We are skiing north of Montreal at Mont Tremblant this week, so I am posting light. The past two days on the slopes have been so fun, but I haven't been on skis for a while so my muscles needed a break today. I opted to hit the internet cafe. It's cozy and warm in here and I have a delicious cafe americano beside me, so instead of skiing I will spend the morning surfing!
I found these, new from J. Crew. Love the one shouldered one, but not sure about the other one. I sort of wish the bodice fit better on the top, and while I like the lace, the trim looks a little like curtains to me. Opinions?

...are over at the BHLDN website right now, so it's running ve r y s lo w l y. At one point I think it actually went down completely, so if you didn't get a chance to see it, I grabbed some images.
I knew I would love it! My favorite surprise is that some of the gowns are very reasonably priced... my least favorite surprise is that some of them are not. Most run somewhere between $1000 and $2000, (not an unreasonable amount in my opinion). Then there are a couple in the $600 range, and a couple in the $5000 range.
I found lots of the accessories, cover-ups, shoes, bags, etc. to be things that can be found elsewhere... not in exact replica, but similar. The images I chose are of things I felt were fresh (at least to my eyes).
I was slightly underwhelmed by the bridesmaids dresses. I was expecting a little less J. Crew, a little more... something else. I also think that if the bride is wearing a $1600 dress, the bridesmaid isn't - so the prices seemed off kilter to me in relation to the wedding gowns.
I really loved lots of their hair accessories and the shoe selection was right up my alley. Aesthetically, I loved all of their lingerie. It was a nice combination of sexy and feminine without being vampy. Most of it was very boudoir though, not a lot of shaping or supporting going on.
I loved the jewelry. Lots of the BHLDN stuff seemed to be very similar to things you'd find at the Anthro site, but I like that we are getting away from so much glitz and bling and into more eclectic stuff for weddings.
All in all, I could see saving up my money for some of the more unique pieces. What is everyone else's take? I'm so curious to know what you all think.

I like these dresses from Saja. They're different, there's a certain sweetness to them that I love. If they speak to you too, consider dropping in on their semi-annual trunk show:
March 19th-20th
250 Elizabeth Street, NYC
Call 212-226-7570 to reserve yourself a spot.

One of these things is doing it's own thing!
Can you guess which of these amazing (and very similar) gowns costs less than $1000? Less than $700, actually?
One costs $695, the other two will run you upwards of $5000 each. Guesses?
Answer below!






Dress #1: Theia Beaded Silk Chiffon Gown $695!
Dress #2: Marchesa "Lola" - as near as I can tell, about $8000
Dress #3: Jenny Packham "May Blossom" - Can't find the price, but I assure you, it's not $700.

*As an aside... it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find out how much designer dresses cost! After speaking with one very curt and tight lipped receptionist at Marchesa, an unanswered call to Jenny Packham, and google search after google search, I gave up trying to find the exact prices for these designer gowns. So frustrating! If anyone happens to know, please post it here!

Just got an email from the ladies at Anthropologie entitled, "What if Anthropologie did weddings?" Surely if you know me, you know that the only other sentence that could possibly grab more of my attention would be "What if Anthropologie was giving stuff away for free?". So naturally, I had a look.
Turns out, that February 14th, Anthro is launching BHLDN (i'm pronouncing it "Beholden"?) presumably a wedding shop (online? physical stores? don't know). That's virtually all I know. There wasn't much to the email other than a bunch of gorgeous pictures of wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, wedding shoes, accessories and all manner of other loveliness.
I will BHLDN my breathe until I see more!

A couple of beautiful tea length wedding gown options from The English Dept. The one on the right is called Beatrix. Bea's golden embroidery is right up my alley!

Fun new game! I'll find two bridal gowns that are super similar, and you guess which is the more expensive one. And let me know which you like better.
Answer below:



Left: Aidan Maddox Strapless Beaded Gown, $279
Right: J Crew Taryn Gown, $495

Wouldn't this make a stunning daytime reception dress? Spinning Lace Dress from Anthro. Adorably chic with a rosy little wrist corsage and some dainty white gloves.

Found this, here. Love it.

Fancy affair or garden picnic? Either way, there's ruffles coming and going! Both from BCBG, both pretty reasonably priced. No one likes a shocking price tag on a Monday, especially me.

I like the way The English Dept. deals with ruffles, understated and still very feminine.

Stay dry today all you fellow East Coasters! Batten down the hatches and hang to the riggin'!

J. Crew's new fall bridal lookbook is up on their website. Love the gowns, love, love, love... they are all a little quirky and adorably sweet. I'm not as enamoured with the hair, but they're not selling hair now are they? I suppose they get a pass.

Just the right amount of femininity and style. Just lovely.
Well done Claire La Faye, well done!

Love these dresses! Swoon. So often you find the more modern dresses are super expensive, these... not so much! Check out the bridesmaid's dresses while you're over there, definitely worth a peek!

**On a side note, some of you may have noticed that comments have been slow to get published lately. You can blame the trolls and spammers out there. I was getting absolutely inundated with crap and it was taking me half my morning just to delete it, so I had to put everything "on approval". So annoying. Anyway, your comments will now get published instantly - unless you're commenting on something more than 14 days old, in which case I will have to approve it. This should improve slow comment posting and combat the spammers. Stupid spammers.

I considered having a dress made for my wedding, but not only was it very hard to find a dress maker/designer/seamstress at the time, but I found that when I did, I was still nervous about trusting them with my dress.
Today I stumbled across the work of this amazing Etsy vendor - Fairytale Weddings - and I actually got a little misty while reading her feedback, it was all THAT good. I feel pretty darn confident recommending her work for anyone looking to have their dress made. She seems to embrace loads of different, unique styles. I wish I needed a dress for something!

Pretty! These custom vintage-style dresses would go perfectly with yesterday's vintage hair-do tutorials! By Peppermint Pretty.

I've posted about Carol Hannah (of Project Runway fame) for her bridesmaids designs before, (so beautiful!). Her wedding gowns are just as amazing! I love the draping on the one shouldered ones. Love.

Claire La Faye of CLF creates these gorgeous dresses, complete with a lot of glamour and a hint of rock n' roll. I adore the accessories she chooses, it just goes to show how easily you can take a simple dress and make it your own!

I love these! Something about tea length, swiss dot, and a classy pair of pumps- it just makes me happy. These particular gowns are from Fancy NY, and are available for pre-order over at Unique Vintage. The prices are very reasonable and I really love the details.

I was helping my sister shop for a fabulous dress last week when I found this. Wouldn't it be fabulous for a casual wedding? I love the pleat detailing.
In other news, we had a smashing weekend with our friends from Brooklyn. They only meant to stay one night on their way home to Vermont for Christmas, but got snowed in and couldn't leave. It was fantastic. Thanks, Mother Nature!
See below for more short dress fabulosity, this time with 100% more feathers! Equally as wonderful, perhaps for a more flamboyant affair. Both from Nordstrom's.