Rent the Runway!!!

So that Rent The Runway thing I mentioned a few weeks ago...it came today.  It shipped last night and I stalked it via UPS all day today.  If you've forgotten, I got this Herve Leger dress and it IS AWESOME.  It came in a big cardboard box in a garment bag and with a pre-paid envelope.  Hehe.  So exciting.  The first time you rent a dress from a brand you get to try 2 sizes for free to see what size you are in that particular brand, so I got a small and a medium.  I'm a size 4, and the small fits perfectly.  


I've never worn an Herve Leger dress before.  I've heard a lot about how they're so tight and restricting and hard to wear and all that, but this is really comfy.  It's basically thick spandex, so it does do a little sucking in, but it's hardly like being mummified in elastic.  I love this dress.  I want to marry it and have its babies.  It's a great length, it fits like a glove, it's a lovely vibrant purple that isn't too bright, and the cut is very flattering.  I love me a sweetheart neckline, the straps are thick enough to wear a bra with, and basically it's a whole lot of awesome.

I decided to get a little crazy and throw on a fur stole with it.  I feel like a very expensive call girl. 

 So clearly the dress is GREAT.  Seriously.  I am eBaying Herve Leger dresses right now.  About the Rent the Runway process in general: I like that I get the tracking number for the package, so I can stalk it to my heart's content, and I like that the return envelope is pre-paid.  I like that I get to keep the garment bag the dresses come in.  I don't like that the 'fit kit,' with double-stick tape and all that, didn't come as promised.  However, the overall process has been very smooth.  You get the dress on the day your rental starts and you drop it off in the mail box by noon on the day your rental ends (so you really have it for 3 nights).  You pay for $12 insurance in case you spill something on it, snag a hem, etc, but if you royally mess up the dress you pay for it all. 

It bothered me at first to pay for a dress I don't get to keep.  But, once I thought about, I realized that I have a lot of formal dresses that I've worn once or twice, and I've spent more than the $100 I spent renting this dress on those formal dresses.  So in the end, it's a pretty good deal for me, or anyone else who likes dresses that are out of their budget and wants something pretty to wear for one night out.  Also, if you do it with a friend you can get a discount (woohoo).


So, would I do it again?  DEFINITELY.  For my birthday for sure.  It's a small price to pay for looking and feeling like a million bucks for a night, and it's a pretty easy, low risk system to use.

Foam Party!

I had a foam party last night.  No, it's not as scandalous as it sounds.  I dyed my hair with this John Frieda Precision Foam hair color that I mentioned yesterday.  Having only ever used Clairol Perfect 10, which is a normal, garden variety hair dye, it was an interesting experience.  So, without further ado, what it's like to cover your head in foam:


Here's the dye.  What you get in the box is a set of instructions, a pair of thick black gloves (thicker and sturdier than the usual latex gloves), the squeeze bottle the dye goes in, the nozzle for that bottle, the colorant, and conditioner.

So, step 1: you pour the colorant into the squeeze bottle with the developer (already in there) and gently tilt the bottle upside down 5 times.  Don't shake, tilt.  Mine turned purple.  I was a little scared.  The bottle was only about 1/3 full, which made me a little skeptical.  Then put on the gloves, and put the foam nozzle on the bottle.  Squeeze the middle of the bottle until you have a tennis ball sized amount of foam on your gloved hand--it'll turn right into this thick, slightly brown foam.  It was so odd.  Smear the foam across your roots, and work the product in.  Continue until you've used up the entire bottle worth of foam.  It's quite a bit of product.  Normally I don't get enough dye to cover my whole head, but here I had just enough (for reference I have very thick hair that's about 4 inches past my collarbone.  The dye didn't smell as nasty as Clairol does, but it certainly smells like ammonia.  


My one issue was that in the instructions and all the videos I've seen, everyone ends up with a head full of white foam at the end of this process, and you're supposed to keep rubbing the foam in for a while after that.  Well, the foam dissolved into my hair.  My hair was certainly saturated with dye, but was it white and foamy?  No.  I thought I was doing something wrong, but the foam hit my hair and just went poof!  Maybe if you have less hair it works better?  I got some dye on my forehead/neck, but it washed off relatively easily without staining.


