Erstwilder

Sartorial Saturday–A Sheer Floral Blouse for Spring

I don’t have a lot of blouses in my wardrobe (mainly because I primarily wear dresses, not skirts), and the few I do have are more suitable for autumn and winter. When I saw the new Cleona-Floria sheer floral blouse from Miss Candyfloss, I knew it would be the perfect spring addition to by closet. For its first outing, I paired it with last season’s Cressida-Lee skirt, and they really look like they were meant to go together!

Don’t let the word sheer frighten you…only the sleeves are truly sheer…the body of the blouse is more substantial than you’d think.

I accessorized with an Erstwilder Pysanka egg brooch, a stack of Splendette Duchess Bangles, and silver hoop earrings:

I love how light and lovely this look is, and the blouse is so breezy, it will be perfect for the warmer summer months!

I’m looking forward to wearing the blouse with a pair of palazzo pants perfect for spring next…stay tuned!

Solar Eclipse Day

Today was a much-anticipated day…the 2024 Solar Eclipse finally arrived!

We’ve been looking forward to the eclipse for a long time, and we’ve been enjoying themed treats for a couple of weeks now, including the Solar Eclipse Sundae from Lic’s Deli and Ice Cream, the Blackout Slush Float from Sonic, and Solar Eclipse Doughnuts from Krispy Kreme:

I had a whole themed out for today, including this cute grouping of space-themed Erstwilder brooches:

Our area was over 99% eclipsed. I’m not going to lie…it wasn’t as cool as the Great American Eclipse of 2017 when we were in the full totality zone, but it was still really awesome. The darkness gradually fell, the street lights came on, the temperature dropped, and the crickets started chirping. Pictures don’t do it justice, because it really did get quite dark (we needed lights inside the house, too), and we watched the light waves move across the ground just like we did in 2017:

I repeated one of the meals we had for the last eclipse, too…eggs sunny side up, eclipsed by “moon muffins.”

And we also had Excel Brewing’s Darkest Hour black cherry soda and Moon Pies, of course!

We are so lucky to have witnessed two eclipses in less than 10 years…I know they’re experiences I won’t forget!

Mani Monday

I was inspired by the green and pink colors of my new Erstwilder Easter brooch for this week’s Mani Monday. The shades aren’t the same, but the pink and green combo is still there with Holo Taco’s “Pink Fizz” and “Mint Mojito.” I love these pretty pastels for spring…they’re both absolutely lovely colors!

Sartorial Saturday…On a Sunday–A Dress Suit for Easter

This year for Easter, I wanted to wear something really different!

I don’t normally wear wiggle dresses (or lime green), but when I saw the Grainne-Lina dress and the Jordi-Lina blazer from Miss Candyfloss, I couldn’t get them out of my mind! The cut of the jacket, in particular, is so striking, with the double collar, wide sleeves, lovely peplum, and green polka dot trim, and the color just screams spring and Easter!

My fears about how I look in green have been completely assuaged…I actually think it’s a really fabulous shade for me!

I feel ready to walk down 5th Avenue in this outfit!

I decided to go with pink accessories, featuring a fascinator and lace gloves. I added a stack of Splendette Duchess Bangles, a new Easter brooch from Erstwilder, and a pair of SUGARFIX by Baublebar butterfly earrings that I found at Target:

I continue to be impressed with how well Miss Candyfloss does peplums!

Here’s a look at the dress without the blazer. I love the detail at the waist!

I love trying something new, and I’m really excited about how well this worked out!

Mani Monday

Since Chickadee just celebrated her birthday, I let her pick the colors for my most recent mani. She chose her favorites, “Sparkling Water,” the recently retired “Lemon Spritzer,” and “Lavender Syrup,” from the Holo Taco Pastel Rainbow collection. The pastel collection is probably my favorite thing from Holo Taco…even though I tend to like darker nail polishes, these are just so beautiful, and catch the light so wonderfully…I’m even including a bonus photo taken in direct sunlight so you can see the beautiful rainbows that show up!

Sartorial Saturday–A Winter Blazer and Spring Dress

Time for another winter to spring look!

