Go Green

I'm not a lick Irish, but one of my good friends/co-workers is, and since she was throwing a St. Patrick's Day bash this past Saturday (beginning at 10am, I should mention), I wanted to pay my respects. A green zebra print seemed like just the thing.

I knew we'd be walking the mere 5 blocks to her house, especially since the weather was simply divine that day, so walkable footwear was necessary. (In fact, we snapped these pics on our way home!) Walkable footwear typically mandates wearing a skirt as well, since pants or jeans likewise requires heels to lengthen out my stumptacular legs. Happily, this perfect denim pencil skirt from Dorothy Perkins had just arrived on my doortep a few days before, and I didn't want to wear anything else. Can the length and deep indigo color be more ideal??? Incidentally, this is about my third order from DP in two months. I'm soooo very hooked. More DP goodies to follow over the next few posts, by the way...

Cardigan - Banana Republic / Camisole - Anthropologie / Pencil skirt - Dorothy Perkins /
Sandals -  Moda Spana (via  Endless.com)

I always like belting a buttoned-cardigan-pencil skirt combo. When wearing anything untucked over a skirt, Tim Gunn's rule of thirds is best obeyed if I can create more definition at my waist. (This is also why I don't need a belt when tucking pieces in - the waitband creates that definition for me.) But what color, I pondered? Well, gold, of course! That was the only answer for the rest of my accessories, too.

Necklace - LOFT / Earrings - Maurices / Belt - Talbots /
Ring - Ruche / Sunglasses - LOFT

A Perfect Mix

I've been plotting this outfit for a while now. I've had the skirt since the fall and the wrap sweater since last winter, and the minute I saw them together I was struck by how complementary they were. If the first rule of pattern mixing is to make sure prints are in the same color palette, these two pieces - with their shared oranges, golds, greys and blues - perfectly comply.

Piece-A-Plenty cardigan - Anthropologie / Plaid pencil skirt - Lane Bryant / Cream cami - Anthropologie /
Handbag - Tano / Blue faux-suede heels - Payless / Necklace & Earrings - LOFT / Ring - Banana Republic

It was just a matter of throwing on a camisole and wearing accessories that got out of the way (blues were my preference) and I had an outfit. I feel very (and unintentionally) pro-Illini, too.

Ringing in the New Year

Oh what a night! Bob and I had possibly the best NYE celebration that we've ever had in our 7 years together. (In fact, this New Year's marks our 7th anniversary!) Our dinner reservations weren't until 9pm, so our evening got a late start, but the amazing food, wine, friends and laughter we enjoyed as the stroke of midnight came closer were a-plenty.

Black back draped top - Banana Republic / Lurex striped pencil skirt - ASOS / Suede heels - BCBG (eBayed)

Naturally, a little (or a lot of) sparkle is something of a prerequisite for NYE dressing, so I wanted to run with it this year. I bought this ASOS skirt on Black Friday and I was excited to finally break it out for the big night. The skirt is quite long on me, even for a girl who prefers skirts long, so I hiked it up, added a wide belt, and wore it as a high waist number. (I may hem it, but we'll see. I can also fold the waist under to adjust as necessary, and I kinda like the flexibility.) It took me a while to find the perfect top, but this draped back stretch satin loveliness was the perfect complement to the skirt, for just the look I was going for. Back seamed sheers seemed obvious, too, no?

I did want a little pop of color somewhere, and I toyed with pinks and reds, but I really liked how turquoise stood out against the blacks and golds, so I chose one of my favorite Banana Republic turquoise rings to play off the gold necklace, earrings and gold shimmer/copper glitter french manicure. I also played with a little gold and turquoise eye make-up, even though it did get a little out of hand. I'm wearing the BareMinerals Color Shift set, which I bought just for this purpose, but the gold "shifted" far too easily into the aqua and gave me an all-over aqua look instead. Yikes! (I was going for 50s glam, not 80s rocker!) All bets are off on NYE, though, so I just worked it. (And I'm probably going to return it...)

Necklace - Banana Republic / Clutch - Macy's / Ring - Banana Republic / Earrings - Anthropologie / Sheers - HUE

Nina Garcia tweeted over the weekend "If you look amazing, you’ll feel amazing; and if you look and feel amazing, you’re guaranteed to have an amazing night." Quite right. I felt absolutely glamorous in this outfit and perfectly festive for the holiday (and anniversary ♥). And an amazing night was indeed had.

Happy New Year!!! Heath, happiness, love and peace to all of you!

Holiday Attire Sneak Peak

Oooooh weee! I'm so excited for all the festivities this month! Between my birthday next week, Christmas, and New Year's (also my anniversary with Bobby), I have so many occasions to get all dolled up. While this can often be more stressful than not (I distinctly remember having a helluva time getting dressed for New Year's last year), I'm ecstatic that I've not only found outfits for all of these events, but I look and feel fabulous in them! So here's a sneak peak.

