<span style="font-size: x-small;">I’m obsessed with one of a kind pieces.  And Etsy feeds that obsession.  I never looked for clothes on the site until recently and luckily chanced across Stephanie Teague’s line </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/stephanieteague"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pretty Little Birdie</span></em></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>. </em>The designs are so fresh and different and my favorite part?  They really emphasize the female form with cinched in waists, short hemlines, and exposed or soft shoulders.  So much of women’s clothing has moved towards a notion that dressing up has to be fussy and uncomfortable, but these dress designs look comfortable, breathable and timelessly feminine.  Ms. Teague’s unique contribution?  The materials for her entire line from dress to heels are entirely sustainable and often times recycled – these aren’t burlap sacks but highly structured pieces that would be perfect in any girl’s summer wardrobe.</span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;" title="il_430xN.123417050" src="http://ionlyweardresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/il_430xN.123417050.jpg" border="0" alt="il_430xN.123417050" width="500" height="751" /> </span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;">{I Love this dress – I’m obsessed with the shape, the color, the buttons going down in lines on the front and back.  The shape is stunning and I know if I saw a girl walking across the street in this dress, I would ask her where she got this beautiful design.}</span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <img style="display: inline; border: 0px;" title="il_430xN.123416478" src="http://ionlyweardresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/il_430xN.123416478.jpg" border="0" alt="il_430xN.123416478" width="500" height="751" /> </span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;">{Pretty Birdie’s Asymmetrical Mustard Gauze Dress, $270.00}</span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;"><img style="display: inline; border: 0px;" title="il_430xN.123416695" src="http://ionlyweardresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/il_430xN.123416695.jpg" border="0" alt="il_430xN.123416695" width="500" height="331" /> </span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;"><img style="display: inline; border: 0px;" title="il_430xN.123417327" src="http://ionlyweardresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/il_430xN.123417327.jpg" border="0" alt="il_430xN.123417327" width="500" height="751" /> </span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;">{Ms. Teague’s dresses don’t run cheap costing anywhere from $150 to $1000 for custom orders.  This is not surprising when it comes to the <a href="http://www.philanthropyalamode.com/2009/01/slow-clothing-movement-lemon-twist.html">slow clothes movement.</a> Remember, these clothes are made by hand by the designer.  This is not out-sourced to a warehouse, and it’s not a mass-produced line.  Timeless, beautiful fashion doesn’t have to be expensive, but when a piece costs a lot of money, I always ask myself – is it because of a name brand or quality?  Can I estimate a good cost per wear (Cost of outfit divided by the amount of times I will <em>HONESTLY </em>wear the item)?  Ironically, her dresses can be cheaper than some BCBG dresses because they are tailored to your body and I roughly add $25 dollars to any dress I buy because I need it tailored for my small frame.   Here, I could even imagine you could ask Ms. Teague to adjust the collar on a dress or add in a wisp of your favorite color for a special occasion – the best kind of custom tailoring.}</span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;" title="il_430xN.84862781" src="http://ionlyweardresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/il_430xN.84862781.jpg" border="0" alt="il_430xN.84862781" width="500" height="747" /> </span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;">{Pretty Birdie’s Fine Hemp Linen Dress, $165.00}</span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;" title="il_430xN.84862782" src="http://ionlyweardresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/il_430xN.84862782.jpg" border="0" alt="il_430xN.84862782" width="500" height="747" /> </span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;" title="il_430xN.84862783" src="http://ionlyweardresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/il_430xN.84862783.jpg" border="0" alt="il_430xN.84862783" width="500" height="747" /> </span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;" title="il_430xN.126930622" src="http://ionlyweardresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/il_430xN.126930622.jpg" border="0" alt="il_430xN.126930622" width="500" height="750" /></span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;">{Pretty Birdie’s Fine Hemp Linen Mini Dress, $180}</span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;" title="il_430xN.126930624" src="http://ionlyweardresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/il_430xN.126930624.jpg" border="0" alt="il_430xN.126930624" width="500" height="750" /> </span>

<span style="font-size: x-small;"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;" title="il_430xN.126930625" src="http://ionlyweardresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/il_430xN.126930625.jpg" border="0" alt="il_430xN.126930625" width="500" height="747" /> </span>

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<span style="font-size: x-small;">{I love the frayed edges and the draping – so much movement across the body!}</span>

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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[All pictures belong to Stephanie Teague and <a href="http://www.philanthropyalamode.com/2009/01/slow-clothing-movement-lemon-twist.html">Evergreen Photography</a>]</span>