Tattered, Tagged, Treasured

Still More Tag Sale Purchases

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:53:00 +0000

We try to have Mondays off here but we only sort of have them off this season. Someone remind me how I felt right now (kind of harried) when winter time rolls around and I'm kind of bored much of the time, mkay?

Here's just some of the awesome stuff I got recently:

Good records!

Cute stuff. And a memoir. I think thesasha will be envious when she sees those Chucks.

A bag full of stuff I haven't properly sorted through yet.

Back to work. ;)

Fashion Star Kara Laricks

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:44:00 +0000

I've been following Fashion Star pretty closely, mainly because I became obsessed with Kara Laricks. The moment she showed that deconstructed shirt/tie thing (that the buyers hated) I was hooked. When she won, I headed straight to the stores to try everything on. Saks had the best quality (of course) and now I need advice. What do you guys think of these two pieces?

Wish you could see the lovely details and draping on those pants. I tried on some of the stuff in Macy's and none of it was quite right for me (wish the romper came in petite!) but I did order this stuff from H&M:

Can't wait for it to arrive! Did anyone else watch this show?

Nautical Military Gypsy Mash

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:27:00 +0000

I'm so not a fan of summer weather, but I'm a big fan of being tag sale busy all the time. This week my sister-in-law and I have a sale under our own company (Silver Tag Sales). If you live near the Long Island area, come visit us in Albertson on Saturday. We have a LeCoultre Atmos clock, some nice art, and TONS of jewelry!

Kenneth Jay Lane ring

When I'm on appointments or errands, I am Never Ever without my Copco cold drink cup.

The army duffel I got at a recent tag sale (and my Lanas).

Apparently this girl here will eff you up. I don't know why I'm always wanting to eff people up when I pose for pictures.

Hubbs was on photo duty for me so a back shot happened.

This is my Eric Geist lizard earring. I wear him a lot.

Got this awesome collar via the Poshmark iPhone App. Sign up with code HBCVC and get a $5 credit!

I swear I wear clothes on days other than EBEW days but I only seem to get around to blogging them on those days lately. Sad but true.

Gown for Golden Age of Hollywood Party

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:14:00 +0000

My friend Sasha had a "Golden Age of Hollywood" themed party and this is what I wore! Unfortunately (because I'm obsessed with myself, haha), there aren't a ton of shots of me because I was more concerned with taking photos and schmoozing than remembering to get good shots of myself. Good thing, too, since I was wearing black underwear and that doesn't look too classy in a photo.

Anyway. Wearing: Dress by Calvin Klein and "The Wahrburg pin." I'll have to make a point to take some good close up shots of the pin one day (worn as a necklace here) because it is SO pretty. It's an inheritance handed down through Hubbs's family made of gold, white pearls, and black diamonds. Our family doesn't have a lot of wealth but we have a lot of whimsy and that plays out in a few key pieces of heirloom jewelry. Here's a shot from my wedding where you can kind of sort of see the pin:

The party went really well and I had great fun. Sasha's friend made this amazing Hollywoodland sign for the photobooth and I set up a camera for her so everyone could take their own photos. I'm excited to finally break the barrier into old enough that people only celebrate the big birthdays. I'm not into birthdays myself but I love big parties.

Recent Tag Sale Loot

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:39:00 +0000

Especially love this military bag and Pyrex. I am going to turn the graduated cylinder into a candle. What color wax do you think I should use? Obviously not white because I want the graduations to show. (And in that tube are posters. One is a really cool Naked Lunch poster that I probably won't be able to show off for a while. I'm waiting until I have my own apartment again before I frame it.)

This plastic pitcher set is a gift for my friend who throws a lot of parties. These CDs are actually Eric's purchases but I stole them.

These tailor's crayons are something that did not sell which I thought my fabulous quilter friend would appreciate. The chargers are something I bought because I thought my little sister, who is in the process of buying her first apartment, would like them.

Print on Print on Print on Print

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:09:00 +0000

I love all these prints so much I had to mash them together, y'all. There's a vaguely unifying color scheme, but mostly I just love prints throwing up all over each other. So that's my inspiration here, haha.

