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show and tell

Show & Tell

The traffic to get to Lakeside Mall is horrendous but sometimes the effort is worth it. I made the trek to Jefferson Parish yesterday and found some cute things that are sure to enter my wardrobe heavy rotation.

This Fossil brand skirt will be perfect when it is scorching hot. It’s a little bit hippie for my tastes but I like it.

I’m a big fan of Kensie. Their dresses are pretty well made and the price is affordable. I scooped up this cotton dress that will be just as appropriate at a party as it will be at work. Love the colors and the pattern on this one.
In other news: I’ve been biking to work everyday for the past 1.5 months hence why my calves look gigantic. Somehow I also dropped like 2 pants sizes and a dress size in my sleep. Hey I’m not complaining.

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shoes show and tell

Show & Tell

I’m in desperate need of sandals (my husband might have a different opinion) since 1. I got a new foot tattoo that I want to show off and 2. summer will be here soon.  Luckily  I found two really great  pairs week and even the hubby agrees.

The weather has been beautiful so I decided to stroll down to La Divina for a quick bite on my lunch break. An innocent panini run turned into a shoe shopping spree when I stopped into Ah-ha while waiting for my to go order. Ah-ha always stocks Reef flip flops, which is what I wandered in for but I walked out with these Dolce Vita sandals instead. I’ve been wearing a lot of gray and blue lately and I think these will work well with skirts and dresses.  I really love the way they tie at the back and the pale pink and blue is a nice splash of color.

 

Keeping in the Magazine St. shoe shopping theme I couldn’t resist these silver fish skeleton sandals from Buffalo Exchange. They are a fun addition to my shoe collection and for a measly $19.50 I really couldn’t pass them up.

 
So what’s on your shoe wish list this summer?
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eco friendly jewelry show and tell

Show & Tell

Went to dinner and the Sip event at La Thai last night. Branch Out, a cute little eco-friendly shop in the Lower Garden District, hosted a trunk show. I purchased these sweet little dangle earrings made out of antique Mardi Gras beads. The girls from Branch Out told me Laura D’Arcangelo, the designer, found a stash of the beads in her grandmother’s attic and decided to re purpose them into something a bit more wearable. I love the concept of taking a little piece of New Orleans history and reinventing it. 

The pair I bought are milky white, pink and black. The beads are of substantial weight but don’t feel heavy on my ear lobe and the handiwork is really great. All too often “handmade jewelry” equates amateurs churning out shoddy craftsmanship but these are really well made. At $12 a pair they would make a great gift or a guilt free treat for yourself.
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show and tell year in review

Show & Tell

This NYE was a quiet one by New Orleans standards. Instead of fighting the crowds in the French Quarter like we typically do we decided to go to Cure, an upscale bar on Freret St.
I had purchased a beautiful vintage Victor Costa blouse to wear specifically on NYE but I couldn’t find a skirt or pants to match. The solution? Just throw on a dress I already own. Anything with a big bow in the middle and pockets is okay by me.

Dress: Diane Von Furstenburg  Shoes: Tory Burch


Pretend like my toenails have polish.

I decided to dig up an old piece of jewelry that I hadn’t worn in a long time. This was actually a handmade necklace from a secret santa at work a few years ago. Not too shabby, eh?

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shoes show and tell

Show & Tell

I’ve never considered myself a shoe person even though my husband would beg to differ. A deep sense of lust doesn’t overwhelm me when looking at a pair of platform sky high heels. I instantly wince at the pain factor and stick to shoes that I can primarily wear to work. I do however like to wear fun colors and patterns so I couldn’t  pass up these J. Crew suede chartreuse driving mocs when I saw them. I love wearing these with navy or  contrasting them with another bright color. Since I walk to work everyday I don’t exactly baby my shoes and these won’t last but a few more months.  Let’s all sit back and cherish them before I wreck them beyond wearability.
 
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local flavor shopping show and tell

Show & Tell: More Turf than Surf

If your style is more West Coast than Gulf Coast a trip to N.O. Surf Shop is in order. I  am deathly afraid of drowning so you’ll never see me hanging ten* but the owner nicely told me “It’s about the lifestyle”.

This shop is so much more than surf and skate boards. There is a nice variety of men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing and a big selection of flip flops.  The owner is passionate about buying home grown threads, so much so that he plans on discontinuing anything “Made in China”.  I found his prices refreshingly reasonable without a big “boutique” markup. There are a slew of surf/skate brands as well as locally made jewelry.

For whatever reason the older I get the cuter surf brands get and I can’t help but love this Reef dress I just bought. I think the quality is great for the price and even though most are technically juniors they tend to flatter those of us *ahem* this side of 25.

As usual excuse the poor quality photos. That’s what happens when you photograph in poor lighting. Oh yes that is an ice chest in the background on my balcony. Keepin’ it classy.

