Unravelled Threads

An Ode to Remixing

2011-09-07T08:50:00.001-04:00

Can we just go ahead and credit Kendi with the term "remixing"? Just brilliant. My sister bought me this blouse when she was in Italy at the beginning of summer. I never realized just how versatile it was until I decided I wanted to do this post. This top was an easy choice. Here, I'm showcasing said versatility with outfits perfect for day, night and the weekend!

Weekend Scarf, Bracelet: Forever21; Jeans: Delias; Flats: Payless

Day Belt, Skirt: NY&Co; Heels: BCBG

Night Dress: Forever21; Heels: Steve Madden

My lovely and talented friend, Amber, of ADG Photography took my photos for this shoot while she was in town a while back and I absolutely love how they turned out. It was lots of fun having a photographer for a day and I'm so happy I was able to take advantage of her skills :) She's going to photograph Steve and I for our engagement photos and I can't wait!

Part One: The Gown

2011-09-04T20:31:00.000-04:00

Is it too early to go dress shopping? The tentative date is October 2012... so a little over a year away.

I watch a lot of Say Yes to the Dress. Even before Steve and I got engaged, I watched it. There must be some kind of subliminal messaging going on because sometimes I didn't even mean to watch it, but somehow the TV gets turned to it and you watch one episode. And then another. And another. And before you know it, you've been watching a marathon of SYTTD for 5 hours...

It always blows my mind that women go into Kleinfelds and say, "Well, I definitely don't want to spend more than $5,000." FIVE THOUSAND?! Ha! If that's your style (and your budget) then more power to you, I just can't see myself spending thousands of dollars on a dress I'm only going to wear for a few hours.

Instead, we went to David's Bridal. We got there and had to wait about 20 minutes (despite having an appointment! ugh...) and then the whole process seemed very slow. I'd try on one (or maybe two) dresses and then have to wait while the consultant looked for others on my list. It was kind of ironic because they asked me to pick out my favorite dresses on their website before my consultation so they could have a dresses ready for me to try on, but that was absolutely not the case. I'll be honest. Overall, the shop was kind of a dump. Maybe it because of all the SYTTD marathons I can't help but to watch, but everything from the carpets to the couches to the dressing rooms were very dated and dirty. Oh, and I'm pretty sure they hadn't vacuumed in at least a month. Despite the so-so decor, my consultant was very nice and helpful. I was her first bride so she was a little slow picking things out... or it could have been because all the dresses were organized by size instead of style number?! Seems kind of counter-intuitive if you ask me.

Since Steve reads this, I don't want to get into too much detail about the dresses I tried on, but I will say that there are a few contenders...:)

Pretty and witty and gay

2011-08-30T08:39:00.000-04:00

I've been neglecting you. But I have a good reason. At least I think it's a good reason.

It was the Friday after the 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the entire east coast. I'd spent the entire week with a cold (which is why I didn't post any OOTDs last week). On the verge of Hurricane Irene, I had a pounding headache and came home to a note taped to a chair in the middle of the living room.

"Go look at the refrigerator, NOW!"

My initial thought was that the dog or cat had gotten into something. I hoped it was funny... I looked at the fridge and saw this:

"Note: Even after seven years i"m still not sick of you... :) I lve you more and more each day.... Love, Steve"

For years we have joked that we're not sick of one another.

I turned around and saw him coming down the stairs. He asked if I read the note to which I replied, "Yeah..." and he asks, "Well, with that said, will you marry me?"

I burst into tears and said yes!

As you can probably imagine, I've been on cloud nine for at least 4 days with no end in sight. I'm so excited. All I want to do is read about weddings. And research venues. And photographers. And caterers. And everything else that has to do with weddings. So, please forgive me if you don't hear from me for days at a time.

Work Sweats

2011-08-19T09:18:00.001-04:00

Earrings: Forever21; Cardi+Tee: NY&Co; Belt: H&M; Pants: Forever21; Flats: GoJane

I hate sweatpants. I pretty much just wear them while I'm painting and early in the morning before I've gotten dressed for the day. I just don't find them comfortable. And not in the sense that they are too constricting or physically uncomfortable, but they just make me feel weird.

