way back in the wedding days when i was planning what to wear at our rehearsal dinner, i became obsessed with this one dress called the flight-of-swans. i was kicking myself for not having bought it when i had eyed it at anthropologie months before. i loved the attention to detail -- how the delicate gold polka dots peeked out over the pleated bodice. and the swans. oh the swans.
for those of you who don't know, my maiden name is schwanhausser. the story my grandfather always told was that when my ancestors were working on the land (yes, that's truly how the story began), the kaiser came down and asked them what they did. when they responded with "we tend to the swans." he said "then your name shall be schwanhausser," meaning house of swans. i don't really know that that ever happened, but i still liked hearing it. so now you can see why this dress became a full-on obsession for me. i simply had to find it, as it was too perfect that for my last night as a schwanhausser i would wear this dress -- the swans were taking flight. i would finally be saying goodbye to that 13-letter german name that no one in the south could ever pronounce.
i tracked one down in san francisco, but it was too small. i stalked every anthropologie i knew, but there were none left. then, finally i called the design house (twinkle by wenlan) directly in nyc and they just so happened to have received a return, but there was one problem: it had a light red lipstick stain. i told them to send it anyway, and once i applied a tide white pen, it was as good as new.
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| **photos on left are from twinkle's website |
i know erin posted about the bargain version of these a few weeks ago when i was away, but i finally broke down and bought a pair at j crew. i had to convince myself that they were definitely worth the $125 price tag and after a making a panicked call to tita from the dressing room i got the reassurance i needed - the only question left was "should i get the spearmint or the coral?" the girls at the store were heavily pushing the spearmint, because it would bring me into fall, but erin yelled from the phone "no, coral is your color." she was right. i ultimately left with a brand new pair of neon rose toothpick jeans that would bring me into spring fashion. and i love them. i'm not gonna lie, i have stared at these neon jeans in the mirror thinking "are they too much?" but ultimately you have to take risks in fashion and the bright hue just makes me happy.
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| **photo on top is from j crew |
i always remember spending saturday afternoons shopping with my mom at marshall's, tj maxx and loehmann's. i loved finding that perfect bag that was on sale from the already marked down price, or the pair of designer shoes that you couldn't believe were stashed on the shelf. as i got older, it became a tradition that i had with my girlfriends -- especially while living in dc. i was always on a budget (and not by choice), but loved shopping at loehmann's with nedra and rita stella. now in la, it's still a tradition that i carry on, as there is nothing like getting a good bargain. am i right ladies?
so last saturday while out running errands i decided to stop by marshall's to see if i could find a dress for our dinner that night with jenny and jorge. i was multitasking, listening to my friend marleine's story (and if you know marleine you know those aren't short) while browsing the aisles searching for something cute. and then i ran across this aqua blue sundress for $19.99. i told marleine i had to go and immediately headed to the dressing room. after trying it on i was sold. it's perfect for a relaxed day in the sun or dressed up with heels for a night out.
fighting eel maxi dress
before jeff and i went to hawaii (which turned out to be our engagement trip), jeff had found an article on a new boutique that had opened in honolulu, called fighting eel. yes, ladies, i do have a husband who actually considers these things when preparing for a trip, as he knows shopping is near and dear to my heart. every time i travel i like to buy something to remind me of our vacation. so when i stepped in fighting eel, i was happy to find all of these moderately priced jersey knit maxi dresses. the dress below is one of my favorite ones to bring when we travel, as it feels like pajamas, but is super sexy and fun.
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| **top photos are provided by fighting eel. the dress on the top left is my dress in white. the dress on the right is another one i want. the bottom is how us non-models wear dresses. |
rita stella always gives me fabulous gifts every year for my birthday and last year was no exception. when i opened the package i was beyond thrilled to see this adorable teal bag staring back at me. it is my go-to bag when traveling, as it has a long strap that makes it easy to cross over your body and it fits nicely into a carry-on bag - not to mention the fact that i love the vibrant colors.
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| **pictures on right are from marc by marc jacobs |
Aaaaahahahaha, I totally did yell that coral was your color. I love the pics Tita! Those pants are ah-mah-zing.
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