Going to the Chapel, and I Don't Know What I'm Wearing

I find I've arrived at that age, where I'm receiving a lot of wedding invitations in the mail. For all the jokes about awful bridesmaid dresses, I'm almost jealous; at least they know what they're wearing!

Shopping for wedding wear can actually be quite tricky when you stop and think about it. You have to be church-appropriate aka not too low, short, or tight. And while you don't want to look like a strumpet, you also don't want to look like an old maid; I mean you never know if there will be a cute cousin in the crowd, right? Not to mention, there's often a temperature issue since Mid-Atlantic springs can range from sunny and 60's to ice and snow. Then there are the color restrictions: white is an obvious NO, black is questionable, and you certainly don't want to look like a bridesmaid wannabe. Oh, and last but certainly not least, it has to be on sale!

Currently I'm in the market for a new frock for a dear friend's wedding in April in Virginia (keeping my fingers crossed it's a warm weekend). In addition to the criteria listed above, I've added a few more:

1. 1. I want to be able to recycle it for the Junior League Spring Soiree at the end of April
   
2. 2. The color has to flatter my ghostly pallor (faux tan was so 2008)
   
3. 3. I would really like to find something under $200

Below are my top 3 choices, thus far, in no particular order:

Diane von Furstenberg, The Outnet, $237.50 (was $475)

I know this dress breaks the black rule, but look closely and you can see the hot pink underskirt that peeks through in the front. How cute is that? I love this dress, A LOT. However, it's a little over budget, especially if I'm not buying it to wear to the wedding.

Black Halo, Gilt Fuse, $134 (down from $375)

Confession time: I just bought this dress, or my mom did (Happy Early Birthday to me!). I love the sample sale websites, but if you see something you like, you have to snag it right away or else *poof* it's in some other shopper's cart. I actually almost missed out on this dress, but then some fool let it go and now it's mine, all mine. Whether or not I wear this dress to the wedding is still dependent on how things play out with my last option(s)...

Sunner, Shopbop, $201.60 or $144 (orig $288)

This dress is essentially perfect. I love the cut, the colors are perfect for my pasty complexion, it has pockets, *swoon* and it's on sale. Here's the deal though: I like them both, but I really want the purple one. Of course, because that's the one I want, it is only marked down 30% whereas the green is marked down 50%. I stalk Shopbop several times a day to see if the purple has dropped yet. It hasn't. Here's hoping.

Dollar Store Deals on Channel 8's Let's Talk Live

Last week I went on Channel 8's lunch time show--Let's Talk Live--to chat about the ins and outs of shopping at Dollar Stores! See below or click here to watch the segment

P.S. The Hello Kitty case is actually from Five Below: a five dollar store (shhhhh don't tell ;))

Swimmies that Won't Sink Your Budget!

Check out my latest article on the Examiner for tips on how to find fabulous swimmies that are friendly towards a Miller Lite or even a Schlitz budget :)

Just one little problem. While doing "research" I found several swimmies that I really just HAVE TO HAVE. I mean do I really need electricity this month?

Top picks?

Poko Pano: Got Dots

Lilly Pulitzer: Bacall Bandeau (the Lilly people found one for me!!!)

Sylene DC: Lisa Curran, polka dots

The Morning After: Valentino Screening

Last night I went to the screening of the Valentino: The Last Emporer at Avalon Theatre in Chevy Chase. Sadly, I missed the reception that Neimans did before hand thank to miserable DC traffic and at least one motorcade. I did manage to catch the last part of the Q&A with producer/director and Vanity Fair correspondent Matt Tyrnauer. It was really interesting to hear his take on working with Valentino and all the stories about V's pugs (which are so cute!). As for the movie, I LOVED it!!!! The clothes were all so gorgeous, and it was amazing to see everything that goes into a couture gown. Not to mention, Valentino was hilarious! Granted, I wouldn't want to work for him, but some of the things he said were brutally honest, and he used some great metaphors. I was especially fond of the part when he scolds someone for leaving straight pins lying around because he didn't want any of his pugs to get hold of them! As a fellow dog owner, I understand that the dogs always come before the clothes.

Speaking of clothes, let's talk about my ensemble from last night. I mentioned in my last post that I wasn't sure how the color combo was going to work. I think in some strange way, though, it all worked. What do you think?

Dress: Marc Jacobs (60% off at eLuxury)

Bag: Botkier (80% off at Funky La La)

Shoes: Gucci (60% off at Neiman Marcus)

Good News, Bad News

The good news is, I'm baaaack! Hopefully I've been missed, but more importantly let's talk about how much I'm going to miss eLuxury (aka the bad news)!

Friday, June 26, will be the last day for eLuxury's retail business. They're going to be more of a lifestyle website with stories and whatnot, so hopefully that will at least provide some new workday distractions. Anywho, as for the going out of business sale: there are still a few items left, but the pickings a slim, albeit with severly slashed prices. This Dior ring is rather snazzy, don't you think?

Over the years, eLuxury and I have been through a lot. It all started with a Burberry swimmie I ordered during the summer of 2003 right before my senior year at college. This was also when I discovered they had a-mazing sales with discounts over 50% and always some type of shipping special! Things progressed from Burberry to Pucci (oops!), with some Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton thrown in on the side. One of my fave pairs of shoes--yellow Puccis--were an eLuxury 75% off purchase and ended up being my lucky interview shoes.

My last and final eLuxury purchase was this fabulous Marc Jacobs dress that was a "one day only, take an extra 40% off" special. I'm wearing it tonight to the screening Nieman Marcus, Mazza Gallerie is doing of Valentino: the Last Emporer, so check back later for pics of my whole ensemble and a recap of the Valentino movie. I'm not really sure the shoe/handbag combo I selected is gonna work quite as I envisioned it, but we shall see...

Meet the DC Bargain Shopping Examiner!

I feel it's only fair to share my shopping expertise with as many readers as possible. In an effort to do so, I've recently started writing for The Examiner.com as the "DC Bargain Shopping Examiner," If you've enjoyed my tips on CTMLB, you will definitely want to subscribe to my feed on the Examiner!

I will do my best to keep posting to CTMLB as well as Gardening in My Bathrobe and Cooking in Stilettos. You'll especially want to watch the latter to keep up with my newest project: Home Renovation! I recently bought a house in Falling Waters, WV, that was built in the late 1800's and is simply dying for a makeover! I plan on blogging the good, the bad, and mostly the ugly as I re-do the house and the gardens. Did I mention the house has a pool as well?! Regardless, let's just say my stlye du jour is somewhat construction chic.

Wish me luck and don't forget to check me out on The Examiner!

Shopping Budget on Vacay

The reason I've been so MIA these past few months is because *gasp* I've hardly been shopping at all!


Of course, there have been a few must-have items like these Jimmy Choos that I picked up for 60% off (how could I resist?!).

This spring/summer my time and money have been redirected towards gardening. At times I think I've completely gone crazy (as do some of my neighbors), but it's quite fun! I've decided to document my adventures in both gardening and cooking on a new blog: Gardening in My Bathrobe and Cooking in Stilettos


In addition to my own little projects, I also have been writing about shoes for Shoetube.


So, be on the lookout for updates here, and in the meantime check out Shoetube and Gardening in My Bathrobe and Cooking in Stilettos!