Guest Post on Pittsburgh Fashion Blog!

Hi everyone!  Life continues to be crazy here in AllDressedUpLand, but I wanted to tell you about a cool opportunity I've had to become a guest blogger for my friend Leeann on her Pittsburgh Fashion Blog!  My first post, Vest to Impress, appears on her blog today, so if you're into fashion (and let's be honest, we're all kindred spirits here), check out the post, and poke around Leeann's blog a bit!  I know you'll love it.

OOTD August 25: A Day Date

Top: NY&Co.

Shorts: Mossimo for Target

Necklace: Target

Bracelets: NY&Co. and Kards Unlimited

Shoes: Candies for Kohls

The top I'm wearing here is New York & Company's Big Pockets Silky Blouse, and at $39.95, it's a much cheaper alternative to J.Crew's Blythe and Elodie blouses.  I'm wearing an XS, and I probably could have sized up to a small.  However, when I wear this top to school, I plan on wearing a cami under it, as it is pretty sheer.  I will probably keep the top button (which is gapping in this picture) unbuttoned.  The buttons gapping weren't really an ongoing issue when I wore this top yesterday.  I just happened to be standing at juuust the right angle when the fiance snapped this picture for me. 

The fiance and I are trying to suck all of the life we can out of our remaining few days of summer vacation (sob), and we decided to go on a day date to Pittsburgh's South Side.  We spent the better part of the day moseying the streets of the South Side, stopping in a few clothing boutiques (I found a new vintage clothes store!  Pics coming soon of my loot) to see what we could find.  We also stopped at a great pretzel place called The Pretzel Shop for a quick snack.  We ended our South Side jaunt with a quick spin around H&M, and I found a couple of cute pieces for fall. 

After our afternoon at the South Side, we went to our local mall to get some information about registering at Macy's and Crate & Barrel.  Then, we ended our day date with dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.  I may or may not have polished off a piece of chocolate tuxedo cream cheesecake for breakfast this morning.  ;) 

Happy Friday, everyone!

OOTD August 5 and some wedding chatter

Top: Loft Basic Tee

Pants: J.Crew Collection Cafe Capri

Necklace: J.Crew

Belt: J.Crew Outlet

Shoes: Cole Haan Air Lyric Ballet Flat

After I got my coveted pink pants, I couldn't wait for just the right opportunity to wear them.  After all, no matter how fabulous a girl may feel on any given day, she should be aware that not every occasion is suited for shiny pink pants.  So, when my fiance and I took his parents to tour our wedding venue, I knew this would be the perfect time to test out the pants.  I just wasn't sure how to wear them for a relatively casual, hot day.  Then, I remembered a post by the lovely DaniBP aptly titled Pink Pants, and I was inspired.  She wears her gorgeous blush pink capris with a black cashmere tee, and the result is a look that is classic and can be worn anytime.  When I wear this outfit to school (shudder) in the coming weeks, I'll probably wear my Cole Haan Air peep toes, but for this day, I knew we'd be doing quite a bit of walking in the city, and my poor tootsies were still recovering from ultimate frisbee on the beach.

So, I can't just mention my our (Sorry, love!) wedding venue without telling you guys about it.  The day we first chose our venue, we had planned to tour two places.  We went to the first place, which was actually my first choice before the tours, and we were a bit disenchanted by it.  It was a beautiful venue, but it didn't come furnished with anything.  Tables, chairs, linens, wait staff, catering, etc. had to be brought in by separate vendors.  For our rather large guest list, it didn't seem like that was going to be the way we wanted to go. 

I was bummed, and we trudged off to our second appointment of the day discussing our options.  Then, we met Heather at Pittsburgh's Grand Hall at the Priory, and our spirits lifted.  We toured the hotel attached to the grand ballroom (which once was a Catholic church that was remodeled into a beautiful banquet hall), and when Heather opened the doors into the grand ballroom, this is what we saw:

BTW, this photo is taken by the absoutely amazing Leeann Marie at Leeann Marie Photography, who also happens to be our wedding photographer. ;)

So, my fiance, my mom, my dad, Heather, and I walked into the Grand Hall, and I got tears in my eyes.  I turned to my fiance and said, "This is where we're going to get married."  It was a done deal.  The venue has a gorgeous courtyard where guests can hang out during cocktail hour,  and it also has a beautiful and newly redone garden that will be awesome for pictures.

A wedding in the courtyard, also from Leeann Marie Photography

A shot of our venue from the garden, from our venue's blog

Over the next ten months or so, you guys might just have to humor me.  I'll probably blog about wedding-related things every once in a while.  Can you tell I'm just a little excited?  :)

It's a Beautiful (OOT) Day!

Last night, my fiancé and I went to see U2 in concert at Heinz Field.  Before we left, I struggled with what to wear.  I really wanted to wear a dress, but I so rarely get to channel my inner rocker girl vibe, so I went with something a little edgier instead.  Here's what I wore (no Polyvore for this one because hardly any of the outfit is available anymore):

Sunglasses: Michael Kors

Tank: J.Crew Perfect fit tank

Vest: NY&Co.

Jeans: NY&Co.

Shoes: Candies for Kohls

Necklace and earrings: handmade from a local farmers' market

Here's a close-up of the earrings:

Like I stated above, I got the earrings and necklace at a local farmers' market.  I definitely wasn't expecting to find jewelry there, and I got the set for $10!  I love the earrings because they're like little wind chimes in my ears, and they kind of give off a boho vibe. 

Fashion question:  Have you ever found something fashionable when you weren't even looking?

Ok, on to the concert.  U2 was on my concert bucket list, and my fiancé and I share a love for their music.  The stage setup was ridonkulous.  It took the crew four days to set up what the local media referred to as "The Claw":

U2 took the stage around 10 after 9, and they played until almost midnight.  It was a great show.  For me, the highlight was Bono singing a verse of Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah," which the band used to segway into "Where the Streets Have No Name."  The show could've ended there and I would've been happy.  But, the played for another 40 minutes!

Are any of you U2 fans?  Have you had a chance to check them out on their 360 tour?