Silver Cat Tea Party: June 2016

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Outfit of the Day: Walk of Wine-O's crossing (yet again)!

This past weekend was the annual Hayward Walk of Wine

Walk of Wine is perhaps one of my favorite summer activities ever! (You can see my past posts on this event here and here) The city puts together this event once a year during the summer. For $35 people are invited to go from shop to shop in the downtown Hayward area and partake in wine pours (getting exceedingly tipsy at each stop) while also sampling cheese and crackers, fruit, deli meats, and small sandwiches with their wine pours. As always one of my favorite stops is the Hayward Fire Station in downtown Hayward. Another highlight of the walk this time around was making it out to the "Haywards" mural, as well while being slightly tipsy sitting on a bench on the sidewalk, waving to one of the downtown Hayward bike cops and having him wave back.

It's such a fun, friendly activity, and a good way to get out into the neighborhood. It was a good way to spend a nice sunny day out with Tim, his mom, and two of my best friends.

Come along! In the fire truck at the Hayward Fire Station

At the downtown Hayward Fire Station

In front of the Haywards mural, Hayward, CA

Outfit of the Day:

For Walk of Wine this year I decided to wear my Pinup Girl Clothing Bella Donna dress in Italian Landscape. I thought the Italian theme would go well with the wine theme of the day. Also, I figured dark red would be good in case I spill any red wine on myself. ;) To give this dress extra poof I wore it with a black petticoat I got from Amazon last year. I paired this with a comfortable pair of walking shoes-- black ankle strap flats by Blowfish which I got several years ago. For a finishing touch I also wore a pair of red plastic studs which I got from the local retro style clothing shop, Vintage Alley, also from a couple years ago. As pictured above I also brought along a paper parasol which was gifted to me by a friend several years ago.

Pinup Girl Clothing Bella Donna dress in Italian Landscape- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Bella Donna dress in Italian Landscape- Side View

What are your favorite summer activity ever?

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Dress Review: Mahjong Madness

Hello Kittens!

I had to share this newest print and my newest dress from Trashy Diva with you all!

Trashy Diva has really been hitting it out of the ball park with great prints this year! When I first saw this print, the Mahjong print, released by Trashy Diva about two weeks ago I couldn't resist adding it to my basket and checking out right away. Not only do I adore the print, a novelty midcentury print featuring colorful (i.e. easy to style with) mahjong tiles all over, I am also in LOVE with the fabric, lightweight cotton voile!

Cotton voile is a super soft, almost shear fabric. What I love about Trashy Diva dresses in cotton voile is that Trashy Diva always (so far at least) lines their cotton voile dresses, so not only is the dress incredibly lightweight, but it also has some extra fluff in the skirt which I love! Also, in my opinion cotton voile Trashy Diva dresses are also the easiest of all TD dresses to wash at home. They usually take well to a cold machine wash in the hand wash cycle, though officially the tag on all TD dresses say dry clean. (Full disclosure: I haven't tried it yet on this dress so when in doubt always follow the instructions on the tags)

Now on to the cut. This print came out in three dresses (the Annette, the Trixie, and the Shirtwaist dress) and several separates (gathered mini skirt, circle skirt, and lena blouse). Right away I knew I wanted to try this print in the shirtwaist dress. The shirtwaist dress is one of Trashy Diva's newest dress cuts. It features a classic 1950's shirtwaist style with fully functioning buttons all down the front of the dress. It also has a small almost peter pan type collar. The sleeves are a longer length sleeve. When worn uncuffed the sleeves goes a little beyond my elbows. It can be worn cuffed (as I did in the pictures below) to any desired length. I like to wear it cuffed just to my elbows. I really think it gives the dress a great 1950's silhouette. The skirt has pleats along the waist at the sides and all along the back which gives it a great flair. This dress also comes with a matching belt and has pockets. Another feature they added to this dress is a hook and eye at the waist and a little snap button at the top button to keep everything looking smooth and polished when it's on. I have to admit though, I was disappointed that this shirtwaist dress lacked snap buttons that go all the way down at the spaces between each button. If you are familiar with their past designs you might know what I'm talking about. In the past with some other cuts like the Louise blouse and Darling top to name a few, TD used to put in the extraordinary feature of adding a hidden snap button between each button in front button styles. This was perfect to keep front button styles from gaping. I wish this was something they continued on with style as I feel this style really needs it! One other thing to note is that this dress does not have any zips anywhere. It doesn't need it, but it was still unusual to see it wasn't there on the dress.

