2 Igigi Surprises

 Dress: Chantelle in Heliotrope from Igigi via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month)

Sandals: Dansko

Jewelry: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

The greatest thing about Gwynnie Bee is being able to take a chance on things you would never otherwise consider. I have been enjoying discovering new brands, but even more...I have been loving trying all the dresses from my favorite brand, Igigi, that I would never dream of buying because they just don't seem like a me thing. Like this purple dress. I wasn't expecting to like it and even when I got it I thought, eh, it's ok, looks like a bridesmaid dress. But then I wore it to work and got compliments on it...then I saw the photos above and really liked how vibrant the color was and how it popped with my hair (and that yellow desk! I NEED a yellow cardigan!!) and I changed my mind. I also really loved the lace on this, especially in the v-neck...lacy sophisticated cleavage. Of course it was also comfortable, well-made, & lined. I am just in love with Igigi.

I also wore this dress out for dinner & drinks with my girlie. We tried 2 new drinks from Merchant's fall drink menu. I had A Girl Named Isabel, which was made with- Ansac Cognac, orange juice, house-made Creme de Cacao, Green Chartreuse, & lemon juice. It is going on the list I keep in my iPhone of 'Merchant Drinks I Love'. Kate had a Calypso, which was made with- Ron Abuelo 7 year Rum, El Dorado 12 year Rum, Fever Tree Ginger Beer, maple syrup, house-made Demarara syrup, lime juice, & egg whites. I thought it tasted like a much more delicious version of a Dark & Stormy. 

Kate is also wearing a top from Igigi via Gwynnie Bee that she was surprised she liked. In fact, she liked it so much she bought it! Looking cute at wine tasting after dinner at Square Wine where we tasted 7 delicious wines from Walla Walla, WA. My favorite was the Waters Tremolo at only $40 a bottle and not the $130 pretty bottle in the box on the end (which was also tasty). 

Our final destination for the evening was Garner Park to watch "The Princess Bride". The last time Kate & I were there for Opera in the Park, we rolled down the hill. 

This time, there was no rolling, but there was twirling...

Grape Picking on The First Day of Fall

Top: Lane Bryant

Skirt: Vintage Silk Sari Wrap Skirt by Enwrapture Vintage

Sandals: Born Crown

Jewelry: Made by Me

Photography: Kate & Me

Sunday was the most gorgeous first day of fall you could wish for and Kate & I took advantage of this by going grape picking at Mitchell Vineyard. Kate had contemplated taking a wine making class from them, but this year we decided to just pick various varieties of grapes to bring home to snack on. If we had wanted to, we could have used their crushers & presses to smoosh our grapes...but they were so tasty on their own! 

Confession time...I have over 20 of these vintage silk sari wrap skirts in my closet. And about 50 brand new, still in their packaging, on my 3 season porch (along with all the other things I don't have a place for...second piano, antique sewing machine/cabinet, antique blue horsehair chair, mirrors, lamps, dead mice...). So, if anyone needs a beautiful skirt of their very own...I've got some for sale. You are supposed to be able to tie these in 100 different ways, but I have only worn mine as a skirt 3 different ways and as a dress 2 ways. Obviously, I love them. 

Kate is wearing an Igigi polka dot top (if you look closely, the top layer of my skirt is also polka dotted) in black with pink dots. I should have gotten close up pictures of her grape picking appropriate jewelry...she is wearing a vintage grape pin to hold her top closed and a vintage grape bracelet...both gifts from me. 

We considered going to a farm to pick raspberries after this, but one fruit a day is enough. It was a completely lovely outing, until I got stung by a wasp that got trapped in my skirt. I think it was a wasp. It was not a fuzzy flying pig (those are bumble bees, right?). 

Versailles Dress by Igigi

 Dress: Igigi

Sandals: Born Crown

Jewelry: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo

I wore this dress to Kate's wine tasting Saturday evening. The girlie didn't drink at all when I met her and now she has a cellar with over 1,000 bottles of tasty wine. One of the reasons for this tasting was to try out her new toy, the Coravin. It has a thin needle that goes into the cork and extracts the wine so you can drink as much as you want without oxidizing the bottle. It was quite an amazing gadget & we came home with 2 bottles of wine we sampled that are now in our wine rack and can be opened whenever we want. How fabulous is that?

