Silver Cat Tea Party: May 2016

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Dress Review: A Heart Aflutter For A Fowl

A while ago my mom and I were shopping at HomeGoods, a discount homeware store...

She immediately spotted a ceramic chicken figure and said to me, "You should get the chicken because you're a chicken!"

I was a little dumbfounded by this. "What do you mean, I'm a chicken?!" I asked a little incredulously but mostly highly amused. She explained to me I'm a chicken because my Chinese zodiac sign is a chicken. She was talking about the rooster. Ever since that day I've had an affinity for chickens. Not only does the story make me smile every time I think on it but I also love the way the word sounds.. Chicken! And so, when I saw that Trashy Diva recently came out with a chicken print I knew I had to have it! Yay Chickens!

I won't lie. This print could have been any combination of colors or any style of illustration and I would have bought it. It is a huge bonus that this print just happens to be one of the prettiest prints by Trashy Diva I've ever seen! I love the rich vibrant colors. It's comprised of a gorgeous turquoise background with highly stylized multicolored roosters in red, green, and white! Now here is a reproduction novelty print done right! It looks amazingly authentic with a huge 1940's feel to it. I love how it is colorful and bright, yet not too juvenile nor glaringly blinding as far as bright colors go. As gorgeous from afar as it is up close, I swoon at the sight of it!

And so, because I'm so crazy for this print I had to order it in not just one but two dresses! I knew right away looking at Trashy Diva's selections that the 1940's and the Sweetie cuts were my favorite in this print.

The 1940's cut, in my mind, is one of Trashy Diva's most iconic and quintessential cuts! It is for sure one of my favorites and go tos in Trashy Diva. I love the classic yet simple and flattering shape of this dress as well as the amazing attention to detail in all the tiny little gathers at the shoulders and under the bust. The waist is banded and lined to allow for a fitted nipped in look. The dress has a low v-neck back zip with two hook and eyes to ensure underthings remain concealed. The skirt has a classic a-line shape to it which without having too much volume, remaining true to the 1940's silhouette, has amazing flow.

Trashy Diva 1940's dress in Ruffled Feathers- Front View

Trashy Diva 1940's dress in Ruffled Feathers- Side View

Trashy Diva 1940's dress in Ruffled Feathers- Back View

Trashy Diva 1940's dress in Ruffled Feathers- Close Up

The second dress I chose in this print was the Sweetie dress. The Sweetie is a classic 1940's style shirt waist dress. I adore the red contrasting fully functioning buttons along the front as well as the contrasting buttons at the two front pockets. The detachable belt give it a very finished look. This dress features a slightly a-line (though much slimmer) skirt than the 1940's dress. It also has a wide collar, gathers below the shoulders in the front and back, and has ever so slightly puffed sleeves. For convince, this dress also has a side zip in addition to the front buttons for ease of getting it on and off. With this one, I played around a bit with ways to wear it. Below I changed out the belt to see how it would look with a contrasting red belt, and I also tried it with a cardigan and hat... a perfect outfit I think, for if I ever take that fantasy trip to Cuba now that people from the United States are allowed to travel there! :)

Trashy Diva Sweetie dress in Ruffled Feathers- Front View

Trashy Diva Sweetie dress in Ruffled Feathers- Side View

Trashy Diva Sweetie dress in Ruffled Feathers- Back View

Trashy Diva Sweetie dress in Ruffled Feathers with red contrasting belt- Front View

Trashy Diva Sweetie dress in Ruffled Feathers- Front View

Trashy Diva Sweetie dress in Ruffled Feathers- Close Up

Trashy Diva Ruffled Feathers- Close Up

Monday, May 23, 2016

Tea Time At the Golden Tea Garden

Hello Kittens!

This weekend I got to get an itch I've been feeling lately and went out to tea with some lady friends. It feels like it's been forever since I've been out to tea but it's probably really only been about a month or two. ;)

For our tea time ladies' day out tea date we decided to go to the local tea house, the Golden Tea Garden in Hayward. I haven't been here for a while for tea and the last time I was here I was actually giving a helping hand in the kitchen! So it was especially nice to pop in for a spot of tea and see the ladies that work there.

My friends got champagne with their tea while I opted instead to go for the full high tea service without champagne. For my tea I picked a tea called Roastaroma which was super earthy and full which was surprising for an herbal tea! It had chicory, barley, chocolate, and cinnamon flavors to it. The service of our tea was impeccable and everyone really enjoyed the warm towel service they do their before our teas were brought out.

It was a wonderfully overcast day, a perfectly cool day for a tea, and it was a great way to spend the morning-- sipping tea and eating scones, tea sandwiches, and sweet treats while having lively conversation in the great company of friends.

As always, I'm looking forward to my next tea outing and looking forward to coming back to the Golden Tea Garden again!

The Golden Tea Garden, Hayward, CA

Out table waiting for us, the Golden Tea Garden, Hayward, CA

Full service menu

Tea Menu

Champagne and Tea

Cup of Roastaroma tea

High Tea Service

Outfit of the Day:

For our tea outing I decided to wear my Trashy Diva Doris dress in Cool Watercolors. I paired this with a blue Sweet wrap cardigan by Heart of Haute which I bought from them last year. I also paired this with a pair of blue Chelsea Crew heels I got last year from ebay. For a finishing touch I wore a blue fascinator I got from ebay, also last year, a pair of purple bow earrings I got from a local vintage shop, Vintage Alley, and an Erstwilder Rosy Lee brooch which I bought directly from Erstwilder a couple months ago! Amazing customer service from them by the way! When this pin was out of stock on their website they went out of their way to help me look for another vendor how had it and when they couldn't find another vendor, they let me know later on when they happened to find this last one hiding in their warehouse!

