Mushroom Bourguignon & the Peggy Sue Dress

It's Mother's Day! Have you called your mommy yet?

As well as loving to wear pretty dresses and sing pretty music, I also adore to putz around in the kitchen. I adore French food, but don't do that much French cooking in reality. It's involved and there's lots of butter and cream going on. I love beef bourguignon and have made it from time to time. It's delicious, but quite heavy. So, last night, I decided to try a recipe for the mushroom version I saw on Smitten Kitchen. 

Start with lucious, portobello mushroom caps...

Slice.

Simmer with wine, onion, garlic, stock and other yummy stuff...

Serve over creamy egg noodles...swoon!

 This is a great little recipe if you are vegetarian or prefer to eat less meat. I certainly love good beef, but in reality, I only eat meat maybe twice a week. I'm not gonna lie, it's a tad labor intensive (I like low maintenance food) but it's worth it.

I got asked to sing at a recital of a composition major at the Walnut Hill School this afternoon. Walnut Hill is a high school for the arts and I remember wanting to go there so bad when I was in high school. I was asked to learn the song cycle pretty short notice since the soprano on hire had backed out. I have been working very hard for the last 6 days on this piece, but it's brilliant writing and lots of fun to perform! I thought it was a great chance to wear my Peggy Sue Dress. It's a hard little frock to dress down, but the navy worked great with the Remaining Lilies Cardigan.

Dress: Anthropologie Peggy Sue Dress, Cardigan: Anthropologie Remaining Lilies Cardigan, Shoes: Seychelles Kiss at Midnight Pump

 I was feeling so pumped after my performance, I thought I might as well leap! My ankle is feeling much better so I think I'll be heading to the gym tomorrow before work!

It's Sunday and that means it's time for another Dereck and Kay Show today at 7:00. Please listen in and call in if you feel so inclined! We'd love to hear from you!

Tuesday Night at the Opera: OOTD

Today was totally awesome. I started out the day with a HUGE cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts. I don't normally buy coffee (my coffee maker gets a LOT of work. It's MUCH cheaper), but I was out this morning and it was my day off so I decided to treat myself. I played Rune Factory Frontier all day and then decided since it was the closing night of Cardillac at Opera Boston...I would treat myself to that as well! My hubby teaches a college course on Tuesday nights, so I was home alone anyway.

It was SO EXCELLENT! It was a three-act opera by Paul Hindemith and there were no intermissions, but none were needed - it was riveting. Check out the libretto, as you can see it's a very dark-themed story. I was so happy I randomly decided to take my lazy butt down to the Theater District!

The Karelia Coat was screaming; "You're going to the opera?! You have to wear me!". So, I did. It's 31º tonight and I was surprisingly not freezing in this as my coat. I wore elbow length gloves and a scarf underneath since I had to walk a half a mile to train. I was pretty comfortable and feeling sassy.

Coat: Anthropologie Karelia Coat

Dress: Anthropologie Peggy Sue Dress

Cardi: Anthropologie Moth Cardi (thrifted)

Shoes: Anthropologie Glad Rags T-Staps

Scarf: J Crew (2008)

It's a color bonanza!!!! I felt fab in this dress! It's the first time I have worn both of these pieces and the shoes. I walked a half a mile in those shoes! It wasn't bad (although, it wasn't great either).

I also got a love note from Anthropologie saying they had gotten a lot of new pieces in for spring and to come in and make an appointment with the personal shopper. I thought this was a really nice touch for such a big store since it was a handwritten note. I feel bad though, because I really don't have the cash to spend on full price stuff right now because I'm spending most of my money on lessons and coachings. We'll see how solid my resolve is when markdowns happen this week! I am getting a few good gigs, so I'll have a little extra cash soon :)

Good night ladies!

