Sartorial Saturday–Light and Breezy for Spring

I didn’t think Miss Candyfloss could have a collection that I loved more than the Autumn/Winter 22-23 “Smile with Lucy” offering. How could they possibly top a range dedicated to one of my favorite mid-century actresses? And then I saw the title of the new Spring/Summer 23 collection…”Lilibeth.” I immediately knew that my guess when I heard they were doing a photoshoot in Malta was correct…the collection is a tribute to Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. And it is the most perfect assemblage of pieces I could have imagined.

I had to wait almost a month for an item on my wishlist to be released, but I was lucky when it finally was, because it was my favorite item from the entire collection…the Valancia-Blush polka dot swing dress:

The dress is absolutely perfect for spring and summer…it’s made of a very light, flowy fabric that is breezy and lovely for the warmer months. I love the color (is it pink? is it purple? does it even matter?) and the polka dots. I especially love that it has my favorite square neckline with asymmetrical buttons across the bodice. And it also has a charming peplum that makes it look like a jacket and skirt set even though it’s all one piece!

I accessorized with a black boater hat and gloves, a few Splendette duchess bangles, and an Erstwilder brooch that is a perfect match, and adds just the right amount of sparkle!

It’s such a lovely, elegant look…the perfect tribute to The Queen:

This may be my favorite piece, but the whole collection is outstanding, and I hope to add a few more dresses to my wardrobe this spring!

Sartorial Saturday–Sunset Swing

Just over a year ago, I ordered my first Vixen by Micheline Pitt Maneater swing dress in a beautiful blue, and I thought it couldn’t get any better than that. Until I saw the new sunset purple version and I realized that there could, in fact, be an even better color for the dress (and for me)!

I love the combination of the purple dress and the teal Yemak cropped cardigan:

I accessorized with Splendette duchess bangles and necklace, an Erstwilder brooch, and black lace gloves and pillbox hat:

It’s such a bold, bright outfit!

I’m so glad this dress is available in purple, but I kind of hope that there aren’t any other amazing colors in the future, because I think I’m running out of room in my closet!

Mani Monday

I was inspired by one of my Erstwilder Care Bears brooches to create a rainbow mani for St. Patrick’s Day! I went with Sally Hansen Miracle Gel “Can’t Beet Royalty,” “Eternally Grapefruit,” “Sunbrella,” “Me, My Elf and I,” and “Tidal Wave.” I’m not going to lie, the orange isn’t quite what I wanted, but it is what I had. I also feel bad about leaving out purple, my favorite color, but alas, I only have five fingers on each hand. To make up for that disappointment, I used “Sunken Treasure” to add a little gold glitter on top of each color, because you always look for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Sartorial Saturday–Parisian Dreams

Today I’m taking a look at accessories inspired by my dreams of visiting Paris!

Would you believe I’ve had this beret in my wardrobe for years, but only recently started wearing it (one of my daughters wore it way before I ever did!). I love the idea of a beret, but I could never figure out how to wear one correctly. I don’t know exactly what changed, but I’ve discovered that I can actually put this one on in a way that looks right now! I borrowed Chickadee’s Eiffel Tower brooch from Erstwilder to complete my Parisian look (I liked it so much, I may order one of my own!)…maybe someday, I’ll actually see the City of Light for myself!

Sartorial Saturday…On A Sunday–Polka Dot Day

Happy National Polka Dot Day, a day to celebrate the iconic style of that Disney fashionista, Minnie Mouse (although I still like Daisy Duck best!). I pulled out my best polka dot dress, the Maneater swing dress from Vixen by Micheline Pitt, for the occasion:

I didn’t buy this Loungefly polka dot crossbody bag, which is designed in the pastel colors of 90s Minnie Mouse, for this holiday, but I’m glad it arrived in time for it! It doesn’t matter which side of the bag you’re looking at…they’re both adorable!!!

I accessorized with some Splendette Duchess Bangles, an Erstwilder Jemima Puddleduck brooch (you know, because Minnie Mouse’s best friend is a duck), a pink hat, and my Minnie Mouse earrings:

It might not be Minnie’s usual color combination (at least not these days), but I think I captured her joyful spirit!

I can’t believe how perfectly the whole look came together!

What a great way to remind me of the fun of our Disney World trip!

Sartorial Saturday–Suiting Up

It’s taken me close to a full year to write this blog post, and it took me almost that long to wear my Miss Candyfloss Verena-Bo blazer for the first time!