The Estee-Spring dress from last year’s Miss Candyfloss Lilibeth collection is one of my favorites, and I’ve been looking for ways to work it back into my wardrobe as spring approaches. As I was looking at the options in my closet, I realized that the darker blue stripe on the dress is almost a perfect match to the lovely blue of the Minerva-Lee blazer from last season’s Exquisite collection!

I accessorized with a moon and cloud brooch from the Erstwilder/Care Bears collaboration, and a pastel stack of Splendette Duchess Bangles:

I love the colors of this outfit!

I still can’t believe how outstanding the peplum on the blazer is!

This is great way to fill in the gaps in the transitional times of year as far as the weather goes, but I’m looking forward to going full spring soon!

Sartorial Saturday–Winter to Spring

Last autumn, I had some fun mixing and matching some unexpected pieces from my wardrobe, and in some cases, looking for ways to transition some of my spring/summer pieces into fall. I’m back at it, but this time I’m looking at a winter to spring transition, featuring my new Dashi-Sable coat from the Miss Candyfloss “Exquisite” collection and the Estee-Spring dress from last year’s collection “Lilibeth” collection.

The blue of the coat really brings out the blue stripes on the dress!

I accessorized with a stack of Splendette Duchess Bangles, and an adorable Jemima Puddleduck brooch from Erstwilder:

The pink lining of the coat and the faux fur trim also goes really well with the dress!

I love finding new ways to combine pieces and dress for the changing seasons!

Sartorial Saturday–A Water-Repellent Coat for Winter

I have just one more piece from the Miss Candyfloss “Exquisite” collection to share…a coat I picked up from their 40% off sale!

The Dashi-Sable coat is a gorgeous shade of blue, perfect for winter, but also a great color year-round. It has a subtle marquise pattern in varying shades of blue and pink, faux fur trim at the neck and cuffs, and a detachable hood (which is a new feature for me).

I’m really excited I was able to add this coat to my wardrobe, especially since the Exquisite collection was inspired by fashion label Lilli Ann, who were known for their coats…it seems very appropriate that I would add such a piece this season!

I accessorized with a pair of Splendette bracelets and an Erstwilder brooch:

Isn’t the pattern lovely?!?

Here’s a look at the coat belted but unbuttoned (which may be my favorite way to wear it):

And a look at it without the belt:

I love the pink satin lining!

It’s a both comfortable and elegant piece!

I’m already obsessed with this coat, and I’m planning on wearing it as often as possible before the temperatures rise!

Sartorial Saturday…On a Sunday–2023 in Outfits

Time for a look back at all of the significant outfits I wore in 2023! I only included looks with purpose, so my super casual grocery shopping outfits, for example, won’t be seen here. But it was a busy year, with a decent amount of travel and special events, so I had a lot of reasons to “dress up,” including a few days with multiple outfits. You’ll see my favorite brands well-represented…Miss Candyfloss and Rare Dirndl for clothes, and Splendette and Erstwilder for accessories. There are also a few “cute casual” outfits sprinkled throughout on days I didn’t feel like wearing a dress or it wasn’t appropriate for the occasion. And there are also a few rare “Sartorial Saturday” looks that I photographed just for fun (like my Daisy Duck Disney Bound), that I didn’t wear anywhere in particular…but most are outfits that really went somewhere!

It was a lot of fun to put this gallery together, and it also helped me keep track of what I’ve been wearing…I think I wore everything in my wardrobe at least once during the course of the year, and you can definitely tell what my favorite pieces are, because they’re on repeat!

Sartorial Saturday–The Sheer Sleeve Jumpsuit

Time for a look at my final purchase from the Miss Candyfloss “Exquisite” collection…the elegant Morna-Bo jumpsuit!

I didn’t realize it until the jumpsuit arrived, but the hat from Mein Wunderbarer Hutsalon that I won in the Miss Candyfloss Instagram giveaway is a perfect match for the jumpsuit! I added a pair of Splendette Duchess Bangles and an Erstwilder brooch to complete my accessories.

I love the elegant bishop sleeves, and the fact that they’re sheer makes them extra glamorous somehow:

The colors of the jumpsuit are perfect for winter (especially the lovely berry shade of the top)…I’d love to see how they stand out against a backdrop of snow (if it ever snows here this winter)!

I really enjoyed this Miss Candyfloss collection, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store for 2024!