The Best Dress Of The West

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I keep catching glimpses of folks claiming that this pattern (from here on called Ganado*) days are numbered in its trendiness. But it has been around long before the past few years. In fact, my favorite style, or decade as it were, was the seventies, and this print was all the rage back then. Thus, any time I wear it, I do not think of fads, but rather it being just a tribute to a period of style that I adore.

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Besides, who cares about fads or trends any way? I wear what I want when I want to and never ever let what is in or out dictate what I wear.

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Of course, this does not mean I claim to be a fashion expert. Ha! Hardly that. I just know what I like. And knowing what you like is most of the battle. Knowing what looks good on your body type is the other part. Mix that with your budget and the chemistry formula for your style is done.

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Who knew I was such a scientist?

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I purchased this Ganado print inspired dress from Modcloth many years ago. In fact, it was my very first purchase from that company. But you can find a similar style almost everywhere. In looking for a similar dress, I found this one, but honestly look at this whole page of these printed dresses from Forever 21. There are so many of them, and they also come in plus sizes.

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I have a confession. Contrary to what you probably were thinking, I am not a gymnast any more than I am a scientist. I know, it is quite a shock. I will give you a moment to let that register.

I cannot believe I am sharing this “action” shot with you. My kids roll on the floor at how very high I can jump.

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Let’s move on to something less embarrassing… Hopefully. I had a post up yesterday about the lip pencil products I am currently in love with. These pictures show more of the Iberico color I was terrified of. Whenever I am truly scared of something, I usually make myself do it. Whether that entails ziplining or trying on a lipstick, it is all the same. I do not, however, ever recommend going up behind a cop to ask for directions while he is arresting someone. Don’t ask how me how I know that, just trust me.

Also, stay away from people talking to trees.

Or urinating on them.

Let my past be your guide as to what not to do.

Except for lipstick, always have fun with lipstick.

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Do you own any Ganado inspired print clothing? Do you care about following fads or not following them? And what is your stance on public tree affection? I don’t mind a quick hug, but those branches are a bit tough for me to handle.

P.S. Did you purchase anything during the after Christmas sales? I picked up this throw in the orange and green colors, some candles and a Christmas garland for next year. The trees told me to do it. And I cannot resist their call.

*When writing this post, I kept coming upon the terms “tribal” and “ethnic” to describe this print. This felt wrong to me. There are so many gorgeous and beautiful cultures and ethnicities that to clump them all together when stumbling upon a pretty pattern felt gross. However, it seems that some stores have not caught on to this and continue to group everything together. So, I googled the terms and found this article. I learned that the pattern on my dress is more aptly called Ganado, inspired from this pattern originating with the Navajo people.

Now, let’s all stop using those terms and peeing on trees… In that order, of course.

A Day Of Falconry

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Did you know that you can now take a falconry class (it used to not be available to the general public)?

Well, you can.

And I did.

In November, I found a coupon that was half price for a falconry class. I was intrigued. So, I purchased a spot in the class for each person in my family.

I knew I wanted to do it over spring break. The excursion is run by West Coast Sky Falconry out of Alpine, California (near San Diego). We got to do this amazing event two weeks ago.

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When we arrived at the falconry class, they had three birds on low perches. The class of ten people was taught by the nicest falconers, Kirk and Denise.

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They started the hour long class by teaching us some cool facts about hawks. We were going to be working with a Harris Hawk. I thought we would be working with a falcon, but it turns out the term falconry can be applied to any raptor. The Harris Hawk is ideal for falconry training, because it lives in a group. This is very rare for a raptor bird. Because of this, the Harris Hawk is used to anticipating the body language of others. The one we were privileged to meet that day was named, “Steam.” He looked huge, but weighed only two pounds.

We also learned that hawks tend to fly only fifteen to twenty minutes a day, so if you see one circling the sky, it is a rare moment. Now that I know this, it feels more special to me when I see the beautiful creatures in the sky.

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We took turns having Steam fly onto all of our gloves. It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. My son was terrified and asked if he had to do it. To which I replied, “yep.” Because that is the kind of mom I am. And because I knew if he always let fear win, he would never know the joy of success.

He loved it.

I mean, he loved it.

We all did.

If you have any classes like this near you, I highly recommend it. The class that we did was for ages seven and up. My friend did this with her family on another day, too. They all could not believe how amazing the experience was.

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If you chose to, you could do tricks with the hawk. That was a bit more than my heart could take. But my husband threw food into the air for the hawk. And both of my children had the hawk walk quickly up to their foot and take food off of it.

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At the end, we were able to pose over the beautiful valley and take pictures of Steam, the hawk, on our arm.