The wind was really whipping around the backyard, which is pretty much business as usual. But I thought maybe that would work well with this sheer cardigan thingie and I'm inclined to agree with myself. I finally had a day in which I had nothing particularly important to do, so I was able to rock a clutch. How do you minimalist ladies do it? I can never fit everything important into a clutch and I hate deciding to leave home my flashlight or my girl products or my wallet because I live in constant fear that the day I do that is the day I most need my flashlight or girl products or whatever.

Wearing: Missoni for Target hat from Target; Oliver Peoples sunglasses from a moving sale; feather earrings from a trader in the Swap Market; lizard earring by Eric Geist, gift from the_sasha; silk paisley scarf from an estate sale; black and silver necklace from an estate sale; Free People vest from a tag sale; sheer over thingie from Urban Outfitters; ethnic print dress from a store called Method in Houston; animal bangles by Kenneth Jay Lane et al. from various estate sales; slouch boots from a tag sale in Old Brookville; snake clutch from tag sale in Lake Success.

Pastels and My New Turban

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:57:00 +0000

Spent the day photographing a home for an upcoming sale. So. Busy. Y'all. Being busy is good. Makes us all breathe easier. My sister-in-law and I have branched out to do smaller sales ourselves and now there will likely be a few of them.

Wearing: Yellow floral blouse by Ralph Lauren; white v-neck tee by Hanes; belize blue canvas skirt by Jason Wu for Target; briefcase by Schlesinger; Spectator wedges by Jeffrey Campbell; bling ring by Kenneth Jay Lane via estate sale; Love bracelet by Cartier; acorn necklace by Kenneth Jay Lane via estate sale; vintage turban by Betmar via Etsy; feather earrings via Swap Market.

I'm in love with this turban (and, as I'm sure you've guessed, all turbans) and the way it perfectly matches and clashes with everything.

Samo cat came out and sat with me. He's a bengal. Have you busted out your pastels yet?

Loot - Tapestry and Wallpaper

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:28:00 +0000

This weekend we had an unusual sale. It was in the showroom of an interior designer! So none of the normal stuff like clothes and electronics but I did get this stuff here for ridiculously low prices:

I love gryphons and crests and there's a lot of blue in my decor so this fabric was a no brainer. The wall paper was just so over the top and cool that I had to have it for something. Don't know what it will be yet. Maybe a wall in my future home, maybe part of a project.

Wear All White for Women's Rights

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:13:00 +0000

It's not too late. Get your white on and learn more here. Then, take the next step here. Whatever you believe, believe in something and believe in your right to believe in something.

I don't generally want to get too political on this blog because I'm not a political person. But I do quietly believe what I believe and, on this one post, it is okay with me for us to all be a little less quiet and say what we believe. I believe in my right to choose. I stand for as few limitations on that right as possible. I need affordable access to health care.

Think I'm nuts? Feel the same? All okay here.

Kenneth Jay Lane Ring & Splatter Nails

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:30:00 +0000

I'm obsessed with this Kenneth Jay Lane ring. I call it my "bling" ring.

I was impatient waiting for the blue on my nails to dry so I ended up going with this abstract paint splatter business. No. Waiting. Only vaguely difficult part was doing a second coat of the yellow. These colors are both from Wet n Wild's new "Spoiled" line. Great quality for the price but the brushes are super thick so that's something to watch out for.

Blue & yellow nails, KJL ring, wedding band, engagement ring, snake clutch.

Definitely time to trim my cuticles, huh?

Tag Sale Loot - Kenneth Jay Lane and Snake Print

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:30:00 +0000

Some exciting loot I bought this weekend:

If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen a bunch of that awesome Kenneth Jay Lane stuff in action. The acorn necklace, woohoo! Also, I love the way the blingtastic ring and bracelet go together. There was a lot of Joan Rivers's QVC stuff that tempted me at this sale (and made me think of cristina). But I stuck with the KJL.

I found these Stuart Weitzman pumps nowhere near this clutch but they were probably bought at the same time for the same event. I'm not usually a matchy matchy person, but I'm feeling these together.

How crazy are the embellishments on the shoulders of this jacket? So me, right?

