My Fashion Resume 2010: Part One - Special Occassion Dresses.

I love, love this time of the year. It is currently 2°Fernhait outside or about -16°Celsius but I am warm and cozy at my home, feeling the heat, looking at the Christmas lights, draped in my fleece sweat pants and hoodie. As cold and frosty as it is (it snowed pretty much all day, yesterday in Michigan), I love the harmony, light, peace and beauty this season has to offer, and I don't just mean the snow, the hot fireplaces, the hot cocoa, and the snowflakes. Since about Thanksgiving rolls over and December approaches I love the festive atmosphere at every store, every home, every neighborhood, on TV, the holiday specials, the fun and festive concerts, the Christmas Movies and Christmas Specials, everywhere, especially at the malls. And even-though I am super-duper busy this time of the year (every year), Christmas Season is my most favorite holiday and most favorite time of the year and December is my second most favorite month of the year (after May). I especially love this time of the year because it is associated with shopping, gifts, family gatherings, yummy food, fun parties, beautiful feasts and lots and lots of dressing up - which I loooooooovvvvvvvveeeeeee doing. And I have had a couple of laid-back casual parties to go to this month, thrown at work, but the best are yet to come, as we are throwing Christmas Dinner for my entire family, extended family, grand-children, great grand-children and all, this year. And of course New Year's Eve which is so special, so favorite, so dear to me as I always welcome a NEW YEAR with new hopes, happy and next to people I love.

Unfortunately December is even busier than usual for me and unlike most of you I barely have time to eat 2-3 meals a day, let alone blog. (I haven't blogged in over 3 weeks, actually.) =D I mean that, sense of humor included. Yes, I wear nice outfits on a day to day basis and I try to stay stylish and true to my esthetic, but I don't have the luxury called time or a person to snap photos of me on a daily basis. I wish I could blog daily, heck I wish I could blog weekly but my last blog was actually 3 weeks ago and since I feel like most of you still don't know my true sense of style, I am dedicating this blog as part of a series of blogs that will include several outfits I have worn throughout this year, 2010. This way you will get a better idea of me Ada and of my personal style in particular, because as much as this is a blogging of my life and my cuteness *wink wink*, this is a Fashion Blog after all. =)

Since the holidays are coming up and now is the most festive, the most cheerful time of the year - which includes parties, fun, sequined outfits, glitz, glamour and stilettos, I think it's fitting that the first blog in this series of blogs for my outfits of 2010, lists outfits I wore for special occassions. And summer was pretty eventful for me as 2010 was a big wedding year, here in MI. A lot of people I know got married and some of these were friends, where of course I was invited and got to dress up. One thing I look forward to most when it comes to weddings, is what to wear and putting a pretty outfit together starting from the dress and working everything perfectly with my accessories, jewelry, hair and makeup. These outfits are all part of my special event activities from this year. Enjoy looking at them as I will smilingly reminisce and go through these outfits as I remember these beautiful occassions I wore them to. =)

This Leopard-Print Silky White, Fuchsia & Blue Dress I wore to a Friend's Wedding. It's fitting that I wore Red (sort of red-ish), White & Blue since the wedding was on July 3rd 2010, so it was the 4th of July Weekend. I have had this dress in my closet since at least 2008, maybe 2007. It is a silky fitted sheath from Cache which I love. It has a double scoop neckline, as the back repeats the scoop neck, however deeper, wider. The dress fits like a glove and I found the perfect dress to wear for that hot, summery July wedding - which was a drop-dead gorgeous affair. Since I own a ton of dresses, God knows when it's time to bring out the right one and wear it to the right occassion. LOL

 

Fuchsia & Cobalt Blue, Leopard-Print. Sexy, Silk, Cocktail Dress: Cache.

Hot Pink, Strappy Rosette Stilettos: Nina.

Silver Silk Wristlet Clutch: DSW.

Long Rhinestone Earrings + Both Silver & Rhinestone Bracelets: Forever 21.  

Simple, Sparkly, Silver Necklace: Express.

Pearl & Rhinestone Cocktail Ring: Banana Republic.

Hair & Makeup: Me, Myself & I.

 

This was a March/Spring Wedding. It was the wedding of one of my older friend's son. She is like a second mom to me, especially since she is my mom's age. I have known her and her family for a really long time. including her son, so this was a special wedding for me to go to, so of course I wanted to look Fabulous. I have had this Royal Purple Satin Dress since November/December 2007 and I originally purchased it as a dress for the Holidays and even thought of wearing it for New Year's Eve 2008, but a friend of mine bought the same dress, so she chose to wear hers on NY Eve, and I wore a different dress that New Year's Eve, also from Bebe. This dress has a unique see-through panel (like tulle) right underneath the chest line, va-va-voom. Long story short, I finally got to wear this dress over 2 years later. The golden stilettos were only purchased a couple of months before the wedding, though.

Purple Cocktail Dress, w/ Plunging V-Neck & Black Tulle Palette: Bebe.

Black, Cropped Cardigan (you can't see in these photos): The Limited.

Gold, Leather, Gladiator Stilettos: Guess.

Teardrop, Silver Rhinestone Earrings + Black w/ Rhinestones Cocktail Ring: Forever 21.

2 Silver Bangles (Right Hand): Swarovski.

Magenta Satin Clutch with Colorful, Sparkly, Geometric-Shaped Stone Decorations: Express.

Hair, Nails & Makeup: Proffessionally Done by a Friend (who is a Hairdresser).

