the contest!


If you don't have an account with ideeli, join today in order to register for this wonderful promotion!

Something blue...it's all about the shoes

My wedding has a fun nautical theme to it, complete with a beautiful ocean view.  Rather than go with a boring white or ivory shoe that I'll never wear again, I was debating between either pink or blue, since those are my colors.

After trying on several shoes in pink that I didn't like, I finally decided to go for a dark navy blue.  A stunning contrast.  I was actually afraid it might be too dark of a thing to wear with my dress!

That was short-lived, until I found several photos of other brides in blue shoes.  I love the contrast and I think it will make for some memorable photos.

Not only did I run across colored shoes, but I also saw some gorgeous print shoes out there.  Some brides are really wearing funky and fun things.  From beautiful hand-painted shoes to leopard print, you imagination is the limit to what you can put on your feet.

What did I end up going with for my shoes?
This lovely navy blue shoe is from Nina and it's called Elke.  I loved the bit of bling in the center of the bow.

The rich navy blue will look lovely peeking out from under my ivory gown. Love them!

Whether your shoes are Navy blue, pink, or even leopard print, a pair of shoes that are uniquely you will make a statement at your wedding.

peep-toe navy blue shoes with bling!