I Heart KC: Donna’s Dress Shop

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Oh, friends, I am so excited to share this special place with you all! I can’t even remember how I found out about Donna’s Dress Shop, all I can say is I’ve been obsessed for quite a while. Remember that fancy gala Trent and I attended last year? Well, my vintage “Jackie O” style dress was a Donna’s purchase. And since then I’ve found a few great pieces whenever I have a chance to stop by. A few weeks ago, my friend Mikayla and I met at Donna’s for some hilarious dress up time. And we brought a camera…so we can share the fun with all of you!

Above are two of my absolute FAVORITE’s of anything we tried on. The yellow dress on the left is a vintage number that reminded me of an airline stewardess in the 1960s. Mikayla said I looked like one of the fembots from Austin Powers, but I decided to take that as a compliment. The dress on right has rocket ships, planets and cosmic fun all over it. I felt like the teacher from the Magic Schoolbus books. I didn’t buy either of them (I just couldn’t decide where I would wear them) so if you love them you should stop by! Donna’s is getting new inventory every week, from new items to vintage, and many things are one of a kind, so once they’re gone, you’re out of luck.

Without further adieu, here are some other favorites (click on any of the images to see them a bit bigger, if you’d like):

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OK, yes, this is a jumper. Those of you that know me in real life are probably spitting out your Diet Coke right now wondering what the hell I’m doing in a jumper. I hear you. But Mikayla insisted I try it on and it was adorable. So I bought it. I KNOW! I bought a jumper! Life is upside down. Seriously, though, it is pretty darn adorable and I’ve already worn it in public once. Before you ask, yes, it is pretty difficult to go to the bathroom in this thing, but that’s a gross thing to ask. I’m appalled. But not by the jumper. It’s amazing.

Sidenote: I am not a fashion blogger of any sort, so I could not for the life of me figure out how to pose. I told Mikayla that every fashion blogger I read posts photos of themselves looking at their feet, so in most of these outfits, we had at least 10 shots of me looking at my feet. And sometimes pointing. Mostly because I’m subtle.

Outfit-2

It’s a muu muu! But a muu muu with style. I loved this 1970s styled number (not vintage, but lovely none the less) and it was so, so comfortable. It reminded me of something my grandma would wear, but sexier. The sunnies added just the right amount of sass.

Sidenote: In these photos I decided looking away from the camera was the way to go. “What’s that, over there!” or “I am so bored with this, so I shall look that way.”

Outfit-3

It’s another jumper! And this one is covered in cartoon Westies! I had a Westie puppy as a kid (R.I.P. Snowflake, you crazy bastard) so I had to try this one on. Personally, I can’t really do a strapless top, much less a strapless jumper, but I have to admit, it was pretty adorable. If you can pull it off, you should go buy it right now.

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This little number was so comfortable, we decided it might actually be a nightgown. Also, it was pretty see thru, and I wore purple underwear because I’m dumb, hence no photos of me standing up. It was super flattering, but I had already fallen in love with a few other outfits, so I had to turn it down. The yellow purse was just perfect for summer! I wanted to take it on a picnic date. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Maybe it’s meant for you?

Outfit-5

Oh my god. YES! Yes yes yes yes YESSSSS! I saw this dress and immediately did a very unattractive happy dance. You see, I’m going to Las Vegas for the first time with my best girlfriends in about a month, to celebrate my 30th birthday, and this dress just screamed “VEGAS!” It goes without saying that I bought it. But only after dancing around the shop for about 15 minutes. Sequins, I love you.

Outfit-6

So…this happened. For every adorable get up there was a denim jumpsuit that just didn’t quite hit the nail on the head for me. This cat sweater falls into that category. Although, looking back. I kind of love it. And the pants…well, they’re growing on me to. I may need to make a trip back to Donna’s before they sell!

accessories

Lest you think Donna’s is all dresses and jumpers, here are a few examples of the great accessories they have. Hats are always a win, but they also had great glasses, jewelry, housewares, kids clothes…you name it! That wallpaper is from the dressing room, and each changing area has a different kind. I would like them all in my house right now, please.

You can visit Donna’s Dress Shop at their location on 39th Street (right near KU Medical Center) Monday thru Friday from 11 to 7, and Sundays from 12 to 5. You should also follow them on Facebook, where they post new items they put out in the shop (and sometimes will hold them for you if you ask really nicely). Follow them on Facebook here. Thanks to the crew at Donna’s, especially Elena, who was working the evening we came in and was so lovely and gracious as we tore her store apart acting like goofballs. A special thanks also goes out to my girl, Mikayla, who worked the camera like a pro.

We love Donna’s Dress Shop!

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(all photos by Mikayla Stover for Crazybananas, editing and layout design by me)

Summer Loving

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I looked at the calendar today and couldn’t believe it! Summer is nearing an end here in the Midwest, where school starts in three short weeks! THREE WEEKS! Bah humbug. We are going to have to squeeze every drop of summer out of these last few weeks/weekends. Here are some fun things we’ve been loving and/or coveting this hot, hot summer.

