Saturday, May 24, 2014

Wedding Bell Blues

Outfit Details:
Dress: c/o eShakti (other colors here)
Hat: moving sale (c/o my voice teacher)
Gold flats: Marshall's (old)
Petticoat: eBay




It's no secret that I am a huge fan of eShakti.  Not only does eShakti provide incredibly high-quality garments at affordable prices, but they offer a vast range of customized options for making their pieces one-of-a-kind and uniquely suited to each customer.  I'm always impressed with all the different styles they carry (they have virtually everything from boho to retro to preppy), and the fact that they can make any of their styles in sizes 0-36W is truly an incredible business model.  It's obvious that they care for each customer, and want to make each woman's experience a positive one.  In my experience, their customer service is top-notch, their shipping is fast, and the workmanship is always fantastic.  I own two other dresses by eShakti (seen in posts here and here), and I was over the moon when they reached out to me to see if I'd like to work with them and offered to send me a piece to review.  I was even more thrilled (if that's possible!) when I received this dress and put it on for the first time -- man, oh man, it is a thing of beauty!




I want to go on record as saying that I would have bought this dress myself in a heartbeat.  It's in the same style as the denim dress I have from eShakti (neither color seems to be currently available on their site), but this fabric feels much more luxurious.  Anything with scalloped detailing is always up my alley, and I love the fact that the skirt is full enough to look great with a petticoat.  Plus, I think the silhouette is incredibly flattering and works really well for my shape.  There's also some stretch to this dress, which gave slightly more "give" than I really need, but I'd much rather have some breathing room.  AND this dress has pockets!  What more could you possibly ask for in a dress?  I'm eager to try styling this dress in other ways; the fabric is heavy enough that it can span the seasons, and I think it'd be adorable with a cardigan, too.




The color in these photos actually looks a little more off-white than the dress does in person (the true color has a slightly pale yellow hue -- it's almost a buttermilk color, I'd say), so these shots ended up looking more wedding-esque than I had planned.  I used to think about my wedding all the time; my ex and I had talked about marriage in terms of "when," not "if," and our future together seemed definite.  I had an idea of my dream wedding dress in my head (something blush pink) and my Pinterest wedding inspiration board was always expanding.  I started thinking a lot about weddings while taking (and editing) these photos, and it's still surreal to me to not think about my own wedding as something on the horizon.  I kind of get upset watching wedding shows now.  Logically, I can believe that it'll still happen someday, but like many things in my life thus far, it won't be how I initially imagined or expected.  And I guess that's okay.  It's not like I want to get married right now, anyway... but adjusting to a different way of thinking about one's future is never easy.  I'm just eager for the day to come when thoughts of wedding bells aren't wrapped up in the painful memories of my breakup.  It'll happen, obviously.  But I'm impatient.  Anyway, if nothing else, I now have a gorgeous dress I could conceivably wear for my own wedding festivities (rehearsal dinner, etc.) -- for whenever they should happen... and for lots of other occasions, too!




The kind folks over at eShakti are offering my readers a 10% discount through June 9th!  Just enter the code brunettes in the promotional code box during check-out.  It can also be used in conjunction with other promotional offers and gift coupons (which eShakti is pretty generous about giving -- for instance, if you're a new customer, you can sign up and get a $25 gift coupon!).  If you're interested, you can follow eShakti's social media outlets via Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, too.


Have a beautiful Saturday!
xox Sammi

Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post, but did receive a product for review purposes. All opinions are completely my own, based on my experience. Any company or product endorsed on this blog is one I fully believe in and support, and would continue to do so, regardless of whether items are gifted or paid for by me.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Friday Favorites #49

Happy Friday, everyone!  Friday Favorites are back this week (in full force!).  Here are some of my favorite finds from the last fortnight (how's that for an alliteration?):

a // b // c

I've said before that I can be rather picky when it comes to florals, but oh my goodness.  These dresses are sooo beautiful.  I'm especially swooning over the first two!

Those floral dresses make me want to have a garden party, and this butterfly veil would be perfect for such an occasion!  Butterflies freak me out sometimes, but I think this is ethereal and pretty.
These new arrivals from BAIT would be lovely for a garden party, too:
1 // 2 

This summer salad (made with beets, carrots, fennel and blood orange -- four of my favorite things!) would be perfect for a summer garden party, don't you think?

I'm always thinking pink, and these peony-colored pieces caught my eye:
1 // 2 // 3 // 4

I was also excited to find that this dress comes in pink!  I'd featured it before in an apple green hue, but it's even more darling in blush!
These Jeffrey Campbell shoes are insane in the best way possible.  I have a feeling Helena was responsible for their arrival at ModCloth... hehe.


