Seeing Red - Valentine's Dresses

There's only one color that comes to mind when I think of Valentine's Day - red.  I mean, you can mess around with pinks, purples, or even black, but there really is no substitute for a red dress when you're out with your own special valentine.  And because I'm super helpful and want nothing but for you to look like a bombshell on your big night, here are some great red dresses at a variety of price points just for you!

Happy Valentine's Day,
Your Valentine, EWP

Ruche, $48.99

J.Crew, $198 @

Anthropologie, $168 @

Shabby Apple, $86

Shabby Apple, $88

Nanette Lepore, $348 @

Nicholas, $499 @

BB Dakota, $100

Shoshanna, $395

Contrarian, $380 @

Y'all, this is the dress that Kate Middleton wore for her engagement announcement!! Now available in red. Why not feel like a princess on Valentine's Day?

ISSA, $555

MANGO, $79.99 @

Milly, $450

@ Available in more colors

Kate Middleton Landed The Top on NLJC “Ten Best-Mannered People of 2011”

Celebrity News - She's highly regarded as a lady of elegance and grace, and Kate Middleton has landed the top spot on the National League of Junior Cotillions' (NLJC) "Ten Best-Mannered People of 2011" list.

Commenting on the selection, NLJC National Director Elizabeth Anne Winters told, "The annual selections are based on the demonstration of dignity, honor, and respect. Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, was chosen for the exemplary manner in which she has conducted herself, before and after her marriage to Prince William of Great Britain."

Other celebrities admired for their proper etiquette include top ten placers such as Justin Bieber, Paula Abdul, Taylor Swift and Emma Watson.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of NLJC's spectrum is E! reality star Kim Kardashian, as the 31-year-old was dubbed as The Most Ill-Mannered Person of 2011 "for making a private matter public and disrespecting the institution of marriage."

Below is the complete list of NLJC's "Ten Best-Mannered People of 2011" with brief writeups explaining each honoree's selection:

1) Kate Middleton - for the poise and dignity with which she conducts herself in the public spotlight.
2) Justin Bieber - for consistently showing courtesy to his fans.
3) Paula Abdul - for her encouragement to aspiring entertainers.
4) Aaron Rodgers - for being a positive example for young athletes.
5) Taylor Swift - for inspiring young people with her music and her manners.
6) George Stephanopoulos - for extending warmth and kindness to "Good Morning America" guests.
7) Jackie Evancho - for demonstrating humility and politeness as a young performer.
8) Erin Burnett - for the respect she shows others as a network host.
9) Emma Watson - for the kindness extended to her Harry Potter fans.
10) Tim Tebow - for displaying good sportsmanship on and off the field.

A Little Obsessed

So I may have made it my life's mission to dress like Kate Middleton, or at least don some fancy hats!!

Check out my latest purchase toward that end, my new winter hat.  Yup, that's what I'll be walking around the streets of Chicago in this winter.  Do I look royal yet?

Dress Like A Princess - L.K. Bennett London... In Chicago

On my wanderings today with BabyWP while we waited for our babymobile to get an oil change, I saw this:  L.K. Bennett London.  In Chicago.

If you're asking what's L.K. Bennett, then you're clearly not an avid royal watcher like myself.  If you were, you'd know that L.K. Bennett pumps were Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge's pump of choice.  Check out all the following appearance from this year.  Where she wore.... L.K. Bennett pumps.

 Until this year, L.K. Bennett did not exist in the U.S.  And, as I learned today, this particular Chicago store was the first in the country!  Chicago, first in fashion, first in my heart. 

Back to the pumps. 

So obviously I ran in and started drooling on all the princess-worthy pumps.  But as this was an impromptu visit, all I had was my very sad and very embarassing camera phone to take pictures with.  Sadness.

L.K. Bennett, £185.00 @ [Sorry, the site only has pounds and I didn't catch what it was in USD]

I knew that L.K. Bennett was a fabulous luxury designer, but what I wasn't prepared for was the, relatively, super reasonable pricing!

Their regular price pumps were all about $325.  And the sale shoes, like the ones below, were all about $200.  You could spend that on crappy, terrible shoes from Aldo!  But instead you get fabulous, luxurious, princess pumps.

Look familiar?  I think so.  They're Kate's shoes!

