Best-dressed bridesmaids

Jackie has champagne tastes on a student budget. That’s why she keeps a close eye on celebrity trends, then scours fast fashion outlets to recreate the look for less.

I’m so excited to be getting married on March 15, 2009–only a few months away!

I’ve been working like crazy to plan, organize and pull the event together, but one detail that seems to be difficult to wrap up is what shoes the bridesmaids will wear with their dress. I have five of my best friends and family serving as bridesmaids, and I’m so excited to see them in their vintage-inspired dresses with retro headbands/hair pieces.

But what shoes should they wear?

Here’s the bridesmaid dress:

It’s from David’s Bridal, and is fairly affordable, which is good since several of my bridesmaids are still in college. I love the retro styling. If you are interested in this bridesmaid dress, order it soon! According to a salesperson at my local David’s Bridal store, they are discontinuing this dress momentarily because it was a “trend piece,” the likes of which they bring in seasonally.

The bridesmaids are going to wear a navy ribbon around their waist, tied into a bow in the back.

I’m not going to go all bridezilla and tell them how to do their hair, but I do want vintage headbands and hair pieces (jeweled, perhaps) to give more of a retro flair.

Here are some shoes I’ve considered thus far:

Which ones do you like? Do you have any suggestions?

I’m looking for retro-inspired cream heels, but I’m open to gray, bone or off-white colored shoes as well. It’s March, so closed-toe or peep-toe is preferable.

Thanks for the help!

Posted October 31, 2008 in News

Think I wore the right dress to the wedding?

A blogger for fashion retailer Bluefly.com, Nana breaks down the biggest trends on the curb, the catwalk & the red carpet.

Thank you SO much for weighing in on my wedding wardrobe conundrum!! My cousin’s wedding was last week and I ended up going with something completely different from the Vera Wang gown and Betsey Johnson dress I was considering.

Pretty much my whole family decided to wear Ghanaian kente cloth – kinda like our family uniform for the day – and my sister (that’s her on the right in the blue kente) surprised me by having a one-shoulder kaba blouse and slinky maxi skirt sewn for me.

I loved the way it fit (the tight skirt gave me hips!) and I felt like flitting all over the dance floor thanks to the ruffled one shoulder strap. Here’s a full-length view (that’s me with my aunt…not the one who advised me to show off legs and shiny lips).

Ironically, my outfit ended up encapsulating the idea of both dresses I was considering. It was floor-length like the Vera Wang gown, but bright with a flirty flourish up top like the Betsey Johnson dress. Think I made the right decision?

Posted September 16, 2008 in Fashion, News, People, Tags

Here comes the bridesmaid

A blogger for fashion retailer Bluefly.com, Nana breaks down the biggest trends on the curb, the catwalk & the red carpet.

So it’s wedding season and for the first time since I’ve passed Flower Girl age, it matters to me. In July, I was a bridesmaid at my good friend’s beautiful wedding and next month, I’m going to my cousin’s wedding and I’m having a hard time figuring out what to wear.

The bridesmaid deal was awesome – all I had to do was show up and wear what the bride told me to. But as a guest, there are all these unspoken rules. Don’t wear white or anything that could compete with the bride’s gown. Don’t wear anything too flashy (i.e. slutty), but – in the words of an aunt at the wedding I just came from, “make sure your legs are showing and your lips are shining”… don’t ask. So, I’m asking for your advice. Think I should go for something like this lilac Vera Wang dress – strapless and ankle-length with a little fashionista flourish?

What about this flirty Betsey Johnson number? Too much?

Your thoughts, pleeeze!

Posted August 20, 2008 in News