Links à la Mode: Our Difference Unite Us

Our Differences Unite Us

Edited by Fashion Pulse Daily

Coming off of Ashe Mischief's Independent Fashion Blogger's Post (Good Cop/Bad Cop: Participating in Links a la Mode), you all brought your A-game in posting the links a la mode -- which made it extra hard to edit! This week, the theme that I saw emerging throughout the posts is one of celebrating our unique diversity; each site has a different take and approach to fashion, art, beauty, media, lifestyle, music - you name it! From the dry shampoo trials at Dramatis Personae to Le Petite Cecile's observations regarding the bleached eyebrow trend, you all brought a new perspective to each topic at hand, a sign that indicates how wonderful and creative the blogosphere truly is. Get even more excited for Halloween with cmykaboom and Idiosyncratic Style costume suggestions that are sure to make you smile, along with DenimDebutante's discovery of the "zipholder". All in all, one things' for certain: we've got an amazing community of bloggers!

As expected, there was a fabulous round-up of links in the forum as well, all worthy of your eyeballs!

Links à la Mode : October 29th

• Clutch 22 -A Blogger's Fairytale - The Making of Seattle Indie Designer Jesica Milton's "Jordie" Dress


• cmykaboom -Halloween Hauteness: Top Ten Halloween Costume Ideas


• Dramatis Personae - The Dry Shampoo Trials (Part 1)


• DenimDebutante - The Zipholder


• Fashion Pulse Daily -Favorite New Eco-Find: the Cool Indie Designer Eco Duds at Green is Black


• ferOHHHsh - To Ugg or not to Ugg?


• girl friday -A Guide to Styling & Buying Scarves.


• Idiosyncratic Style - Stylish Last Minute Halloween Ideas


• Independent Fashion Bloggers - Good Cop/Bad Cop: Participating in Links a la Mode


• Le Petite Cecile - To Bleach or not to Bleach, That's the Question.


• Lillys Garden - Dirndlpunk ROCKS


• Mama Fashionista -- So What if I'm a (Perfume) Slut?


• Prom Mafia -Warning:This Image has been Photoshopped: Should a Disclaimer be Used on Photoshopped Models?


• Oranges & Apples -Flats or High Heels? Investigating Shoes that are Both Comfortable and Stylish


• Queen Gilda: Thesis Collection: Sketching, Fabric Choices, and Final Edits


• Retro Chick -Style Snapshot - 10 Questions with Eyeliah of Style Symmetry


• The COVETED -Learning More About Vintage from The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping


• The Demoiselles -- Pay Homage to the Classic Graphic T-Shirt


• Think Thru Fashion - Behind the Scenes at a MAC Halloween Photo Shoot


• Vue Society - RTW + Alterations vs. Custom Made


• Workchic - Shoe Smitten Shows Workchic Readers the Best Tall Boots for Those with Hard to Fit Calves

What I Want Now: My Five Favorite Embellished Flats

Even though my feet rebel against wearing flats (bad arches), I figure that if I have to wear flats - I might as well wear a really fab pair. I am in love with embellished flats. Add a great pair of jeans, a crisp white tee under a suede or velvet blazer and you have yourself a great weekend outfit. Here are my five favorites:

Harper by Kate Spade, $275.00


Randi by Elizabeth and James @ Piperlime.com, $235.00


Simba by Apepazza @ Zappos.com, $119.00


Cinda by Zigi Soho @ DSW.com, $44.95


Dolce & Gabbana @ Endless.com, $945.00

What I Want Now: Sexy, Sexy @ Bebe

Totally lovin' the Vintage Glam lingerie set (bustier and boy shorts sold separately) at Bebe.

Creating A Weekend Outfit on Shmotter: Having A Few Drinks with the Girls

Mashable.com had a post yesterday on a new outfit generating site called Shmotter (it is the new Polyvore). . So I checked it out and can I just say that I was on there for two hours! As if I didn't have posts to prepare. But here's one of my lovely outfits that I created. Wear it to step out with your girls for a few drinks. If it gets too hot (wink, wink), you can surely take off that sweater. You can check me out on Shmotter, my ID is stylish_in_dc (what else!?!). See you there.

