Beehive

Outfit Details

Bee print dress: Bernie Dexter (similar)

Black heels: ModCloth (similar)

Bee necklace: old (similar)

This dress was a very lucky purchase.  Bernie Dexter often has "last chance sales" on her website, and I ended up snagging this dress and another for about $45 each!  I'd been eyeing this one for a while (I just love the bodice), and it just goes to show that it really does pay to keep an eye out and wait until something goes on sale.  This dress isn't as full-skirted as most of my other Bernies, but it actually makes it a tad more versatile.  I could still wear a shorter, less-full petticoat underneath if I wanted, but it's so much breezier for the summertime to go without one!  This is also my only Bernie dress that I have to wear sans bra; the sizing is a little smaller on this than my other dresses, and actually, it's sort of nice to not have to wear one.  As a well-endowed girl, I don't always get that chance!

I finally got out of the house for a little while this weekend and went to see a production of Hairspray with some friends.  It was through the high school and college summer program at one of the local theater companies I work with, and they really did an excellent job with it.  I knew a few people in the show and in the pit, and it's always encouraging to see so much young talent in this town.  I've seen the show a couple of other times (I saw the national tour when it came here, and a local production when I was doing summer theatre in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area), and it's always enjoyable, but I thought this cast was incredibly strong and I didn't stop smiling the entire show!

Have a swell Sunday!

xox Sammi

Friday Favorites #57

Happy Friday, everyone!  Here are some of my favorite finds from this week:

I was so excited to see that Pinup Girl Clothing is now carrying these cropped cardigans!  As far as I can tell, they're the exact same make as ModCloth's Dream of the Crop line of cardigans, but PUG is carrying different colors!  (Trashy Diva carries them now, too.)  I've been searching everywhere for a light blue cropped cardigan, so I miiiight have to get that one.

a  //  b  //  c

Speaking of PUG, I'm not normally into tropical prints, but this dress of theirs is really pretty!

Love this tote from Forever 21!  She reminds me of Amy!

I wish this tank had been around back when I was in high school (and in a production of Grease):

THIS BAG.  Ahhhh!

This top is currently sold out (not surprisingly), but I still had to include it.  Looks like it's still available through the Petals and Peacocks website, though!

I may need to get this Friends travel mug as a gift for my mom!

Give me ALL the jellies, please!! ( 1  //  2 )

I adored this xojane article about one's outfits being subconsciously inspired by one's favorite movies (although in my case, the influence is sometimes intentional)!

This rose headband is so darling:

I love this kitchen (but can't find the original source, wahh)!

(via)

These might be the most amazing kitchen items I never knew I needed.  They're pot grips shaped like farfalle!!  So cute!!

Finally, I was glad I read this during this week.  I'm having a tough time letting go and moving on lately.  The Serenity Prayer is great in theory, but sometimes it's a little more daunting to actually put it into practice.  There are times when Thought Catalog has decent things.

Have a great weekend!

xox Sammi

Cake pop

Outfit Details

Dress: swap from Elana

Petticoat: similar here

Hair bow: Juicy Bows

Belt: from another dress

Cake ring: Le Petite Bonbon

BAIT Footwear spectators: ModCloth

This is not how I was initially thinking of styling this dress!  This little number of Elana's is so pretty (I especially love the polka dot panel on the top), and I had originally thought of taking a much simpler route with this dress.  But then it arrived at my house and all I kept thinking was how cute it would look with pink!  I'm still a little on the fence with some of the elements I had to use (I'd have preferred to have one uniform shade of light pink, instead of about 3 slightly different ones, plus I'd have preferred a plainer belt), but I think the idea of it is really fun.  It reminds me of a small sample of a birthday party -- hence the post title!   You can see how Elana styled this dress here.

 

Fun fact: this petticoat was actually something I used in the production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch I was in (and produced and costumed) a couple of years ago.  It's technically a much larger size than I'd normally need, but since it's a cheap, elastic-waist, Leg Avenue-type of crinoline, you can't even tell!  I also did a little doctoring of my hair bow; it was originally intended to be worn as a headband, and was attached to a strip of black elastic, so that the bow would sit straight up or to the side on one's head.  It's a large bow and looked a little too cartoon-ish for my taste, so I decided to get rid of the elastic and attach it with bobby pins, instead.  I may eventually put an alligator clip on it, but the pins worked in a pinch!  Moral of the story: elastic is a very versatile item.

