Top Frocks: 2014 Met Gala

While everyone was celebrating Cinco de Mayo this Monday, the fashion world was celebrating one of its biggest nights of the year, the Met Gala. It's comparable to the Oscars of fashion, except it's mainly just about seeing what everyone will wear. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute hosts this fundraiser with a specific theme each year. This year brought big changes and the Costume Institute   officially became the Anna Wintour Costume Center, because clearly Anna Wintour is the ultimate authority when it comes to fashion. The Met Gala is an event that lends itself to the avant-garde and allows attendees to push the limits a bit. It's a time when the designer is as important as the celebrity wearing the dress, and most bring the designer as their date. You know how much I love a red carpet, so I've scoured all the looks and rounded up my favorites. 

5. Hailee Steinfeld in Prabal Gurung

    Black and white dresses ruled the red carpet Monday night, but this one was definitely my favorite 

    of them all.

4. Chrissy Teigen in Ralph Lauren

    Seems like she's ended up on my list before (see: Grammys). Perhaps I should be keeping an eye out 

    for her.

3. Kristen Wiig in Balenciaga
    I thought this look was very cool and a bit risky. If you're going to take a fashion risk, it might as
    well be at the Met Gala. Also, the fashion world has been buzzing about Alexander Wang's recent
    take over of Balenciaga, so wearing this designer was a smart move.

2. Blake Lively in Gucci
    She looks absolutely glamorous, and her #2 spot has nothing to do with my recent Gossip Girl binge,
    I promise.

 1. Emma Stone in Thakoon
     I'm usually a fan of her style, which has also been getting a lot of buzz due to all her press action of
     late, so I was very interested to see what she'd choose. She definitely did not disappoint. I think hot
     pink can be super cool if done right, and she's very on trend with the crop top. I also love that she
     went with a slightly unexpected designer.

     p.s. that is Thakoon that she is pictured with

XO,

Lo

Tweet Pin It Now!

Top Frocks: Oscars

It's heeeeere! The Oscars are like my Super Bowl. It's the perfect combination of fashion/movies/hollywood/everything I love. I thought this year was especially great films like Great Gatsby and American Hustle nominated. Ellen DeGeneres is hands down the best host ever. I mean, she's now responsible for the most epic selfie of all time.

 I basically planned my week around the Oscars, so Sunday evening I settled in with some popcorn, a glass of wine, and lots of anticipation. It didn't disappoint. Here are my favorites from the red carpet:

Honorable Mention: Catt Sadler in Pamella Roland

Sadly, she didn't get much red carpet coverage because she hosted the early stages of E!'s all-day coverage, but I really loved her gown. I though it was unique, a little unexpected, and glamorous. Sidenote: I'm also a big fan of hers because she's a fellow IU grad (Go Hoosiers!).

5. Lara Spencer in KAUFMANFRANCO

Ok so maaayyyybe I'm a little bit biased on this one, but this is truly a really cool dress! There's some very intricate beadwork going on here.

 4. Sandra Bullock in Alexander McQueen
I'm always a McQueen fan. The structural draping on this dress is gorgeous, and paired with the royal navy color it's perfect. She looks very Oscar-worthy.

3. Olivia Wilde in Valentino

Maybe a surprising pick for the #3 spot, but I think she looks so simple, chic, and a little mod. I love how she embraced her baby bump as well. I think she's very understated cool.

2. Lupita Nyong'o in Prada,

She has been one of my favorites all awards season long. This made me a little reluctant to include her yet again, but SHE WORE A HEADBAND TO THE OSCARS! I love it. I love her. I love headbands...also the color and pleating of her dress. Not to mention her speech was so eloquent, she earned some major points in my book.

1. Jennifer Lawrence in Dior (of course)

I firmly believe that if we were to meet, we'd be best friends. I'm sure you all feel this way as well. She usually wears Dior and always looks fantastic, but her red number last night fit perfectly and was perfect for the Oscar's red carpet. I'm really a fan of her back-draped necklace trend (she did the same thing last year). Perhaps I'll start rocking it myself. 

I'm sad that awards season is finally over, but it went out with a bang!

XO,

Lo

Tweet Pin It Now!

Top Frocks: SAG Awards

Admittedly, I take award show red carpets way too seriously. I think I made that obvious with my Golden Globe post. So when I tell you I was very underwhelmed by the SAG Awards red carpet, you can imagine how disappointed I really was. There were of course several beautiful dresses, but just not as many wow moments as I had anticipated. Luckily, the Oscars are coming up and everyone will be going all out. In the meantime, here are my favorites from this past weekend.

