Silver Cat Tea Party

Friday, August 1, 2014

3 Dresses For My 33rd B-day!

Not one, not two, but three dresses for my thirty-third b-day!

I do like to treat myself on my birthday. ;)

I know a lot of people who dislike birthdays and really hate the thought of getting another year older. I, myself, LOVE birthdays! A couple of years ago I started my own personal tradition of buying myself a birthday present. I find that taking part in some grand indulgence(s) makes birthdays all the more fun!

Because this year was a twin double digit year (3 and 3) I decided to follow suit with three dresses to make it a triple three!

With larger price tag purchases I find myself usually being more prudent in deciding to buy a dress or not. I will take my time eying the dress and deciding if it's really a dress I want to lay down lots of money for. Therefore, I usually buy older season's dresses when they come from companies like Trashy Diva, Tatyana (formally Bettie Page Clothing), and Stop Staring (unless I find a super awesome sale, or I fall completely in love with a dress at first sight).

Also, just as a side note, I have the absolute worst timing with Trashy Diva. Last year, when I finally decided to take the plunge on their Annette French Quarter print dress, the day after I bought the dress they ended up having a 20% off sale! Ugh! Then, this year, when I finally decided to buy their Apple Pie Gingham dress (armed with a coupon code this time), the day after making my purchase they announced on Facebook that every order that day was going to come with a free goodie bag of fun things. Missed it by one day again! Also, as luck would have it, the two Trashy Diva dresses I bought this year both ended up going into their sale section and got an extra 50% off their sale price (the sale is still currently going on so check it out here if you haven't already!). I was not fortunate enough to get this great price on the two dresses though. But then again, I am just happy that I got these two dresses that where long on my wishlist in my correct size! ...once these two dresses went into Trashy Diva's sale section, my size had already been sold out.

And without further ado, here are my three birthday dress reviews!

Trashy Diva's Apple Pie Gingham Dress:

My first dress up for review is the Trashy Diva Apple Pie Gingham dress. I purchased this dress from Cats Like Us. I initially purchased it from Trashy Diva in a size 12 after seeing their size 8 and 10 were sold out. I had a coupon code for 15%. Usually I would have waited for a larger discount but the other two sizes selling out made me nervous so I decided if I wanted it, I'd better get it now. It is an older style dress so I knew once this is gone there is little to no chance this one will be restocked. I was dismayed when I saw that the size 12 was way too big! It was way too big in the bust and way too big in the waist.... I thought about how I could alter it and tuck in the sides and maybe even the bust darts myself to get a better fit but thought it still would not look right. I had two other options: 1- return this dress and get a smaller size from Cats Like Us. If I did this I would lose out on the shipping cost to me and shipping cost back to them and I would have to pay full price for the dress rather than have the 15% discount from TD... My other option was 2- send this dress in for professional alterations... because this dress is fully lined in the bust I figured it would be a good $35+ for the alterations and even then it might not look right. Also I figured the alterations cost would probably be about the same price, if not possibly more, as returning the larger size to TD and getting the smaller size from Cats Like Us... besides, I do like to purchase from the cats at CLU so I decided on option 1... I would have initially ordered the dress from CLU but I was thinking the size 10 would be too small. Too bad I didn't go that route to begin with.

Because of Cats Like Us' free shipping and their slightly smaller price tag for this dress, I ended up paying the same amount for this dress through them as I paid through TD with the 15% discount, though I was still out all the shipping I paid for the purchase and return from Trashy Diva. Anyway, to my complete surprise, I got the size 10 in and what do you know... slightly too small! I am still so surprised how a size 12 could be sooooo completely too big yet a tiny bit down to a size 10 could be too tight! It's a good thing I did end up purchasing the too big size from TD first because the too big was way too big and the too small was only slightly too tight though still wearable. If I would have first purchased the slightly too small one from CLU I would have sent it back thinking the size 12 would fit better and getting completely frustrated with all these dresses being shipped all over the place when I would have later found the size 12 to be way too big and the 10 being a better fit.

