Brunching and Munching

We were lucky to have pretty amazing weather this fall - it's only just beginning to get wintery. These photos are from a couple of weeks ago, when Dave & I went out for delicious brunch with his sister and her husband. It was so warm, I didn't even need my sweater! All the better to show off this sweet little cat-print dress that I picked up using a gift card to H&M that I won on La Fille D'Or's blog - thanks again, Suzz! Oh, and you can't see them very well, but the cats are wearing tiny bow ties. TINY. BOW TIES. Perfection!

Dress: H&M

Sweater: from a local boutique
Wool tights: J. Crew
Bag: vintage by Morris Moskowitz
Shoes: Born

Photos by Dave

A winner is announced!

Did you know that Shiro is very good at judging contests? I woke him up from his nap so he could tell me the winner of the Shabby Apple giveaway. Who won the Boogie Woogie dress, Shiro?



Out of the 18 eligible entries, comment #14 was the winner - jenpru! Congratulations! Keep an eye on your inbox; I'll be contacting you shortly so you can claim your prize.

To everyone else, thank you for all your entries and kind words. To those of you who've chosen to follow the blog, an extra thanks for that - I hope I can keep you entertained! I had a lot of fun running this giveaway, and hope to have the opportunity to do more someday. Thanks again to the kind folks at Shabby Apple for their generosity!

The photo credit goes to Dave!

Industry

Oh, you know. Just hanging in front of an industrial wall, as fashion bloggers do. All bundled up for the fall chill. I've been wearing this jacket and these gloves all season long - they're my autumn workhorses, for sure. I forgot exactly what we did this day, but I do remember going to the bargain book outlet and snagging a couple of sweet deals, including a vintage, Bradley-style, Japanese pose doll. I forgot to take a photo of her; she has pretty violet hair and looks amazing sitting next to my kitschy poodle. Actually, Dave bought her for me, because he's sweet like that. I also bought a book about famous Siamese twins Chang and Eng, and a trashy novel about beautiful, tortured ballerinas. All in all, a pretty good haul, I think.





Trench: Priorities
Dress: Urban Outfitters, so old
Wool tights: J. Crew
Handbag: vintage, Morris Moskowitz
Boots: Industry via Modcloth
Gloves: Modcloth
Key necklace: Erica Weiner

Photos by Dave

P.S. - Don't forget that I'm still running the Shabby Apple giveaway!

Surprise - It's a Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

You guys, you guys, you guys! I'm so excited I hardly know what to say! I've been approached by several different magazines and companies while running this blog, but nothing's really grabbed me. If I don't believe in something, I don't post about it. When Shabby Apple contacted me to do a giveway, however, I jumped at the chance to pick out a pretty dress for you! It's not about to become giveaway central over here, but I've long been a fan of their vintage-inspired women's dresses, so I just couldn't resist. Please allow me to show some of my personal faves, so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about. If you want to know more about one of the dresses, click on the picture to magically be transported to its home:


I love, love, love this dress and just may have to get it for myself.

Classic? Check. Ladylike? Check. Insanely flipping cute? Triple check! Also, did you know that they donate 5% of their net sales to a women's charity? I think that is too awesome.

Okay, so this is the dress I chose to give away to a reader. Are you ready? Brace yourself; it's a stunner:

It's called the Boogie Woogie Dress, and I thought it was just too perfect for the upcoming holiday party season (though I'd probably try to get away with wearing it to the office, too)! I love the floral appliques on the skirt, and the jersey bodice makes it so comfy to wear.

The nitty gritty:
The winner must have a US shipping address (sorry, international buddies), and there are no exchanges for the winning dress. I'll be accepting entries until Sunday, November 13, and the winner will be randomly chosen on Monday, November 14.

So what do you have to do to win?

-You must "like" Shabby Apple on Facebook, then come back here and leave a comment telling me you did so. Don't forget to leave me your email or blog address so I can get in touch with you.

-For an extra entry, please follow my blog! Don't forget to leave a second comment to let me know.

Also, Shabby Apple would like to extend a 10% off coupon code for their website, valid for 30 days. Just enter "misshiccup10off" at checkout to get your discount.

Thanks, folks, and good luck!

*************This giveaway is now closed.****************

Anniversary Adventures!

