STLFW // rungolee luncheon + presentation

Last Thursday I was invited to a lunch and presentation for

Rungolee

at the designer,

Anjali Kamra's

, beautiful home in St. Louis.  I went with a group of other bloggers who were also in St. Louis for St. Louis Fashion week, so it was nice to be there with other ladies I knew, and it was truly one of the most wonderful events I had the pleasure of attending during STLFW.  The event started off with a bit of mingling and some drinks with a mini introduction, during which Fern Mallis (creator of NYFW!) said a few words.  I have to say, I felt a bit like a wedding crasher.  I'm at an event with Fern Mallis?  It was a bit surreal.

We were lucky enough to get good weather, since the forecast called for thunderstorms all week, so we got to have lunch out on the back porch.  The tablescapes were so gorgeous.  Everything I aspire to when I have parties in my, relatively, tiny home.  Lovely fabric napkins in pretty prints, gold chargers, fresh flowers.  The food was equally as amazing, created by local chefs, and absolutely delectable.  I probably would've had four helpings if we hadn't been whisked away to check out the collection.

After we'd eaten, we headed upstairs to Anjali's workspace, which is probably the size of my entire house.  I can't imagine what a pleasure it must be to be able to create in such a light and inspiring space.  We got to flip through racks of Rungolee items and I was impressed with the sheer volume of pieces she's created, as well as the level of detail in each and every piece.  So many were covered in beautiful embroidery, which is one of my favorite details in clothing, however sorely underrepresented in my current wardrobe.  Much of her design work draws inspiration from her Indian roots, and she does it in a sophisticated and attentive way.  Much of the creation of her clothing is actually done in India by couture artisans who create the hand sewn, embroidered, beaded, and woven elements in each piece.

After we explored the workshop and pawed our way through racks of Rungolee pieces, taking care not to

actually

drool over them.  We went back downstairs and were met with impeccably styled models lounging about, modeling Rungolee pieces.  Having only been to the standard runway type presentation, this was new for me, and I actually liked this way of presenting clothing items more.  I've seen photos of similar presentations but have never been to one myself.  It's a great way to see the clothes up close, rather than on a model stomping by at breakneck speed.  I do love runway shows and getting to see the clothes in motion as the model walks, but this was a much more realistic way of showing how the clothes would be seen in real life.  The models quietly cycled out of the room one by one to go put on a new outfit and reenter without fanfare, returning to their station, acting "natural." Anjali's incredible home was the perfect backdrop for the clothes, and while most of the outfits were much too fancy for my own everyday personal style, the individual pieces were very versatile and definitely something I could see myself styling.  

Before we left, Anjali gifted us each a scarf in a fabric

similar to this top

 (mine is white and green).  As scarf season is upon us I was pretty excited to have such a lovely, and practical, token from the afternoon's festivities.  Huge thanks to

Rungolee

for inviting myself and the other bloggers in attendance!  You can check out some of the Rungolee items we saw

here

, and they're also on

facebook

 and 

instagram

!

golden girls

I have a ton of pictures from Sunday's party, so I thought I'd do a dedicated outfit post, rather than trying to put everything in one post.  I got this dress on Saturday and when I tried it on I knew I wanted to wear it for the party.  It's a Judith March dress, and I have another one of her dresses which is a favorite of mine, so I knew I'd love this one.  Even though I'm still in summer mode I've pretty much stopped looking at summery clothes.  Around this time of year I start looking towards winter and fall when I'm shopping for clothes, and I thought that this dress, while very summery, would also work nicely in the fall, with its autumnal colors.  Paired with some tights and boots?  The only thing that might ruin that plan is that the bow on the back would make me look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame if I tried layering a cardigan over it... I need to scheme a solution to that.  But! If you're interested in this dress, it's on super sale at ModCloth right now for only $37!  Only size small is still left, and the dress does run a little small, but if you were thinking of getting this dress, now is the time!

 
dress/courtesy of modcloth :: necklace(similar)/ruche shoes(similar)/courtesy of seychelles :: photos by Dan
I didn't know what Kristi was going to wear to the party, but we ended up kind of matching, or at least coordinating.  The yellow in my dress was almost the exact same as the yellow of her dress.  For those wondering, her dress is from Forever 21.  I've been going shopping with Kristi for interview outfits at Forever 21 and it's so weird to be in a Forever 21 again!  I haven't been in one in probably over a year.  They're so overwhelming!  But I can't deny there were some cute things there that I really wanted.  I tried a few things on, just for fun, even though I knew I couldn't buy anything.
Dusty had a blast, of course.  So much excitement, so many pets, so much lovins.  The party was to welcome Kristi to Tacoma, but I think Dusty may have stolen the show a bit.  I mean, how can something that cute not steal every show?  She can't help it.  

delightfully tacky x modcloth

Exciting news!  Over the past couple months I've been working with ModCloth on a vintage collection inspired by my style!  It launched on Monday and I'm super excited to share it with you all.  Over the past few years my style inspiration has shifted from a 1950's - early 60's look, back to a more casual bohemian/rock and roll/pin-up style, which is what I was more inspired by when I was younger.  It's so funny how style can be cyclical, even within your own life!  These days I've been loving the styles of chicks like Grace Slick, Bettie Page, and Carly Simon.  You can read more about my inspiration for this collection over at the ModCloth blog, and head over to ModCloth to take a look at the collection!



 


 

The Paraders Vintage Collection

One of my previous sponsors is embarking on a new, exciting endeavor!  Rachel, from The Paraders, has designed a collection of vintage style dresses with modern sizing.

Even if you find the most amazing dress in the right size, chances are that the proportions are quite different. Women have been cinching, tying and altering their bodies throughout history to create these extreme silhouettes that just aren’t realistic today...the evolution of the common measurements of a modern woman’s body are quite different from the insanely skinny waists of the 1950s or the flat chests of the 1920s., so it really makes wearing vintage difficult.
My goal with the first Paraders original collection as well as with each collection following, is to take the best elements of vintage clothing in each era, and create new garments inspired by these examples, but with a modern sizing structure. For this collection, we're offering sizes Small, Medium, and Large, with the plan to add smaller and larger sizes in future collections. 

It's a beautiful collection of fun, pretty dresses, and she's almost reached her kickstarter goal!  They've got about a week left to make their goal, so if you want to have a chance to get your hands on one of these beautiful pieces, make sure to head over to her kickstarter page and pledge your support!  

Autumn Dearest

As much as I hate to type the words "Fall/Winter", this F/W '12 collection from Dear Creatures is just too good. So far Dear Creatures has yet to disappoint and is always the one collection I'm eagerly awaiting each season. This collection is full of my favorite cuts, shapes and colors. Even though I'm excited for the months to come where layering is no longer a necessity, I really do love being able to layer different textures, patterns, and pieces. Plus, fall has my favorite color palette. The one annoying thing about seeing these photos in May is the fact that I know I won't be able to get my hands on any of these pretty pieces until fall! But that's all well and good, I suppose. I'll enjoy the hot days of simplicity this summer and by the time fall rolls around, I'm sure I'll be excited to layer, wear tights and sweaters, and all the sartorial trappings of autumn.

photos found via lowefactor