Back to school cool! My review of Karina Dresses Style Academy Collection featuring the Nora Dress in On Point

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Hello everyone, I am feeling fabulous!  It is just about fall here in Michigan, the leaves are turning, the weather is cooler and apple cider is being sold at our local orchards.  Fall is my favorite time of year so I am looking forward to having a fantastic season.

Today, I am reviewing the Karina Dresses Nora Dress in On Point print.  Karina Dresses newest collection, Style Academy, features fall perfect prints in crisp bright colors that are great for back to school, days at the office, casual time out and all occasions. I chose the Nora Dress in On Point print because I absolutely adore novelty prints and the Nora is such a classic, comfortable style.  The Nora Dress features a wrap bodice, banded waist, shirred shoulders, gathered back, pockets and a full skirt.  I love this style, it is super flattering and curve creating. I am wearing the Nora Dress in On Point print in size XXL, fit is perfect.  Stretchy but flattering with a nice flow to the skirt.  The top is flattering and modest, the shirred detailing at the shoulders is a pretty and feminine touch that gives the dress a unique retro feel.  The banded waistband emphasizes the waist giving a curvy silhouette.  Length hits me a few inches below the knees, I am petite at 5'2" so this dress is a bit longer on my short frame.  The Nora Dress also features pockets, an incredibly thoughtful addition that makes this already great dress even better.  I love having pockets in my dresses so I have the option when I am out to carry a purse or leave my purse at home and carry my necessities in the pockets.

This new Karina Dresses signature print, On Point, is a fun twist on the retro novelty print featuring pop art pencils in white and yellow on a bright blue background.  I love novelty prints because they are so fun to accessorize, this On Point print would be especially great for teachers or students.  I had a lovely time shooting these photos at the Gaffield School House at the Montcalm County Heritage Village in Sydney, Michigan.  This historic one room school house made the perfect backdrop to showcase this scholarly pencil print.  I accessorized my Karina Dresses Nora Dress with a white vintage hat, matching vintage hoop earrings in yellow, bangles in yellow and white, white beaded vintage purse, a white cardigan, classic black and white heels and a shiny apple brooch.  It was such a fun dress to style, I love that you can play with the different colors and put together themed outfits.  I was going for a pretty teacher style look, I imagined myself as a teacher from a bygone era welcoming my students back.

Karina Dresses microfiber material is stretchy but with structure so it fits your curves without clinging in an unflattering way.  As with all Karina Dresses, this Nora Dress is hassle free, the microfiber material requires no maintenance and does not wrinkle so you can roll, fold, pack or even wad this dress in a ball and it will look as if it is brand new out of the package.  This dress is so vintage perfect, it reminds me of the effortlessly stylish day dresses of the 1940's era, a classic design that will never go out of style.  Chic on it's own or styled with a cozy cardigan, the Nora Dress is versatile and fun to wear.  Fabulous signature prints, effortlessly stylish designs and hassle free material, Karina Dresses will always keep you looking sharp!

Floral fantasy! My review of the Hip Hip Handmade Yani dress featuring Bari J's Painted Desert Night Floral

I am so excited to be reviewing my custom made Yani Dress from Hip Hip Handmade in the breathtaking Bari J and Art Gallery Fabrics exclusive Painted Desert Night Floral.  It is always a privilege to team up with another creative person on a project so this dress is a very special thing to me.  It is one of the most beautiful and personally meaningful pieces of clothing I own.  I have gushed over and over in the past about how much I love floral prints but there is something about this specific print that just makes my heart sing.

My custom made Yani dress from Hip Hip Handmade in Bari J's Painted Desert Night Floral is a dream come true!

 A good chunk of my wardrobe is made up of fanciful floral prints because they bring me so much joy!  I have been enamored with flowers and plants since I can remember.  My mother and grandmother always had tons of houseplants so I grew up with a green thumb.  My grandmother was particularly fond of African Violets, they always delighted me because their velvety purple, pink and violet flowers were always blooming providing beauty even in the middle of winter.  I love all kinds of flowers so when I started making Pinterest boards to plan our home redecoration, I decided I wanted a bold floral rug for our living room, this was when I discovered the inspiring and whimsical floral designs of Bari J and I was immediately smitten!  The pattern that really stood out to me was the Painted Desert Night floral and through a few searches I found that Art Gallery Fabrics had a Bari J collection so I contacted Hip Hip Handmade to bring my vision to life!