The moral of this story... Trashy Diva needs to open a store closer to me so I can go into the store and try things on before buying ;)

The Trashy Diva Apple Pie gingham dress is very similar to their new Apple Tart dress though with gingham instead of seersucker. Also, there is the obvious difference that rather than being gingham print throughout the body of the dress, as the seersucker is for the Apple Tart dress, the Apple Pie dress is a black dress with contrasting black and white gingham at the bust and on the pockets of the dress. Like the Apple Tart dress, this dress features a sweetheart neckline with a ruffled bust which I feel is the signature element to these two dresses. This dress is fitted at the waist and though the skirt of the dress is said to be a-line, it feels very full and has a good amount to body and flare even without a crinoline underneath. This dress is made with a light weight cotton.

Trashy Diva Apple Pie Gingham Dress- Front View

Trashy Diva Apple Pie Gingham Dress- Side View

Trashy Diva Apple Pie Gingham Dress- Back View

Trashy Diva Apple Pie Gingham Dress- Close Up

Trashy Diva's Alison Dress in Hawaiian Charm:

The Trashy Diva Alison Dress in Hawaiian Charm is the second dress I got for my 33rd birthday. Like the Trashy Diva Apple Pie dress, this dress is one I've been eying for quite some time. What really drew me to this dress is the fabulous colors! I love the beautiful blue color with the darker maroon and green which is contrasted by the hints of yellow and lit up by the white! Also, I love the tropical flowers on this dress. This dress is made of a light weight rayon. It has a cross-over v-neckline in both the front and back, gathered shoulders, giving the shoulders and underbust identical ruching, a fitted top-stiched waist, and a nicely full and flared skirt. I read on reviews that this dress fit tight around the ribs so I picked out a size 12. The size 12 was very tight! Usually a 12 in Trashy Diva will fit slightly loose on me but this was a tight 12. This is another dress that went into the sale section at Trashy Diva but was already out of my size. Blue Velvet Vintage, which was my backup plan, also sold out. I was so glad to find this dress at Retro Glam and even got lucky to see they had a coupon code on their Facebook page out that day for 20% off! Even though it was shipping from Canada I found that shipping was not bad and their customer service was exceptional!

Also, for those Trashy Diva lovers out there... I noticed that the Alison dress and the Ashley dress are very similar at first glance... (the Ashley in Crepe Myrtle is another TD I've been eying) so I asked the ladies at TD what the main differences were between the two. Here is what they said:

The Alison has a taller fitted waist section and there's a crossover front and back, where the Ashley just has a crossover front. The sleeves on the Ashley are also slightly longer/puffier. Additionally, the Alison Dress is a little more forgiving in terms of fit. It's a more modern, 50's fit, and the Ashley is more of a 40's style. Hope that helps!

Trashy Diva Alison Dress In Hawaiian Charm- Front View

Trashy Diva Alison Dress In Hawaiian Charm- Side View

Trashy Diva Alison Dress In Hawaiian Charm- Back View

My favorite part.... These Chelsea Crew Shoes are perfect with this dress... completely unplanned too!

Trashy Diva Alison Dress In Hawaiian Charm With Chelsea Crew Madison Pumps In Red

Tatyana's Alika Circle Dress in Green:

The Alika dress by Tatyana (formally Bettie Page Clothing) is the third dress I got for my 33rd birthday! I've been swooning over this dress since it first came out years ago. At first I had my eye set on the red version but after I got the red version I started thinking maybe I would like the green better. Both are beautiful. I do find though that the red version just has more of a formal feeling to it. Somehow it just feels more dressed up, while the green one I feel has more of a option to wear it dressed up or dressed down. This dress is made of a nice stretch bengaline. The silhouette of this dress is a perfect fit and flair shape with sleeves. What makes this dress really stand out is the bold solid colors, in this case green, with a lattice style thick netting at the top which adorns both the neckline and the sleeves. The fitted waist has a bow and the full circle skirt ensures itself to be twirl ready! The fullness of the material makes it look great as is even without a crinoline. The material furthermore, has a good amount of stretch to it giving it a very comfortable feel and a great fit! This dress may be last on the list but it's definitely by no means a last pick! ;) I got really lucky with this dress and snagged it at a great price from Pinup Darling during a sale!

