Galaxies Away

So in efforts to clean out my picture albums and to get on a more regular blogging schedule, I'm pulling out a few unblogged outfits from the summer that I simply have to post. It's so odd to see the freshly clipped bright green grass rather than the piles of golden leaves everywhere, but it's actually a nice reminder of the joys of changing seasons!

This outfit was fondly worn for a weekend outing to our favorite downtown bars during a wonderful summer visit with my sister and brother-in-law. I love when they come to visit - I wish they did more often! - but it's a great way to rejuvenate our love for our town by experiencing their own enjoyment of it!

Wrap Top in Galaxy Print - ASOS (via Gwynnie Bee) / Ankle pants - Lane Bryant /
Instant Sleeves in Black - LucieLu / Sandals - Nine West

The top is, you guessed it, another rental from Gwynnie Bee. Yet again, it's definitely a top that I would never have purchased for myself, especially considering its potential cray-cray involving an exaggerated shape at the hip. But it is exactly its silhouette that makes it so unique and worth trying, and it just so happens that the same hip exaggeration makes a perfect balance for skinny ankle pants and killer heels. The print itself is fabulous too, and it was lots of fun pulling out various colors from it - coral, cornflower blue, purple - some of my favorite hues, to be sure.

Ring - The Limited (old) / Necklace - Banana Republic (old) / Earrings - Lane Bryant (old) /
Clutch - Lane Bryant (old) / Nails - Suzi Says Feng Shui by OPI (via Ulta)

Bottom line, it was kind of perfect night-out ensemble - attention-getting, comfortable, and just plain fun. Much like the margaritas and fabulous company. =)

I Dream of Purple

The past few summer wedding seasons have been pretty uneventful for us. I've taken the relative inactivity as a good sign - it means most everyone I know is already married! Hooray for everyone! Come to think of it, Bob and I are probably the last couple left in our circle of friends. We'll get around to it, I promise! I see a delightful elopement in our future...

Happily, however, we did have one lone summer wedding to attend - a close friend of Bob's from college. And it meant a trip to Boston! We saw his family and lots of mutual friends, and we even managed not to kill each other on our drive - yes, you read that right, drive - out there. In fact, I quite enjoyed the 17 hour trip (gratefully split up in Ohio with close friends). We had ideal driving weather, and the scenery in New York State is second to none. Even better, our I-Pass worked for all the tolls out east! (Call me dorky, but this really excited me.)

Julia Pleated Dress - c/o Kiyonna

Ah, but what to wear, what to wear. Between packing on the pounds this past year and leaving my job, finding something in my closet was not only my only option, but it was a daunting one. So I was thrilled when I decided to poke around Kiyonna's new arrivals and found their new Julia Pleated Dress. Even more thrilled, I was, to have Kiyonna send it to me! This dress is PERFECT. Perfect for my body, perfect for the occasion (a conservative Jewish afternoon wedding), perfect for all the things I want it a great cocktail dress. Elbow-length sleeves? Check. Knee-length or longer? Check. Flattering but not too revealing v-neck? Check. Slimming, concealing, and feminine design features at the waist? Check! PRETTY, VIBRANT PURPLE COLOR?!? CHECK CHECK CHECK!!! (It reads bluer in pictures - blurple? - but it really is a gorgeous shade of purple.) On top of all of that, it's made of an easy, comfortable material that drapes flawlessly and doesn't wrinkle. I did wear the dress with Spanx, but I could have easily gone without - it fit that well! Seriously, as soon as I received the dress, I emailed Kiyonna to tell them this was my new favorite dress and they need to make it even more colors, STAT.

Necklace - Banana Republic (old) / Ring - Banana Republic (old) / Earrings - anniversary gift
Nails - No More Film by Essie (via Ulta)

The wedding was indeed lovely, as was the rest of the trip. And we got home just in time for me to start freaking about the fact that I'M TEACHING MUSIC HISTORY AGAIN AFTER A 5 YEAR HIATUS! And maybe working at Sephora. One week down and already exhausted! It'll make for an interesting year, to be sure!

