Time Flys When You're (Busy) Having Fun

After a hectic couple of weeks I woke up this morning and said, "Oh, hello Spring!"

Between Moxy, working out, going into Manhattan, applying to and interviewing for jobs, celebrating birthdays (my exceptionally awesome niece turned 1!) and my cousin's bridal shower it's been non-stop plans. The bottom line is that life is good and I am a lucky gal.

There are so many new places I've tried and a number of outfits that I've thrown together (and wound up being extremely fond of - I even repeated one - GASP!) and I can't wait to share all of it.

Spring and Fall have always been my favorite times of year because they represent change (and weather perfect for dining al fresco - LOVE), so as I embark on another fresh new season I look forward to sharing all of my new experiences here.

MOH - OMG!!!

I was recently awarded the illustrious role of Maid of Honor in my cousin's wedding.

In addition to the fact that my cousin is one of my favorite people in the world, as a wedding enthusiast and a person who loves planning in general, it is not a role that I take lightly. I look forward to any which way I am able to aid in the planning process.

While my natural proclivity is towards the bachelorette (party) arts, I look forward to honing the rest of my bridal skill set if need be; Dresses, bridals showers, flowers, even seating arrangements, I'm ready, willing, and able to assist.

To put it a bit more informally: I'm going to be the best MOH there ever was ;)

Rush, Rush

"No Time! There's Never Any Time!" - Jessie Spano

I am notoriously waiting til the last minute to do things and today is no exception. Tomorrow morning we leave for Vegas for the wedding (doesn't it seem like I've been talking about this forever) and tonight I have to perform several beauty-related tasks, see my friend's newborn baby (congrats Karen and Phil!) and actually pack (because I only fake-packed last night, which means I retrieved some of the items already on my packing list from my closet).

So tonight I'm sure I'll be up til 1am or so and tomorrow I'll be exhausted as I drive to Queens (probably running late again) so we can get a ride the rest of the way to the airport.

On the plus side, we are flying Virgin America and I can't wait to report back on how it goes. I've wanted to fly them since they launched in August of '07. Until my cousin launches his kid-free airline I'm sure that this will be favorite (or so I hope).

A Dress Fit for a Kimberley

A second opinion always helps.

So last night, before my mom and I went to a lovely and delicious dinner at Plum in Bayside, we stopped home so I could try on the Milly dress I'd ordered from the website. It's a beautiful black and white brocade with gold metallic thread running through it that I got on sale.

When it had first arrived, next day despite being shipped UPS Ground - I just love when that happens, I had to put it on by myself. Milly dresses are well-made and this one had one of her neat corset contraptions in it, which basically means you need to hook yourself in as you would with a bra. While this is fabulous in regard to fit and makes the dress look like it was made just for you, it's not so great when you're trying to put it on in an empty house. So the first time I tried it on I hooked it, swiveled it around my body (which was no easy task), and then tried it on with one shoe as I rushed to get ready because I was meeting John to go see a band play.

Needless to say, this was not the best way to try on a new dress, in a totally different cut than you're used to wearing, if you want to be excited about it. Rookie mistake. Perhaps it's why I didn't even blog about it.

Anyway, with the help of my mom last night, I was able to get a proper idea of what the dress would actually look like on the day of the wedding. She hooked me in, I put on both shoes (I had on one originally to which she said "What are you doing? Go put the other shoe on! You're never going to be standing like that." As I stood there with one leg bent in half like a flamingo), and I stood up straight (I attempted to show her that the dress gapped in the back to which she said "Would you stop arching your back? Stand normal.").

Looking in the mirror, standing up straight, with my dancing shoes on, the dress actually looks quite lovely. It meets all of my original criteria:
Sophisticated? Yes, but without looking too "old." Sexy? A little bit, but let's keep in mind that this is a family function and no one wants to be "that girl" in a room of relatives. Stylish? Always.
And it is definitely a little less Kimbo and totally Kimberley.

Perhaps I was just caught up in the mania of the search, and if that was the case, I'm definitely happy my mom was there to help me calm down and see what a great dress it is and how it really is just what I was looking for for this event.

I'll see if I can't Polyvore it up for you all so you decide for yourselves, but I think (fingers crossed*) this is it!

Outfit Crisis Averted

*Sigh of relief*

After the other day's frantic wedding-guest-dress post I am happy to report that I found a dress to wear to the wedding this weekend.

Towards the end of the day I'd become quite desperate, I was even going through old facebook albums to see if there were dresses I'd forgotten about, so I rushed home in the rain.

The first dress, a fabulous peach lace Carmen Marc Valvo dress, washed me out so that was removed from the running. The second dress, a flirty Kelly green BCBG number with ruffled straps, had a spot on in from the last time I'd worn it to a wedding (lesson: take better care of one's property).

