Hip Bridesmaid Fashion

care of Lena Dunham's Instagram yo

I had to pop by to do a quick blog post on the bridesmaids outfits everyone's talking about.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram know, I flipped when I saw Lena Dunham's Instagram post featuring what she and fellow bridesmaids wore to her BFF Audrey Gelman's wedding. They wore sequined skirts customized by J.Crew's Jenna Lyons, along with dusty pink tops and gold shoes.

Can we PLEASE start doing more of this? It's sequined and shiny and sparkly so you know it's festive and fancy. But these ladies can WEAR THESE SKIRTS AGAIN. Plus, they're customized (see detail below) which is just sweet as hell. I adore that they're still appropriately dressy while still being untraditional and chic as all get out. Plus, I don't know who that pregnant woman is on the right, but she is killing it.

care of Lena Dunham's Instagram yo

Retro flower girl dresses by Darling Betty

As some of you may know, I'm a member of the Del Ray Business Association. I love my little neighborhood of Del Ray in Alexandria, and I've met some really remarkable small business owners through the DRBA. One of those fabulous small business owners turned out to be a neighbor who lives right down the street (and a kick-ass lady, at that)! Kelly is a native Australian living in America with her Naval officer husband. She describes herself as "an old soul stuck in a young body" and adores all things vintage - a love that drew her to launch her own business, Darling Betty. Darling Betty makes custom dresses for young girls - and they are adorable. Using custom, retro-inspired patterns (and she has a professional pattern maker creating her patterns - these are no store-bought patterns!), Kelly creates really beautiful dresses - and ones that I think would be perfect for the little flower girls in your wedding. Not only can you have a say in the fabric and style, but these are also stylish pieces that the girls can wear post-wedding as they're not super "bridal."

Right now Kelly has four main styles - the Sprinkles, Emmaline, Maple, and Alice dress (the Alice is my favorite. Like Anne of Green Gables, I love me some puffed sleeves). There's also a very cute skirt called Skip To My Lou. Kelly has also just started making women's sized dresses as well - so if you want some bridesmaids options that would match your flower girls, check out her "Vertie" dress!

It's also important to note that Darling Betty garments are locally, 100% American made with domestically sourced fabrics that are of superior quality. Ordering is really simple. You can either order straight off the website or email or message her through Facebook (she often uploads photos to FB of limited-run fabrics) and she'll send you a Paypal invoice. Shipping is $6 domestic and she offers free personal delivery in Alexandria. Sizing is 2T-6 for girls (there is sizing specification on her website with more info). If you choose a custom dress, turn around time is approximately 2 weeks. If it's an inventory dress, it will be posted or delivered in 1 business day.

So check Darling Betty out if you're looking for some fun, local and unique alternatives to the usual flower girl options. And be on the lookout next month when Kelly launches a new Darling Betty signature dress!

Friday Links: Officiants, One-Lowsmanship, & more suits!

  I had a very busy week this week. Exciting new collaborations with Capitol Romance and a photo shoot with the awesome Stephen Gosling (I'll share the pics once I have them).

But first thing's first: Best. Officiant. EVER.

Per this week's post on lady's menswear, more suits here! Click through to see some lovely cream options from H&M, available April 4th. Line up, ladies.

There have been a lot of mixed reviews on the season finale of Girls. However you felt about it, this breakdown of how long it would have actually taken Adam to run to Hannah's apartment killed me - the ex-New Yorker in me loved this. I used to live in Prospect Heights. The idea that he'd even consider traveling from Prospect Heights to Greenpoint (let alone take the G train), is absolutely insane.

Finally, I adored Off-Beat Bride's post about one-lowsmanship & one-upsmanship this week. Read it. Now. It ties in with my post on the pressure to be crafty, and I will nod my head til it falls off to this brilliant statement: "Engaged women don't need another voice telling them they're failing. It doesn't matter if it's a voice of tradition telling them they're wrong for wanting to have their wedding in the round, or a voice of non-tradition telling them they're wrong for wanting to wear a white dress — brides need encouragement and support."

**(except that I'd add "engaged women and men" but that's nit picky)