This is a scarf and a hoodie. The scarf goes all the way down to the floor unless you wrap it all around you. The floor is a perfect place for pockets, right? Just weird enough for me.

It was a really busy, successful sale. So thrilled to be getting back into the season.

Gold Turban and Oliver Peoples

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:47:00 +0000

Wearing my new gold turban and Oliver Peoples sunglasses. We finished our appointments for the day and now we have shopping on the agenda: Sephora, Marshall's, TJ Maxx.

More of the turban and how I styled it another day because, big shock, I'm in love with it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pale Mint Celine Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Talking about this outfit over at Kaboodle today, but here are a few extra shots:

What are you wearing today?

Touch of Green + Nail Party Prep

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:55:00 +0000

UPDATE: Check out a write-up on my Nail Party over at A Sasha Party!

We had a tag sale appointment on Saturday and I was getting ready for a party I was hosting Sunday (a Nail Party!) so I ended up dressing very subtly with just a green sweatshirt.

Wearing: Threadless "Red" tank, $5 sale threadless.com; BDG red sweater, Urban Outfitters; American Apparel hooded vest, tag sale; black scarf, courtesy of my friend at Becker's Creations; vintage bolo tie, tag sale; Odile Lancon jeans, tag sale.

So. Right. Out of the blue I decided I wanted to have a party where I could have some fun painting nails and get back in practice. In high school, nail polish supplies took up more of my locker than school supplies and I often did two polish changes in a day. In my mid-twenties I went through an acrylics phase and even did my own. All this nail inspiration all over the place had me jonesing again. Ergo, party.

Nail supplies, ready to use!

Used takeout containers ($3 for 10 at Michael's) as "favors" with little individual nail files inside.

Also left space on the other side for "Color Swatches."

Labels, so everyone who brought polishes could collect them at the end.

The party was eight people (two kids), including me, and I wouldn't have wanted it to be any bigger without a second person polishing nails. Everyone remarked that they loved this party idea and I highly recommend it. My nieces loved it so much that my sister-in-law has already "booked" me for another party for my nieces and a few of their friends. I hadn't thought about it before but, if you're licensed, this is a very monetizable concept. I'm just in it for the fun and practice right now.

Pi Linzer Tart Cookies for a Pi(e) Day Party

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:39:00 +0000

Note to self: sprinkle powdered sugar before assembly next time.

I need to take a step back from all this super cool clothing stuff and nerd out on you guys in this post. I made cookies. With pi holes! (Get it? Pie holes? The Hubbs thought that pun up and it amused me.)

So, yesterday was "Pi Day," an important national holiday, and my friend The Sasha had a Pi Day Party. I adapted this linzer tart recipe (by making the cookie a little coarser and a little more well done) and painstakingly cut little pi holes. The jam is apricot raspberry that I (cheated and) bought from the grocery store because my food mill is in storage.

I am sure the Sasha will post all about the party, but I wanted to share a few snaps of things I loved, like this bunting made by Art of Inclusion:

What 36 digits of pi looks like on bunting. I got to help by "randomizing" the triangles!

And these mooshes helping out:

And if you're wondering what I wore to a Pi Day celebration, the answer is: nothing special. But here's some evidence:

A 17 Dollar Go-To Green Outfit

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:37:00 +0000

Wearing: Green ruffle top by Design History from a clothing swap; mint floral skirt, $1 in a heap of scrap fabric; black tooled leather briefcase, $10 from a tag sale; rhinestone lion pin, $3 from a tag sale; hammered metal choker, $3 from a tag sale.

A re-working for EBEW. These snaps were taken in my beloved old apartment in Mineola. I was going through a phase where I liked for my hair to look like it was a wig that needed to be combed out. Awesome. (I still fall back on this style sometimes.)

I had been doing a lot of rearranging of the apartment. Just little things, mostly. Like my new Staffordshire lions making friends with my foo dogs (and my skirt with a hole in it because I was still deciding whether I wanted a zipper or buttons or what):

And my new and improved "usual" corner:

I so very much miss all this "stuff." It's sitting in storage while my husband looks for work and we live in a room at my in-laws' place.

Though it starts with your fist it must end with your mind. (A little Dropkick Murphys fan girling out to set the mood.) Hope you all have a painless St. Pat's. I'm a really good pincher.