Finally, I had saved the best, and most likely viable, option for last. I slipped on the black chiffon Banana Republic dress that I'd bought at the outlets months back with the mindset that one can always use an extra LBD.

As I hooked the hook and eye and zipped the zipper, I knew it fit.

Now I am not a girl who normally stresses a little weight fluctuation and I rarely worry about clothes (other than jeans) not fitting because I (thankfully) went through my the-tighter-the-better phase Sophomore year of college. So the unique joy that washed over me when I zipped and exhaled was an emotion that was fairly new to me.

I am all about loving your body. Would I like to have larger breasts and a more-defined rear end? Sure! Am I willing to pay for or work out towards those ends respectively? No. So I love what I've got.

I embrace my petite stature, but everyone has had a moment where they say I have nothing to wear because of [insert body issue here] so I shop for clothes that mask those problem areas and/or create the illusion of a more perfect physique. And thankfully, this dress does all of that and does it with style.

Accessorized with my new "lipstick pink" Tory Burch heels and my new Olivia Harris clutch and I will look good, feel good, and have fun. May you do the same with your weekend...

Sorry, We're Out of Stock, Try Again Later...

This weekend I have a family wedding to attend in Florida. I had my dress all planned out, as posted below, and even got a cute black clutch, at a steal of a deal, to complete the ensemble.

Since I'd already worn the dress accessorized in a similar fashion I thought it'd be fun to get new jewelry as well, but a search of the standard inexpensive accessories stops (Express, Aldo, NY&Co, Ann Taylor Loft, even Chico's and Claire's) yielded no results.

Upon arriving home I optimistically posited; I'm being ridiculous, surely I can make a killer combo with the accessories I already own.

In order to get the full effect of my look-options I decided to put on the dress. And that's when it all went down the tubes...

In addition to not zipping up with the usual ease, the dress was apparently torn where the bodice met the zipper and the boning was digging into my mid-section.

Before going into full panic mode I rationalized that it may just be the cut of this particular dress, as the waist falls at the natural waist line and that is the one part of my body that is completely out of proportion with the rest of it.

As I put on the dress I planned to the rehearsal dinner I knew that that one wasn't going to fit either (although this one was because of my bust line, so I really wasn't that upset about that) and I would need to do a total overhaul on my weekend packing spreadsheet (yes, I plan weekend outfits in Excel, now if someone would just hire me I could put this obsessive compulsive level of organization to good use).

At lunch I went over to the outlets, but much to my chagrin I didn't like anything I tried on and that wasn't even the worst part, I actually looked at the rows and rows of clearance items and thought; I'm too tired to look through all of this.

That has never happened to me before. Ever.

So now it is almost the end of the day and I'm going to my last resort: the black garment bag.

Whenever I'm kind of over a dress (translation: I've worn it to more than 2 events and/or I never really loved it in the first place) it winds up in this one very over-stuffed garment bag.

Wish me luck.

About That Wedding Outfit...

So here it is, or an adaptation at least. As I mentioned my actual dress is from last season, but this one is also Rebecca Taylor and it's the same shade of blue. I like to think that mine is a bit edgier as the polished cotton is tone on tone blue zebra print; I threw in the bangle to add that missing element.

And don't forget the handsome man I'll have on my arm, it wouldn't do justice to the Madonna homage if I didn't ;)

A Material World by KimboNotKimmy featuring Rebecca Taylor dresses

Items in this set:
Rebecca Taylor Silk Bustier Dress, $365
Betsey Johnson Joe, $150
Satin clutch with bow, $565
1/2 Ct Black Diamond & 1/10 Ct Diamond Bezel Earrings in 14K Gold, $605
ABS Allen Schwartz - Skin Deep Zebra Oval Hinged Pave Bangle Bracelet..., $255

The Pre-Metallics Era

When I was growing up when getting dressed for a formal event (whether it be a bat mitzvah or a sweet 16), you wore black shoes. There were no fancy metallic options unless they were of the Nina brand bridal shoe variety and therefor, to be avoided.

Then, somewhere between High School and College, right around the same time "black pants" were replaced by jeans as the new going out attire, metallics were reintroduced to the fashion canon. And so black shoes became the footwear equivalent of a dirty word to me.

Black shoes with a pink dress? Ew, what was I, like, 40 or something?

Now, several years later, I have come to appreciate the black shoe again, but in a different way. Now black is used as an accent, a statement of contrast, like it's used with pink at Victoria's Secret or as a color scheme for a wedding.

With this in mind I am choosing to wear black shoes with a blue dress to an upcoming family wedding in Florida. The dress is from last season, but I'll attempt to create a collage that's as close to the real thing as possible on Polyvore and post in a bit.

I guess when it comes to black, you can go back.