Trashy Diva Doris dress in Cool Watercolors- Front View

Trashy Diva Doris dress in Cool Watercolors- Side View

Trashy Diva Doris dress in Cool Watercolors- Front View

Trashy Diva Doris dress in Cool Watercolors- Side View

Erstwilder Rosy Lee brooch and Blue fascinator- Close Up

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Outfit of the Day: Two From the Week and Two From the Weekend

Last week was a bit busier for me than usual!

Outfit of the Day (Tuesday):

On Tuesday Tim took me out for a mid-week movie. We saw Captain America: Civil War. For this occasion I decided to wear one of my 1940's style dresses, the Suzy Parker dress from Hell Bunny (A.K.A. the East Coast Swing dress) which I bought from Modcloth a few years ago. I paired this with a true vintage Ethel of Beverly Hills cardigan which I found on Etsy a few years ago and a pair of basic black flats.

Hell Bunny Suzy Parker dress- Front View

Hell Bunny Suzy Parker dress- Side View

Hell Bunny Suzy Parker dress- Front View

Hell Bunny Suzy Parker dress- Side View

Outfit of the Day (Wednesday):

Then on Wednesday I took the day off of work to get a some doctors appointments done and to go see the dentist. I wasn't really in the mood to put on a dress (shocking!) so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to get out my Collectif Lorenza Houndstooth Swing trousers! I got these a few years ago from Modcloth. I paired this with a blue sweater and purple beret I got several years ago from Nordstrom Rack as well as paired it with a pair of basic black flats. For a finishing touch I donned on a monogram brooch which I got from either Etsy or Ebay a few years ago.

Collectif Lorenza Houndstooth Swing trousers with blue sweater- Front View

Collectif Lorenza Houndstooth Swing trousers with blue sweater- Side View

Outfit of the Day (Saturday):

On Saturday my friend and I went out to a vintage fashion faire in Alameda. I usually like to dress in vintage when scoping out vintage dresses but this time I decided on my Trashy Diva Lupe dress in Forget Me Not Floral. I paired this with a black bolero by Elle which I got from Kohl's a couple years ago. For a finishing touch I paired it with a red floppy hat from Anthropologie from a few years ago and red Ecco flats I found on ebay last year. Also because it was Friday the 13th just the day before and I failed to remember to wear anything Friday the 13ie, I wore a pair of black cat earrings by Rosita Bonita which I got from Trashy Diva last year.

Trashy Diva Lupe dress in Forget Me Not Floral- Front View

Trashy Diva Lupe dress in Forget Me Not Floral- Side View

Trashy Diva Lupe dress in Forget Me Not Floral- Front View

Trashy Diva Lupe dress in Forget Me Not Floral- Side View

Trashy Diva Lupe dress in Forget Me Not Floral- Close Up

Outfit of the Day (Sunday):

On Sunday I left the house for a bit to run some errands. The day started out gray and overcast so I picked out the Trashy Diva Americana dress in Mini Fleur to wear! I love the sleeves on this one-- perfect for a cooler day! I paired this with some basic black flats and for a finishing touch a pair silver fleur de lis earrings which I got from an arts fair from a few years ago.

Trashy Diva Americana dress in Mini Fleur- Front View

Trashy Diva Americana dress in Mini Fleur- Side View

Trashy Diva Americana dress in Mini Fleur-Close Up

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Dress Review: The Blanche in Deco Daffodil

Deco Daffodil is the newest print just released from Trashy Diva earlier last month.

It is my favorite prints released by them since the Green Kimono print released in December 2014! And considering how much I love the prints Trashy Diva releases I feel like that's saying a lot about this print! (Though now I must disclose, as I edit and finish writing this review an even newer print just got released by Trashy Diva, Ruffled Feathers, which sends my heart aflutter so... but more on that print later!)

The Deco Daffoil print is a stark and contrasting two color print featuring ghostly white Daffodils against a midnight dark navy blue background. And to say midnight dark is not an exaggeration! The navy is almost pitch black though not quite. The daffodils have a flowy, darkly whimsical, almost like a gothic rococo, feel to it. The all white daffodils are given visual depth and texture though the use of pointillism shading done in navy within the stark white daffodils. There is so much for the eye to take in with this print. To me, it's a mysterious print which divulges to the viewer upon repeat views a sense of melancholy movement, flow, depth, and dark dreamy moodiness.

Perhaps for this reason the Blanche was the perfect choice in this print. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche was the mysterious debutante who arrives to New Orleans from her home of assumed opulent splendor in Laurel, Mississippi to visit her sister Stella. Like the character Blanche, the Blanche dress is all femininity with flowing flutters and delicate lady like ruffles. However, through the unfolding of the story told in the midst of the shadows and fog of its setting we find there is more to Blanche's story than first meets the eye. And perhaps, just like Blanche DuBois, the Blanche dress is more than just feminine flutters and ruffles. The Deco Daffodil print adds a decided air of dark mystery to the print while the true cross over design of the wrap style of the dress adds an element of playful energy.

A bit more about this cut... one thing that I did not immediately notice viewing pictures of this dress online is that there are actually double ruffles at the shoulders as well as a double layer of fabric along the skirt. Furthermore, the ruffles in the front of the dress extend around the neck which, in my opinion, gives it a bit of a sailor style silhouette to it. There are so many gorgeous features such as these which I feel can so easily get overlooked when merely looking at stock photos of it online. The material is made from a stretch rayon knit much like the glorious fabric used the in Trashy Diva's Victory Floral print. Regarding fit, I found this dress to fit true to size and took it in my usual size.