Art Notes: Gabriella

All work by GabriellaRitar

Does that first picture look familiar? When Gabriella emailed me a couple of weeks ago saying that she had drawn up an illustration inspired by this post of mine, I was incredibly flattered, and then I visited her blog and was really, really flattered. Her work is exactly the kind of illustration that I love: simple, loose, and expressive. Plus, how could you possibly resist a cat pattern? Thank you so much Gabriella!

Ships Ahoy!

Dress: ModCloth
Bracelet c/o ModCloth
Spyglass Necklace: Essex Shipbuilding Museum
Belt: J.Crew
Shoes: F21

I am so excited to be sharing this dress with you today! ModCloth has collaborated with Dear Creatures to bring you some of their and Modcloth's favorite and best selling silhouettes back into production in new and exclusive colors for fall. If the design receives enough votes through ModCloth's Be the Buyer Program, it will be put into production and sold exclusively on ModCloth.com! Isn't that awesome? I was so flattered when ModCloth asked me to style this sweet dress, it's super comfy and would be perfect for late summer and early fall. Plus, I'm a sucker for anything nautically inspired, maybe it's my New England roots.

So if you like this little number as much as I do, cast your vote now! Right now it's the only one of it's kind, and I would love to see it go to production!

An ordinary happy moment...

I was so excited to open up the ModCloth blog today and see...me! They had a great little blurb about the ever popular Ordinary Happy Moments Dress by Dear Creatures. Dresses are a summer staple of mine and many other girls, but unfortunately dresses are often accused as being "cop-outs": you throw one on and you're done, no thought needed. I disagree, I think the three images above are the perfect example that with the right accessories, one dress can go a long way. Don't you love how Rhiannon accessorized with her sling? And I love Jennifer's cute black hat. I love dresses that incorporate a variety of colors such as this, the more colors in the dress, the more color options you have to accessorize with!

N.E.E.T. Magazine 5 Year Anniversary!

With all the life-commotion lately, I realized that I completely forgot to mention that I was featured in the N.E.E.T. Magazine 5 Year Anniversary issue! I'm a huge fan of N.E.E.T. and it was such an honor to be asked to participate in the celebration:

I've been featured on the N.E.E.T. blog before, go here to read the interview!

Stay tuned for a style post later today!

ModCloth Rhythm & Boot: A little folk music

Yes, No, Navy Tunic c/o ModCloth

Pitch Dark Cardigan c/o ModCloth

Roasted Chestnut Socks c/o ModCloth

Today I Met The Perfect Boots c/o ModCloth

Hat, Belt, Necklace, Bracelets: Vintage

When ModCloth contacted me about styling an outfit around their very own "Today I Met The Perfect Boots", I was so excited. And then when I heard the details, that I would be styling a folk music themed outfit, I did a little dance. I love folk! Just like Maria, I was a little worried at first that my outfit wouldn't be "folk" enough, but then I realized that my fall wardrobe already is folk-inspired: it's warm, cozy, and a little bit vintage, just like the best folk music. So I went with that I loved: a blue tunic-dress, my favorite vintage belt, some cozy thigh-highs, and a vintage felt topper.

I also loved the challenge of styling an outfit around these boots, at first glance they don't scream "folk-sy" but I made it work. I balanced the black boots with a black cardigan, and everything just came together.

You can visit ModCloth's Blog for more music inspired looks, and to top it all off while you're there, download a free song from each genre! Inspired by folk but don't know what to wear? Visit the Orchid Grey page for some handpicked-by-ModCloth inspiration!

What's your favorite kind of music?

Events, Features, General Happenings, and Boston Fashion Week

This has definitely been one of those weeks where I've had almost too much to write about, a lot seems to be going on. I've definitely had a few "holy shit" moments, biggest of which was seeing my Heidi Braids post on Joanna's blog yesterday, I saw last week that she was looking for a tutorial which coincided nicely with my current Heidi Braid obsession.

Along with that, a little project that took place about a month ago towards the end of summer finally came to fruition! When Punky asked me to model for her collaboration with New Brahmin, I was thrilled! I love all these inspiring ladies and it was a great day spent on the coast of Maine, braving the winds, sand, and surf in the name of fashion. Of course, being from Maine originally made the shoot all that more special, I love being able to represent my home state! Go here to check out the photos, shot by the very talented Adam Towner.