Tatyana Alika Dress In Green- Front View

Tatyana Alika Dress In Green- Side View

Tatyana Alika Dress In Green- Back View

Tatyana Alika Dress In Green- Close Up

Tatyana Alika Dress In Green with Chelsea Crew Malibu T-straps

And so those are three presents I bought myself this year for my birthday. Birthdays are the best! For reference on sizing, my measurements are 39"-31"-38", 5'3".

Another year older, but also another year of life, another year of memories, and another year full of experiences! Looking forward to every day I get.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Heart of Haute Cats Go Atomic!

Just last week I gushed about the new Blue Kittens print at Heart of Haute

(You can see my review of their Aline skirt from my post, Cats Where It's At, here.)

Recently, Heart of Haute has been stocking some really amazing and fun novelty print items such as the super popular Peacock prints Peacock Royale and Midnight Peacock, which both feature metallic elements, as well as other prints which have metallic elements such as their Geisha Print, Gold Crane, Odyssey and Odyssey Blue, Sakura, and their all new Gold Fleur De Lis! As much as I am in love with all these super cool and amazing metallic prints what gets me really excited is their many adorably cute and fun cat prints such as their Blue Kittens, It's Raining Cats, and now their Atomic Cats!

I have been seriously waiting for the Atomic Cats to come out ever since I saw their sneak peek of this fabric in March on their Facebook page. When they finally released these kitties there was no hesitation adding them to my cart and checking out!

I picked up the Atomic Cats in their Ella top which is a blouse version counterpart of their Etta dress. The Ella top is a fitted sleeveless blouse with a high neckline which is topped with a bow neck tie. Like the Etta dress it is fitted at the top yet, while it has a front button closure, amazingly the buttons do not pucker! The Atomic Cats is a 100% cotton fabric which feels thick and sturdy. I'm confident this will stand up to many washes. The print features a light turquoisey background with 1950's style sexton-like cat characters on the front. These cool cats come in all colors and patterns. There are striped yellow and gray cats, zigzag orange and black cats, spotted gray and black cats, solid gray cats with green heads, and solid orange cats with striped tails. Also, throughout the fabric are multiple atomic stars in different colors and styles topping off the 1950's vibe to this print!

Heart of Haute Ella Top In Atomic Cats- Front View

Heart of Haute Ella Top In Atomic Cats- Side View

Heart of Haute Ella Top In Atomic Cats- Back View

Heart of Haute Ella Top In Atomic Cats- Front View (Untucked To Show Full Length)

Heart of Haute Ella Top In Atomic Cats- Side View (Untucked To Show Full Length)

Heart of Haute Ella Top In Atomic Cats- Back View (Untucked To Show Full Length)

Heart Of Haute Ella Top In Atomic Cats- Close Up

The fit is amazing and the style, print, and quality do not disappoint! My usual size large fit like a dream on my 39"-31"-38" frame.

Loved this top so much I decided to wear it out for the day so this post is not only a Dress Review post but also an Outfit of the Day!

With so many amazing prints this year I'm seriously having a hard time picking and choosing which prints to bring home! Hopefully, I'll be able to add even more of these amazing Heart of Haute pieces to my collection before they sell out!

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Matching Your Dress To Your Teaware, Part 3

Red toile is the theme today!

One of my very first tea sets was Johnson Brothers' Old Britain Castles Pink. It was my second tea set to be exact (my very first was Johnson Brothers' Blue Willow.)

