Pints and Pinstripes

UPDATE: please see more dress ideas below!


P & P, as it were, is happening in March (click on the image above to read the details).

It is going to be quite the event at Silo Point, in Baltimore, MD (in the Penthouse no less):


I love attending charity events - especially ones in places near and dear to my heart. reWIRED for Change was started by Sonja Sohn after her difficult childhood in Newport News, VA. One of my Great-Uncles ran the Newport News shipyard for years so I know how things there have changed over time (obviously I cannot relate but I hope you all know what I mean).

As Sky Blue Events writes: today reWIRED for Change is a "Baltimore-based 501c(3) non-profit organization empowering at-risk youth living in underserved city communities through a program combining education, media and social advocacy, and street-based intervention." Please try to attend if you can, 15% of each ticket + 100% of silent auction proceeds will be donated to reWIRED For Change!

I have been poking around for the ideal cocktail dress before buying my ticket for the event --- Neimans, Saks, Nordies, etc... trying to find something Spring-y but elegant. I honestly have a hard time wearing most of my Lilly P dresses to an evening event and I am trying to build up a wardrobe of quality pieces I can wear for the next ten-plus years. I already have a deep purple dress in chiffon and satin, a green silk dress, several wool dresses in varying shades for mourning/office, a green cotton embroidered dress, and one proper cocktail-style Lilly P dress. I have others but those are the ones which stick in my mind.

I now want a pink dress.

Here are some of my options:

A Shoshanna pink and white tulip dress - which is cotton. I love the shape and it is flouncy enough to wear to more fun, relaxed events. It has a fitted waist as well, which is good as I am very long-waisted.



This Jay Godfrey dress is the "Jennings" dress. It actually is not this short on me, more like an inch or two above the knee. I love the satin bow on the one shoulder - and the texture of this silk dress is so comfortable.

Here is the back of the "Jennings" dress:


This is my #1 favorite:

A Phoebe Couture dress in pink satin. It is a one-shoulder dress but I feel as though it is elegant. I love the fun details as I like to show off my shoulders and back (without looking skankyyy). The back of the dress is pleated in a way that almost looks like a bow but isn't a bow.

Here is the back of the dress:


Yeah, I love to look confidant. I think this dress would do that. Too bad M isn't attending. BWAHAHA.

I really loved what Claire Danes wore to the Golden Globes this year, a chic salmon-colored frock. It photographed differently from TV show to TV show, camera flash to camera flash. Here it is:


Along in that vein, I give you two new options, both by Kay Unger New York.



The first is a coral silk cocktail dress with a pencil skirt. There is pleating around the waist to make it more fitted. Beading details finish the dress off:


In the back there is a cut-out shoulder, to really emphasize an hourglass figure:



Here is another option, a faux-wrap salmon taffeta dress. This dress has a sensual asymmetric shape and a flattering one-shoulder neckline. The bodice is tiered in the style of a Herve Leger without cutting off circulation:


The back shows off the vent in the straight, yet shortened style of a pencil skirt - as well as the shimmering shade of coral/salmon in the taffeta fabric:



What are you thinking of wearing to this Sky Blue Event? What would you wear if you could go (if you aren't) (but you SHOULD be!)?

Special Thanks to Sky Blue Events for letting me steal some pictures for reference! Thanks to Neiman Marcus for the pictures of dresses.

Brands I Love: Kate Spade

Last week I told you all about my love affair with the function and comfort of Vera Bradley.

Another brand I have worn for years and always loved is Kate Spade. My first piece came from my aunt and was from the Kate Spade Texas collection at Neiman Marcus (natch, it is denim). I occasionally still use it but only if I am looking for a urban-ish small purse when going out.

Other pieces I have found in the recent past that I love...:


The Stevie Nyack in orange. Yes, it is a baby bag... no, I don't totally care as the color is very cheerful and Hermes-esque!


The Eliza (short) in Atlantic Blue. I fell in love with this bag one day while at the Towson Nordstrom. Le sigh...


The Isabeli in Goldenrod. Isn't that a great bag? I love textures like ostrich. Perfect for going out, and I have a lot of Lilly P that would go with it!

Another thing of Kate Spade's that I reliably love are her shoes - check these babies out!


The Gillian in purple satin. What a gorgeous, sexy evening shoe, right? I would put this with something really plain and simple just to kick it up a notch!



I have a lot of simple work clothes in greys. They look great with my skin tone and I like them for court and generic office work. However, they are perfect to wear out to dinner as well. These shoes, the Chase in grey flannel, would be ideal for the cooler seasons!

I often get my KS items from Nordstrom, as there is no Neiman's nearby. However, the Zappos couture is a very nicely done website, so that is worth looking at as well!


Do you have any favorite Kate Spade pieces?

XO

Oxfords and Oysters

I cannot wait to go to this event which is hosted by Sky Blue Events! I am busily trying to figure out a way to get up there and possibly stay the night. I love the cause, as my major is doubled in political science and environmental studies, and I have a few aquaintances who are tied to the organization - Oyster Recovery Alliance - that Oxfords & Oysters supports. The VIP gift bags are just fabulous and they are "worth the trip alone" as @GroveGalk (http://www.pineapplegrovegifts.com/) put it! One major item in the VIP swag bag is the new True Prep book. Recently, the ladies at Sky Blue Events mentioned a portion of the text which had this hilarious quote:

"High-heel rule: You must be able to run in them - on cobblestones, on a dock - in case of a spontaneous footrace."