These photos are a month old and making me wish for the sun so much, as well as an excuse to wear this utterly perfect dress again. After coveting t.b.a.'s S/S '11 collection all season long, and just missing out on my top-favorite ballerina dress on website after website (it kept selling out before my eyes), I decided to treat myself to my second-favorite dress from the collection - this one - when it finally went on sale on ASOS this summer. It was a bit of a splurge, but I'm glad I went for it because the dress is GORGEOUS, comfortable, and fits perfectly. It's also made of some of the nicest, softest silk I've ever felt. My one regret is that it's too short to wear for work.

Since it's a special dress, I saved it for a special occassion to wear it for the first time: my one year (paper!) anniversary with my husband. The weather was perfect, especially for late September. We went for brunch buffet at the Roycroft, which is not-so-coincidentally where we got married (followed by a brunch reception!), and were able to eat outside on their beautiful porch. Brunch comes with a complimentary beverage there - I love when that happens! I also love when my drink unintentionally matches my outfit:


Mmm, poinsettia.

We also explored their stunning gardens, where the flowers were still in full bloom:


Then we went back home and I posed to the maxx. How about a closeup of those cute, sheer insets at the shoulder and collar?








Oh, and the shoes! They're really intense AllSaints wedges purchased with a gift card I won on Keiko Lynn's blog. I LOVE them - they're super high quality, definitely amp up an outfit, and are surprisingly comfy!



Thanks for visiting, buddies!

Dress: t.b.a. via ASOS sales
Shoes: AllSaints
Bag: vintage, via my aunt & mom. Sadly, the strap bit the dust over vacation. :(

Photos by Dave. I love that guy so much!

Bargain Bounty Hunter Attack!

I wore this outfit to work last week. Ugh, work - boring! Not an exotic locale for an outfit debut at all. This look is pretty exciting to me though, because it's full of my favorite designer labels purchased at a supreme bargain (also because I think it's pretty, duh).

My mom found the top at Filene's (or was it Filene's Basement?) several years ago. The price tag proclaimed it was Prada, though the inner tag just says "Made in Italy." A little odd, especially since Filene's has a great reputation, one that is not associated with selling counterfeits or misrepresenting designers. Regardless, the top was cute and cheap so she picked it up (originally for herself, though she ended up giving it to me - thanks, Mom!). I don't suppose anyone out there recognizes it, do they?

The no-name cardi was purchased for my high school graduation, erm, over 10 years ago! It's made of knitted plastic, which adds textural interest to any outfit, but I don't wear it much because it doesn't breathe.



The spectators? Ferragamos I found on ebay several years ago for a mere $10! Including the box! Barely worn! They are some of my nicest shoes.

The skirt is the most exciting to me. I am a huge, huge Marni fan and that label is way, way out of my budget, even at 70% off or more on discount sites. I had my eye on this skirt in particular for months, swooning over it every time I saw it on The Outnet or similar. A couple of weeks ago Gilt had a final sale, and there was the skirt, one left in my size, at a price I could actually afford!!!! And now it is mine and I love it. I can't wait to wear it with short-sleeved vintage cashmere sweaters in the fall! Oh, that's soon!

So that's my extra long-winded Bargain Bounty Hunter story. I'd love to know your favorite clothing coup, sale swoop, what have you! Please leave them in the comments, and thanks very much! <3



Cardi: from high school! made of plastic!
Cami: Prada????? we'll never know!!!!
Skirt: Marni!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG
Shoes: Ferragamo, I love you

Photos by Dave , cute hubby grand supreme

Ace of Lace

I've just gotta show off this perfect little lace jacket that my sister gave to me for my birthday last month. She found it at an estate sale. It is so delicate, and has a perfect little peter pan collar and a wonderful boxy fit. I'm pretty sure it's from the 60s! I wore this to work a couple of weeks ago and felt super fancy.



I also experimented with dark nail polish. I think it counteracted the sweetness of the lace quite nicely. It's almost edgy - and I say "almost" because I figured out a long time ago that I just can't do edgy at all. Or witchy. Or cool. But I'm fine with girly, sweet, and dorky! Work whatcha got!



60s lace jacket: gift from my sister
Camisole: Urban Outfitters
Pencil skirt: American Apparel (years old now and looking a bit tired; I need to upgrade!)
Heels: Me Too

Photos by Dave