Fictional and Factual Fashion with eShakti

I apologize for the alliteration in the post title. I couldn’t help myself.

I love fashion. If I were to get deep about it, I’d say that clothes and accessories are a way to express myself when words fail. But really, it’s a fun hobby of mine—consuming it, discussing it, reading about it, and even writing about it. In my first book, Front Row, fashion on a budget (and dirty laundry) almost became another character in the story, especially in scenes like this:

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Customized Party Dress from eShakti

I've worked with eShakti once before, so I was excited when they contacted me again, offering me a sample. I love that they let you to customize their dresses by changing the neckline, sleeve length, and tunic length, depending on the style. Not only that, you can input your exact measurements for a perfect fit. And best of all, they're very reasonably priced.

Since I wanted something festive to wear to my husband's work holiday party (and possibly again for my Valentine's birthday!), I went with the asymmetric bell sleeve jacquard knit dress. 

I then customized it by bringing up the hem to mini length and opening up the neckline to a boat-neck style. I kept the sleeve length as is. My measurements were saved from last time I used the site, so I left those as is except for adding an inch to the waist measurement just to be safe.

I wasn't sure what my husband was going to think about the trendy bell sleeves, but he liked the dress, and so do I! I'm sure the short length helped with his opinion although it's quite a bit shorter than my usual comfort level. Nothing a pair of tights can't fix. 

Dress: c/o eShakti; Necklace: Christmas gift; Tights: Spanx; Shoes: Vince Camuto

Holiday Party Makeup:

Happy New Year! We're ready for you, 2017!

I (Self-)Published a Book!

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you may have already seen the news, but I wanted to let anyone who was still subscribed know that I self-published a book! My 2012 NaNoWriMo work-in-progress (that I first blogged about here) is now a real, live novel. You can purchase it on either CreateSpace or Amazon.

Obviously, I don't update this blog anymore, but if you want to keep up with my noveling adventures, here's where to find me:
Website: rebekahnbryan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebekahnbryan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebekahNBryan
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11880945.Rebekah_N_Bryan

More Elie Tahari for Kohl's Fitting Room Reviews

Since I had to take something back to Kohl's today because the security tag was left on, I decided to try on more of the Elie Tahari collection while I was there. Here is my first set of reviews from Friday. Everything pictured here is an XL.

Open-work chenille sweater on sale for $48

Funny story. I didn't realize I had this sweater on backwards. The split is supposed to be in the back, which I think I would've liked a little better. As is, it highlights my biggest problem area - my mom gut. Check out the product photo to see how it should look.

Ombre convertible cardigan on sale for $66

I tried this cozy, comfy sweater on Friday but forgot to get a picture of it. I still like it - the gray version and the cream version. The scarf is detachable. I didn't purchase it, but I did add it to my Christmas list.

Drape-back mixed-media top on sale for $36

Quite a few of the tops in this collection were wrinkly in the store - this one included. It's fine, but it does nothing for me. You can't really tell in the above picture, but it has some extra draped material in the back.

Mixed-media high-low hem tee on sale for $33

I like this T-shirt and almost bought it. I had it in my cart but later reconsidered. The notch detail in front is cool and different, but where the black part hits me is not the most flattering. It was made from a very comfortable material, too, but I had to pass it up.

Faux-fur sweatshirt on sale for $55.50, Textured midi skirt on sale for $40.50

Another wrinkly top. I actually really like this sweatshirt, in theory, with the faux fur panel in the front. It's just not something I needed. Plus, my daughter watched Tarzan on repeat all weekend, so I couldn't help but think "gorilla" a little bit (GO-RILL-A). But besides the wrinkles, I thought this was a cute, casual sweatshirt.

I ended up buying the sweater skirt! I loved the stretchiness and the length, and I felt bad for taking so much into the fitting room that I had to buy something. With a coupon and a $10 reward, I ended up getting it for $22. It's described as "midi," and I s'pose it would be on shorter ladies. On me, it hit right below my knees.

Chenille sheath dress on sale for $58.50

This sweater dress is something else I tried on Friday but forgot to get a picture of. It could've worked with Spanx, but eh. I would like it on someone else though.

