It is the holiday season, so I have quite a few events to attend: black tie, dressy denim, holiday festive, and a handful of cocktail soirees. I like getting dressed up and I LOVE socializing. I don’t have a whole lot of time, so I need to maximize it the best way possible. Here are three of my go-to’s for working women/moms. 

FASHION

Last week kicked off the party season for me, starting on Thursday with a charity cocktail mixer, attire is Birthday Denim. I put on a cocktail dress that I had on hand (purchased on EBAY AFTER renting it from Rent the Runway, because I loved it that much) and paired it with my Lucchese boots, because why not? I live in Texas and it actually worked out. On  Saturday, I attended a bonafide Ball—The Dallas Margarita Ball, where you can’t ever be overdressed. I’ve talked about Rent the Runway before, but I wanted to revisit it again, for those of you who may have recently had a need to rent a dress.

Rent the Runway is the premier online destination for access to your dream closet. With a revolving roster of over 200 top designers of the season's hottest dresses and accessories, Rent the Runway is designer fashion delivered to your doorstep for all of life's occasions for just a fraction of the price!

I don’t like is having to wear the same things over and over, nor do I want to spend a whole lot of time shopping, attempting to pair something that fits within my budget and looks right on me. This isn’t to say that I don’t have such pieces of clothing, because I do. However, I’d rather spend my money on my corporate everyday wear. RTR carries sizes 0 to 16, from daytime wear to black tie. You can also rent accessories or buy foundation garments from them.

I searched for a while for the dress that I wanted to wear to the ball. The more glam and  sparkle, the better. I’ve attended this event before and being in Dallas, there are no limits to what you will see. For me personally, I wanted something understated, which would accentuate my best features, and be comfortable enough to dance the night away. Chic and elegant are what I came up with and I felt these dresses would pair nicely with accessories I currently own.

Halston Heritage and Robert Rodriguez for the win! Why two dresses? Well,  a gal likes to have a choice and when they arrived, I was gonna go with the one that felt the most comfortable. At the price point for rental, it was still CHEAPER than committing to a gown. I was gleefully happy until I received notification that both of my dress choices had been damaged beyond repair and they would not be available. UGH! Here is where I have to rave on the customer service of Rent the Runway! Rather than stopping with their condolences, they invited me to select my top 5 choices at any of their price points for my original rental price! WOW! WOW! WOW!
While they still had plenty of selection to choose from, there weren’t AS MANY choices as I would have wanted. I sent my my selections and these are the two that they sent me:

Badgley Mischka and ML Monique Lhuillier for round two! These dresses may seem polar opposites to one another. One screams va-va-voom siren and the other states conservative charm. Both of these gowns satisfy the two sides of my Gemini nature. I was able to rent them at my original rental price, so the price is DEFINITELY right! When they arrived, the zipper on the black and white gown was damaged so badly that I couldn’t wear it. The red gown was shorter than I wanted it to be (who looks at feet anyway?). I contacted Customer Service immediately and they sent another gown out to me overnight. It was larger at the top and not very flattering, so I took my chances with the Badgley Mischka. I had a pair of black opera gloves I wanted to wear with it, but sadly, one glove is missing and I have a strange feeling it is mixed in somewhere in the dress up trunk of my darling girls. The shorter gown paid off, because I had to walk through rain and some puddles to get to my destination and didn’t have to worry about my dress dragging. Score!

To make up for the lack of fit, they gave me a discount code off a future rental, which made me very happy. My next rental from them will likely be a sparkly cocktail dress. I’ve not yet settled on which one, so I won’t share here. I have about 6 in my queue that I’m considering. In any case, if you have a formal event (wedding), a cocktail party or you just want something nice to wear on a night out, then I would recommend Rent the Runway. Click my referral link to start browsing. I think you get 20% off the first time you rent! Yaaay!

HAIR

I have a LOT of hair. When I give myself a blow out, it is usually a two day process for it to look how I want it to look. I spend almost an hour blowing it out the night before, then will spend another half an hour the next day (after it has settled down) curling it or running a flat iron through it. If there is any modicum of humidity outside, my hair gets excited from the moisture and frizzes up. It isn’t a good look, not to mention, I’m angry for all of the time that was wasted in attempted to calm my mane. That isn’t to say I don’t love my hair because I do! I love, love, love, love my hair!

