Ardisia Maxi Dress

Ardisia Maxi Dress from Anthropologie

This dress is effortlessly kool.. literally!!

Enid P.

Saturday

This past Saturday, March 12th was a beautiful day in NYC and the weather always plays a part as to how I feel and what I will wear. I felt cheery, bold, and happy.


Mimosa Yellow Dress from H&M
Val shoe from Nine West
Accessories from H&M
Tights from Express

Enid P.

PS I'm at a friends babyshower...

American Music Awards 2010

I haven't been able to find a full picture of this dress. However, I think this dress is gorgeous and it made her look stunning and very classy.
This dress definitely put her in the best dressed category.

Enid P.

I need shoes for...

I need shoes for the dress below to wear to a wedding. What shoes should I buy? I never bought shoes for this dress and I have worn it only once before even though I absolutely love the dress. The mid section is not transparent even though the image makes it seem that way.

I'm contemplating one of these shoes but am not committed to them. I want the shoes to be wearable with other outfits as well.

The accessory that I will be wearing.

Please, please, please (please 3X) let me know what you think? let me get your suggestions..
Feel free to email me enidperalta@gmail.com
Enid P.

Rent The Runway

First Netflix, Then BagBorrowOrSteal, and Now RentTheRunway...

We live in a time where affordable is the name of the game and disposable is how the garments are.

In hindsight, that makes Rent the Runway a great business model with the best adaptation to survive in this economic platform.

Rent the Runway offers designer dresses for as low as $50 dollars and up to $200.

So here is the perfect situation...

I have a wedding/Christmas party/ to go to and nothing to wear...$50 dollars later you can have a dress delivered for the duration of 4 nights, and when you are all done you can place the dress in its prepaid envelope and drop it in the mail. Dry cleaning is included in the price, however damage insurance is another 5 dollars.

In all truth, it works for me. I usually only want to wear a dress once. If it looks fab, everyone will remember it and if it didn't, then I don't ever want to wear it again. Either way... I want the newness of a different dress on a new event, especially, if all it will cost is $50 or $100 dollars. I think $200 dollars is bit too much (for my personal budget).

The downfall for Rent the Runway makes the service available through invitation only.

Luckily my friend just invited me and in turn I was able to send 5 invitations to my friends...not bad..not bad at all.

Now all I need as an invent to go to...

The Rent the Runway ladies busy at work.

Jennifer Hyman, left, and Jennifer Carter Fleiss at Rent the Runway headquarters.

Enid P. "Dare to Dream"

Note: Pictures provided by Todd Heisler/NY Times

Sophistix.net

I've found a great retailer that is young and fun.  Sophistix.netI loved this Star trek-ish inspired dress.  It's comfortable, cute, and sexy, with a flair of elegance.  I tend to be the person that always needs a cinched waist.  But, not with this dress.  

Below is the way I put the dress to go to my friends bridal shower this past weekend, April 18th on a beautiful 70 degrees NYC Spring Saturday.

And this top caught my attention for its country appeal but I ended wearing it to a New York Yankees baseball game.  It's a cute and simple outfit for a ball game and I was inline with the team colors, so double score.

The best part of Sophistix was that even though the fit on the website was not exactly the same as the way they fit me, the clothing fit me very well.

or maybe you guys decide....

"Dare to Dream" Enid P.

Shoshanna Event

The designer, Shoshanna will be presenting her latest collection and offering personalized styling tips in NYC at Saks Fifth Avenue (on the 4th floor) on Thursday, March 12th from 4PM to 7PM.

Shoshanna has fabulous dresses, tops, and bathing suits.  Come and check it out.  I will be there to meet her.

Benny and Shaw Dress

I had 7 reasons to buy this dress. I bought the short version in grey today...fully hoping that I will receive it by labor day weekend and fully expecting that a faboulous event will show up.

Reason 1

Reason 2

Reason 3
Reason 4
Reason 5
Reason 6
Reason 7
Convertible Jersey Wrap Dress by Butter
Price :$225 USD but it's worth it..

