Source: Marciano Stock Photo (1), Petra Nemcova in Dolce & Gabbana (2), & Lyndsy Fonseca in Marciano (3)

Every woman should have one little black dress, as advised by the ladymags. I have 27. Yes, I counted.

I am feeling incredibly motivated to give my closet some order and have been organizing things into three piles: keep, sell, and donate. I am trying to organize everything before my laziness kicks in and I have been doing pretty well.

Back to LBD#27, this is an impulsive Victoria's Secret purchase that was surprisingly successful. The size 0 was too tight for my 34B/32C chest but the dress gave me cleavage (however pressured my boobies must feel). I know the bf will like it but I do feel pretty self-conscious even taking these pictures.


How many little black dresses do you own? What other kinds of closet "staples" do you have too many of? I know everyone collects something...e.g. SewPetiteGal's cardigans, Matt and his incredible shoes collection, and Ping's FP clothes. What is your current vice?

p.s. I did my hair following Sophia's hair bun tutorial...it looks pretty crappy compared to Sophia's perfected version but I am confident that a few more tries will result in better looking buns.

I used to have a fascination with butterflies...I guess that's in line with my love of bows.

I fell in love with a Dolce & Gabbana dress from Fall 2009 (seen on Winona Ryder in Elle UK) but couldn't justify its hefty price tag. After some search I found an incredibly similar alternative by A.B.S. Schwartz and decided I can live with a cheaper inspired version.

This dress is another one that has been sitting in my closet since the day I brought it home and has sort of been forgotten. I got it in a size 2 because I thought the 0 was a little tight around my bust but when I tried it on at home I realized the size 2 was more loose than I feel comfortable with. It's about 2 inches too big all around and requires constant pulling to stay up.




I am planning a move in a few months so I have been cleaning out my closet slowly (plus, since my "closet incident" during which I overloaded my commercial use garment racks and broke them, I have decided I have too much clothes for one person). How do you let go of pieces you love but really have no reason to keep because of fit?

I haven't done one of these posts in forever so I thought I'd share a recent purchase. If you've been following this blog for some time, you'll know that I have an affinity to ruched/gathered/pleated front cocktail dresses. It is really difficult for me to put down any dress that fits this description so when I stumbled upon this Badgley Mischka dress, I knew I was in trouble.

The smallest size that the store carries is a size 2, and it's also available in turquoise and cobalt blue. I picked the gray because the other two colors were only available in the larger sizes.

The black straps that you see are from my bra...sorry you had to see that.

The brand is certainly not particularly petite friendly, the length is too long on 5'2 me. The size 2 fit quite loosely on me (I don't know if it's hard to tell in the picture but if I look down I can see my own waist so there's a lot of room in here) but I think the size 0 would probably work for me. For the slimmer petites this brand probably isn't for you unless you are willing to spend money on alterations.

It's too late to return the dress (I have had it for at least a month) so I am stuck with it. I don't have an occasion for it yet but am happy that it's in my possession. I don't think alterations will be possible because this dress has such delicate details that can be easily ruined...I'll probably have to bring it to a bridal gown specialist.

I am on a Badgley Mischka kick this month - I recently ordered the Badgley Mischka Xavier Slingback Sandals in powder pink (alternate links here and here) for super cheap and can't wait to see them in person.

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In happier shopping news, some of my favorite petite bloggers have put new stock in their blog stores. Jessy is donating half of the profits from her blog sale to charity this month (she is really tiny so you skinny girls are in luck, plus it's for a great cause); Annie has added some insanely cute stuff to her spectacular blog store (most of the stuff is sold out, so don't hesitate to click Buy Now!); and Sydney has a ton of cute jewelry for sale on the cheap that'll make for excellent gifts.

I bought this Alice + Olivia dress on Gilt for (what I remember to be) about 40% off the original retail price. And with most of my Gilt purchases I bagged the purchase before pondering what occasion I would wear it to. The online sample sales have trained to me to process purchases in three simple steps: pick, add, and pay. All three steps are usually completed in under 10 minutes so to say that these purchases are well-researched or stewed over would be a lie. I loved this dress and I still love it but I don't think it's very "me" and I don't think I will ever wear it. In organizing my closet sale I pulled this from the abyss of my closet to reevaluate its role in my closet.


