I fell for the whimsical dress from CIA Designs that is on sale at Love Donna Flora as soon as I saw those cats peeking over the black line. I love polka dots in the first place and polka dots and cats and this entire feeling of fun and whimsy is charming.
I decided to go shoot my pictures at Continue reading
Siddean Munro asked me if I thought making her mules in the colors of the Italian flag for Love Donna Flora would be cheesy. I said of course not, because after all, the grid needs more green shoes. What luscious shoes these are, too. Available in Italian Red, Green and White at Love Donna Flora.
Green it is! My favorite color, I love the rich, bold green in this top from Milk Motion for Collabor88. I could play with the colors of the flowers, but I loved it just plain green.
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I love this top from The Secret Store for this month’s Collabor88 so much. She produced several optiongs, but only one polka dot. Its bright, happy print made me go full polka and I dug out this skirt from Maitreya to wear with it.
Have you ever wondered why a print with dots all over it is called polka dot instead of simply dotted print? Do the textile workers dance while producing the cloth? Allemande left and a dosey doe? I am the type of person who wonders these things, wanting not just to know what something is called, but why? The best source for answers to these kinds of questions is the Oxford English Dictionary to which an individual like me could subscribe for $295/year. On my budget, that is not going to happen.
Enter the public library card. Public libraries in general have gone digital in a big way and allow cardholders to log in and access their digital subscriptions. My library subscribes to the OED (though for a lot more than $295) and all its cardholders can piggy-back their access to use it as freely as if they have their own subscription. They do this with literally hundreds of research and reference sources — just about every major research service you can think of. All for free, all available from your home computer thanks to the wonders of your library card. So let’s find out why it’s called polka dot instead of dotted.
I slipped into this lovely ruffled dress from ISON, a simple summer dress enhanced by a loose ruffle down the front and short cap sleeves. It’s a lightweight silk perfect for hot summer days under the sun as in the undisclosed location I am visiting today. A belt adds definition, making this a sweet and sexy summer dress.
I started this post this morning, but got distracted and decided to relax, read a book and cuddle with Oscar, my cat, instead. However, back to the blog! I love this dress from Milk Motion for Collabor88 July. It made with sheer floral tulle over a silk sheath with a serrated hem and sleeves. I love the color-on-color subtlety. I chose this nude version which is even more subtle than the many other color options you can choose from at Collabor88.
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The Ayoun dress and clutch from Baiastice for the July round of Collabor88 is a delicately feminine little frock with a dropped blouson top and a gently gathered flounce skirt. With spaghetti straps and a deep cleavage, it bares a lot for the summer sun. It comes in ten solids and five prints. What is so exciting is that the five prints are all different, not just recolors.It seems the essence of summer. The lovely clutch purse has a subtle nod to summer with the fabric rose on the flap.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
My mother wanted to be an English teacher when she was growing up. Many of her older siblings went to college, but when she was still a child, my grandfather’s bank manager ran off with all the money in his bank. This was before FDIC, so people could have lost everything. Instead, my grandfather sold his mill, electric company, his farm and his house and made all the depositors whole even though he was not obligated to do so since it was a corporation. This left him impoverished and having to start over from scratch in his late sixties. He began again as a dairy farmer on contract to a local creamery, paying $1.00 per acre, but obligated to sell his produce only to that creamery for 30 years, a northern form of share-cropping. This ended any chance my mom had of going to college.
Sissy did it again! I just love her new series of summer gowns. Form-fitting bodices and flowing skirts in an array of summer colors as well as prints and ombre’s, her new Arya gown will leave you standing in front of the display struggling to choose just five, let alone one.
With a lightweight summer-weight silk and a barely there bodice showing off your shoulders, it is the perfect summer formal for all your events. The pretty nails come courtesy of FLAIR’s fabulous nail appliers for Slink hands.
This simple little dress from Drift is a perfect summer dress, loose-fitting and casual. It comes with a HUD so you can choose all the colors. In fact, it comes with two textures, a cotton knit and this lovely satin and each texture has its own little hud full of color. However, I thought I would wear it with some leggings because it was a little breezy and I was afraid the wind would catch it and cause an indiscretion. The Lydia Slingbacks that Ingenue did for Collabor88 are as perfect as can be.
The bolt leggings from MichaMi sure look great with it. I had to go to XS to get it to fit under the dress, but that okay since the dress covers the skinny butt. Well, not completely. When I walked, the dress and leggings intersected from behind, so moving was more of a circumnavigation so that I faced forward.
A couple weeks ago, I checked out the Billboard Jazz charts and discovered the new-to-me vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant and fell instantly in love. I hope I can persuade you to take a listen. She reminds me of Billie Holliday, more so than any other jazz singer. I watched her performance of the old standard I Only Have Eyes For You – with her unique interpretation. I hope you check her out on iTunes or YouTube. You won’t be disappointed.
This top from Goucci makes me feel very jazzy all by itself. It has a classic Chanel-inspired shape and aesthetic. Everyone will have eyes only for you if you wear it. It comes in red, blue, yellow and black. I paired with some black and white striped pants from Coco that are truly hot jazz in fabric.
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Countdown has a new cocktail dress with a snug strapless snakeskin bodice and a frothy, sheer full skirt. It is the perfect marriage of modern and traditional, hard and soft. I decided to tip the scales a bit adding a short, cropped white leather jacket from Coco. Continue reading