Sunday 29 January 2012

december's dress

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I mentioned a few posts back that my New Years fashion resolution is to only buy one item per month. The main reasons for this are that I have enough clothes to cover most occasions, but I still love getting new dresses (or whatever). With my travelling lifestyle, clothes are basically the only things I can practically collect, and even with them I'm severely limited as to space/weight, so they may as well be items I love (and then I better wear them). Anyway, if I were to apply my New Years resolution retro-actively, this would be December's dress.

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I, (and Albert) love the easy, flattering shape and the bow, but possibly my favourite detail are the three layers of seams along the bottom. It reminds me how dresses used to be made longer and hemmed, then let out as children grew so as to maintain a decent length. Anyway; love. I wore this dress all weekend; to lunch with Albert's grandparents, for two empanada breakfasts in a row, to a restaurant, to a nightclub, to the Sant Antoni Sunday morning book market, for a walk in Raval. I have a more urban lifestyle than the average Nadinoo heroine, but I think this dress couldn't be more perfect for Barcelona's narrow streets, crowded markets, and nighttime warehouse district. I had fun headbanging in the dress too for a while...probably not what it was intended for!

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I got a few second-hand books at the market, including scoring the only French copy of a Tintin book I could find. I'm trying to improve (read learn) my French again. People who aren't Canadian always think that we're all perfectly bilingual but um--we're not. Here, people always assume I can speak French (I can't) since I'm Canadian, but also assume since I'm a native English speaker that I can't speak Spanish or Catalan (I can) because everyone knows that English speakers are dumb and can't learn languages. Le grrr. Anyway, I'm trying to learn French again.

dress: Nadinoo, cardigan: car boot sale, necklace: craft fair (gift), shoes: Fly London, pin: Sherlock Holmes museum, London, bag: vintage via Mom

62 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like the colors in the dress and the giant bow.

Anonymous said...

An item a month sounds reasonable, I should try that! But I'd have such a hard time deciding I want everything! That lovely dress is a great addition to your closet, very versatile and can easily be worn through all seasons!

Cess O. <3 The Outfit Diaries

Cat said...

I have had my eye on that dress for a while, you look amazing in it! Good luck with the French - perhaps a move to Paris is in order?!

Cat xxx
http://www.takecourageblog.com/

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Cess: yep! Although it'll be too hot once summer hits here... but I really wanted a winter dress in any case!

@Cat: merci ; )

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Monique said...

Emily, the print of that dress is lovely. I also love the shot with the yellow VW bus. Navy blue tights have quickly become a favorite of mine. Good luck brushing up on your French!

Closet Fashionista said...

I am loving that dress! The print is so fun!!
And I didn't know they used to do that with dresses... *learn something every day*
and ugh...haha...stupid languages!
http://www.closet-fashionista.com/

Miss Tallulah Porkchop said...

I LOVE Nadinoo stuff but it isn't really for hourglass-shaped girls. :(

Nina said...

Great dress! You always have the cutest dress and pull the outfits together so well. I'm jealous! Good luck with learning French, whenever I speak French in shops they realise straightaway that I'm not a native speaker and switch to English but it's still always worth a try
x
Nina

Shybiker said...

Pretty colors and lovely bow. Your frequent use of colored tights is perfect, in my view. They add color and interest to every outfit.

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Miss Porkchop: I can see that they could be difficult with that silhouette. Luckily for me I'm a pear, and the shape hides a multitude of sins!

@Nina: I hate it when that happens. So condescending. The trick is just to keep speaking French... and then tell them off if they start to offend you! : )

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Shybiker: Thanks! Interestingly, when I bought these tights I thought they were just navy, but they are brighter and do stand out a bit!

Diana said...

such a gorgeous dress, that pattern is seriously to die for. i love your plan for buying one piece of clothing per month -- it makes you love the ones you choose that much more :) xo

http://dressedupallligators.blogspot.com/

The Thriftaholic (Leilani) said...

I love the print & the bow on your dress, it also seems very versatile-- it can be made casual or upscale. Fun thrifted finds too, oddly enough the vintage shop where I work currently has that copy of Tin Tin! It's my ambition to move to Montreal one day so I need to work on my French skills too. :)

rose japan said...

Hi Emily ,,,beautiful dress and cardigan.

Ragini said...

I love this entire outfit, especially the colour combo of the tights/wedges/ cardi!

The Semi Sweet said...

