Featured Fit: Taste of the Nation's HotList!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

I've done a few posts about different Taste of the Nation events that my husband and I have attended in the past year or two (check out THIS POST, THIS POST, and THIS POST), and last night was another great event put on by this charity. It was the Taste of the Nation- HotList!

What's the HotList? Only one of the most fun events in Minneapolis!

"The top chefs and mixologists in the Twin Cities are banning together to host an evening of fabulous food, drinks, music and prizes – all in the name of fighting childhood hunger." 

source

This awesome event was held at the beautiful Guthrie Theater along the Mississippi River.

Tickets were $75/piece, but that $75 got you tons of small plates from some of the best local restaurants. Name a restaurant, and it was probably there! La Belle Vie, Barbette, Be'Wiched, Bradstreet Crafthouse, Brasa, Bryant Lake Bowl, Butcher & the Boar, Chino Latino, Cosmos, Forepaugh's, Gather, the Gray House, Icehouse, the Lynn on Bryant, Marin, Masu Sushi & Robata, Petite Sweets, Salty Tart, Sea Change, the Strip Club, and Sun Street Breads...so many amazing chefs cooking up so many delectable bites.

La Belle Vie's unique course

Each attendee received a "voting" card to vote on their favorite restaurant. Personally, I voted for Bradstreet Crafthouse, who was serving up a small french toast bite topped with pork belly, peanut butter, and syrup. Sounds funky, but it was so yummy! The winner of the night (with the most votes) was Salty Tart with banana creme dessert.

In addition to all the great food, there was a wide assortment of signature cocktails, a "wine ring toss" (I won a huge bottle!) and a silent auction.

In fact, I went a little crazy on the silent auction, winning ALL THREE items on which I bid. I went home with a Blush Beauty Room goodie bag (lots of Bare Minerals makeup inside), a gift basket and $100 gift card to Ollu Dog Salon, and my favorite item...drumroll please...

A $300 gift card to A la Mode Wardrobe Consultants! 

I cannot wait to schedule my wardrobe consultation, though I'm not 100% sure what it will entail. I hope to find out soon. But a friend of mine won a similar one at last year's Hotlist. She said the consultant came to her house to review her closet, had her pick out her favorite outfits and explain why they were her favorites, and then took her shopping, pulling outfits from lots of stores that she feels will flatter and enhance her personal style. She could choose what she wanted to buy. What a fabulous idea! And all for a good cause, right?

So, yes, the event was such a blast! I wore a Shoshanna dress that  I had actually purchased for my friend's wedding in Mexico last year...remember this picture?

This time I paired the dress with a pair of Nine West polka dot heels and silver J.Crew necklace.

There were so many cute outfits at this event, on friends and on strangers. I was especially happy to see that some of them were even items from my Fashion Swap in April.

Susie's dress used to be mine!

And Julia's dress (on the far right) was also from the swap. I loved the gold on her!

The men looked pretty darn handsome too, didn't they?

I had such a fun evening, eating all the scrumptious food and catching up with friends. It was a beautiful night (except the mosquitoes out on the infinity bridge).

...Stay tuned for my Wardrobe Consultation in a few weeks!

Featured Fit: Rent the Runway!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Have you heard of Rent the Runway?
Rent the Runway is the premier online destination for access to your dream closet. With a revolving roster of over 160 top designers of the season's hottest dresses and accessories, Rent the Runway is designer fashion delivered to your doorstep for all of life's occasions for just a fraction of the price!
       
Basically, Rent the Runway is like borrowing clothes from your friend's closet, if your friend had thousands of amazing designer dresses in your size....and if that friend made you pay her to borrow a dress.

Okay, so maybe not quite the same as borrowing from a friend, but this service does allow you to have a new dress for every occasion. Personally, I have a lot of dresses that I have only worn once or twice. I do have some (like I wrote about in this POST) that I wear again and again, but many times, I buy a dress for a wedding, and rarely wear it again.

So why even buy it? Just RENT it! And then you can wear a high-end designer for less than you would have paid for a different dress that you only wear once or twice.

