Sequins & Sparkles

First of all, I'm really sorry for the picture quality. Not only am I still waiting for a new camera, Bob is also out of town on business, and therefore so is his iPhone (with which we've been taking pictures in the interim). So it's back to my crappy Nikon Coolpix for today - I simply had to participate in today's EBEW "Sequins and Sparkles" challenge!

Cardi - LOFT / Sequin tank - LOFT / Pencil skirt - Lane Bryant /
Tights - Simply Vera (Kohl's) / Sandals - Banana Republic

Thought I don't own too much sparkle, when the challenge was announced I knew this sequined delight would be the top I would wear. It fits so nice and is just the prettiest winter white/cream color that makes it perfect around the holiday season. (I did, in fact, toy with wearing it with my new ASOS lurex stripe skirt for New Year's.) I love the raw edge of the always-flattering scoop neckline, too. In keeping with my near-obsession for all combinations of cream and grey, I went for a grey ponte pencil skirt and grey herringbone tights, a cream cardi in a slightly lighter color (I love the tonal variation of the two together), and {gasp} open toed camel sandals. I don't always love the look of tights + sandals on me, but I really like it here. Ties everything together.

Believe it or not (and I sure didn't), I hadn't yet worn the pencil skirt. I've worn the olive and black versions a few times now, but when I went to pull this one out of the closet, it still had the tags on. Craziness! I just love these skirts though. The wide waistband makes tucking in shirts actually possible and the material is so forgiving that I don't have to worry about much else.

Leather Ostrich Embossed Metal Bar Clutch - ASOS

Like my new clutch? I sure do! Bobby bought it for me as an early birthday present. =) I'd been looking for the perfect caramelly envelope clutch for months, and then I found this one also at ASOS, priced so right and ostrich-embossed! (You're rockin' my world, ASOS!) Of all the textures of leather, ostrich is unquestionably my favorite. Good job, Bobby. =)

Ring - Banana Republic / Earrings - Anthropolgoie

Exposed

So I survived Nutcracker weekend. I came out of it much better than I expected, so that's good, but I also went into it with much less holiday cheer than I usually do. I'm not really sure why, but I'm just not feeling the holidays yet, despite all my best efforts with Christmas decor, watching The Holiday almost every other night (as I write this, as a matter of fact), playing nothing but "Swinging Christmas Radio" on Pandora at work, and already having all my Christmas shopping complete. It's weird, but perhaps I can blame the fact that it hasn't snowed yet? Maybe that's the last piece of the puzzle - a blanket of snow to quiet the earth and brighten the night sky, bringing only the warmest thoughts to us inside. <Sigh>

Decidedly without snow, the big holiday weekend at work has come and gone, and with it a weekend I relish getting all fancy. Last year I wore two of my all-time favorite outfits (both with pencil skirts of course): this one and this one. I felt I had a lot to live up to this year - both of those outfits included beautifully unique tops and special accessories that spoke for themselves. I did plan to wear some other favorite pieces of mine, and of course my preferred silhouette, so I think I did okay. =) I'll post the outfits from the rest of the weekend tomorrow and Wednesday, of course...

Craftmanship Capelet - Anthropologie (gifted) / Cream tee - LOFT / Grey pencil skirt - Talbots /
Burgundy pumps - Charles by Charles David (via Zappos) / Handbag - Furla

This plaid capelet, purchased last year on a birthday shopping spree, is one of my least worn but definitely prized pieces in my wardrobe. I've never been able to figure out how else to wear it other than with skinnies and boots; though, it's certainly a great wear to wear it! When in doubt, pair with pencil skirt, duh. (If anyone's keeping track, maybe it's time to rename the blog to that?)

I'm really missing my camera, though. These pictures, taken with the wonderful light from my south-facing windows, came out over-exposed with Bob's iPhone, when I know they'd have been perfect with my camera. Boo hiss. Ironically, the best shots with the iPhone have been at night! (I shall keep that in mind nevertheless.) As a result, I've decided to purchase a refurbished model of the same camera from B&H as soon as my paycheck allows. After much research, it's the cheapest and probably the most reliable/comfortable option right now. And the one that will prevent Bob and I from killing each other the soonest... =)

Ring - H&M /.Necklace - Banana Republic (eBayed) / Earrings - The Limited

And hey, let it snow!

Curses

A couple things to note here:

1. I've decorated for Christmas! Yahoo! Please don't judge me for putting up colored lights. =) I always have - I just love all that color!
2. These pictures were not taken with my usual camera...cuz I broke it. I knocked over my tripod just as I was about to start my daily photo session last night - like, literally as I was moving into place. The camera, while open, landed on the lens side, which pretty badly busted the lens cover and likely the mechanisms inside. After having a few people look at it, it seems it will cost more to fix than it will to buy a new one, and, thanks to all that holiday shopping I've knocked out of the park, I really don't have the money right now. My old camera is such crap, too, so that's not an option. Thank goodness for Bob's iPhone - the pics are better, but not yet ideal either. (I think that's just a learning curve, though.) So, bear with me as we get into a new groove with the new equipment and lighting situation.

