A Foxtrot Above My Head, A Sock Hop Beneath My Bed

I haven't seen Alice in Wonderland yet but for some reason, this look reminds me of it. Although I've worn this dress on the blog already, I've had a deep longing to grunge it up (as I do with most pretty things) and add a funky factor to a piece that screamed sweetness just a little too loudly. As aforementioned, this dress heavily reminds me of the whimsical Betsey Johnson, and I think the striped tights easily enhance that notion. Am I a fashion faux paux for the bra sneak peek? If it is any consolation, its embroidered with floral and lace, complementing the dress. I hope you are not tired of seeing Chuck Taylors in every post, it is just that they pretty much epitomize the easy, fun, funky, and classic attributes that accentuate my style, and they effortlessly add a cool factor to basically any look.

(sunnies/dress/tights- f21)

Betsey Johnson Fall 2010

Betsey Johnson's Fall collection is the perfect mix of Cowboys and Indians. The cool western feel of tapered pants and billowy sleeves is upgraded with a touch of sassy femininety in forms of ruffled tailored tops and flowy boho blouses. The contrast of the collection's elements complement one another flawlessly. The harder, more androgynous (yet familiarly Betsey) saloon esque pieces paired with the doe eyed, boho, and feminine sillohuetes of Betsey's collection foreshadowed an effortlessly sexy, free spirited season to come. The pieces remind me of little girl playsuits and a costume box full of imagination. The fun prints and Betsey's famous tulle satisfy our eccentric tastes and she creates perfection in soft, seamless, bodycon ankle dresses and delicate sheaths in unexpected yet sexy and viable color palettes.

I looove that Betsey is so technicolor here, the chalky bright colors look magnificent with the sequined lounge pants, inspiration as always!

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Effervescent

This dress is another Betsey Johnson reminiscent find, one that had me gaping at the mouth upon witness! The cotton candy colors, soft pleating, and floral detail immediately warped my mind back to the 1950's, which is why it felt necessary to include pearls as part of the ensemble. I adore the sweetheart, vintage vibe that so effervescently shines through this piece! The best part is that the dress was only $6.00! It had originally been $24.95 and I decided to wait on it for this dress instead, and wow, it was definitely worth the wait indeed!

Word to the wise: Do not wear a really cute, great priced, bold piece that you bought from your job to your job when all the customers are steadily purchasing the same one. Wow, as girls brushed past me with the dress I was wearing in their hands, I felt like a walking mannequin or a catalog-come-to-life. However, it was slightly amusing to say "Oh, I have that dress!" to the girls grabbing it off the rack as they met me with a mixture of chuckles and uncomfortable glances, mostly uncomfortable glances.

P.S: Don't these sunnies remind you of Anna Wintour? Totally, right?(sunnies- palmdale swap meet, dress- f21, shawls- jcp/rave, tights- target, flats=- payless)

Whoa Betsey!

Sooo Forever 21 has recently taken their amazing array of awesome and affordable pieces and looked to designers like Philip Lim, the legendary Chanel, and my personal fave, Betsey Johnson for inspiration! Among many fun and fab Betsey reminiscent pieces- this bright, bold, rose pattern on a rich palette of black, touched my soul in a way the other pieces just couldn't compete with. I loved the way the big, bold flowers (that reminded of Beauty of the Beast) added such a pretty, doll like feel; and of course I was obsessed with the sewn in tulle detail!

This summer I found myself consistently drawn to this dress, despite the occasion. From low key lunch dates to decadent dinners, this gem of a garment took me from day to night with ease. It seemed to channel within me, an equal contrast of femininity and power. For dinner I decided to playfully pair it with my black, over sized Hello Kitty bow, which totally amped the whole Betsey Johnson vibe!

(bow&dress- f21, flats- hot topic)

Betsey Johnson Spring 2010 RTW

In true Betsey Johnson fashion, the Fall RTW collection was full of intricate, eccentricities one would only expect to see in the fabulous, fierce, fairy tale world of Betseyville! With pretty-meets-punky pleating, surprisingly sweet patterns,and sirening signature cheetah print, I found myself flipping through the looks over and over again, never tiring of the collection's bold, edgy, yet sweetly feminine array of pieces.

I enjoyed the understated pieces such as the black, flared leg pantsuit which is the perfect twist on the menswear trend, loved how it was amped up with a bright, uber ruffly blouse that could easily stand alone as a statement piece itself. The red/white Japanese reminiscent cropped pantsuit was a pleasant contrast to Betsey's usually over stated pieces and I'd love to accompany it with a pair of Doc Martens!

Of course, however, my favorite pieces have to be the cheetah print, all of it! I love the combination of bold, bright colors in a just-as-bold print; especially the turquoise and yellow tulle detail dress, totally me in dress form! Another cheetah print stunner was the muted blue bubble hemmed dress, it'd be just as stunning in Chuck Taylors and a motorcycle jacket as it would in stiletto ankle boots!

I'd be lying, however, if I claimed to adore the entire collection. The school girl esque look with ruffled bloomers and hot pink over sized bow felt very random in keeping with the other looks; and while I adore the over sized bow (reminds me of Hello Kitty, surprise) the look felt very costumey, forced, and trend-tastic. I must also say that the pink, jewel toned ruffled cocktail dress was a miss; the combination of the bright color and the ruffly overload appeared rather cheap to me; and I'm not sure if it was the hair accessory or the model's pose, but this look seriously reminded me of a heavily made up saloon girl.

All in all though, this collection delivered ecstatically; perfectly perfecting my everlasting obsession with cheetah print, bright colors, and tulle! I wouldn't expect anything less from the iconic Betsey, I think I may start referring to her as bestie (besty) actually, because yeah, I love her that much!

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I Love BJs

I have yet to wear this amazingly cute polka dotted skirt I scored at Buffalo Exchange while excitedly scouring Haight St. in San Francisco. I immediately loved it because of its' slightly larger-than-usual polka dots and the way it flares out a la 50's style; not to mention it was twelve dollars, which is definitely Dannie price Baybee!

Originally I had planned on wearing it sock hop/grease style complete with a pink monagrammed neck scarf and frilly, lace bobby socks. I never debuted it though because something about that ensemble just didn't feel right to me. The fact that the skirt was polka dotted made the sockhop theme feel too expeccted and unoriginal. However, leave it to the queen of creativity, Miss Betsey Johnson to hugely inspire me and give me a whole new outlook on this fun and flirty piece!

As I watched a video from Betsey Johnson's Spring '08 RTW show last night, I sat mesmerized and excited, inspired to the core by her fun, dollhouse, glamour Barbie designs! I am now completely planning on wearing the skirt with my black, deliciously oversized Hello Kitty bow instead, so much more fun and fresh, no? However, I'm still not sure about what top to rock with it, suggestions are welcome :)) I'm thinking of a bright colored something or a graphic top in order to amp up the otherwise simply black and white ensemble, hmmm...