Rent the Runway Review

After perusing Rent the Runway for the last year or so, I finally decided to give it a whirl for a wedding that we were attending this past weekend.  If you read this post, you saw that from their collection I had tons of super cute options.  Deciding was much harder than I thought - thanks to everyone that gave me their input!  The dress I chose was:

A couple of great things about Rent the Runway are that there are tons of reviews from previous renters listed with each dress.  They cite if it runs true to size, what type of occassion they rented it for, any problems with the dress, etc:

With each rental, you get to pick one primary size, then an alternate size.  This was SUCH a reassurance!  With designer dresses, I always assume I need to go up a size, so I liked having the option to not get stuck with a dress that is too big or too small.  

My dresses arrived on Friday (important note: UPS does not require you to sign for them, so you don't have to hang around and wait for them to arrive) and were in a garment bag in a box.  There was not much wrinkling, though some.  sidenote: This is where I realized that I should get a steamer.  The dress is gorgeous, really really gorgeous, and fit perfectly!  This one ran true to size, so I was glad that I was able to order multiple sizes, since I might have assumed I should just order a size up. 

My only nit-pick with the dress is that the boning was starting to come through on the inside.  This could not be seen from the outside.

I got sooooo many compliments on the dress, I will definitely rent again!  The retail on this particular dress is $365, which I could never imagine spending on a dress that I was only going to wear one time.  With shipping, insurance, and a discount code, I paid a little over $50.  Money well spent!

Today I popped my dresses back in the mail on my way into work.  Completely easy - the return packaging came with the dress and is already pre-paid by RTR and ready to go.

Now, for the real life pictures:

Ignore the wrinkling on the skirt - that came from sitting in the car for over an hour to get to the wedding location.

Would I rent from Rent the Runway again?  Definitely!  Would I recommended it to my friends?  Already have!  I give RTR:

If you haven't checked out Rent the Runway, follow this link. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!



I was not asked or compensated by Rent the Runway to do this review.  If you would like to help a sister out to get some rental credit love, use the links I have provided as they are 'invite friends, get credit' links.  Even if I didn't get the credits, I would still absolutely recommend renting.

Wedding Fashion Advice Needed!

We're attending a wedding in a couple of weeks for husbie's stepsister, I need a dress, and I think it's time I try Rent the Runway.  I'm a little nervous, as I've never tried it before, but I am so tired of buying cocktail-type dresses and either a. only wearing them once or b. wearing them multiple times and then every picture of husbie and I dressed up is with me wearing one of a handful of dresses.  Rent the Runway seems like the perfect solution!

I found a bunch of dresses that I really, really like and I need help selecting one.

As far as the level of dress, here are the details:  the wedding is at 5:30 PM at a country club in the area.  It's not a glitzy, super dressy wedding.  Husbie will be wearing a suit.

Here are the ones that made my final cut:

I really don't have a front runner, so if y'all would weigh in and vote for your favorite, I would be forever grateful!  :)

WorkWear Wednesday - Obsessed With Pencil Skirts Edition

Work Wear Wednesday is back and is all about skirts this week.  I end up wearing skirts most of the spring and summer, so now is the perfect time to start finding some cute pieces.  I went to The Limited last week and they have some really unique pencil skirts right now.  I love a bright colored bottom and a neutral top!  Another thing I am loving is Stella & Dot jewelry.  I wasn't extremely familiar with their pieces until I won Aly's Stella & Dot giveaway a few weeks ago and picked up the cute necklace I was wearing when I did my dialect vlog.  

