golden girls

Hello to Sarah Parga's bridesmaids! My name is (also) Sarah, and I am helping with the look of Sarah and Eddie's wedding. I have had requests to put together some guidelines, which you'll find below this little mood board.

I've pinned some pieces that fit the bill that are currently available for purchase to get you started here. If you have any questions, feel free to email me, and I'll try my best to get back to you in a timely matter.

About the look: 

• Sarah's dress has some gold undertones in it, as does the venue (Union Station), so we want to bring that out in the bridesmaid looks as well. The golds can be in a range, but the middle tones are best (not too light and close to Sarah's dress, not too dark and close to Eddie's tux). We want to keep the eye focused on those lovebirds. 
• Dresses can be any sleeve length, though if you go the strapless route, make sure the length is a little bit longer to balance the bareness on top. 
• Catholic school uniform skirt rules apply: Skirts should be above the knee, but make sure your hands reach <close to> the hem. In general, though you are wearing gold, it shouldn't look like you are going clubbing. 
• If you find a long dress you really love, remember that you can hem it to knee length to fit the bill. 
• Sequins, beading, and/or brocade are all great. Other glitzy avenues are fine too, but as a guideline, if the fabric looks like something you would have loved to wear to a middle school dance, keep looking. (Or carry on if you were super tasteful as a 12 year old)
• Delicate gold or nude shoes. Sarah doesn't care what you wear on your feet, as long as you're comfortable/not complaining about foot pain, but I am happy to weigh in and make suggestions based on the rest of your look if that's helpful. 
• For anyone that doesn't travel the dress route, we have a few other paths to take, depending on your aesthetic. I am not having a lot of luck finding gold blazers as summer approaches, so that may be something to look for as we move into fall. I think a classic white or cream shirt with a gold bow tie, slim fit khaki or black dress pants, and a cool, gold oxford or loafer could be great. You could also throw in a gold vest as an option too. It seems gold menswear-inspired looks are tougher to find in summer, but I can certainly help you find something before January. Downtown LA's Santee Alley may be a great spot to check. 

Here are a few other shopping links to check out (Most of the dresses on the pinterest board are from these sources):

Anthropologie Lots of ladylike dresses, many of them overpriced, but they do sales often. Also good for metallic jackets and interesting shoes. 

Asos Great for shoes and both women's and menswear.  Variety of price points, new merchandise often.

Bhldn Anthropologie's bridal store. Similarly priced to Anthropologie, but lovely dresses and accessories for ideas. 

Bloomingdale's "Aqua" exclusive line often does metallics. Look for things on sale.

Dillard's Good price point for dresses and shoes.

Macy's Great prices for both women's and menswear, and you can return things for up to a year.

ModCloth Cute, quirky dresses. Their inventory turnover is really quick, so if you like something, don't wait to buy it or it will be sold out. 

Mrs. Bow Tie Interesting neck and bowties.

Neiman Marcus Last Call Bargain designer wear. Good for off-season merchandise. New inventory often.

Nordstrom Most likely to sell actual bridesmaid dresses. Variety of price points for both women's and menswear.

Nordstrom Rack The prices you would rather be paying for Nordstrom merchandise. Check often for new pieces. Great shoes. 

Revolve Clothing The prices vary wildly, but they usually have something sparkly in stock.

Saks Off Fifth Bargain designer wear. Good for off-season merchandise. New inventory often.

TheOutNet The prices vary wildly, but you can get get bargain designer wear here too. 

The Real Real Designer consignment with returns-- on other sites this stuff is final sale. Great for designer wear from seasons past (I just got an $1800 Zac Posen dress for $150!).

6pm Online outlet shopping. 

Zappos Wide variety of shoes. Fast shipping. Returns for a year. 

Happy shopping! Can't wait to see what you find. xo, Sarah

lady in red

I love this flirty red dress from Old Navy. Paired with a cardigan, the full skirt gives it a retro vibe for a put-together day look. Stack on the jewelry, add a pair of metallic wedges, and you're ready for a night out. 

Red dress
Day: cardigan, set of belts, flats
Night: elephant necklace, earrings, bangles, belt, wedges

summer whites

It seems like the only time I actually get dressed up in the summer is to go to weddings or bridal-related functions. My love of wearing white with a summer tan is not appropriate for those events. So here's to summer whites on regular old summer nights, and to the brides-to-be that are actually allowed to wear white to their parties! 