My friend Penny gave me a coupon she had received for $50 off of Rent the Runway, so I decided to give it a try for my friend Vicki's wedding.

I selected the Christian Siriano "Taking Over Sheath." Do you remember Christian from Project Runway?

The dress was bright (LOVE!!) and seemed like a pretty flattering fit from the pictures. 

*Apparently this dress retails at $1200! I rented it for a fraction of that price.

The Rent the Runway website includes customer reviews with pictures of real people who rented the dresses, and they offer up honest feedback as to how each dress fits. I was able to see the way other (non-models) looked in the dress, and I thought it was a good dress for this winter wedding at a local winery...(yes, a winery in Minneapolis!)

When renting a dress, you can chat with a stylist for tips on how to accessorize. They also rent purses and jewelry to complete your look. The best part? When renting, you can select two sizes, in case one doesn't fit. And if both do not fit, you can return them and get your money back.

My dress arrived on Friday in a big box.

Inside the box was a dress bag...

And then my two dresses! 

 It was free to order two sizes, and thank god I did. The size 4 was way, way too small, and the 6 was even questionable. With a pair of SPANX I was able to zip it up, but it was tight. Apparently, in runway sizes, I'm an 8...I guess the J.Crew sizing is just a BIT off.  Good information when trying to find the RIGHT FIT for me.

I wore the dress to my friend Vicki's wedding last night. Though I couldn't laugh heartily (since it was too tight around the ribcage) I still made it work Project Runway style. Tim Gunn would be pleased!

Will I rent through Rent the Runway again? I'm not sure. Clearly, my biggest problem was not knowing what size to order.  I think I'd prefer renting from "For The Night." (Read Msp/St. Paul magazine's review of For the Night here.)  "For the Night" is a local store with the same premise, but the big difference is that you can try on the dress before you rent.  However, it sounds like the For The Night is still building their inventory. One great thing about Rent the Runway is that they have a HUGE inventory, and they carry the dresses is a multitude of sizes.

I do think my sizing problem was my own fault. I could have read the sizing information a little closer, and not made assumptions based on what I thought I should be wearing. I should have known with a fitted sheath dress that I should err on the bigger size. Let's be honest, those Girl Scout cookies are a bit too tempting this winter! 

As for the wedding, it was so lovely. The venue was so unique (Warehouse Winery). The ceremony was held right in the same place as the rest of the reception. The vows and the ceremony and everything was so sweet and very touching. 

And I loved the bride's J.Crew wedding gown!

So beautiful Vicki!

We had a wonderful time at the wedding, and were so happy

 to be part of Nate and Vicki's special night.!

Garth and Reardon don't get a lot of press on the blog. 

They were both fans of Rent the Runway- well, at least fans of the box the dresses came in!

Featured Fit: A Masquerade!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Last Saturday, the D-man and I put on our black-and-white attire (he even donned his tuxedo!), scrounged up some masks, and met up with our favorite neighbors for an interesting night out.

Why the masks? It was all for a good cause:

 "Young Professionals Finding a Cure Presents: The Black and White Ball."

CURE is the primary young
professional fundraising group for
the American Cancer Society in the 
Twin Cities. All proceeds raised at
CURE events go directly to cancer
research taking place right here at 
the University of Minnesota. Please 
join us in the fight against cancer.

The night included drinks, dancing, and light appetizers at the Aria at the Jeune Lune in downtown Minneapolis. The people watching was phenomenal...Where do all these ladies get full-length ball gowns? Are they pagaent princesses? Who knows...

As for me, I am no pagaent princess, and had to go with a simple black cocktail length dress I had in the closet from my mother-in-law's wedding (which I posted about here). 

My coworker lent me the mask, which I loved, but I have to admit it wasn't quite as awesome as this couple's masks!

{oh, what a fun couple}

Honestly, the frozen half marathon earlier in the day left me a little sleepy, so we didn't stay at the event all that late. We did a bit of dancing, had a drink or two, perused the silent auction items, and then called it a night.  But it was an interesting change of scenery- a side of Minneapolis I probably don't see every Saturday night. 

