Ogle to Own: The Shoes!

I forgot to tell you where I got married!  I was lucky enough to get married in the tropical paradise of Thailand.  My husband's family is Thai and a lot of his family was in Singapore and Thailand, so it was a great excuse to do a destination wedding.  We got married in Hua Hin, Thailand.  You probably haven't heard of it before because it's not a huge international tourist location, but I have a feeling that it won't be long until others discover it.

When it came to looking for wedding shoes, I knew I needed a sandal- no way was I going to end my wedding night with stinky feet!  I was prepared to spare no expense- this was not going to be an Ogle story.  I would buy whatever shoe I wanted.  

I'm not really a shoe junkie (if you read this blog, you know handbags are my drug of choice), so I wasn't really sure where to start, but sparkly was the first thing that popped into my mind.  I looked at countless pairs of Rene Caovilla strappy sandals, I tried on all the rhinestone covered sandals at Saks...nothing seemed to really work.  As a matter of fact, most of them were incredibly uncomfortable.

Sigh*

Now, comfort isn't usually something that matters that much to me, but in this case I knew I would have to wear them for hours.  I started to turn my eye to metallic sandals.  Metallics have been kind of "in" for a while and I've generally avoided them in sandals (though I'm not sure why), so starting to look at metallic sandals was a whole new world for me.  At the same time I started my search, Barneys was having a sale over July 4th.

BINGO!  Found them!  AND they were on sale.

Now, I had my reservations.  You see, this cute little shoe has a platform and I was really worried that it would make the shoe not look delicate or graceful.  A friend at work stopped by and took a look.  

"Dude, get them."

That's really all it took- I was checking out and 2 days later, they arrived.  I put them on, feeling a little like Cinderella with the glass slipper, and did a twirl or two in them.  They were perfect.  They were so comfortable.  It was time to Facetime my mom!  She loved them, too, and the rest is history.  

I danced all day and night in these perfect heels and you know what else?  I plan to wear them again.

Own: My Wedding Gown

When I started my journey to find a wedding dress, I had all kinds of ideas.  I wanted something that was unique.  I wanted something that would wow people.  I didn't want lace.  I wanted to be different.

I went shopping with my mom.  What did she want?  Everything traditional.  She wanted lace.  She wanted strapless.  She wanted a blusher.  She basically wanted everything I didn't want.

I didn't want to change my opinion.  I had this image in my mind and it's what I wanted.  When I got to my dress appointments, I shook my head at the strapless, lace, traditional gowns.  I waltzed right past them on the racks.  I fell in love with a gorgeous Angel Sanchez structured gown.  I felt AMAZING in it.  I had a bridal MOMENT with it- you know, like on Say Yes to the Dress where the bridal is all squeals and bursts into tears of happiness.  Here's that dress:

But, this was not the dress I got married in.  

My mom was insistent- not annoyingly so, but she is my mom and moms know a lot about their daughters (even thought daughters, until the end of time, will deny this).  Also, I am her only daughter and I didn't want to strip her of the right to see her only daughter in a dress that she liked.

The last dress I tried on was her choice- a lacy, strapless, mermaid gown.  She had seen it across the showroom in someone else's dressing room and insisted that I try it on.

I reluctantly put it on and, at first, it didn't seem like anything special.  I didn't even really look at myself in the mirror.  I just walked out.  As I emerged from the dressing room, I watched my mom.  She was speechless and her eyes were full of tears.  My mom's reaction instantly melted whatever image I had in my mind.  I can't even really explain what my heart felt when I looked at my mom.  Her reaction was what I wanted and when I realized this, the image I had in my head really didn't matter anymore.

I realize that this story has gone sappy quickly, but when I think back about my wedding experience, I have the fondest thoughts about it because of the emotional connections I had with my choices.  So without further ado, here's the dress:

 I bought this LACY, STRAPLESS gown by La Sposa.  I felt beautiful on my wedding day.

For the church, I had removable straps added.  Oh, and you know what else?  I wore a veil with a BLUSHER and it was the best decision ever.  I can't even describe to you how special the moment I shared with my dad was when he lifted my veil to give me to my new husband.  All the best decisions made.

Thinking back about the things that I Own, they usually are things that are more classic/timeless/things that I think are worth it.  My wedding dress was really the epitome of that.  I would buy it again.  No regrets.

About Getting Married...

My wedding wasn't at all what I had originally imagined.  When I started on Pinterest, so many of my pins were gold glitter this, rainbow colored that, but when it came to making decisions about what I really wanted, I realized that all my choices were based on pure emotions and questions that I kept asking myself:

How did this make me feel?

How did it make my mom feel??

How would it make my fiancé feel???  What will my friends think?!  Does it really represent us and our love?!?

Much of what I write about on Ogle Obsess Own are things that I see in passing- things I love on impulse.  It doesn't take a lot of pondering over (well unless it's a handbag that's an Ogle that I really want to make an Own...) because it's not going to be something that will be in photos for the rest of my life.  It's just stuff that I like, or in some cases, really like.  I don't care if other people judge me on those things.  I have no tie to them.  Sure, I like them, but I'll probably like something else tomorrow.  Ogle, Obsess, Own is about what I like right now.

