Emmy Fashion

The best part of any award ceremony is the fashion (which is why I can't watch the VMAs anymore -- it's just like an assault on my eyeballs...and my soul). It's been a while since we've had a really wow iconic moment on the red carpet (I think it's partly because Rachel Zoe isn't styling anymore -- she is annoying, but she has an impeccable eye), but at last night's Emmys I saw quite a few looks that I really loved, and some that just made me sad. Let's recap:

The Good 

Best dressed for me was January Jones in a funky emerald green pantsuit. Out of all of the looks on the carpet, this is what I wanted to be wearing. Nontraditional, yes. I'm sure some would say this isn't dressy enough, but I say: one, she's not a nominee and two, it's the Emmys. These are actors whose best work is viewed by people who have been watching Netflix for hours, probably pants-less. I think off-beat and a little casual works here. I don't always love what January wears, but she's never boring and she is a true chameleon. The color is perfection, her hair and makeup are lovely, and the fit is sharp and sexy.

I also loved Kerry Washington's look...mostly. I don't mind a tea-length dress, but I just wish this one was floor-length. Still, I love the shine, I love the neckline, and I love how it all works to show off the very best part of the look, KW's face. I mean, seriously. That face.

This Naeem Khan dress is so, so beautiful. Unfortunately, it's kind of wearing Ellie Kemper instead of the other way around. It's gorgeous, vibrant, interesting, and very unique. It needed different hair and makeup, or maybe just an all together different gal to wear it. Still, just knowing it exists makes me very, very happy.

I don't know who Jaimie Alexander is, but she can wear a dress. Sleek, sexy, and colorful -- lots of fun. I think this is her first trip to the Emmys, and I'd say it was quite a debut. (Side note though: the hair, bleh. I don't know, was it the heat? I saw way too many wet, greasy 'dos out there).

Lady Gaga loves to shock, and sometimes simple and understated is the most shocking thing one can do.

Mindy is never afraid of color, and I smiled every time she popped on screen in this juicy citrus shade. She just always looks like she's having a ball, and isn't that the best way to look at a big party?

OK, I didn't completely love the dress, but she wore it well. Her look is strong, elegant, confident -- honestly, the dress is kind of the last thing you notice. So I'm putting her on my list for her historic win and fantastic speech. Listen, I discovered Viola Davis on an episode of Law and Order:Criminal Intent years ago, and I've just been waiting for everyone else to come around and fall in love with her, too. What took so long?

Zoe Kazan caught my attention when she floated on stage as part of the Olive Kitteridge team (totally adding that to my watch list, it sounds amazing). I'll say that I probably wouldn't like this dress if I saw it up close, but from afar the red and white stripes blurred into a vibrant pink that looked fantastic with her simple blond bob. Honorable mention.

The Bad

Text from me to my BFF: I missed the red carpet -- how does everyone look?

BFF: I saw Heidi Klum wearing a dress that is part figure skater, part Big Bird and I decided would never turn on the TV again.

I love Christina Hendricks, and you know I love me some Joan Holloway, but I don't love this dress. It's not her worst look, but I still hate it. It just seems to be working so hard, yet not working for her. Her hair and makeup are simple and fine.

Ugh. I don't really know what Julianne Hough does, but she's far too young to be wearing this tacky, ugly dress. 

There's nothing really wrong with the dress -- it's simple, maybe a tad safe -- but I think the look as a whole is a miss. It almost looks like she's just out of the shower with a fluffy pink towel draped just so around her. Jessica Pare is gorgeous (almost distractingly so on Mad Men), but the severe hair and subdued makeup don't do her any favors.

I was hoping there would be a puppet show at some point but no, just a weird dress.

Did you have a favorite look last night, or were you watching Fear the Walking Dead?

Fall Wishlist: Part V

1. Go-To Dress

Dresses have always been a staple of my work wardrobe, and I'm always ready to add another to my closet. For fall, I looking for a dress with a great print, bold color, amazing shape: a go-to dress. The kind that makes you look amazing with little to no effort (a life saver on a busy morning). If this sounds good to you, here are my favorite from this season:

Paul and Joe Sister Iphigenie Collar Dress -- I love this dress. A very grown-up way to live out my private school uniform fantasies.

Zara Faux Leather Dress -- all of the comfort and convenience of wearing your favorite striped t-shirt.

Boden Printed Shirt Dress -- the dress shape is classic and tailored, the print is bananas. Perfect combination.

Anthropologie Gallica Silk Shirtdress -- the ultra feminine floral print and traditional shape are very Betty Draper, but with the right accessories I think it would be sweet, not costume-y.

I really want all of these dresses, but I'm really loving the Boden shirt dress. It looks like grandma's couch, in the coolest possible way.

The nice thing about a go-to dress is that you really don't need to fuss with it. This isn't the dress that you're going to radically transform each time you wear it -- everyone will remember it, so keep it simple. For early fall I'd wear just a few cool rings, a little messenger bag, and simple, neutral shoes. When it gets cold, throw on a cozy coat and some tights and let that dress do it's thang.

2. Something Lavender

There are some colors that evoke happy memories of rustling leaves blah, blah, blah... And then there's a crazy bright shade of purple that doesn't scream fall at all, but somehow seems perfect. This bright, incredibly flattering shade seems to be everywhere this season, and why not. It's great on its own, but think about how perfectly it pairs with navy, gray, green, burgundy, and all of those classic fall colors. When you're building your fall wardrobe, consider picking up something in this unexpected but happy shade:

Boden Betty Ottoman Dress -- this super ladylike dress comes in a rainbow of colors (the green is amazing), but I'd be willing to bet you don't own anything in this lovely dusty lavender shade. Really unique, really pretty.

Boden Sophia Knitted Top -- the shape and texture of this sweater is really interesting, and this brighter purple shade makes me happy.

Botkier Trigger Small Satchel -- a cool bold bag, and you can pretty much guarantee that you'll be the only one in the room carrying it.

J. Crew Collection Cashmere T-Shirt -- a great, fresh layering piece.

Here are some ideas for working this shade into your look over the next few months:

I'm not really great at putting together casual weekend looks. I tend to live in my beloved athleisure wear, running around town in spandex and other sweat-wicking material. But if I did get my act together to put on real clothes, this sweater would be perfect with some relaxed olive cargo pants and sparkly flats for my usual Saturday Target run/Chipotle feast (a glamorous life, for sure). I also love it with cooler shades like navy and gray for a cold weather outfit -- wide leg pants, a great coat, and some fun shoes to pull it all together.

Wedding To-Do List

Skipping my usual weekend to-do list post (after a busy week of travel, my weekend was pretty low-key and involved a lot of Mad Men bingeing) and swapping it for a wedding update (particularly appropriate thanks to Friday's joyful Supreme Court ruling -- #lovewins!). My little brother got married last weekend, and it was lovely! It was sweet and simple and pretty low-key (ceremony was on the beach and the reception was a backyard BBQ), so I wanted to share a few of the things that made it a great day...

WHAT TO WEAR...

OK, of course the wedding is all about the bride and groom, but I think one of the best ways to honor them and show your love is by being the best-dressed guest. I mean, you can't really see yourself so looking great is practically a gift to them. (Kidding!)

But seriously, you need to wear something, I was initially a little stumped by what to wear. The ceremony was dressy, but the reception was more casual (a lot of people actually changed into regular weekend wear)...but as the sister of the groom, I knew I'd be in a million pictures and I didn't really feel like changing, so I wanted to find something that would work all day long. If you need to dress for a casual fancy event, here are a couple of options to consider. On the left is what I wore, on the right is another option I played around with:

LEFT: This pretty ombre dress was an absolute steal from Anthropologie a few months ago -- it's sold out now, but this Elie Tahari dress has the same soft, watery effect. The style and color of the dress felt right for the casual reception, so to make it work for the ceremony I added a few sparkly accessories -- earrings, wedges (similar), and a conversation starting bag (note: I actually forgot the bag I wanted to carry and had to raid my mom's closet, but I definitely would have carried this crazy one!). I kept my makeup simple, finished off with a pretty rose lipstick (and...subtle fake lashes. What, these pictures will last forever!).

RIGHT: This dress reads very pale on screen, but it is definitely a soft shade of rose and should not earn you any dirty looks from the bride. It is so light and airy, I really hoped it would go on sale before the wedding but no such luck. I would add simple flat sandals, a clever bag, and oversized glam sunglasses (I hated these when I first start seeing them but now I keep looking for reasons to buy myself a pair). And this bright and creamy red lipstick is perfect for daytime.

WHAT TO GIFT...

A slight twist to this event is that my brother and SIL didn't want it to feel too much like a wedding, so they cut out some of the traditional bits...like a registry. This made gift giving really tricky -- when I asked for ideas, my brother said "workout clothes and a new golf bag". Thanks, kid.

I decided to get them a nice hefty Visa gift card so they could buy something they need or splurge on dinners on their honeymoon, but I wanted them to have something to open. Here are some of the ideas I came up with that might work for the tricky couples that you have to buy for:

TOP: Sure, everyone loves their Keurig, but a french press makes a really great cup of coffee. It is also a lifesaver during an unexpected power outage or if you want to bring along your own coffee option when you're traveling (I know people who do this -- yes, they're a little crazy). And then you can add these classic Anthropologie Monogram Mugs with a little twist -- whenever these use these "LOVE" mugs, they'll remember their happy day. (My actual gift to my brother and SIL was very similar -- I bought this adorable mini pie maker and "LOVE" dessert plates, a nod to the pies they served at their wedding).

BOTTOM: I haven't found the right person to give this gift to, but I will -- a beautiful, practical cutting board made special with an engraved recipe. You can provide any handwritten recipe and have it engraved right into the board. Handwriting is so personal and special, and this is the perfect way to celebrate a beloved family recipe. It would pair wonderfully with a great set of knives -- I love these colorful ones.

WHAT ELSE...

There were a few other little touches that I loved about this wedding. My SIL wanted the reception to feel simple and a bit rustic, and she found some great ways to achieve that. She was really smart about the flowers. Rather than work with a florist, she decided to do them herself. She gathered a bunch of mason jars, bottles, and other little glass vessels from friends, relatives, and garage sales, and then went to a local farm and asked to buy some wildflowers. She got three enormous buckets of flowers that she used to make tons of little arrangements, a small bouquet, a boutonniere for my brother, etc. She spent exactly $75 on the flowers and just a few dollars on glassware. A traditional florist will charge more than that for the bride's bouquet, so this was a great deal. The ladies in the family helped make the arrangements the night before the wedding, and I think they looked pretty great (and it was fun spotting "my" arrangements in various places throughout the reception):

The finished arrangements, ready to be deployed

Both of our families are filled with earthy crunchy treehuggers, so I was thrilled to see these charming and environmentally-friendly bamboo plates and cutlery. And how cute are these palm leaf bowls?? Everything was really affordable and incredibly sturdy, and it was nice to have the convenience of disposable without feeling guilty about the waste. Would be great for any big parties, BBQs, etc.

PS -- I surprised my future SIL with one of these hangers (hers was a Mrs. X, with her new last name) -- it was perfect for a few great photo ops and her wedding dress is still hanging from it today! A very affordable little luxury that makes a great shower gift.