Shoes - Audrey Brooke (old, via DSW) / Clutch - gifted

Honestly? I'm just happy to have things to dress up for again. =)

Tight End

I'm kind of glad I was never able to get rid of this top. It's been hanging in my closet since January, an international purchase (via Dorothy Perkins) whose return or exchange would have been more trouble than it was worth. I wasn't convinced it was a good item for me (and my large bust), and the few ways I had in mind to wear it didn't look as good as I would have liked. But I really did love it and had hoped I'd shed a few pounds and could eventually wear it - or at least find a way to get away with wearing it.

Top - Dorothy Perkins / Black pencil skirt - Simply Be / Peep-toes - Payless 

Well, I sure haven't shed those pounds, but I really loved how it tucked into this simple, form-fitting black pencil skirt. And even better, I really loved it with this fantastic necklace. (If you're keeping track, this is outfit #3 for the necklace! I'm on a roll!) So tight sleeves and chest be damned! Statement necklace and pencil skirt saves the day!

Clutch - eloquii

(Or so I'd like to think. =P)

Necklace - Modcloth (gifted) / Ring - Ruche / Earrings - Lane Bryant /
Nails - Re-fresh Mint (China Glaze)

Blue Collar

I truly believe what I said the other day about ankle pants being a casual chic girl's best friend. I didn't want to just wear jeans and I didn't want to commit to trousers (and none of them like me right now anyway). Ankle pants are the perfect in-between.

Blue sweater - Banana Republic / White button-up - Lane Bryant /
Black ankle pants - Lane Bryant / Wedges - LOFT

Actually, I could have worn black trousers now that I look at these pictures, and I would have loved it. This particular outfit is inspired by one of my favorite Anne Hathaway ensembles from Devil Wears Prada. I can't find a full size screen shot that shows her own long wide-legged bottoms, but a picture of the top half of the outfit might give you enough of an idea of the look I was going for.

I simply adore the buttoned collar under the bateau neckline, layered with chains. Menswear-meets-Audrey-Hepburn chic. I'd worn a version of this with a black sweater long ago, but I thought I'd pull this pretty baby blue sweater out of retirement to revisit it for spring, adding oranges and corals for pops of color. Of course, I have no Chanel in my closet, so a few long chains of lesser birth had to do.

Clutch - eloquii

Incidentally, this is about the only way I'll consent to wearing a white button-up.

Ring - H&M / Necklaces - The Limited (I think?) / Earrings - LOFT /
Nails - Tart Deco (Essie)

Easter White

A little birdie, or maybe it was a little bunny, told me that whites are no longer faux pas after Easter. I'm actually not one to blindly obey such dicta, but I figured it gave me licence to pile it on nevertheless. That, and because it's the color of Easter, is it not?

Bob and I went to a late brunch on Sunday, and we wanted to get dressed up in some version of our Easter best. This was an outfit first worn long before the blog, but it has always been one of my favorite springtime ensembles, not least because of all that crisp white. Truth be told, I was rather impressed that the skirt still fit me after all this time!

Cardigan - LOFT / Camisole - eloquii / Wrap skirt - Lane Bryant / Clutch - eloquii /
Sandals - Bandolino (via Endless.com)

I did want to wear vibrant colors, though, that's for sure. If I could dress something like an Easter egg - that was my goal. (I mean, when else can you?) Actually, I was nostalgic for the days of ruffled pink dresses and Easter hats from my childhood. Oh, to be eight again... Bright white and happy green are just as good, though. I feel like freshly mowed lawn under a sky dotted with puffs of white clouds.

Ring - Ruche (gifted) / Necklace - Banana Republic (eBayed) / Earrings - Anthropologie

Come to think of it, the day was actually just like that. And I even had Easter candy.

Blank Canvas

Let's start off the week with a great little dress, shall we? This Dorothy Perkins dress was one of those peplum finds that I had stalked forever online. The color I really wanted was a luscious grass green, but, alas, it sold out in my size before I could make up my mind to pull the trigger. The blank canvas of nude turned out to be a happy (and more versatile) runner up.

I use to have (well, still have but it nowhere near fits) a flannel caramel-colored sheath from Banana Republic that I always wanted to wear with a green belt. It never did fit (and it's time for me to give it up, methinks) so the outfit idea continued to languish. So this nude dress sprung to my mind as a way to finally wear the combination. The dress is best worn with a belt, actually, so it was fate!

