were you looking for gold sequin bridesmaids dresses?

This lil Wren kimono dress is $98 down from $493. And every size is available. WTF?

All their dresses are on so much sale I'm worried someone is playing a joke on us....

Here's a sequin dress I can get behind.

Wren @ Of a Kind ($180 down from $462)

ARE YOU OUT THERE, DREAM TEAM?


Thank you, Jacqueline!!!

sequins for the dream team

Dear ESB,

One of my nearest and dearest is getting married in September. It's all happening on a piece of land by a river outside of the city where we live. She's decided to call her bridesmaids (of which I am one), "The Dream Team" which I find to be fucking awesome. 

Right now we're in the midst of finding dresses or top/skirt combos and are in a bit of a bind. The initial vision was really pretty corset tops (not too revealing of course) and high waisted skirts. Now we're thinking sequins/sparkles. We love these dresses, but can't find where they're from and we also assume they're a fuck ton of $$$. 

So here's Heidi Klum wearing the bride's dress. You can see it's super light and airy and didn't come with the belt. What do we do?

So we need your and your readers' help! We need to make a decision in the next couple weeks...

Sparkles? Sequins? Fun corset tops and beautiful high waisted skirts?

xo

*****

WILL THERE BE ELEPHANTS??????????????????

I believe this is the dress you're looking for.


Reese Witherspoon by Jonathan Van Meter for Vogue

THIS BABY doesn't need a matching band

Mid-1700s Diamond Cluster Ring from Erie Basin (obvs)

Seeking: Valentino heels (for a gazillionth less)

Hi ESB, 

So my FH and I are getting married at the end of October. Basically all I want is these shoes for a gazillionth of their actual price. We are getting married on a fruit farm with a little French style courtyard, cobbled stones and all. So, I love the idea of the midi heel on these Valentinos, plus I want to keep these babies on while dancing all night. And no, I don't have a dress yet - but I know it won't be white and it will most probably be an off the rail vintage lace thing.   

Here is the catch - I live in South Africa and since the rest of the world thinks that people in Africa don't do online shopping I can't get anything delivered here. But my salvation is that I will be spending about 3 months in Paris from April. So will the good people that read this here blog please scour the net for me? 

Thank you so kindly, 
Shoe-a-holic.

*****

Let me get this straight....... You're about to go to MOTHERFUCKING PARIS, but you want us to shop shoes for you on the internet??

Please Assess This Dress

Dear ESB,

After our destination wedding, we are having a welcome party/reception. I am contemplating this dress, but not sure if it is too prom-y. 

Thoughts?  

*****

Hahah I read that as "too PORN-y."

It's not too porn-y, but, since you brought it up, it does sorta look like a prom dress.

I found your wedding cardi

Zara sequins via Wit & Delight

Also: If you click over to Zara's main page, the partially-Patti-inspired lookbook/short is pretty excellent. (Even if Patti would never wear pumps with bows.)

But don't vintage clothes.... SMELL? (Sponsored by Monday's Child)

That's right, I have the coolest sponsors. On this bright and shiny Monday morning, I bring you a sponsored post from our lady Celia.

Hi folks! Assuming you're not completely over me after #BOOBSWEEK, I'm back to share my knowledge of vintage fashion, why you should consider wearing it if you don't, and why it's a fantastic option for your wedding. Now, before you go telling me that vintage clothes are just old rags that smell bad, let me school you a little. Thrifted clothes (which, I'll add, also have a special place in my heart) are what you're thinking of when you picture "old" and "smelly." But vintage, TRUE vintage, especially if it's been well preserved through the years, is quite the opposite of that. For those of you who aren't aware, I own an insanely rad collection of vintage clothes (if I do say so myself) that mostly comes from one woman's estate, and that happens to, believe it or not, NOT SMELL.