As much as I hate sweats, I love these pants. They're a semi-sheer polyester and have huge leg holes and an elastic waistband. UH HUH, AN ELASTIC WAISTBAND. Sounds vaguely similar to sweatpants... but they're so much better than sweatpants because I can wear them without feeling like a slob or being uncomfortable. Please don't be offended if you're a sweats-lover. I went to college with a girl whose wardrobe consisted of nothing but VS Pink and I always thought she looked cute! Anyway, I bought these babies for less than $20 at Forever21 and they surprisingly fit in both the waist (thanks elastic!) and in the length. I initially grabbed them because they look like a maxi-skirt without actually being a maxi-skirt. For some reason I'm extremely paranoid of maxi-things making me look short, even though they say they actually make you look taller. Not sure who they actually are. Oh jeeze, I have a complex. Speaking of which, I'm not sure whether I should be happy or depressed because I've been able to buy 2 pairs of pants (these and a pair of jeans from Loft) with a "regular" inseam. Am I already shrinking?

Shopping!

2011-08-17T08:38:00.000-04:00

Blouse+Belt: H&M; Skirt: NY&Co.

One of my closest friends,who also happens to be an amazingly talented photographer, came over this past weekend and it was so great. I met her fiance and we had a really relaxing time. We even did a photo-shoot--photos forthcoming :) I got this blouse when we went out shopping. The H&M nearby had an awesome selection and I actually bought a couple shirts and a pair of oxfords for her wedding. We headed out a day early, as the tax-free shopping week didn't start until Sunday (FYI--it runs through next weekend here in MD!) but it's okay because I went back out with my sisters the following day and bought more clothes (ahem, a dress and 2 pairs of trousers for work). I have a ~~problem~~ weakness for sheer fabrics.

Florals a pretty, but...

2011-08-12T09:11:00.000-04:00

Blazer: H&M; Dress: Tulle; Belt: via clothing swap; Heels: Steve Madden

This is a great example of a dress you should never, under any circumstances wear to work. Technically, it does pass the fingertips test (when I'm standing perfectly straight, that is) but next time I better save this baby for weekend-only wear.

eShakti -- Comes in all Sizes

2011-08-10T08:46:00.001-04:00

eShakti, one of my long-term sponsors and favorite online boutiques, is giving you all $20 off your next order!

Coupon Code: THREAD0811

Code is valid 'till September 15th. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. This discount code is not applicable to the Overstock category. This cannot be clubbed with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Stripe Attack

2011-08-07T15:34:00.000-04:00

Tank: Forever21; Blouse: TJMaxx; Belt: Filene's Basement; Skirt: NY&Co.

I've been wearing animal prints--the new neutral for fall according to Glamour--all weekend in hopes that fall will come sooner. Speaking of magazines, I've gotta give some love to Allure. This month is the crazy giveaway month where they give away the most-wanted beauty and hair products, accessories and clothing to thousands of lucky winners. They give away stuff every our on the hour (usually from 12-5pm EST) and you don't even have to be a subscriber. You can just visit Allure.com and sign up or go buy the August issue. Good luck!

Ebb and Flow

2011-08-01T09:17:00.000-04:00

Blouse: TJMaxx; Belt, Skirt: NY&Co.; Oxfords: DSW

There. I have photographic evidence that I can, in fact, look tan. Thanks vacation! BTW--I miss you. The second I saw this blouse at TJMaxx, I knew I had to have it. It's flowy and comfortable and just my cup of tea. I can literally think of 5 different ways to wear it. And it was like $12. Can't beat it.

Purple Haze

2011-07-28T18:36:00.000-04:00

Blouse: NY&Co.; Skirt: eShakti; Flats: Spring

Three out of nine people on our team at work wore purple today. It's like we have ESP. :) I felt really girly and awesome in this outfit today. I adore this skirt, though it doesn't seem to feel the same about me. First, the zipper likes to open up from the middle during the day...?! Second, despite the utmost care I take of it, I noticed several runs along the front today. Makes me sad. This might be the last time we see this beauty.