This was in Toronto, CANADA (Ontario) for My First Cousin's Engagement Dinner Party which felt like an intimate, elegant, small wedding. It was a grand, lavish, beautiful event and coincidentally, not just myself, but two of my first cousins and a friend of my cousin's fiance were all wearing one-shoulder/assymetric cocktail dresses. Great minds think alike, no? The place we dined at was intimate and beautiful inside out (as the photos attest) and the restaurant was sorrounded by some fun shops, too. This was the last Saturday of September and it was low to mid 50 Fernhait Degrees so I'd say pretty damn chilly (and it didn't help that I was fighting a cold/flu at the time). But I still managed to look nice, thanks to a pretty dress and thanks to a helpful friend that helped me with my hair and makeup. =) I had a Flower theme going with my floral-print dress, flowers in my purse, ring, bracelet and rosette-adorned pumps. ;-)

Silk Chiffon, Green Floral-Print, One-Shoulder Dress: Armani Exchange.

Black, Cropped Cardigan: The Limited.

Turquoise, Rosette Clutch: Express.

Pearl/Rhinestones Flower Bracelet + Pearl/Rhinestones Flower Matching Ring: Forever 21.

Dangly, Tear-Drop, Gold/Green/Orange Rhinestone Earrings: Forever 21.

Black Suede Pumps with Rosettes: Fioni Nights.

Hair & Makeup: Myself with the Help of a New Friend.

Multi-Color Print, Spaghetti-Strap, Fun Dress: H&M.

Silver Cone-Heel Pumps with Colorful Stones: Nine West.

Black Necklace with Sparkling Silver Star: Mervyn's California.

Dangly Earrings with Purple Stones: I don't know. LOL

Silver & Black Cuff: White House Black Market.

Stretchy Pearl Bracelet + Pearl Cocktail Ring: Forever 21.

Silk Big Bow, Black Headband: Club Monaco.

Hair & Makeup: Me, Myself & I.

V-Neck, Fitted, Sexy LBD: Express:

Silver & Black Stilettos with Rhinestone Square Buckle: Nine West.

Stud Pearl Earrings + Pearl Ivory, Silver & Black Choker: Express.

Cocktail Rings: 1 - Banana Republic & 1 - Forever 21.

Black & Silver Cuff + Feathery Black Headband: White House Black Market.

Silver Bangle: Forever 21.

Hair: By Marsi's Cousin in Law (who is a Hairdresser).

Makeup: By Me.

These two dresses were for the same wedding - the wedding of one of my closest, oldest, best friends. I have been friends with her for almost quarter of a century since first grade. She finally found the man of her dreams. Her husband and Marsi (my friend) live in Maryland, near Baltimore. That's where the wedding was too. I had taken 5 dresses with me for the weekend. I figured I would wear one for the day activities on Friday (we had a luncheon with the groom's family), one for the Rehearsal Dinner also on Friday, and two for the actual wedding on Saturday, I would switch the dress from the Church Ceremony to the more relaxed, easy-going Reception. And I even had a dress to spare. ;-) However, the Friday lunch was very easy and relaxed, while I didn't have time nor did I find the right place to switch dresses on Saturday, since the Reception was done like a cute picnic outside in a big, green park next to trees and a river. The first dress is a geometric-print, spaghetti-strap, cute and sassy mini from H&M and this I wore to the Rehearsal Dinner which was held at a Jordanian Restaurant Down-Town Baltimore. The second dress is a fitted V-Neck Black Sheath, right above the knee, with a modest but sexy criss-cross strappy back, from Express and I wore this for the Saturday wedding, from church to the reception. ;-)

Below enjoy some photos from the picturesque Reception and Ambiance that sorrounded this Hot Mid-July Wedding in a hot & humid day. The nature around me was soooooo beautiful I couldn't resist. However pardon the runny makeup and some sweat. =D

Last but not least...

This was another wedding, the first of 4 summer weddings I attended this year. This wedding was on June 17th and a good, close friend of mine - Anda - got married. Just 8 days ago on December 12, she gave birth to a beautiful, little baby boy. He was supposed to be a New Year's Eve baby, however he came 3 weeks earlier - the best Christmas Gift two happily-in-love newlyweds can have, right!? =) Unfortunately because we live so far I haven't seen Anda since this wedding and I missed her baby shower due to work (I found out kind of last minute), but I plan on visiting their little family soon after New Year's, and shower both Mom & Baby with some beautiful presents!! Anyway, my mom LOVED how I looked that evening. She said I hadn't looked that pretty, put-together, elegant and chic in a while and she loved my deep dark cherry red dress. This is the blondest my hair has been since 2003 when I got a ton of Blonde and Platinum Highlights. I had fun with it for the summer, but I am back to being a dark brunette, now. =) The blonde hair looked great curled up, too and that's thanks to my first cousin (my little sister) Gloria who is so talented when it comes to hair & makeup.

Burgundy-Red, Petal-Front, Silk, Strapless Dress: The Limited.

Long Dangly, Gold & Rhinestone Earrings: Bebe.

Champagne-Bronze Clutch Purse and Matching Peep-Toe Pumps with Side Bows: Nine West.

2 Crystal Bangles (on right hand): Swarovski.

Gold & Rhinestone Bracelet (on left hand): Express.

Red Toenails: By Me.

Hair & Makeup: (BEAUTIFULLY Done) by Gloria.

P.S. It took over two weeks for me to post this blog. That's right I started writing it (and got to the first dress description) last Sunday on December 12th. I am THAT BUSY that I only got to finish it today after Midnight on early Tuesday morning on December 21st. But (in my defense) this is a real long & detailed blog. =D