A Dress For A Guest At A Wedding (Part V)

I decided to keep both dresses:  One for the rehearsal dinner and one for the wedding.  I just need a smaller size since I've lost weight since I bought these.  Hopefully, after all this work, the dresses are available in a smaller size.  Anyway, here are the dresses I picked for each occasion and the accessories I've chosen.  Enjoy!

Nanette Lepore 'Evita" dress (this dress is also at Nordstrom) with black and off-white two-toned, patent leather shoes, Yves Saint Laurent patent leather clutch in red and faux turquoise danglers from Fringe in Manhattan Beach (310) 316-9100.

For the wedding, I choose the more formal Trina Turk 'Princess' dress and paired it with a white jacket from The Limited because the dress was sleeveless.  To keep it formal, I'm wearing the pearl semi-choker and matching pearl earrings.  I offered to loan them to the bride but she wanted something more modern.  Cool beans for me, I say. 

The Tasha handband has a flower made from feathers and a little netted veil.  I believe a hat or fascinator with a veil is worn behind your head at a wedding (unless you're the bride) and forward to cover your face at a funeral.  If it's a hat for a cocktail party then those rules don't apply. 

I tried to order the Adina hat from Alice Hart but she didn't respond so I found two hats from Circa Vintage in New Bedford.  This feathered headband reminds me of the ballerina headband in Black Swan. 

I love this little black hat with bows on the side but it's made out of wool and may be the wrong fabric as well as too hot to wear at a June wedding.

Here is the same YSL patent leather clutch in black.  I really like the red for a splash of color but this way I've matched the patent leather, black Trina Turk belt to the shoes and the clutch.  Too boring?

Cheers,

Katie

Oh, I'll Just Eat My Hat!

As soon as I said I wanted to wear a hat, the crazy lady jokes started.  

How I smiled and took their jokes with aplomb.  Finally they asked, "Are you still going to wear the hat?"

I winked, "Absolutely!"

Seems I'm not the only one thinking hats as Marc Jacobs featured these adorable polka dot beauties at NY Fashion Week.  Yum.

I don't know how soon these hats will be in stores but I checked my local department stores to see what is available.  First, Nordstrom had fascinators comparable to Harrods in the U.K.

 Feather flower birdcage hat by Tasha at Nordstrom.

Feather flower fascinator by Nerida Fraiman at Harrods.

Feather flower fascinator by Nigel Rayment at Harrods

Second, Saks and Bloomingdales have two interesting options but Neimans had zilch for the season.  What's up with that?

Paper Audrey Hat by Helene Berman at Saks.

Straw Braid 'Celeb' Hat with Bow by Eric Javits at Bloomingdales.

In my search for the perfect hat, I found this beautiful photo on a blog called Bride Chic.  There are some great hats on this site!  I loved the creations by Jane Taylor and Alice Hart!

Birdcage hat by Ellen Christine Millinery on Bride Chic.

Cocktail hat with peacock feathers by Jane Taylor.  The hat doesn't go with my dresses but it is beyond awesome!

This fascinator by Jane Taylor would go better with my dress.

I love this black and white birdcage hat with feathers by Alice Hart.

This black cocktail hat by Alice Hart is pretty cute too!

If you have a favorite milliner, send me their name!

Cheers,

Katie

A Dress For A Guest At A Wedding (Part IV)

How often does a lady get to wear a glamorous black hat or black and white hat to a special event? 

Style innovator, Coco Chanel.

A photo from Vogue magazine.

Fiona Campbell at Royal Ascot (1953).

Grace Kelly, the future Princess of Monaco, en route to Monaco. 

Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Perhaps more often then you think...

SJP wearing Chanel in "Sex and the City."

Isabella Blow modeling a Philip Treacy hat.

Erin O'Connor in Stephen Jones hat at Royal Ascot.

The Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie at Royal Ascot.

Kate Middleton at wedding.

The incorrigible Lady Gaga.

So why not wear a summer hat or fascinator to my brother's wedding?  Any suggestions for a hat or milliner?  So far I have Vivian Sheriff and Whiteley Fischer but I'm sure there are more milliners out there!

Hat #1

Hat #2

Hat #3

Hat #4

Cheers,

Katie

A Dress For A Guest At A Wedding (Part III)

For weddings and special occasions, ladies everywhere take their pearls and gems out of the bank safe, clean them off and put them on.  Costume jewelry is fun for every occasion but real jewelry sees the light when a lady and her family want to reflect status and tradition.  I keep mine in a bank safe along with my will as these pieces are my inheritance and it's my responsibility to keep them safe and pass them on to the next generation.  