Vacation

2011-07-26T16:30:00.001-04:00

I hope you guys had a wonderful week and weekend. I went to Prosperity, SC with my family for vacation last week. I considered asking a few folks to sub in for me, but then I got paranoid about letting the world know exactly when I was out of town...We stayed on beautiful Lake Murray in what felt like the middle of nowhere--we had pretty much no cell phone reception or internet service.

Here are some photos from our trip:

As always, the week off was way too short and now I've got to go back to work. Boo!

I spy with my little eye

2011-07-15T09:25:00.017-04:00

Blouse: NY&Co; Scarf (worn as a belt): J. Crew; Skirt: DIY; Flats: Steve Madden

Do I look a little scared standing next to that wall? Because I was. I set up my tripod and walked over and quickly realized a yellow jacket nest wedged between the stones. See it to my right (your left)? It blends in pretty well! Needless to say I took pictures in record time today.

Oh, hey. I didn't realize you were there...

2011-07-13T16:47:00.000-04:00

Blouse: gifted; Belt: Forever21; Trousers: NY&Co.; Heels: Steve Madden

Hey Lazy, it's me Melanie. Who am I kidding. Lazy knows exactly who I am. I really should reintroduce myself to my blog. I've been on an unofficial hiatus for over a week and I'm completely blaming the weather. It's been sweltering here in DC, but I decided I really needed to update so despite having to powerwalk through the city in the rain this evening (ahem, which explains my hair...situation), I came home and took photos inside. Steve, you'll be happy to know our new welcome bench/shoe rack worked beautifully as a prop for photos.

Also--please excuse the poor photo quality. My ISO was set to approximately 1400, but I didn't notice until after I changed. Shucks.

Oh, and what's a good blog post without a photo of my gorgeous pup? Seriously. I need to get her into doggy modeling. Anyone have any idea how to go about doing that?

Winner!

2011-07-09T11:17:00.001-04:00

Happy Saturday, all! I swear I have been getting dressed, but the weather has been so hot and I feel like all of my outfits are kind of blah, so I haven't been photographing them. Not to mention how much of a pain it is to Photoshop out that lovely glisten that rolls across your forehead when it's 95 degreese outside. Ick. Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Congrats to the lovely Sharon of elisharon for winning the Shabby Apple dress!

Melanie and Steve, Sitting in a Tree

2011-07-06T07:00:00.014-04:00

Steve and I celebrated our 7th anniversary on Friday and I figured I'd post seven gratuitous photos of our love to celebrate. (The last photo was taken over the weekend with the stunning new lens Steve gave me.)

I love you, honey. Here's to 70 more. :)

Very Merry

2011-07-04T08:00:00.003-04:00

Blouse: NY&Co.; Dress: Forever21; Flats: GoJane

I am exactly 24 and 1/2 today. I feel like half birthdays deserve more love and as such you are free to send me presents.

I felt really sexy in this outfit today. And then I looked at my photos and realized that it looks like I'm wearing a black bra which is peeking out of the top of this shirt. That's sexy, right? Sure, if you're a Pussycat Doll. Or Britney Spears circa 2001. Or B.Spears at any time for that matter. For the record, it's a dress.

Glisten Here

2011-06-29T09:06:00.001-04:00

Bouse: NY&Co.; Belt: For Love 21; Skirt: DIY; Flats: Spring

These pictures looked like CRAP on my camera's display screen. I kid you not--I nearly deleted them all and forwent photos for today. So glad I took a chance and uploaded them because somehow the lighting looks gorgeous... even if my hair does look annoyingly brassy. UGH. I just ordered this top from NY&Co. and I really like it--it's so fun. It's a blend of polyester and spandex so it's stretchy and has a really interesting texture (sort of like stretchy glitter?!). And the gold is shiny without being too obnoxious. At least I don't think it's obnoxious.

Haircut!