Fur Collar Surplus Jacket - Urban Outfitters / Red Stripe Top - Urban Outfitters  /
Cream tank - Anthropologie / Dark skinnies - Gap / Boots - Ciao Bella (via DSW)

With those points out of the way, welcome to my week of Nutcracker Madness! While performances don't begin until Friday, I can already feel the crazy in my bones. As a result, I'm dressing as comfortably and easily as long I can. I wore a close variation of this outfit many moons ago, the main difference being that I'm wearing skinnies and boots rather than my regular flared jeans. (And CRAP! I wore that the day I first starting using my camera!! Gah! This is a cursed outfit!! ...  Ahem.)  I'd been wanting to wear the combination on top with skinnies for a while anyway, so I'm glad (?) I finally did. Warm, fuzzy, fur collars are just the thing to get a girl through a crappy, cloudy, windy, rainy, cold November bummer of a day.

Handbag - Steve Madden

And Christmas lights. And my first viewing of The Holiday this season. And long, rambling, drunken chats with Bob over wine and pasta at the dinner table. And the first day of December. Yes, yes - these are all lovely things.

Ring - Ruche / Necklace - The Limited / Earrings - Maurices

Thanks, Bobby, for taking my pictures again. I know neither us loves that you have to do it, but I'm ever so grateful that you can and are. =)

Thanksgiving in Boston: At Walden Pond

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Both Bob and I had all of last week off, so we headed to Boston to spend the holiday with his family, something we've never done in our seven years together. It was a jam-packed week of food, friends, family (and lots of incomprehensible Korean), Patriots football (it's SO much more fun to be able to watch the game with fellow fans around you, screaming at the TV in unison), and a lifetime's worth of historical sight seeing at Concord, the Mayflower, Plimoth Plantation, and along the Freedom Trail. What does this mean for a wardrobe that needs to fit into a suitcase? Flat boots or tennies, lots of layers that are remix-friendly, and pieces that I know will look good on me no matter what.

It was hard to whittle down a selection of pictures that succinctly captured each adventure and outfit, but because I do want to share them with you, I thought I'd break up the trip into a few blog posts rather than just one. I will warn you, however, that our first stop, Walden Pond, is one of my favorite places in the world. It was such an unbelievably beautiful afternoon that I got to take my camera out for a real spin, and I therefore have the most to share here. Besides, idyllic nature shots plus golden hour equals a prized blogger location, does it not? ; )

Traipsing along trails and water's edge for an afternoon means tennies for me, which also requires a perfect average-length jean and casual top layers - definitely an ensemble you don't see often on this blog! A puffer vest isn't always the best choice for a large-busted, thick-waisted girl like me, but the added layer was perfect for the day.

Curvy dark bootcut jeans - Gap / Pink Breast Cancer Awareness top - Old Navy /
Gray puffer vest - LOFT / Tennies - Skechers

Ah, railroad shots (of the T mind you - there's something wildly incongruous about that). I tried my best to mimic the best of JoAnn and Kyla, but I don't have the greatest sense of balance when a train might bulldoze me over at any moment and kept falling off. Consider these outtakes. =)

Ah, Concord. When If I ever make 7 figures, I would happily spend the rest of my days in this quaint but deeply historic town. We had meant to also visit Lexington and other important locales in town (Old Manse and Old North Bridge, to name a few), but Walden Pond took up the bulk of the daylight hours and we had no choice but to call it a day and venture downtown Concord instead. Among our stops, the famous Colonial Inn, where we had oysters and Guinness, and the impressive Concord Free Public Library - most of it taken over by its "Local Authors" section! This punderful little antique shop was one of my favorites, though.

Uffda. I know that's a lot! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did - I really love some of the nature shots I got! I'll have 1-2 more Boston posts - including the Mayflower, Plimoth Plantation, and spots along the Freedom Trail - before I return to regularly scheduled blogging. In the meantime, enjoy the wonderful holiday season! Has anyone put up decorations (I have!) or started (gift) shopping yet? Hooray for Cyber Monday, I say!

Something in the Way She Moves

I kind of love this picture. I'm so talented at moving while the timed shutter is going off.

As you can see, I had to bring the pictures inside for this outfit. It was rainy and cloudy, and even if I wanted to do fun umbrella shots, I don't have any means of protecting my camera as it sits all lonesome-like on the tripod whilst the sky spits upon it. I was glad to try out indoor locations anyway, since another nasty Illinois winter will be here before we know it. And I just canNOT bring myself to brave the elements for outfit shots even in the name of good lighting. While I don't have a cozy fireplace backdrop anymore, I do think I have better lighting in the new place, thanks in part to cool-white florescent light bulbs and an overhead entry light. (Please forgive the crooked shots though - I have some adjustments to make.) I might play around with other locations inside our now tiny living room, but at least I have some options!

Silk Blooms Eternal Top - Anthropologie / Reversible Seamless Tank ( in Sapphire) - Anthropologie /
Pants - New York & Co.