Then I left the dye on for 20 minutes (30 if you have grey hairs).  Clairol Perfect 10 only takes 10 minutes, so I sat down to watch some Veronica Mars while I waited.  After a few minutes my head started to itch and tingle.  I don't have a sensitive scalp at all, so I imagine that if you did you might feel some burning, or maybe it was just me, but my head was itching like crazy!  Thankfully it went away once I got in the shower.  You rinse your hair out until the water runs clear, and then slather on some of the included conditioner and leave it on for 5 minutes.  My hair didn't feel as straw-like as it often does after the Clairol dye, and the conditioner worked pretty well.


Once my hair dried I assessed the color.  My hair before this round of coloring was a light, slightly brass reddish brown with light brown/blonde roots.  After this round of coloring it's a medium, warm chestnutty brown that verges on auburn.  I really, really like the color.  It looks very rich and natural on me.  HOWEVER, it's not the color that it should be as far as the box goes. The color it promised my hair would be was much lighter and redder.  I'm happy with the results, but just be warned, the promised results don't seem that accurate.  Also, my hair holds on to and soaks up red tones like nobody's business.  I've dyed friends with similar hair colors as mind with the same box of Auburn dye I generally use and on me, it's legit red, and on them, it's a slightly warm brown.  My hair loves red dye.  This makes me think that the red in this hair dye may not be that strong.  We'll see how the color wears over the next few weeks.  Why didn't I include pictures?  Well.  My hair changes color drastically depending on the lighting.  It's impossible for me to get an 'accurate' picture of my hair color because in some lights it's straight up red, or brown, or blonde.  It's not consistent at all, so I didn't want to throw people off with pictures.


Awkward Chic rating: B+/A-.  I really like the idea and I love the color.  But it's a little pricier than my usual dye ($13 instead of $10), it takes twice as long to develop, and it irritates my scalp. Will I use it again?  Probably.  I want to see how well the color ages before I decide.

Image via target.com.

Soft Joie and Foam?

How were everybody's weekends?  I spent the weekend in Vermont baking cookies.  No, really.  I'm such a cool kid, I know.  Love me some cookies though.  Speaking of cookies, here are some cozy clothes I'd wear while eating cookies.


Soft Joie: Duncan Deck Stripe Tank, $78 at shopbop.com, Klein Dress, $148 at shopbop.com, O'Dell Top, $68 at shopbop.com: I love Soft Joie.  It's all the coziness of KAIN tees with the style of Joie.  I can't wear horizontal stripes like this first tank but if I could I would totally wear this first tank.  I like the color combo of turquoise and charcoal grey, and it just hangs so nicely.  I'd do it with a pair of dark wash, slightly cropped skinny jeans, ballet flats, and some oversized Wayfarers.  I love interesting cutout details, like the one on the back of this dress.  It's so unexpectedly interesting and a flattering place for a cutout too--who doesn't have nice shoulder blades?  The front is very simple, so you could do a fun belt or statement necklace.  I may actually buy this last top.  I die for exposed shoulders, and the best thing here is that it highlights the collarbones and shoulders nicely but the actual sleeve part covers up the fattiest part of anyone's arm.  It's a win-win-win!  And it's a nice, basic black with a nice drape and a flattering length.

John Frieda Precision Foam Hair Color in Light Red Brown, $12.99 at target.com: I read about this foam hair color in Elle last month and since I am negative adventurous in terms of my hair dye purchases (in terms of brand, not color) I decided to branch out and do something fun.  It's like any old permanent hair color, but the dye itself comes in a foam formula and there is lots and lots of it (enough for even my hair!).  I'm trying it out tonight, so I'll let y'all know how it goes.  I got light red brown.  I'd really rather do medium red brown, but they didn't have it at CVS and dark red brown looked very purple.

Images via shopbop.com, target.com.