2011-06-27T09:09:00.001-04:00

Blouse: NY&Co.; Pants: Gap; Heels: Naturalizer

I got about 2" cut off my hair. I love it. I took in a picture of Brooklyn Decker's bob and my stylist worked her magic. I do have to use my hair waver to make it look like this, but it's such a nice change from the sleek bob. No worries--you'll still see the bob, but I figured this is perfect for summer. So care-free.

Shabby Apple Giveaway

2011-06-24T08:00:00.006-04:00

I've seen a handful of bloggers hosting giveaways for Shabby Apple and I always enter, but have never won--until now!

Shabby Apple is offering 10% off to all UnravelledThreads readers for the next month!

Just use coupon code: unravelledthreads10off at checkout.

I was so excited when Shabby Apple contacted me and asked me to host a giveaway. Shabby Apple is an online boutique that sells vintage-inspired women's dresses, skirts and other women's apparel, including my favorite summer trend: white dresses.

I chose this pretty Azure Coast dress (below) for my readers to have the chance to win.

Mandatory Entry

Check out Shabby Apple and then leave a comment below telling me your favorite dress.

Extra Entries

+1 follow @UnraveldThreads on twitter!

+1 Tweet (or RT) about this giveaway

+1 Blog about this giveaway

FYI
You must be a follower of UnravelledThreads to win

I'll be using a random number generator to find the winner, so make sure you leave separate comments for bonus entries or they will not be counted!

Don't forget to 'like' Shabby Apple on Facebook to get in on special promotions and exclusive discounts!

Giveaway ends Friday July 8th at 12NOON EST.

Fashion Obsession: Tanks

2011-06-22T08:26:00.053-04:00

Cardi: Old Navy; Tank: TJMaxx; Pants: Gap; Flats: Payless

I am really loving racer-back tanks lately. They are cool, comfy and so versatile. This is one that I recently picked up at TJMaxx. My sister and I were talking about it the other day and she was jealous that I'd found it because she says she can't go in there because it's always such a mess. It's actually sort of funny that I found it because I also hate going shopping, especially in stores like TJMaxx. I hate digging through racks, fighting crowds and standing in lines (which is why I MUCH prefer shopping online), but I went in a few weeks ago and found this beauty of a top without too much shuffling. It's satiny and I love the tye-dye effect. I feel like discount stores like TJMaxx, Marshalls and ROSS are really polarizing. You either love the hunt or hate the clutter. On which side of the line do you stand?

This is my awkward face

2011-06-20T09:20:00.029-04:00

Blouse:Gift; Tank: Old Navy; Skirt: Tulle; Shoes: BCBG

LiLu brought this top home for me from Europe. I love the color and it's nice and long. I'm excited to remix it. On a related note, Today was the first time I had an actual audience while I took my photos: a little girl on a bike rode by and said, "What are you doing?!" to which I replied, "Uh, just takin' pictures for my blog." You see, I'm sort of a closet blogger. Steve thinks it's funny to tease me by saying "unravelledthreads.blogspot.com" whenever we're together and I talk to a stranger. Whether it's related to fashion or not. Luckily most people have no clue what he's talking about and don't react. I love blogging, but I don't advertise it. I mean, my friends and family know it, but I definitely don't go around telling acquaintances. Do your friends and family know that you blog? How about your acquaintances?

Green with Envy

2011-06-17T09:09:00.009-04:00

Blouse: Delias; Tank: Old Navy; Skirt: Thrifted; Flats: Spring

I love the color of this skirt. That's what initially drew me to it when I saw it in the thrift store a couple weeks ago. I am often drawn towards anything green and I'm excited for this skirt. I think it's going to be very versatile, even though it apparently gets wrinkled very easily and seems to puff out quite a bit in the hip area. So, when I wear this skirt, I actually have hips, ha.

Ohh, and in case you are wondering, here is an adorable photo I took of Colby earlier this week. She's 6 months old now and getting so big! I really love this dog. You should see the pseudo shrine I have at my desk at work. I can't imagine how crazy I'll be when I have kids.

PS--be sure to check out my guest post on Pictures & 1000 Words!

