Congrats Erin =]

I just wanted to take some time to say congrats to one of my all time best friends and absolute favorite peeps and in this world - Erin, who got hitched this past weekend!  It was a beautiful, relaxing and all around perfect wedding (and of course her dress was absolutely stunning). Wish you and Michael all the best in your new life together!  

 

Lani flew in from Chi-town too so we had a SRC reunion as well =]

Erin will be out and about for the next little while taking care of some odds and ends (like her honeymoon for example) but we'll still try to keep you up to date on what's going on around the city.

  

Sample sales this week are pretty non-existent due to the 4th of July holiday coming up.  Hope you all have an amazing week!

More NYC Sample Sales April 2013

Who: Proenza Schouler Sample Sale
What: Up to 85% off on of Fall 2012 collection overstock and one-of-a-kind tops, bottoms and dresses. Prices from $30-$1950 (retail $225-$6495).
When: April 26-27, 2013. Fri-Sat 10am-6pm
Where: 76 Mercer Street (b/n Spring & Broome Streets)

Who: Diane Raulston Sample Sale
What: Up to 75% off. Swimsuit sets now $50. Separate tops and bottoms $25. Long dresses $30. Short dresses $25. Chiffon sarong cover-ups $20.
When: April 28, 2013. Sun 12-7pm
Where: Sanat Hair Salon, 328 E 66 Street (b/n 1st & 2nd Ave)

Who: Kimberly Ovitz Sample Sale
What: Snag pieces from this contemporary designer at a super deep discount. Collection pieces are $25. O by Kimberly Ovitz are $15. Damaged goods are $10.
When: April 25-26, 2013. Thurs-Fri 10am-6pm
Where: 401 Broadway (b/n Lispenard & Walker St) Suite 182

Who: Oscar de la Renta Bridal Sample Sale
What: 50-70% off bridal dresses, shoes & accessories at this annual event.
When: April 25-28, 2013. Thurs-Sun 10am-9pm
Where: Woodbury Common Premier Outlets, 498 Red Apple Court, Central Valley NY

Who: Wendy Mink Sample Sale
What: 50-80% off on jewelry. Hoop earrings $45 (retail $245). Crystal Beaded necklaces $50 (retail $222). Feather teardrop earrings $35 (retail $148).
When: April 26-28, 2013. Fri-Sat 12-7pm Sun 12-6pm
Where: 72 Orchard Street (b/n Broome & Grand St)

Sample Sale Report: Nicole Miller

UPDATE 3/29/13:
Don't you love when a great sample sale gets even better? There have been additional price reductions to the already amazing prices! I am planning on going back after work! New prices are as below:
Bridal Long Gowns: $300, Bridal Accessories $15
One of a Kind Items: Bridal $80, Pants/Skirts/Shorts $30, Tops $20, Short Dresses $40, Long Dresses $50, Jackets $30

Happy Easter
_________

I stopped by the first ever Nicole Miller sample sale after work today and it was only moderately busy. There was plenty of space to navigate through the aisles and everything was neatly organized into type of item and by size. Sizes from what I could tell ranged from a 0 to a 16. There seemed to be a fairly good selection in just about every size. Keep in mind that you'll have to check in any bags, coats and even your purse at this sale. Make sure that you hold on to your wallet.


Prices were pretty darn exceptional, especially if you are a bride-to-be. Seriously rack upon rack of beautiful silk wedding dresses for just $350! If you're lucky enough to find a sample dress, you can score a wedding dress for just $100! Sample sizes are made for models and in this case vary anywhere from a size 0 to a size 6.  Sample dresses have a few pulled strings, some have a few smudges but for most part are in great shape. With prices this low, even though I already have my wedding dress, I couldn't resist snagging another...I'm contemplating dyeing it blush and wearing it for the rehearsal dinner. While I felt a little bit indulgent getting a second dress, for $100 I'm not sure I would have found a dress nearly this pretty. I overheard other brides planning on buying not one, not two but three dresses to wear on their big day!

