Crazy Silly Beautiful

It's been a rough week for this Professionelle.  Meetings from dawn till dusk, late night conference calls with counsel from all over the world (which is why I'm up at 1am writing this post...) and a little bit of racial insensitivity from a counter-party to boot.  Needless to say, I cannot wait for my upcoming trip to France (one week and counting!).  So tonight, I bring you a re-post.  Something that made me smile and appreciate how wonderful life can be.  A reminder that there are flowers and gold paint and gosh darn it, I will some day have enough free time to brush gold paint on flowers just because it's pretty.  Found on Creature Comforts, this totally useless DIY is crazy, silly and beautiful.

Black-Tie 10 Years Post Prom

I've had two black tie weddings already this summer and one coming up in August, then on top of that I'm the only gentile bridesmaid in a traditional orthodox Jewish wedding.  It's been a fun challenge finding outfits for all of these weddings. 

Before this summer, prom was the last time I looked for a black-tie dress (technically I had to find one for Barrister's Ball in law school, but that might as well have been prom).  The problem with shopping for black-tie dresses after the age of 16 is that everything is either a million dollars or too prom-y for a Professionelle.  Add to that the fact that half of the colors in the rainbow are off limits for some weddings (white for all of them, which means no cream or champagne either, red for three of them because the bride is Chinese, and for the traditional orthodox wedding, it has to be black, conservative and with sleeves). 

After searching far and wide, I've discovered quite a few options for an elegant and sophisticated black-tie dress that meets all of these restrictions. 

As you know, I love vintage.  My favorite online vintage stop is Timeless Vixen Vintage.  Lauren, the owner, posts new dresses daily on her Etsy store or you can email her for items in her showroom if you don't see what you need on the website.  I wore one of Lauren's dresses to Phyllis's elegant formal wedding and it was perfect.  Although it's one of a kind, this dress gives you a good idea of what you can find at Timeless Vixen.

1950's vintage gown (330.00)

Other than vintage which can be very expensive, not to mention difficult to fit, I love Notte by Marchesa dresses, which are inexpensive yet elegant.  I wore one to Kejia's beautiful wedding a few weeks ago and will be wearing another to Peter and Lisa's wedding in France.

Unfortunately, the dress I wore is currently sold out, but this one is very similar (475.20)

Rosette Embelished Barathea Silk Gown (462.00)

As for Shuli's traditional orthodox wedding, I've got a couple of options that I like, but what I love, is this knockoff Pippa Middleton bridesmaid dress.  I'm not a huge fan of knockoff dresses (and thanks to Charles Colman, we now know the difference between knockoff and counterfeit) but this one is just so classic and pretty.  While plenty of girls pined after Pippa's dress because it showed off her amazing figure, my orthodox friends tell me that the brides in their commuinity loved it because it's appropriate for all but the most conservative ceremonies. 

A.B.S. Pippa's Dress (399.00)

This is definitely not to say that you can't wear a short dress to a black-tie wedding.  At the black-tie events I've been to, half of the women wore short dresses.  The key is to accessorize with gorgeous jewlery, shoes or bags.  I'm totally six months behind on this trend (and now it's out of stock), but I love the unexpected look of this clear clutch which comes with interchangeable liners:

Charlotte Olympia Pandora Plexiglass Clutch (615.00).  Yes, $615 is way too much to spend on plexiglass, so I suggest you try the DIY version found here.

Bow Tie Paper Clips

So...I never actually made the fabric covered thumbtacks I posted nearly two (gasp!) years ago.  And these seem even less practical.  But they're simply adorable so I figured I'd post them.  DIY instructions at How About Orange.

Fabric Covered Thumbtacks

Spring is the perfect time to add some color to your office walls. These adorable thumbtacks will make you smile the next time you need to consult your "Common Billing Numbers" sheet tacked next to your monitor. Easy to make, see instructions at How About Orange.