party attire

SHOP: dress (20$ off with code ICBMT0811)

Are you thinking about what you're going to wear during the holiday's? When eShakti asked me to do a review of their custom made-to-fit-you dresses... I said yes and danced a little victory dance. Ever walk into a store and love the style and quality of the clothes but get so frustrated because nothing fits you just right? Don't you hate that!? It's happened to me a few too many times. Not only do I think that a site that takes your measurements and makes a dress just for you is brilliant and oh-so-convenient, but I was in need of something special to wear to brighten my mood during the holiday season. It can be a sad time for some people. Me included.

 So I'm not usually one for clothes therapy (it can be is dangerous) but this was much different! The hunt began... I needed something with a little sparkle for hosting the annual Christmas Eve get together...which normally ends in us prancing about in pajamas--but hey, it always starts off stylish and socially acceptable.

Overall, I love the tulle overlay and the detailing on the neck/back of this dress. Perfect for a special occasion or I can dress it down with a pair of boots and a tough jacket to wear to work. There were lots of options for the holidays but I wanted something versatile.  Although the dress came to me a little longer than I'd asked for, I'm still very happy overall with the quality and the fit of the dress. Simply gorgeous! What do you think?

shop: dress
use code ICBMT0811 to get $20 off your purchase at eShakti
(valid till 31st December, 2011)

xo,

Courtney

Have fun shopping! Please note--I chose this dress and all opinions stated are my own!

PS. Awesome giveaway at cute & little! Win a Melie Bianco bag here!

2011 favorites

Be authentic. Be passionate. Be supportive.
Be authentic to yourself and your audience.
Be passionate about what you love and go after it.
Be supportive of your fellow bloggers and they will support you back.

- Kim of eat.sleep.wear.

Is this true of you and your blog? If not, how can you bring it back to where it should be? I've been taking some time to think about where I would like this blog to go and how I want it to grow. I can say the same for myself. When I set my goals for January (which should be in the next day or so) I will let you know. I would like to thank my readers for supporting me, especially those of you who have taken the time to connect with me on a personal level. I have picked up some friends along the way. It's been fun. Here are some of my favorites; a recap of 2011.

animal

We did a lot of shopping on the trip--mostly for Christmas. The crew consisted of mine and Jeff's mother, my sister, Jeff, the baby and I--and I know what you're thinking... poor Jeff. Naw, he had fun. And so did I. In DKNY. I fell in love with this leopard t-shirt dress. But I could not justify spending $100 dollars on something that may have a not-as-nice-but-acceptable-look-alike appear on F21 for $15 this summer. No matter how much I loved it, I walked away and joined the crew in Aeropostale, patiently waiting to go to the J Crew Outlet. I watched the little girl while the girls and Jeff were shopping. She had so much fun walking up and down outside of the outlets saying hello to every person passing her. It was hilarious. She doesn't need much entertainment.

Jeff took her back to the house to go swimming and my sister and I had a few hours to shop. I brought her in and showed her the dress and she agreed it was nice but told me I couldn't buy it--I only had $300 and she told me it would be dumb to spend $100 on one dress. I was happy she convinced me not to buy it because I found my jacket and a gorgeous cobalt blue trench at Wilson's Leather Outlet that day...

...then Jeff and I went back to the outlet malls and DKNY had a sale... and I got the dress for 50% off... and there was only two left :) ...and I can wear them together happily ever after.

Outfit details:
DKNY chiffon dress
leather jacket bought at Wilson's Leather Outlet
shoes bought at Ross

Okay so maybe I can't wear them until after Christmas. But I can take photos and show you. Merry Christmas to me!

What I'm Listening To: Piano Pop Covers by this little guy, Yoonha85TV; only the most relaxing thing to listen to while writing blog posts.
He cover's Britney Spears' Hold It Against Me--wait, I know what you're thinking! But there's such a hauntingly-beautiful melancholy melody, makes me want to cry! An excellent suspense/climax... borderline creepy... He has some great stuff!

I'll be posting my holiday party attire Wednesday so come see!

xo,
Courtney

jacket

Here I am to show you the jacket I've found. It's pretty close to perfect. These are the ones I set out to look for: Tyler Leather Moto Jacket from Coach to your left. PS there's a new one! This isn't it... this is last years via glamourai. Well over $600 and perfect. To the right is the other jacket I was looking at from Zara which would've been well over $300 if my memory serves me correct. I think I am seriously underestimating these costs, but we'll go with those because even with the insane underestimating, it still looks like a fortune compared to the $120 tax in I paid for this one.

Here's your sneak peak! Outfit post tomorrow, jacket included! What do you think? It's pretty wrinkly looking but it's the shape I want and it has the features I was looking for.

xo,
Courtney