July 2, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Swingin’ Through The Vines

I have decided that my favorite silhouettes for my body type are shift dresses and swing dresses. I do not like tight things. I find myself pulling them down or pulling them up, forgetting to suck in my stomach or sucking it in too much. It is more of a hassle than I am willing to bear.

So, when I saw this swing dress at Forever 21 for less than $30, I was sold. But it was a tad short. Probably because although the store’s name suggests that we will always be of a certain age, my body parts have not received that message.

I paired it with my favorite slip, Free People’s Trapeze Slip. I want another color in this, because I wear the one I have constantly.

The necklace is Simply Livly’s Turquoise Necklace. The shoe’s are Anthropologie’s Tarara Gladiator Sandals.

We took my husband’s VW Bus for a spin and I love that the color of the bus matched the color of the slip.

We ended up at a vineyard with amazing views.

I love when we stumble upon a gorgeous piece of scenery. Actually, I love stumbling upon anything unexpectedly good.

Have you stumbled upon a beautiful piece of scenery lately? Did it make you want to spin? I will admit, this day was so gorgeous, it made me want to embrace the sky. Thankfully, my unrestricted garments made that possible.

Not the actual embracing of the sky, but the insane act of trying.

May 11, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

In The Queen’s Rose Garden

I snuck away to a rose garden the other day to take some pictures of my new Frangipani Peasant Top. I kept my eyes peeled for a Cheshire Cat, but in doing so stumbled and fell.

Just call me Tweedledum-b.

I had no idea that Frangipani was a flower until sweet Liana from The Frock and the Hound commented yesterday on my giveaway stating it was her favorite flower. I looked it up and found that Frangipani is actually Plumeria. Who knew? Well, I guess Liana did. ; )

I had purchased the Frangipani Peasant Top (sold out, kind of similar Forever 21 version here and slightly similar plus size option here) during the additional 20% off sale items and received free shipping through a store. I was unsure about it, because it was so expensive. But it was like nothing I had ever seen before. I am a sucker for baggy clothes. Especially baggy clothes with floral and crocheted lace.

I was ignorantly calling it, “Fran-ja-pan-neeee,” with a deep Southern twang around my house. Having no clue of its definition, I just thought it was a fun word to say. And whisper in my husband’s ear.

He loved that.

We went to the local rose garden to take pictures. I felt like Alice wandering through The Queen’s Garden. Except instead of falling down a rabbit hole, I fell into the cactus behind me. I, of course, would manage to fall into the only cactus in the entire rose garden. I did not say, “Frangipani!”, when I fell. Although, now that I think about it, that would be a great exclamation. Certainly more appropriate than what I probably said.

I love my new Anthropologie Scalloped Monogram Bracelet that I wore that day. I have two of them. One with my initial and the other with my husband’s. I cannot wait to pair them together.

The roses are gorgeous right now. It was nice to see blooms with this drought going on. It is such a peaceful place. Each time I am there, there is no one else visiting. They must be scared of The Queen.

I even wore my Rabbit Earrings to sneak through the garden. If you will notice, the rabbit has two different colored eyes. Kind of like a certain Mad Hatter. You don’t think this is the secret love child of The Mad Hatter and The White Rabbit do you?

If it is, you know I will love them even more. Does that make me mad?

Do you have a rose garden near you? Be sure to visit it soon. The best blooms will be gone in three weeks. And with them, any chance to visit Wonderland or the opportunity to yell, “Frangipani!” at a cactus. And that would be a shame to miss.

*The links in this post are affiliate links. Clicking on a link will result in a small commission for ~~Alice~~ this site.

P.S. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there. I was lucky enough get to see my sweet mom yesterday. It was so nice. I love you Mom!

And I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

And Because Shanna Said So

April 9, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Free People Spring 2014 Reviews

Oh, I love me my Free People. There is just something lovely and romantic about their flowly clothes. I have wishlisted almost everything in this set.

I wore Humboldt Tunic on my outing. He was pleased to get out. Although he still has never forgiven me for wearing him without pants. I wanted to show him Vegas and for him to see that there were indeed people in this world more devious than me.

He was not impressed. He still thinks I am the worst.

Aw, well. I tried.

First, I tried on the Rocket Cat Dress. I know I look serious, but I was contemplating the ginormous pimple on my chin and if I would be able to proceed with the reviews. Thankfully seeing this pretty dress made me smile again. I really liked this, but I could only buy one thing that day and it turned out to be a slip. This is sold out online now, but the stores might still have one. I am wearing a small in this. Actually, I am wearing a small in this whole set. It is my typical Free People size.

