Gleam // Milwaukee: Retique, Candide, Ristorante Bartolotta

Dress: I Can Dig It Striped Midi Dress from Traffic People

Tights: Snag 

Boots: Fluevog, Light: Canopus

All Jewelry: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I found this Traffic People dress on Poshmark for $12! It was $140 new. It's a size small & I took a chance on it because the seller said it ran big, & it does. It's also a bit of an awkward fit as the material is burlap weight, so it doesn't drape nicely...but there is gold glitter woven throughout & of course I adore that. I think I will look for a wide gold glittery belt to give it a better shape & help it lay nicer because I really love all the colors in it. 

And it goes perfectly with these Fluevog boots.

Every time I wear these I'm reminded that I want to antique gold rub 'n buff the buckles...the metal heel caps are copper...I wonder why they didn't match the buckles to those?

I found the matching necklace & bracelet years apart & the seller of the bracelet threw in similar earrings (& a ring). 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Torch & Lucky; Hold 'Em, Bud, Rustler, & Tex eyeshadow by UD; NYX lipliner in Pumpkin; Hypnotic Rust lipstick from Make Up For Ever, & OPI nail polish in Deutsch You Want Me Baby?

If you click on the photo below to make it bigger, you can see the gold glitter a bit. I first wore this dress to go to Gleam at Olbrich Gardens with my girlie. Every year they have new artists do light installations & it's always fun to walk around the place at night. 

What's behind the door?

Elephant! Dancing on the pads lights up the flowers. Disco balls! 

I've never owned a disco ball...that needs to change.

Bezzers! 

Mushrooms & spiders...oh, my!

I think this firework display at the end was my favorite...it was the one I'd most want in my front yard. 

The second time I wore this dress was to go to Milwaukee with David a few weeks after my surgery...so I'm wearing compression garments & protecting my incisions with maxi pads...very glamourous. David grabbed us coffee at Likewise, then met me at Retique. We are so predicable. Someone knit that autumnal cardigan & used leaves for the buttons. 

For some reason, David was in love with those striped pants he found me...I'm hoping they fit better once the swelling goes down in my thighs. Usually David only finds a handful of things for himself, but on this day...we found a ton of fun things for him too. 

After our fantastic thrifting expedition, we walked down the block to see a matinee performance of Candide. We'd been to the Broadway Theatre Center to see other plays, but never in this theatre...so pretty!

The room we usually see plays in is plain, but not this place. It was a very colorful musical. We really enjoyed the first half, but didn't love the ending. 

We tried another new to us place for dinner, Ristorante Bartolotta. They were doing a tour of Italy, a different city every 4 weeks...it was Firenze (Florence) during our visit. What a charming old building. We began with cocktails...for me, Scura Tempestá (Grand Marnier, ginger beer, lime, Angostura) & for David, a Metropolitan (house blackberry vodka, Triple Sec, Chambord, lime)...both excellent. 

There were 3 courses, plus dessert...each section had 5 things to pick from & as usual, David & I shared it all. For Antipasti we chose Polpette di Pollo e Ricotta alla Pommarola (Chicken-ricotta meatballs in tomato velouté. These meatballs are a signature dish of "Trattoria Cibreo," an iconic restaurant in Florence, known for its traditional Tuscan cuisine.) & Crostini Neri al Vin Santo con Salvia Fritter (rustic chicken liver & vin santo crostini with fried sage). Prima was Penne "Alla Vecchia Bettola" (pasta quills with a tomato, cream, & vodka sauce with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Alla Vecchia Bettola (Old Tavern) is a well-known trattoria, a favorite spot of true Fiorentini. Far from the tourist areas, this local restaurant serves traditional Florentine & Tuscan cuisine. Penne alla Bettola is the signature pasta of this local icon) & Pappardelle al Ragù d'Anitra (wide ribbon pasta with slow-braised duck ragù & parmigiano). That duck ragù was one of the best things that ever happened to us...when we told our server that, they let us know that we could also order risotto (not on the menu) with that on top, so that's what we got next.

Drinks in-between...David ordered an Aria D'Alpeggio (Montanaro Liquore di Camomilla Grappa, Island Orchard Brut Apple Cider, lemon simple syrup, fresh lemon) & I chose an Italian Old Fashion (Vecchia Romagna brandy, Fernet-Branca, Luxardo cherry, orange). Secondi: Peposo alla Fornacina dell'Impruneta (Beef shin slowly braised in Sangiovese with garlic & black peppercorns with roasted apple...there was a very long story about this dish). 

Seppioline e Gamberi in Zimino (pink shrimp & baby cuttlefish braised in tomato, garlic, white wine, & chard with grilled bread). And finally, Dolci: Classico tiramisu' del Ristorante Bartolotta del 1993 (our signature version of this classic dessert of layered mascarpone mousse, Savoiardi cookies, espresso, cacao) & Budino di Mou Salato (chilled sea salt caramel pudding with dark chocolate ganache)...& a Caffé Corretto to top it all off (Illy normale espresso, Expré liquor, Fernet-Branca). What a delightful meal...that's 2 times now that we've had excellent Italian food in Milwaukee. We mentioned that to our server & apparently the owner/chef at Sorella started out at this restaurant. 

Our Retique haul...5 of my items were green tagged, which was the 50% off color of the week. 2 pairs of leopard shoes...both of which David picked out for me. Look at that mound of clothing (mostly shirts) David got!