5. Michelle Dockery in J. Mendel

    Like I said before, she always makes my favorite red carpet looks. Maybe I should become her 

    stylist? I think so.

4. Sofia Vergara in Donna Karan

    True glam. I'm especially a fan of her necklace. When I started watching for my favorite dresses, this

    was the first one that caught my eye, maybe it was all the sparkles.

3. Malin Akerman in Naeem Khan

    I'm a huge Naeem Khan fan and I feel like he isn't worn enough on red carpets. He always uses

    interesting fabrics and embroidery that have a very tribal/bohemian feel. I gave this look bonus points

    for adding some individuality to an otherwise underwhelming red carpet.

2. Lupita Nyong'o in Gucci
    I looooooove this color, not to mention the interesting floral details. The fit is perfect on her as well.

1. Isla Fisher in Oscar de la Renta

    The dress itself is beautiful, but it was really the overall look that made me pick this as my favorite. 

    Not to mention, she was styled by Rachel Zoe, who I'm only just a little bit obsessed with.

XO,

Lo

Tweet Pin It Now!

Top Frocks: 2014 Golden Globes

For me, awards season is the only thing that makes January a bit more bearable. I get caught up in all the hollywood glam and hype of who will win what. My favorite part is the red carpet though. I've been known to watch E! network's 15 hour pre-show coverage and I'm not even ashamed (ok so 15 hours is a bit of an exaggeration, but they do drag it out for a really long time). I always mentally rank my top 5 dresses and think about what my argument would be if I were a host on Fashion Police, but luckily I now have this blog to make that seem less weird. After much deliberation, here are my top picks for the 2014 Golden Globes:

Honorable Mention: Amy Adams in Valentino

   Va-va-voom. I'm a fan of how she's channeling her American Hustle character in this 70s inspired 

    look. I'll be honest, I initially wasn't digging this look quite as much as Bee, but what are we if not a

    team here at Lo + Bee? :) Besides, you can't go wrong with Valentino.

5. Emma Watson in Dior

    I think anything she wears is automatically cool, but rocking pants on the red carpet is one of her

    hipper choices. I was also very jealous of how perfectly applied her lipstick was. 

4. Michelle Dockery in Oscar de la Renta
    Somehow she always makes my top 5 for red carpet looks. Oscar de la Renta designed the perfect
    red carpet ready look with this princess-like silhouette.

 3. Naomi Watts in Tom Ford
     The perfect combo of chic and sparkly.

2. Emma Roberts in Lanvin

    I heavily debated whether Emma Roberts' or Sofia Vergara's black dress/ turquoise jewelry look was

    better. I finally decided on Emma's. The silhouette won me over on this one, plus I have a weakness

    for turquoise jewelry

1. Julie Bowen in Carolina Herrera 
     Yes, yes, yes. Julie Bowen always has original red carpet looks. This dress grabbed my number one
      spot because 1) it's beautiful 2) it's stands out from the crowd. And I mean, look how tiny it makes
      her waist look. My favorite details are the sleeves and color combo.

I've decided to keep the fashion policing going all awards season long, so check back for my SAG Awards picks from next weekend!

XO,

Lo

Tweet Pin It Now!

Holiday Gift Guide

It's officially December which means I'm in full-fledged Christmas mode. I like to give Thanksgiving it's time in the spotlight, but as soon as December 1st rolled around I started my holiday shopping. I spent several hours this weekend scouring the web for great gift ideas, so I bring you some of my top picks.

1. Haircalf Bow Gloves, Banana Republic. I first fell in love with the leopard print but was very 

    intrigued once I sat the magenta color.

2. Antique Silver Jewelry Boxes, Pottery Barn. They have a whole collection of these and bonus: you

    can monogram!

3. Julie Vos Byzantine Cuff. We love, love, love this designer.

4. Universal Portable Charger, J. Crew. For a girl on the go. 

5. First Knuckle Rings, Catbird. I'm obsessed with "up high rings" as I've been referring to them

    (because they sit on the upper part of your finger), glad to finally know what to call then. Catbird has

    loads of interesting pieces.

6. Cedar Street Monday Bag, Kate Spade. I mean, there's gotta be a little Kate Spade on every gift

    guide.

7. Off Track Planet's Travel Guide for the Young, Sexy, and Broke , Urban Outfitters. I think I really

    need this for Christmas. Wink wink, family.