Reviewed: Two Maxi-Dresses and a Not-so-Maxi Dress

Good afternoon, Readers. I hope you all have been keeping warm. Truth be told, I've been away from my blog for a bit. I wear a uniform to work and I have not been dressing up because in New England, the weather has been brutal. A couple of days ago, it was in the single digits and it can't seem to stop snowing. We have had a storm every week for a while and we are running out of places to put the snow. I definitely have a little bit of the winter blues. I have been keeping up with other bloggers and seeing their cute outfits and I'm stuck wearing ugly snow boots and jeans. Driving in this muck isn't a picnic either. To top it all off, it's snowing again today and I will have to get to rehearsal in it. I think I will take public transit tonight, even though it will take much longer.

Anyway, I went to Anthro today to scope out the new arrivals. I also found a Peggy Sue Dress on the sale rack in my size and I am sick of waiting for a sale on the Laced With Grace Dress, so I grabbed it. I had been thinking about it ever since it went on sale and I regretted not picking it up because I so fell in love with it when I tried it on in the beginning of December. Plus, it's on my recital dress list since I booked a date in late April! I'm very excited! It's been a few years since I sang a solo recital and as soon as my lutenist ok's the date, we are on!

However, there are a few more dresses in contention now...

Irresistible Maxi Dress $178 Tracy Reese

I have been eyeing this pretty ever since it appeared on the website after Christmas. I love everything about it, I love the color, the neckline...it's amazing. I had been scared to try it on. Honestly, it's way too long and it would need to be hemmed, but otherwise...it's turquoise perfection.

So, if you have tried on or own a Dreamy Drape Dress (aka Speckled Ink Dress), it is the same soft, drapey jersey. I will be perfectly honest with you and say that this dress is like singing A Capella. It will expose any bumps or imperfections on your body that you don't want highlighted. So, if you will be bothered by this, this dress is not for you and will frustrate you. I found the dress to be very flattering and with a price point that didn't scare me (*I'm looking at you Spinning Lace Dress*). Plus, this is a maxi dress that didn't seem to overwhelm me. A maxi dress is a tricky situation for a petite. I am only 5'1, but I didn't feel short in this. Wishlisted for further consideration.

Botanical Crossway Dress $188 Moulinette Soeurs

Not only was I surprised about how much I liked this once it was on, I was also shocked that it wasn't too long. I am very grateful that a petite size is offered which is 3.5" shorter. There was a lovely pouf of a dress beneath the bodice, but it felt light and airy...like summer. The bodice, which I got a close-up of on the last photo, is beautiful. It's well-fitted and seems like something that would be perfect for a Caribbean vacation. I don't know if it's right for the stage, since the pattern may be very distracting, but it's under consideration. I would pay full-price for this one and not feel bad about it. Well done, Moulinette Soeurs!

Crossing the Stripes Dress $228 Eva Franco

Eva Franco and I are not friends. She is always making cute dresses that don't fit me at all. The Mullany Dress just about broke my heart and now this. This is just a little too big. It's a cute idea and the fabric is gorgeous. The little belt is actually denim which is cute, but this dress is not for a little, little gal like me. Price point is high, wait for the sale. Pass for me!

I tried on a bunch of sale items on too, but only left with the Peggy Sue Dress because that's all that was left on my merchandise credit. I am still intrigued by the idea of the Laced with Grace Dress, but it has to go on sale for me to buy it. NO EXCEPTION.

Lastly, I'm putting the Closet Challenge on hold until Spring! Stay tuned until April when I'm ready to collect entries again!

Surprise Sale & Dress Reviews!

Good afternoon, Ladies! Wow, Anthro threw us for a loop today with their sale, didn't they? I was quite tickled to discover that the Mary Shirtdress, which I think has been out for 5 minutes got marked down today. I was heartbroken with the D'armee Dress which didn't fit me, but when the Mary Shirtdress showed up online, I was smitten. I was planning on just reviewing it today, but I took it home as well! I'll review it in this set.

