DC30: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

June DC (Arlington) Wedding

As promised earlier, here are some photos of the great wedding we went to in June at the Key Bridge Marriott. While the venue was technically in Arlington, Virginia, it was right across the bridge from Georgetown in DC and the rooftop ballroom had views of the city to die for!

I love these flowers! They look so lush with all the reds, pinks and greens. The color scheme appeared to be red and gold with accents of pink and green. I love how reds and fuchsias work together! So much so, that I even incorporated them, along with purple, in my wedding...and accents of orange and green. Including a bright pop of color in a flower will really stand out against a muted tablecloth. They add a lovely richness to the floral arrangement. That being said, I'm also a huge sucker for all white and other monochromatic centerpieces as well!

Nothing is more gorgeous than fresh cut flowers... Except for maybe these piñatas of the bride and groom below! What a fabulous likeness! One of the bridesmaids, who is self described as very crafty, made these herself. Amazing! And the best part is that they were filled with candy and mini plastic bottles of booze for people to dig into after the reception ended. Great job with these girl! Let me know when you open your Etsy shop so I can advertise for it.

Here is the bride in her sari and veil getting ready!

Lovely details in the gold and maroon/red sari and gold jewelry.

These two also planned their ceremony layout so guests would be facing the DC skyline as a backdrop. Great idea! I loved seeing the city views.

The groom and groomsmen came into the ceremony in their matching kurtas and scarves dancing to bhangra music and having a great time!

Subtle gold tablecloths at the reception... and a water glass! So thirsty!

This is when my husband's boutonniere came off for the night. It just got in the way of dancing!

Lovely simple and elegant low centerpiece. There's that red and fuchsia combo I love!

I love favors I can eat! These cute M&M's got snacked on very quickly while we were sitting at the table. I noticed my neighbor even polished off mine!

I love the cute details on the M&M's, they had the couple's names on them and some had a little drawing of champagne glasses. Aaaa-dorable!!

Well that tops off this lovely wedding and details! Nope, I did not take any pictures of us dancing. Some things are best left unposted. I hope you all enjoyed these gorgeous wedding details and future brides got some great inspiration.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Sequin Shorts for a Night out

While I wasn't in love with the idea of wearing shorts for a night out in general, I am liking the trend of wearing a sequin short out on the town! I think the addition of sequins does make it less casual and takes into semi-formal territory. Although I have yet to try this myself, I could see this looking really cute on a lot of different women. Particularly if you find a well tailored pair like the ones below with some cuffs, which lessen the hoochie factor (discussed in this previous post). Dressing up for a night out has another great semi-formal option. Who knows? Sequin shorts, as trendy as they are, could be the new great alternative to a cocktail dress. Let's face it, haven't you walked among a sea of cocktail dresses before and seen someone wearing one that you either have work before, have seen somewhere and liked or are wearing at that same moment? Mortifying! If this hasn't happened to you, count your lucky stars! I've been out when someone wore the same dress as I did and, just a year ago, was walking to work and saw a girl wearing the same exact dress in the same exact color! Needless to say I crossed the street in a different direction before passing her on the sidewalk... It's a weird feeling to potentially be compared to someone wearing the same exact outfit.

One great thing about wearing sequin shorts out is that you can dance or get out of a vehicle without showcasing things you'd rather no one else would see, while still showing off your fabulous legs!

Check out the outfit I put together on Polyvore below. I'm loving every piece here! Especially the top and the uber-cute clutch!

Sequin Shorts for a Night out

Sequin Shorts for a Night out by sspicknall featuring gold handbags

Top
€36 - pamelascott.ie

Pleated shorts
€105 - welikefashion.com

Snake skin shoes
£133 - oxygenboutique.com

Gold handbag
$40 - purseboutique.com

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Leopard + Color-blocked = Gorgeous Pumps

While I didn't watch the teen choice awards this past weekend, I definitely got my fill with the coverage of them afterwards on the entertainment news websites and E! News. Entertainment news is for me and my friends what ESPN is for all the men that I know: addictive, informative and entertaining all in one!

I wasn't really paying attention to the stars showcased on the pink carpet until a picture of Hayden Panettiere came across the screen and, most importantly, her shoes. That's the shot that got me hooked to my TV screen, her fabulous shoes. I've seen leopard done to death but not combined with color-blocking in this way. They were completely unique and over the top but I loved the outrageous-ness of it all. I have seen plenty of leopard print but I've never seen it done that way, alternating four different colors of leopard print into one shoe and actually make me like it. Rather than inducing a negative physical reaction, considering this combo could have easily gone so wrong. Unlike those leopard print booties I have just not gotten into! Yuck! I know they're totally fashion-y but they just overwhelm me with nausea. These are actually a much better version because of the black (Love Betsey!). I don't even mind the fringe here. Well, you can't like everything...