Mixed-media sheath dress on sale for $63

Such a cool dress. The sleeves are made of a stretch fabric, but the dress is not and fit me pretty much how every sheath dress fits me - loose on top and tight on the bottom. The zipper details on the bottom half add some edginess. I much prefer this black patterned version to the solid blue version. If I had anywhere to wear this dress, I might've just bought it and took in the top to fit better. But alas.

Mixed-media sweater on sale for $45

Ew. The notch detail at the hem made my hips look wide, and slouchy doesn't really work on me. This could be cute on someone else, though. On the other hand...

Ribbed funnel neck sweater on sale for $48

I can't see how this would be cute on anyone. I don't even like it on the model.

Elie Tahari for Kohl's Fitting Room Reviews

Hi! I'm back for an ad hoc post on the Elie Tahari for DesigNation collection at Kohl's, which is in stores and online now. I'm about 3 weeks postpartum (check out my Instagram for pics of the new baby!), so right now I'm in size 18 pants and probably size 16 dresses for reference. I grabbed everything the store had in an XL, but one thing I did miss out on because they didn't have my size was the skyline fit & flare dress - not that I need another dress in my closet anyway. Also, lately I've only been buying and wearing things that are nursing friendly.

Mixed-media pleat-back sweater on sale for $48, French terry jogger pants on sale for $37.50

The sweater was huge and unflattering on me, but the pants were fun. The pants ran big, so I would size down if you're interested in those. You could probably size down in the sweater, too, if you didn't want it to look quite so huge. I passed on the sweater obviously, but the pants were my one purchase from the collection since all I basically wear on maternity leave is yoga pants. Now I can mix it up a bit.

Graphic mixed-media tee on sale for $36

This t-shirt was fine. Not very flattering on me, but I could see how it would be cute on someone else. The two XLs I picked up were both kind of wrinkly, but laundering it once may remedy that.

Ombre georgette tunic on sale for $48, Mesh ponte leggings on sale for $37.50

For people with a straighter shape, this tunic would be great. On me, it was tight in the stomach and hips area but fit fine in the chest. The sleeve length was perfect. Usually shirt sleeves hit me somewhere around the wrist. I see online that these leggings come in short and long lengths, which is intriguing to me. I did like these, and they would fit even if and when I did lose more weight, but I just didn't feel like I needed them.

Faux-suede motorcycle jacket on sale for $75

I have no complaints about this jacket. It fit well and looked chic, but the length was tricky on me. Plus, it's not something I needed. It also comes in cream.

Chrysler building chiffon top on sale for $40.50, Mixed-media leggings on sale for $40.50

This top didn't interest me at all on the hanger, but I love it on. I have no use for it right now because it's dressy and not nursing friendly, but I'm hoping it'll still be around when I go back to work. The pants - ick. The color showed every lump and bump - I'm not sure if these would work on anyone besides the model. They certainly weren't for me. To be fair, the leggings also come in gray and black.

Mock-layer sweater on sale for $48, Rock & Republic mesh scuba leggings on sale for $36

I liked the idea of this top, but the proportions did not work on me. The Rock & Republic leggings were fine - I just grabbed them to have something to try this top on with. They seemed to fit a little snugger than the Elie Tahari leggings.

Want more reviews? Check out part two.

Oh Hey

So yeah, I'm pretty much done blogging, at least for now. I may pick From the Mixed-up Files back up in the future if the muse descends. But I wanted to pop back in quickly to review my goals for 2013 because I actually did pretty well. As a reminder, here are the goals I set for myself on December 31, 2012:

• Celebrate my 30th birthday in New York - DONE! Between that and my actual birthday celebrations, I could not have asked for a better way to ring in my 30s.
• See another Hanson concert (at least one) - DONE, DONE, AND DONE! 
• Finish revising my novel, get a few more eyes on it, and decide what to do with it - Still working on this one. But I have started.
• Participate in NaNoWriMo again in November - DONE!
• Develop and add more structure to the blog - I think I was a lot more style- and outfit-of-the-day-centric in 2013, so we'll consider this done.
• Continue to attend blogger meetups - Sort of? There were bloggers at both those events.
• Get pregnant - DONE!!!! 

So yes, the point of this post was really to announce that my husband and I are very excited to be welcoming another member to the family, coming in September! Since I've now announced it everywhere else, I wanted to make it known on my blog, too. Thanks for reading!

Blue Nile Branch Necklace Giveaway Winner

And the winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congrats, Susan! I'll be emailing you shortly to collect your information.