....And I always love an excuse to get dressed up!

So, where does one find a mask in Minneapolis? Cost Plus World Market is your best bet for a fun mask. Like I mentioned, mine was from a coworker. I did hear that Pier 1 also carried lots of fun masks, and had I had more time to plan, I definitely would have checked out Etsy for a handmade one. 

Featured Fit: Holiday Cocktail Party

By: LL
This past weekend was my work holiday party. It was a semi-formal event held at an upscale hotel (the InterContinental) in a ritzier area of Kansas City called the Country Club Plaza. This was an ideal location since this area has an pretty amazing Christmas light display. The venue was beautiful, which was to be expected. The jazz band was excellent - good music and not too loud. And the service was also great. Unfortunately, the food was only so-so. With the InterContinental's reputation, my husband and I were expecting a bit more. Needless to say, it was a nice evening. It did run over a little bit with the executive speeches, but a few of us still managed to make it out on the Plaza for a few cocktails post-party.

Here is a look at what I wore to the event:

{Outfit Details}

Dress: Banana Republic

Necklace: JC Penny (discussed here a year ago}

Tights: Ralph Lauren (TJ Maxx)

Pumps: Aldo

Originally, I had hoped to borrow a very festive dress from Jess. When that didn't work out, I searched for something in a holiday color that wasn't too fancy, but had a little intrigue. The external zipper down the back was just enough visual interest and complimented the necklace I chose quite well. Having 3/4 sleeves was also nice since it ended up being fairly cold that night. I wore a Calvin Klein faux fur shrug over the top with a pair of black leather gloves. 

Functional Fit: The Same Dress?

By Jessie

My husband often gives me a hard time that I'll take any excuse to buy a new outfit or dress, and usually it's true. However, every girl has her budget, right?  And that means I must repeat dresses.

Another option for new dresses is a LTB- long term borrow- with my sisters, or perhaps another fashion swap! In fact, LL may be wearing this same dress to her holiday party in December!

So, I attended my coworker's wedding last night at the Landmark Center in St. Paul, and the same dress I wore to Abby's wedding (read about it HERE) made its second appearance.

{Abby's wedding}

{Same dress!}

I paired the dress with a faux fur jacket from Francesca's Collection, which was necessary for a  November wedding!

The wedding was lovely-

 The bride looked beautiful!

We planned to get up early for our long(ish) run, so we didn't stay there too, too late. But the ceremony was nice, the food was great, the toasts were touching, and I was happy to be a part of the special day.

And the dress enjoyed another opportunity to sparkle!

Throwing a Fit: Anthropologie's Fall Dresses

By Jess

I would probably consider myself an "Anthroholic." However, I am definitely not the true Anthroholic scammer of THIS STORY- "Alleged Scam Rocks Devoted Anthropologie Community - yikes!

I only mean that I love to shop at Anthropologie. There is one located directly on my drive home from work. At least once a week, I swing by just to see what's new...or better, yet, what's on sale. (I can often find some great items on the clearance racks that really fit the bill!)

During my stop this week, I was throwing a fit for all the ADORABLE new fall dresses.  I could barely resist these items:

The Pleated Pointe Dress retails for $158 (check it out here). I love the vibrant color, combined with the simple, classic cut.

The Oxidized Medallions Dress retails for $148 (buy it here). I love the pairing of this dress with the funky brown necklace, as well as the combination of maroon and navy, perfect for fall.

The Sunblaze Lace Dress really caught my eye, but with the $328 price tag, I could only throw a fit for this one. (Buy it here)

My favorite was definitely the Honeycomb Lace Dress, retailing at $288. (Find it here) Mustard is such a wonderful fall color, and this shift dress was gorgeous.

Without any fall weddings or events, I wasn't able to justify any new cocktail dresses at this time. I'll continue to throw a fit for these wonderful dresses.

Fingers crossed that in a few weeks, one of these dresses will find its way to the sale rack, where I can snatch it up at a price that fits the bill!

