Outfit of the Day: Would You Like Cream and Sugar With That?

Last weekend I went to one of our nearby tearooms

I did not go though to treat myself to a spot of tea. Instead, I was there to help serve the tea!

I noticed one day a couple weeks ago walking past the tearoom that there was a help wanted sign in the window. I've kind of been toying with the idea of having the dream of one day opening a tearoom of my very own and seeing that this tearoom was looking for some part time help I thought it'd be a good way to get an inside scoop of what goes into the daily workings of a tearoom. Having a little extra pocket money would not be too bad either. So I put in an application, put on an apron, and started my new part time weekend job last weekend.


Outfit of the Day:
Friday:
On Friday I had some errands to run after work. I really felt like wearing some separates. I paired this brown woolly skirt from H&M from several years ago with a floral 70's style top I got in Korea also from several years ago. The top came with a cute flower and feather brooch. I paired this with brown sweater tights I got from Target a couple weeks ago, brown flats from the Gap Outlet from several years ago, a mustard MAK cardigan I got from Modcloth I think last year, and my trusty red wool coat from Target also from several years ago. For a finishing touch I wore some golden fan shaped earrings I got from Modcloth a few weeks ago. For the somewhat mild Northern California winter I was toasty warm. 

H&M brown skirt with 1970's style top- Front View

H&M brown skirt with 1970's style top- Side View

H&M brown skirt with 1970's style top- Front View

H&M brown skirt with 1970's style top- Side View

1970's style top with flower and feather brooch- Close Up

Saturday:
Saturday was my first day working at the tearoom. I thought it would be fun dressing the part. I wore my Hell Bunny Emilie dress which I got from JBR Clothing (now Modern Pinup) a couple years ago. I paired this with a mustard MAK cardigan from Modcloth, beige Vera Wang sweater tights from Kohls from a couple years, and a pair of black velvet mary jane flats from Urban Outfitters from a couple years ago. For a finishing touch I wore a pair of cream colored flower studs.

Hell Bunny Emilie dress- Front View

Hell Bunny Emilie dress- Front View

Hell Bunny Emilie dress- Side View

Hell Bunny Emilie dress- Close Up

Sunday:
On Sunday for my second day working at the tearoom I decided to keep to the black and white theme of the day before. I decided to wear this Steady Stella Wiggle dress which I got from Unique Vintage several years ago. I paired this with a pair of black with black polka dot tights from Nordstrom Rack from a couple years ago and a pair of black flats also from a couple years ago. For a finishing touch I paired this with a pair of sparkly black bow earrings but I forgot to take close up photos of them.

Steady Stella Wiggle dress- Front View

Steady Stella Wiggle dress- Side View

Outfit of the Day: His Girl Friday

On Saturday Tim and I went to a farewell party for a friend who's going to Italy for a year

It was a chilly night so I thought my Stop Staring 3/4 sleeve sweater dress would be perfect. It's a black with white polka dot dress so I didn't really want to mix in colors like I did the last time I wore this dress. Instead I decided to keep to the black and white basics and so I pulled out my black over coat and black dotty tights to keep me warm. Keeping true to my style goals for 2016 I picked out a black and grey fedora I though would look good with this and some black heels to dress it all up a bit. I did not realize how 1940's gangster this was going to turn out! It was an unexpected and unintentional His Girl Friday look that I pulled together but I like it!


Outfit of the Day:
For this days outfit I wore my Stop Staring Samantha dress in black with white dot I got from Modern Pinup (formerly JBR Clothing) during a black Friday sale a couple years ago, a black overcoat by Double Zero I got from Modcloth a few years ago for a steal, black sheer with black polka dot tights from Nordstrom Rack also from a few years ago, black heels from Soft Spots which I got from Zappos several years ago, and a black and grey asymmetric fedora by Adora I got from Trashy Diva a couple months ago during their Black Friday sale. For a fishing touch I wore this with some 1920's inspired dangle earrings by 1928 which I got from Macy's back when I was in high school! 

Stop Staring Samantha dress in black with white dots- Front View

Stop Staring Samantha dress in black with white dots- Side View

Stop Staring Samantha dress in black with white dots- Front View

Stop Staring Samantha dress in black with white dots- Front View

Stop Staring Samantha dress in black with white dots- Side View

Dots on Dots: Stop Staring Samantha dress in black with white dots with black dot tights- Close Up

Stop Staring Samantha dress in black with white dots with 1928 earrings- Close Up

Hell Bunny's Emilie Dress, A Dress Review

Hell Bunny's been making quite an impression on me these last two seasons.

Actually, make that last two years.