Left: dress, earrings, necklace, belt, pumps
Middle: dress, earrings, necklace, bracelet, rings, boots
Right: dress, earrings, necklace, belt, sandals

mid-century fashion excuses

I have been a horrible blogger lately, though I promise not to go on about it. (I used to write in my diary about how long it had been since I last wrote in my diary...) One of the things I have been doing instead of blogging is preparing for the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. I am costume designing Handel's L'Allegro, which is being set at a funeral in the early 60s. It might not be every-day-pertinent for those interested in outfit-inspiration, but for a day when you're feeling particularly Peggyesque or Draperish, some of these desaturated looks might strike your fancy. 

glam travel wear

I used to travel exclusively in clothes that made me look a little homeless. It made sense to me that since I was going to nap for an entire flight, I might as well wear something jammies-equivalent. I usually wore sweatpants and a hoodie, and on one particular transatlantic flight, a horrible stocking cap that made me resemble a robber. And then I watched Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. He has a list of ten essential elements for a successful wardrobe. Among them is a "sweatsuit alternative": something comfortable and casual that doesn't look sloppy. He made me realize how easy it is to step it up in the cute-but-comfy department. And when you run into an ex-boyfriend on a connecting flight, you can be this put-together traveler who looks kind of glam even though really you were snoozing with your mouth open on your travel pillow.

Maxi dresses are amazing for this. They are breezy and stretchy, and you can sit however you want on the plane and stay covered. A hair wrap makes a messy bun deliberate, and wedges are a great item to travel with, but take up too much room in your suitcase (so you have to wear them ;). Top it off with a jean jacket and one piece of jewelry (you don't want to take off ten accessories to go through security), and you're jet-set!

dress, jacket, hair wrap, necklace, belt, wedges

Outfit total: $122.94

lemonade and flamingo

Can you tell I'm pumped about summer? A lemon yellow bustier, a polka dot chambray shirt, an orchid pencil skirt, topped off with a flamingo necklace is basically the equivalent of a frozen lemonade at a theme park. Refreshing and delicious. 

yellow bustier, chambray shirt, linen skirt w/ belt, tusk necklace, flamingo necklace, sandals

Outfit total: $101.40

engagement shoot: lessa and josh

My sweet friends, Lessa and Josh, are getting married this fall, and they're about to take engagement photos. Los Angeles has lots of beautiful photo ops, and this couple has picked two really great ones: for a day shoot, the desert gardens at the Huntington Library and for the evening, a shoot at LACMA's Urban Light installation. 

The desert gardens are full every color of green you can think of, so I kept green out of the color palette altogether. Corals still feel like a part of that world-- it's the color of desert flowers--so that is what I was drawn to put on Lessa. I layered her with a pale blush blazer, taupe accessories, and one pop of contrasting color. I like in engagement photos when it looks like the couple fits together, without wearing matching Barbie-Ken ensembles. I found a navy and coral plaid shirt for Josh, to tie him into Lessa a bit. Cuffed chinos, a shawl collar cardigan, and slip on sneakers finish off his casual day look. His shirt is short sleeved and her dress is sleeveless, so if those top layers come off, there is another variety of summery photos to be done as well. 

lady: dress, blazer, necklace, belt, wedges
gent: shirt, cardigan, chinos, sneakers 

For the night shoot at LACMA, Lessa wanted to wear this long pleated chiffon skirt in black. Because the exhibit is all about light, I wanted silhouettes for both of them that would be striking. To balance Lessa's floaty skirt, I kept her top fitted with a belt to cinch at the waist. I like that this look is kind of bohemian in print and accessories, but the silhouette looks classic and fancy. With Josh, I wanted him to also have a classic look: really simple black blazer on white shirt, but to stay with Lessa's more boho look, I kept him in dark jeans and black sneakers. His gingham tie gives a little nod to her corset's black and white print. Can't wait to see how the photos turn out!

gent: shirt, blazer, tie, jeans, belt, sneakers
lady: corset top, skirt, belt, sandals, earrings, bracelet