"R you going to the mall later? That's what I'm asking."

For the fashion show tonight, I got some new red lipstick and a new outfit:

at the show

at home after the show

date: 27 April 2010
occasion: High Voltage UT Fashion Show
blouse: F21
cami: F21
tulle skirt: F21
shoes: Simple Nappa CL
bag: Marshall's (no tag)
zebra bracelet: Fashionique (recently closed)
red lips: Russian Red matte lipstick by MAC

Confession: I hate malls. I had to go to Barton Creek Square Mall today because I really wanted a new outfit for the fashion show, and I was on a very limited time frame (meaning a thrift store tour was out). I knew I could cheaply piece together something from Forever 21, so I headed to the mall and bought my complete outfit in under an hour. Go me! But then- -get this- - I could not find my exit, so I spent the next hour trying to figure out how to get out of the mall! I even asked for help at the information desk, and I got laughed at (I will begrudgingly admit that it was well deserved. An adult lost in a mall is kind of funny.). But here's the kicker: once I finally found my exit, I meandered the parking lot for another 20 minutes trying to find my car. I even put my key in the wrong car! Exasperation!

Truth be told, I'm surprised that I'm not still at the mall, curled up asleep under a clothing rack or something. I seriously thought I'd never get out! It makes me wonder if the people who work the kiosks and the food court are actually just people who got trapped in the mall one day and therefore decided to just go ahead and make the most of it since they were doomed to be trapped there forever. I shudder to think that today that was almost my fate!

Tonight: High Voltage

I just got back from High Voltage, the UT Fashion Show, and I am surprised that I am able to type this right now. I almost died from being impressed. Seriously. I was blown away! It was unbelievably amazing! There were thousands of people in attendance. I met so many new people and got to catch up with a lot of people who I hadn't seen in a while, too. The super sweet PR people even gave me a media badge which enabled me to be able to sit in one of the primo seats that flanked the runway. (Thank you, Stephant!)

I loved my seat because I was able to see the workmanship of the garments up close, however, I have now learned that having a spot right next to the runway doesn't always get you the best photos. Hardly any of mine turned out, but perhaps tomorrow I'll be able to redirect you to a page where the photos are stellar... or at the very least acceptable. Here are two of mine that aren't too terrible:

My friend Jackie (whom I met on the set of Friday Night Lights three years ago) designed this dress. Her collection won one of the evening's awards!

These are three of the looks by Audrey Young who had one of my favorite collections. I love the chiffon and the feminine menswear look and would buy any of these right now.

Even though my photos were a bust, I think my video of the evening wear and bridal collections may have turned out okay. I hope to check out the raw footage tomorrow and get a little recap video online in the next couple of days. In the meantime, you can check out Cheryl's footage from the live stream Fashionably Austin did today. Enjoy!

She's alive!

I didn't die! Thank you so, so much to all the incredibly sweet people who took time to contact me to see if I was, indeed, doing okay. I feel like I have the best readers in the entire world, and it has been killing me to be incommunicado for so long. By the way, if you're waiting on a package or return email from me, know that I will be spending this entire weekend playing catch up!

Truth be told, pregnancy is not at all agreeing with me, so I have been pajama clad and bed ridden for the greater part of the last two weeks. I was losing weight, feeling like I had mono, and in general not feeling adorable enough or energetic enough to do Adored Austin or to go anywhere or even to get online to return emails. Turns out it was all a matter of protein. Despite my occasional cheeseburger cravings, I was way, way, way low on my recommended protein intake (is it okay to blame my vegetarian husband and my lactose intolerance? No? Okay, then. I won't!). I've been working really hard to correct it, and in two days time I finally felt well enough to get up and get dressed and run some errands. I kept it super duper casual, though:



date: 28 April 2010
occasion: Target outting
jacket: close-out vintage sale
maternity shorts: Liz Lange, Target
t-shirt: American Apparel
sandals: thrifted, Savers
elephant belt (as a necklace): thrifted, Savers

Yes, ladies. Behold my first piece of maternity clothing:

I truly hope this will be my only piece of maternity clothing! I'm not showing that much, and it is my goal to not spend a lot of money on clothes that I will not be able to wear after pregnancy. However, Hubs and I are going to Disney World in a couple weeks, so I wanted to get some shorts that would be comfortable. Let me tell you, that stretchy waist band is the definition of comfort! Yes, I feel like a suburban soccer mom wearing them, but at least the kiddo in my uterus isn't crying out for more room. Yet!

It is crying out for more protein, though, so I'm now accepting applications for cheeseburger eating partners!

Hey, by the way, thanks for being patient with me. I really, truly appreciate it. Your thoughts and prayers and well wishes mean the world to me.

High Voltage, 7 p.m., Frank Erwin Center

Since I'm finally feeling better, I plan to hit up one of the most anticipated fashion events in all of Austin tomorrow:

UT always puts on a spectacular year end show (over 5000 people attended last year!), but this year, I've caught wind that it's particularly out of this world. Professional models! Professional production! Top notch, emergent designers! If you're in Austin, why wouldn't you go? It's totally free, there's plenty of seating, and there's nothing else like it! I'll be there, and I hope you will be there, too.

