She's a full-on Monet

Outfit Details:

Best of My Love Dress: ModCloth (no longer available, similar here)

Clueless sweatshirt: Forever 21 (old, similar here)

White heels: jcpenney (similar here)

Heart ring: Urban Outfitters (similar here)

White belt: eBay

Petticoat: eBay

Ever since I was asked to be a part of Flock Together, I've been challenging myself to wear my existing pieces in new ways.  I bought this Bernie Dexter dress during one of ModCloth's big 70% off sales, after eyeing it for a long time, and I'm glad I did.  I've become enchanted with the color pink lately, and I love the collar and matching belt it came with (not pictured).  However, it's a really light, summery dress, and I wanted to figure out a way to transition it into cooler weather.  I'd seen some other bloggers layer sweaters over dresses (and thus turn the dresses into skirts), which I think is a fantastic idea -- especially since I actually don't have that many skirts in my wardrobe.  

I decided to try out the idea with this fantastic Clueless sweatshirt I snagged from Forever 21 a couple of summers ago; it's a size small, which I NEVER wear at F21, but it was the only size they had left... and it was $10(!!)... and it's one of my favorite movies... so I'd ordered it and prayed that it would miraculously fit me... and it did!  And I love this sweatshirt even better with a skirt/dress than with jeans.  This outfit is one of the few times that I've conceptualized an outfit in my head and it works just as well in real life.  With the addition of a petticoat, I felt like a 1950s version of Carrie Bradshaw!  :)

This definitely makes me want to do more of the turning-dresses-into-skirts layering trend.  I have a bunch of sweaters that are a little too short to wear with pants, so this might just be the perfect way to make use of them.  Would you try out this idea for yourself?

Have a lovely Saturday!

xox Sammi

25% off side-wide at eShakti -- plus a $30 off promo code!!

Hello, everyone!  I'm sorry for having two similar sale posts this week, but since I didn't have a post planned for today, I wanted to make sure to let you all know about the terrific 25% off sale going on at eShakti!  eShakti is not just any online clothing store; the wonderful thing about eShakti is that they provide an incredible amount of customization -- everything from hemlines to exact measurements!  You can basically have a dress custom made for your body, which is truly a great thing when we don't have standardized sizing in this country (I know that I often fall between sizes!).  Even if you don't have to provide your exact measurements for a custom dress, eShakti's size chart is super detailed and specific to each piece, which I really appreciate, and their garments are incredibly high-quality.  You can also customize things like sleeves, pockets, and hemline -- which is super helpful for gals who need pieces for an office environment, as one of the complaints I hear most from people who shop online is that it's very hard to tell the length of dresses from a website.  eShakti's dresses are totally classy and well-made, and are staple pieces that will last for a long time.  And although I'm always drawn to their dresses, their tops, skirts and sweaters are all great, too!   I've blogged about their online store before, and I'm the lucky owner of two of their dresses (seen here and here), but I couldn't resist posting about this sale, and a special deal in addition!  :) 

These are just a few of my favorite dresses on the site right now:

left // center // right

So here's the scoop: everything on the site is already marked down by 25%, which is a great deal.  BUT I also happen to have a referral code for *new eShakti customers* which can be used on TOP of this sale and will get you $30 off your total purchase!!!  This is a crazy good bargain, and just in time for cold winter and holiday shopping.  Just enter referral code SAMANTHAZ7DX at checkout to redeem (and please send me an e-mail if this code fails to work for some reason -- I'll personally send you a new one!).  Make sure to enter it in the box that says "GIFT COUPON / REFERRAL CODE," and please note that this code will work only for NEW eShakti customers.

Happy shopping!

xox Sammi

One lump or two?

Outfit Details:

Teapot print square dance dress: soulrust (similar here)

Red bolero: Pinup Girl Clothing

Red belt: Pinup Girl Clothing

Doo Bee Doo Bee Shoe Heels: ModCloth (similar here)

Upper West Stride Hat: ModCloth

Petticoat: eBay

I ended up wearing this rather whimsical outfit last Sunday, when I went out for tea with my mom and grandma.  We had a nice time, but it seems like our teahouse is struggling a bit financially, and has had to cut some corners... which means that the food wasn't quite what we had remembered and hoped it'd be, so that was a little bit of a bummer.  I think next time I get the urge for a tea party, I'm just going to throw one myself and invite some stylish lady friends over (and require them to dress up, obviously).  That way, we can have all the things we love and I won't get weird looks for wearing a petticoat.

I first wore this dress on the blog over the summer (sans petticoat), and I was happy to see that it totally works for the cooler months.  You know that's a little difficult though?  Trying to find a coat that can work with a petticoat.  I think I need a knee-length coat that has a nice flare to it, so it would glide out right on top of a full skirt.  But maybe I'm just coming up with excuses to buy new coats... very likely.  I got this beautiful red and black coat for my birthday (made by Hell Bunny, one of my favorite labels) that I can't wait to wear, but it's definitely more of a winter coat than a fall one, so I'm still on the hunt. 