While I've always admired their signature 1950's style halter dresses from the last couple of years, I'm really excited to see the new styles they have been coming out with lately. Last Fall/Winter (2013) they came out with beautiful 40's style dresses (the Mae West dress, the Nell dress, as well as the Madden dress). The Fall/Winter before that (2012) their styles were also equally impressive with their Suzy Parker dress, Posey dress, Evie dress, and Sandy dress. And they haven't been limiting themselves to awesome dresses only for the cooler months. Last Spring/Summer (2013) they had the awesome Melanie dress, and the Lazy River dress. This Spring/Summer (2014) they have the beautiful Sheila dress, and Claudia dress previously reviewed respectively here (An Apple a Day, The Vintage Dancer Dress, A.K.A. Hell Bunny's Clauida Dress ). These are just a few of my favorites from this brand. One more to add to the list is their Emilie dress. I got this dress from JBR Clothing.

I can't quite put my finger on this dress... is it 1930's style? 1940's style? Maybe 50's or 60's? Whatever style it may be emulating, it's a beautiful dress. I'm kind of leaning towards 30's (judging from the length, the crochet collar, and the pleating style) but I could be wrong. It could as easily be seen as 1960's style. In any case, I will continue on to the details.

This dress is made from a cotton spandex blend but seems to be as easy care as polyester, not wrinkling easily. It has a heavier weight which makes it a good dress for any season with the right accessories. With a pair of sweater tights and a good cardigan I can see this easily being one of my go-to winter dresses though, the cap sleeves ensures it would also be a great summer dress when worn without a cardigan or tights. The material of the dress, although on the heavier side, has a slight stretch to it as well as a somewhat soft feel to it rather than thick and starchy, making it a very comfortable and easy to wear dress. The dress has a full circle skirt, giving it lots of twirl. There is pleating under the bustline around its tailored cut. This is balanced out with clean, simple, cap sleeves. The dress is adorned with a cream colored crocheted collar as well as pearl buttons down the collar which themselves are adorned with gold.

As many dresses as I have I don't really have too many black dresses, especially swing-skirted black dresses. So it's nice to add this little black dress to my collection, particularly an easy to wear one!

Hell Bunny Emilie Dress- Front View

Hell Bunny Emilie Dress- Side View

Hell Bunny Emilie Dress- Back View

Hell Bunny Emilie Dress-Close Up of Collar and Button Detail

Hell Bunny Emilie Dress- Close Up of Bustline Detail, Pleats, Buttons and Collar

It is so hard to photograph black! The pleated detail of the dress does not come out too well in the pictures. It has a lovely cut on top though.

One thing that does drive me a little crazy about this dress is the buttons. The backs of these buttons aren't flat but more like U shape which do nothing to stop the buttons from moving around. Does anyone have any suggestions to keep these buttons still!?

An Apple A Day....

Allo Mes Amies

Sorry if it's seemed like I've been on blog hiatus. I guess you can say it's been a busy month and yet at the same time you can also say I've been on mental holiday. Last weekend over the Easter vacation I stayed in and caught up on some personal crafting/sewing projects. I finally got around to making some curtains using some scrap fabric for the garage window (black and white gingham with a black trim at the bottom which came out quite cute if I do say so myself) and I also finally got around to hemming some curtains for the inside of the house. The weekend before that my grandfather was visiting from Florida and I got to spend some time with him and the family. All great things but perhaps not so blog related...

And finally I'm back and I'll start things off with a bushel of apples! I have a dress review for ya'll! And not just one dress review but two, Hell Bunny's Shelia dress in both green and in blue. I could not decide which color to get so I decided to get both colors. Perhaps it was a bit excessive of me to get two of the same dress in two different colors but Hell Bunny is priced so reasonably, and it was such a cute design, AND I've got such fun little accessories to play around with these two dresses, I just could not resist. Also, I feel that the change of color gave the dresses completely different feels to them. While the blue dress was very bright and jolly the green one felt that it emphasized its wholesome nature.

The Hell Bunny Sheila dress is a 1940's style dress with a classic A-line silhouette. There is ruching at the shoulders and little bows at each shoulder which in turn also has ruching right where the bows are placed, giving it a very sweet and feminine look. It is fitted at the waist and right under the bust line there is more ruching to balance out all the ruching at the top. (Am I using the term ruching correctly?) It also has a v-neckline that is is just right in my opinion, not too high but not too low plunging either. The fabric is made of polyester which has a light, airy, silky feel to it. There is also a back zipper. But what really makes this dress exceptional apart from all the ruching and bows, which are both two things I love in a dress, is the pattern on the fabric. These dresses have an all over pattern of red apples with green leaves and white flowers with yellow centers. I love the little apples which gives it such a sweet yet wholesome look to it. I am in love with these dresses. I got them from JBR clothing's ebay store where I got them for 10% off the already low Hell Bunny's (and JBR's) price. I love Hell Bunny. They are forever continuously designing super cute 1940's and 50's style dresses while keeping their dresses priced low. The Sheila dress is available in green, blue, black, and caramel... and if you are lucky to live in the Australia I've seen they also have turquoise out there.