With that said, I go to The Drybar for blowouts. I have been going to them for several years now. What I love most about my visits to The Drybar is that no matter which location, there is consistency. The styles remain the same, they are very true to their branding, and it is a treat for me. My styles are never compromised with the humidity and will hold strong for about 4 days. My girls both know when I’ve gone for a blow-out not only because my hair looks awesome, but also because of how it smells…and it smells so good! Cost of a blowout is $40 + tip (they encourage $10). Case in point, my hair above was blown-out on Thursday before my Birthday Denim event and it held up until Sunday evening when I washed it. Here it is Sunday morning after I woke up from a night of dancing and walking in the rain.:

MAKE-UP 

I am a vaseline, eyeliner kind of gal. I own all of that other stuff, but I don’t use it regularly. I’m trying to get more into my mascara and lipsticks. As I get older, my moisturizers are key, but small beauty tricks can go a long way. Curling my lashes and brushing on a bit of mascara really opens my eyes. A complimentary lip color really works a dazzling smile, too!

I am very lucky to be related to the best make-up artist ever (in my opinion), but he lives in Southern California. While it is no big deal to hop onto a Hangout, he hasn’t yet figured out how to make product magically appear through the screen. So for me, when I need something immediately, I pop my head into Sephora and opt for a free 15 minute beauty tutorial consultation. There isn’t an obligation to buy, but often when I’m going in, I know I will be purchasing a product. If you are a noob like me, you will need someone to teach you how to best use what you purchased, and their artists know their stuff! Are you gonna spend more than $50? Then sign up for the total beauty make-over, complimentary with $50 or more purchase. It is for 45 minutes and they will work your whole face!

Recently, I went in and bought some new items that I’ve fallen in love with: Marc Jacobs Beauty Gel Crayon, Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Creme in Icon, and Make Up For Ever’s Blending Brush. I used to be a loyal Urban Decay gal when it came to my liners, but at the end of the day it still smeared and gave me the look of bruised eyes more often than not. I’ve been in search of a great red lip color and so far Hourglass has satisfied. It has no nasty fillers and doesn’t dry out my lips. And the blending brush because holy wow does it make a difference. I never knew. After my session, I had tips on how to make up my face for future events!
Tips that I learned from my quick beauty tutorial:

1. Johnson and Johnsons baby wash will clean my brushes just as good as fancy brush cleaner, just be sure to lay the brush flat to dry.
2. Urban Decay’s primer is key before applying make-up.
3. Apply moisturizer, primer, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, then concealer. <---I’ve been doing it wrong forever, no wonder I looked like a clown.

***************
So that’s it. Those are three things that have helped me. I realized that not all of these things will work for everyone. Budgets, time constraints, etc can get in the way. Rent the Runway is not a common thing that I use. Plus, I always try to find a discount code to apply before placing my order. I realize that there aren’t Drybars in every city. Most salons  can do blow-outs for less and odds are, they can give you what you are looking for. Sephora will actively encourage you to try their products without committing to purchasing. I would highly encourage you to do that before you invest in something that you probably won’t need. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Sartorial Find at Nordstrom Rack: Cobalt Blue Diane Von Furstenburg Dress

Something magical happened at Nordstrom Rack.

What a random statement, but let me back up. On Sunday evening, our new puppy chewed up my youngest daughter’s  sneakers. Completely chewed ‘em up, to where they could no longer be used. I was sad because they were her first pair of sneakers she’d picked out herself. She wasn’t very happy about it because she didn’t have any sneakers that fit. I made it a point to go to Nordstrom Rack to pick up a new pair for her. (Did y’all know they have a wonderful assortment of kids shoes for not nearly as much money as you might think? I love them for this reason.)

When I arrived, they were having a HUGE clearance on Women’s clothing. ADD kicked in and  I wanted to resist the urge, but resistance was futile. “I’ll just look.” If I found something, I might get it. I wanted to reward myself for maintaining my size for more than a year now. I’ve fluctuated some, but I’ve maintained a shape-range I’m comfortable with. Browsing wouldn’t hurt. Immediately, I found two lovely cardigans for less than $15 each! My office remains perpetually cold, so cardis are a must. Plus, they are a great layer to add on to almost any thing. While I was browsing, there was a Diane Von Furstenburg dress misplaced in the area where I was looking. The dress was on clearance, but definitely the wrong size and definitely the wrong rack (instead of the shirts, blouses, tops area—I told you it was a giant clearance sale).

