Trying Nuuly: Outfit 5

 

Perhaps the only other dress in my Nuuly order that was so tempting for me to buy was this 18th Mini Dress by Selkie.  While I don't love the lace around the neck, the colors are so lovely although not terribly well portrayed in these photos.  For myself, I liked the dress, but on my daughters, I absolutely loved the dress!   Note the appearance of my taffy tom cat back there.  He really needs for you to see him, but he doesn't want to seem like he needs you to see him, so he bombed the photo and then looked away.

If you are looking for a Selkie dress, the money you can save can make a Nuuly account truly worth it.  To purchase this dress, it would cost $133.25.  Factor in the $88 rental fee divided by six items (88/6 is about $14.60) added to the purchase cost and you have $147.85.  Given that this dress cost $325 from Selkie, you're saving $177.15 (that's a little over 50%)  off the retail cost and it's very likely that you'll get a new or nearly new dress.  

This officially wraps up my shopping experience with Nuuly and overall, I would say that it was positive.  If there is a downside, I would say that I wish I could keep everything for six weeks instead of four.  Since it took nearly a week to arrive, I feel like I barely had a chance to wear everything before it was time to send it back, but oh well.  I did enjoy having new things in my wardrobe to try out and maybe they'll release some other little gems that will make me want to try this again soon.

Cherish the Calm

The new year has dawned and I still have a little bit of hope that things will straighten up and turn out alright, the greater part of me feels like the world is in a tailspin and there's no pulling up.  That's for the world at large.  Personally I'm trying very hard to have order in my life, to make things better however I can.

After the calm comes the storm.  I suppose that's the reverse of how that old saying goes but for me it's not a matter of weathering the storms but expecting them.  It's that sense of unease when things are too quiet.  (This dress by the way, was one of my freebies from J.ING.  I'm so disappointed that they ended the $100 prize for submitting reviews!)

Anytime I get a nice little break from work or life in general it is immediately followed by a tempestuous season of high activity the likes of which a few days preemptive rest have barely readied me for. 

That's why I take my peace and quiet so seriously.  I know they won't last and if I don't make the most of them, I won't make it through the next storm with my health and sanity intact.

Right now I am in the middle of one of my busiest, and most physically demanding weeks of the year, so I am thankful for every morning I slept in, every healthy meal I took time to prepare, every quiet moment spent in reflection, staring out a window lost in thought.  I'll just have to hope that it's enough to get me through this crazy week so I can rest again and prepare for the next one on the way.

Shopping Info:  Melissa Black Bow Tie Dress-$69.99 from J.ING

Selkie Savings Goals

Selkie is having a sale right now and there's this one dress that I want soooooo badly.  But, here is a very hard truth:  As much as I love Selkie Dresses, they don't love me back.  I absolutely adore the prints, but Selkie's styles look truly awful on me.  I know I'm not alone because I see so many Selkie Dresses for sale that are either "just tried on" or "only worn for photos."  In a certain pose the dresses can look nice, but they're just not for regular wear.

Selkies are short where they should be long, and shockingly short where they could be tasteful mini dresses, extremely expensive for what more and more begins to feel like "fast fashion," poofy to the point of being overwhelming, and the size chart is baffling, and the list of complaints on the forums about dresses arriving defective and Selkie refusing returns keeps growing by the day.  Oh, Selkie, WHY?!

The Ritz gown for example is perfect in every way except it's waaaaay to long to wear on a daily basis.  The puff dresses have no waist, which most women need, so I thought I'd try this Royal Puff from a resale site.  It has more of a waist and it's the right length, but it's 80% sleeves!  I feel like I'm swimming in this dress.

And yet, I love several of the Spring 2022 collection prints.  Love Them!  So, I've been saving up to buy two or three when they release in a couple of months.  I'm glad I paid attention during the fashion week release so I know about how much to save and now I have six months in which to work on saving.  That's one of my strategies for buying pretty dresses is to save up for a few months until I can afford them because I don't do credit card debt and I can't have my family making sacrifices for my dress obsession. 

In the mean time, I intend to do a little tailoring to this dress, because I have plenty of dresses that are for special occasions only and I don't need anymore.  So, these sleeves have got to go and while I'm at it, I may take the entire bottom ruffle off my Ritz Gown too.  These dresses shouldn't just be for photos

Shopping Info:  Selkie Royal Puff in Cherry Blossoms from Poshmark

The Return of Date Night

The days are getting longer, the sun is shining a little brighter, and it is finally time to start shedding those layers!  I look forward to these warm summer days each year almost as much as I look forward to my collaboration with FemmeLuxe each month.  If you're new to reading my blog, then you should know that each month the lovely people at FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk send over a few items for me to try and share with fellow fashionistas like you.  This month, in my honest but humble opinion, I have some really spectacular outfits planned and I am so excited to share them with you, I had a hard time deciding which one to do first.  

