Belle of the Ball: Last Weekend's Wedding

I wore the ever-so-beautiful Aurora dress by Tatyana Boutique to a relative's wedding last Friday. I was so lucky that one of my Instagram fashionista friends had an extra in my size and sent it to me for the cost of shipping! Through blogging and social media, I've been lucky to meet so many amazing people like her and gain an incredible network of friends who share my similar taste in fashion. Even though we've only "met" online I feel like I can connect with so many of them!

I had Edwin get a matching tie to go with my dress. We spent some time planning and coordinating our outfits so of course we had to take some nice shots before heading off to the wedding. A few people at the salon thought I was dressed for prom... I did feel like a princess in this dress, and I guess it's a good thing that I look younger than I am? People didn't believe me when I said I was in my mid-20's!

The quality of this dress is unbelievable. It has a built it crinoline at the hem so I didn't need to add my own petticoat. The pictures don't do this dress justice; the colors are so beautiful! You know that scene in Sleeping Beauty where two of Aurora's fairy godmothers are fighting over what color to make her dress? Make it pink... Make it blue! I'd like to think this dress is a beautiful combination of both! I hope you enjoy the pictures :).

Outfit Details:

Dress: Bettie Page by Tatyana

Necklace, Earrings, Headpiece: Icing by Claire's

Clutch: Amazon

Heels: Shoe Dazzle

Brooch: Erstwilder

Hair by Jasmine at Art to Beauty Salon

Nails by Paola Ponce

Photos by Armanotty Photography

Close-up shot of brooch, clutch, and jewelry details

I hope everyone is having a good week so far :).

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12 (NIV)

Unique Vintage #iamunique Campaign!

In honor of Unique Vintage's #iamunique campaign, today's post is going to be about my personal style and how it has evolved over the years. A few years ago I probably would have had trouble answering the question, "what makes you unique?". That's because I realize how much my style today contributes to who I am. Before I got more invested in fashion, I’d always had a "hidden" knack for vintage-inspired style (hidden because I didn't know what the style I liked was called). During college I was way too focused on school to worry about what I was wearing. Jeans and a t-shirt were perfectly fine most days. What’s kind of funny is that my college roommate was a model; she had a lot of clothes and was very invested in fashion. I didn’t care much for it back then but maybe her morning outfit rituals subconsciously influenced my eventual interest in fashion!

My going-out outfits weren’t clothes I necessarily loved but bought anyway because they were currently trending. On one occasion 5 years ago, I saw what I thought was the cutest polka dot dress at H&M. I fell in love with it immediately and bought it even though it was different from mainstream style. At the time I didn’t know it was called a swing dress or that it was vintage style, I just loved the fact that the skirt would twirl when I spun. I wore it once to a daytime birthday and put it away for years. Now I realize that the dress is the only piece of clothing from my former wardrobe that falls in line with my current style. So, I feel like I have always loved vintage-inspired clothing but never fully embraced it until recently. Below is a picture of me wearing it back in 2009!

Three years ago I discovered stores and online boutiques that specialize in or carry vintage-inspired clothing, which was also around the time I graduated and started working (to you know, fund my new fashion hobby...). Slowly over time my wardrobe transformed with fit-and-flare dresses, novelty print tops and skirts, and vintage style shoes. Today, the way I dress has become a part of my identity. I feel like how I dress isn't "the norm" and I like that it's different. I love any occasion to dress up; whether it’s a casual outing with friends, a fancy date night, or just to run errands. My interest in fashion has helped me to embrace the style I really love and made me more confident in how I look and present myself to other people. It doesn't matter who you are and what your style is, as long as how you dress makes you feel good about yourself. And I think this is what makes us all unique in our own way :).

UV is one of the stores I discovered in my fashion-makeover journey and it has quickly become one of my favorite places to buy vintage-inspired clothing. I own a few things from them that I treasure dearly. I'm lucky to live driving-distance to their Burbank Boutique so I've been able to drop into the actual store a few times, too! Also, I was so excited a few weeks ago when I got chosen as one of the lucky winners on their Instagram contest (and I never win contests, haha...thanks UV<3)! I got to pick an Erstwilder brooch to keep, and being the owner of a maltipoo, I went with Paige the Prancing Poodle. I love how all of their brooches come with a little story in the packaging! Below are a few recent pictures of the H&M dress styled differently (many years later) and also a picture of me wearing the Poodle brooch on my doggy's 5th birthday :).

Critters on Bikes

I knew I had to have this orange Knitted Dove gingham dress the moment I saw it! It has the cutest print at the hem: owls and squirrels sitting on bicycles. I wore it a few days ago and paired it with my "Grouchy Bear" Erstwilder brooch; a bear riding a bicycle couldn't have been a better match for this dress!

I discovered Erstwilder a few months ago when I saw other bloggers wearing cute little critter brooches with their outfits. I was lucky to get my first Erstwilder brooch, Paige the Prancing Poodle, as one of the winners on Unique Vintage's giveaway contest on Instagram (thanks UV <3)!!! I loved my poodle brooch and ended up purchasing a few more from an Australian eBay seller. My collection has slowly been growing since :).

I initially took these photos at a park close to where I live. It was the first time I went by myself with a tripod and used the camera's 10-second timer feature. It's one thing when you're with someone else and they're taking pictures of you, but it's a whole other thing when you're by yourself setting up the camera, clicking the shutter button, and running to pose in front of it. I have to say it got pretty awkward at times with people staring as they passed by. I didn't get too many nice shots at the park (plus it wasn't the best time of the day for ideal lighting) so I just had my sister take some with my iPhone later... so much easier and faster too! I commend all you ladies who take outfit pictures by yourselves...

Outfit Details:  Brooch: Erstwilder
Dress: Knitted Dove
Cardigan: Unique Vintage
Petticoat: Leg Avenue
Shoes: Loly in the Sky
Hat: Kaitlyn Bag: Michael Kors

Summer is fast approaching, which means applications to grad schools are opening up soon! That is probably the part about summer I'm least looking forward to. Anyone have any fun summer plans in the works?