At this point, I've been wearing vintage for most of my life, and I'm not here to tell you that it's because I'm cooler or more vintage than you. I grew up going to private schools where I exclusively wore uniforms. "Free Dress" days are a pretty huge deal when you spend most days of your life wearing the same exact thing as the few hundred other kids you're constantly surrounded by. I discovered and became a fan of vintage because it was my way to stand out. If shopping at the mall meant looking like everyone else in non-uniform clothes, then I wanted absolutely nothing to do with places like The Gap and Contempo Casuals. I found individuality through wearing vintage, and it is why I still wear it today. When I saved every dime I had to buy myself a 1940s black satin gown for my prom, there was absolutely no fear of running into some other girl wearing the same exact dress. And on that note, don't think that vintage is so outside of the norm that it can only be outrageous or wacky. Although there are certainly many pieces that lean toward the more unique end of the spectrum, vintage can also be very simple and classic.

If you're new to the world of vintage, I understand that it can feel somewhat overwhelming. Simply put, if you get to understand the different eras and fit, vintage clothing starts to become a lot less intimidating. The first thing you should know right off the bat is that modern clothes are made to look good on hangers, whereas vintage clothes were made to look good on PEOPLE. Most vintage garments really don't come across so hot when they're just hanging in a shop or closet, so it's very important to give stuff a chance even if it looks stupid or unflattering. For the most part, it's impossible to tell how most vintage pieces are supposed to fit or lay until you literally put them on. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at a dress and thought there's no way I could ever sell it, and then been blown away once I slipped it onto a dress form. This would be an example of such a dress. When I pulled it out of storage, it looked like a tablecloth with sleeves, but was surprised to see that in reality, it had a lovely shape (it's not pinned anywhere on the form).

Also in regards to fit, a common complaint I've hear throughout the years is that vintage clothes run so much smaller, and generally speaking, this is true. HOWEVER, it is extremely important to remember that up until the 70s, women wore SERIOUS undergarments. And by SERIOUS, I mean that those ladies knew how to contain their wobbly parts and floppity milkers. Older pieces were made to be worn with these gut-cinching unmentionables, so always keep that in mind if you have it stuck in your head that vintage simply does not fit your body type. I'm not saying you have to invest in some Spanx, but you should at least consider it.

Alright, let's move onto the real reason I decided to write this post. Since this is a wedding blog, I'd like to share my brand spanking new BRIDAL selection with you guys. I think it's safe to say that most of you who read East Side Bride aren't exactly conventional brides planning conventional weddings. This is exactly why wearing vintage is such a brilliant choice for your wedding. You don't have to buy a traditional wedding gown to look like a bride. Shit, you don't even have to buy a traditional vintage wedding gown to look like a bride. As I've been digging through my collection in the past few months, I've come across a number of dresses that I would've LOVED to have been married in.

When it comes to wearing vintage for your wedding, the possibilities are endless. I think many brides fear the idea of looking dated in a vintage wedding gown, and I totally get it. Although that very classic look is stunning in its own way, it is definitely not a look that all brides can or may even want to pull off. But why not consider looking beyond typical wedding gowns? If you don't want to stray too far from the norm, there are a plethora of white/off-white/ivory vintage gowns and dresses out there that would work perfectly for a wedding. Also, make sure to keep in mind that all you need to modernize a vintage piece is to properly accessorize it. Personally, I find this to be one of the best examples of a bride WORKING a vintage dress, and managing to still look up-to-date.

If you're a more adventurous bride, color is always a great option. I find that brides who are willing to wear color tend to stick with pastels, but who says you can't go insanely bold and surprise all your guests? No one who matters, that's who.

Oh, and one last thing... make sure you don't forget about your awesome bridesmaids. After all the love and support they've provided, don't they deserve to look killer, too?

Thanks again for having me, guys. And don't forget, true vintage is timeless and gorgeous. Not smelly.

Do I give her advice or keep my mouth shut??