In the end, I decided to lead with this little shock of electric blue also known as the Royal Blue Ruched Cowl Neck Bodycon Mini Dress--Sofie.  I thought it was a great lead in to this month's collaboration because for the first time in so many months, it's warm enough for me to wear a mini dress and not get goosebumps, hooray!  I got up before sunrise this morning to go out and take these photos, (my photographer was not pleased about having to be up so early, but he good naturedly came along and I bought him coffee on the way which further improved his his mood) and even though the sun was just coming up when we arrived at this location, I didn't need a wrap or coat to wear while we walked to this street.  Forget about dates and meteorology, me being outdoors and comfortable is how I know it is finally summer.

It feels like it has been ages since I've been out, not just due to quarantine restrictions, I feel like I hadn't been out long before that.  Maybe I tend to stick close to home in the winter months all warm and cozy in my loungewear or T-shirts and joggers, or maybe, and I think this is the more accurate of the two possibilities, my schedule was overly full and I didn't realize it until everything shut down and I had the chance to breathe again and see just how many things were taking up my time.  I feel like I had let some of the important things, like setting aside time to go out on a date with Mr. Bleu.  

There is something about a slinky dress on a summer date night that I cannot resist and since many restaurants are reopening, I hope to wear this flirtatious little mini dress on date night soon.  There are some really great things about a mini dress like Sofie.  For starters, how about this brilliant royal blue?!  Talk about stunning, and the fit is amazing.  I love how comfortable this Sofie dress is too.  Short, sassy, but it lets me breathe and comfort is extremely important to me.  I don't mind suffering for fashion now and then, but I'll skip it for something more relaxed and enjoyable if I can.  Fortunately the Sofie dress is both very fashionable and comfortable.

Another great feature of the Sofie Dress is this lovely draped cowl neck which gives a softened feminine neckline.  I always trust FemmeLuxe's clothes to make me look fab and one of my favorite features on their bodycon dresses is ruching which this dress has plenty of.  If you feel insecure about wearing a bodycon dress, ruching  provides a visual camouflage for trouble zones.  And, as always, I try to note if I'm wearing any shape wear.  In this instance I am wearing a half slip which does not really do much shaping but does provide a smoother silhouette, which I love.  

I accessorized this dress just as I will when I get to wear it on date night, which will hopefully be very soon.  I kept things simple and classic with pearl earrings and a pearl necklace and some new shiny peep toe patent leather pumps in black.  Tomorrow I have another stunning dress to showcase for you, so please come back and join me again on Tuesday for a little something in white.

Shopping Info: Royal Blue Ruched Cowl Neck Bodycon Mini Dress - Sofie from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk, heels by Aldo, Fresh Water Pearl Earrings from Natuloth

A Warm Jumper and a Cup of Coffee

Another quiet Sunday morning in this sleepy little town and I thought this old truck would make nice backdrop for some photos this morning. It has been cloudy for weeks and it seems like everywhere I go people are taking notice of dreary it's been lately. Personally I have been feeling a little nostalgic for the Pacific Northwest and that tiny little island in the frozen sea where we spent three years of perpetual winter and gloom. 

 I know that sort of description doesn't make it sound like the sort of place I should miss now that I'm not there, but in spite of all the cold and fog and rain, I have some wonderful memories of long walk with my little girls on rainy afternoons all huddled under the same umbrella or down to the icy ocean to look but not touch for fear of hypothermia. Good times.

So, while others are starting to getting a little case of the winter blues, I've been taking these cloudy days in stride, because they remind me of happy times and because I know that even though it seems like winter will never end, it always does. As winter stretches on just a little longer and the busyness of life shows no signs of slowing down, it is nice to have something warm and comfortable to wear around the house or out running errands. I decided to go out for coffee this morning to this wonderful local shop that roasts their own beans and has the friendliest service around. It's funny how no matter how chilly it is outside and hot cup of coffee and a nice cozy sweater like this Grey High Neck Bodycon Jumper Dress - Esmelia can warm your heart as well as your body.