A word about fit: I got this dress in my usual size 10 and it's a perfect fit. There is some gaping at the front between the buttons but I think it will be an easy fix to use a bit of double sided fashion tape or for a more permanent solution I might add some snap buttons myself.

Overall, it's an amazing dress and I hope with the introduction of this print that means there will be more cotton voile in the future for TD's summer line!

Trashy Diva Shirtwaist dress in Mahjong- Front View

Trashy Diva Shirtwaist dress in Mahjong- Side View

Trashy Diva Shirtwaist dress in Mahjong- Back View

Trashy Diva Shirtwaist dress in Mahjong- Close Up

Trashy Diva Shirtwaist dress in Mahjong- Sleeve Close Up

Trashy Diva Shirtwaist dress in Mahjong- Gathered Waist Close Up

Trashy Diva Shirtwaist dress in Mahjong- Close Up

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Matching You Teaware to Your Dresses Part 27: Summertime Comics

There's something about the start of summer that makes me think of comics

Perhaps it's because it's the most perfect time for sitting someplace quiet in the the shade with a stack of comics... Perhaps it's because with the start of summer, it usually means the end of school for school age children, and so it's the memory of this that makes me want to bust out with my stack of comic books? Maybe though it's all the action hero blockbusters that usually come out in time for summer that's got comics on my mind? Whatever the case, I figured with the official start of summer here, I thought it would be the perfect time to do a comic themed perfect pairing on the blog!

I found this adorable and fun comic themed dress online at one of my favorite shops, Cats Like Us. The Pop Art Comic Book dress by Folter features a sweetheart neckline, adjustable straps, elastic at the back, and a back zip. This shorter cotton dress is perfect for the warmer summer months ...and it's currently on sale at Cats Like Us!

Folter Pop Art Comic Book dress, image source, Cats Like Us: http://catslikeus.com/products/folter-clothing-pop-art-comic-book-dress

When I saw this dress online I knew I had to pair it here for a Perfect Pairing with my comic book themed teapot! I got this Betty Boop teapot the last time I was at Universal Studios in Orlando a couple Novembers ago (you can read all about it here). The comic theme on this teapot immediately caught my eye. The layout of the comic panels is perfect! It fits perfect on each component (the teapot and the tea cup) separately and is just how you would expect to see it in a weekly comic strip. But when placed together mimics how the panels would look in a comic book or graphic novel! It's smaller shape and tea for one design make it perfect for a quiet afternoon spent in a quiet corner alone reading a stack of comics too! Together with this Pop Art Comic Book dress, it is a match made in comic heaven!

Betty Boop teapot

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Outfit of the Day: Father's Day Ice Cream

Last Sunday Tim and I went out with my dad and step mom for a double celebration

We were celebrating not only Father's day but also Tim's belated birthday.

We went out for lunch at the restaurant of my dad's choosing and then went out for Father's day/birthday ice cream at the nearby ice creamery. It was a great day and a lot of fun to hang out with family.

