The LTB Wedding Season Survival Guide

Wedding bells are ringing! Here are some suggestions from Le Train Bleu to help you enjoy the season.

The Non-traditionalist
No veil. No Bridal Magazine look-alikes. No skirt too long to dance or hop a train in. You’ll wear this one with your grandma’s short crochet gloves (they look perfect with the French lace trim) and a neat gardenia bouquet.


Going away dress: time to run off into the sunset
Now that you’re hitched you’re feeling rather lady-like. Leave the party in this smart Heidi Merrick dress as lovely as a ray-of-sunshine.

The Bride and Groom may take the presents but you can take the cake
Cakewalk perfumed candle from D.L. & Co. Long after the bride and groom have left the party you’ll still be kicking up your heels in a cloud of Madagascar vanilla and chicory.

The Best Dressed Guest
The Fleur Wood Field of Flowers dress is perfectly perfect for attending just about any wedding, whether in a chapel or in a back yard. Not for shrinking violets—the wedding photographer will be following you around all day.

Sweet Memories
An enduring sweet—Flavigny Pastilles are the very first candy confection ever made, dating back to 1591. A perfect keepsake and memento for those in your wedding party adorned with a romantic, pastoral illustration.

A dress for the beach-bound bride
The Madame Tirocchi Dress from objets trouvés is elegant and unfussy: an artful silk dress with a delicate hand-drawn white-on-white design resembling sea urchins.


An endearing gift
The lovely couple will think of you every time they fill this pretty vase with flowers in the years to come. Definitely better than the chip and dip set.

For your ladies in waiting
They curled your hair making you into a pageant queen for a day. They even danced with your drunk uncle Marv. It's payback time--here's a start.


A warm honeymoon destination calls!
The show’s over and now it’s time to bear your shoulders in the sun and practice saying “My husband…”

Guilty Pleasures

In the spirit of Hello, High-Low, I recently did some shopping online at Forever 21. This was one of my luckiest hauls, too. There was just one stinker in the bunch. Here are my annotated pics.

This is the top that actually spurred on the spree because I picked it up in the store recently in Black and was really wowed once I got it home. Now I have the Blue as well and I'm not sure which I prefer. This style is made from poly which actually feels pretty decent but made a lot of static--I definitely wouldn't want to spend the whole night dancing in it. Aside from that, it's really terrific. I love how it highlights the shoulders (an oft neglected region in most clothes) and the fit is really nice too. It even has a side zip, which allows it to be quite tailored and waist-nipping.Because I liked the above style so much, I picked this one up, noting that it had similar details and seemed like it might be the same sort of fabric. Wow--this one is even nicer. The quality of this fabric had me really impressed and the lattice work at the neckline is stunning. The sleeves have a unique cut to them to and hang really nicely. It's not as slimming and sexy as the other top (kinda boxy, but works nicely when tucked in), but I like it so much that I'm after the same thing in Grey now.I admire other people in their cool sunglasses but I'm pretty utilitarian. My eyes are really light and very sensitive to the sun and I like big dark sunglasses that stay on. And that wrap around. Don't worry--I don't wear them with a strap. But these ones are a bit better than my usual selection from 7-11 and maybe even cheaper.
This scarf is cotton and soft and wonderful--there have been a lot of lovely boutique-brand scarves floating around this season, but this one stands up to them.
I'm a sucker for the cotton calico prints from Forever 21. They don't scream Cheap Mall Clothes! like many things there. This is a case for my super uncool sunglasses so they don't get all scratched up floating around with my keys in the bottom of my purse.

I mentioned how some things at F21 definitely scream Cheap Mall Clothes! and here's an example. I don't know what possessed me--it must have been late and I was getting trigger happy. Plus I was on that purse organization kick when I grabbed the sunglass case and was thinking I would be all lady-like if I had a more lady-like wallet in my purse. Oh, well. I had a good run.

Portland and fashion? You betcha

Here are a few backstage images from last night's fashion show "The Collections", a 10 member design collective who embody and fortify Portland fashion. These designers work to preserve Portland's unending strive for sustainability, DIT attitude, and local commerce. The group show was held in a shipyard (!!!!) and hosted by Portland Fashion Week.

Perfect Fall Shoes

A few blocks from Le Train Bleu is a shoe store called Olive...je t'aime, je t'aime! They are one of the few boutiques that carries London designer extraordinaire Georgina Goodman--hailed by her mentor Manolo Blahnik as the next thing in shoes. While her aesthetic varies greatly from Mr. Blahnik's, she has a die-hard devoted following just like him. Oh, and every single shoe is made by hand, or as she puts it, "made in love". One of her fans is style blogger Susie Q of stylebubble.com.
Along with Georgina Goodman, owner Ali carries Chie Mihara, Repetto and Elieen Shields among others. The lovely manager Anise has a knack for finding you your perfect sole mate. Yes, we made a shoe pun and we aren't sorry in the least bit about it.

Olive Shoes, located on NW Glisan and 10th. www.oliveshoes.com