Dior Mutton Sleeves and Japanese Socks

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:26:00 +0000

These mutton sleeves look almost like a normal size here but, let me assure you, they are ginormous.

I like this photo inexplicably much. (Loose lips sink ships, y'all.)

I keep thinking I should get rid of this vest because I have too many. Then I see it from the back and I change my mind.

My "new" cape from this loot post.

I love this outfit. It is exactly as crazy as I am. It makes me feel so nostalgic because it's exactly how I would have dressed in high school if I had the money to do it. (Hello, high school me! Look what you're wearing!) Please don't nominate me for What Not to Wear just because I'm hanging on to my youth, guys. Also, I am wearing a sock in my hair. I feel compelled to tell everyone. Is that strike two?

Wearing: Vintage Christian Dior mutton sleeve blouse from an estate sale; Le Rok vest from Loehmann's; Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse shorts from Macy's; Missoni for Target zigzag tights; Japanese street style extra long scrunchable socks from a random store off Rue Keller in Paris; Luichiny platform Mary Janes via Swap.com.

Big & Tall Boys Can Dress Nice, Too

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:52:00 +0000

Just wanted to share a little bit of the outfit my Hubbs was wearing (the same day I wore my grunge and people teeth outfit). Being confined to the Big & Tall section (if there even is one) can feel extremely confining and a lot of the clothes there look like they're for people who have given up. But I think Hubbs manages to look pretty darn cute.

I love Hubbs's shadow. Snazzy shoes, too.

Hubbs is vaguely uncomfortable that I want to take pictures of him.

Hubbs resigns himself to picture taking.

Wearing: Croft & Barrow sweater from Kohl's, Cutter & Buck vest from Destination XL, black Levis from Macy's, wingtips by Red Tape from DSW, cabby cap from Century 21, scarf from Destination XL (they're often longer than average-size scarves, yay!).

We are super mushy and like to do "ring kisses." Seriously.

Our Big & Tall saving graces: Sean John, Polo, Destination XL.

Kenneth Jay Lane, Luichiny, & Low Vintage - Loot Post

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 01:49:00 +0000

I took a long weekend in Richmond, VA to celebrate my mom's birthday. We made her (and her friend Sidney, who was also celebrating his own birthday) a pink cake.

My mom was sick, so Sidney had to do all the "blowing."

While I was in Richmond, I took a trip to Charlottesville to stop into a vintage shop I read about in a blog post by the guy who did their lookbook. (Read Sean's post about the vintage shop Low in his blog, fruitpunch, here.) Charlottesville is such a great little town with exactly my kind of charm and I will definitely go back when the weather is milder to poke around more. I scored this amazing, insane skirt at Low:

Only a glimpse for now! Cherries + wool + a bow. Total trifecta. (No pockets, though.)

Can't wait to wear that bad boy! While I was gone, Gold Coast Tag Sales had three days of sales. I'm not one to let lack of proximity affect my purchasing power. So here's what I bought:

Reversible cape! Dana Buchman polka dot maxi, Tahari dress, crocheted halter and apron.

Kenneth Jay Lane Siberian tiger bangle! Restoration Hardware penguin candle holders! Star pin.

I am so excited to have the Kenneth Jay Lane tiger bangle, especially. My bangles collection is one of my favorites.

Crafting With Jewelry - Rubbings

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:05:00 +0000

When I went to my storage space to find my slouch gloves, I brought home a whole bunch of my gloves and scarves to sort through and ended up with a ton that were too dirty or destroyed for me to want to bother with. Thankfully, I have my friend Stella, an amazing quilter, to bring these things to now! We had fun experimenting with her rubbing technique...

Pile of junk for Stella to turn into treasure.

Stella suggested that, if I had any interestingly textured jewelry, it might make for good rubbing. We all know I had that department covered, right?

Jewelry for rubbing. A new use for those earrings I love so much! Yeah, I totally have an ankh from The Four Seasons in Cairo that I plan to turn into a necklace.

The fabric paint sticks, and some sample rubbings that Stella made. We were all really fond of the way the horse head pendant made that round rubbing!