I’ve gotta back up again. I grew up thumbing through the pages of Vogue magazine at the grocery store. My grandmother was an expert seamstress. During my summer visits, we made MANY trips to Cloth World, where I’d thumb through the pages of the Vogue pattern book. It was here that I was introduced to “the wrap dress.” I found it so simple, yet the lines on it so delightful. DVF became an icon to me, just like Coco Chanel. These female powerhouses with such creative energy and beautiful clothes. “Mija, some day you will own a dress designed by her! Not because you couldn’t make your own, but simply because they are beautiful dresses for women and you will be able to get your own.” I never forgot about that remark. I’ve not bought one of her dresses, in all of the clothes I’ve purchased. Certainly, clothing inspired by, but not actually one of her own. Until…

I went to the dress area and began glancing through each frock, that familiar hanger on metal squeak as you pass each one by. I went through about 50 dresses before going to the second rack. Cobalt blue always attracts my eye. My eye was drawn to the color, the brain wanted to see more.  I found it! This one. A cobalt DVF dress! This beautiful dress in my size in a price point that justified dipping into my “what if” fund—still less than my normal dress prices. So very many possibilities with this! Even better…IT HAS POCKETS!!!

Today, I will call my Abuela and tell her of this dress. Tell her how her words lived inside of me for 30 years, then mail her a photo.

It wasn’t about the designer label. It was about the memory. It was about how someone who created something 30 years ago made my grandmother feel, makes me feel the same way. That’s timeless. Truly words have power and can lay dormant for years before they emerge. Grateful for my grandmother’s words.

*and yes, I did find a replacement pair of sneakers for my little one. She was even more excited about this pair.

Boulevardier & The Pin Show

We have a friend who is a budding fashion designer. We support our own. When he announced that he would be one of the 22 featured designers at this years The Pin Show, well, it was a no brainer. We would be there. We secured our tickets and arranged for a sitter.

Now here is where I have a freak-out moment. You see, we are knee deep in doing our taxes. Friday night, I’m stressing over what to wear to the show and my Beloved is sitting behind the computer stressed out. I look over to him from the random war movie I had on and my shift changed. I realized that he was processing something not at all related to fashion or what have you. I asked him about it and he said he needed to enter the receipts so we could file our taxes. (Yes, folks, we save our sales tax receipts and enter them by hand because the suggested tax amounts are COMPLETELY different than what we actually pay. Like 2-3 times of a difference, even more during years where we make larger purchases!) Seeing as how it was 10:30 in the evening, I shrugged my shoulders, gave him a hug, and asked him what I needed to do. I told him that I’d get up with him at 5:15 to do the data entry (because dontyaknow that I was an expert data entry person??). If he was gonna go to work, I’d do the work at home. And so, my mind shifted and by 10AM, I was finished. This was after a half hour delay from the Sugarbaby who awoke and absolutely refused to let me leave her alone sleeping in the bed. EXHALE

Next up, what am I gonna wear?? All fashion types are welcome. I had in my mind an outfit, but since the event was in a warehouse, I needed to be warmer. I had to return some thing to Nordstrom Rack and so I figured, I’ll browse around. I secured a peplum shirt (with a nifty zipper accent in the back that the Sugarbean loved assisting me when getting dressed) and the girls’ Easter dresses! It was quite a score. I treated them to Chick-fil-a for being so darling and helping me out with the decision. I meant to get a sweet tea, thinking the caffeine would give me a much needed zing, but when I drove home, I realized I’d gotten diet lemonade. Clearly I was an auto-pilot at that point because apparently, the last time I’d eaten there was shortly after Tesla’s birth. The meal was good and I made it a note to check them out some more because I liked their grilled “nugget” options with applesauce for the girls! <---talk about a tangent

Anyway, I shot a  text to my fashion forward thinking buddy (another one, not the one I mentioned earlier…you know, I have quite a few sartorialist friends). He suggested a fitted mini skirt to show off legs or skinny jeans. Um…all of my skirts are corporate type skirts and not so mini, but some are fitted. I don’t own “real” skinny jeans.  I decided upon wearing my recently purchased slim David Kahn jeans. This would allow me to “match” Don better. I secured my hair on top of my head using a hot bun and slapped some purple hair chalk for added effect. I also used a light purple Mac paint to highlight my eyes and put a bit of it on my lips to bring it all together. I’m wearing vintage earrings that belonged to my Beloved’s grandmother. Charming Charlie necklace and my Antonio Melani clutch was gifted to me from my mom. I wore candy apple red BCBG Girl pumps that I’d found at a resale shop in San Fran this past Autumn. I love them! Aside from the $20 I spent on the top, I had everything on hand. This was a big win for me to be able to put something together.


