Anglomaniac Fever- A Wardrobe Stylist Weighs in on the Fashions of the Royal Wedding

iPhone pic of Us Weekly cover

Two good friends of mine got married in Tulsa last weekend, to each other.  On my way to the "oil capital of the world" I did a little bit of light reading on the plane (see above). Using the Us Weekly as my trusted source for all things British I eagerly flipped through the pages wanting to know all the details of the Royal Wedding.  I was merely a babe when Diana and Charles got married in 1981, so this is my real first exposure to the grandness of a Royal wedding.  Actually, it was not that long ago I married my own Brit...

... and learned first-hand a thing or two about traditional English weddings...  But my walk down memory lane will have to stop there because, I'll be honest, the planning days leading up to the wedding were the best of times, and the worst of times (planning this intimate shindig gave me my first gray hairs).  I can only imagine what goes into planning the Royal Wedding.  What I do want to touch base on was the fashion for the event that would forever cease my being as Jennifer Held. My husband Scott and I agreed, as far as the budget was concerned,  that we could each pick one thing that was so important to use that we really wanted to spare no expense in that department.  Big surprise to no one (you are reading my fashion blog) I chose the dress as my top priority.

Choosing the I do this for a living so it had better be perfect dress is no small task.  It takes a lot of patience, Spanx, and some know-how to get it done without loosing your sanity... no Bridezilla here folks.  Unlike Kate, I did not have famous designers vying for my attention.  Here are two of her dress options below:

Us Weekly

Us Weekly

Which dress will she pick?  You'll have to wait until April 29th, 2011to find out for sure.  While I'm sure it won't be the 2011 equivalent to Diana's large and in charge over abundance of silk and tulle fashion victim dress of the 80's with poof sleeves, it will have to have a certain amount of modesty to it.  While I'm never a big fan of looking like you're hiding in your clothes (or in this case a cake topper), she will have to be mindful not to show too much skin and wear a bra.  Remember the blown-out-of-proportion bra-less scandal?

Although their fairy-tale wedding won't end in a kiss- which isn't allowed in Westminster Abbey- I have no doubt it will be a princess' fashionable happy ever after.


Back on the plane reading my authority on all things British (Us Weekly), once I was done drooling over Kate's dress options, I got to thinking about what I would wear to the Royal Wedding... and how different that might be from what I was about to wear to my friends' wedding in Tulsa.

on the left in the green DVF dress from Bloomingdale's

While a jade green silk dress cut above the knees may not be acceptable in Westminster Abbey, it was a real hit in Oklahoma.  Which just begs the question, what would you wear to the Royal Wedding?

FYI- If you love my green DVF, check out this
GoJane dress as a cheaper alternative $11.95!!

 

Gilt Groupe Invites You to The Wedding Shop

If you're going to the chapel and gonna get married but haven't started the process yet, save the date for April 14-17 and get thee to a computer for the event of a lifetime.

Your golden Gilt ticket

Starting at 9am PST, flash-sale giant Gilt is once again launching their successful wedding shop for all of you about to tie the knot. A promise to shop, save, and stay stress-free, Gilt is bringing all brides & Co. unparalleled access to products and services that might otherwise be financially unobtainable. Just like your fiance, Gilt is the total package. Bridesmaid dresses, honeymoon deals, gift ideas, invitation services, and wedding gowns are just a few of the types of discounted bridal swag you can score.

Though if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with laying out the details, I know someone who can help, especially with the most important piece of the entire process- the dress. Beyond Black is here to assist you on your big day and take this sartorial burden off your shoulders. We've got lists upon lists of resources available to you with the insider knowledge of where to buy, when to buy, and how to get it cheaper. We'll help you narrow down your options based on the most flattering silhouette, fit, and style for your body type, personality, and should you wish it, your venue. Not to mention, we also have hair & makeup services to complete your look to make sure you're ready, head to toe. We'll be like your stylists-in-waiting. To us, happily ever after begins with the beautiful blushing bride, confident in her wedding dress. After that, your new husband will understand and sing the praises of the more contemporary wedding adage:
 

Image(s) courtesy of Gilt.com & waltsense.com
 

Update Your Look for Spring- Victoria's Secret makes it easy on your wallet!

