September 30, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

A Dress Falled With Embroidery

My husband and I went on a lunch date on this day. It was not cool enough for the sweater, so I wish I had set it down.

I also wish I had more pictures of the dress itself, but my photographer that day was all about the closeups.

I hate closeups.

I love my photographer.

You will just have to bear with me.

Or bare with me. Look at the cute Free People bandeau bra (bralette post can be found here) I simply put over a regular bra for a pretty lace peek-a-boo moment.

I found this dress at my local Nordstrom Rack for a screaming deal. I could not believe nobody had scooped it up (it is sold out. I could only find one size medium of a similar dress. It is on sale for $30 from $148 on Free People here).

The embroidered detail is amazing.

I wanted to pair the dress with some wood accessories. I slipped on this Scrabble Ring for a fun solution. If I was a pumpkin latte kind of gal, I would happily drink it in this dress. This dress screams, “fall!”, with its orange and mustard accents.

Alas, I am allergic to pumpkin. So, I will have to get by just wearing the color.

I will somehow manage to get through the autumn with regular ol’ coffee.

And closeups of my thirty seven year old face.

Somehow.

The secret is ~~in the sauce~~ a little thing I am grateful to not be allergic to, wine.

Did you notice something amiss in the previous closeup picture? Something that did not look right?

Was it a bit creepy?

Was it my elbow?

I am double jointed in my elbows, so sometimes in pictures like those it looks as though my head should be flipped the other way.

Just give it time.

Halloween is coming up.

With pumpkins. And closeups. And weird elbows.

And wine.

It’s enough to make a girl’s head spin. What is making your head spin lately? I am definitely craning my head towards this dress. Are you double jointed? I only have it in my elbows and my thumbs…

And my mind.

September 28, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Oiseau Maxi Dress

I fell in love with Anthropologie’s Oiseau Maxi Dress as soon as it came out (this keeps popping back in stock. With the 25% off sale, you might be able to call and find it in a store). The bold graphic bird print reminded me of one of my favorite dresses (ironically never shown on this blog), the Indigo Shoal Dress.

However, as much as I loved the idea of it, I knew I would never wear it without having to have some sort of coverage on my arms. The straps were just too thin for my comfort level.

It finally went on sale and miraculously enough, it also happened to be during Anthropologie’s extra 20% off sale price promotion.

I swooped in and grabbed it.

The dramatic ruffled bottom was such an unexpected, sweet surprise.

Because it was September and the end of summer, I did not want to wear it with a denim jacket as I had planned. Instead I borrowed my daughter’s Forever 21 Cardigan.

One of the great things about having a teenage daughter is borrowing her stuff.

One of the not so great things? The borrowing goes both ways.

I had no idea what Oiseau meant when I purchased the dress.

Do you?

Want to take a guess?

It is French for “bird.”

Doh.

I probably should have made that deduction.

What kind of birds or Oiseaus would you say these are?

I am really unsure about the answer. I just know I like them.

Do you own any animal print dresses?

I believe I own four.

I could be wrong.

Sometimes it feels as though my brain has flown the coop. It needs to come home to roost. That would make me happy as a lark.

Groan. Sorry about the idioms. I really need to quit them cold turkey.

P.S. * I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

*this post was edited using VSCO’s C1 filter at level 3 and contrast at level 1.

September 17, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Bohemian Polka Dots

I never thought I could incorporate polka dots into a bohemian look. Polka dots are fun. They are unstructured. But for some reason, I always think “preppy” not “hippie” when I see them.

I underestimated Free People.

When I saw this maxi skirt hanging out on the Free People rack at Nordstrom Rack, I loved it, but I thought it had been put in the wrong place. I checked the tag, and low and behold, it was my beloved Free People.

Of course, being at the rack meant a significant discount. I believe it was originally $128 and I paid $50. The skirt is sold out, but I have seen it on eBay.

Once again, I ended up on an ant hill. You guys. I am beginning to think this is not a coincidence.

I do not have ants in my pants. Or skirt as it were, in this picture. I simply wanted to see the skirt blow in the breeze. There is absolutely nothing I like better than a maxi skirt. And a maxi skirt with polka dots? Forget about it. I paired it with a simple white tee from Forever 21.

I thought if I added some color and fun to the skirt, I could make it more “me.” So, let’s talk accessories: The belt was one of my favorite purchases in January of 2013. It is an Obi belt from Free People (similar here and here). The necklace was a neat gift from Free People for participating in Free People Me (similar here). And the shoes are Anthropologie’s Atlas Sandals.

It is also not an accident that the shirt is being worn backwards. The seam is supposed to be worn down the back.

But someone decided to eat chocolate in bed before this photo shoot.

Don’t worry. Nothing will happen. It is just a bite… Whoops!

So, I flipped it around and put my hair down. Tricky. This did not help with the ants, by the way.

Do you love polka dots like me? Would you rather wear a maxi or a short skirt? Or a maxi and jeans? Have you ever gotten chocolate on a white shirt? Please tell me it comes out.

*These photos were edited using the Whim filter on the app afterlite. I love the pinky hue.

August 24, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Free People New Romantics Rio Dress

This is my second attempt at styling Free People’s New Romantics Rio Dress in the other color I purchased it in (the first dress can be found styled here). I love both of the dresses I purchased.

At first I liked the cream one better but I think now the black one has my heart.

I styled both of the dresses with Free People’s Trapeze Slip underneath. I like the extra coverage it provided and the color went great with both of them.

This dress is so much fun.

I cannot wait to wear it with tights and boots in the wintertime. I think I will like it even more then.

I paired the black dress with World Market’s friendship bracelets. I loved the dress’s embroidery paired with the textured color of the bracelets.

What’s a girl to do when she finds the perfect dress?

Twirl, baby. Twirl.

What is your perfect dress? Do you look for things with embroidery or are you more drawn to the clean and structured?

My heart like my mind is drawn to the unstructured. Probably because that is the way they are formed.

*this post was edited using the App Afterlife’s Meadow Filter at 57%.

Gnome Lover

Stumbling through life while still having fun

black

A Dress Falled With Embroidery

Oiseau Maxi Dress

Bohemian Polka Dots

Free People New Romantics Rio Dress