DIY: Lady Mary Crawley Inspired Wedding Tiara

There is no bones about it, I am a huge Downton Abbey fan. Ever since I first entered the world of the Crawley's I have admired the style and poise of all of the "Lady's". Naturally when their weddings aired earlier this year for all of the world to see, I couldn't resist admiring Lady Mary's bejeweled tiara that weighed in at 45 carats and cost about $200,000. Being a bride on a budget, that tiara was most definitely out of my price range, however I could not shake the lovely laurels from my head. Thankfully I happened to stumble upon this laurel brooch while browsing eBay and I found myself an affordable solution. I ended up ordering 2 brooches and a pack of 10x5 Navettes on eBay, buying myself a comb in a craft store and some super powerful glue (E6000) and seeing what I could do with a little bit of grosgrain. All in all, I think I spent under $20 for my own laurel wedding tiara. While it's not as large or bold as Lady Mary Crawley's I think I still get to have a little touch of Downton on my special day.

The pieces I ordered on eBay were actually brooches, so the first thing I did was snap off the backing by pushing in on the brooch pin and pulling back and forth a couple of times.

DIY: Custom Wedding Signage

A couple weekends ago I wandered into an art supply store with Jeff because he had a plan to make a Jackson Pollock inspired painting. While looking around the shelves I saw some super affordable wood board panels called "Birch Board", so I picked up a 5 different sized pieces and some acrylic craft paint all for the grand total of $16.89 with the grand ambition to make some cute a cheerful wedding signage the likes of which I've been seeing on Pinterest.

Unfortunately I failed to pick up a decent paint brush and after some failed attempts to paint signs with a terrible paint brush, I decided to help Jeff splatter his painting instead. Fortunately this past weekend I found a couple of better paint brushes at home and I took a second go at painting. I used some nylon bristle size "0" and "4" brushes along with Navy Blue and Silver paints for some signs that I am very excited to have at my wedding.

NYC Sample Sales: March 18-24, 2013

Who: Lela Rose Wedding Sample Sale
What: Up to 75% off on bridal dresses. Credit Card or Cash ONLY.
When: March 21-22, 2013. Thurs 8am-7pm. Fri 9am-6pm
Where: 224 W 30th St, 14th Floor

Who: Twinkle by Wenlan's Twinkle 12 Warehouse Sale
What: A archival sample sale that includes classic piecs over the brand's 12 year history. Prices will be at a deep discount with many pieces ranging from $40 to $60. Your Majesty wool hand knit coat, original $430, now $60. Midnight picnic hand knit scarf, original $102, now $40; Hansel & Gretel lace insert silk dress, original $312, now $60. Swan Lake princess dress, original $360, now $60. Eyelet Kristen blouse original $210, now $60; sail away short in silk crepe, original $260, now $50.
When: March 20-23, 2013. Wed-Sat 9:30am-7:30pm.
Where: 545 8th Avenue, 17th Floor (b/n 37th and 38th St)

Who: CP Fashion Group Sample Sale
What: Brands like Just Cavalli, Karl Lagerfeld Paris, and Pierre Balmain at up to 70% off retail on women's & men's clothing, shoes & handbags. Credit Card ONLY.
Where: 20 West 36th St (b/n 5th & 6th Ave), 6th Floor.
When: March 15-24, 2013. 10am-6pm Daily.

DIY: Basic Wedding Veil - Under $10

I recently posted about how to DIY a Birdcage Wedding Veil since my bridesmaid duties recently put my crafting skills into work.  I had no idea that wedding veils were so expensive and we ended up making one for under $10 - the tulle was about $7 on sale and the comb was about $1.50. It was fairly easy and much faster than I  anticipated so it’s perfect for those Brides-to-be’s on a budget!  Since my friend the bride-to-be wanted a classic wedding veil for the ceremony and a birdcage veil for the reception we experimented with tulle until we got exactly the right proportions she was looking for.  Please note that this veil was not made to cover the face.

Materials:
2 yards soft tulle (I used 96” wide tulle so I would have a lot to play with but we trimmed it down a lot)
Sharp scissors or a rotary cutter and board
Ruler
1 Comb
Needle and Thread
Decorative Touches (Flower/Ribbon)

DIY Birdcage Wedding Veil

So one of my closest friends is getting married next year and since I am probably the most craft-y person in her bridal party I volunteered my services to help her make 2 DIY projects – 1st the Birdcage Veil, 2nd a more traditional tulle veil.  Since I’ve never made any veil before I looked at OnceWed.com for basic directions and made a couple of modifications as I went.