Buy them here

I clearly had to try on some Duchess-worn shoes myself.

I instantly knew why Kate is such a fan - they're gorgeous, classic, and oh so comfortable. I could have walked miles in them. Or stood for hours for a public appearance. You know, since I have a lot of those ;)  I may or may not have had to buy them.  I mean, how else can I snag Prince Harry if I don't dress like a princess?

Not only was the merch fabulous, the sales staff was so crazy nice.  They saw me clicking away with my phone and then helped me out and pulled pieces for me to picture for the site!

$375 @

£295.00 £175.00

Switching out the jackets for me. How fierce are her shoes? I almost bought them.

$995

Heck, they even modeled stuff for me!! Now where else can you get service like that?

$795

This jacket was lined in leather.  *swoon*  It was SO. HOT.  I wish I had my real camera to do the jacket justice.

And with that I left the very yummy L.K. Bennett.  But don't you worry, L.K., I'll be back very soon.

Do I Look Like Kate Middleton Yet?

I may or may not be obsessed with headwear since the royal wedding. I mean, I always head a thing for it before, but now I reeeeeeally am obsessed. My latest style inspiration Kate Middleton has me thinking hats and fascinators. Which led to the following purchases:

Francesca's, $34

Now that's what I call sun protection!

Now for my super exciting purchase. Y'all, I have looked high and low and could NOT find a for realsies British-esque fascinator. None of this headband with feathers nonsense, I wanted something artistic and on the side of my head. And look what I found. I'm in heaven.

Charming Charlie, $14.97

So what do you think? Am I British yet?

The Royal Wedding

It's Royal Wedding Week here on The Esquire Wears Prada!

Friday's nuptials were amazing. All the class and glamour I could have ever wanted. As well as all the crazy hats I had dreamed of, but that's for another post.

But today let's discuss the bride and groom. Catherine Duchess of Cambridge came out in a stunning, elegant, and wonderfully classic and relatively simple lace gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.


I was so very worried she'd show up with a million foot train and be ridiculous, and I was so very pleasantly surprised.


The gown was so very reminiscent of Princess Grace of Monaco.


I love the delicate lace sleeves. I love the sweet veil.


Though I will say, like many others, I was kind of confused by her kind of pointy triangular breasts. Why did the dress do that to her?

And she wore a relatively simple tiara. It was worn by the Queen Mother but never by the Queen.

Her waist was impossibly narrow. I couldn't believe it.


*sigh*




And can we just say, nothing hotter than a man in uniform. And that hat does cover that unfortunate balding issue he has going on.


What did you think of the bride's gown? Disappointed? Thrilled? Loved it? Hated it? Sound off in the comments!

A Tiara Fit for a Princess

The Royal Asscher tiara superimposed onto Kate Middleton.

Royal Asscher Diamonds has created a sparking tiara for Catherine Middleton to celebrate her royal wedding.

The Amsterdam-based diamond company said the tiara was designed to highlight Middleton’s beauty. Created by Toronto-based jewelry designer Reena Ahluwalia for Royal Asscher, the bejeweled headpiece, currently in production, is

A Tiara Fit for a Princess

The Royal Asscher tiara superimposed onto Kate Middleton.

Royal Asscher Diamonds has created a sparking tiara for Catherine Middleton to celebrate her royal wedding.

The Amsterdam-based diamond company said the tiara was designed to highlight Middleton’s beauty. Created by Toronto-based jewelry designer Reena Ahluwalia for Royal Asscher, the bejeweled headpiece, currently in production, is

Shoe Faux Pas

Please take a look at K.Mid's feet in the previous post and the engagement post. Y'all, she wears the same black pumps with everything. INCLUDING gowns which have no business being worn with black pumps. What is up with that? And these pics were taken over the course of several years. Are those seriously the only shoes the future princess owns? Maybe she's been losing shoes all over town hoping Prince Will would get the hint and pick one up and decide to propose or something. I dunno, but I do not approve.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's Royal Engagement

Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton announced that they are engaged to get married on 2011. I know so many young girls will be heartbroken! The details of the wedding have not been revealed yet, but I'm sure it will be as lavish and royal as we expect it to be. Kate, who has no royal blood at all, came from a wealthy family whose parents worked hard enough for the