Stella, demonstrating the technique using an ingenious rubbing plate about which I'm sure she'll post at some point.

Some sample rubbings made by The Sasha.

A Threadless shirt which, when I'm through with it, will bear little resemblance to it's original state.

Because I'm a fan of instant gratification, I didn't really do a lot of sample rubbing. I just stuck stuff on my shirt and hoped for the best. Sometimes this meant I made a mess and sometimes it was awesome. I really enjoyed this technique because, even though I'm craft challenged, I was able to get into it right away. I don't have any of the finesse or Stella's eye for mixing patterns and colors in this medium, but I got some stuff on my shirt that I like and I know what else I want to do with it. (Starting with a boatneck. I'm choking just looking at the ringer.) Stella is going to heat set it for me and then I can even wash it in the washing machine. Woot!

And, oh yeah, Sasha and Stella made some food, including this yummy strawberry shortcake.

French Manicure with Gradient/Ombre Effect

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:15:00 +0000

My friend The Sasha (of A Sasha Party) and I decided it would be fun if I started painting her nails every week. I make a better manicurist than I do a well-manicured lady so, basically, this is the best game ever. I started a Pinterest board for some of the manicures I'd like to try, most of which is lifted directly from Adiel's amazing nails board. Many of my attempts, success or fail, may end up here.

First inspiration, this update on a French manicure with a gradient effect:

Source: eamawa.com via Alison on Pinterest

Here's my version:

I chose this one for its subtlety. Because if I messed it up big time it wouldn't be so noticeable, ha. Here's another view:

We used a pale, glittery pink base, Essie's Marshmallow for the white tips, and Essie's Matte About You to give it a more pearlescent effect (because the glittery pink was shockingly glittery).

The verdict: I loved this manicure. So easy to do because you don't need to be too precise and it's incredibly forgiving of mistakes. I'm ready to get adventurous and use colors that have more contrast between them next time.

Grunge and Pattern Mixing

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:52:00 +0000

More of the human teeth outfit...

Back to my grungey roots. I always identify much more with my punk roots but, when I look back at photos from my adolescence, they're always grungier than I remembered them. Do you guys ever have this happen?

So excited to have this scarf. It's a gift from a lady I trade with all the time who knits awesome things.

Actually quite cold out; so I wore this over.

Hi, y'all. I'm all sideways.

Wearing: Sunglasses by Oliver Peoples; earrings by Betsey Johnson; human teeth necklace from tag sale; plaid top by F21; tiger top by Threads for Thought; belt by Judith Leiber (for sale in Poshmark App!); plaid skirt by Banana Republic; zebra studded bag by Betseyville by Betsey Johnson; Victorian portrait ring from an estate sale; construction boots by Vibram; scarf gift from Becker's Creations; pin by Escada.

How to find crazy good deals at garage sales

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:06:00 +0000

A good day for vintage.

A lot of people have remarked on the insanely good deals I get at garage sales. I want to talk a little about how I do this. For the purposes of this post, I am considering only garage sales and other sales run by a person and not a company. My strategies are different when negotiating at a sale run by a company. So. Here are a couple of tactics I use as a buyer to get good deals.

1. Go to tons of garage sales.

This is the number one biggest secret to finding good stuff at sales. Most of the time, you're not going to go to one garage sale and find every piece of clothing you could possibly want for the next three months. Sometimes I go to 20 sales in one day and buy nothing. Sometimes I buy one thing here and there. Sometimes I luck into a sale with tons of desirable, reasonably priced stuff and clean them out. But if you don't go to tons and tons of them, you're not going to run into much that's right for you. And going to a lot of garage sales is also the best way to start learning what's right for you and what's a fair price in your area.

2. Always have the seller start the price negotiations.

This doesn't mean standing around looking like you need help, though that can sometimes be a useful tactic. It also doesn't mean stalling to the point of ridiculousness. It just means that you should always try to get the seller to throw out a number first. (And the seller may want to try to get you to throw out a number first, too.) If something is marked, ask if she can do better on the price. If something isn't marked, ask what she's looking for and then ask if she can do any better. The more times you ask the seller to come down before you even make an offer, the better you're going to do. Any seller with a brain will have left some cushion on her bottom price so you likely still have room to ask if she'd take $5 (or whatever) for it. THEN you can agreeably meet somewhere in the middle.