Amanda Seyfried for Elle

Oh Friday.  How I love you.  Today is all about pretty things (when is this blog not about pretty things?).  Oh, but before I forget, there's a Zoya promo that ends this Sunday where you can get two of the polishes from their two new summer collections (Sunshine, Mod Matte, and Summertime) for $10 with shipping.  Two polishes with shipping is usually at least twice that much, so it's a pretty good deal.  I picked up Areej, a soft muted cool fuschia pink, and Kimmy, a gleaming metallic candy apple red with gold sparkle--love me some glitter.


How to Dress for Success by Edith Head, $19.95 at shopbop.com: I love Edith Head.  I worship her work.  She was the costume designer for To Catch a Thief, Funny Face, Roman Holiday, Sabrina, All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard, and Sting (along with like a million other films).  She's won more Oscars than any other woman ever (8) and had 35 nominations.  So she knows what she's doing.  Here's an adorable reprinting of her personal style book, How to Dress for Success.  I haven't read it, but I love retro fashion advice, and it's really easy and fun to see what kind of advice is timeless and still works today (and if it worked then and works now it's probably worth following).

"In Like a Lamb," Amanda Seyfried for Elle April, shot by Alexei Hay.  I love this photoshoot.  I wish magazines would stop doing the 'pretty young starlet posing with farm animals' cliche, but given that she just did Red Riding Hood I guess it makes a bit of sense.  Although that movie was downright horrible.  Amanda was great, but it was like a hackneyed version of Twilight with absolutely no chemistry between the two leads and negative character development.  Ugh.  But anyways, Amanda Seyfried looks fabulous here.  I love the simple hair against the strong makeup, and the McQueen vibe of all the clothes, and her eyes--omg.  I just watched Veronica Mars, which she was in right after Mean Girls, and damn, this girl is talented.  Also annoyingly pretty.

Images via shopbop.com, fashiongonerouge.com.

Favorite Things from Etsy

I love me some Etsy. Whenever I tell people about that they get confused about what I'd actually buy on Etsy. Well, here are some things that I'm currently eying.

iPad decal, $7.99 at etsy.com, Love Decal, $9.99 at etsy.com:

Leopard Print Decal, $16 at etsy.com, Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt, $15 at etsy.com: The trashy girl inside me loves me some leopard print.  And while it can be a little over the top, when it's done in a tasteful monochromatic black it can be quite cute. Chocolate chip cookies.  AKA my secret weakness. And when the chocolate chip cookies have dark chocolate and sea salt involved--it's a problem.  Browned butter too?  It's like Etsy wants me to be fat.

Cranberry Chocolate Clusters, $9.99 at etsy.com, Keep Calm and Carry On Decal, $4.50 at etsy.com: Cranberries + chocolate + sea salt.  I am already drooling.  They're the perfect little bite size morsel with just the right combination of sweet, tangy, and salty.  I love the 'keep calm and carry on' motif.  I have a big 'keep calm and shop on' poster in my room, a 'keep calm and party on' banner over my bed, and I could use a little decal for my MacBook.

Celestial Sweet Coconut Thai Chai Tea: I am addicted to this tea.  I can't drink caffeine, so I'm always looking for fun tea options that are decaf.  I like the spiciness of chai tea, and this one is fun in that it's a combo of black tea and red tea with coconut, ginger, cardamom, star anise, cloves, nutmeg, paprika, and black pepper.  I usually don't like thai iced tea or boba tea or anything of that sort but this tea is great.  It has the strength of black tea, the exotic twist of red tea, and the coconut and spice combo makes it all warm and cozy with a slight hint of the tropical.  Add some milk and honey and I am a happy, happy camper.

Images via etsy.com, celestialseasonings.com.

Cute Accessories + Some Fab Recipes

It's almost spring!  Almost.  It's so close I can taste it.  It's making me want adorable springy clothes and accessories in fun colors and prints.  I found a few accessories that would go nicely with my sundresses piled up in my closet.


