Thursday, March 22, 2012

My Style >> Tiny Umbrellas and Coral Poppies


Confession: I debated on and off for several hours (okay, days) whether or not this post should make it to the blog.  This is because, as you can see, the quality of the photographs is borderline atrocious.  I quickly snapped these shots in the evening before meeting a friend for a glass of wine, via my tripod, inside my house, with way too little light, blah blah blah.  If you're rolling your eyes right now, I totally get it.  It's an outfit post, Melissa.  It's not a post on the state of the world or philosophy or spirituality or anything even slightly profound.  But these shots came out all sorts of grainy and out of focus and I look a little like a feature-less alien.  And I just felt like if you can't really see the details of the images in a style post, then what's the point?  Needless to say, I decided to stop obsessing and post the damn thing, because I really like the outfit.  And hey, we're all friends here.  (P.S. At least I'm not whining about my dreamy gaze posing this time, right?)


I originally bought this dress to wear in Mexico back in January, and although I did wear it for a couple of hours for dinner there one evening, it was just a little too dressy for a lazy beach vacation.  I assumed it would be hiding in my closet until summertime, so I was pretty excited when the weather turned unseasonably warm last week and I was able to wear it this weekend.  When I saw this dress in the store, I just about died over the print.  It's tiny black polka dots scattered among little black vintage-looking umbrellas, which is basically the cutest thing ever.  The cut is great too, and the fabric drapes really nicely, so I snatched it right up.  (Which doesn't often happen when I'm browsing Forever 21.  I try to avoid buying there, but that's a whole different post.)   I was also thrilled to finally get to wear these shoes, which have been hibernating for the winter.  I bought them last summer but only had the chance to wear them twice before the cold arrived.  They are the most amazing shade of blue-green and have the coolest floral print on the wedges.  I plan to wear them much more often this spring.

I wanted the shoes to pop a little so I went with my old standbys (earthy eggplant colored tights), threw on some faux leather hoop earrings I made a few years ago, along with a muted brown belt and bracelet.  I mentioned my infatuation with adding pops of bright color to outfits in my last style post, and I think it was the yellow cocktail ring and coral clutch that made this look complete for me. I adore this clutch.  Anne from Sir Tom let me pick it out and sent it all the way from my beloved Australia.  It's organic cotton and the color is just brilliant.  My favorite part, though, is the subtle poppy on the front, which was hand screen printed on to the fabric.  Love.

Dress: Forever 21  //  Belt and bracelet: thrifted  //  Tights: Target  //  Earrings: made them
Shoes: Born Concept //  Ring: c/o Kendra Scott Jewelry  //  Clutch: c/o Sir Tom

There's definitely a lot going on in this look, but one of my favorite trends this season is combining patterns and colors that you normally wouldn't see together.  I also think it would look really cute dressed down with a denim jacket and bare legs.  All I know is that if I style it like that in the future and decide to feature it again, I'll be taking better pictures.  Mark my words.


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20 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, so cute!!!! That dress is adorbs and I love it with those shoes!!!

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  2. Don't be so silly! You look so cute and the photos look great! :)

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  3. Great ensemble! The tiny umbrellas are ridiculously adorable and btw I think your photos turned out great :D

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  4. I think you did just fine and the outfit is very cute! :)

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  5. I love the shoes! Love the floral print on the wedge. And I don't think the pictures look bad at all...I think you did good:))

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  6. oh melissa, you must have super high photo standards. i thought they looked fine. which suggests my standards are low. i wore tights the same color yesterday. fun shoes, & the print on the wedges too. i like the dress print with bracelet & whole color ensemble. i always like seeing the guitar. now you're going to have to explain the Forever 21 thing, for now i'm curious, missy. ;)

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    1. The Forever 21 thing is a post in itself :). They have super cute, on trend clothing, and it's affordable. Which is awesome. And a lot of it is made in the USA, which is doubly awesome. But there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the possibility of them stealing designs from independent designers and unfair labor practices(ie sweatshops). Regardless of media scandals, as a designer who produces locally, I know how much it costs to fairly produce a garment, especially in the USA. So I have to wonder how clothing that sells for that low of a price point could be fairly made. I do shop there occasionally, and there is no doubt that I love some of their clothes. I just try not to do it on a regular basis. :)

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  7. i really like how you styled the dress w/the colorful clutch and shoes. on trend but still unique.

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  8. I just discovered your blog and I absolutely adore it! It's the epitome of perfection and your sense if style is impeccable xxx

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  9. I'm a big fan of sandals with tights. Love your look ♥
    www.tributetothetribe.com
    xoxo from Paris

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  10. Maybe I'm just blind, but I can't see anything wrong with your pictures! I do the same thing--stand in front of a wall or door and try to act like I'm not doing a photoshoot by myself. But now that you mention it, I DO end up with a lot of bad ones. Hmmm...

    Anyway, that dress is adorable. :-)

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  11. i love this outfit so much! especially the shoes :)

    http://saramadebeth.wordpress.com

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  12. That umbrella print is sooo pretty! The black and white really pops against your eggplant tights xx

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  13. Thank you guys for the sweet comments - especially about the photos. :) Once I reduced the images sizes (note that they're not full size images), the quality appears better. I was just frustrated with the lack of dimension and detail (and the graininess), because the dress is so cute and the photos don't do it justice. Or maybe I'm just being a ridiculous perfectionist and I need to go drink a glass of Cabernet and chill. ;) xo, m

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  14. Christen PhaneufMarch 22, 2012 9:49 PM

    I have that dress too and love it!! thanks for showing me a new way to wear it :)

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  15. girl! you are sooo pretty and i LOVE your outfit! it's soo fresh and fun! :)

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  16. I just bought a white patterned dress and had no idea how to style it then saw this on Pinterest and voila! Perfect! Very, very cute.

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