Dear ESB,

What do you do when one of your best friends (super creative, fashion-forward, beautiful, artist), recently engaged, just sent you a picture of her wedding dress and.... and you seriously thought it was a joke and waited a whole day for the "JK! Hahahaha" follow-up text message but it never came and turns out she's seriously going to wear that dress. With Toms shoes, to boot.

The dress was "a super great deal!!!" on a sale rack, and she is apparently obsessed with saving money on this wedding because her parents gave her a chunk of change for it, but instead of using the money on the wedding she wants to pocket it, so she is going major-low-budg on the wedding. As in, wants to not even serve the guests dinner.

So really my main worry is that she's going to cause some negative feelings when her guests travel across the country to celebrate her big day and then don't even get a hot meal! What are we supposed to do, run down the street to Chipotle before the dance?

Should I give her some advice here or shut my mouth?

-It's Her Party and She Can Starve Everyone if She Wants To.

*****

YOU HAVE TO TELL HER.

ALL OF IT.

Weirdly I am more upset about the fashion thing than the food thing. (I wish one of my friends had mentioned that the stupid $80 dress I bought off the sale rack was so. not. me. before I bought two pairs of shoes + a pair of earrings to go with it.)

Photo: Jeana Sohn for Wren

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO WEAR THIS SHOE

I am a lover of Tom's shoes and this shoe is amazing. You can wear it with jeans or something very dressy. Taking on a cruise and plan to wear them both ways. A lot of shoe for the money.

Dart, Houston
Age: over 64

behold my caftan

I am so not being not being sarcastic.

This baby is wending its way to me from Monday's Child as we speak. (Hello, do you see the PERSONAL DANGLING DISCO BALLS?)

But here's my question:

a) Should I rock My Caftan to all the holiday parties this year?* and b) If so, WTF SHOES DO I WEAR?
_______________________________

*If the answer is, "NO POLYESTER CAFTANS UNTIL AGE 65" I'd rly appreciated it if someone told me.

You asked for shoes, and I DID NOT DELIVER

Jun 1, 2011

Dear ESB,

I'm shoeless and it is a problem. I'm getting married to the best guy ever in October and I'm wearing a re-fashioned vintage gown. My dressmaker -- a superbly talented woman who specializes in vintage textiles -- is remaking an amazing peachy-lace 1930's form fitting gown for me by using parts of the lace from my mother's and grandmother's wedding dresses. The dress is sweet and sexy all at the same time.

The problem is I need to buy shoes now. The bottom of the dress is going to be very intricate and my dressmaker needs to know exactly how high my shoes will be before she starts creating this amazing, layered, lace-y gradated-peach waterfall.

At first I was thinking low heels, some sort of suede. But then I went shoe shopping yesterday and all I was attracted to were these gorgeous sky high pumps.

Can you help me find something vintage-inspired, sexy but not vixen, preferably not white (if the dress ain't white why should the shoes be?) and comfortable?

I remain in awe of your style,
Shoeless in Brooklyn.

*****

Aug 2, 2011

i am such an a*hole. did you find shoes??

****

Aug 25

You rock for following up. I did find shoes! Magically after searching every freaking store in New York City -- clearly an exaggeration but it felt like that -- at Century 21. I hate the place. It makes my skin crawl but I was desperate. In the sale section of the shoe department (that lawless area underground) I found a lonely pair of Dolce and Gabbana champagne colored peep toe pumps.

Then by a stroke of luck while at the Brimfield Antique Fair looking for some vintage rhinestone clip on earrings to spruce them up a bit I found shoe clips. Who knew they existed? They're perfect.

*****

(some more back and forth I won't bore you with)

*****

Dec 3, 2011

Voilá, photos of the shoes, with the dress, on my wedding day.

It was by far the best day of my life. I included a photo of Elm Court, the Vanderbilt Estate where we were lucky enough to have our weekend-long celebration. Now you see what I was up against, shoes to fit this place - not an easy task. 

What I ended up with went perfectly with my husband's navy tux and pink bow tie. Isn't he cute?