This week is the last week for both of the shows I'm doing, which means it's the last week where I'll feel like a "real actor" for a while, and I'll be back to the grind soon.  That has its perks in some ways, but I'm worried about having too much idle time on my hands to dwell and think about things.  I'll have to direct my focus elsewhere -- towards redoing my room, for starters, and I'm excited about that.  I also need to get back to doing my driving lessons, which is a bit more difficult for me, because that activity is kind of emotionally-screwy for me.  It was already a tough thing for me to face my fears in that regard, and because Steven was helping to teach me how to drive, there's now a whole other layer to it.  But I am more resilient than I give myself credit for, and I can't stay in a safety bubble forever.  So here's to facing our fears, and not backing down from a challenge.

Have a great Wednesday!

xox Sammi

20% off party dresses at Modcloth!

Dresses pictured (from left):

Breathtaking Belle Dress // Luck Be a Lady Dress in Scholar

Energizing Charm Dress // The Neyla Dress in Rouge // Hide in the Hydrangeas Dress in Pink Noir

Tickling the Ivories Dress in Creme // Good As Goldfish Dress

ModCloth has been amping up their sales lately, and I think this is really great.  They didn't offer as many before, but it seems like they're offering more discounts as of late, and this one is wonderful!  Hundreds of party dresses are marked down at 20% off -- even brand new arrivals!  It's the perfect time to be thinking about a dress for the holidays.  This deal lasts only until tomorrow (11/6), so if you've got your eye on something, hurry on over and snag a sweet deal!  

Click here to get 20% off on party dresses!

xox Sammi

Where's the fire?

Outfit Details:

Fire hydrant print dress: borrowed from Marisa

The Dream of the Crop Cardigan in Mint: ModCloth (similar here)

Red belt: Pinup Girl Clothing

White flats: Yeswalker (on sale!)

Daisy ring: Mom's

I'm so happy I was asked to be a part of the Flock Together style collective!  The girls who are make up this blog are truly some of the sweetest, loveliest individuals, and I feel very lucky and honored to be in their company.  This awesome fire hydrant print dress was one of the first pieces I borrowed, and it's from the lovely Marissa of The Shades of Monet Chronicles.  I really love Marisa's sense of style, and she has such a great eye for color.  She is able to remix pieces in ways I never would have thought of myself, but are so playful and work so well together.  I remember seeing this dress on ModCloth during one of their large sales, and I distinctly remember almost ordering it, but going with another dress instead.  I'm so glad that I got the chance to wear Marisa's, especially since Retrolicious is such a fun brand.  I especially love the pockets, and I'm a total sucker for an oversized collar.  Check out how Marisa styled this adorable dress on her own blog here!

Have a lovely Monday!

xox Sammi

A whiter shade of pale

Outfit Details:

Hypatia Dress: ever+mi.crush 

(also available at Emerging Thoughts)

Double tea ring: similar here

Bow belt: from another dress

Mary Jane heels: estate sale buyout store

It's no secret that I really adore Kate Gabrielle's aesthetic, so when I saw that this gorgeous dress that she designed for Dahlia was being carried by ever+mi.crush, I knew it was a piece that needed to be added to my wardrobe.  It's such a dreamy dress, from the color (inspired by her sweet kitty cat, Hypatia, who recently passed away) to the vintage-inspired silhouette... and don't get me started on the amazing collar!  I ended up wearing this on Monday for my birthday, and got a lot of compliments on it (which is truly a testament to Kate's lovely design).

I ended up swapping the belt the dress came with, because I couldn't figure out how to get it to stay as tight as I needed it to (it's one of those fabric belts that you have to weave through a certain way, without holes or a prong), but I thought this bow belt was darling with it.  Oh, and this dress gave me the opportunity to wear my new (to me) off-white Mary Jane heels!  I found them on a whim at this amazing estate sale buyout store for $10!  I'd been looking for white Mary Jane heels everywhere, and these just happened to fit me perfectly.  I'm so enchanted with them.

In other news, our production of Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale (that's the full title, which I realized I'd never mentioned) opens this morning!  We have two shows (one at 11 AM and the other at 2 PM) today, and our theatre company partnered up with a local salon to do something called a "Braid Parade" before the first show, where a ton of little girls get to sign up and get their hair braided by stylists (for free!) and then get to parade around for the audience.  It's going to be so cute, and I'm looking forward to seeing a bunch of little girls dressed up like princesses!  Hopefully they won't be too scared of me for the meet-and-greets (that happens when you play the villain, sometimes)!

Have a wonderful Saturday!

xox Sammi