So, without further adieu, here are my fun skirt picks for spring:

Soft Slub Tee in Raspberry Ice from LOFT  $19.50 

Plaineweave Pleat Pencil Skirt in Tuxedo Black from The Limited  $59.90

Jessica Simpson 'Terrance' Pump in Black from Nordstrom  $78.95

Long Silver Disc Necklace from LOFT  $34.50 

Lauren Small Ball Studs in Silver from Nordstrom  $20

Argento Vivo Textured Bangle from Nordstrom $58

Short Sleeve Wrap Top in Charcoal from Banana Republic  $59.50

Yoke Panel Pencil Skirt in Bright Violet from The Limited  $59.90

Charles by Charles David Curves Pump in Medium Gray  $99

Glint Flower CZ Necklace from Stella & Dot  $39

Glint Flower CZ Earrings from Stella & Dot  $39

Vintage Twist Bracelet from Stella & Dot  $39

Shirred Scoopneck Tee in Black from Gap  $19.50

Seamed Petal Skirt in Eastern Red from The Limited  $59.90

Nine West Telling Pump in Black from Nine West  $99

Soireee Earrings in Gold from Stella & Dot  $39

Chelsea Necklace in Gold from Stella & Dot  $59

Bardot Spiral Bangle in Gold from Stella & Dot  $59

Which pieces are your favorite, or what are your favorite spring trends to wear to work?

Random Tidbits

Bear with me on this one, ladies, it is going to be completely random!  

I want to start off by saying Yay!  Welcome new followers!  So glad that you stop by my little corner of the blogging universe.  :)

Prayers for Sweet Babies

There are so many sweet babies (and mommies & daddies) that need every prayer they can get right now.  Check out my sidebar for links to find out more about them, in case you haven't already.

(The Horror of) Eating Out

So sorry for depressing everyone with my last post!  Nothing depresses me more than realizing that I have been stuffing my tummy with all of this crap.  :(  Boo.  JPO had a great point about portion control - things aren't nearly so bad if you only eat 1/2!  My mom used to preach this to me constantly when I was growing up.  I have a girlfriend that eats 1/2 of her portion at restaurants and then dumps salt on it so that she won't eat it.  It's a little strange, but it saves the picking that I always do while waiting on someone to come steal my plate away.  I should also point out that there are some sensible (yet still yummy) things to eat if you have to do the drive-thru:  McDonald's 6 piece Chicken Nuggets have 17 grams of fat and 250 calories while Taco Bueno Chicken Taco Rollups only have 8 grams of fat and 210 calories.  

Local DFW Area Christmas Needs

While I know not all of my readers are in the DFW area, if you are one that does and feel so inclined, check out this story about Hope's Door.  They are a Plano women's shelter that caters to women and their children who are in need and have possibly (and probably) been a victim of domestic violence.  The charity who had committed to providing Christmas gifts for the women and children at the shelter refuse to do so without receiving the names of those living at Hope's Door.  It is against Hope's Door's policy to divulge this information, as it is a safety matter for everyone living there, not just the domestic violence victims.  You can read the news story here.  If you, or someone (or company) you know that is interesting in becoming a donor, contact information is available at the bottom of the story. 

Why do my children want the most obscure Christmas gifts?

Every year they just have to want the hardest-to-find items to come from the big man.  Seriously.  Last year it was the Zhu-Zhu pets, which my husband single-handedly tracked down via a combination of Craigslist and eBay.  This year it is the Zhu-Zhu princess collection (which I think were an eBay-only release as I have not seen them in any stores and the people at Target had no idea what I was talking about) and this beauty:

The Barbie 3-Story Dream Townhouse.  This thing is awesome.  I think I might want it for me more than the girls.  Just kidding.  I think.  Anyway, it is very cool and has all sorts of working lights, sounds, and overall jazziness that my 80's dream house didn't.  I did see a big stack of them at Toys'R'Us a few weeks ago, however, they were about $50 more at TRU than at Wal-Mart.  So, I foolishly decided to wait patiently for them to come back in stock at Wallyworld.com.  They are still out of stock with no signs of coming in anytime soon.  In the meantime, TRU is sold out, as is everyone else except Amazon.  Amazon, where they are priced $100ish more than they were at TRU.  Freaking ridiculous!  Husbie and I decided that the Barbie house would make a great Valentine gift.  About 10 minutes after this discussion, my assistant comes in to tell me that she has found it on Amazon for cheaper than the original TRU price.  Holy crap, she has redeemed herself!  *I should note here that I did not assign her with the task of finding it, she did it on her own.  Mainly b/c I think she would rather shop than work, but that is a whole different topic*  So, it is on its way here.  Hooray!  That was a huge item off the list.

