Sunflower Stroll

Dress: ASOS | Sunglasses: Valentino | Belt: Madewell | Shoes: Ann Taylor | Bag: Reed Krakoff | Necklace: Theresa Mink | Bracelets: David Yurman, J.Crew, F21, INPINK c/o | Watch: kate spade new york

Nothing like a Monday that's also a Friday! Hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July, and that you have a great weekend!

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A Thank You, a Milestone, and Petite Fashion Challenge #21: The Fashionators

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU so much to all my readers for supporting this blog for the last year. It has been a wonderful experience, and it wouldn't have been possible without your readership and support! This is the 100th post on Hello, Framboise!, and I'm looking forward to sharing many more with you.

For this Petite Fashion Challenge, the lovely KTR asked us to "create an outfit for an occasion (of your choice: attending a wedding, in a wedding, a holiday party, Kentucky Derby, etc.) and utilize a headpiece as the focal point to make a “fashionator” statement. This headpiece can be a fascinator, a fancy headband, a delicate flower or a big hat. Feel free to get as creative as you like!"

Headband: Nordstrom (similar here) | Dress: 5-7-9 (So old, I know! Find a cute one that's not 10+ years old here) | Coat: Gap (old, similar here) | Shoes: Jessica Simpson (similar here) | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (on sale via Bluefly!) | Bracelets: Tiffany, Swarovski, F21

While I didn't have a full-fledged fascinator around the house, I thought this pretty crystal headband jazzed up this holiday party ensemble nicely. I actually rediscovered this dress as I was rummaging through my closet looking for a suitable headpiece, and I realized that the burgundy velvet was as on-trend now as it was when I wore it to a high school homecoming dance. I love when "everything old is new again."

To see the other entries for this Petite Fashion Challenge, visit KTRStyle. Can't get enough PFC? Browse my previous entries here.

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What to Wear to Impress Your Date: Petite Fashion Challenge #18

For this Petite Fashion Challenge, the lovely Amber of Easy Petite Looks asked us to share an outfit we'd wear to "impress our dates," with bonus points for taking pictures with our dates or on a girls' night out.

Dress: Abercrombie | Sunglasses: Prada | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Shoes: Ann Taylor (similar style here and here) | Necklace: Ann Taylor (similar here)| Bracelets: Swarovski, Express, F21| Watch: Fossil | Fingers: CND Shellac "Wildfire" | Toes: Essie "Turquoise & Caicos "

Well, no bonus points for me, unfortunately. My date couldn't be in these photos with me since he was the one taking them. He did, however, approve of this look! He likes when my hair is up, so I decided to wear it in this super-easy bun, and the rest of the outfit came together after that. It was perfect for an evening dessert date, and I think he was suitably impressed--if only by the height of my usually-down hair.

To see the other entries for this Petite Fashion Challenge, visit Easy Petite Looks. Can't get enough PFC? Browse my previous entries here.

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Summer Wedding: Petite Fashion Challenge #16

For this Petite Fashion Challenge, we were given this prompt by the lovely Lauren of Petite on a Penny:

Create an outfit for a summer wedding (the dress code is up to you). For bonus points (and this is what I'll be doing!) try to make your whole outfit, head to toe, come in under $100! (Or, exclude shoes and accessories to meet the $100 mark.)

[On Tam] Dress: Zara | Shoes: Nine West (similar here) | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Necklace: Ann Taylor (similar here) | Earrings: F21 | Watch: Relic | [On Katie] Dress: F21 (similar in a print from F21 or a splurge by Alice & Olivia) | Shoes: Steve Madden (similar in black)| Jewelry: F21

For this PFC, I thought it might be fun for you to see what another fashionable petite was wearing, so this month, my photographer, Katie is joining me with her own budget-friendly summer wedding look. Katie is a wedding attire pro, having just photographed her first wedding of the season this past weekend. (Confession from me: I didn't do the "under $100" part of this challenge as well as I would have liked. However, if you exclude shoes and accessories, the Zara dress was $99.90, so I'm in right under the wire!)

Many thanks to my brother, Chris, for snapping these photos of Katie and me (especially considering it was windy and drizzling)! To see the other entries for the Petite Fashion Challenge, visit Petite on a Penny.

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Vacation Emergency: Petite Fashion Challenge #14

For this Petite Fashion Challenge, we were given this prompt by the lovely Couture Coco:

"You have a pre-booked dinner date on the first day of your holiday, but the emergency is that your luggage is delayed. This month’s challenge is to style your travel outfit into a special evening look using whatever you carry in your purse and anything else immediately at hand (i.e. no running out to buy a new outfit!). It doesn’t have to be a holiday; it could be any trip away from home."