Details: Sweater: See by Chloe Metallic Waffle Knit Cardigan; Jumpsuit: ABS Black Strapless Jumpsuit with Belt; Clutch: Tory Burch Logo flap chain clutch; Shoes: Christian Louboutin Peep Toe Leopard Lady Claude; Necklace: Dolce & Gabbana Multi Chain Poodle Choker Necklace; Bracelets: Lanvin Ribbed Gold Plaque Bangles. Everything is available at Luisaviaroma, except the jumpsuit which is available at Chickdowntown.

DC Charity Event: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Happy Hour

Please join Team Pretty In Pink at their fundraiser for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. They are the top fundraising team in the DC area with over $7,000 raised so far, and they are hosting a fun evening of drink specials and raffles so they can raise even more for a cause that has touched so many of us. Visit Strides DC for more info about the walk or view our Facebook invitation here.

Hosted By Team Captain Samantha Sault and Team Members Ali Rendulic, Amanda Huntley, Catherine Daniel, Christina Lynch, Devin Alfano, Kari Barbic, Katherine Eastland, Kristina Baker, Elizabeth Fassbender, Erika Mattoon, Lauren McPartland, Rebecca Ballard, Samantha Mildenberg, Shannon Cline, Shannon McKenna, Susan Bahadori, and Valerie Hubbs

Deal of the Day: So So Sweet, Steve Madden

Sweetnes in black @ Steve Madden for $62.97.

Vintage Find of the Day: Bombshellshocked @ eBay

Here is a gorgeous vintage find of the day. Lucky for you girls, it is too small for me. Here are the specs:

Dress: Vintage 50s 80s Rhinestones Wiggle Cocktail Dress S M -
Item No: eBay item 130338633692
Auction Ends: end time Nov-18-09 16:26:17 PST
Bid Now

Deal of the Day: Victor Costa @ Foward by Revolve

The look of vintage by Victor Costa @ Forward by Revolve for $116.00.

PROMO: Get Your Go-Girl On! 15% Discount

Women are high maintenance. Even when we are not really trying to be. Because we put time and effort into looking good, our poor face and body need some TLC on a regular. Enter, Shop Go Girl. Shop Go Girl has those little things that can help you keep it all together. They have a range of products including nipple concealors, mini cosmetic brush sets, ear plugs, and ice packs. These were my favorites must haves but you can see their entire line here. As a Capitol Fashionista reader, get a 15% discount on your order. Enter Promo Code "TheCapitol" on checkout to receive your discount.

Heal-a-Heel (cutesy pink and white socks have a moisture zone in the heel area that helps to soften cracks and dryness)


Lint Sheets (no need for the bulky lint roller - this removes Hair, Lint, Fuzz and Dandruff)


Smudge Sponge (wipes away deodorant and powder smudges)


Oily Doily (these easy-to-tote blotting sheets can keep you shine-free all day)

What I Want Now: For The Love of Flowers, Ruffles, and Bows

I am totally obsessed with flowers, ruffles, and bows. So here are the things that I want now that feed right into my über girlie obsession.

Lilac Ruffled Tank @ J.Crew


Strapless Ruffle Dress by La Mixx @ 80's Purple


Stone Garden Necklace @ Anthropologie


Babydoll Top and Bloomers (sold separately) by Kiki de Montparnasse @ Net-a-Porter


Ruffled Silver Metallic Pump @ Ann Taylor


Metallic Rosette/Chiffon Bow Shell @ Ann Taylor


The Ruffled Celosia Sweater @ J. Crew


Bloom Flower Skirt by Malene Birger @ Les Nouvelles

PROMO: The Budget Fashionista Shows How Affordable Style Gets En Vogue

Affordable clothes are chic, in case you hadn’t already heard. The Budget Fashionista tells you all about it. Read the entire article here.

My Fab NYC Night Out @ The MS Weddings Magazine Celebration

Oddly enough, I wear two blogger hats. For the past three years, I have been (and still am) the Editor of The Bridal Wishlist. I am obsessed with all things weddings just as much as I am about fashion. I started it so that I could have a place to put all of the beautiful wedding-related things that I was coming across. After several years of hard work, perserverance, and dedication to finding the most beautiful things around, The Bridal Wishlist is number 15 out of over 500 wedding blogs. I am very proud. The Bridal Wishlist was the spring board for The Capitol Fashionista. The Capitol Fashionista grew out of my love for fashion and I needed to post things that were not right for my bridal audience. So we are celebrating our third year anniversary. Hooray for us!

