“It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” ~Mark Twain
That’s right, friends! Spring is just around the corner, which means it’s the season for children’s formal wear. Weddings call for flower girl dresses and boy’s tuxedos, as well as for First Communion dresses and boy’s suits. What’s in this season?
Flower Girl Dresses
When it comes to flower girl dresses, you have several options that will bring smiles to the faces of your attendees, and make your flower girls feel like little princesses. A sleeveless satin bodice with a satin skirt and organza overlay is a simple but stunning combination. Scattered colored stones with a matching band at the waistband coordinates well with the attire of others in the bridal party. Depending on the age of the flower girl, choose either tea length or floor length.
For a feminine yet upscale look, choose a flower girl dress that is tiered in the back. A full peau satin skirt with one tier in front and three tiers in back, accented with a large bow with tails and fabric roses, will make the day special for both the flower girl and the bride.
If you’re budget conscious, don’t overlook some of the discount flower girl dresses that are available online. Just as beautiful as the pricier flower girl dresses, you can find satin and organza dresses, as well as tiered dresses, for between $35 and $80.
Communion Dresses
Every little girl will remember her First Communion for the rest of her life, so Communion dresses are an important part of the ritual. An organza scalloped princess style gown with coordinating veil will make her feel special, as will the simple lines of a satin Communion dress with lace and a removable bolero jacket.
Boy’s Suits
This season, there are many choices for boy’s suits. Whether it’s his First Communion or whether he’s attending in a family wedding, he’ll be thrilled to wear a traditional five-piece suit. Double-breasted jackets are back in style, and come in white for the perfect First Communion outfit. For a more formal occasion, a boy’s tuxedo – with or without tails – is always appropriate.
Christening Dresses
When it comes to girls’ christening dresses there are many choices. An all-white batiste dress with smocking on a bodice dotted with white pearls, along with matching bloomers, is adorable. For more traditional christening dresses you can choose a length of up to 32 inches with intricate embroidery and a matching bonnet. Keep in mind that a christening dress is something that can be handed down for generations, so choosing a timeless style may be in order.
Christening Outfits for Boys
For boys, christening outfits are usually five-piece sets that consist of a shirt, pants, bowtie, vest, and hat. The typical pant length is either shorts or knickers. Some sets feature brocade, while others have satin trim.
How to Buy
Thanks to the internet, sites like Wholesale-dress.net offer a wide variety of children’s formal wear is available at the click of a mouse. Plus, you’re more likely to find discount flower girl dresses and bargains in children’s formal wear at an online store. When ordering online, look for a company that not only offers flower girl dresses, boy’s tuxedos, Communion dresses, and christening dresses, but that also asks you for the date of the event. Before ordering, check out the sizing charts, and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Then, on the big day, make sure that your little ones enjoy themselves, and feel as special as they look!
Got a cute new scarf as a Valentine’s day gift from my sister and just had to share something new I learned on the fly. I wanted to wear the scarf tonight but wasn’t sure how to tie it. It’s one of those “magic” scarves or tube scarves. Here’s a pic of me wearing it (right).
I don’t know if you can see how I tied it in the photo (it’s kind of washed out), but it’s done in this loop-knot type style, which looks very simple but also chic in my opinion–and it reduces the bulk of the scarf nicely.
Being petite (I’m 5 feet even, but a lot of people think I’m about 5’4″ or 5’5″, thanks to my habit of wearing “big shoes”–AKA heels!), my frame is easily overwhelmed by “over-sized” accessories and clothing. I have learned that finding the right length and fit can make me look 20 pounds slimmer. No joke!
Anyway, I had always seen people wearing this look and liked it, but never bothered to figure out how to do it. I’m guessing I’m not alone here, so thought I’d share a quick tutorial.
It’s really simple–you fold the scarf in half and put it around your neck. Leave the unlooped side a little longer, then bring that side through the looped side. Then, you just adjust to your preference.
Here’s a diagram I found (for my more visual friends!).
What’s your favorite way to tie a scarf? Share your thoughts, ideas and experiences in the comments section, below.
“One is never over-dressed or underdressed with a Little Black Dress.” ~Karl Lagerfeld
Listen up, ladies. You need a little black dress in your wardrobe. I don’t care if you’re a factory worker who rarely has occasion to dress up–you never know when you’ll need to attend a special event, go on a date or even just dress up for the holidays or a fancy family get-together.
Did you know?
We are actively building our Blissful Style Guides resource section, so stay tuned for updates.
Blissful Style Guide: How to Find the Perfect Little Black Dress Within Your Budget
Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way for finding the right little black dress to fit your budget.
Shop the sales: Since a little black dress is a timeless piece that can be easily dressed up or down for nearly any occasion, there’s nothing wrong with hitting clearance sales, especially through the online venues.
For example, I purchased the dress I’m wearing in the photo to the right at KMART.com from the Sofia Vergara collection and absolutely love it!
And it was on clearance. (Worth mentioning: since I got such a deal, i also picked up the same dress in an alternate, trendier orange color.) For the record, I also love NoMoreRack.com for stuff like this.
Need labels carefully: Listen, as the proud owner of several “real” designer handbags, most of which were second-hand (and a few hand-me-downs), I totally feel you on the need to have “real” labels.
Sometimes, you need a label–but MOST times, a label is a luxury that may not be necessary.
For example, if you wanted to dress down your look with a shawl or scarf, you could consider one of these options based on your budget.