This top was yet another sale find at Anthropologie. I just love stalking the online sale section, especially since new markdowns happen every Tuesday. (That's an insider's tip thanks to Effortless Anthropologie.) As we all probably do, I definitely consider more items when they are on sale than I would otherwise - items I wouldn't even give a first look when full price. And hey, free shipping sure helps too! It's a very blousy top with no waist definition (and I had to size down as a result), but I really like the pattern and can see lots of layering options for future wearings. I'm a fan of the mandarin collar, too. Though I've done a pretty basic styling here with beige pants and a blue tank (SOME kind of cami underneath is a must), I'd love to wear it with an olive jacket and jeans or tucked in with a navy pinstripe pencil skirt.

Skinny belt - The Limited

I think I could go without a belt for certain outfits - maybe with skinny jeans and heels - but I felt I needed one for this occasion, going with a textured skinny belt in a neutral but not matching color. To further take the outfit out of its simple color palette, I chose these fabulous fuchsia peep-toes (with an orange platform to boot!) for a needed pop of color. The cloudy day required it, too. =)

Fuchsia peep-toes - "Chaney" by Nine West

Tickle the Ivories

Is it bad (silly? ridiculous? neurotic? cute?) that I knew the title for this post the minute I decided on the outfit? I guess this lovely combination of ivory/gold (the true star), black and grey (subconsciously?) stirred up images of piano keys, which I did play for the better part of my life...

Herringbone sweater jacket - Sleeping on Snow (Anthropologie) / Lace tank - Banana Republic / Pinstripe pencil skirt - Lane Bryant / Ivory tights - We Love Colors / Grey faux suede shoes - Kohl's / Ivory skinny belt - Banana Republic

The sweater/jacket/vest is a new item I just picked up on sale from Anthropologie. It's an odd little piece, but it's warm and cozy as hell, and it does give me a nice shape. I'm looking forward to dressing up a few denim ensembles with it. As seems to be customary with me lately, I did some subtle pattern mixing by pairing its herringbone weave with a pinstripe skirt. You can't really tell in these pics (and I failed to take a close-up), but I like the added dimension it gave the outfit. A plain black skirt rarely interests me... I chose these new ivory tights to really make the color a more purposeful part of the outfit (thereby justifying my title =P), even though I was hesitant that people might confuse my legs as just that damn pasty! Thanks to the grey pumps that helped balance all that out, a friend of mine assured me that wasn't the case. Friends sure are good to have around when fashion-related (or any, really) doubts creep in... =)

I'm getting a hang of all the cool settings on my new camera! These outfit pictures were shot with the smile setting, which necessarily focuses on a smiling face before it takes pictures. The beauty of the setting, too, is that I can still take 10 pictures in a row! So it has all the benefits of a customizable automatic timer, plus facial recognition features. Cool, huh? Yay for better pictures! The real test will be how these pics turn out back at home without this lovely lighting and background. Stay tuned!

Necklace - Banana Republic / Ring - Banana Republic / Earrings - The Limited

Red Stripe

I got my new camera today! It's a Canon Powershot SX130 IS and so far it's pretty awesome. I'm still getting used to it (and trying to learn a few more basic photography skills in the meantime), and I'm also taking pictures in a different location than usual (with different lighting and backgrounds to fend with), so bare with me! New toys are always fun, though!

Fur Collar Surplus Jacket - Ecote (Urban Outfitters) / Red Stripe Top - Cooperative Designs (Urban Outfitters) /
Flare-leg jeans - Lane Bryant / Taupe boots - Laundry by Chinese Laundry (Famous Footwear)

You'll notice of course that I'm wearing my surplus jacket again. I said I would! =P I bought this fantastic red stripe top at the same time I bought the jacket, and I just loved how they paired together. I was also pleasantly surprised when it rang up as only $9.99! Seriously, though, it still boggles my mind how everything I bought at that Urban Outfitters trip goes together, not to mention a zillion other things in my closet. That's the kind of clothing purchase that makes a shopaholic feel good!

Handbag - Tano "Minilisa" in Blue Marine

More importantly, I can't get over how flattering this top is. Lately I've been depending on layers not only to add more visual interest to my outfits (and to keep warm, duh) but to cover up my ever-expanding midsection (I hate being over 30 for that reason). This top camouflages all of that in the most feminine and interesting ways. From the zip that hits just below the decolletage, to the wide neckline that exposes more of that sexy shoulder area (an area of my body I do quite love), to the waistline that hits at the smallest part and just flares right out over my muffin top and hips. Who knew $9.99 could buy a positive body image! I just might have to wear this top alone more often that not.

Er, still with a skirt/pants/jeans, of course... =7

Hammered disc ring - The Limited / Sterling Silver Loop necklace  Kohl's /  Earrings - LOFT

I close with a camera query for you more advanced users out there. My continuing problem with taking full-body pictures, primarily when I'm using the timer setting, is that I can't get my face to be in focus, even with a face detect function. When I have someone taking pictures for me, I have less of a problem since they can choose the focus. Suggestions?