I bought this dress from Igigi back in the spring, but have never worn it because I thought it was a tad tight, so I got it in the size up from Gwynnie Bee and it fit perfectly. I LOVE this dress. It reminds me of a dress I had in high school which is what drew me to it. It's lined, well made, & feels lovely on. These pictures were taken at the very end of the night...perhaps we should have snapped them first thing. 

Tracey Dress from Igigi

Dress: Igigi via Gwynnie Bee (click on link to get a free month)

Sandals: Dansko

Jewelry: Babil & Bijou

Photography: Super Boo

This was today's work outfit (with minimal make-up). I requested this dress because it's from Igigi and I love their dresses, but I thought the chances were good I wouldn't wear it out of the house. There was a lot of feedback on this dress from others that stated they felt it was frumpy, I disagree. I thought the cut & wide band around the bodice were flattering and like all Igigi dresses, it's well made. It's a perfect dress to wear to work because it doesn't show off any cleavage and is lined so it doesn't cling. My issue with this dress is that these are not colors I feel are flattering on me, but it's fun to wear things that take me out of my comfort zone. I thought the navy & tan combination was an interesting one and I really like the pattern. Also, it gave me the chance to wear these Dansko sandals one more time before sandal season comes to a close. They were a gift from my Super Boo and they are like walking on clouds. Did you notice I colored my hair? 

Feels Like Fall

Dress: Avenue

Cardigan: Avenue

Camisole: Lane Bryant

Leggings: Roamans

Sandals: Born

Jewelry: Babil & Bijou

Photography: Super Boo

It felt like fall today & this seemed like a good Monday outfit to wear to work, comfortable and layered.  I love all the colors in this cotton sundress. I'd love to buy some fun fabric from Spoonflower and make a few more of these dresses, but I don't know how to sew shirring/smocking with elastic...perhaps someday I will learn. The only downside to cotton is that it wrinkles and I do not iron, as you can see.

A close up of the lovely jewelry made by Samantha from a variety of vintage bits and bobs, including the fabulous centerpiece of the necklace which is a souvenir of the 1898 Milwaukee Carnival. She is one of my favorite jewelry designers I found through etsy. 

Lucy Maxi Dress in Coral Abstract from SWAK

Dress: SWAK via Gwynnie Bee (use link to get your first month free)

Cardigan: Lane Bryant

Sandals: Born

Jewelry: Vintage

Photography: Kate

I wore this dress to the Saturday Farmer's Market on the square. I got up late, so no shower or make-up here. I was not a big fan of this dress. It was extremely comfortable, but sooo very long (notice I had to tie a knot on one side to keep from tripping on it). I am 5'7" & this maxi dress drug on the ground for me just like the other SWAK maxi dress. I was also not a fan of the pattern or colors in this dress, and the thin spaghetti straps showed my bra when I wore it without the cardigan. 

Carly Dress from Igigi

Dress: Igigi via Gwynnie Bee (use this link to get a free month)

Sandals: Dansko

Cardigan: Avenue 

Vintage Flower Jewelry: Wendy Baker

Photography: Super Boo

I am in love with this dress! The coral color is so very lovely and unusual. I have not seen this color combination on the Igigi site, and I'm sure I didn't miss it because as much as I love Igigi's clothing, my biggest complaint about them is their lack of warm colors...everything comes in shades of blue and purple...and I want coral, pumpkin, brown, moss, deep red, burgundy...warmth! This dress was incredibly comfortable, but a bit big in the shoulder/arm area, so I'd go down a size in this. It is well made and the fabric feels wonderful and is a good weight to wear on its own in the summer and will transition to colder temperatures nicely with the addition of a cardigan. 

I wore this stunning dress to see RuPaul's Drag Race Tour: Battle of the Seasons at The Barrymore Theatre in Madison, as well as to attend an outdoor production of Too Many Husbands at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green. The pictures we took at the play turned out much better, so they are the ones I used. 

Gwen Maxi Dress from SWAK (Sealed With A Kiss)

Kate and I went to see The Psychedelic Furs last night, so we decided we needed to be "Pretty in Pink." I remember the first album I got by them when I was 14, and 2 years later seeing the Molly Ringwald movie in the theater. I wore all pink to that movie too, including my stockings and shoes. So, obviously, I was excited to see them live all these years later!

