It's a Mad, Mad (Men) World

Saturday night was the 5th annual TheatreROCS showcase!  TheatreROCS is an alliance of more than two dozen theatre companies in the greater Rochester area (and it doesn't even represent all of the companies in the area, which shows how strong a presence that the theatre arts has in our community), and they have an event every year that promotes the theatre groups within the organization and presents highlights from their current season.  This year, the event was Mad Men themed, and since I love a good costume party (thank you, Wagner College), I went all out!

Outfit Details:

Dress: Vintage (Sears) from Sam and Milly Vintage

Pearl necklace: Claire's

White belt: eBay

White heels: jcpenney

I need to take a moment and gush about Sam and Milly Vintage.  Sandra is the gal behind the shop, and she is such a sweet person.  The shipping was very fast, and the measurements of the dress were absolutely spot-on.  She even went so far as to check in with me to see how the dress was working out, and inquired about seeing pictures to post on their Facebook page.  Sandra lists new items every week in the shop, so it's likely something will catch your eye!  I couldn't be more thrilled with my experience or this beautiful, vintage dress!  

This year's showcase was hosted by the magnificent Mrs. Kasha Davis, who is a fantastic performer and one of the best-loved drag queens in Rochester.  She is once again in the running to be on RuPaul's Drag Race next season, so you should vote for her (ends 4/17) to be on the show!!!!!

I just love the pattern and colors of this dress - so perfect for spring!

My mom actually did my hair (and hers!) for this event, so I can't personally do a tutorial on it... but she did watch a really good video tutorial that helped her a lot (the music's annoying but the tips are great)!  My hair didn't look exactly like the video, obviously, but for my mom's first time doing it, I think she did a really awesome job.

My mama and me!  I picked out (and made her purchase) this dress from jcpenney!  It's so cute and flattering on her, and it was perfect for the showcase, too!  We look completely unrelated here, which is funny because we are so often told how much we look alike (though neither of us sees it).

It was a fun, theatre-filled evening.  I even had a drink afterwards (a rare event for me)!  My new drink of choice is the amaretto sour at Cheshire, which is a fun little bar that specializes in classic cocktails.

Have a maaahhhhvelous Monday!

xox Sammi 

A shopping day with Steven!

Before Steven left to go back home, we were able to go out to the mall for a bit.  Since Steven is one of the few straight men out there who loves to shop, this is obviously one of our favorite shared activities.  However, Steven is a lot better about NOT doing spending money than I am, usually.

Steven and my mom The Easter Bunny did an incredibly kind and generous deed and went halfsies on a new iPod for me.  Mine is almost 7 years old and is kind of freaking out lately, and I'd been eyeing this beautiful, lilac-colored one... so off we went to the Apple store!

Outfit Details:

Bring Out the Peplum Top: ModCloth (no longer available, but similar here)

Sail into the Future Pant in Black: ModCloth

Cropped cardigan: Forever 21

Black flats: jcpenny

Watch: Anthropologie (no longer available)

Hair bow: Urban Outfitters

I was stoked that I managed to order the exact color I needed to match my hair color!

I really, really love these pants -- they are made of stretchy, thick yoga pant material, but are high-waisted, skinny-legged and look like more formal black pants.  The only thing is that after wearing them once, the seams have started to separate in back (and I swear, they're the right size!).  I'll either have to get the stitches enforced, or maybe order a new pair and just be extra-careful.  They're not that expensive (by ModCloth standards, anyway).  So we shall see.  I ended up contacting ModCloth customer care about them; their customer service team is always so accommodating and great, so maybe they'll have a solution.  I love these pants too much to let them go to waste!

We didn't end up getting anything else at the mall, I don't think.  But we did stop in Crabtree & Evelyn, and I got to walk through and smell all of their lovely soaps and fragrances.  If only their products weren't so expensive.  But I did get a free lotion sample of their newest addition, Tarocco Orange, which I can't wait to try!

I just love their packaging!

Speaking of toiletries and fragrances, I wanted to take a minute to mention a couple of amazing perfume oils I purchased a couple of weeks ago from a great Etsy shop, Firebird Bath & Body.  Brooke (the face behind Firebird) makes delicious-smelling roll-on perfumes, soaps, lip tints, and lotions.  I purchased the ginger ale and the cinders roll-on perfume oils.  Both are really lovely.  Cinders smells like the most perfect fall day, and although the ginger ale looks to be currently unavailable, check back and see if it's there later, because it's incredible -- you can taste the fizz and bubbles when you smell it!  The ginger ale soap is in stock, though!  You can even order a sample pack of three perfumes of your choice, if you don't want to commit to one right away.  I can't wait to order some more items from this lovely shop!

