Response Post #5: RTR- When It's Smarter To Rent Than Buy

In Feliz Is Her Name's recent blog post, she talks about her love of weddings and how exciting but daunting it can be to find the perfect ensemble. I was just recently a bridesmaid in a winter wedding and thought it was incredibly smart for the bride to have us all wear black dresses. Why? Because it was practical and unlike a lot of my other dresses, I will most likely wear it again. Sad but true, a bad habit that I've been slowly trying to break-- buying intricate, printed pieces instead of classic staples that can be worn any kind of way.

Last week, my boyfriend and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. In January, we made the Final Four of George Mason University Sweetheart 16 Contest and won a night's stay at the Mason Inn. We decided to take advantage and have a mini- staycation. I started searching for a dress 3 weeks before! I knew it had to be special but didn't want to splurge on something I would only wear once. My friend Emily suggested Rent The Runway a couple months back. I loved the idea of being able to wear top notch, high fashion dresses from Dolce & Gabbana, Herve Leger and Vera Wang all for an affordable price, however, I feared that they would arrive and look horrible on me. I had been eyeing a blue Herve dress and a black and white Tibi dress for a good couple of weeks until finally, I got in contact with a fit specialist. I was surprised yet impressed at how helpful and responsive they were as I asked question after question.

Four days later, my dresses (you can pick 2 sizes at no additional cost!) had arrived. I ended up choosing the High Tea Tibi dress  and was delightfully pleased! It felt like Christmas came early. I paired it with RJ Graziano's Dress Me Up necklace, which I also rented. I enjoyed the evening in this lovely dress without any worries, especially purchasing the $5 insurance. The return process was incredibly easy especially because they provide you a pre-paid envelope to slip the dress in. No need to dry clean, just drop it in the mail box and you're done!

After such a great first experience, I am excited to use RTR for future special events. The brilliant concept coupled with high quality pieces and great customer service make RTR a must for fashionistas.

Kudos to Mason Inn for being pet friendly!

Week #6: Spring Fever

Spring is fast approaching and I couldn't be happier. I love living on the East Coast and having four seasons but it's those last weeks in winter when I always find myself in a rut. I always look at the beginning of a season as a fresh start and I'm always inquiring about new things I can try and get myself into. 

In our Social Media class, we've just begun reading "The Search." John Battelle discusses the phenomenon that is Google and it's extraordinary ability to give us the answers to what we're looking for. No matter who the searcher is or what you're typing in the search field, Google has had a profound impact on our society and has enabled us to acquire new information with just one click. Battelle says "The search all starts with you: your query, your intent-- the desire to get an answer, find a site, or learn something new." 

So what have I been googling for the past week? Spring fashion! It's fun to mix it up once in a while and put pieces together but I always find myself wearing my favorite clothing staples which mostly consist of black. And no, contrary to what so many people think (trust me, I get asked every other day), black does not mean you are goth or depressed! I know the color black is usually worn for sad occasions but I believe you can wear all black no matter what they occasion! It's chic, easy and let's face it, slimming! And, it can be a lot of fun playing around with different textures. It's also perfect for transitioning from daytime attire to night. Look at how fabulously elegant Victoria Beckham looks in all black. 

Photo taken from Zimbio.com

Though I'll continue to wear all black, I do want to add more color into my wardrobe for Spring and Summer. I find inspirations all over the net especially on blogs I mentioned here but I've also discovered that some of my favorite stores and retail websites have started blogs! These blogs aren't hugely advertised and I probably wouldn't have found them if it weren't for my online shopping hobby. I stumbled upon the Kate Spade blog after following their Twitter page. Their latest post features an office display that reads "The Year of Color," with a caption "Live colorfully!" Ha! Rent The Runway also has a cool blog that includes photos of their new pieces as well as their staff's favorite places and things. It's interesting to see what other fashion lovers are into! Here are a few things I'll be adding to my closet this Spring. 

White Lace

Love the structure of this top. Crisp and clean. 

Anthropologie $98

Feminine Blouses 

Love the bow and this color! 

Lulus $33

Nude Heel

Lengthens legs and great for in/out of the office. 

  Nordstrom $89.95

Orange

Photo taken from People Style Watch. Amazing pop of color! Unexpectedly polished.

So fashion lovers, what are you most excited about this Spring?

Prettie Treat

Once every couple weeks, after a long work week, I like to treat myself. They don't have to be the priciest treats either. Everyone likes to save a little cash when they shop and I'm a huge fan of finding high end designs at affordable prices. While you may need a little patience to shop at these stores (go on a day you have a little more time!) like Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx or Marshalls, it can be a lot of fun browsing and it's even better when you've struck gold and found a great steal.

I found these beauties by Vince Camuto at Nordstrom rack. They are called the "Prettie flats," off white cracked leather combined with a coiled metal and gemstone adornment. I can't wait for Spring to arrive so I can break them in! The final price after a markdown? $39. 90 -- amazing steal. Check out his full collection here!  

Gold Rush

I have been battling the idea of blogging for some time now. I am continuously and easily inspired by my blogger friends and fashion/foodie bloggers but have been reluctant to put my words and ideas "out there." So when my Social Media professor informed us that we would have to maintain a blog for class, it seemed like the perfect excuse to finally jump on the bandwagon! 

So what have I been up to?

Well, the Mason Sweetheart Sixteen is over! My boyfriend Steven submitted our photos along with our story, a couple months back (without my knowledge!) in hopes to be chosen as finalists in our alma mater’s contest. As you may recall the exhilaration around Mason making the NCAA Final Four in ’06, the contest was designed to mirror March Madness. Sixteen couples were chosen on January 10th and we were one of them! Dubbed the “PR Dynamos,” the site read the story of how we met in spring of ’08 after co-founding Mason’s first ever student run firm Premier Communication. We were absolutely ecstatic and for the next two weeks, I would be absolutely consumed! We first phoned our families and told them about the contest and then took to Facebook and Twitter to spread the word to our friends. Seeing the votes come in during the first couple of days and getting texts and phone calls for updates was incredibly exciting so you could imagine how thrilled we were to make the “Engaging Eight.” After incessantly urging everyone to vote and checking the site for two weeks, we are pleased to end the contest as part of the “Final Four.” Though we weren’t #1, we’re incredibly grateful for our family, friends, professors and coworkers who voted and also know it will be well deserved for the winning couple. Ultimately, this was a reinforcement of the wonderful people we are blessed to know. Support, or even just the act of caring is one of those intangibles that give us strength, encouragement and the motivation to accomplish great things. And at the end of the day, that is undoubtedly priceless. 

http://sweetheart16.gmu.edu/lagman-smith/