Onto my Beloved. Hello handsome! Wowsa…I love a man in a great jacket and a newsboy. *hotstuff* He’s wearing a newsboy cap and jacket we’d scored last year at Nordstrom Rack. The jacket is an olive green color and made Ben Sherman. You can’t see his shoes, but they were quite fun!


The new sitter was able to swing by our home half an hour before we originally planned. (by the way, we LOOOOOVE HER!!!) This was great so we could check out Boulevardier out in Bishop Arts! My next project, Worst Vegetarian Ever (blog site coming soon) wanted to check out their charcuterie plate. Ok, here’s the deal. They are a happenin’ joint. Busy doesn’t even begin to describe this place. I’m an idiot and didn’t make any kind of a reservation. I was a tiny bit crestfallen to see so many people in front of us in line and they were walking out. Heck, we were pressed for time to make it to the show, so we would wedge ourselves in any place near the bar if there was room. I found us a spot to chill, awaiting a server, who, as luck would have it, pointed us to a spot opening near their large window. As we waited, we chatted a bit with a fellow who was going on and on about the French Onion soup. I asked our server to surprise me with a drink. He brought me a Belle Femme and whaddyaknow, St. Germain is fast becoming a favorite of mine.

Then, we ordered the big board with the foie gras supplement. (see, I told you, worst vegetarian ever)and the French Onion soup. And then we were offered a table near the bar. I leaned over to the couple next to us who had occupied those seats when we did. I invited them to share a table, especially because we wouldn’t be staying long. They were open to it. And for the next hour, we had wonderful conversation with Regina (teacher) and Mike (technical writer). Strangers that we just happened to meet and it was so refreshing to just share time with them. And the big board…



Yes, some were better than others, but overall, it was a well put together and savory charcuterie. My favorites were the beef tongue (first time for me and I actually liked it), salmon, and foie (sooo good) We will definitely be back, this time with reservations and will enjoy more goodies.

We wrapped up, said our goodbyes and wished our new friends well. We headed back towards the bridge to the warehouse for the show. We secured free parking and walked over. The warehouse wasn’t too chilly, probably because it was so full of people. We had to stand in line to gain entry, then we had to stand in line to buy tickets, to stand in line to buy drinks. It wasn’t too bad, but because we didn’t secure seats in the General Seating section prior to that, the only ones available were too far to the back. We took our chances and found a spot closer to the runway on the opposite end. This was our view:


The show itself, went buy quickly! A couple of the designers really stood out for me. I was surprised and inspired. Standouts, for me:

• D.P.C. by Dora Yim (loved the open back dress from her Fall 2013 collection)
• Ann Hoang dresses…such fabulous fabrics and they were quite feminine
• Milli Starr millinery…their hats are just darling!
• Nine Muses (they had one long gown that screamed SEXY)
• Ladaska Mechelle (this white bathing suit, the 2nd to last image on the left side from the 2013 collection, is an inspiration for me to work harder in the gym)
• Tracy Popken I loved the lines on her clothes. I want to wear her clothes! The dress she was wearing was to die for!!!!! I want Tracy to be my BFF
• Hueso Outlaw (not just because he’s a friend, but his designs are fresh and unlike anything out there)

The show was quite fun, the band playing had a wonderful sound, and the entire event made for wonderful people watching. If you can get a chance to check local fashion talent, I highly recommend this show. It is well organized and fun for a date! Hopefully, you don’t stress out about what to wear like I did. They said they welcomed all and sure enough, they did welcome all!  At the end of the night, we were both spent. It had been a long day for us, so instead of hitting the town, we just went home, relieved the sitter early, rented Skyfall, and opened a bottle of vino. Cuddled together on the couch, it was so very nice after a wonderful night. I ended up skipping out on my glass of wine and missed the end of the movie. ha! But that night, with a fully belly, I had lovely dreams of fabulous clothes and large closets!! Ahhh…fashion (and delicious food)!

Why I love Rent the Runway and Ebay!

I was first clued in to Rent the Runway during my quest to have a dress for the Margarita Ball. I love the concept of not having to be committed to something unless you are going to fall in love. I look in my closet and nearly every piece reflects something specifically about me. I am not all that different from many women in that I have my work wardrobe (very corporate), traveling work wardrobe (in NYC, very business corporate), weekend wear, and casual after-work wear. I don’t have a large space for my clothes, especially because I share my closet with my husband. (first world problems) This is why I like to “borrow” clothes unless I know I want to own them.