Love this sweet macaron-themed merch!
one // two

And these minty fresh dresses are so divine!
a // b // c

This Emily and Fin dress reminds me of delicious summer popsicles:

And speaking of popsicles... this necklace is SO adorable:


While we're on the subject, this recipe for brown butter popsicles sounds amazing:

(via A Beautiful Mess)
These Members Only jackets look as sweet as any summer treat.  I have one in lavender that I really like, and these two colors are great:
These two dresses are darling, and I love their back detailing:

(via Forever 21)

(via Ruche)

And of course, I'm a sucker for gingham, and this dress in particular:

I always love the combination of gingham with a boater hat, and if you're in the market for one, this one from Forever 21 looks like it'd be a perfect fit:


I don't own any Swedish Hasbeens, but goodness, I'd love to add these to my collection:

I hate that I don't have an iPhone 5 -- I want this battery pack!!
My heart belongs to my cat and my clothes, at this point, so cat hangers are a wonderful invention:
Looove this shot:
(via
These collar clips!  Ahh!!
These laundry line tights are hilarious and awesome:


I am such a literary nerd & I might need this t-shirt (and so might Sara and Amy and any other fellow bookworm ladies -- you know who you are):


Finally, this cardboard world is astounding!
(via)
Have a fantastic Friday!
xox Sammi

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

For the price of a cup of tea

Outfit Details:
Teacup dress: ModCloth (similar here
Teacup bag: WeShipWorldwide
Teacup necklace: ModCloth (similar here)
White flats: get them here
Pink hair bow: Forever 21




This is the outfit I wore for Mother's Day!  My mom and I have a love for anything tea-related (whenever I get married, my mom knows full well that I want my bridal shower to be a tea party!), and although we didn't go out for tea this year, I felt like this was perfectly suited for a day celebrating my mom.  My gifts to her ended up being tea-themed, too; I got her a sweet teapot (a good snag from Instagram shop, fabfindsanddesign) and a tea party cookbook, plus some Goetz's caramel cremes and another secret gift that STILL hasn't shipped!  Plus, I made her breakfast in bed (for the first time ever!).  She got to spend the day gardening, which is one of her favorite things, so I think she had a really nice day.  It helped that the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  It's amazing the effect sunshine has on my overall mood!





Can we talk about how amazing this teacup bag is?  I'd been searching for a teacup bag on a reputable website for a long time, so I was delighted to find this!  It's clearly a rip-off of this Moschino bag, but since that's no longer available -- and I don't have an extra $600+ lying around to spend on an impractical novelty purse -- this was an awesome find.  Storenvy is a really great resource for kawaii and novelty purses, though like any site that has Asian wholesale-type storefronts, it's good to be cautious when ordering.  Shipping tends to take way longer than you'd think, but I've never had a problem (and even if I did, PayPal is usually pretty good about refunding payment).





Have a wonderful Wednesday!
xox Sammi

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

My Favorite Outfit: Lauren from A Wild Tonic

Hi, everyone!  I'm continuing with this little series from my favorite blogger friends today.  I've asked each guest blogger to highlight her favorite outfit of choice.  Seeing my friends' different styles is always a huge source of inspiration for me.  Today's guest post is brought to you by my friend Lauren, who blogs over at A Wild Tonic and always impresses me with her thrift store finds!  Take a peek at her favorite ensemble below, and be sure to check out her Etsy shops!  :)


Hey there, folks! I'm Lauren, blogger at A Wild Tonic, vintage seller at A Wild Tonic, and upcycled print-maker at Wanderlust Print Co. Fun fact: Sammi and I actually went to the same college, and reconnected through blogging a few years later. She's pretty great, isn't she? Anyway, I'm not here to rave about Sammi, I'm here to talk about my favorite outfit, so let's get into it.



One of my ongoing goals in life is to live simply, minimally, and with intention. That's why I sell vintage clothing and prints on upcycled map paper. It's also why I shop at Goodwill almost exclusively. This dress was one of those perfect Goodwill finds. I'd been in the market for a grungy velvet dress for a while, and was this close to buying one online, and then I was thrifting for the shop and came across this baby. I can't even tell you how many times I've worn it so far. And it cost $3. You can find all the ways I've worn it (on my blog, at least) right here!


Outfit details:
dress: Goodwill
kimono top: Lulu's
earrings: vintage/were my mom's
sunglasses: c/o ZeroUV
bracelets: vintage and Forever 21
shoes: hand-me-down from a friend

Thanks for having me, Sammi! ♥