Johnson Brothers' Old Britain Castles Pink Tea Set has a whitish-cream background with reddish-pink toile motifs of English country scenes. What I really love about this set, besides it being red toile, very intricate, and having 18th century landscapes, is that the body of the teapot is slightly squared and the teapot, creamer, and sugar bowl are all footed. Also, the lid has a little handle rather than the usual circular knob which coordinates well with its overall rectangular body.

Johnson Brothers' Old Britain Castles Pink

And speaking of coordinating well... what a fantasy it would be to have full on 18th century style tea party with all the vintage accoutrements, full on costumes, and footmen in white wigs to serve the guests? Well, the footmen might be a bit overkill... But on another note, if you can't have the footmen, I do think the Bernie Dexter Petal Pin Up dress in Red Toile would make a perfect pairing for a Red Toile tea party with the Johnson Brothers' Old Britain Castles Pink Tea Set!

Close Up: Bernie Dexter Petal Pinup Dress in Red Toile, photo berniedexter.com/

Bernie Dexter Petal Pinup Dress in Red Toile, photo berniedexter.com/

Bernie Dexter's Petal Pinup dress in Red Toile features a red toile design of elegant 18th century couples enjoying some time in the open countryside. This dress has a scallop detailed neckline as well as coordinating scallop detail on the sleeves. It appears too that red stitching finishes up the skirt. This dress is 100% cotton and also comes with a self fabric belt and hidden lipstick pockets! With all these details I don't think it's hard to see why this dress is on the top of my dress wishlist! <3

How lovely these two things go together! It makes me so happy seeing these two things on the same page! :)

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UPDATE 09/24/2015

I am so happy I finally was able to pick up something in Bernie Dexter's Red Toile Print. I have to share the pics with you all :) I ended up getting the Sugar Doll dress rather than the Petal Pinup dress but the match in the print is everything I hoped it would be! <3

What do you all think? Match made in heaven right?

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

A Day In the City: Extra Fancy Birthday Tea and An Art Gallery

This past Saturday my ladies and I went to San Francisco for an extra fancy birthday tea at Neiman Marcus and to an art book signing at the Rena Bransten Gallery

The book signing was actually first on the list. The artist, Marci Washington, is an old friend of mine from middle school! I was so excited and happy to hear that she had a book out! I love her style. It's so dark and thick with ambiance and mood! Each of her paintings tells a vivid and layered story. I love how each of her paintings invoke a sense of a Gothic bygone time and yet feature modern elements such as a building with modern architecture or the modern lines of a man's suit... it's as though it's a historic time which perhaps hasn't existed yet.

Marci and I at the Rena Bransten Gallery In Front of Marci's Painting and Wallpaper!

Marci's Book!

Next on the list was tea time at the Rotunda at Neiman Marcus. I've never been to either Neiman Marcus or to tea at the Rotunda so it was quite a treat to check it out. The Rotunda is up at the 4th level of Neiman Marcus and as you walk through and up the escalators you pass by what looks like little individual shops for each of the major super upscale fashion designers such as Chanel, Oscar de la Renata, Diana Von Furstenberg, and so many more I can't even list them. Super swanky! I have to say though, other than the beautiful stained glass window on the ceiling featured in the Rotunda (and when you first walk into Neiman Marcus), after walking through Neiman Marcus and past all the upscale fashion labels, I was a little disappointed that the Rotunda didn't seem fancier than it did. The seating and the ambience of the restaurant was just.... kind of normal... the wait staff did, on the other hand, definitely infuse an air of elegance to the atmosphere! It's hard to describe exactly. Maybe it's the straight upper lip, the good posture, the soft spokenness, the uniforms? But the wait staff was amazing and exactly what I would expect from such an upscale establishment.

When we were first shown to our tables we were served glasses of iced water right away soon followed by demitasse cups and saucers of chicken consume with a mini cheese pastry. Next we were informed that they had made extra popovers and gave one each to us complimentary with strawberry butter. The popovers were warm and fresh. For tea I ordered the Royal Tea with Jardin Bleu Black tea. The tea was excellent with definite notes of fruity rhubarb and strawberry without being at all tart.

