Scarlett's Closet Bridal 4-1-1 has a new web address. Please visit us at our new digs:
http://scarletts-bridal-4-1-1.blogspot.com
I know. It's a small change. But even small change is better than no change at all!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Semi Annual Dirt Cheap Clearance Sale in Scarlett's Closet
On sale now, first quality designer samples by Lazaro, Watters & Watters, Jordan Fashions, Montage, Mon Cheri Evening, Cameron Blake and others, dirt cheap. If you're even thinking of a wedding this summer, now's the time to buy. Don't dawdle. Sale ends August 1 2010.
Evening Dresses by Watters & Watters, Lazaro, Jordan Fashions, Mori Lee - just $25!
Evening Dresses by Watters & Watters, Lazaro, Jordan Fashions, Mori Lee - just $25!
Tea length and knee length party dresses by famous name designers - just $25!
Special occasions dresses by Jade, Montage, Cameron Blake and other top designers - just $50.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Summer Wedding Guest: Sassy
Summer often moves weddings into the garden. This is tricky for high heels; terrific for party dresses. Think sandals. Think short. Think color. Think Scarlett's Closet where there's always a designer sample on sale perfect for any affair.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Size Guidelines: Help Me Help You!
In the movie, Jerry Maguire, it's hilarious when Jerry expresses his frustration with Rod. "Help me! Help me help you." Today, I'm not laughing. I am beseeching online buyers looking for a beautiful gown at a bargain price, "help me help you!" In order to be happy with the wedding gown or evening dress you purchase online, know the style and color that flatters you and know your measurements.
A week ago, I chatted with a mother of the bride whose wear date was fast approaching. The dress she originally ordered had not come. She needed another one pronto. Size 10.
After eight years selling bridal and formal dresses online, I know all too well there is no standard sizing in women's apparel.
Bridal and formalwear generally, but not always, runs smaller than sportswear. Every designer cuts to a slightly different standard. A Vera Wang size 10 will fit more like a size 6 in some sportswear. Jade by Jasmine size 10 is a full three inches larger than Vera Wang.
What's more, all size 10 bodies come in different shapes. Bean pole, apple, pear, hourglass are the most common. There are even finer variables within these.
If you lined every size 8 women up, side by side, around the world, you would see variables that make each and every one of us unique. It is no sin. There is no shame in this game. That's how God made us.
Finally, every designer cuts to a standard shape, usually a triangle that is narrow in the bust and wider in the hips. Few women are shaped like this. This "cookie cutter" standard is for economies of scale and profit margin, not perfect fit. This is why God made tailors.
I automatically ask this mother of the bride her measurements.
Yes, she is 38-30-44.
The size chart in the listing states Size 10 Bust 38 Waist 29.5 Hips 41.
It's too small for her hips, so I tactfully say, "You have to fit your largest part."
Somehow she pretends not to know what that is and takes the dress. Four days later, she returns the dress, it's too small, the zipper is pulling apart.
Well du-uh. Zippers pull apart when you try to force a size 10 dress over size 12 hips. I diplomatically do not say this. And authorize her to send a return.
She is frustrated. I am frustrated. In fact, I'm frustrated by an order of magnitude. She is buying one gown. I am getting back one gown a week because women are stuck in their vanity about the size they wear. How can we avoid this frustration?
If we were engineers, we'd be objective. It's just numbers. Dimensions and variables. That's it. So why is it so difficult for adult women to own our true dimensions and variables? The numbers that define us are loaded.
We are not buying a dress; we are buying sex appeal. We will go to ridiculous extremes to have sex appeal. And we have been conditioned to believe that sex appeal only looks one way. This pretty much ensures that a very large percentage of women walk around deeply dissatisfied with the very fiber of our being - body shape, dimensions and the variables that make us unique.
May I tell you a small, little acknowledged truth? There is nothing sexier and more appealing than a woman who is comfortable in her own skin.
So please, help me help you.
Know your dimensions. Love your variables. And get the name of a good tailor. We'll all be much happier.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Mother of the Bride: Smokin' Hot!
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Today's mother of the bride or mother of the groom has a wide variety of designer styles from which to choose. Polished. Glamorous. Youthful. Frankly sexy. She doesn't want to out do the bride, but face it. Dresses for mother of the bride, mother of the groom and best dressed guests "of a certain age" are dowdy no more.
