The best thing about having a sister (not to brag), is all the sharing. Is that a hot take?!
When it comes to what my little sister shares with me, some of the great-and-current gifts include: her editing skills, which she lends to this newsletter every week (WOW NINA, TRULY SO GRATEFUL); her coordination of the family calendar (a calendar that I think exists in her mind?!), which keeps us seeing and supporting each other’s Big Life Moments (an honestly gargantuan task); the Christmas gifts she gives me every year (gift-giving is a love language in my family, and she is very good at it); and her thorough and thoughtful answers to even my most rogue text messages, like: “should I get curly bangs.”
Obviously, when it comes to my part in all of this, one of the things up for sharing on my end is MY CLOTHES. This recently came in handy while Nina was prepping for a friend’s bachelorette weekend in Miami.
LOL. I won’t blow up her spot, but Nina is not exactly a party-in-Miami kind of girl. She is more like a nice-dinner-out-with-her-favorite-people-for-whom-she-has-made-custom-placecards kind of girl. And while I haven’t been to Miami in years, I do LOVE SUMMER, and readily embrace a little fun in the wardrobe (one of my style words is “playful”).
So sis came over to collect the necessary accoutrement. Thankfully, the host of this bachelorette weekend had sent a very detailed schedule, complete with suggested dress codes (I think there is a common misconception that to do this is somehow “extra”; it is NOT; it is actually so helpful IMO to give people a dress code instead of making them guess), which I will now include excerpts of below:
I will be forever grateful to Team Bride for taking my sister to a place called “Kiki on the River.” Below, what Nina borrowed from me for each event, how she styled it IRL, and some thoughts/hot tips from yours truly (in bold).
Thursday: Arrive at the Rental Home
OKAY I had absolutely nothing to do with this, except for that I was present for the purchasing of these fun pants, and I threw my visor (←very easy to pack) at Nina as she was walking out of my apartment, bag of borrowed goodies in tow. But we must start at the beginning, and also, how cute!
Thursday Night: Bachelorette Bright
You’ve seen this dress before, CC! Nina was really digging this blue, so our main response to the prompt came via these fun earrings, which punch above their weight in the bright category, with their flashy orange charms and neon green tassels. I bought the earrings years ago for an opening night party—and that’s still a hot tip I go back to when an event is coming up. If I am fighting the urge to buy something new (but really don’t NEED anything new), I’ll pick out something FUN but small to mark the occasion—like costume jewelry—instead of a whole new clothing item.
Friday Night: Glitz N’ Glam (Sparkles Required)
Sparkles? We got ‘em. FUN FACT: this was my second look for Nina’s wedding (yes, I had an MOH second look—it was New Year’s Eve! And it was GRAND). I sent her home with the clear dry cleaning bag for ease of packing (I find that sparkles/fringe/3D elements tend to snag easily, and so I usually leave them in the plastic from the dry cleaner to pack).
Saturday: Something Blue
Funnnnn. Pretty straightforward response to the prompt: blue pinstripe cover up, plus the visor I made her take, and my little pom pom basket bag. This bag is a good example of something Nina typically would not pack, but it kind of makes the look. She reported back that it was easier to pack than she thought—she filled it with sunglasses/jewelry, and threw it in a larger tote to travel.
And then, Neeners gifted us with this chic little beach mo!:
Can you even?! She said the scarf was a good cover for end-of-day frizzy beach hair and ISN’T SHE CLEVER.
Saturday Night: Beachy Dinner Outfit
Perhaps my personal favorite look of the weekend! So fun. The story on this skirt is that it used to be a dress! But I could never figure out why the fit wasn’t quite right, and so I wasn’t wearing it. I brought it to my friend Christina, who is talented in many ways INCLUDING in her role as a Wardrobe Supervisor on Broadway shows, and she told me they had mixed up the patterns when making the top of the dress: the right side was cut for a size 4, and the left side was cut for a size 6. So she took the whole top off and made it into a skirt. Et voila! Triple the wears.
This cropped linen top is only a little annoying because it wrinkles (see the Before photo, on the left above). Here’s my hack for that, if you don’t have a travel steamer, especially if you are headed to a warm-weather destination:
Mist that baby with water like you’re standing in the “chill centers” at a theme park. The wrinkles will just fall out, believe!
And that is the end of our bachelorette journey. What a cute sister, who has already washed and returned all of the clothes! Special shout out to the buddies who did much of the photo-taking: Costume Change appreciates you!
And while I can’t lend all of you my clothes, I can help you look for fits, when the occasion calls for it. Gimme those questions (via the comment section, or by replying to this email), and we can chat.
See you next week, CC!
Costume Change is a styling newsletter (vs. a shopping newsletter). There’s no spon-con in the above text. As always, I hope that Costume Change first and foremost provides you with inspiration to shop and re-style inside of your own closet. Thanks for reading, and reminder to keep those comments kind!