Hair Tool Obsession

2011-06-15T09:15:00.000-04:00

I'm sure I'm like many of you when it comes to hair products and tools. I honestly can't go into any store without at least walking down the hair aisle. CVS? First stop. Target? First stop. Grocery Store? You get the idea. So I'm sure you can relate when I tell you how excited I was when the people at Misikko.com contacted me earlier this week and asked me to review their top-of-the-line hair dryer, the HANAair Professional.

I had (unfortunately) never even heard of Misikko before, but it didn't take long to fall in love with their large assortment of flat irons for hair and professional blow dryers.

The blow dryer came really quickly, along with a whole bunch of other goodies. You can tell they really took the time and effort to pack the box beautifully. I wanted to take a photo as soon as I opened the box, but my camera wasn't in arm's reach and I got too excited... Check it out!

Bonus points of sending the rose potpourri--honestly one of my favorite smells ever. And the stuffed monkey. Colby is convinced that it's for her...

Out of the box, the hair dryer is solid. Holding it next to my old Revlon was like comparing night to day. It's sleek and built like a dream. It's light, balanced and the cord is extra long, which is great because Steve hates to share the plugs on his side of the sink, which for some reason is closest to the full-length mirror! :)

I have blow-dried and straightened my hair for years. Terrible, I know, but when you've got a 'bob it's a must. I've never had problems. I've never used expensive shampoo or any sort of heat protectant and there was ne're a split end in sight. Did I mention that I would go MONTHS without a trim? Yeah, bad! However, I recently started noticing split ends and more frizz than ever. I kept looking for the perfect split-end mender, and I've found it! Just not in the package I'd imagined.

Let me start off by saying that I've never been sold on "professional" hair dryers. Of course I ~~looked~~ oogled at them, but I never thought they were worth the price. I kind of figured that it's just blowing hot air (no pun intended, ha!). Well, I'm officially a convert.

I love the fact that the HANAair Professional has two switches, one for cool air and one for hot, which you can combine to find the perfect temperature for drying your hair. It even has an on/off button for the blast of cold air (you don't have to hold it down, like many cheaper models). The ceramic tourmaline technology dried my hair quickly with much cooler air that I've ever been able to use, so my hair was shiny and soft when all was said and done. I'm not lying when I tell you that I cannot see a single split end today. My hair actually feels healthier--after only a couple of uses!

So thank you, Misikko! This is officially my new favorite beauty product. Do yourself a favor and go check out Misikko. They've got free shipping on orders over $50, plus use PROMO code HANA10 to save $10 off your next HANA purchase! GO! GO! GO!

Thrifting pwns

2011-06-13T10:59:00.000-04:00

Blouse: NY&Co; Skirt: Thrifted; Heels: Rocketdog

Not gonna lie. I did not think my hair looked good today until I saw these shots. Not too bad, ha! I definitely need a trim; it's starting to lose it's shape. My last cut was in April, I believe. Yikes.

I went thrifting with my next-door neighbor last week and I found this little gem of a skirt. I'm pretty sure the tag says it's from Forever21 and I was so excited when I spotted it. It was only $5! Now that my wallet can handle! The last time I was in a thrift store (before last week, that is) was sometime in high school. Back when AIM and using the word pwn were cool... When all I wore were tee shirts and tight jeans, I used to go and pick out "cool" t-shirts and take them in. Ah, the good old days.

Also--Thanks to everyone who entered the PerriconeMD product giveaway. Congrats to E for being the big winner!

Different

2011-06-08T08:15:00.017-04:00

Blouse: TJMaxx; Belt: Target; Skirt: Norma Kamali for Walmart; Flats: Spring

I stopped by TJMaxx the other day and picked out a couple tops. As soon as I touched this striped blouse, I knew I had to have it. It's really soft and light--perfect for the sweltering heat we're having right now. It's kind of a strange cut, but I love it and I can't wait to remix it! There are a few other things that will be making their debuts later :) Have you made any great purchases recently?

Ooh, and a reminder: make sure you enter for your chance to win any PerriconeMD product valued at $150 or less ASAP. The giveaway ends this Friday at noon!