We're back and living in post-wedding bliss- well not really.  We've both been sick and down, which probably has something to do with the fact that it snowed in Colorado, Paris, AND England... It snowed the entire time we were gone (45 days).  Fall/Winter is usually my favorite time of year, mostly because I love cold weather fashion.  But after all that snow, it left me with a major urge to buy some bright and cheery Spring fashions.

But post-honeymoon in Europe, we are a bit tight on funds at the moment.  So I turned to one of my trusted sources of cheap fashion: Victoria's Secret!  What surprises me is that there are still women who don't know that Victoria's Secret carries clothing, not just bras and panties.  Here are some of the pieces I am buying to update my Spring wardrobe.

One Shoulder Dress $88

Printed Strapless Sweetheart Dress $88 and High Collar Cardigan $29

Strapless Smocked Dress $55

Yoga Slashed Leggings $32.50

Soft and Sexy Wrap $39

Kimono Wrap Dress $108

There are so many more styles at great prices, worth checking out.  You can tell I am obviously a big fan of dresses, especially for Spring.  What's your Spring fashion staple?

Images courtesy of Victoria's Secret

My Official Spanx Haute Couture Review

As previously posted, I purchased a pair of Spanx to go under my wedding dress. They recently introduced their new Spanx Haute Couture line, and I figured it was the perfect shaper to go under my dress for a fancy event such as a wedding. here is what Spanx has to say about the product:

Luscious Lace Mid-Thigh Shaper

$128

• Exclusively developed scalloped shaping-power-lace with additional layer of mesh support smoothes hips and flattens stomach
• Lace waistband lays flat under clothing
• Silky shaping microfiber smoothes hips, thighs and bottom
• Laser precision cut hem offers invisibility under clothing
• Cotton gusset provides comfort and breathability

I ordered them, tried them on, and here is what I thought:

Pros: The lace was really pretty, and a nice change from the basic and boring (yet fully functional) design of most shapers. But this no-show lace proves that seamless doesn't have to mean ugly. I liked the variety of colors offered on the Spanx website, which were not all available to me on NeimanMarcus.com when I purchased mine. As for the fit, they were just as comfortable as my other Spanx products, and the lace didn't itch. The mid-thigh length is great as a replacement for tights/nylons because you can still wear shorter dresses and wear sandals because it's footless.

Cons: Maybe it's just my body type (curvy in all the right places), but I found the mid-rise of this shaper, which means it hits around the middle of your stomach, to cut into me at a weird place. Every time I sat down, it started to roll down my mid-section. The high rise "Power Panties" have worked much better for me over the years. Unfortunately for me, I have a low back wedding gown and can't wear high-waisted anything. Just to note, one of the contributing factors to the "rolling down" effect is because it was a bit too small. In the regular Spanx line, I wear a size large (I want shaping, but not to feel like I'm in a sausage casing). Even after eating a steak I can still feel comfortable in that size. Apparently the sizing runs smaller on the Haute Couture line (I double checked the size guide online), a large being a size 8-10 instead of 12-14.

Final Thoughts: I would have kept the product had they offered a larger size or the sizing stayed true to their original line. No one wants to have to wear a shaper. But if we're going to, it should at least be pretty. I give them a B+ for creating a beautiful product but not offering larger sizes.

Item description and picture courtesy of Spanx.com

Spanx goes Haute Couture

As I am sure it is with most brides, it's ll about the dress. I easily found the one I knew, just knew, I had to spent my last day on this earth as Miss Jennifer Held in. It wasn't until I tried to find underwear to go with it that was the problem (low back in a 36DD is a lot harder than you would think). So of course I had to go online. But I think I have solved the problem with a low back bustier from Entiise Lingerie.

While I was looking around, I stumbled across this exciting bit of news, Spanx has just released their new Spanx Haute Couture line! Currently available at Neiman Marcus, it is a varied mix of invisible-under-clothing-lace accented shapewear. With the security of Spanx, and the super feminine design, you can't miss taking a look. I used to hate Spanx. Honestly, I did. I don't like that feeling of being "sucked in". One look at a picture of me in a certain form fitted red dress (no I will not be posting it) without some shapewear underneath has cured me. No fashion fear is worse than going out in public looking bad and not knowing it. At least with my Spanx I don't have to worry about my lumps and bumps getting more attention than I do, especially in red.