Kitty Dress Up and OOTD

A couple of weeks ago the Kitty and Monkey came to visit. Since Tazy rarely blogs about fashion, I made her try stuff at Anthro just so I can post about it.

So without further delay, here is what Anthropologie looks like on a 15 year old girl:

Tulip Curtsy Blazer

Clearly not the best with a plaid tunic, but it was definitely a cute Fall item that even a high school girl can rock out in as she struts through the halls. 

Phlox & Coral Coat

She actually looked really adorable, but the hooks and buttons on this coat screamed "I will destroy the embroidery on this coat". It's just not worth it for an active teen.

And one final picture ... taken at Forever21 in Times Square that shows how adventurous and cute my baby Tazy is with hair accessories:

Now, the outfit of the day is motivated by the fact that I haven't done laundry in weeks, and I had to find something that didn't make me look like a vagabond walking out the door. So this is what I came up with ... I call it "East Meets West":

Salwar Kameez from Bangladesh
Belt from Old Navy
Marrs boots from Aldo

Just got back ...

from our much belated honeymoon to the Dominican Republic!

More pics and posts ... but right now we both need our rest.

Give and Get is Here!

Give and Get is Here!: "Enjoy 30% off from August 26-29 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy and we'll donate 5% of what you spend to a non-profit."

Sorry for not posting

I'm currently experiencing lots of technical difficulties ... this week's difficulty comes in the form of pink eye. Will be posting again as soon as I recover and succeed in not poking my eye out.

One of the main reasons why I don't post enough

I went into this blogging project in hopes of chronicling my attempts to wear everything in my closet without purchasing anything new. One of my reasons for not posting may be that I have no interesting outfits compared to other bloggers. But for the most part it's because of this:

My hair is always in a messy ponytail. Even when I go to work. I always look like a mess even if I succeed in putting together a cute outfit.

Truth be told, I have never really liked my hair long. I might take a lot of care for my hair, but that doesn't mean I'm fond of growing it out. In fact, I found it annoying when I had to grow my hair out for a traditional Bengali wedding instead of being the short-haired bride I always wanted to be.

So I felt it was time to take matters into my own hands ... now that I was [sorta] free from my mother's grasp. I made an appointment at Aveda to get my hair cut. I went from this:

to this ...

[sorry for the quality ... and how I look kinda bigger than I am in the bod]

I'm still getting used to the new haircut, but it is pretty awesome that it takes me minutes to dry my hair now. I'll try to keep everyone posted on how I try to style my new hair.

4th of July OOTD

Unlike most people, I did not spend my holiday weekend enjoying BBQ. No, not me. Instead, I attended a Big Brown wedding.

This sari weighed a TON. It's pure silk, and the entire thing is covered in sequins. I wasn't able to lift my right arm very far up without screaming out in pain ... no joke. My brother spent most of the following day massaging my shoulders.

Paparazzo shot of Tazy... hehehehe.

What I've learned so far ...

• As much as I love Anthropologie, I've had a harder and harder time justifying clothing purchases from there. I know I can count on Anthro for accessories, but I've grown more critical about everything else there that could tempt me.
• I still have a really hard time looking at basic pieces rather than eclectic pieces of clothing.
• I'm over the disposable fashion of places like Forever21. 
• I'm more of a brand whore than I thought. Not to say I go seeking out luxury brands. It's more like I've finally found stores/brands that speak to my fashion sense while still upholding quality. 
• Shopping around exhausts me. I know that being in a recession has forced people to shop around for the best deals, but I can't really stand going to multiple stores to find the cheapest price.
• The Internet has been my friend for bargain shopping.
• The sales/clearance rack is my friend. If it's not on sale, it's not worth buying.
• I wish I had discovered Dear Creatures sooner. The quality of the Camp Dress I got was completely unexpected and impressive, even if I look like a Brownie Scout.
• Thinking about the possibility of knitting my own sweater(s) this Fall gets me really excited about creative possibilities.
• I like shopping for my Hubby and baby sister more than I like shopping for me.
• I'm starting to accept my body/figure more now that I'm married and get constant constructive criticism from someone who cares that I look good and feel good about myself. You have no idea how refreshing it is to have someone tell me I shouldn't be ashamed about the way I look.

and most importantly ...

• I didn't know how much I was really going to miss my sibs. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about Shadman and Tisha, and what they are up to, and if they are being treated well, and when I'll get to curl up next to them and listen to them be teenagers, and wishing they were still small enough to carry one on each hip like I used to. I'm sure they get embarrassed by me, but I can't help loving them so much because they are the center of my universe.

Reviews, and how I've been a bad bad girl ...

Reviews: Since my office has summer Fridays now, I get out of work early and get to frolic around Manhattan as I please ... until Hubby gets home. He usually doesn't like standing around while I shop, so I try to get all my window shopping done while he is at work.

Decided to go try on some stuff that definitely had me taking a second look, though I didn't have any intention of buying anything. First up ...

Daring Dart Blouse-This lovely is on sale now, and though it may look pretty cute on some girls, it definitely was not cute on me. I really like Edme & Esyllte's style, but this blouse wasn't doing anything fabulous for me. As always, I sized down because Edme & Esyllte seems to run large.

Ring of Bows Tank-This tank top is actually really cute. I was drawn to the various bows. I'm not usually a fan of cotton knit shirts, but I could see this as being a good buy at a lower end store. I couldn't justify the price for something knit from Anthro.

Flutter-Flutter Blouse-This knit confection might not look the price, but it sure was comfy. I love the little surprise tail in the back. I would definitely wear something like this if it was more affordable because it was so summer perfect.