Well, if you have ever been to Baltimore, you know many sections are cobblestoned. Do I need to tell you how many times I have almost DIED from my heels getting stuck in cobblestones while taxis raced toward me? Or running down the street with an ex at 3am from the old Wharf Rat off of Ann Street, in the pouring down rain, for whatever reason at the time it seemed logical but because the rain was freezing cold in February I was screaming and people thought I was being mugged? Or in one instance, the Light Rail train looming towards me as my brand new heels were stuck by Pratt Street. If I hadn't been with a certain gentleman who pulled my shoe loose while I remained on the phone WITH my FATHER, who knows if I would even be around today? HA! I had to get my shoes re-cobbled while living in Baltimore about 3x a year. I wore them out from working at Nordstrom on the floor as well as being a rambunxious early 20-something. What a fun time. That quote really made my day...

Anyway, back to the fundraiser.

Included in the swag bag is:

Boatman Geller

Knot Belt Co.

Miller Ribbons

Nico and LaLa

Obagi Medical Products

Orbit

Peter Blair

Popchips

Preppy Monogrammed Gifts

Red Door Spa of Cross Keys

solixir

Southern Point Co.

Southern Proper

Stephen Bonanno Sandals

True Prep

Vineyard Vines

More to come!

It seems like every week as the event gets closer another piece of swag is added!
The event is Saturday, September 18, 2010 in Baltimore, MD (my 2nd hometown as I call it). From 3-7pm there will be an open bar, live band, oysters, and food to enjoy. In advance, VIP bags are $125 and general admission are $75 per person. It is sure to be a gorgeous evening and event, as September in Baltimore is beautiful and temperate. It'll be waterfront at Little Havana at 1325 Key Highway. Check it out!: http://blog.skyblue-events.com/oxfords-oysters

Again, it's for a great cause, the sustainability of the Chesapeake Bay Oyster population!

Proust Questionnaire

What is your current state of mind?

Relaxed, as I am in Florida.


What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Anywhere further south than Virginia. Virginia is becoming more and more "Northern-Yankee" every year, and even the traffic patterns along I-95 are less-hectic from NC, SC, GA, and FL. The true South immediately puts my mind at ease, and I feel better, work out more readily, the climate soothes a lot of my ailments, and I even eat better.


What is your most marked characteristic?

My loyalty to honor, trust, family and heritage. Passion and I used to have a huge desire to have the men I love(d), love me as much as I love(d) them.


What do you most value in your friends?

I value honesty, communication, and support - especially if I give it out, and have it returned to me.


What is your greatest extravagance?

Purchasing things. However, I buy them carefully and deliberately, with investment and long-term wear being the goal.


Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

I most overuse the phrase, "OMFG"


When and where were you happiest?

When I lived in Baltimore from 2006-2007 - just a nice/diverse city (okay I know that there is lots of crime but I never had to deal with it). The whole area is so pretty and I enjoyed sailing on occasion and working at Nordstrom was an incredible experience.


Which talent would you most like to have?

Constant health, not enough to make me live forever, but enough to make me enjoy my life fully.


What is it that you most dislike?

Liars, selfish people, and men who try to hurt/assault/damage women.


Who are your heroes in real life?

My Mother, all four of my aunts, and women who have made advances in breaking the glass ceiling.


Who are your favorite writers?

Tom Wolfe, Hemingway, Louisa May Alcott


What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Selfishness, Greed, and most especially, SLOTH.


Where would you like to live?

Somewhere warm. As in, above 50 degrees year-round.


What do you consider your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement is going back to school to finish my degree.


What is your motto?

Romance lives by repetition, converts an appetite into an art. Besides, each time that one loves is the only time one has ever loved. Difference of object does not alter singleness of passion. It merely intensifies it. We can have in life but one great experience at best, and the secret of life is to reproduce that experience as often as possible.
-Oscar Wilde
from The Picture of Dorian Gray


Questions taken from the February 2010 issue of Vanity Fair.

Jeff Buckley was talented

Looking out the door I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners
Parading in a wake of sad relations as their shoes fill up with water
And maybe I'm too young to keep good love from going wrong
But tonight you're on my mind so you never know

When I'm broken down and hungry for your love with no way to feed it
Where are you tonight, child you know how much I need it
Too young to hold on and too old to just break free and run

Sometimes a man gets carried away, when he feels like he should be having his fun
And much too blind to see the damage hes done
Sometimes a man must awake to find that really, he has no-one

So I'll wait for you... and I'll burn
Will I ever see your sweet return
Oh will I ever learn

Oh lover, you should've come over
cause its not too late

Lonely is the room, the bed is made, the open window lets the rain in
Burning in the corner is the only one who dreams he had you with him
My body turns and yearns for a sleep that will never come

It's never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
It's never over, all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her
It's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter
It's never over, she's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever

Well maybe I'm just too young
To keep good love from going wrong

Oh... lover, you should've come over
cause its not too late

Well I feel too young to hold on
And I'm much too old to break free and run
Too deaf, dumb, and blind to see the damage Ive done
Sweet lover, you should've come over
Oh, love well I'm waiting for you

Lover, you should've come over
'cause its not too late
-Jeff Buckley


via Wikipedia: "Lover, You Should've Come Over" is the seventh track on Jeff Buckley's album Grace. Inspired by the ending of the relationship between Buckley and Rebecca Moore, it concerns the despondency of a young man growing older, finding that his actions represent a perspective he feels that he should have outgrown. Biographer and critic David Browne describes the lyrics as "confused and confusing" and the music as "a languid beauty."