Blue Ribbon

Day 4 of 5 of Nutcracker madness: rather than Christmas red or green, I went with Hanukkah blue!

Melrose Mesh Top - c/o Kiyonna / Pencil skirt - Charter Club (Macy's)

I saw a few other bloggers tuck in this top (the Melrose Mesh Top from Kiyonna), which would seem to negate the point of all that strategic ruching, but I wanted to try it anyway - maybe with a grey pencil and some funky pearl statement jewelry. But then I remembered how I rocked the polka dot version of the top with the coral version of the skirt and figured I should just apply the same formula here. When it ain't broke...

Necklace - LOFT / Ring - Ruche / Earrings - The Limited / Nails - Essie "Midnight Camii (via Ulta) 

Handbag - Furla

I just love pairing statement shoes with outfits, though. A seemingly simple outfit of solids makes a perfect backdrop for some stand-out, notice-me heels. Snake print with coral trim? Just the ticket.

Shoes - Guess

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!

Classic with a Twist

Valentine's Day came and went, and with it the romantic weekend in Chicago that Bob and I had planned: a downtown boutique hotel, reservations at Blackbird, a little Michigan Avenue shopping, an IKEA trip. Above all it was an opportunity to get fancy and eat glorious food in the name of a holiday that we otherwise don't care too much about. However, the nasty midwinter flu virus had other ideas for us, and we had to cancel the entire trip. We were totally, utterly bummed. It wasn't until last week that the both of us really started feeling better, and it wasn't until this past Monday night that we finally decided to take each other out - a Valentine's Day do-over date night, without the pressure but still with all the fancy.

My fancy was none other than this lacey confection, the Cosmo Cocktail Dress, from Kiyonna. Kiyonna knocked it out of the park yet again with this dress. Just below knee length, elbow-sleeves, sweetheart neckline exposed through the lace overlay (and you can wear a regular bra!), beautiful construction....and exquisite lace. THIS is my LBD, my friends. I have finally, after all these years, found it.

Cosmo Cocktail Dress - c/o Kiyonna / Belt - Talbots / Snakeskin clutch - eloquii /
Suede platforms - Kelsi Dagger "Linzy" (eBayed)

Worn alone, it is nothing less than stunning and classic, but I quite like it with a belt. Doing so allows for tons of styling options! In fact, had I worn it for Valentine's Day, I was planning to go all-out-holiday with a deep red belt, red snakeskin clutch, and red nails. Now that we're decidedly into spring, I went with springy corals instead. I love the whimsy they impart to the the dress! A neutral snakeskin clutch was the perfect choice to add a complementary but modern edge to the look, and black suede sky-high platforms rounded it all out.

Earrings - Ruche / Ring - Banana Republic / Nail polish - Essie "Haute as Hello"

And it was a lovely evening. A gloriously warm golden hour allowed us to walk to dinner, snapping pictures along the way. Our favorite restaurant downtown seated us at the coveted front window table and served us a delectable tasting menu of farm-to-table delights: a citrus salad with radish, ricotta, black olives and fennel; pan-fried monkfish over a bed of linguine with jalapeno, green onion and lemon; spare ribs with broccolini and potato salad; parmigiano reggiano with 16 y/o balsamic; and a chocolate buttercream-filled chocolate cupcake that even Bob, the sweet-tooth-less wonder, approved. Oh, and lots of wine.

A wonderful time will always be had when good food, good company, and a pretty dress is involved. It was a do-over, possibly done better....

My cute date =)

A Bright Future

I blame Sal from Already Pretty and one of her Insomniac Sale Picks posts for making me think I needed a bright-colored blazer. And then I blame this pin for showing me an excellent way to wear it. And then I blame Gap for offering 40% of any full-priced item. Clearly, I did not act of my own accord in this situation.

Bright ponte blazer - Gap / Striped top - Gap /  Black pants - NY&Co. /
Belt - The Limited / Handbag -  Furla (via Filene's Basement)

I wasn't sure if I was going to keep it - hot pink is not in my usual wardrobe vocabulary. And as trendy as neon colors seem to be for spring, I'm not usually one to follow trends just for the sake of following a trend, either. But then I got a ton of compliments on the blazer, and it fits very well and is pretty darn comfortable. (Ponte, duh.) So, crap, now I might have to keep it.

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

So tell me how else I can wear it, k?

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...

Snoody

My green dandelion snood (a.k.a. infinity scarf) makes another appearance. Granted, the outfit is comprised of the same color palette as the scarf's first wearing (er, last week), but that's what I love most about it.

Blazer - LOFT / Striped top - Dorothy Perkins / Skinny black pants - Lane Bryant /
Heels - Nine West "Hollyce"

I do think it's an all-around better ensemble, though. The pattern mixing with the striped top is something I had always envisioned to do with the scarf, and there's there's something delightfully Audrey Hepburn-y about the skinny black pant. The blazer was actually a last-minute addition. I was fully intending to walk out of the house with just top, scarf, pants and pumps, but a final mirror check urged me to add another layer and color. My trusty camel corduroy blazer topped off the outfit (literally) perfectly.

Dandelion print snood - Dorothy Perkins / Ring & earrings - The Limited

It's also my last outfit featuring this fantastic snakeskin Furla handbag. I really wanted to just buy the thing, but given that we just bought a new HDTV to properly watch the Superbowl (finally! a big kid TV! and a much better piece of furniture, really...) and are in the market for new bedroom furniture, methinks it's not a good idea. My one consolation is that I just bought these beautiful snakeskin heels, which make a nice substitute at a much lower price point. Imma wear them this weekend, in fact.

Handbag - Furla (via BBOS)

You might have also noticed my new haircut! Well, it's my usual haircut (though a bit shorter than I would have liked), but the highlights - which feature a lot more red than usual - are pretty much amazing.

Carbon Copy

There are couple things going on here. 1) I simply had to have this beautifully designed top* and 2) I pretty much wanted to wear it exactly like this. I didn't do too bad, eh?

Normally, I'd shy away from that much of a close fit all over, but I thought the look was so luxe and so classic that I could not help myself. Besides, the cocoon elbow-length sleeves and perfectly placed ruching along the hips make it easy to feel comfortable in your own skin. Bottom line, though, confidence had to be an important accessory!

Cabaret Cowl Neck Top - Kiyonna / Dark skinnies - Gap / Handbag - Furla (via BBOS) /
Nude pumps - Nine West (via Zappos) 

I duplicated that image right down to the accessories. I loved the look of the necklace plunging down the center of the décolletage, so I was pretty stoked to find similar tassel jewelry at Ruche. (My jewelry go-to, for sure!) Nude heels? Check. (Every shoe wardrobe should include a pair!) My only additions were my fantastic snakeskin bag (which I'm just thinking of buying, by the way) and a big ring in a pop of turquoise. When it ain't broke, you know?

Necklace & earrings - Ruche / Ring - Ruche / Nailolish - "Frankly I Don't Give A-dam" (Sephora by O.P.I.)

The outfit did need to serve a dual purpose, though - work for (a loooong) day, drinks/farewell party for night. Thanks to all that confidence, I thought it was just a bit too sexy for daytime. =) Throw on a camel blazer (also good for covering up any wavering moments of insecurity) and I was good to go.

*The top was purchased with a gift card provided by Kiyonna.