Pour La Victoire Maressa Flat Huarache Sandals, $195 at shopbop.com, Eugenia Kim Serena Leopard Bow Headband, $88 at shopbop.com, Cynthia Rowley Soft Wrapped Chain Bag, $200 at shopbop.com: I love me some coral.  It's my favorite color of nail polish, and it would be SO cute in a shoe.  I think braided huaraches are a really fun alternative to gladiators, and the pop of color from the coral is just so cute and unexpected.  I wish I was the kind of girl that could wear a big hair bow without looking silly.  I actually had a long conversation about this with someone the other day.  My personal style does not mesh with hair bows.  It makes me sad.  But this oversized leopard print bow headband needs to be worn by someone, even if it's just me in the safety of my own room.  My craving for little shoulder bags is still going strong, and the lovely, rich purple hue of this one is so fab.  The tassel adds a cute, boho twist and the chain adds a fun amount of edge. 

In a few days I'm going to a sorority sister's house to hang out and basically be a bum.  My number 1 priority: Baking.  I will be baking like there is no tomorrow.  At home I stress-bake at least 3 times a week, but at school that's impossible, so all this baking impulse has built up in my brain and I need to bake for like 4 days.  Here's what I'm thinking:


Brownies: I love me some fudgey cocoa brownies.
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt: Chocolate chip cookies can be boring.  But when you add some sea salt--bam!  Crazy delicious.
Espresso Fudge Cookies: I don't think this needs explaining.
Coffee Cake: I usually make this without the rhubarb (although I love rhubarb) and at home it never makes it past two days before being entirely devoured.  It is SO GOOD.
Cranberry Scones: Best scones ever.  Including scones from fancy coffee shops and gourmet mixes.  Legit amazing.
Cinnamon Rolls: I have been craving cinnamon rolls FOREVER.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumble Topping: This is the biggest craving.  I love pie, and this strawberry rhubarb pie with that crumble topping (crumble beats crust any day) is basically the best thing ever.  No, really.  I've never been able to have more than 1 piece of this pie because I turn around and it's been eaten in minutes.

Images via shopbop.com.

Monday Cravings

Last week = fail.  Midterms = evil, and I totally had intentions of blogging like every night...and then I feel asleep.  Oh, how I have missed sleep.  But I have this week off, so back to normal y'all.  Here's some cute stuff to get everyone through their Monday.


Nanette Lepore Candy Girl Dress, $298 at shopbop.com, Marc by Marc Jacobs Bianca Pave Bow Ring, $68 at shopbop.com, Wildfox Midnight Snack Tee, $77 at shopbop.com: This dress is SO CUTE.  Agh.  The fit is very sex-bomb, screen siren, body con, etc, but the print is so girly, springy, adorably retro.  This dress is great because you can dress it down with some flat sandals and a little leather jacket, and you can dress it up with a cardigan and some platform heels.  I'm not one for cutesy jewelry, but this bow ring strikes the perfect balance between quirky and chic, and I love anything with some sparkle.  I want to wear this shirt to sleep and then get up and eat a midnight snack in it.  Too funny. 

Botkier Maddie Shoulder Bag, $295 at shopbop.com, Wildfox 17th Century Girl Tee, $77 at shopbop.com, Funktional Wild Blossom Dress, $118 at shopbop.com: While I'm always a big fan of oversized totes because I carry wayyy too much stuff around with me, the idea of a little across the body bag is strangely appealing.  Maybe it's the hands-free aspect, maybe it's the cute little studs and the drapey, hobo shape, or the mildly reasonable price tag, but I want this bag.  Oh, Wildfox.  Again, you are so overpriced, but yet so adorable.  I love the Marie Antoinette-esque girl drawn on the front, but the cutest part is on the back.  It says 'I love' in French and then lists things like parties, candy, BFFs, soldiers, romance, castles, etc, etc.  AKA story of my life.  It's hard to see here, but the shoulder detail on that dress is adorable, little loops of fabric sliding off and on the shoulder.  I like the sassiness of the sleeves against the quiet floral print and simple cut of the dress.

All images via shopbop.com.

Currently Loving: Drugstore Shower Gel

You know if I'm blogging about a shower gel it must be a pretty darn awesome shower gel because...well...shower gel is kind of boring.  I have nothing against shower gel: it gets me nice and clean and generally smells pretty.  But is it entertaining?  Is it exciting?  Not really.