Everything about the day was amazing. The party got going early and the dance floor lasted for seven hours -- credit that to our rad DJ shipped up from NYC to Lenox, MA, our groovy friends and family and the many kegs of my husband's organic beer. Photos are by our photographer friends and family -- I'm a video journalist by trade and I'm lucky enough to have many pro-photo friends who snapped beautiful photos all night long. Love was most certainly in the air that day, it was a whirlwind of awesome. 

The day was perfectly us. I wish I could do it more than once -- with the same guy of course.

all the guys standing up there are BEYOND CUTE.

did anyone even notice the shoes??

Photos by Jon D'Auria, Jacob Krupnick, Jon Mancuso and Youngna Park

The Pre-engaged...who need to grow a pair.

Dear East Side Bride,

You helped me solve this dilemma. (Thank you, the wedding is still on course for January and my niece will wear some sort of tailored pantsuit with... old school Air Jordans. Heels were Not Going To Happen.)

But now I write to you thinking-hoping-praying that you will tell me to grow a pair and speak up for myself before my own wedding shenanigans begin.

I am pre-engaged. Mr. Fabulous is one semester away from his masters degree and we plan to get engaged somewhere around graduation and marry shortly afterwards. So it's common knowledge that we are on a course for marriage. I dated a lot of losers previously, seriously *I* should start a blog. So I am ever so happy I met a man who makes me smile, all I want to do is marry the crap out of him and have his babies. 

In my dating years I befriended a woman who had dated one of my exes. The dude is long gone, but we became friends. When she married her own Mr. Fabulous she asked me to be her bridesmaid and I said yes. Something I regret it, because even though I liked her I didn't feel I was a super-close friend worthy of being a bridesmaid. I just don't feel a closeness for her and most of the time I'm holding her at bay while she invades on too much of my life. She's moved in on making my friends her friends and I just allow it because it's easier to let her have her way than to say no. Last year she declared she was going to plan my birthday party, and yes I allowed it to happen.

There's this constant comparison thing she does that drives me crazy. When our mutual friend had a baby she asked "How many times have you seen the baby?" She compares our weight loss, our hair... (the last time I saw her she had cut her hair short and regrets it... so several times during the evening she kept touching my hair and admiring it. Really lady!!!??) She wanted to see pictures of men I dated and commented on if they were good-looking and asked about how much money they made. If it could be compared, she measures it. Perhaps the root of this is that she dated the same loser right after I did and he screwed her over several times in a year while I just dumped him after a few months.

With this new relationship blossoming I began to take inventory of my friendships and distanced myself from her. I did not want her involved with the details of how good things are going. She became Really Offended that she was not one of the first to meet my new guy.... and things got worse when I told her it was because I was not interested in getting her approval. (See? I can speak up sometimes.) We're on ok terms now, but I'm always doing my best to avoid seeing her and sharing too much with her. I don't want to hurt her but I really want to bail on this friendship. 

Nutshell: she thinks we're besties, and we're not.

She asked if I was going to get married, and I answered her truthfully. Her next question, without skipping a beat "Can I help plan it?"

She's a powerful, bossy, get shit done kind of girl, and would most likely make a great planner/helper.... but I just don't want her involved.

Tell me how to maneuver this situation, and if you cuss a lot it would be really helpful. I like it when you do that.

Yours Truly,
Girl With No Cajones

*****

Life is too short to waste ANY TIME hanging out with ANYONE you don't like.

We both know you've got a pair. So reach down, grab them, and tell this woman, "NO. Actually, Mr. Fabulous and I really want to plan the wedding on our own."

or "NO. I asked Ms. Somebodyorother to be my Maid of Honor, and you know how possessive she gets."

or "NO. YOU HAD YOUR TURN, BITCH."