My sister was married on Winter Solstice and boy howdy was it a great time. (What in the world?? I’ve not blogged about it. Must do that soon!!*) I opted to rent a dress for the occasion after I’d won a Twitter contest! I put on this dress and fell in love with it. It was perfect. I wanted to sleep in it. In fact, I might have passed out for a disco nap while wearing it, then tucked it away. at the end of the night. It was fantastic!

I’d received many compliments on the dress. Not only was it super comfortable, but it had pockets!!!! I HEART YOU BCBG MAX AZRIA. Who doesn’t love a dress with pockets? What I didn’t like is that I couldn’t find this dress online, because I wanted to own it. Until….

I had the thought to search for it on Ebay! Sure enough, I found it and for less than full retail, brand new with tags! It was in my hands within 3 days of purchase and every bit as wonderful as I remembered it! I can’t tell you how excited I am. It isn’t the actual dress from the day, but is the same style and design and makes me just as happy.

I highly recommend Rent the Runway and Ebay for your fashion-on-a-budget needs.

*Here’s a teaser from my sister’s big day! Blog post coming soon…

Photo Recap of The Margarita Ball

 

Review: Rent the Runway & Dallas Margarita Society

Hello friends!
I hope all is well out in the virtual world. As for me, I’ve been battling some kind of wacky sickness all week. I get fever, feels like I’m swallowing broken glass, hacking, but the side effects are that I’m incredibly happy and overjoyed. Honestly, I think I did myself a solid by “hiding” folks on Social Media back in July. This has helped to improve my mood and mostly kept me out of the loop during this election. For the rest of you, thank you for your honesty, tenderness, wit, joy, and humor during that time.

Back to the topic at hand…Rent the Runway & The Dallas Margarita Society

I am really big into philanthropy. If you know me, you know this. I also like when players in the philanthropic world unite socially. One of the biggest charitable events of the year here in Dallas is the black-tie, by-invitation-only, Dallas Margarita Ball* put on by The Dallas Margarita Society. I work and am friends with a member of DMS, so I was invited. Naturally, after securing a sitter for our girls, I fretted quite a bit last year over what to wear and after being there, I had more perspective. Granted, wearing an old bridesmaid dress would have sufficed, actually. Nothing is too opulent or over the top. So, what did I wear? I wore a long black gown from White House Black Market and Don wore a black suit. This is what we looked like:


There were so many gorgeous frocks and gowns. I was more impressed with everyone’s creativity. Dallas really does know how to step it up and step out! As a result, this year, I wanted to try to stay away from black and go with some real color. Well, I didn’t want to commit to a color for long term. I’ve bought plenty of bridesmaid dresses, a few of which I only wore on the wedding day. As a last resort for this year, I was going to pull one of those out and make it work, until I found Rent the Runway. I signed up, logged in, was welcomed with a coupon code, and after browsing their site and marking several items as favorites, I had a stronger idea of what I was going to wear. The next week, I culled it down to a handful of gowns and shared my choices with friends. They each gave me their feedback and I chose a vibrantly colored number. I was unsure if the length would suffice my height, but the best part about RTR is that they allow you a 2nd gown of the same style but a different size. I knew I was keeping my size, but instead, I chose the longer version. Speaking of size, I tend to waver on size and I was scared to death that the gown would not fit!!

I had to wait for a month before the event. During that time, I made sure to exercise and eat right so that I could maintain some semblance of the figure I would need to wear the gown. The day came for delivery. The night before, I had fever and chills and woke up with a ridiculous sore throat. (like I mentioned before) But then I remembered it was delivery day and the giant pile of work I had waiting for me, so I sucked it up and went in to the office. That afternoon, I was welcomed with this delivery!!

Inside were the two gowns on a hanger, each with their own plastic wrap similar to clothes returned from the dry cleaner. Additionally, they were wrapped in a long, vinyl travel bag. Hanging on one of the gowns were instructions for returning my items. Items, because I also rented the bracelet. It was a surprise, because I had the option to add on an accessory for a lower price. Finally, there was a large UPS pre-paid bubble wrapped envelope for me to use to return my rentals. They only requested that each item be placed inside of their plastic wrapping which had the barcoded label.

I tried on the gown and initially, it wouldn't zip up!!!! Plus, I was grateful for the longer choice because the shorter one would have been much too short. When I got home, I told Don of my issue to zip up. This time, I took off my bra (you really can't wear one with this dress) and it zipped right up. I was still able to move and dance with ease, so this was EXCITING!!