Thanks to a thrilling new partnership with Kiyonna, I'll be decked out in the Betsey Ruched Dress (in teal) for my birthday next week! I really liked the bluish-grey patent platforms that the model is wearing, so I searched high and low for something similar. I think I found them! A shoe-loving girl can always count on Zappos or Endless, can't she? I snagged these earrings from Anthropologie with my 50% off sweater over the weekend. Ironically, the sweater is going back, but I think the earrings are absolutely beautiful and make a great match for the dress. Now if only I had her hair...

Betsey Ruched Dress - Kiyonna / Clara Chandelier Earrings - Anthropologie /
Grey patent Pumps - Type Z "Clara" (via Zappos)

For New Year's, a little sparkle is always a good thing, if not practically required. I bought this fabulous lurex stripe pencil skirt from ASOS on Black Friday (my first purchase from them, actually) and instantly knew it would be perfect for the holiday. But what to wear on top? I've been keeping my eye out for options as I've been Christmas shopping, and luck would have it that I stumbled upon this gorgeous stretch satin boatneck top from Banana Republic on Sunday. Plain though it may seem from the front, the back is the real show-stopper. I tried the whole ensemble as soon as I had returned home and it.is.PERFECT. I'll be wearing a wide black belt to marry the two pieces, sultry black suede heels, and possibly back-seamed tights to top it all off. Elegant, festive, divine!

Draped low-back top - Banana Republic / Pencil skirt in stripe lurex - ASOS CURVE

Seriously, I can't WAIT to get dressed for these events! And share them with you, of course. =)

And speaking of sparkle, check back later for my EBEW "Sequins & Sparkles" outfit!

Bluebell

You may have noticed, but I haven't had to get dressed up nearly as often as I did last year. With fewer events I need to attend, there are simply fewer reasons to don the pencil skirts and heels! So while I've had to flex my causal dressing muscle more than ever, and I think I've done pretty well, I sure do enjoy putting together fancy when I can.

Blouse - Banana Republic / Skirt - Talbots / Belt - Lane Bryant

This blue top has a sister in green, which was last worn here with lovely greys and tans. I really liked that particular belted/pencil skirt look (what a shocker, I know), so I wanted to reproduce it. I went with caramels, golds and tans for the blue version, introducing this new pencil skirt from Talbots in a delightfully well-below-knee length. It should not be at all shocking, either, that I have the skirt in charcoal as well.

Handbag - Furla (renting from BBOS)

But let's not ignore the obvious, now: yet again I wanted to "pump" of the volume with some fabulous animal print heels. And not just any animal print, the perfect leopard print! Since it's been all the rage this season, I was most certainly on the hunt for a pair of my own. I knew that I didn't want a pointy toe; I knew I didn't want a contrast platform pump. What I wanted was a larger print and rich camel background, a never-out-of style almond toe, and a conservative but still sexy heel (3" is conservative for me these days). What I really, really wanted were these gorgeous babies, but I just couldn't justify the price, no matter how hard I tried. Enter the Max Studio Marais from DSW and lots of rewards certificates. Though they were uncomfortably narrow when I first received them, they've stretched out nicely and are most definitely everything I wanted. And hot damn, I love them with this blue!

Leopard pumps - Max Studio (via DSW)

Ring - Banana Republic (eBayed) / Necklace - LOFT / Earrings - The Limited

Monday Uniform

A basic truth: a cold and windy Monday calls for warm and cozy attire. (Any Monday; any cold and windy day, really. Halloween or no.) Layers encouraged. Easy, flattering denim suggested. Accessories that add just a little extra flair preferred.

Sweater - LOFT / Striped top - LOFT / Lightly Flared Jeans - Lane Bryant / Reversible gold belt - Lane Bryant
Handbag - Furla (renting from BBOS) / Boots - Laundry by Chinese Laundry (via Famous Footwear)

Inspired by this pin, layering a striped top underneath a sweater is such an easy way to get a little pattern into an outfit. And now that I own more than my share of striped shirts (I've recently acquired this, this, this and this one [BR, but not available online, it seems]), this might become my everyday Monday uniform.

Ring - Ruche / Earrings - Dress Barn (?)

Instead of Red

I don't have too much red in my wardrobe. It's just not one of those colors that works well with my rosy-pale complexion. Aside from a red pencil skirt (which I must admit I did think about wearing for a few seconds), one dressy red necklace, and the mandatory pair of red heels, I was at a loss for (casual) patriotic attire. Nope, not even a red belt! I actually used to have one red-white-blue pattered halter top from the LOFT that I would wear just for the Fourth. After a few years of that, though (and starting a blog that makes me seriously examine the contents of my closet), I realized that having a top that I would only wear one day of the year was kind of ridiculous, and I gave it away.

Striped shirt - The Limited / Denim skirt - Lane Bryant / Hot pink braided belt - Talbots (via TJ Maxx) /
Handbag - Urban Outfitters / Gold sandals - Moda Spana (via Endless.com)

So I decided to think outside of the color box just a bit this year, choosing to swap hot pink accessories for red, and further defying laws of nature by wearing gold instead of silver. Sure, I might have been a tad overdressed for sitting on lawn chairs chowing down a cheeseburger and fruit pizza (I make a damn good one), but I felt victorious over my wardrobe handicap. Shoot, I might even wear this again not during the holiday. And isn't that point, anyway? =)

Hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend!


