Sharing from Vogue.com: The Dress

Sharing from Vogue.com


Even with an 8 am final this morning, I couldn't resist the urge to get up a few hours earlier to watch the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Yes, the ceremony was beautiful and William and Catherine make a perfect match, but like many others who watched the wedding today, what I was really waiting for was the dress. And Catherine did not disappoint: her dress, the best-kept secret of the royal wedding, meshes tradition with modernity and was designed by none other than Alexander McQueen's creative director Sarah Burton. I've heard a lot about Ms. Burton on the fashion radar since she showed her debut collection for McQueen last fall and her creations have been worn during awards season by celebrities such as Mila Kunis. But this perfect collaboration between the bride and designer is what will have fashionistas everywhere talking, and if they're anything like me, they're probably wishing they will look even half as fabulous as Catherine does when they get married. I know a lot of people have been saying this already but I definitely see a lot of Grace Kelly in Catherine's wedding look, a refreshing take since Diana's over-the-top wedding gown nearly thirty years ago. I'm sure Catherine's dress will go down in fashion history as one of the best, if not the best, wedding gowns of all time. I wish all the happiness in the world for William and Catherine, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Birthday Weekend Series, Part 4: Seashell bracelets

At the same Farmers Market where I got that gorgeous adornment by Karin, I also found these hemp bracelets with a seashell attached to each of them. What I love about these bracelets is that not only are they eco-friendly, but their seashells remind me of being home by the beach while I'm at school an hour away. Since I got greedy and bought two of them, I can't wait to give one of these bracelets to my sister and also rock the other one on my birthday tomorrow. The last part of my birthday weekend series is coming up tomorrow, the big day! I can't wait to celebrate my birthday and look fabulous while doing it. Stay fabulous, my friends!

Birthday Weekend Series, Part 3: Adornments by Kamin

H&M LBD, Adornment by Kamin
There are many moments in my fashion history where I either wasn't expecting to get anything or was expecting to find something completely different from what I actually bought, and then I saw something so fabulous that I absolutely had to have it and almost forgot what I actually came for. This Thursday I had one of those moments at the least expected place: the first Farmers Market at CNU. I had originally intended to try out their organic bread and strawberries and the first thing I saw were these intricate fabric adornments that appeared to be flowers, feathers, etc. The gorgeous adornment pictured above is the one I chose out of a collection at Farmers Market, Adornments by Kamin. These one of a kind adornments are perfect for pinning on otherwise minimalist black dresses (such as the H&M LBD pictured above), or on plain t-shirts with jeans like I ended up doing 2 days in a row after buying it. For all you Kate Middleton-inspired fashionistas out there, adornments such as this one can be clipped on your hair or on a big hat as an homage to the upcoming Royal Wedding at the end of this month. For anyone looking to add a pop of color to a basic outfit or monochromatic look, look no further than the Adornments by Kamin. My adornment cost me about $20, and believe me, it's worth every penny. Check out her page on facebook or you can reach her at kamin.brown@gmail.com; as her business card says, she's happy to adorn you!

Birthday Weekend Series, Part 2: Daisy

Yeah, one post just wasn't enough for me tonight so I had to do two. So while we're on the subject of perfumes, I figured I'd discuss my signature scent: Marc Jacobs Daisy. I first tested it out as part of a Sephora sampler of 10 miniscule perfumes I got for Christmas of my senior year of high school and have been in love with it ever since. So much so, I ended up choosing it as the perfume I'd get for free out of the 10 for my 18th birthday. I'm absolutely obsessed with this scent for a few reasons: it perfectly conveys the electric youth and joy of Marc Jacobs' designs, brings me confidence whenever I have something important to do or somewhere to be, and just one spritz makes me so happy that it is enough to turn a not so great day around in a matter of five seconds or less. The woman who wears Daisy is young, fresh, daring, and considers spring her favorite season-kind of like me! Marc Jacobs has another fabulous scent out, Lola, along with his many other perfumes but few hold a candle to my beloved Daisy, seen next to my new Espirit d'Oscar (see post below) at its rightful place in the dead center of the top shelf of my desk.

Birthday Weekend Series, Part 1: Espirit d'Oscar

Hey everyone! So if you couldn't tell by the title, I have a big birthday coming up this weekend and as a tiny part of my celebration I've decided to take time each day of my birthday weekend doing something I love. What could that be, you ask? Blogging about fashion, of course! So I chose to begin my birthday weekend series with a slightly overdue take on a brand new perfume sample I received from the Vogue Influencer Network last week. First, I'll provide some background on the perfume itself: According to the note I found in my package from Oscar de la Renta VP of communications Erika Bearman (@OscarPRGirl on Twitter, http://oscarprgirl.tumblr.com/), de la Renta created his signature fragrance, Oscar, as a "celebration of women, timeless and feminine", in 1977. This fragrance was dreamed up to capture the joy and sophistication of his designs, which I can honestly say are still some of the most sophisticated, ladylike, and chic designs in the fashion world more than thirty years later. My new perfume sample is a modern update on his signature scent given the moniker-you guessed it-Espirit d'Oscar. This spanking new perfume is certainly not a shy one: the scent is loud, bold, and very elegant, and thats with just one little spritz. The woman who will wear Esprit d'Oscar is thoroughly modern, classically ladylike, and most certainly not afraid of getting noticed, especially for her daily fashion choices. It's a perfect scent for the youthful yet very adult classic fashionista, and I'm sure this scent will fly off the shelves when it hits stores soon.