However.  I may have actually found an exciting shower gel.  I know.  It's a little crazy.  It's this Olay Ribbons Body Wash in Silk Whimsy, and it's like $6-$7 at CVS.  I am in love with it.  I always stop myself from buying the Olay Ribbons body washes because I feel like they're ridiculously expensive for shower gel but every time I get them I just love them.  I was having a mopey, I need to buy myself presents moment at CVS this weekend, so I picked up this shower gel.  Olay claims it smells like roses and almond oil.  I hate almond oil.  HATE.  But this smells like roses and florals and a hint of musk and just general gorgeousness.  If it was a perfume I'd wear it every day.  It's that good.  On top of that these shower gels are always great because they lather so well, they moisturize (my skin gets so itchy and dry if I don't use a creamy shower gel) and you don't need much to get yourself clean.  Apparently Olay also makes lotion with this scent.  My current lotion is from Vaseline and smells like chocolate cookies, which is a problem in that it makes me want to eat cookies when I use it.  I may have to pick up a bottle of this. 

In short: this shower gel smells like a Sephora quality perfume, and is actually a great shower gel.  Get on that.


Images via amazon.com.

Sundresses and Snow

So it snowed today.  In the middle of March.  It snowed.  It's positively uncivilized.  It was 75 at home today.  Come on, Boston.  Get with the program.  So in my theoretical world where I can control the weather and it was lovely and 70 degrees and sunny today I would have worn this:


Charlotte Ronson Tiered Floral Mini Dress, $315 at shopbop.com: I love this because it's sweet, it's a light chiffon that flows nicely, and the shape is flattering with its cinched-in waist while still being fun and feminine and flirty.  The slightly assymetrical hem gives it a fun, rebellious twist, and the neutral floral print keeps it all from being too sweet.  I'd wear it with a boyish brown leather belt and and short, sassy boots.

Image via shopbop.com.

This Hair. I Need It.

I need the hair from the Fall 2011 Chloe show.  It's to die for.  First off, that strawberry blonde color is covetable, but it's the combination of straight and wavy that's going on here with the bedhead thrown in.  It's an interesting, new take on beachy waves.  It looks like they just curled a few sections in the middle of the hair with a center part and lots of volume.

Image via allure.com.

Alexander McQueen Fall 2011

I know everyone was waiting for the McQueen show this weekend with baited breath, as it's the first McQueen show designed entirely by Sarah Burton, the new designer behind McQueen.  I think she proved that she is as much part of the brand's DNA as anyone could ever be after McQueen himself.  The series of white dresses at the end did nothing to assuage the rumors that she's designing Kate Middleton's wedding gown (which could possibly be the best thing ever).


The zipper detail on that white skirt is just shutting it down.  And that jacket looks like it's about to take flight!  In the best possible way.  I need some of those leather leggings and those fabulous platform shoes.  The combination of textures between the tweedy top and the furry, tactile skirt is so unexpected but so right somehow.

I want this vest to wear in the cold here and I want it now.  The giant fur hood is very glam Eskimo, the leather biker shorts are very Hells Angels, and the shoes and gloves so dominatrix, but all together it manages to work somehow.  How elegant is this white dress?  The sleeves just float so perfectly, and the slit detailing in the skirt gives it a fun, younger twist.

The skirt on this first dress is so fascinating, like folded origami paper.  The neck ruff is very Elizabethan, but the dress still looks so modern and unexpected.  I adore this second gown.  The bodice is like shattered china pieced back together and the skirt is just waves and waves of tiny, intricate folds that flow away from the body so majestically.

Dear Kate Middleton: wear this first dress to your wedding next month.  Kthanks.  The cut of the bodice is so fragile and elegant, and the overall shape is so simple, but the detail and texture and appliques give it such an alien, ethereal quality.  It really is from another world.  And I just love the combination of bondage and chiffon in this second dress.  Who else could make chiffon look tough and intimidating?  That dusty lavender hue is just gorgeous.

Images via style.com.

Oh Yes I Did.

