Erstwilder

Sartorial Saturday–A Striped Shirt Dress

I’m so happy I got the cheerful, sunny Harriet-Naia dress from the Miss Candyfloss “Lilibeth” collection…the color reminds me of the beautiful yellow dress Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore to the wedding of the now Prince and Princess of Wales.

I know when you wear yellow and black together, you run the risk of looking like a bumblebee, but that didn’t stop me from going with that color palette for my hat, gloves, and Splendette Duchess bangles (plus a splash of purple with my Erstwilder brooch!):

Like the Estee-Spring dress, I wouldn’t wear this one without a petticoat because the fabric is so light and sheer, but that’s ok, because a petticoat just enhances a dress’s twirl factor!

I love how summery this look is!

I’m only waiting for one more item from this lookbook to be released, and then my small “Lilibeth” collection will be complete!

Sartorial Saturday–Pastel Stripes

Today I’m going to take a look at one of the “maybe” dresses from my Miss Candyfloss wishlist…obviously, its maybe status was upgraded to “definitely!”

The Estee-Spring dress is the perfect cotton dress for summer. It’s lightweight (so lightweight, in fact, that I wouldn’t wear it without a petticoat!), and the rainbow of pastel stripes is so pretty! It also has a rather unique sleeve style that ensures a good fit.

I kept the pastel theme going with my accessories, featuring a Splendette necklace, earrings, and stack of Duchess bangles, and a pretty Erstwilder brooch:

Did I mention just how pretty the pastel shades are?!?

I was delighted to discover that my Miss Candyfloss Loris-Cardinal coat is a perfect match for the dress…it makes for a whole, beautiful look!

I think this would be an especially lovely dress for Easter, because the pastels give it major Easter egg vibes!

I caved on another “maybe” dress, too…stay tuned to see that one, as well!

Sartorial Saturday–Coronation Ready

It’s Coronation Day!

I guess my invitation was lost in the mail (ha, ha, ha), but that didn’t stop me from planning a very special outfit for the occasion…I even added my wedding tiara to complete the look that features the Miss Candyfloss Sacnite-Lee dressing gown I picked up last spring with the Platinum Jubilee in mind:

The tiara is the main accessory, but I also added my favorite pearls (of course!), crown earrings from Erstwilder, a pair of glittery Duchess bangles from Splendette, and the Royal Collection replica brooch I always pull out for events featuring the British monarchy:

My daughters also think that this would be the perfect Disney Bound of Queen Elsa, and they’re not wrong!

I also added my most sparkly shoes, for a regal look from head to toe!

I love that if I try hard enough (and am creative enough), I can pull together an outfit for any occasion from what I already have in my closet!

Sartorial Saturday–Learning to Love Linen

Here’s something you may not know about me…I have long had a “no linen” policy. While I love natural fabrics, not to mention the idea of a breathable fabric in the summer, the way linen wrinkles when you look at it wrong has always made me wary. When I saw the Marcella-Sadie dress in the Miss Candyfloss “Lilibeth” lookbook, though, I wondered if my resolve would waver, because not only is it a style of dress I already like, it’s also a different color from anything I already own. When the dress was released, my resolve completely crumbled, and now, against all odds, I not only own a linen dress, I love it!

I accessorized with an Erstwilder brooch that adds a pop of color, a trio of Splendette duchess bangles, and a summery hat:

I love how light the dress is, and how bold the checkered pattern is, too!

I’m so happy I took a chance and gave it a try!

There’s another linen dress in the lookbook that I have my eye on…now that I know I can not only tolerate, but actually like the fabric, I wouldn’t be surprised if it joins this dress in my wardrobe!

Mani Monday

Today’s mani is inspired by the dirndl/apron combo I wore for Easter, featuring Sally Hansen Miracle Gel “Luck & Glory” (blue) with the “Unicorn” top coat and Holo Taco magnetic “Love Spell” (magenta). Both the mani and the outfit also go really well with my Erstwilder “Harvest of Health” Pysanky (Slavic decorated Easter eggs) brooch!

Sartorial Saturday…On a Sunday–A New Apron for Easter

I had such a fun time wearing “Heiligen Tracht” for Easter last year, I decided to do it again! I knew I wanted to wear my “Everyday Dirndl” from Rare Dirndl, because it’s such a beautiful shade of blue for spring, and when I saw that Rare Dirndl started offering their Embroidered Rosette Apron in a new medium length in addition to the mini version they already sold, I knew that I had to pair the magenta apron with the dirndl!

It’s an amazingly vibrant color, especially with the blue shining through, and the embroidery makes it feel extra fancy:

I feel like a beautifully colored Easter egg!

Of course I had to wear my flower crown again:

In addition to my standard edelweiss accessories (I even borrowed Bunny’s pink wrap bracelet), I also added an Erstwilder Pysanky egg brooch…I think it’s the first time I’ve worn a brooch with a dirndl, and it’s perfect both for the holiday and for my color scheme!

I’m so happy with how the whole look turned out!

I’m already planning on the next way I’m going to wear this apron…luckily, it will go well with two of my other dirndls!

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!