1.  This strand of pearls and these pearl studs surrounded by moonstones were a sweet sixteen present.  It became popular in Europe during the late Georgian and early Victorian periods to give children coral and seed pearls as gifts as well as in America during the Federal period immediately after the American Revolution.  Pearls are associated with innocence and purity, and were believed to be ideal pieces of jewelry to be gifted to a girl on her 16th or 18th birthday, as her first formal piece of jewelry or to a bride on her wedding day.  President Abraham Lincoln, purchased a suite of seed pearl jewelry, consisting of a necklace and two bracelets, from Tiffany & Co. for his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, to be worn at his inauguration, held on Saturday, March 4, 1865.   Today, monogrammed silver gifts from Tiffany & Co. are the preferred gift for children. 

2a.  My grandmother's Akoya pearl necklace and pearl studs surrounded by diamonds.  I loved this necklace when she wore it so she willed it to me because my birthday is in June and my birthstone is the pearl.

   2b.  A strand of pearls and studs are standard pieces of jewelry for a lady as the set worn by Lady Diana Spencer demonstrates. 

 3a.   My grandmother's pearl necklace with my mother's sapphire and diamond earrings.  The earrings matched her sapphire and diamond engagement ring.  I received the ring and earrings after my mother remarried.  I love them but maybe, out of respect for my mother, I shouldn't wear the sapphires to my brother's wedding.

3b. Sapphires were popular after the engagement of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer but my father bought the ring and earrings before the royal wedding so kudos to him for good taste!  Allegedly, Lady Diana picked the ring because her mother's engagement ring was also a Ceylon blue sapphire.  Sapphires are sure to make a comeback now Kate (or Catherine) Middleton is wearing Diana's famous sapphire and diamond ring. 

4a.   My grandmother's South Sea pearl drop earrings. 

 4b.  The new Diana, Princess of Wales, wore a pair like them in this post-wedding ceremony photo as pearl drop earrings have been in every lady's jewelry box since ancient times.  Probably the most famous portrait of a woman wearing a pearl drop earring is Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (1665).

 5a.   My mother's sweet sixteen pearl and diamond danglers and matching semi choker.  I received this set as a college graduation present.  You can't see the top of the earrings very well but the flower is a delicate and lovely tulip.  I love wearing this set with a black or dark blue velvet dress on special occasions. 

5b.  Lady Diana Spencer wore similar pearl danglers in this photo by Lord Snowdon.  I think my grandmother's necklace goes better with my Trina Turk dress so I was thinking of lending this set to the bride in case she needs to wear something "old" or "borrowed" on her big day!

6a.  These Art Deco pearl and diamond danglers were my great-grandmother's earrings.  She may have inherited them from her mother.  I was amazed she had them as I figured they would have been sold during the Great Depression as many families sold precious heirlooms to survive during America's worst economic crisis.

6b. Lady Diana Spencer wore her mother's large pearl and diamond earrings for her engagement and wedding so I won't wear mine to my brother's wedding but save them for my wedding.  As one can see from the photos, big jewels go better with a gown than a dress!

To learn more about coral and pearls Vendome Press's "Living Jewels" is extraordinary.  I bought this book at "Solo" in Solana Beach when I was visiting my family for Thanksgiving but you can buy it online at Amazon.

Cheers,
Katie

A Dress For A Guest At A Wedding (Part II)

Here is my second choice for a dress for my brother's summer wedding. 

The Nanette Lepore "Evita" dress is really different and just adorable for summer.  The more I look at it, the more romantic it gets.  I was watching "Frida" a few nights ago and I thought, "That's it!  It's like a little Mexican bridal dress!"   In it, I feel like a Mayan princess on the island of Cozumel.

As much as I love the "Evita" dress, this Trina Turk "Princess" dress caught my eye with it's ladylike cut, thin patent leather belt and fun geometric shapes.  This cut is more conservative and therefore more appropriate for a wedding.  However, the inspired DVF pattern of geometric shapes in striking black and white gives this proper, little dress a joie de vivre kick.  A fun fact: The contrasting colors of black and white were de rigueur for Diane de Poitiers, famed beauty and mistress of Henry II of France.

Adding a jacket to the sleeveless Trina Turk dress helps to make the look more formal. This sateen one-button jacket in white from The Limited goes perfectly and it's 40% off!   

But, but, but I should not refer to mistresses when we are talking about weddings!  What I love about this Trina Turk dress is when I twirl in it I feel like Charlotte from "Sex And The City."  Here are the accessories I paired the dress with so tell me what you think!

1.  For summer fun, I paired this dress with bright yellow accessories like this Kate Spade patent leather handbag and yellow danglers.  To match the patent leather belt and ladylike feel, I chose a patent leather, closed-toe Christian Dior heel in black.  The only thing that bothers me about these shoes are the buckles are silver and the belt is trimmed in gold but I love the shine!

2. Valentino satin clutch in red with flower earrings.

3. Chanel handbag in white with red danglers or flower earrings.

4. Chanel mini handbag in black with pearls.

5. Chanel mini handbag in black with leather peep-toe heels with flower in black.

6. Satin clutch with satin heels both in black.

Cheers,

Katie