If you're not in Austin, Cheryl from Fashionably Austin will be live streaming it, and I, too, hope to put together a small wrap-up video.

Couturious: it's like Fashion Plates, but way better.

Did any of you have Fashion Plates when you were kids?

As a child of the 80's I had the Barbie Fashion Plates, and I absolutely loved mixing and matching all the tops and bottoms to create new outfits. Many a childhood evening was spent styling and several reams of my grandma's typing paper were used in my Fashion Plating adventures.

I had forgotten all about my love for Fashion Plates until Krystal introduced me to the website Couturious. It's like Fashion Plates, but all high tech! Look at this outfit I just created! I even found a creatures necklace for my model!

If you haven't had the chance to play with this totally addictive site yet, I want to encourage you to jet on over there and do so! You get to mix and match clothes and accessories until you've created the most perfect outfit, ever (even tucking in shirts if you'd like and switching positions of the bags, etc). Best of all, each piece is linked to a place where you can purchase 'em. Fashion Plates didn't have that goin' on, did they?

If you have a Facebook account, you can even link it to share your Couturious creations or to save and bookmark the ensembles you've put together. Plus, all of your grandma's precious typing paper will remain unused!

If you're already on Couturious, make sure to take a little bit of time to vote on entries for their Create-Compete-Ch-Ching scholarship program. Your votes will determine the top ten, then a very distinguished panel of judges will choose three scholarship winners. First prize is $2000 toward tuition at one of the participating schools.

Also, please feel free to laugh at the bio of the weirdo judge on the bottom of the judges' page. She obviously needs to hire a more serious person (other than herself) to write her public profiles...

Um, anyways... why are you still here? Go get stylin' and voting!

Link: Couturiouos

Austinites, win this goody bag and two tickets to Shop Austin!

Contest closed. Winner was notified!

Look. The cat is out of the bag. I know y'all love giveaways! This Friday (a mere two days from today), one lucky, local, Adored Austin reader will be the proud recipient of one goody bag filled with delights from local Austin artisans as well as two tickets to the Lone Star Ladies' annual Shop Austin event that is happening this Saturday at Saengerrunde Hall.

Prizes inside include an *annemarie* zippy wallet made from 2009 Shop Austin Banners, Cards from Tisa's Creations, hammered silver and crystal pendant necklace by Hearts O Fire, a $15.00 Gift Certificate to Touch of Sass, a watercolor print by Coral Reef Dreams, hair pins by Lovely Day, a felted wool wallet by Austin Yarn Co., a voucher for a free slice of pizza at Home Slice, a certificate for a free class at Gauge Knits, gourmet chocolate from Arte Y Chocolate, and gourmet popcorn from Reel Popcorn. This bag has over $250 worth of treasures inside!

And if that's not enough, at the event itself you can shop 'till your heart is content and your bags are full from some amazing local vendors and get free mini manicures and lash extensions courtesy of Milk + Honey Day Spa.

Shop Austin tickets are on sale for $10 each with 50% of the proceeds going directly into the Lone Star Ladies' Frontier Scholarship fund, which is a scholarship awarded to a graduating Austin Independent School District senior who plans to study the handmade arts (how cool is that?!).

If you are a local Austin area resident, you can win two of these tickets plus the above goody bag by simply leaving your first name and last initial and email address in the comment section below by 11 a.m. Friday. (As always, I'll delete the comments at the close of the contest so your information is protected from spam bots). Example:
- Indiana A.
- indiana at adoredaustin dot com

I'll draw a random winner Friday afternoon, and you must be able to pick up your goody bag and tickets any time during the event on Saturday, which runs 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. I, for one, can't think of a more fun way to spend my Saturday. Manicures? Shopping? Yes, please!

Go here for more information about Shop Austin and The Lone Star Ladies.

Feeling better and back to thrifting

I haven't been thrift store shopping in ages, so imagine how excited I was when I saw that there was a massive vintage sale going on at the Omni hotel today. An upstart vintage shop had to file Chapter 11 before it even opened, so they decided to sell their inventory on the cheap. How cheap you ask? I'm talking $5 dresses and $3 shirts, y'all!

My friend Heidi and I got there a little after 1:00 and I was happy to see that even though things weren't hung up, it was actually very well sorted (blazers with blazers, vests with vests, denim with denim, etc). There were only a handful of girls there and no one was pushy or cut-throat in the slightest. We were even able to try some things on behind a little curtain they had set up in the corner.

Look at all those clothes!

I have never seen so much polyester on one table in my entire life!

These dudes manned the sale and kept it awesome. Thanks, guys!

My finds: a hilarious hand stitched cat shirt (for my movie), a kimono inspired bedroom jacket, and a seersucker blazer that fits like a dream.
Total spent: $11.00.

For lunch, Heidi and I went and got cheeseburgers at my favorite burger place in Austin:

I know I used to be a vegetarian, but ever since Hubs knocked me up, I've been on a cheeseburger kick. This, of course, also means that I got extra pickles on my burger.