This SWAK dress was incredibly comfortable, but LONG. I am 5'7" and this dress swept the ground. I had to hold it up when I walked like in the photo above, which I wasn't able to do when I was carrying a drink in each hand at the venue and trying to walk down some stairs to bring them to Kate, hoping I wouldn't trip & fall. It's too bad, because I liked everything else about this dress. The pattern was fantastic and the fit & colors were flattering, I felt very pretty in this pink dress...a color I have not worn in decades.

Kate wore a dress she'd just gotten from Igigi, which I seemed to think was more flattering on her than she did. I think she has the perfect body, so everything looks good on her...except for some purple velvet pants I made her try on at Lane Bryant over a decade ago.

Haute Cold Shoulder Dress from Kiyonna

This was the dress I was most looking forward to from my first Gwynnie Bee box (sign up for a free month here). However, it turned out to be my least favorite and I didn't wear it out of the house. Had I gotten it in a different box that didn't include another black with white polka dot dress, I most certainly would have worn it. This would be a fantastic dress for showing off any upper arm tattoos. For years I have wanted to get a 1/2 sleeve farmer's market tattoo on my right arm of all the wonderful vegetables & fruits available at our Madison farmer's markets throughout the seasons. Some day. 

Whimsy Wrap Dress/Flirty Flounce Wrap Dress from Kiyonna

This turned out to be my favorite dress from my first Gwynnie Bee box (get a free month here). I have gotten dresses from Kiyonna in the past (several years ago) and while I thought they were well-made, they all had a heavy 70s polyester appearance that made me feel frumpy. Not this dress though. I felt beautiful & sexy in it and when I first wore it to work, I got several compliments in the first 10 minutes. This is a true wrap dress, is unlined, and is a nice medium weight fabric. I thought it looked fabulous with these gorgeous GREEN vintage baubles my wonderful Super Boo got me (as a surprise) from the lovely and talented Wendy Baker. 

I liked this dress so much that both Kate & I decided to order it from Kiyonna (she ended up getting hers in solid red). I am excited to own this dress as it will be a dress that I can wear all year round, and also because I don't have any polka dot dresses. As autumn approaches, I look forward to wearing this dress with a ruffled red cardigan and my shiny red Dansko shoes. 

Jean Maxi Dress from Igigi

After joining Gwynnie Bee (sign up for a free month here), I decided I needed to finally start a fashion blog. If you've never heard of it, Gwynnie Bee is like Netflix for clothes. They send you items you've put in your closet and you get to wear and keep them as long as you like! You send the clothing back when you want new outfits and they do the washing and it gets sent out for someone else to enjoy. I LOVE it!

This dress by Igigi was in my first Gwynnie Bee box and I wore it to the Saturday farmer's market and brunch afterwards with my girlie, Kate (who is also the photographer for this entry). I treasure every dress I've bought from Igigi over the years, they are all well-made, flattering, and gorgeous. However, I would have never considered this dress if it were not a rental. I dislike abstract prints and dresses with solid tops and patterned bottoms. How wrong I was. I felt pretty in this dress and the colors are beautiful. Kate told me it looked like a watercolor and if I wasn't already her best friend and she saw me walking down the street in this dress, she'd ask if she could be my best friend.

I am wearing this dress in size 26/28, which is typically the size I wear in Igigi, however, I think I might like this better in a size smaller. I was not even aware it had a side zipper until I read another review and when I looked for it I realized I had a few inches of fabric to spare. This dress is sooo incredibly comfortable and it's lined, so I never had to worry I was flashing anyone when I sat down which is something I worry about when wearing dresses that wrap. To me, the only down side to this dress is the double top. The top layer wrinkles slightly and is a bit loose which makes it look a touch sloppy. Also, my boobs look a lot bigger here than they really are because of this. I may try this in a 22/24 to see if that solves some of those issues. The under layer of the top and the skirt stayed fresh and wrinkle free. I felt it was a good length for a maxi dress on me (I'm 5'7"), but would not have wanted it to be any shorter. Looking at these pictures, I realize I would be sad if I never got to wear this dress again, so back in my Gwynnie Bee closet it goes in a size smaller. I'll take pictures and give an updated report of how that changes things.