Photo by Ezra Petronio for self service magazine

F*ck accessories. You're wearing a VERA WANG

Hey ESB,

I’m a wedding blog obsessed soon to be bride, and yours is among my very favorites. I love how practical down to earth your posts are, it leaves me feeling like it's possible to have the wedding of my dreams without breaking the bank. I don’t have any sort of huge moral dilemma. We aren’t doing the bridal party, I’m going for easy peasy, low drama, fabulous modern, somewhat reasonably priced affair.

So far,  the moms have been super super good to me. My mama was kind enough to foot the bill for this amazing dress, in ivory (I wasn’t crazy about the peach in person).

And my fiance’s mom bought me these incredible shoes.

So, obviously I'm delighted about all that. I knew exactly what I wanted, and I was fortunate enough to get exactly that. 

Now I’m really really struggling to decide how to accessorize this glorious dress/shoe combo. Future mother in law offered up these very simple fresh water pearl earring to borrow, and fiance’s sister's veil. I think it would be very special to wear something from their family, I adore them, but aesthetically not so sure. I’m just feeling wishy washy and non-committal about how to accessorize. I'm hoping for some ideas, advice, thoughts, whatever from you and your lovely readers. 

Also, I’m probably on my own for accessories, so I’d like to keep everything under $200. I’ve attached a “mini mood board” so you can kind of get a feel for what I’m going for.

Thanks so much for your help!
Keep on rocking with your hilarious, blunt, GOOD advice.

Unaccessorized Bride

*****

here's a KAZZILLION DOLLAR DRESS and some KAMILLION DOLLAR SHOES! now go shop etsy for the accessories?

i'm sorry but no.

also: NO NO ONE THOUSAND TIMES NO on freshwater pearls. (did I mention: NO?)

throw your $200 at hair and makeup -- i'm loving the ballerina beehive situation our model has going on, actually -- and ROCK. THAT. DRESS.
______________________________

*"Lil" is apparently my word of the week? No idea.

GLITTER CREEPERS

pls discuss





TOPSHOP via Carolines Mode

speaking of SPARKLEZ

oh my holy mfg.

so my friend Gladys told me weeks and weeks ago that she did a custom headpiece for this bride....

WHY DID IT TAKE ME THIS LONG TO GET MY ASS OVER TO FERJUARISITI AND LOOK AT THE PHOTOS?

WHY??????



and will someone pls invite me to a mexican wedding?

uh oh.

So I freely admit that I got this one wrong the first time.

But did I just muff it again??

Could it be the one Dear ESB that has NO RIGHT ANSWER?



Unrelated: Gold Pills Make Your Poop Glitter (thx kidchamp!)

C'MON, JORDAN

you have sooooooo many readers and so many important DIYZ to get up what with it being the tuesballz before t-giving.

can't i make fun of one little basket of DIY GLITTERED FLATWARE?

i mean.

(Lady Gaga poli by Nobuyoshi Araki via Design You Trust)
______________________________

okay, so i made fun of the DIY BABY MASKS too. in my defense, they were total Creepsville.

p.s. i'm flattered, though somewhat unsettled, that you took the time to dig through the archives and track down my real name and shit.

I'm really not a totally disorganized a$$hole

Hey lady,

I have a post-wedding etiquette question for you and your team of wise sages:

I live on the other side of the planet, but got married in CA. I had all the registry gifts sent to my mother's place  - so items wouldn't have to be shipped across the planet. Some people also brought gifts to the wedding (in other words, gifts everywhere). After the wedding I went through the gifts and created a gift spreadsheet to ensure everything was organized and accounted for. Then I left for my honeymoon and then home. Now, I am back home visiting this month and am doing some further organizing (we left the country a couple days after the wedding and I couldn't do much more than open the gifts and write down who gave what). 

I'm going through the list and I see a couple friends on there who I'm pretty sure gave us something, but nothing is listed. Additionally, there were a couple gifts that did not have cards (or in all the mayhem, the cards got lost). I have no idea who gave them to us. Finally, there are some people on my list who I'm pretty sure didn't get us anything. 