Materials:

1/2 yard of 9” wide Russian Veiling – You can buy this on Etsy or at specialty fabric stores like Mood

1 sheet of felt (cut into 2 4”x4” squares) – we used a navy blue to be her “something blue”

Needle & Thread

2 Small Hat Combs – Purchased from Etsy

Scissors

Fabric Glue

Measuring Tape

Silk Flowers and anything else you might want to add

The first thing I did was cut 2 hearts out of the 4”x4” squares of felt that are the same shape. 1 will serve as extra stability and to cover up any unattractive stitches later on.

Cut a 14” piece of the veil (you can add an inch or 2 for fullness).  Cut the veiling right above the little knots where the “X” of the veiling comes together.

With a needle make a running stitch through one of the cut ends of the veiling and secure to the felt.

Repeat on the other side.

You can make a running stitch through the finished upper edge of the veil to gather in the fabric and tack the edge to the felt heart.  Place the heart on your head in the mirror to determine if you like the positioning of the veiling and re-distribute and add more tacks as necessary.

On the other felt heart secure the hat combs with needle and thread.  I angled them to help ensure they will stay in place on the big day.  Put this aside for the time being.

We found our flowers at Walmart and they were slightly too big so we removed some of the petals to make them the desired size.

Arrange the flowers on the veil and pin them in place.  Make sure you try it on to make sure they are in the ideal location.  Using needle and thread or fabric glue you can secure the flowers into place.  I personally felt safer using needle and thread to make sure it wouldn’t easily come apart. Using fabric glue or needle and thread attach the other heart that has the combs attached into place.

Voila! Check out the finished product.  We may add some additional accent flowers as the big day approaches and the wedding décor has been nailed down but for now we kept it simple.

Designer Bridal: Lela Rose Spring 2011

Awhile back, Erin and I stopped by The Wedding Library uptown for the launch of the latest Lela Rose Bridesmaid collection. At the event, we had the opportunity to chat with Lela herself. She was extremely warm, and we really enjoyed chatting with her.
When asked about her bridal collection, she said it was a very natural extension of her brand - classic silhouettes with a whimsical twist. For the bridal collection, she teamed up with The Dessy Group, and it's been a great experience as they manage the production, etc.
I haven't been a bridesmaid yet, but I've always thought to myself if I get married, I'm going to pick dresses my girls can wear after the wedding. That's one of the things Lela Rose kept in mind while designing her bridesmaid collection. Taking inspiration from her ready to wear line, she created dresses that could be worn for any special occasion - not just weddings.

And let's not forget the shoes! Unforgettable Moments is Lela Rose's line of dyeable shoes for Payless, so you can find the perfect (matching) shoe for the dress.

You can view full collection of satin and chiffon bridesmaids dresses at dessy.com or in person at The Wedding Library in the Upper East Side at 43 East 78th St.

UPDATE: Cynthia Rowley Launches Bridesmaid Collection

Inspired by the Cynthia Rowley runway collection, Cynthia Rowley Bridesmaids dresses are designed to be worn at both day and evening weddings as well as long after the reception. Design elements taken directly from Rowley’s eponymous ready-to-wear collection include tulle skirts and drop-waist silhouettes. The line consists of floor and tea length dresses in modern fabrics such as cotton sateen and tulle.

The Cynthia Rowley Bridesmaids collection will be available in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia beginning in June and will be priced from $175 to $220. Here's some of my faves from the lookbook. Bridesmaids dresses that aren't hideous and actually quite flattering! Is it an illusion? What do you think of the collection?

NYC brides-to be, make sure you mark your calenders for the launch of a brand new collection for your lovely bridesmaids!

Who: Cynthia Rowley Bridesmaids
What: Please join designer Cynthia Rowley for the launch of the new collection. With dress fittings by Lovely Bride

When:Thursday, June 3, 2010. 6-8 PM
Where: 376 Bleecker Street

RSVP
prdept@cynthiarowley.com
212-242-0847