 All Ports Tank- I wish this top were a dress instead. The EK Jam Factory clothes are definitely styles I would love to own, though the prices are steep according to my budget. This dress would have really tugged at my wallet if it were in dress form. I love the little bit of pink at the collar, though I generally dislike the color pink. The stripes are not too childish, and the trapeze cut is not too flared to make one get lost in the fabric.

Fair Winds Blouse- Another shirt I wouldn't have minded seeing as a dress. Very comfortable. And I loved that the armholes were lined with cotton piping. This fabric would not be friendly against sweaty skin on a hot day, but the cotton parts would definitely help to keep this top comfortably on [instead of you wishing you could rip it off in discomfort].

Nearby Coast Dress- This is a EK Jam Factory confection I probably would have rather seen as a shirt. The dress is a lovely bright red, and the print is adorable. But it might be TOO red. The white piping really does a great job of breaking it up, but a softer color would probably have made this sailor style dress more appealing at its price point. Very comfortable otherwise.

Two-Wheeler Shirtdress- I only tried this dress on because so many bloggers seem to be in love with it. I was not in love with it. I felt like I looked really bulky, and the sleeves were really tight. I'm kinda glad that I didn't wait around for this dress to come back in stock and got the Beda dress instead. I think I look better in the Beda.

Grand Island Dress- I wanted to love this dress so bad. It was so much fun to put on with all the buttons. It looked like a good idea ... on the hanger. But on me, it was a mess. I didn't know what to do with the cowl neck. I couldn't get it to look appealing ... and I feel like I'm wearing a sack [though my husband says I can make a sack look good]. I loved the color. I loved the concept. I didn't love my execution of it. Very saddened by this.

[UPDATE]Polynesia Greetings Dress- This dress isn't even listed on the website it seems, but it is very nice in person. Though ... it is also a possible train-wreck for me. I loved the print. I loved the cut of it. But my body didn't like it. My chest tried to make a break out through the neckline of this dress. The print is lovely, and made me think about my pending honeymoon. The bows on the shoulders scream summer getaway dress, maybe on a beach or boardwalk ... with a margarita in hand. This dress was not for my larger-than-the-rest-of-me chest/body type, but I'm sure many other girls can pull of this very comfortable dress. Well worth the price if you can keep your chest from spilling out.

Fragmented Reflections Dress- This dress was a nightmare. I couldn't even get the zipper up. The lace on top is lovely in concept, but one would definitely need the help of their significant other to get into it. I hooked it in the back and only got the zipper up an inch before giving up. The slip is also really transparent. For a dress that is lined, I could still see my undies. Not good ... not good at all. I would not recommend this dress.

Roasted Serrano Dress- Love the construction of this dress. I usually hate halter dresses, but this one was great once on. The dress has a side zip instead of the annoying back zip accompanied by difficult-to-tie sash. The sash, once tied, does not need to be untied to get in and out of this dress. Definitely a feature I like. The design and thread work is beautiful. I loved the eyelet hem. This would probably be on top of my list of summer must-have dresses.

Greatest frustration of this experiment

It has come to my attention that I have a great deal of stuff missing. I normally wouldn't get upset about something disappearing temporarily ... only to reappear years later. But I'm on this shopping diet, which means that every available article of clothing is vital and essential. It really pains me that clothes that I've never gotten around to wearing, that still have tags on them ... have gone missing just when I really really want to wear it. Take for example my orange H&M dress from last summer with the peacocks. Now that I don't have to worry about my mom thinking I look scandalous in it because she'll never get to see me wear it around now [muwahahahahaha], I've failed to locate this elusive dress. It's brand new. Never been worn. I only tried it on once in the store. With moving twice and my wardrobe being split up between households, I've been literally tearing my hair out looking for it ... and my favorite shorts ... and my favorite sunhat. It's like someone bagged up all the clothes I looked forward to wearing and hid them.

I'm currently in the process of tearing my apartment down from roof to floor looking for every possible sign of my missing clothes. I hope Hubby doesn't kill me in the process.

Why is married life so difficult?

I thought that I would get some bliss once I got married to Hubby.

I thought the parental unit would finally leave me alone.

I was wrong ...

My mother seems to think that now that I am married, she can dictate BOTH of our social calendars. I haven't had a free weekend away from my mother in I feel like MONTHS. Hubby is actually getting sick and tired of driving and busing it over to Rockland every weekend. Don't get me wrong, I would hop on the bus/train/car for my lovely sibs, but my mother is a whole 'nother story. I was especially excited about seeing my sis and bro on Sunday night BECAUSE my mother wasn't home to disrupt quality time with my kitty luv and monkey [luv you Tazy & Shady].

Plus, she's increased the criticism 10 fold. She called me today at work just to make fun of my peeling skin [I suffer from eczema] and how I look like I have premature wrinkles [I'm freaking 28 and look like my 18 year old brother's twin]. She also kept commenting how my makeup makes me look dark. Compared to my mom, most Desi people are dark. She's the whitest Bengali I know.

Add to this ... her constant criticism of the way I dress. She thinks my shopping at Anthro is a complete waste because "it looks all slutty" to her. This coming from a woman who went on Hadj .... OBVIOUSLY ANYTHING SHOWING SKIN IS SLUTTY TO YOU!

My saving grace is that Hubby actually ENCOURAGES me to dress in cute stuff. He LIKES when I pull out a new pair of heels to wear out to dinner. And he LOVES watching me put makeup on because he feels like I'm doing something special just for him. He's always trying to find excuses to show me off to people because he thinks I'm the HOTTEST GIRL ON THE PLANET! yeay Hubby!

If it weren't for all these [sometimes pointless] trips, I would have Hubby cronicle my outfit choices more often for this blog. Le Sigh ...