8. How to be Interesting by Jessica Hagy, Urban Outfitters. As a blogger, this is an everyday struggle. I

    know Bee will back me up on that.

1. Wool Plaid Scarf, J. Crew. Can't go wrong with a classic plaid for the holidays.

2. Clubmaster Classic Sunglasses, Ray-Ban. These just seem very hip.

3. Saddle Leather Toiletry Case, Pottery Barn. This can also be monogrammed, PB has it down for

    personalized gifts.

4. Vintage NFL Beer Stein, Pottery Barn. This just seemed very manly, and once again it's able to be

    personalized.

5. How To Be A Man by Glenn O'Brien, J. Crew. The gentleman's guide to being, well, a gentleman.

6. Alfred Sargent Chelsea Boots, J. Crew. I think by now you're probably starting to see a pattern in my

    men's guide. Just go to J.Crew or Pottery Barn and you're set.

Tweet Pin It Now!

My Fair Maiden: Finale

Fiiiiiinally I'm getting around to giving you a look at the final product of my summer-long bridesmaid dress project. I made it for my dear friend Aly's wedding that was held on a beautiful fall day in Southern Indiana.

I managed to snag a few of the beautiful wedding photos, but first I took a couple boring pics at home for some close-ups of the dress. Ta-da!

 The open back was one of my favorite design features of the dress.

Shout out to the brilliant Lexi Arielle Photography who captured Aly and Will's big day perfectly. While I'm at it, Aly has a pretty sweet photography business herself, check her out at Alyson Naville Photography. The rolling hills of Southern Indiana, or "God's country" as Will likes to call it, was the perfect setting for the rustic chic wedding. 

Aly and her girls. We all got to choose our own dresses and they ended up going together perfectly! It was meant to be.

The bridal par-tay....ignore my cheesiness there.

These were all taken in Will's grandparents' back yard. Hello photo op!

So so happy that I got to be a part of this big day for two of my favorites.....and that my dress turned out to actually be wearable. I had my moments of doubt on that one, and I won't elaborate on the fact that I didn't actually complete it until two days before the wedding ;) But alas, it came through for me!

After the beautiful ceremony we danced the night away with friends and family. An all around perfect day.

XO,

Lo

Tweet Pin It Now!

Wedded Bliss

This post is extra dear to both Lo and myself. We celebrated the nuptials of the newly Mister and Misses. Morgan happens to be Lo's oldest and best friend. She had the honor of standing at Morgan's side as her maid of honor this weekend. Whereas Morgan and I go back to high school days kickin' it around the soccer field.

It was a day full of love, friendship, and wedded bliss.

Before I lay all the pictures on you let me explain the reception site as it is the cherry on top. Morgan being the strong willed woman that she is insisted upon a romantic yet rustic reception in a barn. Not something particularly difficult to come by in Southern Indiana. However, she had her eye on our historical hometown Round Barn. There is only one catch...it is typically filled with cows and has NEVER been the location for any sort of event.

Despite the skepticism, her family and friends pulled together, to herd the cattle out, scoop up the poo, and managed to make a barn smell pleasant. The outcome was magical. And so you enter into a romantic, rustic, Southern Indiana wonderland...

Find your table.

Grab a drink.

Take a seat.

 The closest thing I have to a little sister. Isn't she pretty?

 My best friend and partner in crime.

The red velvet was superb!

Lo's best friend.

 The happy couple.

My best friend.

Not amused...

 She is clearly as excited about the cake as I am.

I am so in love with this picture. The bride and groom sharing their first dance as the bride's parents cuddle up to watch. Precious.

 Gearing up for the speeches. Which by the way was the best collective job I have heard in a long time.

Father of the bride.

Lo knocking it out of the park.

 Best man

 One of the groomsman had the whole room bent over laughing.

 Sister of the bride.

 Sisters...they only look slightly related ;)

 Austin looking ghost-like in the back.

 Lo and Bee.

This pic is stolen from Facebook, but these gals are too sweet not to make the blog. Meet Amie and Zarah. They happen to be sandwiching the ever dapper brother of the bride, Austin.

 Also stolen, photo from the owners of the Round Barn. Magical right?

The little picture thief that I am stole this one too. But I thought we should end with a great photo of the bride and her maid of honor. They may live in two different parts of the country, but their friendship I am sure will withstand the test of time. 

Cheers to Morgan + Brandon!

With all of our love,
Lo + Bee

Tweet Pin It Now!