Getting Dressed With Zahra Saeed

A few weeks ago when I was packing for a 4-day trip to New York for the Daily Makeover Beauty Bloggerati conference, I did the usual. I loaded a 30" suitcase (which happens to be bigger than many NYC studio apartments) with 10-days worth of wardrobe options. But of all the clothes that I crammed into my luggage, the piece that I was most excited to wear was a dress by Philadelphia designer, Zahra Saeed.

Late last month, I stopped by Saeed's Rittenhouse boutique - looking for something special to take on my trip. Upon entering the shop, I was immediately smitten with the romantic silhouettes, bold prints and intricate details of the designer's spring/summer 2009 collection.

After perusing the racks, I took several dresses into the fitting room. Zahra Saeed's line doesn't offer petite sizes, so I kept my excitement in check until I tried everything on. But to my surprise, most of the dresses fit amazingly well. It was almost as if Zahra Saeed had crafted patterns based on my exact proportions.

Though all of the dresses that I tried on were beautiful, I didn't have a difficult time choosing which one to take home; actually, it chose me. The second I slipped on this high collared, tea dyed dress - with its ruffled sleeves and delicate embroidery - I knew it was meant to be. I adored it so much that I wanted to wear it out of the store that day.

And when I was in New York, I kept waiting for the right occassion to wear it. I didn't want to waste such a gorgeous dress - the perfect summer dress, to be fair - on just any ole shindig. So I saved the best for last.

For my final night in NYC, I wore my Zahra Saeed dress to dinner at Kingswood (the see and be seen hotspot in the West Village), then drinks and dancing at bOb Bar (best hip hip on the Lower East Side).

Joining me were my blogging besties (Amber, Erika and Julia), Heather (from MAC) and Andrea (from Essence Magazine).

Here are some of the highlights:

Erika and me

Julia and Amber


Erika and Heather


Andrea and Julia

Don't drink and tweet

Andrea and Heather

I wonder what our drinks say about us

If you're in Philly, check out the Zahra Saeed flagship store at 1905 Walnut Street. Nowhere near Philadelphia? Don't fret...shop online at zahrasaeed.com.