I loved the look of Anthropologie's feather-clasped belt (pictured above), but I didn't want to spend $58 on a belt. So when I saw a $24
Ecote Skinny Metal feather belt on Urban Outfitter's site, I thought I'd give it a try. I have a lot of brown belts, so I opted for the black leather and silver feather version.
reads: 100% Leather RN#66170 CA# 32054 Made in China
The belt part is actually leather, which is nice. Not super supple leather, but I prefer skinny belts to be a little stiffer than wider belts. The black was actually black. Unfortunately, the metal feather looked fairly cheap. The silver tone was too bright. It didn't have the nice antiquing that the Anthro version had. The metal of the feather was a turn-off, but I would have been tempted to make it work had the belt fit.
I ordered the the belt in a size small (the smallest size), but it was about 4 inches too large for me on the smallest hole. I have a belt punch, but because this is a skinny belt, I worried about making a mistake and ruining the integrity of the belt itself (perhaps leading to a tear at a newly made hole). I returned this belt.
If it had fit, it would be super cute...see: (I'm holding the belt taut behind me)
Overall, if you missed the Anthro version, this version could be a cute cheap replacement, but smaller-waisted ladies might be sized out.
The other birdie belt I tried was the
Ecote Stretch Sparrow Belt from Urban Outfitters (also $24).
This is a wider elastic belt. I ordered the S/M and I didn't have any size issues. The metal sparrows clasp at the beaks via a small hook and eye type of closure:
Because the belt fits snugly with the elastic, I wouldn't worry about the belt snapping open.
Like with the feather belt, the metal on the sparrow belt looked fairly cheap in person. I was less bothered with the gold-toned sparrows than I was with the silver feather though. I thought the belt was fairly cute.
Side note: I can't help self-mocking and thinking of the Portlandia "Put a bird on it" skit while wearing it.
I ended up returning this belt as well. The elastic was already unraveling/coming undone where it was sewn/attached to itself behind the sparrows. That was a little disconcerting. I suspect poor quality control. Hopefully if you order one, the elastic will be intact. But I returned this one. Overall, this was another cute belt, albeit a little cheaply constructed. When worn, the cheap construction may not be as noticeable. :/
OOTD
How appropriate that I tried on birdie belts with my bird and deer dress (aka Anthropologie Southward Stop Shirtdress)! I wore this out to Costco on Saturday where I ran into some faculty from my department. Y'all know I try to dress down when I go to school, so I felt oddly over dressed (not for Costco mind you, but for seeing faculty, lol. I'm a weird cookie).
I've also been trying something new with my hair.
Jean of Extra Petite posted how she gets some loose waves in her hair. I figured since I also have Asian hair, I might give it a try. I only had a 1" barrel curling iron (she recommends 2"), so my curls are tighter than hers. I can't decide how I like it on me.
It really reminds me of when I was little. I was always trying to curl my hair. I'm not exactly sure why I had a fascination with it. I know my mom always wanted me to do it for special occasions, so I think I thought it was a way to get super dolled up - a way for me to be "pretty." I used warm curlers or curling irons. I even had that special wash and curl shampoo that made my hair more likely to hold a curl. There was a time in middle school where
I rolled my wet hair up in rags every night so I could have "curls" in the morning. It never looked great. This looks better, but we'll see if I like it over time.
OOTD Specs
Emmelee orange cardigan sz S (it's more like burnt sienna, but came out brighter in the pics)(thrifted $7)
Anthropologie Southward Stop Shirtdress sz 2 ($75)
Hue bordeaux sueded tights ($6.50)
Target black leather Pearce Pumps ($30)
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