My Husband Hates This Sweater

And my mom's not crazy about it either.

But hey, it perfectly matched the Inspiration Monday picture for today, so I had to wear it.

Sweater: Yoki via Zulily; Scarf: H&M; Jeans: Kut from the Kloth; Boots: Madden Girl

Blue Nile Branch Necklace Giveaway

My first experience with Blue Nile was back in college when I used their Build Your Own Ring® feature to create my dream engagement ring and freak out my boyfriend at the time. So I had a nostalgic chuckle when they contacted me about participating in their holiday-inspired "Get One, Give One" jewelry campaign. I chose this adorable and somewhat whimsical branch necklace to keep and give away.

Source

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Rules:
1. Open to residents of the United States and Canada only.
2. After the giveaway ends on 12/10, I will announce the winner on the blog and email the winner on 12/11. If the he or she does not respond to my email with his or her address in 48 hours, I will select a new winner.

Literary Stylings - Flowerantha

This is the last time I'll mention my NaNoWriMo novel for awhile, I promise. I admit, it's a little (a lot) presumptuous and self-serving to use my own unpublished book for Literary Stylings, but the alternative was Nick Carter's self-help book, and I didn't want to make light of his situation. Plus, I'm still jazzed I finished a first draft of the thing, so I wanted to share a bit of it.

In one scene, the male main character's mother lent dresses to the two girls traveling with him. One of the dresses was pink with puffy short sleeves, and the girls wore tall leather boots.

Dress; H&M; Blazer: Narciso Rodriguez for Kohl's; Boots: Madden Girl; Necklace: c/o Blue Nile (giveaway coming tomorrow!)

When Bridget saw me in my pink dress, she insisted on matching.

Novel Excerpt:

Bushraal’s mother looked slightly agitated. “You may borrow some of my things. I am not sure if we will be able to find anything to fit,” she said, eyeing Beverly in particular, “but at least you will be clothed. Follow me.”

Beverly and May Lynn followed Bushraal’s mother up the stairs and into her bedroom. A giant canopy bed stood against the back wall with a dressing table on another wall and three wardrobes lined up side by side on the third wall to the left of the door and across the room from the bed. Bushraal’s mother dug around in a trunk at the foot of the bed first. While she dug, Bushraal wandered back in and sat backwards in the dressing table chair. She looked over at him. “Have you no decency, son? There will be women changing in here.”

His cheeks turned a little pink, but he said, “I am simply making sure you do not pick anything too fussy. They need to blend in and look like Floweranthans.”

“Bushraal, I am a Floweranthan,” his mother reminded him. “They will look just like me.” She returned to her digging and pulled out a long, green dress with white lacy ruffles at the sleeves and neck and an empire waistline. She looked at the dress and then at Beverly. “You may be able to squeeze into this. I wore it when I was pregnant with Bushraal. I was absolutely huge back then.”

“Mother!” Bushraal hissed under his breath.

Beverly’s face was beet red. She took the dress and mumbled, “Yeah, I’m really tall. Thanks,” and she disappeared behind the dressing curtain beside the wardrobes in the corner of the room.

Bushraal’s mother left the trunk open but rose from her knees to open the middle wardrobe. “Here are some more things I kept from when I was younger in case I ever had a daughter. I want to keep the nicer things for Rosie, but I am sure we can find something in here.”

“Anything is fine,” May Lynn said. Bushraal shot her a sympathetic glance, and she returned it with a sweet smile. 

Bushraal’s mother pulled out a dress similar to the one she had pulled for Beverly except that this one was much smaller and had short sleeves and a lower waistline. “Here, try this one,” she said, handing it to May Lynn. Taking the dress, May Lynn joined Beverly behind the curtain. Bushraal averted his eyes, looking anywhere in the room besides that direction.

When the girls walked out from behind the curtain, Bushraal stood. The pink dress suited May Lynn perfectly. Beverly’s green dress was a little more of a problem with the hem falling to the top of her boot and sleeves hitting just below her elbow instead of her wrists as intended.

“Well, these look better than expected,” Bushraal’s mother said. She stood up from the bed and fluffed out May Lynn’s sleeves more and smoothed the waist of Beverly’s dress, tugging it down a little. “Really, other than the length, you look lovely in this,” she said, looking up at Beverly and trying to atone for her harsh earlier comment.