The Best Laid Plans

My feelings toward TheLimited.com right now are not thoughts of sugarplums, they are thoughts of coal.  I ordered the adorable skirt from my Office Party WWW post on November 29.  It is still not here.  Husbie's office party is tomorrow night.  The skirt is supposed to be to me on Saturday.  NOT helpful.  The Limited never communicated that it would take over a week to get it out of their warehouse.  To make matters worse, it is coming via FedEx SmartPost, which I have learned is the shittiest (language, sorry) way to send a package.  It has gone from Ohio to Massachusetts to Dallas.  It is now sitting in a sort facility in Dallas and I cannot pick it up!!  SP packages are delivered by the post office, not FedEx.  I am hoping our post office can catch it and hold it tomorrow so I can pick it up.  Tonight I will be searching for an alternate skirt in case it doesn't.  Husbie's office environment is of the bureaucratic federal variety, so it is always difficult for me to find a cute outfit that is appropriate and doesn't make me look 20 years older than I am.  This was THE outfit!  Fingers crossed that all works out!

Tweet, Tweet!

Do you tweet?  I do!  My twitter username is @applesfalling.  My tweets are private, primarily because I don't like all of the spammers following me and there are certain individuals that I know IRL that I may or may not tweet frustrations about sometime.  So, please follow me!  I try to reply to some of y'all sometimes and you don't see it because I am private.

I'm a total space cadet.

Sooo, I posted about a really fun blog hop that I was doing here, and I never posted the responses I got.  Bad blog hop cruise director!  I'll be posting them later today, I promise.  

I hope everyone is having a great week!  It's almost the weekend!  :)

WorkWear Wednesday - Holiday Party Edition

It's that magical time of year again - the time that companies host holiday party and co-workers engage in drunken dancing, story telling, and other mischief that generally doesn't happen around the office.  What to wear definitely takes some consideration.  This year I have several parties on the agenda, each calling for a different level of dressiness.  I have a feeling I'm not the only one in this boat!  So, I bring to you, the special Holiday Party Edition of WorkWear Wednesday...

Ruched Cotton Cowl Neck Sweater in Red Lacquer from Victoria's Secret  $29 

Skinny Leg Eva Curvy Fit Jean in Dark Indigo from Express  $80  

Michael Antonio Mckort Boot from Piperlime  $50

Stone Linked Drop Earrings from Express  $25

Rhinestone Bangles from Express  $27

Plainweave Ruffle Front Jacket from The Limited  $128

Sequin Front Tank in Ivory from Express  $40

Drew Plainweave Slim Ankle Pant from The Limited  $65

Botkins Pump in Bordeaux Suede from Aldo   $60 

14K White Gold Garnet Stud Earrings from Target $38

2028 Blaze Teardrop Pendant Necklace from Macy's  $28

Cotton Slub Turtleneck in Black from LOFT  $27
Tiered Party Skirt in Dark Raspberry from The Limited  $60

Lace Overlay Stretch Bracelet from White House Black Market  $44

Jet/Hematite Teardrop Earrings from White House Black Market  $44
Crystal Scroll Chandelier Earrings from White House Black Market  $34

Vanyo Bootie Pumps in Midnight Black from Aldo  $70

Cascading Ruffle Dress in Black from The Limited  $63

Chinese Laundry Lyndia S Pump in Black from Nordstrom  $70

Jet Bauble Earrings from White House Black Market  $24

Couture Shag Bracelet from White House Black Market  $58

Multi-Stone Teardrop Earrings from The Limited  $25

Happy Wednesday!

