Outfit of the Day: Miss Fancy Pants Outings

Hello Kittens!

Here are some Outfits of the Day from the weekend before last <3


Outfit of the Day (Saturday):

On Saturday the weekend before last I went out with some friends to celebrate a friend's birthday! We started the night with dinner at a vegan restaurant in Oakland called Millennium then ended the night at a local Oakland brewery called Ale Industries. The food at Millennium was excellent while the beer at Ale Industries was super good and really cheap! It was a fun night out but the best part was the company spent!

For this night I decided to dress up a bit and wore my Trashy Diva black cage dress. I paired this with a black cardigan which I got ages ago in Australia in a small boutique shop. For comfort and ease I wore this with my go to basic black flats while for extra warmth I also wore a pair of nude tights. For a finishing touch I wore a vintage cat brooch gifted to me from a friend and a pair of white floral earrings gifted to me by Trashy Diva as a surprise bonus during a recent purchase <3

Trashy Diva black Cage dress- Front View

Trashy Diva black Cage dress- Front View

Trashy Diva black Cage dress- Side View

Gifted vintage brooch and gifted floral earrings- Close Up

Outfit of the Day (Sunday):

On Sunday I went out with a friend to the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. It was like food for my soul not only going to the modern art museum but also going with a dear friend from high school. It reminded me of when we would go out there during our high school days <3

For this day I decided to wear my Trashy Diva Americana dress in Mini Fleur print. Because it was cold in the city, I paired this with some sweater tights I got from Kohls several years ago and once again my basic black flats for comfort. I had a beige wool overcoat from Target over this while outside but I forgot to take pictures of it.

Trashy Diva Americana dress in Mini Fleur- Front View

Trashy Diva Americana dress in Mini Fleur- Front View

Trashy Diva Americana dress in Mini Fleur- Side View

And here are some bonus pictures of two of my favorite pieces at the SF MOMA from Sunday. I love modern art <3

inside Sequence, Richard Serra (2006)

inside Black Beauty, Lutz Bacher (2012-13)

Outfit of the Day: A Walk in the Woods and A Day With Keanu

Last weekend was a well spent one

On Saturday Tim and I took a walk around one of our nearby lakes, Don Castro Lake. This is one of my favorite lakes to walk around because the footpath becomes very narrow in places and is little more than a patch of worn bare dirt surrounded by trees and lush undergrowth for the better part of the path. Walking along this quiet lake, tramping through this densely grown footpath, it is easy to forget we are so close to civilization, and not hard to image we are deep in a forest somewhere.

On Sunday, we changed it up a bit by going to the nearby historic waterfront town of Alameda where we met up with a friend and saw the new Key and Peele cat comedy movie, Keanu, at the newly renovated historic Alameda theater. We all enjoyed the movie a lot. And then, for an extra treat, enjoyed playing at the 80's arcade, High Score, across the street.

It was a great weekend and was definitely good to get out in a relaxed kind of way.


Outfit of the Day (Saturday):
For the walk around the lake I picked my Trashy Diva Dorothy dress in Irish Polka. I love how easy to wear and how comfortable this dress is. Because we were going to do a lot of walking, I paired this with black Sketcher Go Walks, my go to shoes for heavy walking while in a dress.

Trashy Diva Dorothy dress in Irish Polka- Front View

Trashy Diva Dorothy dress in Irish Polka- Front View

Trashy Diva Dorothy dress in Irish Polka- Side View

Outfit of the Day (Sunday):
Because we were off to see a cat comedy I knew I had to dress in cat theme. I figured my Trashy Diva Cage dress in Smoke Leopard would be the perfect dress. After all, it was a gangster themed cat comedy. ;) I paired this with a black knit bolero by Elle which I got from Kohl's a couple years ago, and a pair of basic black flats. For a finishing touch, and to add some fun little cat details, I also wore this with a pair of oversized cat cameo stud earrings I got a couple years ago from a local retro shop, Vintage Alley, and a cute kitty brooch by Lumpy Buttons which I got c/o Cats Like Us last year. I also added a black sequin headband to my outfit to jazz things up even more.

Trashy Diva Cage dress in Smoke Leopard- Front View

Trashy Diva Cage dress in Smoke Leopard- Front View

Trashy Diva Cage dress in Smoke Leopard- Side View

Trashy Diva Cage dress in Smoke Leopard- Front View

Trashy Diva Cage dress in Smoke Leopard- Front View

Trashy Diva Cage dress in Smoke Leopard- Side View

Trashy Diva Cage dress in Smoke Leopard- Close Up

 

Lumpy Friends: Adding Fun Finishing Touches to Some Looks!

While I don't often add too much embellishments to my outfits, I do love the extra finishing touches a cute brooch or sweater clip can make to a look!