The Printed Strappy Front Maxi underneath the Rocket Cat Dress is the item I ended up purchasing. I love an item you can layer in multiple ways and use for multiple uses. You can also see me wearing it here. I love the romantic ease of this slip. I plan on pairing it next under my Sweet Lady Maxi and then underneath my seafoam colored slip I love with a belt and easy sandals.

I really liked the Magic Garden Dress, too. If you cannot tell from the many, many pictures. ; ). It is about two inches too short for this momma to wear. But it would be great for someone younger than myself. I am wearing a small. It fit nicely. Well, except for length. Of course, my husband loved this dress. : )

Oh man. I LOVED this Rio Dress. It is so fun. It is super short. The dark color it also comes in is gorgeous, too. I love the embroidery. Both colors are on my wishlist. It was way too expensive for me at full price. I will be watching this for a good sale price.

I had decided that this Mix Print Tunic would be my first purchase in April. It sold out the day before I could purchase it. So, I am hoping they restock it. The pattern is gorgeous. The fit is free-flowing but still very flattering. It has ties on either side of the waist to cinch it in more. Love.

The Near Perfect Tunic also came in lilac and black. I liked it in all of the colors. The lilac is absolutely gorgeous. Each color has a different patterned embellishment at the top. Gorgeous. This also has ties that tighten on the side to cinch it in more (I should have used them here). It is a good tunic if you like easy oversized pieces. I think this look looks good on most body types.

Finally, the only thing I did not add to my wishlist. These Balkan Sandals. Oh, man. They were really cute without my feet in them. My feet were swollen from walking in heels all night the night before, but even so, I could not love these. They were a bit too hippie for me. I did not know that was a possibility. That I had a limit. But here it is.

I added so much to my wishlist on this trip. I am being patient on a bunch of items, hoping for a sale. In my observations (I am not an expert), Free People does not have a set schedule for markdowns. Some items will sell out at full price and never get marked down. Sometimes it can take over a year before an item gets a cut. Sometimes it gets marked down with a few months. You just never know.

Are you loving any of the new spring offerings in stores lately? Are you hoping for a good sale? I am answering a giant, “yes!” to both of those questions.

* I will have an additional outfit post up later today at 3:00 p.m. : ). I have to catch up with all of these reviews! I will finish out my review sets next week with two more for Anthropologie. To be precise, they will go up Monday and Tuesday. Whew! Then this girl is done with reviews for awhile.

Here are some more of my recent reviews:

Anthropologie Spring Reviews Part I

and

Anthropologie Spring Reviews Part II

March 23, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Stylin’ The Torsade Dress

A few weeks ago, Anthropologie’s Torsade Dress* popped back for me for $30. And I pounced on it. I had been waiting for it for this price because $98 was just too much for me. Unfortunately when it came, it reeked of garlic. This is a mystery I would not like to examine further. This might seem gross. But it was an easy fix with a quick wash in the washing machine. Although if I had to guess, I would say the dress was worn previously by some awesome female vampire hunter. This makes the dress more special. Sadly its special garlic powers washed out of the dress and thankfully I was able to wear it.

But now am weak against vampires. Oi.

Here is the dress as it is. Without playing with it. This is actually the way a vampire hunter would wear it except my accessory would be a wooden stake. I just wanted to give you that visual.

* Pairing the dress with different colored bottoms will momentarily confuse the vampires in order for you to get away.

I thought it would be fun to pair it with rain boots even if this outfit will probably never make it to my reality with California’s drought. I think the teal matches well. I would love to have the opportunity to wear this.

I also hope any vampires near me are having their own drought as well.

My favorite way I paired it was using it as a top. I have been wanting a floral top with some pink in it to pair with my red and white striped skirt. But I did not want to pay for one. And I am not sure the exact shirt I had in my head exists in reality. Then I happened to see these two pieces next to each other and I could not wait to try it!

Or you could use the dress as a skirt. This is perfect for those chilly nights when you need to arm yourself with more than just garlic.

Do you own this dress? A floral dress? What is your favorite way to style it?

* This is the link to the dress, but it is sold out. However a brick and mortar store might still have it if you call customer service. I cannot, however, guarantee that your dress will have any anti-vampire properties. Sorry about that.

** This has not been proven. If you happen to see a vampire, I doubt that the way in which you style this dress would be enough to scare them away. Well, unless you covered the dress in mirrors. But I think I would rather take my chances with the beasts.

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

Gnome Lover

Stumbling through life while still having fun

floral

Swingin’ Through The Vines

In The Queen’s Rose Garden

Free People Spring 2014 Reviews

Stylin’ The Torsade Dress