Dear Santa,

I am realizing, as it is 2 days before Thanksgiving, that it is time for me to make my Christmas list!  I have had a mental list, up until this point, but I know I am going to (if I haven't already) forget to mention things to those involved until it is too late!  So here goes:

UGG Cardy Classic Knit Boots in Black

I really wanted these last year, but had lots more important things on my Christmas list that were prioritized above them.  I love to wear boots in the winter and end up wearing my leather boots all the time.  I would really like to have something more casual to wear on the weekends and these would be perfect.

The Entire Victoria's Secret Clothing Catalog

Thanks to WorkWear Wednesday, this one probably goes without saying.  I love VS's clothing, so cute and so affordable!  Their loungewear is super cute - the Steelers tee is definitely on my list and I really like the sweatshirt & sweatpants on the top right.  Who am I kidding?  I would like everything!  :)

Somewhere Fancy to go on NYE

So I could wear this dress (or something quite like it)! We haven't been out for NYE in years (other than last year's fail of a dinner at Del Frisco).  I think it would be fun to go to a big party where I would get to wear sparkly cocktail attire.  I'm sure I'll be sporting yoga pants and a t-shirt as usual this year, though.  There's always hope for next year!

Reebok Easy Tone Apparel

I don't usually spend lots of money on work out clothes, but I might make an exception for the new line of Easy Tone Apparel.  Reebok has built resistance bands into the tops and pants in this collection to help increase muscle activation.  Very cool!  I found out about it from chatting with one of the Reebok girls at Dick's Sporting Goods a couple of weeks ago.  I'm all about anything that will help me maximize my workout!

Belkin Pro-Fit Armband for iPhone 4

I am still not completely sold on wearing my iPhone on my arm to work out - the phone is almost as wide as my guns.  My big.scary.guns.  But I digress.  So, this is pretty much the smallest armband I could find, in that it doesn't add to much bulk to the already bulky phone.

8GB iPod Nano in Pink
Just in case my whole strap-an-ipod-the-size-of-a-calculator-to-my-arm thing doesn't work out, I would really love a new 8GB iPod Nano in Pink (of course).  Our first Christmas together when we were dating, husbie bought me the 1st generation Nano, which I still use!  It works like a champ, other than when it sometimes freezes and won't turn off.  This doesn't happen very often and the sucker is 6 years old.  Solid investment!  Now the Nano has cool clips so you don't need above armband for the gym.  

And here comes the section in which I realize I am a completely boring adult...

KitchenAid Porcelain Cookware Set 
We need new cookware baddddd.  We have a combination of our pre-marriage cookware and it has gots to go.  Granted, this is something we could/should just buy for ourselves, but there's always a list of things ahead of it that seem to be more important.   I like that this set is red and got excellent ratings from Target.  Granted, I would really like an ah-may-zing set from Williams-Sonoma, but I don't want to take up that much of the Christmas budget for something boring like cookware!

KitchenAid Riveted 18-pc Knife Block Set

Pretty much the same applies to our knives as our cookware.  Old, mis-matched, not dinner party kosher.  I could buy them for myself, but decor is soooo much more fun than knives.  And the taste of certain gift givers does not affect knife purchases. 

Sony VAIO Signature Collection EA Series in Arabesque Black
This one is really going out to my Work Santa (our CFO).  I'm up for a new laptop in the next few months and I LOVE this one.  I think it would be a really hard sell - since it is SO girly.  It would be pretty funny if I left the company and they hired a dude to take my spot.  Ha!  He'd probably take one look at the laptop and run the other way.  Regardless, if I was buying a personal laptop, I love this one.  Sony also has a 8" netbook in Crocodile Pink.  It is so.freaking.cute. 

Of course there are a million other things that I can think of, but I'm trying to be realistic here.