So what seems like a simple, straightforward, above the knee dress…

….is actually a strappy little number from behind. Yes I have shoulders like a linebacker. A friend once told me I should be a body builder.
That bottom strap is a series of grommets and elasticized cord.
The dress lining is grey, which I love.
The heart detail is a little brass Reef logo. I’m not sure if I’m going to snip it off or keep it yet. I kind of think it is cute.

Who knows, maybe one day I’ll actually learn how to swim without holding my nose. My ex swim coach mother would be proud.
7722 Maple St. N.O. LA 70118 
11 to 5:30 Mon. – Sat. phone (504) 866-6030
*However I am a force to be reckoned with on water skis. Just don’t make me take the life preserver off. 
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costumes eco friendly halloween show and tell

Halloween

Now that I’ve fully recovered from Halloween festivities I can show y’all our costumes. We were Mayan king and queen, inspired by these images I found with a little Googling.
The first picture was the most prominent inspiration in terms of color and style. I put many hours into hand sewing these and was really pleased with the way they turned out. The best part is 80% of the costumes are recycled materials.


His: The leopard print on his outfit was a women’s furry jacket. I lopped off the sleeves and turned them into boot covers and the centerpiece of his skirt/loincloth. The leggings underneath are women’s plus sized lounge pants that I took in so they were fitted. The shirt is an American Apparel nude tank top. I added leopard print patches on the back and red tail feathers, which you can’t see here. The chest piece is a women’s extra small beaded tank top. I hand sewed colorful wooden beads and then made pieces of leaf shaped fabric I found at the thrift store. His armbands are from a women’s leopard print sweater that I lopped off and the blue fringe is actually place mats.

Top of a wicker laundry basket that I made into a shield.

Mine: The skirt is a leopard print pillowcase with blue leggings underneath that I already owned. The skirt has a lot going on. All of the gold sequins was a Banana Republic shrug (trust me it was hideous) that I used for the trim of the skirt and the main front fringe. I also used the same blue placemats for pieces of this. The back (not pictured) also had black feathers on the bum. The top was purchased as is and I didn’t have to do much to it. I added the black feathers to each shoulder, took in the sides and added green fringe to the back. The shoes are old flip flops decorated with green fabric and I took the gold sleeves from the shrug and made foot covers with them.

All clothing items are from Pelican thrift store and Buffalo Exchange. Wigs and eye makeup are from Fifi Mahony’s, eyelashes from Buffalo Exchange and all other makeup from Uptown Costume & Dancewear.

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show and tell

Show & Tell

One of the advantages of frequenting the Garden District are the boutiques on Magazine St. A perpetual favorite of mine is Ah-ha, located next to a slew of shops, bars and restaurants. Their mannequins are always spot on and  devilishly advertise sales on their windows all the time.
This week I discovered a simple yet stellar Ben Sherman dress that I had to add to my wardrobe.  I made a concerted effort to ween myself from an all black closet and in doing so created a few new comfort colors, eggplant being one of them.  This is a great basic dress that can be worn solo on warmer days or layered with tights and a sweater or long sleeve tee. Since there are so few cold days in New Orleans it helps to purchase pieces that can play double duty.
The tag on the dress said “button down mini” but this hits me right above the knee. Adjustable straps are a thoughtful touch and when I realized it had pockets I was sold.

This detail at the bodice and skirt shows the great pleating and the raspberry ice and purple punch striping. How could I pass up colors that sound like snoballs?

Ah-ha
3129 Magazine St
New Orleans, LA 70115-2304
(504) 269-2442
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show and tell

Show & Tell

It’s Saturday so that means another round of Show & Tell. This week you get to delve into my closet a little more and watch me play dress up. 

My husband and I had an impromptu date night on Thursday. We just received some exciting news so we decided to celebrate with dinner and drinks at Baru Bistro and The Delachaise, respectively. Never one to miss an opportunity to dress up I combed my closet accordingly.

I purchased this dress from Ruby, a sweet little shop in Hammond, LA.  I typically don’t do asymmetric hemlines but this one makes my legs seem a little longer. I’l also a big fan of strapless dresses and pockets so this really fit the bill. The dress and pockets are lined with white cotton so you just get a peek of contrast.

  I’m opposed to wearing snake skin but these snake embossed leather Tory Burch shoes were too hot to pass up. I love platform heels and I’m glad the trend has been resurrected.

One thing I hate is when women carry their suitcase sized bags when going out. A large bag is too distracting past dusk so I opt to use something smaller. I dusted off this Botkier bag that I’ve owned for a few years. It’s small enough to make it an evening bag but big enough to carry everything I need and more.
Don’t forget that you can also submit pictures of your favorite pieces for Show & Tell!
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show and tell

Ask and you shall hopefully receive

Hey y’all! I need some help keeping Show & Tell Saturdays alive and well. Send me pictures of your favorite accessories or articles of clothing. It can be anything from a pair of earrings your maw maw gave you, a hot Botkier bag you just bought from Saks, or the perfectly worn in pair of Doc Martens you’ve owned since high school. I have a closet chock full of stuff to share but I’d rather peer into someone else’s collection. Send all entries to nolagurl{at}gmail{dot}com.

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