It is FemmeLuxe week here on the blog and I'm so excited to share my outfits with you this month. For today's post, and since it is still quite chilly outside, let's focus on the warm and fuzzy world of sweater mini dresses. You may remember last month that I wore a couple of sweaters from FemmeLuxe. The topics for those posts covered chic casual wear and how to wear a mini dress as a tunic and vice versa. You can see those posts here and here. I was so pleased with how both of those sweaters looked that I wanted to try another sweater and leggings post.

FemmeLuxe's sweaters look so polished and chic and yet they feel so comfortable that I could not resist adding another one to February's collaboration with FemmeLuxe and I knew exactly which sweater I wanted to showcase. This Esmelia sweater dress is so soft, with a nice ribbed pattern, mock turtle neck and just the right amount of stretch, and the perfect length for wearing with leggings. Although the Esmelia jumper could be worn as a mini dress, and I think it will look quite stylish that way, especially with a nice wide belt and heels, today is all about comfort so I thought I'd wear it as a tunic instead.

Last month for my sweater posts when I wore my sweaters as tunics, I chose a bright comic print to go with the bright pink sweater and a snake print accompanied the black sweater, so this time I thought I would go for gingham. Gingham is an understated print, especially in black and white, that I think it goes perfectly with the pale gray of the Esmelia Dress. 

Gray is a neutral color so it goes with anything which means the outfit potential is limitless. In the future I would like to try pairing my Esmelia jumper with bright red leggings, maybe in a shiny PU leather like FemmeLuxe's Skylar Trousers, a wide black belt, and black heels for something a little more edgy. But today is all about relaxing in comfort, so I'll save that outfit for another day and for now, I'll just enjoy my walk, my hot cup of coffee, and my nice cozy sweater.

Shopping Info: Sweater from FemmeLuxe, Pants from Shein

Deconstructing the Dress

Well, the snow has pretty much melted and while I'll miss that glorious glow of fluffy snow covering everything, the woods have returned to their winter loveliness and still make for a great photo backdrop, plus it's about 20 degrees warmer than it was in the snow and that gives me a little more incentive to leave the fireside so early in the morning.  The clouds have cleared away and the morning sunlight is already coming up over the crest of the hillside.  It's going to be a lovely day and this lighting is just right for pics.  I put together this little outfit as a fun and flirty look for an evening out with friends or perhaps a special event, but as I admired the final product, something occurred to me that I wanted to share with you today.

Very often when I do my outfit photos all you, the reader, see is the finished product of a sometimes long and always very thoughtful process.  All of my considerations and trial and error occur at home or in my mind, so I thought for today's post I do a little outfit deconstruction.  In this way I can take you through the process I use in putting an outfit together to help you better create your own looks at home.  So, let's get started. 

For today's velvet crush post I am wearing the Pink Glitter Velvet Strappy Mini Dress - Beau which comes from my collaboration partner, FemmeLuxe.  FemmeLuxe has such a great selection of clothing, I like their Slinky Dresses and Glitter Crop Tops, and I am so pleased they have added a great assortment of velvet dresses this season so that I can carry on with my velvet crush series well into the new year.  Not only is this Beau dress a lovely velvet dress, but it is such a great shade of bubble gum pink and it has that great little added effect of silver glitter throughout.  This would be such a great dress for Valentine's Day; already I'm in love!

 

The next part of my process is to determine which colors to accent with.  Because the Beau dress is such a strong statement color, I chose basic black for all my add-ons starting with strappy black flats to keep the look a little more casual.  Right away I wanted to add chunky black statement jewelry.   Normally accessories should be last, but when it's right, it's right.  Then I added a belt at the narrowest part of my waist.  

Now, we could stop the look right there and it would look great, but just for that little extra something let's see what it looks like with a crop cardigan.

Notice how the cardigan and the belt are in the same line creating that very strong waistline and giving me more of an hourglass shape.  This really only comes with a crop cardigan like this.  The Beau dress is a mini dress, but it's also a bodycon dress, and while I often like to pair form fitting items with flowy ones, I didn't want to lose the shape that the dress is creating by covering it under a drapey wrap. 

 

Without the cardigan (or a jacket of some kind)  it's still a great outfit.  It's cute and colorful.  And.......

 

Without the belt it's still a great outfit, but put them together and it is a stand-out kind of outfit.  Some things are made to go together and belts and crop cardis are a match made in heaven.