Oddly enough, for tea here you are presented with small paper packets of the usual sugar, raw sugar, and sugar substitutes rather than a proper sugar bowl. The cream we got for our tea on the other hand seemed to be real cream rather than just milk.

For our tea, each of the teas came with a selection of five tea sandwiches: lobster salad on puff pastry, smoked salmon with cream cheese, chicken salad, turkey, cucumber and cream cheese, and deviled egg salad. While more or less it was the usual fare for tea, the sandwiches were excellent and so flavorful. Very delicious! The deserts on the other hand were a little subpar. Nothing really stood out as being especially delicious, or especially decadent.

The scones were the saving grace for the sweets selection. The cranberry scones were extra flaky and very good. These were served with an extra wide selection of accompaniments: honey, lemon curd, fresh strawberry jam, whipped cream, and a lemon. The lemon was wrapped in mesh material to keep the seeds from going on your plate.

For as much food as we were served, we all finished everything on our plates. I kind of had the impression that it wasn't as much food as I am usually served for tea though it may have been that we were all especially hungry too... In any cast, we were all definitely and pleasantly full by the end of tea.

In parting, we were served single packets of chocolate mints packaged exclusively for Neiman Marcus.

Overall, it was a fine tea and an excellent day out with the ladies in the city.

Stained Glass Window At the Rotunda, Neiman Marcus, San Francisco

Tea Menu at the Rotunda, Neiman Marcus

Chicken Consume

Enjoying My Chicken Consume

Schramsberg "Mirabelle" Brut Rose, California NV

Warm Popover and Strawberry Butter

Tea For Three at the Rotunda, Neiman Marcus

Jardin Bleu Black Tea, Dammann Freres

Assortment Of Accompaniments For The Scones

The Ladies At The Rotunda, Neiman Marcus

Outfit of the Day:

For this day's outing I wore the Eiffel Tower dress by Tatyana (formally Bettie Page). This is one of my most favorite dresses in my closet! I picked this dress because it is both lovely and comfortable and also I picked it in homage to Bastille Day which was just that past Monday! I paired this with my trusty and comfy black flats from the Gap Outlet because I knew there was going to be a whole lot of walking going on! I also took along a black angora vintage style cardigan for good measure in case it got cold. You never know what the weather's going to do in San Francisco... or Northern California for that fact!!

Bettie Page/Tatyana Eiffel Tower Dress- Front View

Bettie Page/Tatyana Eiffel Tower Dress- Side View

Bettie Page/Tatyana Eiffel Tower Dress- Front View

Bettie Page/Tatyana Eiffel Tower Dress- Side View

Monday, July 21, 2014

Cat's Where It's At: Heart of Haute and Their Blue Kittens Skirts!

I love Cats!

I wish I could take my cats with me everywhere. Actually, in theory, I do since they travel with me via cat fur on my clothes! ;)

In any case, it is so nice to see cat print clothing readily available for purchase. I recently picked up Heart of Haute's Blue Kittens print in their A-line skirt. I was torn between ordering the Blue Kittens in the Monique dress or in the A-line skirt but ultimately opted for the skirt since it's more versatile and can be worn with more things. Even though a dress is a ready-made outfit, I do find it a nice option sometimes to mix and match and wear some separates in form of skirt and top.

The Heart of Haute A-line skirt is exactly as named: a nice basic A-line skirt. It has a back zip, a nice A-line flair, and has a decently long length. On me, this skirt comes to just under my knees. The perfect length for a classic 60's style and silhouette. This skirt is 100% cotton as is usual for Heart of Haute's items which makes it easy to wash and care for. The print is a light blue with white pin dots and with adorable white kitties scattered about either playing with each other or wearing crowns.

I paired it here with Modcloth's Retro Bike Ride Top by Sunny Girl and also with a vintage white button up blouse I got from Etsy. For sizing purposes, I ordered this in my usual size large and it fit my 39-31-38, 5'3" frame well.