So I have a sorority formal coming up in a few weeks, and I was going through my closet over and over trying to decide what to wear and coming up with nada.  And then I checked my bank account and realized it was a little higher than expected, so I went straight to Rent The Runway.  Yep.  I finally caved.  I'm so excited.


Herve Leger "Naughty and Nice" Dress, rent for $100, retail $1,050, Catherine Malandrino "Modern Queen Elizabeth" Dress, rent for $75, retail $525: I rented (or will rent haha) this purple Herve Leger dress.  I've been dying to try one for years, literally, and I love this one.  The purple is a great color for me, and the sweetheart neckline is great for a bigger chest, plus it's the perfect length and I love the open back.  The way Rent The Runway works is that you get two sizes of the dress you order to try on (and if you order 1 dress you can get another of equal or lesser value for TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS).  I'm wearing this with big sparkley earrings and strappy black platforms and it is going to be epic.  Now, I won't personally order this second dress for my body type, but I absolutely love the cut of it.  Isn't it gorgeous?  The open shoulders!  Sigh.  Someone order it so I can look at pretty pictures of it.  Oh!  Rent The Runway also sends you a Fit Kit with double sided tape and lint rollers, etc, which is so cute and practical.

The Preppy Polka Dot Personalized Tumbler, $14.50 at etsy.com: The other thing I got myself today was one of these tumblers.  I know they're sickeningly cute, but they're so practical for someone who's always reusing Starbucks cups for drinks in my room.  You can get different fonts and colors with your name on the front (I did a grey/light pink/black combo).  I love things like this that are cute and practical.

Images via renttherunway.com, etsy.com.

Christian Dior Fall 2011

So my normal Fashion Week coverage has lulled.  And by lulled I mean died before it even started.  See the thing is that I've looked through all the shows and have a giant Style.com lookbook of all the looks I like...but it keeps crashing.  Like the lookbook doesn't work.  Every time I go back and try to pull images from it it goes crazy.  So.  I don't know what to do about that.  Coverage may come eventually?  In the meantime, I felt like the Dior show was noteworthy enough to go through the pain of figuring out how to post.


I'm sure some of you have heard, but Galliano was fired from Dior for making some particularly hateful and anti-Semitic remarks on camera.  However, I can't hate the clothes for his mistakes, so let's just focus on how pretty they are.  Because they are very pretty.


The overall vibe here is boho luxe meets '20s meets '40s meets Zorro/medieval peasants.  Yep.  That's a lot of influences.  I think the main thing to focus on are the shapes and the fabrics.


Doesn't Karlie Kloss look like an awesomely high-fashion Zorro-bandit in this first look? I adore those thigh-high boots.  It looks like the fur circle scarves from a few seasons ago are going to be back full force (I blame the Prada fur stoles from last season).  I love the layering here, with the miniskirt and the thigh-high boots.  It's not showing a lot of skin, but it's still hot.

And more furry circle scarves!  Sweeping a-line coats are also going to be a thing next season.  There's something so USSR about them.  That blue coat belongs in my life.

Also cropped fur jackets.  Basically fur in all incarnations is going to be big.  That gold coat might be my favorite piece.  The cut says military, but the fabric says baroque luxury, and the fur on top gives it all a wild twist.

How Hitchcock heroine is that fur scarf/jacket combo?  The bow at the waist is too cute, and the fur picks up the color palette of the jacket perfectly, while the skirt's light texture gives it all a bit of a whimsical twist.  I feel like this red dress is what a Jane Austen heroine would wear to a cocktail party today.  Which makes me love it so much.

I love the subtle variations in hue of these two looks.  At first glance they seem to be all greyish beige, but once you look closer you see all the small changes in color and texture.   Also I love that these two looks show how different outerwear gives a totally different vibe to similar dresses.  The blazer makes the minidress more daytime appropriate, and the fur jacket makes it very nighttime luxe.

And the fur circle scarves even go with cocktail dresses!  These dresses are so interesting in that they seem like just layers of silk and chiffon, but then you start to see all the detail and construction that goes into them, like the artful draping on the second dress and the tiny, asymmetrical layers on the first dress.

All images via style.com.