Boston Fashion Week:

Did you know Boston has it's own Fashion week? It's certainly not as glamourous as NYFW, but it is a great chance to unite with other Boston based fashion aficionados for some events in the city. The event that I'm most excited for is this:

You can go to Punky's blog to read more about it!

More BFW events:

Tonight at 6 pm I'll be at Hotel Chocolat for Exposure: Couture & Chocolat "A toast to local couturiers in Boston’s favorite and undeniably fashion-forward chocolatier, Hotel Chocolat. Premiere of "Behind the Design" - a unique portrayal of New England's design professionals and some of their most fabulous fashion creations photographed in local settings, created and produced by Tracy Aiguier and Terri Mahn."

Hotel Chocolat

141A Newbury Street, Boston MA

Open to the public, space permitting.

Tonight at 9 pm I'll be at the Liberty Hotel for Industry 10 where "Ten local fashion aficionados have come together to host an evening celebrating Boston Fashion Week 2010"

Liberty Hotel

215 Charles Street, Boston MA

Doors open at 9PM

RSVP required. Chris Haynes at rsvp@cbhcommunications.com

Arrive early, space is limited.

On Wednesday September 29th I'll be at The Estate for

ABSOLUT FASHION presented by Rue La La and Salon Marc Harris "

This exciting evening of cutting-edge fashion features designs by Kelly Dempsey, Jeury Rosario, and Andy Jacques Couture. Special presentation by Anthony Ferrara, acclaimed for creating the $500,000 metal mesh dress featured in the Absolut vodka campaign that graced the pages of Vogue magazine in the 1990’s. Models provided by Model Club Fashion."

Doors: 9:30PM
Fashion show: 10:30PM
Complimentary admission before 10:30PM with VIP Invitation.
General Admission $10
The Estate
1 Boylston Place – The Alley, Boston MA
617.351.7000

On Thursday September 30th I'll be at

The Swapaholics' Boston Fashion Week Sip & Swap! "

Swapping is the new shopping: Clean out your closets & make room for some new fall favorites -- possibly free -- by joining The Swapaholics at Boston Fashion Week's first clothing swap & wine tasting!"

Amy (Punky) Chase: punkystyle@gmail.com
http://www.theswapaholics.com
The Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville MA
$10, more info & registration link at TheSwapaholics.com (tickets go on sale 8/25)
7PM - 10PM
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Swapaholics/301084492011

To read the whole BFW schedule, go here: http://www.bostonfashionweek.com/bfw10schedule0924.htm

Have a great weekend (I cannot wait to sleep in!)!

PS- There's still time to enter the giveaway!

New Brahmin feature and giveaway winners!

This is long over due, but a few weeks ago the lovely ladies over at New Brahmin interviewed me about the Delightful Dozen. If you're interested, you can go here to read the article.

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Thank you to everyone that entered the Kdikio Vintage giveaway! I loved reading your styling ideas and it was tough to only be able to choose three winners:

Congrats to numbers 114, 51, & 9: E-Train, Caroline, and CB! Check your inboxes for an email from me with instructions!

Happy Wednesday!

Glamour.com

I'm so excited to say I've been featured again on Glamour.com! This time the slideshow focuses on recycling last years trends into new outfits. I really felt passionate about this topic, because not all of us can afford to buy new items each season, even though we may feel tempted to! It's amazing to see how far one's closet can stretch, the combinations are endless when you keep your mind open!

All the girls who participated had amazing looks and great ideas to take into the new season. Go here to read the whole article and see how I re-work my closet!

Dream Bigger

These are the rest of the images from the Jess LC shoot that I did, featuring the Franklin Collection "Dream Bigger" necklace:

Dress: Vintage (hand-made by my aunt)

Bracelet: Modern Millie's VIntage ($4)

Necklace: Franklin Collection c/o Jess LC

Shoes: Andes Heels c/o ModCloth

Since the focus of my outfits is never really on the jewelry I'm wearing, I really enjoyed the challenge of creating an outfit that showed off my necklace. I wanted to keep things simple, but interesting so I chose a patterned dress and solid shoes. Before I received these shoes from ModCloth, I really only ever imagined that red shoes would go with this dress, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the sea foam and red piping looked great with it! The shoes definitely push the 1940's feel of the outfit, So I chose to keep my hair down to avoid making it too costume-y.

