Showing posts with label gateway-gems. Show all posts

Mardi Gras Madness

A Mardi Gras look from years past, wearing my mom's vintage leather coat.

In addition to having a World Champion baseball team and hosting the late Alexander McQueen's special exhibit "A QueenWithin," St. Louis is home to the 2nd largest Mardi Gras celebration in the country, rivaled only by the New Orleans' festivities. Despite frigid temps, every year scores of locals and out-of-towners head down to Soulard for beads, hurricanes, floats, the occasional "flash" (use your imagination), more hurricanes, and tasty eats. In my wilder days (OK, fine, last year), I was part of the minions, hopelessly trying to locate random intersections to connect with friends, who of course could not hear their cell phones - not that I could hear mine, or trying to sneak into that gloriously warm house party hosted by a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend. In a strange way, it's always kinda fun! If you're braving the insanity this year, here's some style advice from a native:

1. Layers, layers, layers. It will be cold, and you'll be outside for hours. Gulping hurricanes may make you giggle, but will not warm you up. Trust me. My foolproof tactic to avoid shivers? Tights or leggings underneath jeans, hurricanes optional.

2. No heels or overly nice shoes. Mardi Gras involves a ton of walking, and this is a rare time where I'd advise you to put "comfort" near the top of your shoe criteria. Intoxicated revelers + outdoor food = disgusting pavement.

3. Don't forget gloves and a hat, but enough stacked beads can double for a scarf.

4. Go all out. You'll have a large and forgiving audience for your outfit, so if you've got a costume-y hat or day-glow feather boa, wear it!

Ruby's not quite ready for Mardi Gras, so we won't be going this year. What about you - what are you going to wear? Here's what I would wear underneath my coat:

OUTFIT DEETS: Alice Olivia purple sweater / Pull&Bear blue jeans/ Lace up booties / ASOS crossbody handbag / Leather glove Brave Soul panda hat

2 comments Alice + Olivia, ASOS, Brave Soul, fashion, gateway-gems, outfits, polyvore, stl-style, style, style-counsel

Revenge Wears Prada

I recently watched one of my favorite movies for the upteenth time: The Devil Wears Prada. Watching Andy's transformation into the couture outfits is truly inspiring. I got really excited when I realized that I could re-create one of the looks: the black and white outfit she wears while contemplating going to Paris. OK, my outfit is not Chanel (or any designer for that matter) but it's pure Carmen. :)

Shirt: H&M; Sweater: Macy's; Leggings: Hue; Shoes: Steve Madden; Earrings: Claire's; Neckace: Vintage

This summer, Lauren Weisberger, author of The Devil Wears Prada came to St. Louis to promote the juicy sequel, Revenge Wears Prada! The event was sponsored by Alive Magazine and Left Bank Books. Despite having their name in her bestselling book titles, Weisberger admitted that she is still awaiting her swag from Prada. Spoilers are one of my pet peeves so I won't give anything away except to say this: the old characters' lives - even Miranda Priestly's - take unexpected turns in Revenge Wears Prada.

Ms. Weisberger was sweet enough to sign my book and dedicate it to Ruby (AKA Future Fashionista) while she was still in my belly!

Leave a Comment gateway-gems, outfits, stl-style

St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards Nominee!

Super exciting news: The Ruby Zipper was nominated for a St. Louis Blog Fashion Blog Award in the categories of "Best Newcomer" and "Best Personal Style!" It feels amazing to be recognized for doing something I love and to be among the small but mighty fashion community in STL! Meet all the nominees here!

Want to attend see which bloggers win awards this week? You can purchase tickets here (enter code SUPPORT for $5 off!). The details:
*What: Saint Louis Fashion Week Kickoff Party & Blog Awards
*Where: Three-Sixty St. Louis 1 S. Broadway 63102
*When: Thursday, September 19 - Doors open 6pm, Awards at 7pm, Doors open to GA at 8pm

As a bonus, The Ruby Zipper is giving away 2 FREE TICKETS to the party! To be entered in the contest, simply comment below. Winners chosen at random on Wednesday 9/18. Good luck and hope to see you there! Now, I've got to work on getting my outfit together. . . [NOW CLOSED]

2 comments gateway-gems, stl-style

Missouri Fashion Week

For the first Gateway Gem feature, I'm giving you the scoop on the inaugural Missouri Fashion Week! (Not to be confused with St. Louis Fashion Week, which I will be attending next month. Yes, St. Louis is sparkling with so much style that we now have another major fashion week!) The 4-day extravaganza featured hip hop performances, 20 talented designers, and several local vendors. MOFW was held at The Moto Museum, an ultra-cool space surrounded by motorcycles and biker-inspired outfit creations. For my first official "VIP experience," I was treated to a swag bag of coupons, chocolate, and cute flip-flops.

Night 1: Pronto!

The first evening of was a tribute to St. Louis' long-running Pronto Fashion Show. The show started with an explosive dance performance by "choreographer to the stars" Wizdom Truth. Next, looks from 7 designers graced the runway. My personal fave was RFD by Rachel Frank's line showcasing feathers, leather and animal-themed headdresses. Wearable? No. Innovative and showstopping? Absolutely!

For my outfit, I selected a spicy satin minidress from Women's Closet Exchange. Not only did I score it for a ridiculous price ($29.99, marked down from $220), I love how it tastefully covers my baby bump and is still short and sassy. I also donned my sparkly stilettos. Cute before comfort!
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Night 4: Biker Chic

I missed Thursday and Friday nights due to other obligations, but was amped for the MOFW finale. After another energetic Wizdom Truth dance performance, the "Biker Chic" themed-show featured 4 designers. I appreciate the inherent coolness and versatility of anything leather, but am not much of a sporty spice. So, my favorite pieces of the night were more glam. Daniel Jolivette showed an amazing white leather dress. I was also blown away by a black coat from Haus by Sierra Moses that had sparkly puffed sleeves. My overall verdict of the event? A resounding, fashionable success!

Saturday's outfit went through a few revisions before I decided to nix my original plan of wearing a sparkly tube top and black pants. Instead, I wore the tube top as a skirt and topped it with a studded white blouse. Gold flats and purse provided finishing touches.

Me & my haute husband!

One Dress, Endless Possiblities

A Dress By Any Other Name. . .

Style challenge: how many looks can you get from one basic A-line dress? By changing jewelry and shoes of course, the possibilities are endless. But what if you want the style the dress to look like an entirely different item of clothing? That's where the fun really begins!

Dresses make sweet skirts. The secret is to completely cover the upper half of the dress with another top. Crewneck, v-neck tops, and cardigans buttoned all the way up can work for this illusion. Keep your outfit polished by avoiding tops that are too long or loose-fitting. My favorite way to make a seamless dress-to-skirt transformation is to wear a tie-front top.

Another idea is to convert your short dress into a tunic. All you need for this style trick is to wear the dress over a pair of leggings. Whether you choose a solid hue or a bold pattern (like florals, graphic or global prints), the comfort of leggings is an added bonus!

Jumpers are equal parts chic and adorable. To make your dress look like a jumper, simply put it over a button-up blouse or long-sleeve top. In warmer months, try wearing a sleeveless A-line dress over a short-sleeved blouse. Bonus style points for pairing the dress with a statement collar top.

Want more tips? Check out my TV segment on maximizing an LBD on KSDK's "Show Me St. Louis" right here!