As it stands now, this dress is going in the closet sale but I don't know if I can let it go if it gets bought. I know it doesn't look that great on me but I can't internalize or digest the thought that past loves are better off elsewhere. I wonder if I have hoarding tendencies when it comes to pretty dresses. Sorry to be so glum about this but this closet sale has really exposed my weak spot for dresses. I have no problem letting go of unworn or rarely worn pants or sweaters or tops but when it's a dress it's just sooooo hard.

What would you do, dear readers?

I admit my usual weekend plans involve a lot of Chinese takeout, TV shows that I missed during the week, and bad RomCons. It's a mystery to me why I hoard evening dresses the way I do.

In any case, thank you for allowing me to play dress up and post pictures of these dresses on this blog as this is a great place for me to reflect on these purchases, appreciate the beauty of these dresses and remind myself that enough is enough.

This next dress is a find at Century 21, the mecca for couture-loving-bargain-hunters like myself. I don't love the yellow ribbon too much but I bought about 10 rolls of various ribbons at a craft store and plan to swap out the yellow ribbon at some point. Hey, doesn't changing the color of the ribbon transform this dress completely? It would appear that I just bought myself 10 additional dresses at $3 a piece.


If you are interested in getting this exactly same dress for yourself, it might still be possible in spite of the fact that this dress is a million years old in the fashion world...about a month ago a friend and I were shopping our day away in Soho (this might have happened on Spring Street) when we passed by this sort of rundown storefront with a sad sign plastered on the display window screaming "DOLCE & GABBANA SAMPLE SALE." I looked at her and said, there is no way. These must be knockoffs. Lo and behold, we walk in and the first rack we browsed had this exact same dress (actually, two of them) for sale. I looked at the dress, checked all the tags, and verified that it was exactly like the one found at Century 21. It was retailing for just under $250 and for all I know this little designer sample sale can still be going on. There were other designers featured in addition to more D&G things but they were mostly out in small sizes so I walked away slightly disappointed. So chances are good these dresses will pop up on ebay or something in the future.

AND, on sort of related notes, I want to discuss how fantastic I think Hanna's Hello Kitty couture gowns are. Actually, you should just read her post. Isn't that Miro dress just TDF on her? And while she thinks that her fabulously pink Sinha Stanic dress is maybe *too* shiny (with all the crystals and confetti), I want to challenge her on the title of who has more outrageous things in their closet. Exhibit A: this "dress" (which I believe might have belonged to a real life sad 12-year-old ballerina) that I have had in my closet for years. I always thought this might have made for a cute Halloween costume but in retrospect I think I was just trying to hold onto to those ballerina dreams I had as a child (turns out I was better at outrunning boys and kicking balls than doing ballet). Sad, right?

This is my second favorite dress (I wore my favorite here) in the world. It doesn't look that great on me but I love it, it's everything I love...bustier top, pink, lace, bow, sigh. Jenny wore it in the first season of Gossip Girl and she looked terrific. The dress is from fall 07.

Similar in "style"picks here, here, and here

The problem with D&G dresses (at least for me) is that they seem to be designed for girls who are small up top. I am not top heavy at all but it's so tight around the bust for me. I am wearing a 38 here.

I just realized I didn't adjust the straps before I snapped these pictures. It looks much better when worn right, I promise! :)

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The author Hair On The Brain is giving away $100 to Shopbop, Check out her contest here! I won't lie, I am eying this $600 Alice + Olivia dress and every little bit helps. :)

I haven't done one of these posts in forever so I thought I'd go shopping in my closet and see what I can find. I had forgotten how much I adored this dress, unfortunately it's never been worn outside of my closet (not hard to figure, it's WAY too low-cut). I plan to get the front altered so I can feel more comfortable in it.