Here's my look--my outfit for the plane is up first. Oh, and since this could be any trip away from home, I decided I was going somewhere warm and beachy.

Photos: Katie Derus | [Travel Look] Jacket: Aeropostale (similar here)(last seen here) | Tunic (worn as top): F21 (or similar by Marc Jacobs)| Jeans: Current/Elliott (similar here) | Loafers: ALDO | Sunglasses: Chloe (similar here) | Tote: Longchamp Le Pliage | Necklace: Ann Taylor | Bracelets: Ann Taylor, F21, Common Era, Boutique | Earrings: ALDO Accessories | Watch: Citizen | [Dinner Look] Tunic (worn as dress): F21 | Platform Sandals: Charles Jourdan | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff

I like to travel in a tunic and leggings, and while I generally wear flat shoes to schlep through the airport, I often carry a pair of heels in my bag for just this sort of situation. To be honest, this challenge was a little difficult for me--I live in fear of this very thing happening, so if I do check my luggage, I almost always have a spare outfit or two, a change of shoes, and a bathing suit tucked into my carry-on bag. It would be irritating to have to go shopping immediately upon arriving at my vacation destination, so I try to make sure I can make do with what's in my carry-on for a day or two, just in case my bag doesn't make it. Knowing I had a dinner to get to the first day I'm there, I would probably stuff a wrinkle-proof dress and heels into my tote bag. The superstitious, Murphy's-Law-abiding part of me feels like this is good insurance against lost baggage--but I digress.

Back to this challenge--I'm happy with how the dinner look turned out. It really made me long for a beach vacation! To see more travel-to-dinner vacation outfits from other petite bloggers, visit Couture Coco.

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Style for Under $100: Petite Fashion Challenge #13

For this Petite Fashion Challenge, we were given this prompt by the lovely Annie: "Put together a professional outfit (excluding shoes and accessories) for under $100." Here's my look!

Photos: Katie Derus | Cardigan: Express (similar here on sale!) | Turtleneck: H&M (similar here) | Skirt: Ann Taylor (similar in petite and regular sizing) | Tights: Ann Taylor (similar here) | Sunglasses: Prada | Pumps: Nine West (similar here) | Gloves: Gift (similar here) | Necklace: DIY | Bracelets: Express, Nordstrom, Tiffany

My cost breakdown:
Express Cardigan: $30 (on sale)
H&M Turtleneck: $13
Ann Taylor Petite Skirt: $40 (on sale)
Ann Taylor Tights: $7 (on sale)
Total: $90

Visit Really Petite to see the rest of the entries and be inspired by the other petite professional looks for less!

Night to Day: Petite Fashion Challenge #12

I have been following the Petite Fashion Challenge--a fun styling competition for petite bloggers--for a while now, and I always wanted to participate. Now that I have my own blog, I decided to jump in and be a part of Challenge #12. For my first Petite Fashion Challenge, we were given this prompt by the lovely Khatu: "Restyle a glamorous look that you would typically wear for a night-out-on-the-town into daytime casual wear." Here are my looks, beginning with the "night out" ensemble.

Photos: Katie Derus | [Night] Cardigan: Arden B (old) | Skirt: F21 | Tights: Betsey Johnson (similar here) | Shoes: Nine West | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Necklace: Amrita Singh (similar here) | Bracelets: J.Crew, Ann Taylor, Nordstrom | [Day] Sweater: Kimchi Blue | Tank: J.Crew | Shoes: Aldo (similar here) | Sunglasses: Prada | Necklace: DIY (chains: F21, beads: vintage)

I chose to restyle the look I had worn for my birthday dinner with my girlfriends a couple weeks ago: a fun, poufy tulle skirt with a cashmere cardigan tucked in, textured tights, my lace-overlay heels, a dressy statement necklace, and my favorite oversized black patent clutch. For my day look, I opted to keep the skirt and tights since making a fancy tulle skirt daytime-appropriate seemed like a good styling challenge.

To make it work during the day, I took off my dressier cashmere cardigan and put on a roomy, loose-knit sweater over a ribbed tank. This sweater is one of my favorite weekend-wear items, and I thought it toned down the skirt nicely. Sunglasses are a must during the day, so out came my Prada shades. I also swapped my high heels for a pair of flat glitter loafers that maintain the festive feel of the skirt while allowing for easy errand-running. Finally, instead of my pearl bib necklace, I decided on a DIY chain-and-bead necklace I recently made to toughen up the look.

I can't wait to check out the other bloggers' entries! You can find them on Khatu's blog.