I'm so happy it's thursday! I can't wait for this weekend, the weather has been so incredibly hot this week that my energy is completely sapped. I can't wait to go to the beach and some flea markets on saturday and sunday!

What intention would you choose, and why?

Introducing the Franklin Collection: A Jess LC / Delightful Dozen Collaboration!

I am so excited to be sharing with all of you the launch of Jess LC's latest line of jewelry: The Franklin Collection. The collection is a set of five necklaces with different "intentions" embossed on them in braille. The collection was truly a collaborative effort, the intentions were submitted and voted on by her blog readers!

The decision to print each intention in Braille was so the wearer could rub the piece of jewelry throughout the day to remind themselves of their intention. The intention is also printed in the traditional English alphabet on the reverse, but I like the Braille side better, it's kind of like a secret.

In continuation of the collaborative spirit the collection holds, Jess enlisted the Delightful Dozen to style the lookbook! It was so exciting viewing the lookbook for the first time this morning, I love seeing how each girl styled their necklace and how each intention really fit the wearer. I had a hard time at first deciding between "Just Breathe" and "Dream Bigger", in the end I chose the latter because I felt it was positive and really fit the changes my life has been going through this year. While most of the other girls chose stones to accompany their necklaces, I decided to go with minimalism because I wanted all of the focus to be on the texture of the Braille.

Tomorrow, I'll show you the rest of the pictures from the shoot!

What intention would you choose?

Canal District Clothing Swap (Part 1)

SO, awhile ago I mentioned the swap that Jen and I went to hosted by Punky and the whole Swapaholics crew. I finally have pictures to share!

It was so much fun! Jen and I got to come early and check things out, they had even put a couple things aside for us that they thought we would like, it was such a fun day, I wish I could see these amazing ladies more. I picked out a few things to style for my posts (some won't be making an appearance until colder weather though), and we also snagged a couple of pieces to send around to the other Delightful Dozen girls.

Punky and Melissa were our gracious hosts for the day, they made the whole thing so special! I could not believe the size of the crowd that came out for it too, even though it was May it was cold and rainy, so this was the perfect way to spend a day indoors. Once the crowd cam ein, everything was snagged up in seconds.

There was plenty of posing:

The Swapaholics are in LA right now, hosting a cross-country swap. I can't wait to go to the next local event they hold, clothing swaps are such a great way to freshen up your closet without spending a fortune- sometimes not spending any money at all!

The talented Ann Ruthmann was our photographer for the day, she was so friendly and did an amazing job of capturing the day and our individual styles. I'll have my outfit post for the day tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Have you ever held a clothing swap of your own?

Glamour.com

source

Have a hot date coming up? Head on over to Glamour.com to check out Glamour's 14 Cute Spring Date Outfits featuring me and some of my other favorite style bloggers! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't freaking out about being on the Glamour website, thank you Glamour for featuring me! I guess now I'll have to plan a "Spring Date" for this weekend!

The Orchid Grey Dress

Here it is, The Orchid Grey Dress from ModCloth! I was so excited to receive this dress in the mail, it's even prettier in person.

Orchid Grey Dress courtesy of ModCloth
All I Really Want is Squirrels necklace courtesy of ModCloth
Cardigan: H&M (16.00)
Belt: Vintage via Savers (1.00)
Shoes: Vintage via Savers (3.00)

Don't you love the explosion of spring flowers in the background? They match my outfit! In truth, these photos were taken on a very grey day (yesterday) so the yellow flowers in my dress and purple flowers behind me were a welcome pick-me-up! I can't complain too much though, it's 80 degrees out! In addition to naming this pretty dress after me, ModCloth also posted a little interview on their blog, if you'd like to read about what I do in my spare time (ha) and what books and movies I'm into, you can head on over there and read all about me! Also go here to see my Spring favorites off their site! I have a bunch of weddings coming up this spring, this dress will be perfect for them!

ModCloth kindly provided the dress and necklace in this post