Outfit of the Day:

Because I knew the ice creamery was on the list for the day I had to wear my Bernie Dexter Rose dress in sundae print! I bought this dress earlier this year when it went on sale on Bernie Dexter's website. Sadly, it is long sold out now though. I paired this dress with some School Issue saddle shoes which I got from Zappos also earlier this year when I got a surprise coupon code in my email from them (a pairing which I first saw on the Soubrette Brunette blog and loved). For a finishing touch I added an Erstwilder Shake Rattle and Roll brooch which I got from Pinup Girl Clothing also earlier this year (and also with a coupon code) and a pair of red floral stud earrings from Forever 21 from several years ago.

Bernie Dexter Rose dress in Sundae print- Front Print

Bernie Dexter Rose dress in Sundae print- Side Print

Bernie Dexter Rose dress in Sundae print with Erstwilder Shake Rattle and Roll brooch- Close Up

Bernie Dexter Rose dress in Sundae print with School Issue Saddle shoes- Close Up

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Outfit of the Day: More Spring Backlog of Outfits

I'm more or less now catching up with my backlog of Outfits of the Day posts

Saturday (last last week):

Still reeling from the loss of B.K. the week before last I decided to wear this super colorful outfit to help pep me up. I had a friend whose favorite saying was, "look good, feel good" and though I was still sad, it did make me feel better to go out in my Trashy Diva Turquoise Floral Louise blouse and Trashy Diva chambray circle skirt, even if it was just to Panera Bread to pick up bagels for breakfast. I paired this with a pair of nude flats with sparkly bows by Pazzo which I got from DSW years ago but somehow never managed to wear them until this day! For a finishing touch I also wore a pair of pink floral stud earrings which I got from Forever 21 a couple years ago.

Trashy Diva Turquoise Floral Louise blouse and chambray circle skirt- Front View

Trashy Diva Turquoise Floral Louise blouse and chambray circle skirt- Side View

Earrings- Close Up

Saturday:

Last Saturday was Tim's birthday. We went out to his favorite local sushi place, we walked around our downtown area a bit, and then I took him out to see the new X-Men movie followed by birthday ice cream! The weather was perfect! Warm/verging on hot and towards the evening perfectly warm/slightly cool enough to chose to or not to wear a cardigan. Since I've been wearing some of the dresses that I most love lately I decided to finally take this dress out for a spin--my Trashy Diva Sweetie dress in Pearl Harbor! I love this one so much I've been slightly hesitant to wear it for the first time. But what better occasion than the hubby's birthday to wear one of my most loved dresses? To not distract from the gorgeousness of this print, I paired this dress with a pair of nude flats by Easy Spirit which I got from Nordstrom Rack last year. For a finishing touch I donned on a faux fruit and straw fascinator which I made myself (see the tutorial here), a vintage straw purse I found last year on Etsy, and a simple pair of pale pink pearl studs which were gifted to me several years ago by my Mother-in-law for a Christmas present.

Trashy Diva Sweetie dress in Pearl Harbor- Front View

Trashy Diva Sweetie dress in Pearl Harbor- Side View

Trashy Diva Sweetie dress in Pearl Harbor- Close Up

Sunday:

On Sunday we stayed home and had a good relaxing day. For dinner we decided to go pick up some sandwiches at Quiznos. Fresh out of the shower I decided to throw on this red Sweet Sway dress by Steady which I got years ago from Angry Young and Poor. I paired this with red flats by Ecco which I found last year on Ebay and because my hair was wet and I didn't want to bother with drying it or risk it dripping on my dress I wore a red snood in my hair.

Steady Sweet Sway dress- Front View

Steady Sweet Sway dress- Side View

Wednesday:

On Wednesday I had some doctors appointments and ended up taking the day off of work. Though it may seem kind of weird, I decided to wear my red Steady dress again one more time before washing it since I had only spend about 15-20 minutes in it a couple days before. Going against my initial reaction of throwing on a black cardigan with this dress, I decided to pair it with a red cardigan. I like the way it ended up together. For shoes I paired this with black ankle strap flats by Blowfish; I think I might have gotten them several years ago from Zappos.