The one thing that I totally love about wedding blogs is that the wedding industry has a great deal of respect for us. They see us as a legitimate part of the industry and have come to realize what power we have in getting the word out and shaping a bride's opinion which will eventually shape her wedding choices. I hope and pray that the fashion industry will catch on.

So I was invited to the 15th Anniversary of Martha Stewart's Weddings Magazine on Monday night. I was flabbergasted and very honored. Of course, in true fashionista style, I started to obsess about what I was going to wear!!! So I took the train up on Monday afternoon, checked into my hotel, tried to eat something to calm the jitters and pulled it together to get showered/dressed.

What a night!!! The Plaza Hotel is one of the most magnificent hotels in the world. Simply spectacular. After the sign-in table, there was table with a raffle sign-up, a guest book to leave Martha and company a little note about how the magazine has inspired you, and the lovely pipe cleaner lady. She made engagement rings for people out of pipe cleaners. I was too impatient to wait.

These banners lined the hallway. They are all of the covers over the past fifteen years. I was getting way giddy at this point. When you turned the corner, there was a photo shoot going on where you could take your picture on a Weddings magazine cover. I need to scan my pic and post it. Will do later.




This is the fabulous and amazing Darcy Miller, Editor of MS Weddings. She was telling the story about how she was asked to run the magazine. She was saying that she didn't have a clue about weddings. The deal was that if she was unhappy, she could go back to Living magazine. Needless to say, that never happened. Thank goodness. She has made an incredible impact on the way women plan their weddings.



These are just random pics of the night. I couldn't get a good picture of the food tables because they were packed pretty much all night.






These containers of the Blushing Bride, the Golden Groom and the Ginger Lemon Drop (my personal fav) were all around. The band was really good. They had folks dancing like it was club night!




The highlight of my night was meeting and taking a picture with Randy Fenoli, Kleinfeld's Fashion Director. You will know him as the man who will surely find your perfect wedding dress on TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress." I love him!! He was so nice. When he saw me pointing my camera at him, he stopped mid-sentence to give me permission to take his photograph. Then he asked someone to take my camera and take his picture with me. Love him!



These are pics of me and some of the lovely wedding blogger friends, including Anne from Perfect Bound and Kelly from Santa Barbara Chic.



Of course, the fashionista in me was checking the room for fab dresses. There were plenty of folks that missed the memo about THE PLAZA HOTEL!!!! Ladies, respect the venue, please. I could not believe that some folks had on jeans. Seriously, I was annoyed. There were plenty of fab dresses (including my fab Oasis dress if I must say so myself). I decided to pick the best dress of the night and this was it. There were some fab runners-up, but for me this was the most amazing dress. I thought it was a vintage dress, but it wasn't. It was the amazing design of Stephen Nato of Fancy. You guys know that I LOVE vintage anything. So this was definitely the dress of the night. Bellissimo, Stephen! What a night to remember.

Designer Spotlight: Suzanna Dai

Suzie Gallehugh is the creative force behind the Suzanna Dai collection. Obviously, she has thing for dramatic. With beautiful embellishments, including feathers, Gallehugh pushes the envelope to create a collection of statement jewelry with that vintage touch. The first piece is my favorite. See her entire collection at Stars + Infinite Darkness.

Vintage Spotlight: Ashley Grace Vintage

Last night I was watching "Cadillac Records" when I started to work on this post. They called their music "hoochy-coochy music." Love that. I love the 50s and 60s. Those are my favorite eras for vintage clothes. So Etta James and her hoochy-coochy style inspired this post. She was the epitome of a siren and she wore these amazing dresses. So when I saw these dresses at Ashley Grace Vintage, I knew that I had found the shop for my vintage spotlight. If you are looking for those dresses that will make you feel like the hotness that you are, these dresses will surely do that for you. Ashley Grace Vintage had a great selection of dresses, coats, and gorgeous handbags. So if you want the look of Etta or Joan or Betty, check out Ashley Grace Vintage.