Let's do a fun blog hop here!  Send an email to me at applesfalling(at)gmail(dot)com with what your wildest Christmas wish would be, along with a link to your blog.  Next Tuesday I will put up everyone's Christmas wishes with hyperlinks to their blogs.  I think everyone enjoyed the last one about 'something not everyone knows about you' and hopefully this one will be fun as well.  Send me your links by 8PM next Monday, December 29.

WorkWear Wednesday - 1 Shirt, 3 Ways Edition

I have recently developed a very healthy unhealthy addiction to Ann Taylor LOFT.  It's not all bad, they have great sales and I can find really cute pieces for cheap, which I love and so does my new Tiffany Allowance Budget.  :)  For this edition of WorkWear Wednesday, I am featuring the same top (because I own it in 3 5 different colors) in 3 different styles.  Enjoy!

Twisted Boatneck Tee in Red from Ann Taylor LOFT $19
Pencil Skirt in Seasonless Stretch from Victoria's Secret $49.50

Lauren by Ralph Lauren Teardrop Earrings from Nordstrom $38
Black Stone Bracelet from The Limited $32.50
Vanyo Bootie Pumps in Midnight Black from Aldo $70

Twisted Boatneck Tee in Vintage Blue from Ann Taylor LOFT $19
Zoey Wrap in Black from Fossil $54
Studio Stretch Columnist Pant in Black from Express $59.90
Long Buckle Skinny Belt in Black from Express $29.90
Large Gunmetal Fireball Earrings from Ann Taylor LOFT $29.50
Long Gold Tier Asymetrical Necklace from Ann Taylor LOFT $39.50
Miskinis Pump in Midnight Black from Aldo $70

Twisted Boatneck Tee in Black from Ann Taylor LOFT $19

Skinny Leg Eva Curvy Fit in Dark Indigo from Express $79.90
14K Small Gold Polished Round Hoop Earrings from Macy's $120 (splurge!)
Ball Pendant Drop Necklace from The Limited $19.90
Intyce Boot in Cognac from Steve Madden $129

 

Embracing the Tankini

I love my girls and I wouldn't trade them for the world, but I do not like what they have done to my body, namely my skin.  I have horrible stretch marks on my tummy and my hips.  It sucks.  Really sucks.  The most sucky of all is that I gained a ton of weight with both of them (cue where husbie says it wasn't them that made me have the stretch marks, it was Taco Bueno and Sonic) - 60lbs with Haley, 80lbs with Haley.  Yes, it was not healthy.  I get that.  I have always been soooo strict on a diet (since the age of 12 - I was a dancer) that I kind of took being pregnant as a 'get out of jail free' card.  With Haley I learned to LOVE food, I mean really love it.  Something I had never done before.  I was a size 0 weighing in at a whopping 110 lbs.  I still remember waking up with the first stretch mark.  I cried for hours.  Then the next day I had six.  The day after that I probably had 30.  After I had her, I lost most all of the weight and got down to a much healthier 2/4 at 120 lbs.  

Then came Ava.  I had a pretty stressful pregnancy with her - which I'll save for another post - and I ate my feelings through my entire preganacy.  Mashed potatoes - check!  Sonic Brownie Blast - check!  Chips/Salsa/Queso/Guacamole - check check check check!  I had a great arrangement worked out with my OB's medical assistant involving her not telling me my weight, unless it became a problem.  Damn digital scale!  If only I could have heard the clunk as it moved to 200lbs.  I think my OB stayed off my back about it because she didn't want me stressed about anything else.  Once again, after I had her I worked my butt off and got all the weight off.  So now, the weight is gone, but the stretch marks remain.

I have tried numerous different stretch mark creams, like Strivectin-sd Stretch Mark Cream 6 Oz (worked pretty well, but SUPER expensive) and Avon ANEW CLINICAL Professional Stretch Mark Smoother (actually seemed to make some level of difference).  