POCKETS!!!

I am absolutely in love with my custom Hip Hip Handmade Yani Dress.  The Yani dress is a peasant style with a generous full skirt, pretty cap sleeves that can be worn on or off the shoulder and pockets.  I cannot get enough of this dress, it really is a dream come true.  The fit is like a glove, made to measure so it flatters my body showing off my curves to a tee, Shilyn is very meticulous so her dresses fit me absolutely perfect.  This style is very figure flattering, it creates an hourglass silhouette and the versatile sleeves make it easy to style the dress on or off the shoulder depending on the occasion.  I wore the dress to church with my sleeves on the shoulder for modesty, this also allows me to wear a regular bra with the dress which is much more comfortable for everyday wear or casual events. For a little more sexiness on our date night, I wore my Yani Dress off the shoulder.  For foundation, I am wearing a Cacique strapless longline bra and Spanx higher power shorts underneath.  I looked and felt enchanting as we enjoyed dinner and a stroll through a local orchard together at sunset.  I could not resist frolicking in this glorious field of wildflowers in bloom, the pure white Queen Anne's Lace made the perfect backdrop to compliment all of the deep jewel tones in this floral and the streams of golden light from sunset gave our walk a magical otherworldly feel that made our date night extra special!

I really cannot gush enough about this ethereal Painted Desert Night floral design by Bari J and the material from Art Gallery Fabrics is bold and bright, capturing the spirit of Bari J's work perfectly.  Flowers, leaves and vines in shades of aqua, purple and bright green dance over a background of slate grey.  The colors in this print are some of my favorite shades so it is a pleasure to accessorize this dress as there are many beautiful shades to play with for endless combinations.  I went simple and romantic with my accessories because I wanted the dress to be the star of this outfit and I wanted to be comfortable on our date.  A homemade double purple ranunculus hairpiece, ivory rose topped golden hoop earrings and an ivory bangle gave me the summer garden fairy look that I wanted for my romantic date night.

 My Hip Hip Handmade Yani dress is going to bring me many years of pleasure and wear, it is a special piece of my wardrobe.  I highly recommend working with Hip Hip Handmade, she is incredibly sweet, her work is very high quality and working with a seamstress gives you the ability to create something together that is 100% you!

What dreams may come....

Life's a dream! My review of the Kiyonna Daydream Maxi Dress. Happy 23rd Anniversary to Kiyonna!

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Hello All!  Tonight, I am reviewing the Kiyonna Daydream Maxi Dress.  This boho confection is a romantic date night dream, perfect for a casual day event or a date night out on the town.  I also want to congratulate Kiyonna and celebrate their anniversary!!  Kiyonna is 23 years old this month and as a way to celebrate Kiyonna is giving back to their loyal customers with a big sale!  You can use coupon code 23YEARS to save 30% off your order of $100 or more, PLUS many of Kiyonna's best selling items are on sale for up to 50% off at Kiyonna.com.  Happy Anniversary, Kiyonna!!  Thank you for giving us plus size gals consistently beautiful garments designed to fit our bodies perfectly, thank you for helping us look and feel as glorious as we are!

Happy 23rd Anniversary, Kiyonna!

The Kiyonna Daydream Maxi Dress is a two piece maxi consisting of a solid black under dress and a textured chiffon overdress printed in a bohemian style floral pattern of white, blue and pink.  The bodice is a wrap style bordered in scalloped lace, a stretch lace band at the waistline gives this dress a lovely shape that is very curve enhancing.  The dress also features a pretty tie back, full, flowing sleeves and a long full skirt.  The skirt is gathered at the bottom giving the illusion of being one huge ruffle, this feminine and flowing style feels as dreamy as it looks.  I wore my Daydream Maxi Dress for an evening date, it was a bit different than my normal full pinup 50's style and my husband Kevin was very vocal about how much he loved this more laid back romantic look!