Steady Sweet Sway dress- Front View

Steady Sweet Sway dress- Side View

Monday, June 13, 2016

Outfit of the Day: Spring Backlog of Outfits

I've been taking a bit of a break from blogging

While I've slowly been working on my backlog of reading all the great posts I've missed from all the wonderful bloggers I follow, I thought I should also start working on catching up with posting some Outfits of the Days from a few weeks ago.

Sunday:

A few weeks ago on a Sunday Tim and I went out for some errands. I think we went out for breakfast, a stop to Target, a quick stop at Ace Hardware and a stop at Home Depot. It wasn't the most glamorous day but I definitely felt glamorous all day in my Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Hurricane Ladies print! This is one of my favorite dresses that I own and one that is very close to my heart as it was actually gifted to me by an amazing person! To really play off the pink colors I paired this with a vintage beaded pink cardigan which I got from Etsy a couple years ago, and a pair of pink and cream Ione t-strap kitten heels by B.A.I.T. which I got from Amazon a couple years ago. For a finishing touch I wore this with a black Hell Bunny cinch belt, a pink beret I got from ebay last year, and a pair of pink circle earrings adorn with bows which I got from Forever 21 some years ago.

Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Hurricane Ladies- Front View

Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Hurricane Ladies- Side View

Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Hurricane Ladies- Front View

Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Hurricane Ladies- Side View

Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Hurricane Ladies- Close Up

Saturday:

A couple weeks ago Tim and I went for a walk around a nearby lake. We went to somewhat nearby Fremont for a walk around Lake Elizabeth, we then went to the mall, and then out to dinner at Red Lobster. I decided this day was the perfect opportunity to wear my Trashy Diva Apple Tart dress in Seersucker. I paired this with a red cardigan I got several years ago from Nordstrom Rack, and a pair of red Vans which Tim bought me as a gift about a year ago. For a finishing touch I paired this with a pair of apple stud earrings I got from Modcloth about two years ago.

Trashy Diva Apple Pie dress in Seersucker- Front View

Trashy Diva Apple Pie dress in Seersucker- Side View

Trashy Diva Apple Pie dress in Seersucker- Front View

Trashy Diva Apple Pie dress in Seersucker- Side View

Apple Stud earrings- Close Up

Sunday:

That following Sunday it was a hot day. We decided to go to Dave and Busters to have fun and play in the arcade. Seeing as I recently wore my Hurricane Ladies dress I decided to stick to a theme and wear another one of my favorite dresses, my Trashy Diva Country Club dress in Butterflies! This dress was the Desperately Seeking dress that ended all desperately seeking dresses for me. While I still have dresses on my wishlist, after acquiring all the dresses I felt I was most desperately seeking including the Hurricane ladies print and this Butterflies print, I decided to refrain from ever elevating a dress to quite the level of desperately seeking as I had elevated these ones. After all, I have been so lucky in finding all the dresses I was most desperately seeking so I figured it was only right to step back and if I get lucky and find a dress on my wishlist for a decent price and if I was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time, I would consider them wonderful little bonuses.

I got this dress back in October and have patiently been waiting for some hot weather to finally get to wear it out! I fully plan on living in this dress this summer!

The day before I had hurt my feet walking around the lake in my red Vans... Wearing shoes that haven't been fully broken in yet and without socks is definitely not a good idea. So what did I do the very next day? Wear shoes that haven't been fully broken in yet with socks. Okay, still not the best idea. And in hindsight my feet probably would have fared better in my usual broken in flats and my outfit probably would have looked better too. Oh well. I couldn't resist wearing my cat printed Vans with this butterfly printed dress. It was too fun a combo. For a finishing touch I paired this outfit with a yellow hair flower I got from Cats Like Us a couple years ago, a pair of golden bronze flower stud earrings I got from Forever 21 a couple years ago, and a new pair of sunglasses I got from Trashy Diva. I love how the bees and brown in the sunglasses seem to scream a perfect match with this butterfly print dress!