Yacht Club

I feel like I should go sailing in this outfit. Or at least be standing by a sailboat along the French Rivera, anyway. I mean, can you get more nautical than these navy stripes and a bit of yellow?

Cardigan - LOFT / Striped top - The Limited / Trouser denim - LOFT / Carmel open-toed pumps - Banana Republic

What's not to love about it, though, eh?

Handbag - Steve Madden

And guess what - the clasp of my necklace even looks like a life preserver!

Polygon necklace - Banana Republic / Topaz ring - Banana Republic (eBayed) / Earrings - Banana Republic

Anchors aweigh!

Keeping it Simple

I stayed up way past my bedtime last night trying to figure out what I was going to wear today. It was a day that promised to be extremely eventful with its multiple and large performances, so I really wanted to wear a fantastic outfit. Not necessarily a "notice-me" outfit, but definitely one of sophistication and personality. When I finally went to bed, thinking I had an outfit that would suffice, I had plowed through at least five different options. Needless to say, I was exhausted. Well, I was even more exhausted when I woke up this morning (it has been a long week that seems barely to have begun, and the lack of sleep is not helping), and once I put on the intended outfit, I knew it was just not going to do either. So, I decided to strip back all my expectations for something "special" and keep it simple: pencil skirt, structured top, and just a few accessories.

Drape top - The Limited / Beige pencil skirt - New York & Co. / Teal skinny belt - The Limited

I've not worn this shirt before; it was a clearance find at The Limited, and in fact I kept the tags on with a possible intention of returning it. Its color is what I love most about it - it's one of those that always seem to look good on me. It has some internal structure because of an elasticized waist, and it flares out so wonderfully over my hips, but I thought I'd add a belt to add further definition and a bit more visual interest. Even though it's the same (or a very close) color, I think it gives some depth - one of the reasons I love to layer colors in the same family. I do like how I've been able to style the top, though, and the color really is fabulous, so needless to say I'm keeping it. =)

Beyond that, the pencil skirt was a no-brainer. It's my go-to item whenever I want to up my sartorial ante. If it was warmer out, I might have taken out my new open-toed nude patent pumps for a spin, but as the weather is as crappy as can be (another thing that is NOT helping me through this particular week), I went with nude nylons and pointy-toed pumps. Simple, but effective.

Handbag - Gustto "Pavia" / Nude pumps - Nine West

My ever-colorful fuchsia Gustto (which continues to brighten my day in lieu of the sun) and some funky jewelry put that final stamp of personality on the whole thing.

Occam's razor wins out again.

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

Magic

Seriously. I love these jeans. I think they're magic. No matter what outfit I wear them with, I feel totally fabulous. I have never had a pair of jeans that did that - that made me look good no matter what I decide to wear with them or how I am feeling that day. If that's not magic, I don't know what is...

Military tie jacket - LOFT / Striped top - The Limited / Flare-leg jeans - Lane Bryant / Red belt - Banana Republic

I was thisclose to wearing sweatpants and a hoodie today, but what with this blog and all I thought I should do better. It took some doing, but I thought I'd try this military-inspired jacket and striped shirt (a fool-proof pairing, really). And these jeans, of course. I wish I had some florals to try Kimberly from Fab Finds Under 50's suggested pairing, but alas - I don't have any! What up with that!?

My first instinct was that my pairing would be too drab, and I found myself wishing I had some fabulous red pumps to spruce it up. Instead, I did the inverse with a red belt and some great neutral wedges. Considering that I wanted to wear comfies to work, I was pretty happy with (and pleasantly surprised by) the result! And I think it's (another) proof that a great pair of jeans can be the equivalent of (or better than) comfies any day...

Handbag - Tano "Minilisa" in Blue Marine / Brown cut-out wedges - LOFT

Hammered disc ring - The Limited / Earrings - The Limited

Bonus shot for the day: This is me testing the light while brushing my teeth this morning. (Bob reeeeally wanted me to post it.) How's THAT for multitasking, yo!

You're welcome.

Watercolors

The hours I keep are killing me! I'm not quite sure how I made it through this particular 14-hour day, and I'm even less sure how I'm managing to stay up to blog about it! So, if it's alright with you, I'm going to keep this one short and sweet tonight.

Grey cardigan - LOFT / Watercolor tank - Anthropologie / Blue pencil skirt - Shapefx (Spiegel) / Pink skinny belt - The Limited

Yes, I know -  I forgot to wear polka-dots today... I was so excited about the outfit I put together with this new skirt (the same Slimming Pencil Skirt by Shape FX that I reviewed yesterday, but in blue) that I had to wear it as soon as possible, forsaking all else! That's okay though, because had I worn a polka-dot ensemble, it probably would have been this one again, just because I love its brightly-colored pattern-mixing (with polka-dots) goodness oh-so-much. (And seeing as how I rarely repeat outfits for anything, that's saying something.) So we'll call this one a wash, eh?

Anyhoo, I'll just let the pictures (read: color) do the talking for the rest of this post...and maybe you, too!

Handbag - Steve Madden / Shoes - Banana Republic

Ring - Banana Republic / Necklace - Kohl's / Earrings - NY&Co. (?)

Happy International Women's Day!

Shape FX Pencil Skirt Review

As promised, I'd like to share a review of the red pencil skirt I posted yesterday.

It's the Slimming Pencil Skirt by Shape fx®, which you can purchase through Spiegel.com or the Shapefx site itself (though still related, I think). If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I've been on hunt for a red pencil skirt, and preferably one in ponte knit. (Just can't get enough of the stuff.) After searching high and low for one of good quality and good length, I thought I'd try the Shape FX line, which apparently comes highly recommended by Oprah (saith the description).

Photo courtesy of shapefx.com

It's a pull-on skirt, which I like for its ease. I thought it ran pretty true to size, comparable to the sizes I wear at Lane Bryant actually. Some (but not all) