always a bridesmaid...

When I try to envision a dress, shoes, hair, and jewelry for bridesmaids, I'm at my pickiest. My brain can never put all the elements together into one outfit. I've never been a fan of the solid, simple, satin dresses that girls of all shapes and sizes are forced into for weddings. I like my creative freedom, and I still want to exercise it in a situation where uniform tends to prevail. Like bridal ensembles.

My lovely sister Caitlin gets to be the lucky bride this May (!!!), and she asked me to be the maid of honor. I'm sooo beyond excited, and, well, honored. Now that I'm shopping for a bridesmaid look for myself, it seems...easier. Maybe I'm self-centered, but shopping for myself is just more fun. I'm sure someone else agrees with me.

Caitlin and I talk about potential dresses and shoes nonstop. In my search for budget-friendly options for the bridal party, I've been looking for inspiration from designer pieces--dresses I could only dream of outfitting my own bridesmaids in someday. Unfortunately, I'll only get my wish if I end up marrying Donald Trump or Bill Gates, neither of which I'm considering. Now or ever.

Emilio Pucci dress, Elizabeth and James pumps, Ippolita jewelry

I love this sheath dress; the little ruffle at the hip is effortlessly chic, and the color is a much-appreciated jump from regular wedding colors. When people ask about your wedding colors, they expect you to say something they could find in a Crayola 12-pack. Not seafoam-green-teal-need-this-on-my-body-right-now-gorgeousness.

Let me publicly announce that I'm completely devoted to Elizabeth and James, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s other clothing line (its sister is The Row). The neutral blush color on these pumps perfectly complements the bright dress without competing with it, and the snakeskin print adds sooo much understated texture and interest.

My ideal pair of earrings for this look would be big, statement, lapis chandelier earrings, but big surprise, the focus should be on the bride and not her sister's ears. Simple drop earrings have become my favorite for bridesmaids. They're just enough. These rose gold + smoky topaz ones by Ippolita are flawless.

I would probably put my preference of not-perfectly-matching bridesmaids aside just to be surrounded by this outfit a dozen times over. However, since it ends up at over $2,000 (not even including the bangles, siiiiiigh) I don’t think I’ll be sashaying down the runway aisle in Pucci anytime soon.

Back to the search! And I promise, Caitlin, I won’t choose platform nosebleed heels for your wedding. Three inches, tops.

P.S. I'll keep you updated on what I do end up finding for my maid-of-honor dress!

dreamweaver

I love dreamcatchers. I've always wanted one. Whenever I come across a really cool one in an antique store, I'm tempted to buy it. But I don't. I just hold it in my hands and pretend like it's doing something magical and ethereal while I study the beading and wrapping, wishing it was hanging up in my bedroom.

Recently, I decided I wanted to capture that magic and fantasy of a dreamcatcher in a necklace. I've been searching for one ever since.

Free People top and socks, Aurélie Bidermann necklace, M Missoni skirt, Sam Edelman boots, Botkier handbag, Ray-Ban sunglasses

As much as I would like to say this is my perfect necklace and it is on its way to my house, that is not the case. Maybe if I had a spare $1,680 laying around. Apparently, one-of-a-kind chalcedony embellishments aren't cheap. The one thing I do own from this look is the Free People North Star tee, and now I feel obliged to say that I wear it almost every day. Now I feel obliged, again, to say that I own it in multiple colors. I don't need to tell you I love it, but I love it.

Onto the Missoni skirt. Um, do you die?! It blows my mind. Although designer prices can get mind-blowingly high, the clothes are deservedly brilliant.

vanilla

This may be the most amazing piece I've ever seen by Anna Sui.

I'm in love with her Spring 2011 collection. However, this dress caught my eye while I was browsing net-a-porter.com and hasn't let it go. I've been dreaming about it. Well, not actually having dreams about it, but thinking about it and staring at it until I start to think it's actually in my closet.

In this sense, I don't like daydreaming. I just feel sad when I snap out of it and realize there is no vanilla-ice-cream-colored Anna Sui hanging up in my closet. In this sense, I like the Internet. There is a vanilla-ice-cream-colored Anna Sui in a large-size picture on my blog. I can look at it as long as I like.

Some of my favorites from her spring line...

PDX

When I see an outfit I love, I can't stop thinking about it. Some things just strike me and don't want to leave until I do something about it. I saw a guy from Portland wearing these amazing Osborn boots in blue, and I had to do something with them. I love statement pieces that really stand out, and these boots are it. I took the important parts of the outfit and kind of feminized them. Also, the guy wasn't carrying a purse.

Anthropologie blouse, Forever 21 jewelry, Osborn boots, J Brand pants, Clare Tough sweater, Topshop bag

This week has started very happily--I'm expecting a package from Piperlime and am really excited about an upcoming post! The more I write, the more I realize how much I want to say. I'm trying to learn how to be a good blogger and edit before I hit 'publish' without thinking...

Wait, am I a blogger now? I am, wow. I have a blog. And you're reading it. And now you'll have to stop until tomorrow.

happy tuesday

This is an outfit that has been on my mind lately...I finally got around to putting it on "paper."

Textile by Elizabeth and James jeans, Urban Outfitters tank, Marc Jacobs cardigan, Foley + Corinna bag, Dogeared bangles, Forever 21 earrings, J.Crew flats

Was I the last one to know about this denim brand under the E + J umbrella? Oh, well. As long as I know about it now. Sorry if these pants make it into every single one of my moodboards in the future. Then again, I hope you love them as much as I do so I don't have to apologize. Apologizing for being in love with clothes just seems sad and wrong.

overflow

It's amazing how much a blog is like a baby. It's like its birth day, but it's not the birthday, because it isn't even a day old. It's like a date of birth; we've gone through labor (formatting) and delivery (URL!) and now there is zipped to show for it.

Because this is the First Post (and therefore deserving capital letters), I've piled together the best things on my mind right now.

Galliano's Glorious Reign (Harper's Bazaar, 2007)

Reading this article gives me chills halfway through. If I could tap anyone's brain, it would be his. The last sentence of the article sums up his entire persona for me.

"Secret" Booties by Seychelles

Need these on my feet right now. Actually, anything by Seychelles would be fine.

Halloween/harvest parties

Kayla Jones (just one person I'm constantly inspired by) just threw a small Halloween fest with her sister Jazmin, and I'm dying to have one of my own. Pumpkin cupcakes, caramel apples, and sweet potato pie? Um, do I need an invitation?

Other things that are continually zooming through my mind that may end up on zipped are trends I'm loving, favorite outfits I'm wearing, people I'm discovering and any other somethings that I come up with. For now, revel in the elegance Galliano, Seychelles, and autumn. I'm going to go start baking, after I track down the perfect pair of nude patent heels.