So when one of my all time favorite shops, Cats Like Us, asked me if I would be interested in checking out their newest addition to their accessories, super cute felt brooches by Lumpy Buttons, I jumped at the chance! All it took was a quick browse through Lumpy Buttons designs to know these cute little brooches were right up my alley! These super cute brooches are all made in the US, are thick and sturdy, and are not only beautifully embellished with embroidery but many also feature beading!

One of the brooches I picked out was this Cute Pineapple Pin Brooch! I love the Hawaiian and tiki allusion a pop of pineapple conjures in my mind! But I also love pineapples because they always remind me of the song "It Couldn't Please Me More (A Pineapple)" from the musical Cabaret where the guy gives his lady love a pineapple as a token of his love and admiration.

For a matchy matchy look I paired my pineapple with my Collectif Tullulah Tropical Toucan print dress. This sarong style dress is such a perfect match with the pineapple brooch not only because of the tropical theme evident throughout the print and sarong style of the dress, but also because there are pineapples in the print of the dress! So much fun to do it up super matchy matchy!

Cute Pineapple Pin Brooch by Lumpy Buttons from Cats Like Us

For another look I paired the pineapple brooch with my Trashy Diva Zebra Bows Varga dress. What I love about pairing it with this dress is that the pineapple really becomes front and center being the pop of color in the dress! It gives the dress a completely tropical look that's super summery and fun!

When I saw that Cats Like Us were carrying Lumpy Button cat brooches I couldn't resist picking one of these kitties up! Though honestly, I wouldn't have expected anything less of my cat loving friends at Cats Like Us than to ensure there would be some kitties in the mix! <3

While it was a no brainer for me to pick up a kitty brooch, just which one to pick out was a harder decision. These kitties came in lots of color combos and to make it even harder, some had closed eyes with embroidered flowers and some where open eyed with beaded eyes. I ultimately picked the black and red combo (my husband's choice actually ;)) and got the kitty with the closed eyes and embroidered flowers, the Kitty Pin in Girly Red.

In another matchy matchy pairing I paired my kitty brooch with my black and red Retro Dita Dress by Folter. While the colors were a spot on match with this dress, I love that the brooch gives this dress a whimsical kitty element. As the saying goes, put a cat on it! And I don't mind if I do, thank you! <3

Kitty Pin in Girly Red by Lumpy Button from Cats Like Us

Because I was having so much fun playing around with all the pairing options with these brooches, I made up another look, a two in one if you will, with my Trashy Diva Smoked Leopard Cage dress. The smoked leopard dress already has the definite kitty theme going on with the leopard print so I thought it was an obviously adorable pairing to pair the kitty brooch with this dress!

In one look I wore the brooch and dress together with a red vintage bolero. I love how the black and grey of the dress and red of the bolero are glued together by the black and red in the cat brooch. I feel this look has a well-balanced appearance with the grey and black in the dress tied well together with the big pop of red of the red bolero by the addition of this brooch.

 

In another look I wore the brooch with dress alone without the bolero. When worn together, just the dress and brooch, this brooch adds a perfect pop of color to the dress! Subtle, yet sweet, and all kitty!

Black Friday sales dress reviews!

I went just a tad bit crazy..

..over the past Christmas season's black friday and Christmas season sales and snagged all kinds of awesome deals on dresses that were on the top most part of my dress wish list! Here are the dress reviews:


My favorite dress from this set, the Stop Staring Belinda dress from DaddyO's.

I got it for 20% off during their customer appreciation sale right before Black Friday, this is off of their already low prices. I love DaddyO's because I have found them to have hands down the lowest prices on Stop Staring clothing. I don't know how they do it but I'm glad they do!

This dress is a fitted swing dress which features a large white bow at the bodice and white contrasting trim along the collar and arms. This dress is made from the super stretchy thick material we have come to know and expect from Stop Staring which gives their dresses the fit and feeling that the dress was made especially for you. I love the drape of the material which is a little stiff and keeps the swing skirt shape well as well as the fitted feel at the bodice which fits slimming without being too tight or restrictive.

Stop Staring Belinda dress

Stop Staring Belinda Dress

My second favorite dress from this set, the Trashy Diva Cage dress from Trashy Diva.

I got this for an unheard of 30% off from Trashy Diva. I have recently become a die hard fan of Trashy Diva because of their awesome designs and great quality. This dress is a little shorter than the usual retro styles I love but it gives it a fun playful feel. The top features a "cage" design at the neckline which I was at first hesitant about. I already have too many dresses which require a strapless bra so I wasn't too keen on adding to that collection but thankfully because the horizontal design I think I can safely get away without having to go strapless without it seeming too faux pas or sacrebleu! The pleating on the skirt is a to die for detail on the dress which helps give the dress weight, shape, and sophistication. The cotton material is a cotton stretch sateen which has a slight stretch and a slight sheen. Also, as is the case with most of their dresses, this dress is fully lined.

Trashy Diva Cage dress

Please don't mind the lint. We live in cat country!