I am wearing my normal Kiyonna size, 2X which is an 18/20.  This dress fits me perfectly with just enough room to flow nicely.  The slip underdress is comfortable and soft providing coverage under the sheer bubble crepe of the top half.  The tie back feature is a pretty, romantic touch that is also practical, it allows you to tie the dress to adjust how the wrap style top fits and keep the dress from falling off your shoulders.  The sleeves are full and flowing providing nice coverage,.  This is a very long dress on me of course but although I am petite, I LOVE maxi dresses.  My second love in fashion next to pinup is bohemian, hippie style clothing so maxi dresses are another passion of mine.  I always wear heels or wedges when we go out because at 5'2' most maxi dresses hit the ground on me but I will confess, in a more casual setting, I love to throw off my shoes and enjoy how the dress feels flowing romantically around my feet.  This Daydream Maxi Dress is ethereal, just like the name says, it feels like a flowing daydream to wear.

The Kiyonna Daydream Maxi Dress has a beautiful bohemian floral pattern with shades of blue, white and pink.  I chose to play up the pink and blue of this pattern with my accessories by wearing a pink hair flower, bold blue floral statement earrings, pink cateye bohi  sunglasses and I finished my outfit with black peep toe wedge sandals.  Kevin and I had a lovely time walking the streets of historic Greenville, Michigan.  They have been working hard on revamping their historic downtown area and they have really made it look inviting.  The pretty blooming flower beds and artwork delighted us as we walked around town, I kicked off my shoes and frolicked barefoot in a cute little pocket park, then we enjoyed a delicious dinner at a local restaurant.  I was date night perfect in my Daydream Maxi Dress, I received a ton of compliments on the dress from my husband and a few other people, what a head turner!

Outfit Details
Dress: Daydream Maxi Dress size 2X C/O Kiyonna
Glasses: Clip On Set #5030 in Pink Tortoiseshell C/O Zenni Optical
Earrings: Walmart
Hair Flower: Daisy Jean Floral
Makeup: Tarte
Lipstick: American Beauty by Besame Cosmetics

Don't forget to pick up the Kiyonna Daydream Maxi Dress and load up on your Kiyonna favorites during their incredible 23rd anniversary sale.  What are you going to pick up first?

Beautiful Birds and Summer Sunshine! My review of the Dolly and Dotty Amanda Dress

Today, I am reviewing the beautiful Amanda Dress in Forest Green Bird Print from Dolly and Dotty.  This glorious summer perfect frock is made of a soft Forest Green jewel toned satin with an allover print of birds and wildflowers.  This dress looks luxuriant and feels amazing!  Amanda features a scooped neckline that tapers into a box pleated flared skirt and comes in a variety of prints.  This dress is a classic that will never go out of style, fabulous for wearing to weddings, graduations, picnics and for any summer occasion.  The Dolly and Dotty Amanda Dress is comfortable, classic and chic, a versatile piece to add to your wardrobe.

Outfit Details
Dress: Amanda Dress in Forest Green Bird Print in size UK 20 from Dolly and Dotty
Glasses: Cat Eye Style 665918 in Red from Zenni Optical
Flower Crown: Claire's
Makeup: Tarte Cosmetics
Lipstick: Forever Red from Besame Cosmetics

 Dolly and Dotty has incredibly consistent fit, I am wearing my normal size UK 20.  I love that I can purchase the same size knowing that it will fit me perfectly!  The satin material is sturdy, it did not snag or run like some other dresses I have had made of similar material.  I love the feminine scooped neckline and straps on this dress, they make it easy to wear a nice supportive bra without worrying about straps showing.  This is a lovely modest dress, before our birding adventures, I wore my Amanda Dress to sing at church with a yellow cropped cardigan and shed my cardigan as the day got warmer.  The skirt of the Amanda Dress is generous, I am wearing a petticoat for volume here but this skirt is beautifully shaped with box pleating that gives shape even without a petticoat underneath.

 Let's talk about this incredible print!  A brilliant shade of forest green featuring brightly colored birds happily fluttering among blue, red and yellow wildflowers and vines.  This print is perfect for me because I am a bird fanatic and it is a shade of green that is sadly lacking in my wardrobe, I have been trying to add more green and jewel tone shades to all the bright prints and pastel florals in my closet.  The print of this Dolly and Dotty Amanda Dress has a variety of colors making this a fun piece to style, you can chose one of the shades to play up or wear different colors for a bold fun look.