Enid P. "Dare to Dream"

From Runway to Real Life

People always mention to me how they don't understand runway collections because they seem too weird and very unlike what everyday people wear.
I understand runway in this way.... Runway collections are exaggerated versions of what I will see later on being sold in specialty retailers, departments stores, and all over the street. Runway designers usually utilize more expensive fabrics, with expensive construction of the garment (some thing are done by hand), and exaggerated silhouettes. (making the garment very expensive)

A perfect example are these Stella McCartney Spring Summer 2007 dresses. The have a bold and vivid prints and are very, very short. I would probably wear this as a shirt, not a dress...



H&M found a simple way to translate this dress to the street. The H&M version is much more toned down. Even though the cut of the dress is very fashion forward, it is much longer in length and the color is very wearable in all black. The best part about this dress is the $30 price tag along with the (100% cotton) comfort of the dress.







P.S. This dress can quickly be added to the Little Black Dress (LBD) collection in your wardrobe.

ENID P. "Dare to Dream"

While on Vacation...

While on vacation I wore this fuchsia H&M dress that I find to be the cutest thing alive. It was $20, very lightweight and comfortable for a night out in The Bahamas. I also felt so very bright and cheery. I paired the dress with grey shoes and a long grayish accented necklace and some silver bangles.

After I got fully dressed I was kinda bored and decided to take pictures of my outfit. At one point in time I actually felt like a hero. (the picture above is my superhero pose....)
THE BEST PART ABOUT IT: I wore this dress to the office with a striped black and white t-shirt and patent leather Mary Jane heels.

ENID P. "Dare to Dream"

Dresses everywhere....

Dresses are everywhere this Summer and are worn on every occasion and to every place imaginable. You can wear a dress to work, to school, dinner, the park, brunch with friends, and even partying, ...the list goes on and on.

The best part about this Summer dress trend is that a variety of different shapes are in style.

Take for example this baby doll dress that I saw at my brothers' High School graduation. I think it's the perfect dress for a Saturday morning event.

It has a beautiful flowery Summer print, an empire waist that she paired with white wedges and a white clutch. It's simple and cute, because no fussiness is needed during these hot summer days.

ENID P. "Dare to Dream"

Ms.C and the dresses Q&A # 104

I received the following dilemma from Ms. C
QUESTION: I found these dresses at H&M. Which dress should I keep?

ANSWER: If a single garment is less than $30 dollars and I go as far as taking it home because I like it so much and I can't decide on which color to select.... I opt for keeping both items of clothing. This summer dresses are everywhere and therefore Ms. C is bound to get full use of these two dresses this summer.
I like the fact that she has a standout raspberry colored dress with a fun look and a more traditional (safe) black dress with a dressy look.

For $30 a dress I think its worth keeping both dresses just to add that spark into your closet.

However, If I had to really chose one dress. I would advise you to keep the raspberry colored dress. It flatters your complexion and will give you more from day to night versatility. For example, you can wear the candy colored dress to the beach or on a date. (I wouldn't wear a black dress to the beach.)


P.S. Think Jessica Biel in Oscar De La Renta or Eva Mendes in Calvin Klein by Francisco Costa


ENID P. "Dare to Dream"

I had to wear it.

Hey folks, I found a way to fit into the dress. But you can clearly see its waaayyy to tight. But I couldn't wait anymore I really wanted to wear it and keep it.

I love everything about this dress. I think it's more of a dress that I want to wear in the Fall. So I have no worries that I will be ready then.

Enid P. "Dare to Dream"

H and M Dress/Cardigan

I bought this dress/cardigan from H and M. On the hanger it just looked like a tent. However, I dared to try it on and totally adore its versatility. So far, I have worn it with black boots, as a leg showing ensemble with my gap lavender wedges and also as a cardigan with jeans and a thick belt on my waist.

As if all of this was not enough, I put together another quick outfit yesterday morning while I was in a rush. The picture attached to the left is my latest assembly. I wore the dress with tights and my new heels (again!). I love this outfit so much for its comfortable factor. It's like walking around in pj's.