I want to try this one next!

I looove olive-scented soaps and lotions!

Have a lovely Thursday!

xox Sammi

Bemalte Blumen duften nicht (or, "painted flowers have no scent"): an outfit post featuring Blutsgeschwister!

Outfit Details:

Prairie Extraordinary Dress: ModCloth

Heart necklace: ASOS (sold out)

Ida P. Blue spectator heels: BAIT footwear

Aren't the little flower details on the hem adorable?

This dress is just one of the many beautiful creations made by German label Blutsgeschwister.  I had been lusting after numerous items on their website for weeks, after seeing a couple of their pieces that ModCloth carried.  The dress I'm wearing in this post was one I was desperate to own.  The only problem is that their main website ships only within Germany!  I thought I would be destined to pine after this dress forever... until one day, it arrived at ModCloth!  I almost couldn't believe it.  The exact dress (out of hundreds of items Blutsgeschwister makes) I loved so much was within my grasp!  I was elated and immediately ordered the dress, praying that it would fit and look as lovely in person as it does on the site.  Fortunately, it does, and it is now one of my favorite pieces!  It makes me smile just to look at it hanging in my closet.  It's such a beautiful dress for spring and summer!

I really love this brand for many reasons: it's quirky, colorful, and a little tongue-in-cheek.  I love that they fully embrace the brand's German qualities in every piece.  This is a little sampling of some of my favorite Blutgeschwister pieces.  Be careful not to fall too hard for any of these, unless you know they are carried by ModCloth (see their ever-growing selection here) - or you happen to live in Germany!  

I love when a piece of clothing can drastically lift your mood or can transport you to another place or another time.  I think this is partially why my taste in clothes verges slightly on (or at least veers towards) costume a lot of the time.  This dress is one of those pieces for me, for sure.

Today is supposed to pretty nice here (60-something degrees, but 80 degrees down near NYC -- so if you are there, please enjoy it for me!!).  I'll be performing in front of a bunch of high school kids when this post goes live, so I hope to enjoy the sunshine (while it lasts!) after our 2 shows!

Have a great Tuesday!

xox Sammi

Girly in gingham (an outfit post)

Although the outfit I posted on Easter Sunday was a lovely, springy dress, it's actually not what I wore on Easter!  Since we had a show that afternoon, I knew I wouldn't have time to post my actual Easter outfit in real time, but I did take pictures, because I love this dress (it's made by Nishe, duh).

Outfit Details:

Nishe Cupcake Lilac Gingham Dress: ASOS

White belt: ASOS

Kimchi Blue T-Strap Flats: Urban Outfitters

Not only is the cupcake embroidery adorable, but I also love the pink jewel buttons!

These flats are so darling.

Post-show hair!

I was soo mad at myself for forgetting to wear this bunny necklace!  It would have been perfect!

via ASOS (sold out)

Have a sensational Sunday!

xox Sammi

(Last) Saturday Adventuring

The pictures in this post are now a week old, but it was a big post and I wanted to wait til the weekend rolled back around to share these!  Last Saturday, I had an early morning rehearsal and then a break until our opening night.  It was a lovely day outside, and Steven was visiting, so when I got home, I told him the plan was to get frozen yogurt at a new (to me) place in Pittsford and to go see the animals at Powers Farm Market (which is a cute store with local produce, baked goods, a petting zoo, and a pumpkin patch in the fall).  We certainly took advantage of the nice weather, and had a great time.

Our first stop was Powers Farm Market, where we stopped to take some pictures of my outfit...

Outfit Details:

Bee My Honey Dress: ModCloth

White cropped cardigan: Forever 21

White peep toe ballet flats: ASOS

Heart necklace: ASOS (out of stock)

After that, we went to go make some new friends...

I love when animals sit like that.  Cats do it all the time, which is why Steven and I call cats "turkeys" (we think they look like Thanksgiving turkeys).  It's such a cute way to sit!

I love that they are looking at themselves in the mirror.

And then we met my favorite animal of the day, who has the sweetest face in the world...

I love this.

Touching noses!  She had the most velvet-y nose!

After receiving some alpaca kisses, we decided it was time to head over to Yotality for some yummy froyo!  I've been to a ton of frozen yogurt places (some self-serve and some not), and this is definitely one of the best I've been to -- and not just in this area.  The flavors are changing constantly (and every one I've tried so far has been delicious!), the fruit is incredibly fresh, and the place is clean and orderly.  It's quickly becoming a new favorite of mine!

We had a lovely outing.  :)  This weekend is supposed to be nice as well, so I hope I can enjoy some sunshine again today -- and I hope you can too!

xox Sammi