Dress - Dororthy Perkins / Belt - Banana Republic /
Clutch - eloquii / Heels - Nine West "Bigspender" (via  Endless)

Lest a dress nearly the color of my skin wash me out, colorful accessories were necessary. The belt was already a given, but the combination of other accessories would plague me. I don't think I hit the right mark with this particular combination, but I couldn't resist the punch of green and coral. (Truthfully, I just couldn't resist wearing these shoes!) I will say that the necklace is closer to the green of the belt than these pictures let on; they seem more complementary in real life. As a whole, the outfit might be a case where a little more editing was necessary, and I confess myself feeling somewhat self-conscious for much of the night on that score, but there it is. Funnily enough, I received several compliments on the necklace and quite a few on the shoes. So maybe I shouldn't have hung so tightly to the belt, eh?

Necklace - Modcloth (gifted) / Ring - Banana Republic / Earrings - Anthroplogie /
Nailpolish - Re-fresh Mint (China Glaze)

That's the nice thing about a blank canvas, though; the options for next time are endless!

Blog and Learn

This outfit is brought to you by more leopard and teal! I had forgotten about his top in my small arsenal of teal choices, so I thought I'd take it out for a spin.

Top - The Limited / Skirt - Banana Republic (thrifted) / Belt - Old Navy /
Heels - Christian Siriano for Payless / Clutch - eloquii

I liked it the last time I had belted it, but this iteration doesn't quite do it for me. There's something about the top's proportions that just don't lend itself well to belting with contrasts, at least on this short-waisted bod of mine. In fact, I removed the belt - the lone leopard print - near the end of the night. In hindsight, I would have done without the belt (or the with the same tone-on-tone belt as last time) and worn my perfect leopard print heels instead. Oh well, that's why I blog, I guess: Take pictures and learn!

Ring - Banana Republic / Necklace - Banana Republic / Earrings - Anthropologie

Shoe-In

Sometimes it's just about the shoes. Alright, more often than not it's about the shoes, but this one really was about the shoes. I mean, how else does one celebrate prematurely warm (albeit windy) spring days than with bright-colored open-toed amazingness? Sheesh, what am I doing to do when it's officially spring? (Stay tuned, I guess...)

Blazer - NY&Co. / Striped top - Banana Republic / Skinnies - Gap / Sandals - Nine West

Skinny jeans had to play somewhat of an equal part too, though, since I knew they would best showcase these hot pink babies. But what next? Oh, stripes, you say? Stripes that just so happen to echo the pink of the shoes? Oh, yes! But what to do for another layer? Something neutral, something structured. My love-hate relationship with blazers was to continue with this simple, basic beige version that gave just enough shape to the waist, and just enough (casual) work-appropriate balance to the outfit.

This is actually one of the few, rare times I didn't cuff my skinnies, either. I tend to prefer them cuffed when I'm wearing heels - the proportions seem a bit better on me. But I confess I like the bunched-up-ankle look here. They give my leg a longer line (which I need) and, more importantly, they seem to bring more attention to the fabulosity of the shoes.

Snakeskin clutch - eloquii

Here's the real kicker (no pun intended): the shoes are comfortable, too!

Ring - Ruche / Earrings - ? 

Now I just need a pedicure...

Serpentine

The more I wear this skirt, the more ways I find to wear it. Animal prints seem to be my first inclination these days, so I chose these new snakeskin print heels to be the focal point this time around. I just love their neutral color and textured pattern, and most especially that amazing pop-of-red trim.

Snakeskin print heels - Guess "Geenly" (via Endless) / Ring - Banana Republic / Necklace - The Limited / Earrings - Ruche

I thought about a red skinny belt to echo that trim, but decided that it was one accessory too much. So a plain black cardigan and simple black belt was all I needed.

Pencil skirt - Eloquii / Black cardigan - LOFT / Cream lace cardigan - LOFT /
Belt - LOFT / Clutch -  ASOS (gifted)

Navy is in the works for next time I wear this skirt...

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