Cheap and Chic of the Week: Chic Christmas

Hello All! A week and a half ago, WWB and I went to get our first Christmas tree together! A big endeavor indeed, not only because we were getting our first tree together, but because it was our first tree for both of us individually. This meant that we had to go shopping for ornaments. 

This silver mistletoe ornament from Crate and Barrel was quite nice. Then we went to Gracious home and picked up some filler ornaments. But it wasn’t until we were walking home on the Upper East Side that we spied the absolute best ornaments at one of our favorite stores – Roberta Roller Rabbit! 
You all know how much I love their home accessories, as I have mentioned them in previous posts here and here. The tablecloths, napkins, and place mats are fabulous and some of my favorite “go to” home accessories and gifts. 

The pillows are also a favorite, WWB and I have two of these in the apartment. 
And let’s obviously not forget the thing that we all came to know and love Roberta Roller Rabbit for, her amazing beach cover ups. However, the Christmas ornaments are definitely my new favorite thing about Roberta. 
And, it gets even better, they start at $8. They are hand painted papier mache cylinders with all of our favorite Roberta Roller Rabbit patterns, in two sizes. Tres chic! 
The picture quality could be better, and you can’t see the detail of the Roberta Roller Rabbit ornaments,  but you get a sense of how the tree turned out. We couldn’t find a star or other tree-topper that we loved, so we decided to buy some ribbon and tie a large bow. We got three Roberta ornaments, but honestly I’m thinking I may have to go back for more … What do you all think? 

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Cheap and Chic of the Week: Coastal Living & Pier 1

I can always count on my great Charleston friend Mary Beth to have a Coastal Living in her beach bag – and I always ask to take a peak. On our most recent beach mission last month, Coastal Living had a spread that lead me to find a piece of cheap furniture that I had been looking for EVERYWHERE. 
The Dunmore Beach Club. Harbour Island, Bahamas. Just restored/redecorated by Caribbean local decorator Amanda Lindroth. 
And here it is … the photo that solved all my apartment decor issues. Looking at this picture it might not be clear what in this photo “saved me.” Bottom right hand corner, the slipper chair covered in Quadrille’s  “Petite Zig Zag” fabric in brown. And under the photo it read “slipper chair from Pier 1.” 
I have to be honest, Pier 1 may be one of the only decorating discount opportunities that I always forget about. Everything in there is always so over decorated, that I would rarely think of Pier 1 as a place to buy staples or basics. But here it is — the Audra Slipper Chair. Just what WB and I needed in the apartment. And I got two of them for $139 each!
Now eventually the plan will be to upholster the chairs–skirted, but for now they are sitting in the apartment “naked.” (sorry for the dark photo, a little cloudy in NYC this am) So to jazz them up whilst they remain white and uncovered I bought some $40 pillows from Roberta Roller Rabbit, and voila, a seating arrangement. I am thrilled with this “find,” what do you all think?  
photos via Coastal Living

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Attempting to be Cheap and Chic of the Week: LBD

Audrey Hepburn
What is it about the “little black dress”? Its so iconic, so stylish, so simple, and yet seemingly unattainable. 
Grace Kelly
I have an event coming up in NYC that is a black tie event for which I have absolutely nothing to wear. Obviously being the poor student that I am, this causes quite a problem because I am not exactly rolling in the dough. So, buying a long, true “black tie” dress was out of the question, because I won’t exactly have many occasions to wear it in the near future.  Anything I buy needs to work for many different things over and over again.  
Marilyn Monroe
I decided that what I needed was to get a little black dress that was black tie appropriate, and could be worn to many cocktail parties over the next few years. In essence the perfect LBD. 
Audrey Hepburn
Who knew that something so seemingly simple, could turn out to be so exhausting, and not nearly as simple as one would think. 
Twiggy
I started my search on the low end … scouring the likes of Ann Taylor Loft, Ann Taylor, and Banana Republic, hoping to find an amazing deal on a diamond in the rough. It was not to be. 
Sophia Loren
Material is an issue when you are looking for a black tie dress, as the material needs to be formal enough.   Many of the dresses I came across were jersey or a cotton blend … neither which are really appropriate. So I decided to set my sights a bit higher and start looking at some other stores that specialize in “party dresses” per se. 
Angelina Jolie for St. John
The trouble with looking for a simple little black dress, is that no one makes a really simple little black dress. All the styles either have some embroidery, a ruffle, a belt, one shoulder etc … and when you’re planning on wearing something as much as I planned on wearing this dress, memorable is not exactly what you are going for. In fact, you would prefer the less memorable the better, something that essentially acts as a vehicle for jewelry, hairstyle, or a clutch–that way people are less likely to notice that you have been wearing the same dress for every occasion year after year. 
First stop, BCBG. Love this dress, but a little on the risque side for the more conservative crowd at the benefit I will be attending. Too bad, because I think its terribly sexy. 
Next stop: French Connection. I have had great luck at this store over the past couple years, and there are always gems to be had. I really like this dress, but I think that it is lacking in the sophistication factor that is required for the type of event I am going to … Too bad, because this is a great basic LBD.
On to JCrew, where I determined that this was the dress that I should buy. Perfect, not exactly cheap at $250, but it could have been worse. I love the ruffle neckline, and the cinched waist–great for a conservative crowd and a great dress for a fun necklace. Oh, but wait, this won’t ship until the end of June! Bummer! 
Final stop, Milly. And the dress I bought. It has ruffles, and one shoulder, two things that I think are too memorable for the “go to” little black dress, but what’s a girl to do, I had officially been on every website, and I’m in the middle of finals and shouldn’t be focusing on this! This one really topped out my budget. Oh well, I did get a big tax refund this year …  

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