For reference I bought both dresses in my usual size large which fits my 38"-30"-38" frame just right.

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Blue- Front View

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Blue- Side View

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Blue- Back View

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Blue- Close Up of Shoulder Detail

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Blue with B.A.I.T. Ida Heels in Pale Blue and Cream

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Green with Chelsea Crew Malibu Heels in Green- Front View

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Green- Side View

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Green- Back View

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Green with Green Cloche Hat- Front View

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Green with Green Cloche Hat- Side View

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Green with Straw Hat- Front View

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress Green with Green Cloche Hat- Side View

With all the fun accessories I have to play with with these Sheila dresses I could not help pairing them in my pictures. I wore B.A.I.T. Ida heels in pale blue and cream with the blue Sheila dress and Chelsea Crew Malibu heels in green with the green Sheila dress. Also with the Sheila dress I paired it with two different hats, a dark green felt cloche hat I got from Nordstrom Rack, and a straw hat, the Pure Edith hat in green, from Modcloth.

Also since I picked up two of these apple dresses I had to make the look complete by ordering some apple earrings from Modcloth. I kept on putting off the purchase until I saw they only had 4 left in stock then had to buy them before they were gone but hopefully Modcloth will stock more of these apple earrings for you gals who are keen on having an apple ensemble to call your own :)

Hell Bunny Sheila Dress with Apple Earrings

And that is my review for today. I hope you enjoyed!

Outfit of the days- Feeling Dotty

Hello Kittens!

It had been a busy non-stop weekend this past weekend for me and my husband Tim. Not only was it our two year wedding anniversary weekend but it was also Mardi Gras weekend as well.

We kick started the annivesary weekend by going to the Tech Museum in San Jose to see the Star Wars exhibit with a group of friends. It was cool to get to see the actual models that were in the movies as well as the actual costumes and props. I was expecting there to be lots of hands-on exhibits seeing that it was the Tech Museum after all but all the hands on stuff seemed to either be broken or they took too much concentration and patience to do. We were kind of pressed for time so I just didn't have it in me to read the instructions for the hands on stuff ;p

With Jawa!

 

Han and Boba

Tim with the hands on interactive stuff

R2D2

Destroyer Droid

C3PO

The fun did not stop at the Museum. Later that evening we went to our first ever Mardi Gras party! I can now say I'm a big fan of Mardi Gras! ;) This party consisted of lots of good food, good company, good drinks and more good food: hurricanes, jambalaya, fried chicken, red beans and rice, stuffed bell peppers, dirty rice, king cake, all finished off with freshly made beignets. All I have to say is I ate to my heart's content and also that my friend Valencia's mom is the best for putting together this party and Valencia and her mom are awesome for making all this good food! Mardi Gras? Yes please!


Outfit of the day (Saturday):

For this fun filled day I picked a dress that is both stylish and comfortable, my Stop Staring Samantha dress which I got from JBR Clothing a while back. I love this dress because it is a retro style circle dress with 3/4 sleeves, polka dots, and is made of super warm, soft, sweater-type material, making it the perfect warm weather dress! I wore this with a peacock feather in my hair (from Beverly's modified by me) for Mardi Gras, turquoise tights, and Blowfish ankle strap flats.

Stop Staring Samantha Dress- Front View

Stop Staring Samantha Dress- Side View

On Sunday Tim and I had a nice sleep in after all the fun and eating from the Mardi Gras party the night before then went out to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Le Papillon in Fremont.  The food is always delicious there and the staff always treat you right! We had escargot, I had asparagus cream soup and the chicken cordon bleu, Tim had a salad and their pistachio crusted scallops, then even though we didn't order dessert, they came out with a plate full of samplings of their desserts with happy anniversary written on the plate in raspberry sauce and with a candle on the plate! So we got to end the night on a high note with vanilla ice cream, java chip ice cream, cherry ice cream, cheesecake, and fresh berries. Is there any wonder why this is my favorite restaurant?

Anniversary Soup at Le Papillon

Celebrating our 2nd year anniversary- Le Papillon

Outfit of the day (Sunday):

For this evening I picked a pencil skirted dress (Tim's favorite style) and wore my Hell Bunny Sandy dress which I got from Angry Young and Poor a while back. This polka dot dress buttons in the top front and has a cut out at the top of the bust. It also buttons in the back and has a cut out at the lower back. But because it is the beginning of March and still chilly I wore a black tank top under the dress which covered up the back cut out making it not so drafty and not so risque. I wore this dress with a red flower with red red feather in my hair from Vintage Alley, black back-seamed tights, and T.U.K. Kitty Heels from Journeys which also has polka dots along with a cute kitty face and cute little velvet red bows which the cats wear on their ear.

Hell Bunny Sandy Dress- Front View

Hell Bunny Sandy Dress- Side View

T.U.K. Kitty Heels

It was a weekend full of fun and food and good company and though this wasn't planned this way... full of polka dots!