Congrats again to Tiffany for winning my LucieLu Instant Sleeves Giveaway! Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks for reading!

Wanna-Be

I really like this color palette. Kelly green, grey and golds/tans aren't a usual combination, perhaps, but I'm a fan of doing out-of-the box things with shades of brown and grey. The combination in this outfit made it a more visually appealing one, too, methinks.

Green top - Banana Republic / Pencil skirt - New York & Co. / Belt - Banana Republic /
Grey faux-suede pumps - Apt. 9 (Kohl's)

I'm also getting on the wanna-be Irish in me, it seems... Or doing another impersonation of Mad Men's Joan (said Bob).

Handbag - Steve Madden

The top is a tricky one, or maybe it's my body shape that makes it tricky...I dunno. It's loose and flowy in the bust and waist, but then is very snug at the hips. Come to think of it, it's a Banana Republic top, and nearly everything in that store has been fitting that way lately... So to help solve the fit issue (or at least give the appearance of solving it), I belted it, choosing this color for the reasons I mentioned above. It might have caused odd bunching issues in the back, but you don't have to see that, so there.

Ring - Banana Republic / Necklace - Lane Bryant Outlet / Earrings - Maurices

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning...Oh, What a Beautiful Day...

I had a day today, folks. Not a bad day; just a day... So many things going on in one night that it'll make you're head spin. It made mine spin, anyway. All good things, though, all good things. Except my feet hurt. Beauty is pain, right?

So I put up my feet and flipped on the TV....wouldn't you know it, Oklahoma! is on! I get giddy and sentimental whenever this lovely old musical comes on TV. I played Laurie in high school. First starring stage role, first kiss (yep, on stage - pretty pathetic), and a lot of other good things were on their way... It was a rosy time of life, really. This movie has a wonderful way of bringing that all back. More than anything, I guess, it just really takes me back to my younger days, when the world was as big as it was small... (Isn't that what the musical is about, anyway?)

And now I'm an adult...more or less.

Blue animal print wrap dress - BCBG (via TJ Maxx) / Blue cami - LOFT / Gold embellished peep-toes - BCBG (via eBay) / Handbag  - Gustto (via BBOS)

Necklace and earrings - Banana Republic

The nostalgia is strong tonight, folks. What is it about the midnight hour that brings that out?

It's a Wrap!

Ah, the wrap dress. What an ingenious invention! Thank you, Diane von Furstenberg....

This outfit is apparently almost entirely brought to you by Banana Republic. (I had just realized this when I was writing the outfit descriptions.)  This is kind of a faux-wrap, since the skirt is fully enclosed, but the bodice is still adjustable at the waist, which is where you want it adjustable anyway.  So, no fears of the skirt blowing open to reveal my ladyparts! Hurray for hassle-free! Well, except for the neckline. Thanks to the girls, I fussed with covering my cleavage most of the day.  I had used clothing tape at first, but that wasn't holding very well.  And I didn't want to wear a camisole because it would add extra bulk underneath and ruin the line of the dress. In the end I pinned it, which solved most of the problems. I don't love pinning clothes, however - I hate to make unnecessary holes, and you can just tell that it's pinned by the weird pulling that results.  But, it was the best option in this case.

Grey 3/4 sleeve faux-wrap dress - Banana Republic

I'm still playing with difference between inside/outside pictures, and hopefully trying to improve the ones I take indoors...

It's a great dress though - fantastic material, lays beautifully, great length, great details in the neck (a somewhat mandarin collar) and the shoulders (a slightly gathered sleeve).  It's one of the BR staples, and they've added it in purple for the fall.  I highly recommend it if you're looking for an all-occasions dress!

I kept my accessories and the overall ensemble rather minimalistic since Friday's event was a very conservative one - not the time to be making fashion statements. I wrestled with adding a pop of color somewhere, whether in accessories/shoes/camisole, but I decided to keep things subtle, choosing gold/ivory accessories to add a twist to the grey, rather than silver - which might have been a propensity.  I LOVE browns/tans with greys.  I was inspired by the combination from an old What Not to Wear episode, and I've loved it ever since.  I really do feel its a sophisticated pairing of neutrals.

Nude heels - Nine West (via Endless.com)

Gold polygon necklace - Banana Republic /
Smokey quartz earrings and bracelet - Banana Republic

What it probably actually came down to was the fact that I really wanted to wear this bracelet. It's one of my favorites, but I don't get to wear it that often because I always have trouble pairing a necklace with it.  Once I put it on, I knew I must wear it with this dress, so it won out.  I even thought I might go without a necklace, since the neckline could speak for itself, but I did want something to fill the space in the end. The necklace is actually a single strand that I doubled up. I thought it played well with the bracelet/earrings without overwhelming them.

Yes, this was Friday. Today is Sunday.  I am, once again, behind.  I'm about to get ready for work in a minute - yep, Sunday night - so I'll have another post for you later (or tomorrow, at this rate!)

Thanks for reading! =)