Yay for relearning a language!! I took 4 long years of french and my poor feeble brain has forgotten most everything. Ugh.

I love this dress you're wearing so much. The print is so pretty, as is the bow. And the fact you headbanged in it, just gives you more awesome street cred.

Rebeccak said...

Love it! And I love this approach - I think I may acquire a monthly dress... it just seems to happen that way!

Maria Elyse said...

When I saw the first photo's thumbnail on my newsfeed, with the top of the dress with the bow, I instantly thought: "Ahhhh! Nadinoo!!!" I'm pretty sure that dress was made for you. It looks absolutely gorgeous on your beautiful self! :)

xo
Maria Elyse
www.uneasyimpressions.blogspot.com

Maria Elyse said...

That reminds me of when (er, um...am) I tried to learn Italian by reading Italian blogs and translating my Italian arias using an Italian to English dictionary. I know basic stuff but the way I form my sentences is probably not correct AT ALL. Haha.

xo
Maria Elyse
www.uneasyimpressions.blogspot.com

Laura said...

That print is so unusual! Very cute :) I'm thinking maybe I should impose a one-garment-a-month rule on myself...it would definitely be better for my back account. I would just have to break my Etsy habit...easier said than done!

thejoyfulfox.blogspot.com

out of order said...

aw I love the cornflower tights with that pretty dress! and my boyfriend glimpsed the Tin Tin book and went "aww" and relapsed into his tirade about how it's pronounced "ton-ton" haha

<3Meghan

Unknown said...

That is a great resolution and a very pretty dress.

http://shannonhearts.blogspot.com

Valerie Enríquez said...

What a beautiful dress! Nadinoo never makes a bad dress :)

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Maria Elyse: I've definitely tried to learn languages like that before, hehe. In this case I might have more luck since I had eleven years of French at school (apparently with no effect) and it's also pretty similar grammatically to Catalan and Spanish. : )

I lived with four Italians last year and considered trying to learn and then decided no...

callie said...

Wow what a great dress. The shape, the details, the material- everything is so unique! Good luck with your French. It's such a lovely language. :)

Xavi said...

Vacuver is far away from Quebec area… People from Madrid also don’t speak Catalan (nooooooooooooooo). I have to follow with my French but not now. I am with English now :( .
Nice, vey nice dress!!!

anna said...

the dress looks fantastic, but honestly i love more the fact that you like it so much! and on top of that, your bf likes it also! isn't the feeling of finding something like that great! enjoy! :-D
xoxo,
anna
http://annoulirulez.blogspot.com/

Amber said...

December's dress is quite lovely. You (and Albert) have great taste in dresses :)

Jack said...

You found a French copy of Tintin?! That is so cool! I have a dream to someday look at a French copy of one of the books. 8-D

Annebeth said...

absolutely lovely, I ADORE Nadinoo (duh) and I love your new year's resolution. I feel a decision like that coming up for me too, sometimes I get SO sick of accumulating stuff.

Ashley said...

Le grrr. haha :)

Love the blue tights with that dress!! *inspiration!

Is Albert from Spain or Mexico?

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Miss Baillot: I'd hit up ebay if I were you... I'm sure you can score all sorts of them cheaply there!

@Ashley: He's Catalan 100% ; ) We used to live in Mexico though (as you know from being one of my oldest blog-friends!

Jul said...

What a pretty dress, Emily! I love the bow and the hem(s) and the pattern...I can say I love everything about this dress hehe ^^ and of course looks great on you, and I can see why you wore it so much!
Hmm I don't speak French but I've always loved the sound of this language. Good luck on improving your French!

Virginie's Cinema said...

That is such a good idea! You are very level headed for being able to recognize you don't need new clothes but will collect one new item each month.

December's dress is fabulous so you are off to a good start!!

Virginie ♥

Anonymous said...

love it.. so pretty

Irene Wibowo

Meghido said...

If you like rock, watch and listen Meghido on http://meghidoband.blogspot.com/

Gaby de Modacapital said...

I like your dress :)

caitlin said...

um, gulp. that dress is absolute perfection. definitely a good choice. i love love how you styled it with the olive cardigan and the navy tights and those darling shoes--it looks so wintry! awesome. i would really like to brush up on my french, too. i'm nowhere near fluent, but i'm probably the closest with french as i'll ever be to being bilingual! (sadly not close enough)

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Caitlin: Nah, sometimes you just need a kick in the right direction. I never thought I'd learn Spanish, of all things. : )

Alicia said...