I ordered this blazer after Christmas last year, with a voucher similar to the one I used to purchase the Inga-Regina dress. And then it sat in my closet, because there was a catch…I had to order the blazer in a size up because that’s all they had left, and I just didn’t have an opportunity to have it tailored. But this fall I realized that if I waited to have it tailored to fit, I might never get around to wearing it, so even though it’s too big, I paired it with the Jolene-Plum dress (one of the two pieces I have that I knew the blazer would go with), to create a dress suit.

I kept my accessories simple…a pair of Splendette Duchess Bangles, an Erstwilder brooch, and a hat:

Aren’t the faux fur cuffs (and matching collar and pocket trim) lovely?

Yes, I admit that the Verena-Bo doesn’t fit quite as it should. The arms, in particular, are quite loose (and a bit long). But adding a belt to the look helps add some structure to the body of the jacket, and honestly, in the absence of actual tailoring, I’m pretty happy with how the look came together! Now I just need to style it with the Becky-Bo skirt (which is also a bit too big, but that’s a story for another time)!

Sartorial Saturday–A Sweet Swing Dress

The Inga-Regina swing dress didn’t make my final cut when I was planning my purchases from the Miss Candyfloss “Smile with Lucy” collection. But then they offered an end-of-season voucher, and when I was browsing their website, I discovered that there was exactly one Inga-Regina left in stock, and it just happened to be in my size…what are you going to do? So that’s how I ended up with one more piece from the collection than I was planning on, and I’m happy I did!

The style of this dress is pretty different from what I usually wear. It has bishop sleeves (which aren’t totally obvious, because the cuffs are surprisingly loose, which is not a problem I usually have). It also has a cutout detail at the neck, with a sweet little bow as an adornment.

I was surprised to discover that the accent color of the dress is actually orange, and not burgundy like I had assumed. So I added an orange Splendette duchess bangle to my accessories, along with sliver hoops à la Lucy Ricardo, an Erstwilder brooch, and a delicate necklace (I didn’t want to compete with the beautiful neckline!).

I also wore a ring over my gloves:

I love the plaid of the dress, and the pops of bright blue from the cuffs and belt!

It was fun to add an unexpected piece to my wardrobe…now it’s time to wait for them to reveal their spring/summer collection!

Sartorial Saturday–Thank the Phoenicians

“Remember how easy it was to learn your ABC’s? Thank the Phoenicians, they invented them.”
Spaceship Earth

This isn’t the first time I’ve shared a fashion based on EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth, but it is the first time since riding it last summer!

Shortly after we got home from our trip, I ran across a kickstarter for a Spaceship Earth-inspired crossbody bag, created by the designer behind Charmed & Cozy. I immediately fell in love, and I was thrilled when the goal was met, and equally happy when it arrived in a very timely fashion! Aren’t the colors pretty?!?

Of course I had to style it with my Spaceship Earth dress!

I went with blue accessories this time, starting with a Yemak cropped cardigan and including a stack of Splendette duchess bangles, my Meteor Jewelry Starlite necklace, and an Erstwilder brooch perfect for the theme…it’s all very mid-century marvelous, don’t you think?

I added my sparkly silver shoes and a sparkly silver belt to complete the look:

I don’t usually wear my crossbody bags across my body (I’m weird that way), but I’m very happy that the strap on this one is long enough that I can if I want to!

It’s a good size bag, too…I can definitely fit all my essentials plus a few extras!

I’m loving that I’ve embraced Disney-inspired fashion!

Sartorial Saturday–A Mid-Century Modern Christmas

I’m so excited about this year’s holiday collection from Erstwilder!

“Modern Holiday” is a mid-century take on traditional holiday symbols. There were so many choices, from Christmas trees and snow globes to pieces appropriate for Hanukkah. They all have a bright color palette and geometric shapes in common, and that just screams “mid-century modern!” I had a hard time narrowing my options down, but in the end, I chose my very favorite piece from the collection, “Jingle Bell Rock,” as well as “Make My Wish Come True,” a stained-glass star. I love that these pieces are so unique and frankly somewhat unexpected compared to more traditional Christmas pieces, and I’m looking forward to wearing them all season!

Sartorial Saturday–It’s All About the Details

It’s time to take a look at my very favorite dress from the Miss Candyfloss “Smile with Lucy” collection…the Jael-Abalone.

This dress is similar in style to the Selena-Sun, one of my favorite pieces from this year’s spring collection. It has the same fun collar, square neckline, and asymmetrical row of functioning buttons down the front.

A detail I didn’t know about until I received the dress is the gorgeous and subtle tone-on-tone pattern found on the cuffs, collar, and belt…I love it!