I found this beauty on ebay and fought tooth and nail to win it. I figured I would never allow myself to pay the $4,200 it supposedly retailed for but I can at least afford it on ebay. I don't exactly know what I can do to make it more conservative (therefore more "me"), any ideas how I can remedy this?

And here I am wearing the Theory Darlin set. Jean had asked if I planned to wear it as a set so I took a few pictures of me wearing it to see how it looks. I hadn't realized this when I was in the fitting room but the waist and hip areas on the pants are too loose but the legs are tight. I don't know if that's how it's meant to look.

I don't think it looks too bad as is, but I do think a trip to the tailors is in order. I have a few other things that need to be altered as well. My wallet already hurts.

For some reason, junior sizing fits me a lot better than the corresponding size in adults. I got this Jessica McClintock dress a few years ago on super sale at Macy's and was surprised at how a size 3 fits only slightly big around my waist, the loose spots elsewhere are negligible. For J.M., junior sizing is in odd numbers while adult sizing is in even numbers. The adult size 2s fit really weird on me though.

In any case, my boyfriend loves black and white so I occasionally indulge him by wearing something like this to dinner.

Jessica McClintock is heavy on prom dresses and bridesmaid attire so a lot of their dresses are inappropriate for non-commemorative occasions, I think this one isn't too festive, what do you think? I am tempted to throw a blazer over it, wear some tights under and call it work clothes. The only thing stopping me is the black bow in the front, how do I dress it down more?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Similar here:

Alexander Wang had a piece in his Pre-Fall 2009 collection that was an instant hit among Hollywood starlets. It seems like overnight the dress popped up everywhere, seen on Rhianna and Paris Hilton out and about, Demi Lovato on the red carpet, Diane Kruger in a magazine shoot, even made a brief appearance on Hawthorne with Jada Pinkett Smith refusing to wear it. The dress itself was incredible but at $795 I was ready to let it go. However, soon after the dress became famous, the likes of ASOS, Bebe, and other fast fashion houses made similar dresses, with ASOS's version being the most similar.

I don't usually succumb to trends like these but caved in because it's exactly the sort of dress I would like to have in my closet.

So I bought it on ASOS in a petite size 8 (I would've gotten the size 6 but it was sold out), and it arrived within a week of my order, the material is definitely not the best but I think it looks better on than hanging on a hanger.

The original version by Alexander Wang

I think I've mentioned this before, but I am obsessed with the color pink. I try to wear it less these days now that I am considered an adult, but I still buy pretty pink frocks to satisfy my girly whims.


This is an Aqua pink bustier dress, sold exclusively at Bloomingdales. I am wearing a size 2, I can definitely wear the size 0 but I think it would be hard to wear a strapless bra underneath. Accessorized with my favorite Chanel WOC (I have two pink WOC's, one in the classic envelope style and this one has a special CC design) and Charlies David shoes in size 7.

Too much pink? I think I should stick to wearing these one at a time so as not to be known the girl who has a princess complex.

Also, this is what inspired me to buy the Aqua dress, I can't remember where I find it but as soon as I figure it out I will give them full credit.

I am on the hunt for a necklace or accessory that is similar to the one the model is wearing, has anyone seen something similar? Thanks!

I love LaRok, partially because it is quite a petite friendly line. I think the brand has found its niche in small dress-loving women. The colors are mostly monotonous, the occasionally splash of pink in a sea of blacks and grays.

I started stalking LaRok dresses long before I came to own one, and when I saw this dress on sale I knew I had to have it. The XS is perfect on me, if I were half an inch bigger it wouldn't have worked at all.

LaRok is a young brand, literally. It started in the fall of 2004 and quickly became popular among the Young Hollywood crowd. The prices are reasonable, dresses and tops are mostly under $300 and jackets are generally under the $400 mark.

LaRok dresses are really well made for something in this price range. The materials are thick but oh so comfortable. The only dress that I have found which is harder to maintain was the polyester Eye Candy Dress, which I will review at a later date.

Tea Party Dress on the left

I will start posting modeling pictures for every dress reviewed here, you just have to check the original threads for updates.


I have a few other LaRok dresses to review in the future, I simply love this brand.