For a wedding though, it's the opposite.  Every choice that you make is carefully documented by photographers (and you pay them good money to document it).  Every choice made for a wedding will say something to you for years to your friends, family, new neighbors, your kids...it's daunting, really.  The pressure!

So, before I go into the dress, the shoes, the details, and whatever else you might want to know about my wedding, I wanted to let you know how much care and thought I put into making those choices.  Stay tuned for all the nitty gritty!

Obsess or Own: Butter Elixir Face Oil

First of all, big news, people- I got married!!

Over the last year, my fiancé and I have been planning our nuptials in Thailand and on November 23, 2014, we walked down the aisle and made it official!  So, I guess that's why I haven't had as much time to devote to this blog as I've wanted.  It's definitely still been a year full of Ogles, Obsesses, and Owns (especially when it came to wedding stuff, but we'll have to devote another post or three to that subject).

Thailand is a whole world away (about a day's flight time)- we spent a month there preparing, getting married and mini-mooning- a month is surely enough time to forget how frigid NYC gets in the winter and I was rudely reminded when we landed in JFK airport a week ago and my warmest piece of clothing was a measly little fleece jacket.  I was frozen!

Cold weather = dry skin.  UGH.

After a month of gloriously luscious skin right before the wedding (after several months of consistent microdermabraisons, lots of water consumption, and lots of 8-hour sleep nights), my skin instantly dried up- patches of flaky, red skin as soon as that cold air hit my face.  *cries*

I'm still searching for the solution, but after a stroll around Williamsburg the other day, I discovered a product that I think might just work.  Have you guys heard of or used Butter Elixir?

I found it in Catbird and after a couple drops on my hand, I was amazed.  The face oil was a beautiful scent and it glided on so easily.  It soaked into my skin right away and left gorgeously dewy skin behind.  It gave my hand the healthiest natural glow.  I was mesmerized.

Apparently, this product was created by a few NYC yogis that were looking for something to moisturize with after yoga classes (right up my alley).

I should've bought it...I think.  I came home to read some reviews, but I'm already totally Obsessed.  Right now, my night time moisturizing routine consists of just slathering on coconut oil with a touch of warm water mixed in, topped with Pond's.  That's right, simple Pond's face cream- what you get at your local Walgreens.  Nothing fancy.

I am feeling like it's not enough to combat the cold, dry conditions of the impending NYC winter, so I may have to get this face oil.  If you've used it before, let me know what you think!  This could be another Obsess to Own story...we'll see!
  

Obsess: Assad Mounser

This past weekend in NY was BEAUTIFUL!  The city is finally starting to feel alive again and one of the best places to feel that energy is in Soho.  I walked around all the small streets and found myself in Otte.  If you aren't familiar with this store, you should check it out.  They have a nicely curated selection of brands and cool jewelry.

The store in Soho really isn't that big so it's not surprise that this one amazing sparkler caught my eye.  

I tried it on and it was magical.  The necklace called the Ginger Collar, is fitted close to the base of the neck and closure is a magnet.  It was classy and elegant, but not old school.  The colors were really amazing and this picture definitely doesn't do the necklace justice.  It also had an amazing bracelet that matched it.  The colors are a bright mix and I thought to myself, "this necklace could go with so many THINGS....!"

What stopped me?  The price tag.  DANG GIRL, for something that has nothing precious on it, why is it almost $600?!  Stunned, I had to put it back.  I hadn't seen anything like it though.  Part of the price is likely due to the unique craftsmanship of the necklace.  It's difficult to see in the picture, but it's all held together by smaller chain necklaces.  The necklace is heavy so it definitely has a lot of materials going on with it.

If you're not deterred by the price tag, feel free to surf some other beautiful Assad Mounser creations here.

Own! Triangl Swimwear

So, it's been a really long time since I posted and honestly, it's not even because I've been busy.  It's more because it's been a while since I've been inspired by fashion.  I'm not trying to sound snobby or anything, but I feel like things maybe haven't really suited my taste lately.  Not sure what it was, but I've finally been smitten again so here I am, writing to you!

Instagram is really an amazing place to get inspired by fashion.  People are so creative and you can find interesting things from all over the world.  That's how I discovered the brand, Triangl.  Their designs are so simple, but the colors are so awesome.

Why are they an "Own?"  Well, not only do I love EVERY single design they have, but they are also only $79-89.  Not per piece- for the whole bikini!  Top and bottom!  Yes!

Here are the ones that I bought:

The Billie Firefly

The Indiana Ice

The really cool thing about these bikinis is that they are made from neoprene (what wet suits are made from) and the material provides great padding/support.  They also allow you to order a different size top and bottom so that you can really get your size right, since not all women are the same size on top as they are on the bottom.

I toiled and toiled and toiled over what size to order, but I have to say that they are pretty true to size.  They aren't sold in any stores anywhere (though they are an Autralia-based brand), but their live chat on their site was incredibly helpful!  They were also EXTREMELY nice.  I was really impressed by their customer service.  Also, for something that was shipped half way across the world, I received my order in LESS THAN A WEEK.  That's right.  AMAZING.

I'm typically a US size 2 and I was a small across the board.  The bikinis fit great!  If you want to see a picture of me in it, follow me on Instagram: OgleObsessOwn

Now all I have to do is wait for warm weather, which sounds easy, but if you live in NYC, you know that I've got a long time to wait.  *Le sigh*

Have a great weekend!