So my question is this:

How do I find out who gave us the gifts with no card without making the friends who didn't give us anything feel uncomfortable? I was thinking of going the process of elimination route and emailing people on the list where no present is listed, but what happens if that person didn't get us anything? Their presence at our wedding was their present, and we're honored that they joined us to celebrate, I don't want to make them feel bad. I also don't want to be ass and not send a 'thank you.' 

Finally, what about the people who I suspect got us something but I don't have anything written down? I mean, I don't know for sure, but again, I cannot not send a 'thank you' if they did give us something. And what if I'm totally wrong in my assumptions? I honestly don't know.

Fucking-A. 

Signed, 
Doesn't want to be an a$$shole & is usually more organized

*****

I was doing my best to ignore your email. Or, rather, peeking at it every other day and promising myself, "I'll get to it..." And then Rachel's thank-you-note-spreadsheet post smacked me right in the face.

It is thus with great pleasure that I bring you this response from the blogosphere's foremost expert on thank-you-note spreadsheets:

Dear Doesn't Want to be an A**hole, 

I can completely sympathize because this is basically my worst nightmare, re: wedding gifts. And I can't even slap you on the wrist because you are doing exactly what you should have done (spreadsheet, etc) and against great odds, what with the flying back and forth issues. Now is the time to hone your thank you ninja skills.

1. Since you registered, work the registry. Most of them will keep track of who bought what. Some of them provide this information online if you dig (usually called "thank you manager"). This will definitely clear things up for all the gifts people purchased online. I've found that it's much more sketchy for in store purchases, although I did spend some time calling customer service and attempting to badger them into giving me more information. Probably don't waste your time with that. 

2. Get stealthy. You know where the gaps are on your list, which is good. What you need to do is spread the word in those circles (but NOT to those specific people) that due to the craziness of intercontinental wedding planning, some gifts got separated from cards. Mention some of the specific gifts. Play up the fact that you feel terrible because you're sure that you're missing some thank yous and you'd really appreciate it if you could figure out who the gifters were. Basically, if you currently have a blank next to your aunt's name, it is much less weird for your mom to casually ask your aunt if she might know of someone who gave you an coffee maker (because naturally you absolutely adore it and it's tearing you up inside not to be able to thank the giver) than it is for you to go down the list and confront the people with blanks next to their names. NEVER talk to someone about gifts if you aren't sure they got you something. That's uncomfortable and looks like fishing.

3. Some people will out themselves, but they'll never do it to you directly. They'll ask your parents or your mutual friends if they know whether you received x,y,z gift because they never received a thank you note. This is where the spreading the word part helps again, because those people are now primed to say "Oh my god, she was agonizing over that because the gift somehow got separated from the card!" and the gifter will feel relieved that you aren't just an ungrateful a**hole and then your informant will pass the information along to you and you can send an effusive card.

4. Yes, there are people who didn't get you anything. That's fine. I was awkward about this because I genuinely wanted to send these people thank you notes just for attending (because some of them made a huge effort to be there) but I didn't want it to seem like I was being a passive-aggressive asshole and pointing out the fact that they didn't buy gifts. I think my solution is going to be including a "it meant so much to have you at the wedding, it wouldn't have been the same without you on the dance floor" type note in a different context (casual email, holiday card, etc). 

Good luck and god speed, friend.

I do have a team of wise sages, don't I?

p.s. Rachel did terrific how-tos on planning + budgeting a DIY wedding, streamer backdrops, painted tablecloths and hand dyed napkins for 100 Layer Cake last week. And you should probably take a look at her wedding photos. (Spoiler Alert: THERE ARE SPARKLES)

Photo: Sarah Bebe Holmes via Arial Edge via Peonies & Polaroids

louboutin knockoffs: yeah or nay?

This is Urban Outfitter's take on Margot's see-lammin wedding shoes.

What do you think? Too disco queen??





My guess is that cheap sparkles will probably just look CHEAP.