All in all, it was a stellar day! It felt so nice to leave the house and to feel the Texas sunshine on my face. And it felt extra good to get a few new duds and to eat a cheeseburger from P. Terry's.

Oh, hi! I hope you remember me!

You know what never happens in real life that always happens in the movies? After doing sex, the woman demurely wraps herself in the bedsheet and runs around the house. I have never, ever done that or even thought to do that. However, with this American Apparel convertible bandeau dress, I sorta feel like I'm just traipsing around in a bedsheet, since I had to configure it around my body and tie in such a way to make it stay put.





date: 12 April 2010
occasion: dessert outing to Casey's (for my third snowcone this season, already!)
dress: gift from American Apparel
hat: Billabong, courtesy of Pac Sun
flips: Volcom, courtesy of Pac Sun
scarf (on hat): gift from Grandma
bee pin (as barrette): gift from my friend Giselle

I want to apologize for taking the last week off from Adored Austin. After my food poisoning eased up, I got an eye infection, so I just took time off to rest. I feel like I am back at almost 100% now, and I hope to never, ever take that much time off between now and October 19th. Now that I'm feeling better, I'll be answering emails and sending out about a dozen Delightful Dozen packages (long overdue!). I even got the new Android phone yesterday to help me catch up (it is soooo much better than the Windows Mobile phone I had been using). I'm enamored!

It feels so good to be back! I expect that I'll be sporting this dress many times over the next few months as I continue to expand.

The 10th dynamite dress

I finally got to feeling better today and I was able to don the ModCloth dynamite dress that was sent to the members of the Delightful Dozen.

L-R top row: Orchid Grey, Leproust Vintage, This Time Tomorrow, Sally Jane Vintage, Delightfully Tacky.
bottom row: Selective Potential, Jen Loves Kev, Ideé Géniale, What I Wore, Adored Austin.

date: 5 April 2010
occasion: sonogram day!
dress: courtesy of ModCloth
tights: We Love Colors
jacket: DIY
shoes: Wal-Mart
snake bracelet: Charming Charlies
sash: Laura Dahl (from gift dress)

It's weird. In high school, I spent a lot of time trying to wear things that other people didn't wear. Now I'm finding that it's actually quite fun to wear the same thing as other people! I love seeing the different takes on the same piece of clothing!

Elizabeth is giving away the Dynamite Dress on her blog, so be sure to enter the contest. Additionally, if you'd like, you can keep up with all the Delightful Dozen shenanigans on the D12 Facebook page. Ch-ch-check it out.

Giveaway: Shabby Apple Dress

Contest closed. Winner announced. Thanks to everyone who entered!

I promised you a great giveaway, didn't I? Well, wait no longer! Here it is!

Shabby Apple has been making amazing women's dresses for quite some time now, and I was ecstatic when they offered to give away one of these six stunning dresses to one lucky Adored Austin reader.

Here's what you have to do to win one of these dresses:

First. Make sure you're following Adored Austin either on Google Reader, Blog Lovin', or on Networked Blogs on Facebook.
Second. Visit Shabby Apple to pick out which of these six dresses you'd like to win. Your choices are:
1. the 90 Words Per Minute dress, 2. the Baja dress, 3. the Anchors Away dress, 4. the Barefoot in the Park dress, 5. the Better Than Sweets dress (maternity), and 6. the Finding Out dress (maternity).
Lastly, leave a comment by Thursday, April 15th saying:

• Your first name and last initial,
• Answer these questions: "Which of these Shabby Apple dresses would you like to win?" and "Where would you wear your new dress?"
  
• Your email address (so I can contact you if you win. Don't worry. I delete all comments at the end of the contest period, so your privacy remains protected from spam bots), and
  
• Your webpage and/ or your Twitter address (optional)
  example:
  - Indiana A.
  - I'd love to win the Finding Out dress. When I'm plump with baby, I'll wear this dress and go on a snow cone date with Hubs.
  - indiana at adoredaustin dot com
  - www.adoredaustin.com/ @adoredaustin

Like usual, no need to repost or retweet this contest for extra entries (please only one entry per person). This contest is open to anyone so long as you have not won an Adored Austin giveaway in the past.

Huge thanks to Shabby Apple for this fantastic giveaway! I'll draw the winner on video on Friday, April 16th. Good luck to everyone who enters!

Blame Subway

I'm still super, duper sick today. I ate a bad Subway sandwich on Wednesday. I tried really hard to do outfit photos yesterday. I put on the ModCloth Dynamite Dress and did my hair and make-up, then collapsed on the couch, sicker than ever. I'm really sorry, you guys. I just can't get out of bed! I'll make it up to you with a fantastic giveaway later today, though. Okay?

Update: my doctor just told me that I have to eat nothing but bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast for the next 48 hours. I thought this diet was a hoax until I Googled it and found this amazing video of one of my favorite bands Of Montreal on Yo Gabba Gabba:

I'm not going to lie. This video made me feel a teensy bit better.