Lesson learned: If you are iffy about something on a hanger, try it on. You never know!

ENID P. "Dare to try things on"

Anthropologie

Spring is here and I can't stop thinking about spring dresses.

So, on my way to returning the seedling halter dress@ Anthropologie I couldn't help but browse around the store for more dresses. I saw these 2 dresses.

relish dress

I like this dress but I don't love it. I think its because the middle belted section should be in one solid color to give it a more regal look.
I do love this green eyed dress with the scarf detail because it's free flowing and hides the tummy if you have one. The scarf makes the dress convertible. It can be worn as a halter or a strapless.
green-eyed dress

**For a more night time look replace the scarf with a black ribbon, put on your favorite black shoes, and grab your clutch.

ENID P. "Dare to Dream"

P.S. I also like this black dress but I didn't see it at the store.

cinematographer dress

Michael Stars

I like all the Michael Stars dresses but I think the best deal is this blue dress for $128.00. It's just too bad I'm broke.

ENID P. "Dare to Dream"

P.S. They have free ground shipping.

Michael Stars

Michael Stars, the famous t-shirt designer is now making dresses that will debut on April 17th and will be available for pre-order. The dresses look extremely soft and comfortable. Depending on the price, I might buy the blue dress or the mocha colored one. I like how most dresses come with pockets now because it exudes an air of relaxation with confidence and I love it.
Until Next Time...

ENID P. "Dare to Dream"

Green Vs. Yellow

On a previous post I was completely in love with the green swirl dress from Anthropologie. I had an event to go to and I was just browsing on the net for ideas on what to wear. I headed to Anthropologie and picked up 2 dresses.

The seedling halter dress & The seven hills dress

I didn't like the seedling halter dress for a few reasons, starting with that fact that it did not flatter my chest area. 2. The swirl print from top to bottom was a total distraction. It felt like too much was going on. 3. It was pinching my outer chest area, and 3. the belt did not sit naturally at the waist. 4. Lastly, their was not enough volume on the skirt and I wanted more of an A-line silhouette.
The seven hills dress worked much better. 1. It was not the washed out color the website made it to be, it's actually a beautiful bright spring yellow that is perfect for a party in the Caribbean. 2. The v-neck at the chest area brings the focus upwards and brightens up the face, 3. It also narrows the waist, as so does the empire cut of the dress. 4. An finally I found the skirt had the volume I was looking for.

Overall, I am extremely happy with my yellow dress and in the process of returning the green swirl dress.

ENID P. "Dare to Dream"

Vacation Question #101

THE QUESTION:
Hey, Style Diva!

I just wanted to ask you something. I am going on vacation with my boyfriend in 3-4 days from today (yess!) :D and every time I think about what to wear, I draw a blank. I am tall, slim, with a good, boyish figure and long, black hair..my color is kinda fair..but i dunno what to wear.

Please advise .. thank you sooo much...N (from India)

THE ANSWER:
Hello N (from India),

As soon as I got your email I had an idea on what to recommend. The one item that you MUST have before you go on vacation is a cotton empire waist dress. In essence, it will balance your figure out by cinching you at the upper torso (the smallest part of your body) and the rest will be flowing away from the body. The best part of the cotton empire waist is that you can dress it up or down with your accessories. Wear the dress with metallic flats for the day and for the night time wear the dress with peep toe wedges or platform heels, and don't forget to pack a clutch, it will come in handy.




I also thought out a second outfit that is on the funky-creative side. I have included my utmost favorite capri jeans (I bought these and adore them) and I like wearing them with any drapey top.

FYI....I know this green dress is not empire waist but I couldn't help it. I love this dress and color is superb.

Hope this helps and don't forget to take pictures...take care and have fun on your vacation.

ENID P. "Dare to Dream"

NOTE: These pictures have been taken from revolveclothing.com, jcrew.com, oldnavy.com. and urbanoutfitters.com.