The Reason I Dressed
I mentioned yesterday that I was at a very posh Christmas Market on the weekend. Christmas Market? You say….I dressed up for a market? Yes, why yes I did. When you are a work at home mom you dress up for ANY OCCASSION what so ever! And there were people dressed better than me at this Christmas market! Check out the chic family I featured yesterday, they were in real designer clothes, not just “inspired by” clothes!
Girl Crush – Yosa UK
A while back I mentioned that I had bought a necklace from the online store YOSA UK. This is an accessory store started by the very stylish mom fashion blogger Rachel the Hat. A while ago I saw her in this necklace and I knew I just HAD TO HAVE IT!
When it arrived I feel in love and I’ve been planning outfits AROUND this necklace ever since (see the pinterest board here!). This is the first outfit I’ve styled it in for the winter, but as you can see from the board, I’ll be wearing it this spring and summer all the time!
This is not a sponsored post, I paid for this and really do love it. I also love supporting mom entrepreneurs and Rachel’s taste in accessories is impeccable! Happy to say it is still available from YOSA and you can find this same necklace here (in two colours!)
What I Wore – A Black Velvet Coat
Many many moons ago when I was still living in Toronto, I had the opportunity to go to New York frequently for work. At the time I became an expert at scoping out all of the NY sample sales that happened while I was there. At one of these sample sales I scored this black velvet, fitted coat for under $150. I still remember how PACKED my luggage was on the way back from this trip and I was really scared that it would pop open and the bottles of booze, clothes and collector art books I had bought would all come spilling out just as I passed Customs at the airport! Obviously this was way before my mommy days, since then I have stopped buying collector’s edition art books…but the booze budget remains!
Luckily I made it home with my luggage in tact and this coat has remained one of my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE WARDROBE PIECES!
Fast forward to a few years ago when I started really following Dolce and Gabbana and their Sexy Sicilian aesthetic. I know they’ve been doing this for years, but I only started paying attention when I started working in fashion (here’s a bunch of posts I’ve written dedicated to working in fashion). Unlike my husband who has been following the brand since he was a BOY and remembers this ridiculously HOT advertisement from when he was growing up. Um….if this is what Italian men watched as boys on the t.v. it EXPLAINS SO MUCH.
Rated P.G. it is not! Let’s just say it involves a fisherman biting an octapus and the smelling of Monica Bellucci’s underwear…. early 90s people he was like 10 years old.
Anywho. My mom is Sicilian and I’d like to think that my hot blooded temperament comes from that side of the family. Sicily is filled with tradition, ritual and almost pagan-like systems of public conduct. Widows wear black, and one of the first things you notice in any small town is the sea of black widows that line the streets as they crochet, collect flowers for tea or hang laundry. The idea that D&G play with black, lace and velvet as being these sexy wardrobe elements is so brilliant, espeically because they are Sicilian.
One of the things I’ve always loved about their aesthtetic is the justaposition of bright florals with these dark elements. When I found the Yosa necklace I KNEW I needed it and I knew it was perfect for completing this type of look.
Dolce and Gabbana image found on Pinterest.
Dolce and Gabanna have always included velvet coats as part of their collections, this one was around $2,440 and is now onsale for $1,760! You can find it here.
Click to shop.
Another Italian brand, Paola Frani, have a fantastic substitution to get this look for less. Although it is still a little pricey, it is probably more within a normal person’s price range at $200 (on sale), you can find it here.
My pants were bought 15 years ago for under $20, my top is thrifted for 1 euro from a new thrift store in Modena. My boots are real leather bought two seasons ago on sale here for under 80 bucks. My bag is by TES, my husband’s company, it is real python and was given to me as a gift. And my belt is of my own design in black python and was also made by TES!
On Friday I’ll be sharing a little more about this stunning Christmas market and what I bought! Plus some reflections on how not all markets are created equal.
If you didn’t get a chance to linkup yesterday, every Tuesday as part of my Real Mom Street Style series I also host a linkup. I comment and tweet out every post that is linked up and would love to have you join or pay a visit to the bloggers involved.
Have a great wednesday…now go ahead and watch that D&G advertisement again….I know I will!
#REASONSTODRESS Real Mom Street Style Linkup & Tag Party
Feel free to read all about this linkup here and what it stands for. Every week I will feature looks from the linkup, an instagrammer who has tagged a photo #reasonstodress and a real mom in Italy or in the world! The linkup happens every Tuesday but lasts all week, feel free to join at any time!
Now it’s your turn! #Reasonstodress
