Topsy Turvy Miniatures

 

When I first saw this dress appear on Anthropologie's website a few years again, I was immediately smitten. It never end up making an appearance in the Yorkville location and soon enough it sold out online, but later on I did find it for sale on eBay and I snapped it up. It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland with its miniature chair print, oversized collar and ruffled  sleeves. This is what I'd wear to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. It's a bit of a shapeless dress but that gives it a 1920s feel. From far away, the dress appears fairly refined but closer inspection reveals all it's quirky loveliness. Every time I wear it I find new ways to draw out its storybook details, like adding ballet pink tights, a floral hair accent, bow trimmed shoes or a charm adorned necklace (never all of those things at once though). I'm so glad this dress ended up making its way into my closet.

P.S. Here's I wore the dress to a Grad School Exhibition Celebration (incidentally, I'm hoping to grow my hair out to this length....but it seems to be taking a long time). Pardon the red eye.

Outfit details:

Dress: Parlor Games Dress by Anna Sui, Anthropologie

Cardigan: Cable and Gauge, Lord and Taylor

Tights: Hue Supersoft Lightweight tights in color "flirt"

Shoes (the ones I actually wore at work, not the ones I'm wearing): Dolce Vita Orina oxfords, sold out in most places but a few sizes available here

Dainty Flowers, Peter Pan Collars and Touches of Neon

Peter Pan Collars and Touches of Neon by jackie98 featuring mml

Neon is everywhere right now and while I'm drawn to the day-glo hues, head to toe neon feels too 80s.  But dainty neon flowers set against the white backdrop of a twirl worthy dress feel perfectly contemporary. And the fit and flare silhouette along with the Peter Pan collar adds the kind of timeless and romantic details that I never grow tired of, and which seem perfect no matter what the year. The  pearl drop and floral motif necklace and earring set I wore with the dress seemed to fit this timeless quality, while the black sheer stockings played on the contemporary elements of the dress. Once at work, I added a neon cardigan with a lacy collar and laced up a pair of white oxfords. I really love that from this dress so many other looks can be created. For example one of the other ways I like to wear this dress is with a pair of ballet pink tights, shimmery flats and a cropped cardigan. A happy mingling of old and new, classic and trendy.

Outfit Details:

Dress: Ted Baker Collar Dress in Summer Bloom

Cardigan: Cable and Gauge Petite Lace Collar Cardigan

Shoes: Dolce Vita Orina Cutout Oxfords (also available at Anthropologie, Nordstrom, Lord and Taylor)

Packing for a Conference: A Look Inside My Luggage

I used to be pretty terrible at packing….mostly indecisive and always packing too much. I kind of feel like being terrible at packing is a stage many of us go through and for the most part, end up growing out of. For me, part of getting better at packing has to do with an improved ability to put together outfits and to style outfits that work for a variety of occasions. In my teens and early 20s, it was more about having a lot of options, rather than working with a few key pieces. I must have had more patience back then because I didn’t mind checking luggage, whereas now I only pack a carry-on.

Image source

When thinking about what to pack for a 4 day/3 conference, I first considered the different events that would be taking place. In my mind I needed to choose 5 outfits:

1) an outfit for the flight from LGA to MKE/from MKE to LGA (e.g. Paige denim Kylie Cropped Retro Cruiser Skinny and Michael Kors Oxford Gingham Shirt)

Bonus:: Not only is this outfit super comfortable, I discovered that it made it a lot easier for my car service driver to find me at LGA….pink gingham shirt and beige bicycle print jeans definitely stands out from the other descriptions people give of what they happen to be wearing at the airport.

2) the first day/afternoon workshop (Glanz Dress by Tabitha, Anthropologie andRibboned Rocket Cardigan From Field Flower by Wendi Reed, Anthropologie)

3) the kickoff evening event at the Milwaukee Art Museum (Fashion Star Dress in Aztec Print at Macy’s)

4) first full day of conference (Modern Composition Dress, Anthropologie;Shoreline Scallop Cardigan, Anthropologie; J Crew Perfect Fit T-shirt in Neon Guava)

5) second full day of conference + presentation (Tiered Habitual Shirtdress by Sachin and Babi, Anthropologie and Kate Spade Floral Beaded Kati Cardigan)

I never pack more than two pairs of shoes. For the conference, I choose two pairs that work as neutrals (but are definitely not boring) and which I know from prior experiences are really comfortable.

Tights and cardigans are a must when your conference takes place in a hotel during the summer time. Air conditioning is always on full blast in these places…..even with the additional layering it was pretty chilly.

I try to select outfits that I know will stay mostly wrinkle free and which don’t require much fussing to get on (e.g. shirtdresses, side-zips and/or back-zips that are easy to deal with). Generally, I also avoid packing any light, scarf-like materials….they may seem ideal since they take up almost no room in your luggage but they can easily catch on other things in your luggage and just don’t hold up to a busy conference schedule. I also like adding a couple t-shirts to my carry-on, in this case J Crew’s Perfect Fit T-shirts in neon guava and black, as I think they are a simple way to layer and give a dress a whole new look.

Along with these items, I packed a couple favorite necklaces and earrings, a watch, a pair of sunglasses and Kate Spade’s gingham mini iPad folio.

Here’s a look at what I packed:

Conference Outfits - Museum Professionals by jackie98

Goofy presentation smile

Back in NYC (looking a little disheveled but happy to be back)!