***

By the way, I recently saw a tip on Twitter that said that "look" is one of the words overused by novice writers. I used it nine times just in that tiny excerpt. If you didn't notice, bless you. If you did notice, and if it made your eyes bleed like it did mine, I apologize, and I'll fix it in the rewrite. Heh...

I'm also linking up with the Fashionista Style Hop.

NaNoWriMo Wrap-up

Another year of NaNoWriMo has come to a close, and I can officially call myself a winner again!

Thank goodness for write-ins because I'm not sure I would've caught up otherwise. I was too shy and too busy last year to attend any write-ins (which are basically a bunch of NaNoWriMo participants in a room together with laptops), but I'm so glad I made it to three this year, including the one I hosted! I met three creative, like-minded ladies (who are all writing very different novels, which is a good thing) that live nearby, and I hope I get to read all their finished products in print some day very soon. At the write-in on Friday, they even gave me a great plot idea when I got stuck. Thanks, ladies!

Sunday, I attended the Happily Ever After party, and it was a lot of fun! Going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm really glad I went. My s'mores bars I brought were a hit. (They always are, even when I forget to add the vanilla, d'oh!) I'm already look forward to next year.

I also got to FINALLY finish a work in progress that I began when I was 11 years old. Except this time, I wrote it from a different character's point of view, and I think it took the story in a completely new direction that I was pretty happy with. My brother (who remembers me writing the story the first time around) said I should put it out on its 20-year anniversary next year. So maybe I'll give the self-publishing thing a try.

But for now, my next plan is to go back to last year's novel and continue revising because I think that one has better potential to actually become something. Then I have to decide if I'm going to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo in the spring and summer...one thing at a time.

Here's what I wore to the party and for Inspiration Monday. I did consider wearing leather leggings like the inspiration picture shows, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Not in broad daylight. I went with studded instead.

Sweater Dress: H&M; Leggings: Target; Boots: Payless

Bayside Bash

On Wednesday night, my friend Erin and I attended the Bayside Bash, which is an 80s and 90s-themed party held at Turner Hall Ballroom hosted by Dustin Diamond (Screech from Saved by the Bell). Dustin lives in Wisconsin, and I know he had one of these parties last year, but we didn't make it to that one.

Erin and I went as two beloved characters from the 90s:

Cher from Clueless

Clarissa from Clarissa Explains It All

A lot of the crowd went with 80s attire, but I did see some grunge and some that were inspired by Saved by the Bell, including a really accurate Kelly and Zack. There was also one guy in a Top Gun flight suit, which was a fun idea.

About an hour into the party, the DJ announced that Dustin Diamond was in the house. He and his gorgeous wife retreated to a table, and it took us awhile to get the guts to approach him. After we saw a couple other people ask for pictures, we went for it. He was very nice during our 10-second interaction.

Me: You know, I should've carpooled with you guys today. I'm from Port Washington, too.
Dustin: Haha, I love that.
Me: OK, thanks.

Maybe 10 minutes later, Dustin got up to announce that people could come over and say hi, take pictures, and that he would be selling T-shirts later that said "Dustin Diamond Made Me Screech." And he encouraged us all to keep drinking. When he was on his way back, I approached his wife, still at their table.

Me: Would you and Dustin want to do a shot?
Wife: No, thank you, we're not big drinkers.
Me: I thought we were supposed to get drunk!
Wife: You guys should get drunk!
Me: OK, I just wanted to check.
Wife: Thank you though!

She was very nice about it. Erin and I didn't stay much later than that. We left at about 10:30 because we're old, and we didn't see much action happening. But who knows, maybe all the excitement kicked off after we left.

Borrowed from Mom

Being without a tripod is quite inconvenient. Try to ignore the kitchen table on the left and the box on the right...

It's pretty nice having a mom with good style who I can share some clothes with. When I saw a picture of her and my grandma on Facebook from their sorority's 100th anniversary party, I commented on how I loved her dress with the leather accents.

And then, next thing I knew, my mom brought it to my house this weekend for me to borrow! I didn't know it when I first saw a picture of the dress, but it has a pepluuuummm. I love a good peplum.

Dress: Calvin Klein (borrowed); Shirt: Phillip Lim for Target; Booties: Steve Madden

Thanks, Mom!

I'm linking up with the Fashionista Style Hop.