Hayden's shoes however, were, in the words of Ms. Tyra, "FIERCE!"

A couple more choice words that came into my head included powerful, wild, bold, exciting, innovative and covet worthy! I was a fan of the purple leopard print and noticed that separating the heel, sole and platform portion into slightly clashing colors actually worked here. My absolute favorite parts would be the teal heel (hey! that rhymes!) and the leopard sole.

So, inspired by this shoe, I went on a search for other leopard print and color-blocked shoes. What I found was more than I could imagine being in creation! Check out these gorgeous heels below! I even threw in a marvelously striking orange pair with a black and white leopard print sole and one with a zebra print on the platform of the shoe. Check out the fabulous collage of covet worthy shoes I put together below! Leave it to Betsey Johnson to be completley bold with those cobalt pumps with the heel detail, and still classy with the addition of leopard print subtly on the inside of the heel! She absolutely designs creatively but definitely understands how to balance her pieces brilliantly!

Be it bold or subtle, there has got to be something out there to exhilarate everyone's inner tigress, leopard or zebra.

Leopard + Colorblocked = Gorgeous Pumps by sspicknall featuring platform shoes

MIA high heels
endless.com

Betsey Johnson platform heels
heels.com

Betsey Johnson high heel shoes
endless.com

Shoe Republic high heels
heels.com

Two Lips high heels
dsw.com

G by Guess pink shoes
dsw.com

High heels
sheinside.com

Qupid platform shoes
zooshoo.com

Leopard print shoes
$28 - debenhams.com

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Wedding Style 2012

With wedding season in DC well into the swing of things I can't believe I haven't discussed bridal style! I just love, love, loooooove wedding dresses! I loved my own so much that I wanted to wear it to the grocery store or just anywhere to get a chance to wear it again! It is such a shame we spend so much money on probably the most beautiful and extravagant dress we'll ever get to wear on the most important day of our lives and then, that's it! .... Finito! Sayonara! Adios! Fin! The End. Goodbye!

Well, I still get to live vicariously through the friends who are getting married. ...And secretly plan my vow renewal... But that's not for years and years and years! *Sigh*

As much as you loved your dress, don't you wish you could wear another similarly extravagant dress again? I guess Hollywood stars get to wear those kinds of dresses all the time so perhaps a wedding dress (and sometimes a marriage! Ha!) isn't that big of a deal.

All kidding aside. I really found some gorgeous looks on Polyvore and I just had to share. I hope you enjoy these! There is definitely a gown out there for anyone. The problem is finding your one and only out of the bunch! If you like what you see, click on the collage and get redirected to my Polyvore page where you can find the items in each. Happy viewing.

Wedding Style 2012 by sspicknall on polyvore.com

Monday, July 23, 2012

It Isn't Just Me...

Apparently my affinity for sequins is not just an attempt to increase the longevity of a very flashy fad. While in Paris with my niece, my sister snapped a picture of the Paris Chanel Store window display. (And yes, what a fantastic experience to go to Paris as a kid. My niece is living the life!)

Check this out.

I knew it wasn't just me having an unnatural attraction to all things sparkly! (because that might be tacky...) Hooray for sequins! This absolutely makes me feel great that I'm on the right fashion track and this train is chugging along slowly through sequin-ville. Some of you may remember that I highlighted these dresses from the Met Gala earlier and finding a floor length sequin dress within a lower price point and which had nice quality was a challenge to say the least. But knowing that the fashion houses are still toting the sequin trend, I'm more than sure it will trickle down the fashion vine to us lowly commoners soon and there will be more long sequin gowns making an appearance in more affordable stores! Definitely something to look forward too. I'd even like to see how a bride might incorporate this kind of look into her wedding party! Now that could lead to numerous possibilities.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Celeb Inspired: Nina Dobrev at Comic Con 2012

So, if you read the prior post, you know I'm loving Nina Dobrev's looks at Comic Con 2012, particularly the gold mini sequined ditty by Farah Khan she rocked with cobalt blue Brian Atwood heels.