My third favorite is more of a skirt or jumper, the Bettie Page Jumper from UniqueVintage.

I got this dress from Unique Vintage during their Christmas sale at 25% off. I've been eying this jumper for sometime but wasn't sure if it would suit my frame which I figure to be rectangular in shape and busty. Seeing this jumper online I thought it was adorable but also that it was everything that would be bad on my shape. I'm so glad I gave this jumper a shot because when I took this beautiful jumper out of the box and tried it on I found all my worries about it to be completely unwarranted. I think it looks great on and is a super fun design. I love that the skirt is high waisted which helps shape and also gives the look structure. The green color is vibrant and it drapes nicely. The material has a good amount of stretch to give a fitted fit.

Bettie Page Jumper

Next is a dress that I also love, the Collectif Simone Houndstooth Doll dress from Modcloth.

I got this dress from Modcloth marked 50% off their list price during their Christmas sales. I am in love with Collectif for their pants and capes, things you don't usually see from retro fashion retailers. This is my first Collectif dress. I'm so glad to see Modcloth carrying Collectif because Collectif is a UK brand not widely supplied in the US and shipping from Collectif directly usually will cost about $25! Not to mention if you end up not liking the fit of what you ordered and need to return it. Modcloth takes care of all those problems for me with their free shipping after spending $50 and free returns! The material on this dress is a soft flannel material with small houndstooth print. The covered buttons in the front are fully functional but the dress does also have a side zipper. What I am most impressed about with this dress is that it's a front button dress that does not gap at the bust! This is very unusual for me. I had just about given up on front button dresses! I don't know how this Simone dress does it. Maybe it's the combination of large buttons fairly closely spaced... not sure but I really like the fit of this dress. Also I love the casual yet classic look of this dress. The houndstooth print definitely adds an air of sophistication to this classic style. Makes me feel like I should be in a French New Wave film!

Collectif Simone Houndstooth Doll dress

Whoops forgot to straighten out the belt in the back!

Another of my treasures from this past Black Friday sale snags which I love every bit as much as the above dresses, the Stop Staring Jackie 2-piece dress from DaddyOs.

I got the Stop Staring Jackie dress from DaddyO's for 20% off during their customer appreciation sale right before Black Friday. On their website this dress is called Joan. I love this two piece dress which is such a unique design with a super vintage look! To me it looks like something straight out of a 1940's film noir movie! This dress is made from super soft material that feels like a cozy blanket or warm pajamas but looks sophisticated and business ready. This dress features slight puff sleeves for easy movement and three medium sized covered buttons on the upper left side of the top. The skirt is super high waisted so no worries about showing skin between the bottom of the top and the top of the skirt. The top has a unique way of closing, with a zipper in the back that closes from the middle of the back to the bottom which gives the back of this two piece plenty of visual continuity. The 3/4 sleeves gives this dress extra warmth and style without being too stuffy while two slits on the skirt gives it easy movement. There is plenty of stretch in this two piece and for the gorgeous look of the dress you wouldn't believe how comfortable it is!

Stop Staring Jackie 2-piece dress

And finally the last of my black friday sale steals, the Fleet Collection Prim dress from Modcloth.

I got this dress during Modcloth's annual Christmas sales, marked to 50% off. I first saw Fleet Collection's dresses from their Etsy store and have since been curious about their dresses. Their dresses usually feature smooth lines, A-line skirts, and modern styling with a retro twist. I loved this dress from the moment I tried it on. This dress's smooth lines remain true to form when worn and not just when pictured on a mannequin. The slightly mint gelato colored fabric has a medium weight to it and is slightly textured which gives the monochrome of the main body of the dress visual interest. The crocheted peter pan collar is fully detachable which makes it feel like a bonus gift which you can wear with other dresses and tops! The collar also has pearl beads and rhinestones and the champagne color of the bow compliments the main color of the dress perfectly.  The one thing I had to fix on this dress though is that originally the collar was too short for the dress and when worn, the bottom of the collar would end before the top of the dress began. I had to add an extension chain to the collar which was an easy enough fix.. I might actually want to add another extension chain because I don't know, to me the collar still looks a little high? Very cute dress from Fleet Collection though. I think I will for sure try another one of their dresses again in the future.

Fleet Collection Prim dress

 

Hey, I match my wall! Collar detail.

 

Also, for reference, I am 5'3", 38-30-38. All the dresses I have reviewed here are in my usual size large. The Trashy Diva Cage dress is size 10. The Collectif Simone Houndstooth Doll dress was marked large on Modcloth's website and came in a size 14 UK.

We have come to the end of my dress reviews from my Black Friday and Christmas sales 2013 acquisitions but we have not come to the end of this post. Someone showed up in one of my pictures above and wanted to be sure we didn't miss her! And here she is again, C.C. Cookie being a good kitty. =^_^=

C.C. Cookie says she wants to be in a picture too!