day 52 of 57: The Leopard Queen's Tree

    On day 52 of 57 Days of Dresses, Jason and I enjoyed a sunny Saturday afternoon celebrating his last day being 36! There was also an anti-nuclear plant protest going on downtown, followed by an Occupy GA in Pritchard Park, but we didn't stick around for that. Something about the serious and somewhat dreary tone of a protest and assembly that really doesn't encourage birthday celebration feelings.
    We started with lunch at Papas & Beer, a local Mexican restaurant recommended by a fellow vegetarian friend of ours. As we were walking up to the entrance, something along the lines of "You win this time Mexican" was scrawled on the side of the building. Weird.
    The chips and bean dip was tasty, and the self-serve salsa bar--an all-the-rage attraction at the local Mexican restaurants here in Asheville--had a good selection of sauces ranging from a pumpkin dip to a roasted tomatillo salsa verde to a "kids dip." Our meals arrived; Jason got the Baja fish tacos (he eats fish occasionally) with no sour creams or beans and extra rice, and I got the veggie fajitas with corn tortillas and no sour cream--our usual Mexican fixes. Our food came out fast and we got to grubbing. The quality and flavor profiles were typical of "Califorina" style Mexican restaurants: Unauthentic, Americanized and too salty. Oh, how I miss living in Arizona.
    The meal ended abruptly and, well, crappy after finding a piece of meat at the bottom of my fajita sizzle skillet. Touching and mingling and mixing with what was suppose to be a vegetarian meal. I know these things happen every so often, and it's just the risk a vegetarian runs when eating out at establishments where meat is prepared. But, man, when it happens, it really turns your stomach. Needless to say, we're probably not visiting Papas & Beer any time soon.
    After being fed, we headed to the west side of town to bask and gallivant in the sun, and found this quaint community garden. It was eclectically decorated with oddities, old shovels, hula hoops, glass bottles and a bright blue tree. Definitely a place for a photo shoot, and a future picnic!
    This leopard-print maxi dress is a fabulous piece I picked up at the Downtown Market here in Asheville. It has an empire waist, long sleeves and a U-neck. Being 5'9", I'm happy that maxi dresses are never too long for me---this one falls slightly above my ankles. I decided on a casual Saturday, so I'm sporting knee socks and my trusty chucks. Good thing, too, since Jason and I decided to take a few leisure strolls around the west side and downtown. When it comes to jewels, sometimes too much is not enough, and I went for silver-studded bohemian beauty: A ring on each finger, bangles, earrings and necklaces. The finishing touch was one of my handmade feather hair clips featuring Canada goose and bluejay feathers.
    Sometimes my honey-brown complexion doesn't do well with leopard-inspired prints--the pattern just doesn't pop--so I like the way the cooler tone of this dress works better with my natural warmth. It can be hard finding a good animal print, but when I do, I love it!

Day 47 of 57: French Connection

    Day 47 of 57 Days of Dresses was an evening of Middle Eastern food, belly dancing and hookah smoking. Jason and I went out with the lovely Emily Thomas to see our belly dance instructor, Claire, perform at the local Middle Eastern restaurant, Jerusalem Garden. Watching her was mesmerizing, and the control she had of her muscles was impressive. I'm happy she's my teacher.
    After enjoying food, wine and entertainment, we hoofed over to the hookah lounge and enjoyed a smoke and conversation. We were all going to check out the '60s R&B dance party at the Admiral, but it was pretty late so we called it a night before turning into pumpkins. After a wonderful night out, the last order of business was a quick photo shoot in front of the french doors of our pantry in our new house.
    I found this fabulous leopard-print A-line shirt dress at a thrift store here in Asheville. The dress buttons fully from top to bottom, and the large structured lapels provides a vintage-inspired Judy Jetson feel.
    The deep-V neck and sleeveless cut make this dress very sexy, and great to accessorize with classic styles like a pearl necklace, pearl earrings and a Victorian lace blouse. The above-the-knee circle skirt flares nicely from the hips. I have the waist set off with a bright red vinyl belt. What a find!

 

day 23 of 57: Night stalker in animal print

    Today is day 23 of 57 Days of Dress! We tried some night time photography for this dress. Let's just say not every location's a winner, but that still shouldn't stop you from giving it a try, right? Lesson learned!

    This cat print dress is my only Betsey Johnson piece. I really don't care for many of the styles, but I guess there's always an exception. This dress is also the only animal print dress I have. I'm always on the look out for an awesome zebra print dress, so if you see one, send it my way! It's a leopard print flared mini dress. It has solid black banding, exposed black stitching and a black back tie. The dress has a button front closure with leopard print buttons, a low scooped neck and scooped back. It's a fun little dress, and I don't wear it enough. These pictures really do it no justice!