Up until this summer, I have still worn a bikini and felt awful in it.  Husbie says I look fine and that they aren't that noticeable.  I don't believe him.  So, to combat this, I have decided to embrace the tankini.

I never thought this would happen, but it did.  I have found a few really cute tankinis and one-pieces and have picked up a handful.  It is nice because I feel so much better in them.  I won't lie, there are still times when I feel a bit to mom-ish, but I am a mom, so I need to get over that.  Here are a few I have found:

Cute one piece from Target.  Here's a link to it on the website.  Funny enough, it looks just like this one from Victoria Secret which is 3x more expensive:

Just give the Target model a spray tan and a boob job and presto!  Same swimsuit.  Face it, most of us aren't going to look like the Victoria Secret model anyway.  If you do, I hate you.  Speaking of Victoria Secret swimsuits, I did order this one from them and you got it, I do NOT look like the chick in the picture, but it is pretty cute:

Here's a link to the product page on the VS website.  The thing I love the most about VS swimsuits is that they always come in tons of different colors.  The combination above is what I went with.  Warning - the bottom runs SMALL but the top runs normal.  I will be shipping my bottoms back so that I can eliminate the muffin that is popping up over the top.  Not cute.  

Lastly, I got a cute Converse tankini at Target.  They don't have the exact one I got on the website, so I'll have to take a picture of me in it (after I get my spray tan on) and post it.  Here's the style, but the one I got is solid army green with ties that are a small floral pattern.  I like it because of the ruching on the sides, you can customize how long you want the top to be.  It also has a belt in the same floral pattern as the ties.

Does anyone have any other cute tankini or one piece suggestions?  I see so many cute ones on the mommies at the pool, I think I just need to start asking them where they shop!  I am a bit el cheapo when it comes to swimsuits & I really don't like spending more than $60ish - hence all of the Target shopping.  :)

Catching Up... SO MIA!

I have been SO completely MIA from my blog!  I knew May would be crazy, I just underestimated how completely crazy it would be.  I zig-zagged across the country all month long and I couldn't have been happier to be home the entire Memorial Day weekend!  

In the midst of everything, I also caddied for my dad in the Byron Nelson Pro-Am and attended the tournament the rest of the week.  Here we are a couple of years ago (I forgot my camera this year.  Oops!):

Here I am with Vijay Singh, who my dad's team was paired with:

A couple of weeks ago we had the bachelorette party for one of my girlfriends.  I did wear the cute little romper/jumpsuit I picked up at Express before my Vegas trip.  It worked perfectly!  The only thing that is not-so-great is when you have to go to the restroom.  Having to almost completely take your outfit off in a bar bathroom is not so fun.  

Before we went out, all the girls went to a lap dancing class at The Girls' Room in Dallas.  I'm not sure what I thought of the class - I was pretty excited going in.  I expected it to be learning sexy dance moves for my husband.  What I didn't realize is that we would be practicing on each other.  Yep, that's right, grinding on your friends.  I would have been much more comfortable with a dummy, as Austin suggested.  Here's the bride getting demonstrated on by the teacher:

There were polls in the private room we were in, which all the girls wanted to give a quick little swing on - no reason not to channel your inner stripper, I suppose.  I can tell you right now that I would make a crappy stripper!  No upper arm strength.  A few of the girls might do well, if they ever lose their day jobs!  Here's the teacher demo-ing the move we were supposed to try.  I got no where near close to this position.

All-in-all, we had a really great time.  It was fun to have a girls' night, which I hope to do more often!  It gets so easy to get caught up in suburbia with the husband, kids, dog, house, yard, etc, etc, etc, that I forget to have me time with the girls.

There's lots to catch up on, which I will be trying to do this week!  My June schedule is nice-and-easy.  I think our only big events are Haley's last day of school, her recital, and a quick weekend trip to Hot Springs for Father's Day weekend.

I hope everyone had a great memorial day weekend and has a great (and short) week!