Girl, I am TOTALLY stealing your resolution to buy one article of clothing a month. It seems like such an attainable, non-punishing way to reduce consumption, and possibly pick up higher-quality pieces at the same time - goals I've been trying to acheive for awhile now. So instead of blowing all my money at H&M and Anthro this February, I'll be investing in a pair of Repettos that caught my eye recently (on sale, of course)! I just have to figure out how to work jewelry into the equation.

Also. L.O.V.E. your Nadinoo dress; it fits you perfectly and the cardigan looks wonderful with it.

Thanks for the inspiration!

YEYE STYLE BLOG said...

Your pictures are so pretty, love that dress :)

YEYE STYLE BLOG said...

Your pictures are so pretty, love that dress :)

Rosalind said...

Yes, definitely, if I was going to limit myself to only one item a month to purchase, one of them would DEFINITELY be a Nadinoo dress. This one looks perfect on you and I love the list of occasions when it was worn - making it extremely versatile too.

Sarah said...

Beautiful blog and nice shoes. Such a good idea to only buy one item a month although I would find it really hard but as you say I also have clothes to cover pretty much every occassion :).

Sarah

Sarah said...

Beautiful blog and nice shoes. Such a good idea to only buy one item a month although I would find it really hard but as you say I also have clothes to cover pretty much every occassion :).

Sarah

Sarah said...

Beautiful blog and nice shoes. Such a good idea to only buy one item a month although I would find it really hard but as you say I also have clothes to cover pretty much every occassion :).

Sarah

Unknown said...

emily! you are wonderful in that nadinoo dress! i love how you styled it. awesome book finds too. i'd love to learn french!

Emily, Resplendent Tranquility said...

I adore your new Nadinoo dress, Emily! It looks great on you and I agree at how seamlessly it works itself into your urban adventures. Beautiful choice :)

Two empanada breakfasts in a row? I'm dying over here!

Rosaspina Vintage said...

Oh you are one brave girl, Emily! One item per month, I should seriously force myself to do that too ;)
Well done on your december dress, I truly love it. The only reason that refrained me to order it this season is that I actually have the spring version of it, and I decided that I can be smart and style it with pretty layers to use it when it's cold too ;)
You look absolutely adorable!
Ale
xxx

Anonymous said...

I'm seriously droooling over every little thing about this outfit. The shoes are perfect, the dress is TO DIE FOR gorgeous... I just love all the colors.. and it's amazing that you have a cardigan in just the right color to match.
How come you're traveling so often. What do you do for you adventures? just sight-see or do you stay there longer and do more?

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Ash Louise: I work! I usually go places for at least six months and generally teach English, though I'm trying to change job at the moment. : )

Katie Burry said...

I love this dress. That bow is so pretty! <3

Am2Pm Chic said...

adore your floral dress, so cute & chic.
Christy

http://am2pmchic.blogspot.com/

Julia Topaz said...

english speakers r dum

TheShophopper said...

I could never wear that dress, it would make me look big and frumpy, but I absolutely love it on you. It's definitely a piece you wouldn't spot everyday and the print manages to be colourful and sophisticated at the same time. Great pick!

Stef said...

The dress looks amazing on you! Gorgeous :)

Your "one garment a month" rule sounds like a great way to manage your wardrobe and ensure only buy things you are 100 % smitten with.

Happy weekend!

Miss Woody said...

lovely !

Dus of Cuddly Cacti said...

One item a month is def great! & that dress is lovely on it, for all the reasons you say plus great colors on you (but i prob tell you that about all the colors you wear leading to the conclusion that COLOR is great on everyone... anyway, how is the Catalan coming? I'm curious, do you speak more Spanish or Catalan living in Barcelona? I automatically assume no one wants to speak Spanish there but clearly that's not the case. your mom's old coat is awesome too! Oh, & I'll add my response to your comment here too: How crazy would it be if Spanish were the dying language and Basque the whatever-most spoken language in the world? I guess that'd mostly be awful for us to learn : ). Anyway that's awesome you've been to San Sebastian too! Did you go recently?
http://dusanabotswana.com

Kenzie and Maddy said...

Love those navy tights!!!

Amber Schmidt said...

This dress really is beautiful; I can see why you and Albert love it. :)

I'm in the process of learning French, and I'm going to be visiting Canada this summer! :) If you'd ever like to be conversation buddies to practice, let me know.

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