And last but certainly not least, it's time to chose just the right bag to go with it.  A simple black clutch would be perfect, but a novelty bag would be so much fun, so I decided to go with this Betsey Johnson phone purse (yes, the phone really does work as a blue tooth headset, but it's not exactly ideal in this hands-free world).  I've had this bag for nearly three years and I just have not found the right outfit with which to accessorize it.  As I was standing back, looking at all that my closet had to offer, it occurred to me that it was finally this bag's time to shine.

So, this outfit is complete.  I love everything about it, in particular this gorgeous Beau dress  and I have really loved doing this outfit deconstruction post, so look for more posts like this in the months to come.

Shopping Info:Pink Glitter Velvet Strappy Mini Dress - Beau from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk, Dream of the Crop Cardigan from ModCloth, Flats from Charlotte Russe, Betsey Johnson Bag

The Difference Between Mini Dresses & Tunics

Today was another snow day.  Huzzah!  All this lovely snow creates the perfect backdrop for photos and what better way to break out some great winter styles than set against a winter wonderland.Today's post involves a fair question and one that virtually every savvy shopper and even the most devoted fashionista has had to ask at least once:  What exactly is the difference between a Mini Dress and a Tunic?

The reason we've all asked this question can be found in the answer itself--not much.

Mini dresses and tunics are so close to one another that it is easy to get confused.  Fortunately fashion is forgiving and experimentation is encouraged!  Tunics are typically thought of as very loose, long shirts while mini dresses can be either form fitting or swing skirt style.  But in modern fashion trends, we now find that there are plenty of tunics that are fitted, with some even having a built in waist or a peplum. and plenty of babydoll style mini dress.  (checkout my babydoll dress post from 2016) 

Since there is so little difference between mini dresses and tunics, I thought I'd kick off FemmeLuxe week with this Pink Knitted One Shoulder Mini Dress- Macie worn as both a mini dress and a tunic to demonstrate the subtle difference. FemmeLuxe isn't just my favorite shop for cute mini dresses, I also love their Mesh Sleeve Dresses and PU Leggings.  Every month I look forward to FemmeLuxe week as it presents me the opportunity to really focus on fashion topics and get a little experimental with current trends as well as revive some of those vintage styles I love so much.

So, let's say we've found something spectacular, can't-do-without-it, how do we style it?  The rules for this are pretty simple: Style a tunic with leggings or skinny jeans; style a mini dress with bare legs or tights.  Going based solely on length, my average tunic top is about 28-31"/77-78cm long.  A mini dress is generally defined as a dress that is falling no lower than four inches below the buttocks, which for my height (5'6"/167cm) is about 29-31"77-78cm.  Anything shorter than 4"/10cm below your bum is a top, so please, oh, please, do not wear tights or leggings with it; wear jeans or trousers.

I chose this Macie Mini Dress for this little demonstration for a couple of reasons.  First off, I love the color and the wonderful thick cable fabric.  It's perfect for this time of year, which as you can see, is quite chilly.  I woke up this morning to a fresh dusting of snow on the ground, so a sweater dress was the perfect pick.  Even though it was snowing while I took photos I stayed warm and hardly noticed the weather and that makes an outdoor winter photo shoot so much more enjoyable. 

I wanted to basically keep everything the same in this outfit except for the one main factor that separates a mini dress from a tunic and that is leg wear.  So, for outfit number one it's just the dress with a few little pieces added to finish the look.  I kept the color palette simple by only using black accents in the form of black ankle strap heels and accessories.  I chose a thick belt and wore it at the narrowest part of my waist.  It's important to use a thick belt with chunky knit fabric like this because a skinny belt would not create enough contrast to really show off the waist.  Instead it would be lost against the cable knit.  

So, with a chunky belt and a chunky knit, all that was needed to accessorize was some chunky jewelry.  One shoulder dresses make such a strong statement at the neckline on their own, there's no need to accessorize further with a necklace.  However, statement earrings pair quite nicely with this neckline which is why I chose these glossy black paisley earrings.

For outfit number two, the mini dress becomes a tunic with the addition of leggings.  Remember when you wear leggings, your top should be long enough to fully cover your bum, especially if the leggings are made of a thin fabric.  I chose these fun novelty print comic book leggings just for the demonstration, but you could easily wear solid color leggings or skinny jeans instead.  I just happened to be feeling a little whimsical today but, who knows, maybe next time I'll try some PU leggings.

Shopping Info:  Macie dress from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk, Leggings from: SHEIN, Belt from ModCloth

A Little Sparkle

Keeping the best of winter, those glittering ice crystals, for the warmer days ahead.

Shop the Look:

Sequin dress by Haoduoyi