I headed over to the Boston Anthropologie this morning and had a fantastic time. The lovely and fabulous Jeanne Mooney who is their resident personal shopper is always a pleasure to work with and has a great sense of style. I grabbed a BILLION things to try on...so I'll be dividing my reviews into sets. I'm going to start with my favorite things...DRESSES!!

Sewing Circle Dress: $168 Floreat

I have liked this dress since it appeared online and I was glad to see it in the store today. I happen to find it just darling and well-fitting, even though reviews online seem lukewarm. All of the dresses in store had the straps already on, but I think it's super cute as a strapless dress and it's tight enough in the bodice that I am not worried about it slipping down. It's very poufy in the skirt, but that is something I actually really like. The blue embroidery on green is really sweet. Worth the $168 to me, but I think you would definitely be able to pick it up on sale. I find it to be a really sweet little dress, Well done, Floreat.

Peggy Sue Dress $168 Girls from Savoy

Oh MY. It was everything I could do NOT to walk out of the store with this beauty. The Spinning Lace Dress is sold out in my size online, but...HELLO, LOVER! I heart this in a major way! The navy color was scrumptious and the length was just right. There was just the right amount of pouf in the skirt and the bodice fit nice and snugly. The chiffon straps were a touch long, but I did not care because they did not move. I need this dress, but I have nowhere to go in it as it seems dressy. If you are in Boston, can you invite me to a fancy party or a wedding? I'm there and I'm there in this dress. AMAZING. Worth full price.

The Florist's Arrangement Sweaterdress was  $168 now $79.95 Moth

 

This is such a sweet little sweater dress. It was soft all over and the knitted floral details on the shoulder are darling. I wanted to love this dress on me, but I think I am a little too petite for it. It's 40" long, which for me is about 4 inches too long. It's not bad, but it's not great either. Plus, if I were to spill something on it, I would be devastated. The one I tried on was in perfect condition, but there has been some buzz online about the quality and some have found it was prone to snag and unraveling. I still think it's a sweet dress and would look great on the right person. It's on sale now, but something tells me to tell ladies to wait for a second cut if you like it.

Mystery Maple Dress (forgot to look at the tag for price point, sorry!)

I've got two words for this dress: HOT MESS. I apologize for ripping into this dress, but first off...there is no zipper on it. It's a wrap dress held on by like ten thousand hook and eye closures. The skirt seems to be okay, but the bodice is a disaster. This was the 0, but it feels like a 4. The dress also probably weighs about 2lbs for some reason. It was a lovely material and felt a very high quality, but I'm not sure what else to say. It makes me question whether or not it IS in fact, a dress. The polka dots are cute. Pass. Not even on sale. See it on Roxy.

Silver Cloud Dress (was $188 now $89.95)  Mise En Scene by Ruffian

Aw. This could have been amazing if it was like 7" shorter. It's a shift dress, but it's truly not flattering, especially if you are are not curvy like me. It could have been a really fun party dress, but unfortunately, I think it's flawed in its fit. Maybe if this gets a second cut, it may be worth it to get it hemmed to a better length or something...if you have somewhere to go in it. At $90 now, I think if you really like this, wait it out for a second cut.

Mary Shirtdress (was $128 now $59.95) Maeve

After my disappointment in the D'armee Dress, I had some hope that this dress would work well for me. It was even sweeter that it hit sale much sooner than I expected! I love the military inspired look of this dress. The photos do not do it justice. The 3/4 sleeves are nice and the pockets are adorable. There is a petite length available, but I saw nothing wrong with the regular 0 here. I actually LOVE the back of the dress more than I do the front. It's a perfect fit and I plan to wear it ASAP. At $60, why NOT?

There you have it! I have lots more in the pipeline for some posts later in the week. Including my review of the much-coveted Solistice Festival Cardigan!

Did anyone score anything awesome from the sale today? Seems to be undercover so there's lots left in stock! Happy Hump Day everyone!