It was such a joyous moment. It was made even better by Kirk and Denise, who answered every question we had for them with passion and love for their birds.

During the summer, they also offer courses at the Torrey Pines location. I imagine that would make for gorgeous pictures.

I would love to do this again. It was educational. It was exhilarating. It was interesting.

I cannot say enough good things about it. What a fun way to spend quality time with a loved one that does not involve sitting or crowds.

Have you ever done this? Had you heard of it before? Aren’t those hawks beautiful?

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I am enamored.

With a bird.

Just don’t tell my husband.

Anthropologie Spring Reviews Part IV

This is going to be my last set of reviews for awhile. I overdid it. I broke my shop box. Tore my dressing room nerve. Split my trying-on-gene in half.

Yesterday, I showed you some pretties. And, they were pretty. And I liked them a lot. But today is where my heart is. Today is the day I show… Well… You’ll see:

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Do you recognize this Midday Dress? How could you not? I have been wearing pretty much nothing else for a week. If you missed it, you can see me wearing the dress here and here.

I know by now that in the Puella brand I always take a medium. This was found by trial and error. I love this brand. They create flattering silhouettes for women at a decent price in comfortable fabrics. What’s not to love?

I purchased this dress on sale. And I love it!

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They only had a large in the Sunpass Dress. I have admired this dress online for awhile. I tried it on anyway. I will need a small in this dress. If I remember correctly, it was not lined. I just remember it being an incredibly thin material. Very light. Very pretty.

I believe this dress will look amazing on the more voluptuous gal. I cannot wait to see many women rock this dress.

Lovely dress that remains on my wishlist hoping for a great sale price.

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The Stripe Swing Tunic Dress is another dress by Puella. It just came out. It is expensive for what it is. I love it. I mean I love this dress so much I want to cry.

I am wearing a medium in the picture. I love the way this dress flows. I am a sucker for grey and white stripes. They are everywhere in my house. I might as well match my interior.

I did not purchase this dress that day. I went home and thought about it. And thought about it. And when I was still dreaming of this dress a week after these pictures were taken, I ordered it and one other lovely below.

My soul is happy. Even the broken review parts.

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This little number is the other item I ordered. It is currently on sale for approximately half off. It is so fun. Surprisingly flattering. At first I was hesitant due to the length, but I love it. The blue is so vibrant and gorgeous. I wear the Caravane Tunic Dress with silver flat sandals now. (These to be exact). I have a fun outfit post featuring this dress going up next week. In the wintertime, I will wear this with black leggings and booties. This is probably my favorite closet addition in awhile. It is a good sale price. It is mostly sold out online, but if you call customer service you might still be able to snag one.

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When I was entering the dressing room, another gal was exiting. She had the Galen Dress in her hand. She was purchasing it. I got excited to try it on in the dressing room. I generally find that shirtdresses do not do much for me. It is just not my favorite style of dress.

This dress was cute. This is a size small. It fit well. It is short. The pattern is pretty. And so is the color. Again, this is a great style of dress for all women’s body types.

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My husband liked this dress a lot. But I did not like how much of my side thigh was showing. Who does this dress think it is? Humboldt Tunic? Although my broken fitting room soul was not havin’ it, it is a nice easy little number.

This dress was a pass for me, but I think on the right person, it will be lovely.

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I tried on the flower patterned version of the Caravane Tunic Dress I purchased, as well. It was a medium and too big, but I did like it. If I had not all ready fallen head over heels for the blue version and my heart had not been hurt from contracting the fatal shopping bug, I might have loved this. As it was, it was a “no” for me.

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I am on the fence about this West End Top. It is a medium. I bought it, but I have not worn it. I am 99% sure I am taking it back. I am not sure if it is the size (maybe I need a small), but I am thinking it is not all that flattering on me. I love the rust color. It is gorgeous. The hem is such a cool idea. It is a reasonable price. But… I don’t know. I might reconsider in a different size at a sale price, though. What do you think? I need help with this one.

* Update 5/11/14: I ended up keeping The West End Top because I found a fun way to wear it here.

Thus, my reviews are concluded. I am happy to report my shopping wounds are being tended to. It makes it so much easier when your bandages are beautiful clothes.

It is going to be a ridiculous recovery.

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And, yep, still hot in the dressing room. You can see the start and the end of the illness here.

What is on your wishlist this spring? Are you happy or bored with this season’s fashions?

More of my more recent reviews can be found here:

Anthropologie Spring Reviews Part I

and

Anthropologie Spring Reviews Part II

and

Anthropologie Spring Reviews Part III

and

Free People Spring Reviews

Whew! No wonder I’m sick of the dressing room!