Mother of the bride, mother of the groom sample dresses by Jade by Jasmine, Montage, Siri San Francisco, Sarah Danielle, Val Stefani and many others, on sale now in Scarlett's Closet.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
New Arrivals: Evening Drama
Make dramatic entrances in beautiful evening dresses by Lazaro, newly posted to Scarlett's Closet. Sex appeal, superior quality and the sale price! ooo la la
Friday, April 23, 2010
Designer Wedding Dresses: Light as Angel Wings
New York Magazine showcases gorgeous designer wedding dresses in styles and fabric as light as angel wings.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
New Arrivals: Piccione by Alfred Angelo
Michelle Piccione banishes extravagance and takes a stand for elegance and refinement in gorgeous silk designer wedding dresses from Piccione Alfred Angelo. Reasonable prices become fabulous buys in Scarlett's Closet.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Trendy: Pastel Wedding Dresses
Save the Date discusses couture bridal designers who are moving away from white and ivory wedding gown. During bridal fashion week, color was everywhere.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Spring 2010: The Little White Dress is Back
Fashion is round. What was once great always comes round again. Like the little white dress. Have a look at the white way on the New York runway.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Miriam Haskell at J Crew: A Beautiful Marriage
Thrifty brides take note: The venerable Miriam Haskell jewelry company recently unveiled a new line of costume jewelry for the bride in conjunction with J Crew.
Lest you think there's is something tawdry and not quite worthy in wearing good costume, consider some of the ladies who have proudly worn her creations since Miriam Haskell opened "Le Bijou de L'Heure" in a New York hotel in 1926. Coco Chanel. The Duchess of Windsor. Lucille Ball. 1926! Coco Chanel!
While I would not have envisioned glamorous Miriam Haskell in league with preppy J Crew, there's huge promise in this partnership. Fabulous faux at prices you can afford.
Stay tuned.
This could be a beautiful marriage.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Say "I Do" to Carol Hannah at Michael Fineman, NYC
Be still my beating heart. Carol Hannah of "Project Runway" fame launches her first bridal dresses and bridesmaid gowns at the Michael Fina Boutique on Fifth Avenue in New York. Based on her show at Bryant Park last year, they've got to be divine. Plus a chance to win a $10,000 bridal package. How cool is that?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Spring Bridal Sample Sale in Scarlett's Closet
New arrivals from top bridal salons on sale in Scarlett's Closet include one of a kind sample wedding dresses by Paloma Blanca, Mon Cheri, Moonlight Designs, Maggie Sottero and Mori Lee. Save hundreds of dollars on your dream wedding dress.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Bride Wears Red? Absolutely!
Once white and ivory wedding dresses were de rigeur for the Cinderella bride. Not any more. Today's Cinderella is falling in love with color - and it's red. Red is not as off color as it seems. It is a predominant choice in Chinese, Hindu and some Muslim weddings. But for American brides? Maggie Sottero Patti is an emphatic "yes!"
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Bridesmaid Trends: Color Me Blue
Blue is a hit on the chapel aisle as too. After all, the next best thing to a vacation in a tropical paradise is a dress that echoes the sea or sky when you get there.In the terrestrial world, signs of blue life have been flowing onto the runways and pages of glossy magazines. At the recent fall shows, designers from Proenza Schouler in New York to Pucci in Milan, have explored myriad shades of cobalt, cornflower, turquoise and cerulean. It's almost as if Miranda Priestley's spirited defense of fashion in The Devil Wears Prada, a reaction to her indifferent assistant's "lumpy blue sweater," is being played out in real life. In her new "Marrakesh" collection for Tiffany, Paloma Picasso blends geometric gold patterns and lapis lazuli--the color of which recalls the walls of Morocco's Majorelle Garden, where Yves Saint Laurent's ashes are scattered. Meanwhile, the style bibles are teeming with all manner of blue foo dogs, turquoise jewels and lapis collectibles Read it
Friday, March 5, 2010
Party Perfect Tea Length Dresses
Nothing says "party perfect" like a swingy, tea-length a-line party dress from W-too by Watters & Watters now on sale in Scarlett's Closet.
Great legs go shorter with a just above the knee look that is both sassy and lady-like.
Maid, matron, mother of the bride, or best dressed guest, you are bound to make a favorable first impression in these kicky and flirtatious styles.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Platinum Taste, Copper Penny Budget? Deal Diva Bridal Guide
Meet our new friend, the Deal Diva Bridal Guide, a hot off the hard disk blog that scouts and touts the best deals in bridal and formal for women who have expensive taste and a tight budget.
*eye roll*
Isn't that everybody?