Tomorrow night, I will wear a $1500 Carlos Miele “Cerulean Duchess” gown, paired with a $210 Lee Angel “Wrapped in Elegance” bracelet, for way less than 10% of the cost of the gown. I’m not going to have to worry about cleaning the gown, what to wear---fretting about the day before or the day of, and I won’t have another special event frock taking up space in my already limited closet space. I am INCREDIBLY excited!

As for my Beloved…he is stepping it up a notch and we purchased a Calvin Klein tux, with accessories and shoes for 50% off total price (thank you Men's Wearhouse!). Now that I know about RTR, I’m looking for any excuse to rent a nice frock. I already have a couple in mind for upcoming holiday events! Check them out!

*The Dallas Margarita Society, Inc., (d.b.a. Dallas Children’s Charities) was formed in 1977 when a small group of business acquaintances decided to host a holiday party for associates and friends.
The Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization whose goals are twofold.  The first is to provide at-risk Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex children with gifts at Christmas time and the second is to help those community organizations that work with at-risk children throughout the year.
The Dallas Margarita Ball has grown over the years and is now believed to be the largest annual invitation only charity black tie gala in the world, providing gifts for more than 6,800 at-risk children each year.
 

I was not compensated to write this post. I just wanted to share a good idea with all of you. If you click my referral link, you will receive $20 off a $100 rental!

Fashion’s Night Out: Dallas Galleria

You read that title right. But Bianca, you are soooo not a fashion blogger. Right? Well, that is accurate. The focus on this ol’ blog isn’t fashion. The focus is….well, it’s all over the place, but that is neither here nor there. If you know me at all, then you know fashion is near and dear to my heart. It’s right up there with Mexican Coke and chocolate cake.

I had an opportunity to be part of the media during the Galleria’s Fashion’s Night Out and I was beyond ecstatic! This was my first official media event for Hello Bianca and I wanted it to be special. I fretted over what to wear for the days leading up to it. I could have been over-the-top fashionista, but instead, I wanted to project more writer, less fashion guru. I wore: a black and white striped 3/4 sleeved top from H&M (my tribute to Jean Paul), straight leg dark wash Citizens of Humanity jeans, a cobalt scarf, and gold Roxy flip flops (I know, right, even I’m eyerolling right now…at the time, I thought I would be doing a lot of standing and walking and the last thing I wanted was achy feet or an unsightly klutz moment). I didn’t bust out the big camera. Instead, I wanted to rely solely on my Samsung Galaxy S3 to capture the event, that and I wasn’t sure if they were going to allow cameras (duh, I WAS the paparazzi, facepalm).

I went to the booth to get my media badge and I was off and running. I smiled at lots of people and did my best to blend in.


I was behind the velvet rope and I had a front row pass to the pretty people and the gorgeous frocks. Typical me, I was feeling anxious and excited. I was nervous and not really sure what to do. Here I was, now what. I was oogling at everyone, clutching the media guide, trying to determine what spots to hit up. Naturally, I went for a drink.


And then I ran into a friend! It was nice chatting for a bit and mingling with beautiful people instead of just staring at them. But then it was time for us to move on and explore some of the rest of what was going on. By the way, those chandeliers were gorgeous and definitely added to the level of fancy!


In the middle of it all, there was a fashion show that stretched the length of the Galleria, which is about a quarter mile.This media lounge where I started had a DJ controlling his tunes on a large television. It looked cool (but honestly, I thought it a tiny bit unneccessary). I was still groovin’ to the beats, while everyone was huddled in their respective groups, talking about whatever, while they each casually looked each other up and down. At this type of event, it’s ok to look each other over. Heck, most everyone had on their very best choices. It was wonderful!


I stopped at the Brahmin store and fell in love (lurrrrve) with this pattern! Very chic, very Fall. I coveted the larger bag because it would easily fit my laptop, big camera (lovingly known as “Baby”), and a couple of diapers and wipes.


Next I stopped by Pink (Thomas Pink) to oogle at my version of lingerie for men…socks and ties. Whoa baby! I seriously spent 5 minutes at this table staring at the ties and mentally putting each one on the different shirts. I later spent 10 minutes staring at every pair of socks they had in stock.

I spent the next half hour, pretending I had loads of money and filled up my shopping bags with all sorts of goodies for myself, my kiddos, and my husband. Good times!

How about you? Did you participate in Fashion’s Night Out? Have you heard about it before? I’m thinking of posting my favorite outfit that I wore during the week on Wednesday’s. This by no means is turning into a fashion blog (nothing wrong with that), but it is a good accountability measure for myself to attempt to get out of my usual rut and try new things.