I put together a group of affordable sequin mini dresses earlier this week to try and recreate this expensive look for less. Surprisingly, this type of dress, because of the obvious amount of work that would go into the sequin and bead work, is hard to find in an affordable (under $250) style that's just spot on. So I made do, finding dresses which evoked the most important elements, the shape and cut as well as the sequins and hopefully a pattern of some sort.

The winning dress I ultimately picked is this Miss Selfridge sequin dress below! It's not gold but does go well with the blue, open-toe Steve Madden pumps and gold clutch. I love the pattern on this dress too! The nude lines are actually the part of the dress which is not layered with sequins. Unfortunately this dress is not covered with sequins along the back, but the pattern and style are still really cute! Another close second was this Tahari ASL dress, which would actually look great with the gold clutch but, because of the colors, would probably have worked better with a green or coral open-toe pump. Finally, the third runner up was this sequin cocktail dress, available at Nelly.com. I love the sequin work pattern and it even has a cute keyhole in the back! The great thing is because this dress is quite short (even more so than the one Nina is wearing I think) and has a sexy cut out in the back, it isn't fitted so tight, so that helps offset it from being a total hoochie dress.

The hoochie factor is definitely something to avoid for when you get older because, while you can get away with hoochie styles when your in your teens and 20's and look completely young and fabulous, when you hit 30, something inside says "avoid the hooch!" as a signal to us to avoid that trap of looking like we are chasing our youth (bad) versus looking youthful (good). That's one of the best things I've heard via TLC's What Not to Wear. Whether you like it or not, the younger you try to look with your clothes when you get older, the older you actually look (i.e. older persons wearing teenage styles like sweatpants with words across the butt). By contrast, dressing a bit more age appropriate and taking care of your health, skin and hair actually does make one look more youthful! I've actually seen close family and friends age with style and grace but still look like they are so much younger! Let's face it, those of us who are in their 30's or older will never look like we are in our late teens again, but there's nothing to be ashamed of by aging and doing it with great style and ease. That inspires younger women to also follow suit when they get older. So while a sequin mini dress may not be within reach, the older we get, finding a similar style to coordinate with your age, (i.e. knee length if you're not comfortable with mid-thigh length anymore) goes a long way! Personally, I think people can ride the mini-skirt and short-shorts wave a bit longer than some other youthful styles! But that's just me! Know what you're comfortable with and what you think would be appropriate and go for it!

Celeb Inspired: Nina Dobrev at Comic Con 2012

Celeb Inspired: Nina Dobrev at Comic Con 2012 by sspicknall featuring platform heels

Miss Selfridge sequin dress
missselfridge.com

Steve Madden platform heels
piperlime.gap.com

Gold clutch
$62 - coast-stores.com

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Affordable Sequin Mini Dresses with Sleeves

So who knew Comic Con was a forum for fashion and red carpets? This year is the first time I actually noticed that the stars from various comic book and science fiction related movies and television shows popped up on a red carpet and showed off how cute they could be! Some took a "futuristic" approach related to a sci-fi genre like leather (see Kate Beckensale) and architectural details (see Jessica Biel), but others came just to glam it up, no sci-fi fashion references anywhere.

Nina Dobrev just blew me away with all three of her looks but my favorite one (probably because I'm going through a "loving anything sequin" phase) was this:

I love, love, LOOOOOVE this cute dress. The high crew style neckline and cap sleeves perfectly balance out the shorter hemline and the busy, flashy, sequin pattern and texture. Not only does this dress, called Piper by Farah Khan which is a whopping $1225 and still available on her website, have sequins all over, there is a great tone on tone (gold on gold with some silver) pattern created out of sequins and bead work that's just incredible! And those blue, open toe, Brian Atwood pumps are a great color pairing with the gold! Gold + Cobalt Blue = Stylish and Put Together. That's a real formula by the way. I also love how she simplifies her makeup by keeping it subtle and hair by wearing it straight and down. The dress is flashy enough that accessories aren't necessary and the simple, straight, shiny hair is probably her best accessory anyway!

In looking for a way to re-create this look on Polyvore, I came across some pretty fantastic dresses with the similar cut and shape but it was hard to find ones with a similar pattern in a similar color AND which were not "breaking the bank" expensive. Check out the dresses below! Can you guess which one I picked to recreate Nina's look? I'll be posting the winning dress and recreated look later this week! That colorful Tahari hits a lot of the same notes as Nina's look, but so do a couple of others as well.

Also check out this great Sue Wong dress I forgot to include in the collage below. While it's not covered in sequins there's a great shape to this dress and similar style with a pattern created in sequins and bead work.