theasceticlibertine

Dress Lust: Rebecca Taylor

I discovered the talents of Rebecca Taylor by sheer happenstance.  Blame the TV.  When I was doing holiday dress research, I noticed that Shopbop had a great little selection of her dresses.  These were my favorites:

Rtaylorsleeves

Love the puff sleeves, the 40's style neckline, the way the waist is up high, so it's flattering, but the dress doesn't balloon out in the middle, which makes it even more perfect.  The beading on the neckline is also very festive and pretty much the thing right now. 

Rtaylorhighneck

This is the killer legs dress.  The sleeves are fantastic, and it's such a sexy dress for covering up so much.  So if you hate your arms, take heart.  There is hope.  But, as I mentioned, only if your legs can take up the slack.
  

Rtaylorsheersleeve

Are you getting the message yet that I have a fondness/weakness for girlie type stuff, such as these sheer lacy sleeves?  The rest of the dress is severe enough that it works.  The sleeves add a nice element but don't take the dress to nursery school land, where it very well could have gone.  This is probably the dress I'd wear if I had a choice, even though the first one I list would be more flattering.

Rtaylorpurple

I feel like this one's kind of a miss, but it's still cute enough to include.  I don't mind the gathered hem but it doesn't seem to go with the strappy top.  I feel like maybe this could work if there were a sweater or short-sleeved jacket involved.  If only it came with a different neckline, and maybe a cap sleeve.  I feel like that would balance out the silhouette.  Of course, I love the deep plum color.

Rtaylorblackbeaded

Another example of the gathered waist.  I think the beading and the sheer cap sleeves are great details.  The dress can be worn in a very traditional way that doesn't involve black tights and choppy hair, but the beautiful thing is that it's versatile enough to do both:  be pretty or slouchy, depending on where you want to take it.

Rtaylorwhiteshift

I couldn't wear this and maybe you couldn't either, but somebody can and that person is awesome.  Technically I should be all "bah!  poufy!  poochy!  unflattering!" but I like it anyway.  I'm also sucker for white lacy things, as you can see.

That's all the news from here.  Tune in next time.

Party Dresses for Everyone!

Parties and in particular, party dresses, are my favorite things about the holidays.  Excuses to get really glammed up are rare for people who don't go to awards shows every week, so it's nice to have the excuse to bring out the bling if need be.  I may be a fashionable girl, but I have a weakness for shiny.  It's the Vegas showgirl in me, deal with it.

Having internet-trolled far and wide, close and near, herein are the fruits of my search... but first, some observations:

Now is a great time to be pregnant, people, because the dresses?  They are mostly babydoll and as I think you know, anyone who is not 6'2" and thin as a rail is going to look like she is with child.  I'm as big a fan of the grown-up little girl look as Betsey Johnson is, but these dresses?  They do not work on normal people.  Then again, most of fashion could be described as such.  Also, everybody has a version of the sequined T-shirt or shift dress.  For my money, the silk-lined Banana Republic option is quite nice:

BRsequin

It comes in black and this silver color.  If you're a more frugal type, you can get Isaac Mizrahi's Target option.  Except that one only comes in black and is lined in polyester.  Just saying.

BCBG also has a bit of bling that I find appealing:

BCBGsequin

It comes in black as well, if the silver's too much for you.  Last but not least in the shine Olympics, Alice + Olivia bring it:

AliceOliviaSequin

I have a bit of a weakness for the color hot pink (I know, I know) and even though this dress would look ridiculous on me, I think it would definitely work for someone, but not with this model's coloring (what were they thinking?):

JulieHaus

The pink and the satin is so festive, and it's one of the few babydolls that doesn't totally venture into pregnancy land.

The little black dress (LBD) is also alive and well.  These were my favorites:

RRLBD

Robert Rodriguez (the designer, not the director) has a nice, wearable RTW line and this dress is a classic example of how he really does take into consideration what a woman's body looks like, and what will look good on her.  It's very 40's film noir with a bit of a twist and I think it's fantastic.  It also brings the sexy in a way that most of the party dresses right now just don't.  It's kind of a Roland Mouret rip-off, I know.  But I can't afford Roland Mouret.  Can you?

HaniiYLBD

Hanii Y's lovely straight shift is also one of my favorites in the category.  The embellishment on the bottom part of the dress is lovely and I think the shape of the dress is very flattering.

MarcLBD

I wouldn't be me if I weren't pimpin' for my boy Marc Jacobs.  This Marc dress is quirky but still festive, especially with those ribbons.  Black with bright blue is big right now, take note.

VinceLBD

Vince is one of my favorite low key labels.  Their clothes are made well and of good materials, and this LBD would be flattering on nearly anyone.

Bcbgtulle

BCBG consistently has such pretty dresses that I have a hard time picking just one, so here's two.  The one above has that sheer black on nude effect that I am so taken with, and the one on the bottom has sheer black tulle over red:

BCBGtulle

They're both so cute.  The bottom one's a bit young, but it would work perfectly on someone with an hourglass figure.

MintLBD

Mint is also another dress-making fave. I love the crinkly sateen of this dress and the pleating.  It's irreverent and slouchy and that always rocks.

Oh, I know what you're thinking.  Fringe?  Never!  But seriously, Norma Kamali's clothes are phenomenal and if you're really slim and don't know what to wear that won't make you look like a flat-as-a-board twig, enter fringe.  This is flapper cute without being costumey and the shape of the collar is unusual (when we have spaghetti straps and fringe, that's when I worry):

NKfringe

This one is also flattering for all body types unless you're one of those people who hates your arms.  I can do nothing for you in that case (actually, see tomorrow's post with Rebecca Taylor dresses--there's one in there that might work for you if you've got killer legs), but I just love this.  It's some department store designer, I think, but it's simple without being pedestrian, and sexy and affordable to boot:

LBDgrecian

These dresses can be found, where not mentioned, at Active Endeavors, Shopbop, Nordstrom and Bluefly.

Next up:  Rebecca Taylor's dresses!  I found a few I loved and had to share.
  

Currently Crushing On: Sweatercoats

I have this theory about sweaters, which is that you can never have too many of them, especially if you're always cold, like me.  As a result, my closet overfloweth with knit cardigans (my favorite).  Last year I saw a girl on the street wearing a beautiful cream sweatercoat and I drooled with envy.  This season they're all the rage and I couldn't be happier.  Perusing the ever-helpful Nordstrom, I found these to covet:

Whoever is helping out with design over at DVF is knocking it out of the park these days.  I'm really loving a bunch of their stuff right now.

I have a soft spot for Twinkle by Wenlan.  She wrote a book about knitting and just seems much more connected to her designs than most people who sell sweaters.

I'm on the fence about this one because from the front it's incredibly plain, but the back is gorgeous and flowy and cable-knit and very much my thing.  I just wish it didn't look like a completely different sweater from the front.

I've seen this Free People sweater everywhere; even Urban Outfitters sells it.  It's not worth the splurge to me, but it's cute to look at.