*Awesomely luxurious, but I can’t say I’d ever spend this much on a scarf, even if I was loaded–but I include it for people who can and will choose the higher-end options when they’re available.
*NOTE: I consider this one the “best bang for your buck” because the quality matches even the Hermes scarf listed above, but the fact that the company’s not well-known yet means the label can’t drive up the price.
*I found this pretty chiffon wrap on eBay for less than $5 with free shipping. Only concern: quality is lacking.
How do you choose the right little black dress for your budget? Share your thoughts and experiences (and your relevant links!) in the comments section, below.
A wardrobe isn’t complete without stylish handbags to fit every mood and season. One way to add a touch of elegance to your wardrobe is with designer luxury handbags. designer handbag styles are exquisite and the fabrics are sumptuous. The various types of design work allow you to express your personality and taste in fashion through your purse.
Whether you shop online or at a local retailer, you’ll notice there are many shapes and styles of designer luxury handbags. The handbags may look similar to other types of handbags in shape and size, but often reflect amazing quality with the use of real leather materials or even exotic animal leathers that aren’t found just anywhere. You might see designer purses made with real crocodile skin, python snake skin, or even ostrich skin! These exotic purses often have exclusive designs that will turn many heads as you voyage on an evening out or if you carry the purse as you do everyday tasks.
Styles to choose from include classical, evening, office or workplace, fashion, and elegant. There are shoulder bags, wide handbags, tote bags, clutches, and professional bags for men or women. No matter what type or size you’re looking for, the quality and look and feel of designer luxury handbags will cause you to crave more and more styles and colors to blend with every outfit and occasion.
Prices for designer luxury handbags made with real skin leather often range from $600 to $1200. To save money on crocodile skin handbags, look for “realized” leather that has been created using the ligator process, which blends natural fibers of crocodile to create a skin similar to real crocodile skin while saving you dollars on the final price tag.
Look for Handmade Quality
Even with the various types of skin leathers used with designer handbags, they can be hand-painted with bright colors in gorgeous shades of blue, brown, light green, orange, and red. If you want a really unique design, shop online for designer luxury handbags that are 100 percent handmade in Italy. You’ll find high-quality purses with creative designs that will amaze all your friends at social gatherings.
But wait! Before clicking that online payment button, read the designer purse descriptions very carefully. Handmade purses should be made with care and with a very unique process to ensure fine quality. Examine the quality of the straps, zippers, and stitching. Also, look for interior materials such as real leather or real calf skin for the handbag’s lining. Be sure the website offers photos of the purses or bags from various perspectives so you’ll have a good idea of what you’re getting.
If you really like the elegant look and feel of designer luxury handbags, you might even want to start your own business selling these amazing bags. Some retailers will offer wholesale handbags as well so you can easily get started with your own business. It’s a great way to earn a part-time or full-time income.
Look for websites that offer fashion accessories and handbags that are made of extremely high quality. These handbags also make excellent gifts for Christmas, birthdays, Mother’s Day, or anniversaries. By shopping wisely, you’ll soon be able to adorn every outfit with your own collection of designer luxury handbags!
“I want my handbags and my shoes to be stylish but I want to make sure that they’re versatile. I travel and I have to make sure the pieces I put into my bag can go with a dress or with shorts or jeans.” ~Maria Sharapova
When it comes to fashion, I’m a “high-low” kinda girl–that is, I will buy some stuff super cheap (trendy items, for example) and I will spend a few bucks for higher quality pieces that will last longer.
As for handbags and purses, thanks to a certain holiday tradition developed by my husband’s cousin in which she gives me a designer purse each Christmas, I am sort of spoiled.
I prefer a well-made bag and often times, those are more likely to be found with designer tags on them.
Reason: While this year’s dress is next year’s rag, a quality handbag will literally look stylish for decades.
Of course, many people take one look at the cost of the better handbags and decide that these bags are simply too expensive.
However, if you think about how many times you will be using that handbag over the next ten years and then divide the price of the handbag by that number, you may be surprised to find that a good handbag is actually a better deal than most other pieces of clothing.
After all, if you buy a ten dollar shirt because it is on sale and only wear it twice, it costs you five dollars for each use. A one hundred dollar handbag that you use thirty times only costs you about three dollars for each use. Most people use a good handbag several hundred times a year.
Although designer handbags come in a range of prices, a top quality calf leather handbag can cost as much as four or five hundred dollars; and even several thousand dollars if it’s from a well-known designer. Although you may not be able to tell the supple soft calf leather bag from a less expensive bag made with cowhide by looking at the bags, you can certainly feel the difference. Calf leather is smooth and flexible.
If you can’t afford a good leather handbag, there are some other choices. The same care and craftsmanship that makes leather handbags so popular goes into the construction of Italian bags made with canvas or fabric.
Just be prepared for a fabric bag to wear out sooner than the leather handbags.
Finally, be sure you do not buy a handbag that looks like a quality handbag at first glance, but actually turns out to be a knockoff. If the handbag you are considering is supposed to be leather, unzip it and take a look at the inside to see if you can find some uncovered edges.
Leather edges look different than those made with vinyl or other man made materials. The best way to be sure you are purchasing a quality handbag is to only purchase from reputable sources.
Got a cute new scarf as a Valentine’s day gift from my sister and just had to share something new I learned on the fly. I wanted to wear the scarf tonight but wasn’t sure how to tie it. It’s one of those “magic” scarves or tube scarves. Here’s a pic of me wearing it (right).