Finalize My Fit Follow-up: BCBG Bonanza/Wedding Recap!

By Jess

Remember last week, when I posted the four mystery dresses from BCBG, and I asked you to guess out of three friends and me (Kelly, Susie, and Jen) who would be wearing which one?

If you missed it, check out the post here!

Well, this guy got it right!

He credits his wealth of fashion insight and cocktail dress knowledge to watching endless episodes of What Not to Wear! But I'm not sure; maybe he just knows these four ladies really well? Maybe he just pays attention? Maybe he's a thoughtful kind of guy (and yes, he's single. And no, he doesn't usually wear life jackets in public. Unless you want him to.)

Nonetheless, he was right! Way to go! Thanks for guessing.

Here are the 4 dresses again:

Mr. Mason correctly guessed that I would wear the bright fuchsia princess dress :)

I accessorized as follows:

Shoes: Silver BCBG heels

Bracelet: BCBG (similar found here)

Earrings: not shown, BCBG 

Clutch: not shown, silver, from the Limited

He also guessed correctly on the three other dresses!

Here we are in our finalized fits (with an additional BCBG number on the far left too! Love it!)

Dress #1: BCBG Ink and Tan Striped Spaghetti Strap Dress (in the middle above) was accessorized with a gold statement necklace and taupe shoes.

Dress #2:  BCBG Cobalt Blue cocktail dress (on the right) was accessorized with black heels, a black clutch, and a fun, silver necklace.  The below necklace was SUPPOSED  to be the perfect accessory (find it here) but it  broke upon first wear.

Say What? Failed Fit. Must return!

Dress #3 Blue Depth Jersey Christina Asymmetrical Dress (second from left) was accessorized with limited jewelry, just as many of you suggested! The dress spoke for itself. It was paired with black heels and a black clutch .

But beyond what to wear, and what not to wear....The wedding was a BLAST! 

We danced all night, and those perfectly accessorized shoes came off quickly!

We had plenty of fun in the photo booth-

And most importantly, we were so happy to be part of this special night.

The bride and groom make such a lovely couple!

 Congratulations you two!

Finalize our Fits: A BCBG Bonanza!

By Cool J

A few weeks ago, I posted about a memorable Fits on the Road in Annandale, MN, where several of my friends gathered to toast our good friend Abby on her bachelorette weekend.

The bachelorette party was a blast, but the main event will be here this weekend! And, of course, this main event was an "excuse" for many of us to purchase new party dresses for the special occasion.

Four of us- Susie, Kelly, Jen, and I- have had a few emails back and forth, discussing said party dresses, and debating how best to finalize our fits.

And we need your advice! I won't tell you who is wearing which dress!  But I will ask you to comment with your tips as how to best accessorize these cute little numbers.

First of all, it's obvious that BCBG is the dress maker for cocktail dresses for women ages 27-36! We all found dresses that fit our personal style at the same store.

Dress #1: BCBG Ink and Tan Striped Spaghetti Strap Dress

This dress can also be worn strapless- a true functional fit! 

So...how to accessorize? 

Black shoes would be classic, but what about a taupe/tan? 

Jewelry: maybe some funky black statement jewelry?

Dress #2: 

This short and sassy number can be finalized lots of different ways.

A bold accent color, perhaps? Maybe red, yellow, or orange? The options are endless.

Shoes: How about silver or nude?

What do you think?

Dress #3

Blue Depth Jersey Christina Asymmetrical Dress

The funky and fun dress is a knock-out! 

It's shown below with black accessories, 

but again, the simple blue color allows for a lot of different accents. 

A burnt orange or red would be perfect for fall, 

but this versatile style could also work in the winter with silver or gold. 

Definitely a functional fit!

Dress #4

Tired Marina Cocktail Dress

With the jeweled neckline, a necklace is obviously a no-go! 

My thought is just a bracelet and earrings.  

Shoes: how about nude? A glittery silver? 

The bronze in the picture would also work.

So tell us readers, how should we finalize our fits for the big event this Saturday?