1. Friendship Bracelets from Madewell. // 2. Polka Dot Anything, but these cute shorts from Splendid will do the trick! // 3. We’ve been making tons of popsicles via the ole’ freezing juice method, but I’d love one of these Zoku makers for an instant treat! // 4. Curl Creme from Bumble and Bumble is how I make my wavy hair look beachy even when I’m in an air conditioned office all day. // 5. My Saltwaters have been my go-to shoe this summer…I can dress them up or down and they go with everything. // 6. The XX is coming out with a new album of more soothing, magical loveliness that just sounds like summer to me.

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Psssssttt…looky what I found! Similar polka dot shorts at Old Navy of all places! And $18! Get on that, people!

Mom Style: Casual Office Attire

It’s time for another episode of Mom Style, wherein I look like a nerdface while posing for photos in front of my office building while people sidestep me trying to get to the parking lot…

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You guys, I love casual Fridays. Casual Fridays make my heart sing Judy Garland songs. I work in engineering, which can be very buttoned up, but every Friday we can take it down a notch, which is so fabulous. Most of the time I just wear jeans and a cute top, but lately it’s been about a million degrees in Kansas City, so I’ve been opting for cooler skirts. This perfect peach maxi skirt from Forever 21 rocks my world so badly, I bought two (the other is navy). Plus, it was so cheap, it was practically begging me to purchase multiples. It’s probably supposed to be a bit longer, but I wear it up high and have longer legs, so it hits me mid calf. Whatever, I love it anyway. The top is an oldie, but a goodie from J. Crew (which I also have in peach because whenever I find something I like I buy it in every color and wear it approximately 70 zillion times until it falls apart). The cute braided bracelets are from Madewell and they are what I’m calling “Summer Camp Chic,” which is a term I just made up. The sunnies are from H&M and will probably be broken by a certain toddler by the time I post this. The shoes are two year old flip flops from Gap.

And the hair…oh the hair. It is PINK! I was going for an apricot/strawberry blonde (ala Hairdresser on Fire), but since blonde hair is fairly unpredictable when it comes to coloring, it came out pinkish. And let me tell you…I LOVE IT! Or should I say, loved it. After two washes it’s now more like what I originally envisioned (see photo here), but I have to say, I kind of miss the pink!

Sunnies / H&M
Shirt / J. Crew
Bracelets / Madewell
Skirt / Forever 21 (17 dollars, yo!)
Flip-Flops / Gap
Hair / “Pinky-Pinkerton Do” via my stylist Amy who is awesome

{Special thanks to Rebecca from my office for taking the time to shoot some photos of my cheese-ing it out!}

Mom Style: A Farm Wedding, The Finale

After my style post last week on what to wear to the farm wedding, I totally took a 180 in the opposite direction. I brought four different dresses with me, knowing I’d have four events I’d have to dress up for. I ended up wearing only three of them, and leaving the other one in the closet. Here are the top two…mostly because they were the only ones where I remembered to have someone snap a photo!

This was our family “look” for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, which was seriously lovely. Yummy food, good wine and lots of fun people equals a pretty fab practice run. Here’s what we wore for our family night out:

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The dress I chose was one I purchased during our trip to NYC a few weeks back. I love it, but I was a little afraid it would be a little too white for the wedding. And since the wedding day turned out to be the windiest day ever, I’m glad I went with this the day before, or I’d have flashed 200 people my undies. Not the kind of reception entertainment people were looking for!

Trent wore one of the “Mad Men” inspired shirts from Banana Republic along with some grey jeans. Lulu wore an adorable flowered number from H+M. Tate was sporting a gift from the bride, some cute plaid shorts and a navy polo from Target.

And now for the main event! Where this was literally the best picture we got…on my phone…yeah, I suck.

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After much deliberation, I decided on this navy number from J. Crew, mostly due to the wind issue. This dress is twirly, but doesn’t fly up with a soft breeze, so it was the chosen one. Lulu’s flower girl dress was (I think, maybe) from Nordstrom, and Tate wore a shirt and tie from H+M. Trent wore a shirt from Dillards that he bought earlier that day because his only other white shirt was ruined by some crazy kids throwing food during the rehearsal dinner (shhh, it was totally Tate). He also wore some super-sharp brown/grey pants from Banana and a tie from Nordstrom Rack. He’s cute. I think I’ll keep him.

Mom Style: What to Wear to a Farm Wedding

We are headed out for a fun wedding weekend at the family farm, and I still have no idea what the heck I’m going to wear. My car is full of cocktail dresses, since I not only have to dress up for the wedding, but also two dinner events over the long weekend. Lucy is a flower girl, so luckily, her outfit is pretty much done, but I’m still picking up items here and there for Tate. Here is a look at the style we are going for…we shall see how close we get by Saturday!

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for mama:
1. Pleated Chiffon Dress // 2. Geometric Clutch Purse // 3. Gold Coin Cluster Earrings // 4. Metallic Flat Leather Sandals

for lulu:
5. Yellow Flower Hair Clip // 6. Belted Bubble Dress // 7. Gold Saltwater Sandals

for tater:
8. Khaki Shorts // 9. Plaid Bowtie // 10. Short Sleeved Oxford Shirt // 11. Stride Rite Sandals

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