Disney Fairy Tale Weddings: where's the "Bibbity Bobbity Boo"?

I recently started searching for Bridesmaid's dresses for my fair "maidens" next fall.  As I clicked through Fall 2010 Bridesmaid Collections, one designer immediately caught my eye - Kirstie Kelley for Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings.  Disney was designing not only Bridal gowns, but also "maiden" gowns!  Sounds fun, right?  I immediately pictured the what these "maiden" dresses might look like...maybe poofy silver ball gowns for Cinderella "maidens" and slinky, moonlit-pool colored, mermaid dresses for Ariel "maidens".  I clicked through the collection looking for magical and character-inspired dresses - but I was a bit disappointed.  There was no blatant inspiration of Disney Princesses (I later learned this was on purpose). Curious, I visited www.disneybridal.com to see if the 6 disney princesses were better captured in the "bridal gowns".  Most of the gowns looked similar to the traditional and trendy dresses on the market.  I was kind of hurt, as a child I watched these movies over and over, and many of us little girls pictured wearing a gown as gorgeous as Cinderella's one day.  Those gloves... those sleeves... how it sparkled when she danced...

I then started to read about the designer, Kristie Kelley..."she watched the films, came to understand the essence of each princess, then developed that mood in a way that in a way today's bride could relate."  I was again hurt... I've known these princesses for decades and their personalities and stories are deep within my heart.  Kristie Kelly also adds that "The gowns in the collection are not film replicas, nor do they have a character read".  I'm confused - why not?  

If I bought a Cinderella Disney dress, I would want everyone to wonder if it hurt when the Fairy Godmother smacked me with her wand, said "Bibbity Bobbity Boo", and transformed me into a drop dead gorgeous Fairy Princess. 
-Beth

Barbie always had nicer dresses than I did.

It's true, she has and still does. I loved playing with Barbie dolls as a kid. I spent many allowances buying her new outfits for every occasion. One week Barbie has a ball to attend, the next week she needs an outfit to wear while she performs Madonna's Material Girl. Yup, an outfit for every occasion.

2009 has marked Barbie's 50th birthday! And she's had quite a year. She starred in the Barbie Runway Show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion week, where 50 fashion designers created Barbie-inspired fashion. Among them, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix, and Diane von Furstenber. She's also had multiple spreads in many hot fashion magazines: Allure, Elle, W, American Vogue, Japanese Vogue, Italian Vogue, and it doesn't stop there. For 50 years, she has remained one of the most famous fashion icons.

Over this past weekend, I ventured into Toys'R'Us and was overwhelmed with the Barbie selection. One caught my eye for being so simple and so right! There were these gorgeous dolls wearing the classic Little Black Dress. So, now as an adult, I once again find myself looking to Barbie for style inspiration. Seriously, just check out these LBD's: http://www.barbiecollector.com/barbiebasics/ Just like a Barbie, no girl should be without one.

And I'm sorry Barbie, but these days, I spend my hard earned allowance adding to my closet!

~Sam

Color inspiration! From, uh, Home Depot?!?!?

As a graphic designer, I sometimes need color inspiration for a project. One of the resources I love drawing inspiration from is Home Depot. No kidding! The Behr paint section is great and they have take-away brochures with paint color chips!

Whether you are looking for a color theme for your wedding, home decor, or design inspiration, it is a good place to start. Luckily, Behr is also online so you never even have to make the trip to Home Depot. Just go to: http://www.behr.com.

Above is just one example of the color palette you could create using the site. Imagine those colors for  an updated take on a nautical wedding. Can you picture the bright orange bouquets and gorgeous bridesmaid dresses in that darker blue?

In creating the Behr color palettes they looked closely at how one color plays off of another. Here the light blue is the "unseen" base color that delicately sets the scene. The darker "Southern Evening" blue plays a large part as the strong secondary color. I love the use of the orange as an accent color to add some pop and an unexpected twist to the color theme.

I hope you get some good ideas from this. Who would have thought you could have your wedding colors inspired by Home Depot? :)
~Sam

Our First Post!

Hi there! Welcome to our new blog about fashion trends, hot dresses, wedding inspiration and all other things fashion related. Please check back soon, we are just getting started and can't wait to hear from you all, too! In the meantime, please check out our website at http://ruffleswap.com and start swapping!

Oh, and we have a fun poll on the site. We change it every week and give you the past results!
xoxo :)