Have a look and be sure to subscribe. Sue Robinson, the author, is an expert at hooking you up with the deals and steals that will stretch your bridal budget dollars to the max.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wow! Save Twice on Watters & Watters Formal wear
Save up to 80 percent on newly arrived Watters & Watters and WToo dresses for party and evening. Fabulous colors. Luscious fabric. Killer style. The perfect way to swing into spring. And a double bonus for fans of Scarlett's Closet. For a limited time, take $15 off the discounted price with the following discount code:
wow
Valid until March 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Watters & Watters: Simply Stellar Fabric & Style
I love good fabric. Maybe it's because my mother had most of my clothes made for me when I was a teenager. Maybe it's because my entire Cajun family breathed women's fashion in little towns tucked into South Louisiana and Central Texas. Whatever the genesis, I judge a dress as much by its feel as its sex appeal. Lets face it, a fabric that is scrumptious to touch not only holds its line better, it feels sexy as hell when you wear it. And good fabric is one of the reasons I love offering Watters & Watters evening and party dresses in Scarlett's Closet.
Sultry and glamorous charmeuse. Sophisticated duchess satin. Rich and ladylike Dupioni silk. Light as air crinkle silk chiffon. The fabric represented in our new collection of Watters & Watters evening gowns and cocktail dresses is simply stellar in its eye appeal and feel.
And it's no slouch in terms of style.
For 20 years, Vatana Watters has set the design tone for this line. Her styles are not "out there" or avant garde, but classic, flattering and what women want to wear.
Watters & Watters may not be a household word like the ubiquitous Vera, but these dresses are the equal to any in terms of quality, style and value.
Watters & Watters in Scarlett's Closet
Monday, February 1, 2010
Designer of the Month: Paloma Blanca
Paloma Blanca has been a mainstay for brides who love couture fashion since 1937. Manufactured in Toronto, Canada, the designer offers high quality fabrication, style and the exacting attention of detail that is the hallmark of couture. It's an excellent buy at its mid-tier price.
See New Arrivals for our Paloma Blanca Collection
Sunday, January 17, 2010
How to Avoid Wedding Dress Neurosis
In our perfectionist culture, one word jumps out about brides to be and the search for the perfect wedding dress: NEUROSIS. Here's how to find a dreamy dress without going nuts.
1. Give yourself plenty of time
Unless you are buying from a discount store, you won't find your style and size in hanging stock. All designer bridal dresses are sold of a pattern - the salon sample. Delivery time will take from six weeks to six months. Many women buy the dress first to get this chore out of the way as well as establish the tone for the rest of the celebration.
2. Be comfortable in your skin
There is no dream wedding dress for the woman who is unhappy with how she looks. Lips to hips, being critical of oneself is the perfect set up for neurosis. When you are focusing on your flaws, or trying to hide them, nothing will work. So before you begin shopping, take lots of deep breaths and give that reflection in the mirror lots of acceptance.
3. Go with an open mind
The average bride looks at 100 dresses before she makes up her mind. 100 dresses. In many cases, she has a specific look in mind. Fashion is all about revealing the inner you. Having a mental picture that you can't articulate, as in "I'll know it when I see it," can send you around a mental bend. Be prepared to try on lots of dresses in a wide range of styles regardless of the price. Who knows? Maybe there's an inner you even you haven't met yet.
4. If you're buying a bargain online, know your measurements.
Forget what size you wear. Sizing compared to street clothes runs small. Sizing from one designer to the next is not standard. Better brands run especially small. It's ridiculous. In the full service salon, a professional consultant will measure you so your dress will the right size. Then it will be tailored to fit perfectly. If you want to take advantage of online bargains or sample sales, know your measurements. Pick a dress bigger than you are and have it tailored to fit. More tips on fitting here.
5. Plan and budget for alterations
Yes, even when you order your designer bridal gown from the manufacturer, you will need alterations. Simply put, no body is perfect.
6. Relax and enjoy the trip
Remember that your wedding day is a celebration and the best party you'll ever give. The dress you wear is merely a reflection of your happiness, not who you are. Weddings, like life are a journey, not a destination.
Alfred Angelo: 75 Years of Cinderella Brides
Alfred Angelo Bridal Dresses are living proof that haute couture does not need to be high priced.
Founded in the 1930s by Alfred Angelo Piccione and his wife, Edythe Piccione, Alfred Angelo is the world's leading maker of wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses and is committed to providing beautiful, high-quality bridal and formal dresses at affordable prices.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Here's an idea: Elope NYC
Offbeat Bride offers great information on how to tie the knot in New York City without breaking the bank. And it's a really good deal.
Thinking about getting married in New York? Elope NYC offers civil or spiritual ceremonies with all the fun and romance of a big city wedding without all the stress and copious amounts of dough. (Seriously, Elope NYC's wedding packages start at $350. OMGWTFBBQ! Seems like you can't even cross the street in NYC for less than $20, so a whole wedding for $350 is a deal.)
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