I have been an amateur birder for many years.  My love of birds started in high school with bird watching in biology class and grew into a full blown bird nerd obsession when we moved into our home 17 years ago.  Our backyard has such a huge variety of birds, we put out bird seed and suet as well as having several bird baths and planting bird friendly trees.  We enjoy relaxing on our deck while watching our bird friends and helping to preserve their natural habitats in the woods surrounding our home.  I  wore my Dolly and Dotty Amanda Dress for a beautiful day spent bird watching under the apple blossoms with my husband.  I felt like such a dream picking flowers, looking for new types of birds in my bird book, watching the bees busily working among the apple trees and spending some outdoor time in the sunshine with my husband.  A perfect day in a dreamy dress!

Dolly and Dotty has the most glorious selection of vintage style clothing that is perfect for everyday wear, I cannot say enough wonderful things about this company, they are truly one of a kind!

Perfectly Pinup Pumps! My review of the customizable Pixie Cove Elise Pumps plus an exclusive discount

Outfit Details:
Dress: Jade Dress in Watermelon Print from Collectif Clothing
Hat: Watermelon Print Hat from San Diego Hat Company
Shoes: Custom Elise Pumps C/O Pixie Cove (gifted for honest review)
Hair Flower: Daisy Jean Floral
Earrings: Bow & Crossbones
Bangles: The Moby Duck
Lipstick: American Beauty from Besame Cosmetics
Makeup: Tarte

Hey everyone!  Today, I am excited to have have teamed up with Pixie Cove to review the customizable Elise Pumps.  Pixie Cove is an awesome online boutique that features a huge selection of retro styled items including dresses, accessories and the most amazing vintage styled shoes.  I noticed Pixie Cove on Facebook first, they caught my eye with their made to order, customizable retro styled heels, I contacted Pixie Cove and they sent me a custom pair to review here for you as well as offering my readers an exclusive discount!

The Pixie Cove Elise Pumps are a medium height, rounded toe pump that is fully customizable to suit your personal style.  Elise is the quintessential comfortable heel for all occasions, featuring a medium thick 3.35 inch heel and a .79 inch platform at the toe making them super comfy and easy to wear.  For me, heels are usually a no go, these Elise Pumps are great for me, being born with club foot makes my feet extra sensitive to heels, the platform at the toe makes these a breeze to wear and the heel is thick plus at a modest height so I can walk comfortably.  I also have wide feet so generally shoes tend to be too narrow for me, these Elise Pumps are fabulous for wide feet.  I chose a size 9, I usually wear an 8.5 and since heels tend to make my feet swell after a bit I always size up a half size for comfort.  The craftsmanship and materials are high quality, the inner material is soft, the heels are sturdy and the width is just right, these are very well made shoes.

The best part of the Pixie Cove Elise Pumps is the fun you get to have when you make them your own.  These heels are fully personalized and it is a ball creating the shoe of your dreams!  First you chose your material, Matte, Patent, Nubuck or Metallic in a rainbow of colors.

 Next, you can chose to add Pixie Cove's pretty lace look trim in the color of your choice or no trim if you prefer a simpler style.  After you chose your trim you can add a bow if desired, there are three different choices in different styles to suit you.  Do you like your shoes with a strap or without, what style strap you prefer is up to you and the color is your choice too.  Every detail of your Elise Pumps is within your control!

I chose Black Matte Material, White Trim, a White Bow in style number 2 on the toe and no straps but the possibilities are endless and if you do not see the combination that you are looking for on the website, Pixie Cove is more than happy to accommodate special orders.  I was going for a very versatile, neutral and classic design, the shoe that can be worn with everything.

 I love these beautiful heels!  Pixie Cove did not leave any detail behind, they even have the prettiest vintage floral material inside the Elise Pumps.  I was also impressed with the turn around time on these shoes, my order was placed, my shoes were made to order and they were at my door within 10 days, that is incredible considering these shoes are completely customized!

 I chose to wear my customized Elise Pumps with this gorgeous and bold Collectif Watermelon Print Jade Dress and this incredible matching hat from San Diego Hat Company so these classically styled Pixie Cove Black and White Elise Pumps would stand out among the bright colors.  I cannot wait to wear these beautiful custom creations with all my pinup pretties because they match everything!

These shoes are as fun to wear as they are to customize and every single detail is perfection.  Pixie Cove has also generously offered an exclusive discount code so you too can customize a pair of Elise Pumps or shop to your heart's content, save 25% off ANY order at Pixie Cove using code AM_BRIANA_25.  Happy Shopping!!