 

Have a great Thursday!

xox Sammi 

Label Love: Nishe

Happy Tuesday, everyone!  I'm making an attempt to brighten up the start of the week with this post -- my second (and probably my favorite) in this little "Label Love" series.  Today's installment focuses on one of my all-time favorite brands, and it's one that manages to encompass almost everything I love in terms of style.  It's none other than Nishe!

My three favorite Nishe dresses!
1  //  2  //  3

For those not overly-familiar with this dreamy brand, Nishe was founded by Polly Siu, an Australian designer based in Hong Kong, back in 2008.  Since then, her pieces have been carried by online retailers like ModCloth and ASOS (and are also available through Nishe's own website).  Polly's designs are undoubtedly girly and a little quirky (the best combination!), and there are definitive elements of sweet lolita and kawaii culture thrown in.  According to the brand's philosophy, Nishe is for anyone who is a lover, a dreamer, or young at heart.  All in all, Polly's pieces always make me feel like I'm a character in my very own storybook, and they never fail to make me feel beautiful and special.

I even pretended to be a mermaid last summer in this Nishe dress!

Almost all of the Nishe pieces I own are characterized by the distinctive (and totally charming) embroidery.  Though some of Polly's more recent pieces utilize printed fabrics, I'd say that the embroidery is thought to be Nishe's calling card, and it absolutely sets her line apart.  In addition, her pieces are of very high quality, and are usually fully-lined.  Even though many of her pieces contain synthetic fabrics, these dresses feel quite expensive.  Nishe pieces can be on the pricier side (they run anywhere from $65-$250, depending on the retailer), but in my opinion, that's a testament to the craftsmanship.  These pieces are unique and eye-catching, and I'd rather pay a little more for something distinctive and well-made.  In addition, you can find good deals on Nishe pieces all the time; ASOS and ModCloth put Nishe on sale regularly, and pieces are often available on eBay.

I also love that my Nishe dresses can be worn all year long!

My favorite Nishe dresses have a fit-and-flare silhouette with an organza-like skirt (like the three in the first photo of this post), but I own a few pieces made in other styles.  Most of her dresses contain hidden back or side zippers, and many have fun details like detachable or eye-catching collars.  I've found that Nishe's sizing is quite consistent across the board, and it runs very true-to-size for me.  Nishe pieces are usually listed with UK sizing, and the general rule is that your UK numbered size is two sizes up from your normal US size (i.e., for me, I wear a UK 12/US 8).  The fabrics do not usually provide stretch, so you should keep that in mind when ordering.  But you can expect a healthy dose of charm, fantasy and sweetness -- which is just how I like my clothes!

4  //  5  //  6

7  //  8  //  9

What about you?  Are you enamored by Nishe, or are the designs just a little too much for you?  How would you style these fantastical frocks?  Let me know in the comments!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

xox Sammi

You're the cat's meow

Outfit Details

Hooked on a Feline Dress: ModCloth

Black flats: jc penney (old)

Belt: from another dress

Wicker purse: yard sale

Kudos to June for the title of this post!  This dress doesn't get enough love from me.  I recently lent this dress to sweet Lauren, who styled it in a few different ways on her blog (here, here and here), and it definitely renewed my love for it and inspired me to wear it more often.  It's sort of a loud print, and the dresses I own by Folter Clothing tend to fit me a little snugly in the arm region, so that might be why I don't wear it a ton.  But it's a really cool dress, and I really do love this length.  I'm becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with shorter dresses these days, and I love that this can work with or without a crinoline.  Plus, when it's windy, I don't have to worry so much about flashing anyone!  

I don't really wear my hair up very much on the blog (or all that much in general, really).  My hair absolutely provides a sense of both security and femininity for me.  I always end up feeling sort of masculine/unattractive when I wear my hair up.  This hair style was sort of an accident, but I ended up liking it a lot.  I was wearing it half up, half down with a lot of extra volume to create a more 1960's look, and then it got too hot, so I ended up pulling up the rest of it.  I think the extra height does wonders on me, so I'll have to remember this for the future.

Have a great Sunday!

xox Sammi