Jewelry ahoy.

3. Assess the conditions of the sale.

If some lady is still sitting on a pile of designer clothing and she's still asking high prices for it, she doesn't really want to give it up and you probably need to just move on. If you see designer shoes and the sale is being run by some schlubby but friendly man there's a good chance he just wants to make some sales and you can safely pick a bunch up and ask for prices. If there's a huge crowd of people all trying to get prices at once, the seller wants to get you priced and gone as quickly as possible so if you take it slow and try to negotiate, she may negotiate down faster to get you away. Be nice, but use this to your advantage.

4. Always take some time to "consider" the purchase.

If someone gives you a fair price, or even a shockingly low price, on something, always take a minute to consider the purchase. It's a good time to make sure you didn't miss a hole or stain. You don't want him to think his prices are too low and high ball you on anything else you want to buy and you don't want him to think the price is no big deal to you. If the price is shockingly low, it's a little chancy to ask for a lower one. It might be best to say "that sounds fair" and get your money out. You don't want to run the risk of making a belligerent seller, so use your judgment.

5. Maintain the position of power.

Always remember that there will be another sale so you can walk away from whatever one you're currently visiting. This garage sale is impermanent and the people need YOU, not the other way around. Obviously acting snotty about it won't get you anywhere but if you've been friendly and asked for some prices and they see you walking away, they're going to become motivated to get you to buy things. And that means price dropping.

Hey, look, my Escada pin!

6. Ask the seller about herself.

She doesn't care about your nana and she's going to think you're ripping her off if you act like you know everything there is to know about what you're buying but she'll be happy to talk about herself and the stuff she's selling and why she's selling it and all that good gravy. If you care about her and her stuff, she's going to want it to go to you. So at least pretend to care while you refrain from drooling all over those Gucci sunglasses.

7. Buy in large quantities whenever possible.

It's fair to expect that you will get a bigger price break on each item if you agree to buy a whole bunch of items at once. The goal of a sale is to clean things out and you're helping. So make sure you're rewarded.

Disagree? Have other tips? Please share!

Human Teeth Necklaces

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:08:00 +0000

I've been obsessed with these human teeth necklaces for a while now. Weird, possibly hideous, vaguely nausea-inducing? Sign me up! In fact, if you come across this post and also have similarly bizarre jewelry, please share pictures in the comments so I can lust after your weird stuff even though I have my own weird stuff.

I bought these necklaces at a tag sale Gold Coast did in Dix Hills. The same sale where I bought Foxy, my taxidermy fox. TONS of bizarre, interesting, amazing things at that sale. Wish I could go back with more money!

Worn with some of my favorite accessories: Escada pin, Cartier Love bracelet, Victorian portrait ring. (And deconstructed claddagh wedding band.) Yes, I really do walk around with my nails in such a terrible state most of the time.

Hanging out with some of my other necklaces.

Jason Wu for Target Poplin Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Cat) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:50:00 +0000

I pretty much live in the JC Lanas.

I know this dress was one of the hotter items but I actually had no interest in it when I walked into Target. I let everyone else grab it and went straight for the trench. I've been looking for a decent trench in a color other than beige or black for about two years now. But I was also looking for the canvas skirt in belize blue and this dress was just sitting there waiting for me when I finally found the canvas skirt. I figured I'd buy it and do a giveaway or something but, when Hubbs saw it on me, he told me I had to keep it. So that's the story of me owning THE dress.

I got the Schlesinger briefcase at an estate sale on the north shore. It called to me across a crowded room and I came a running. It's one of those perfectly perfect keep forever no matter how beat up it gets kinds of things.

The dress has a vaguely gothic lolita feel to me so it seemed natural to pair it with this blouse I got off the EGL community a few years ago. Shortly after I took these photos, rain poured from the sky. Good timing.

Wearing: poplin dress by Jason Wu for Target; briefcase by Schlesinger from an estate sale; bow blouse from the Livejournal EGL Sales Community; boots by Jeffrey Campbell from Karmaloop; carved wood bangles from tag sales.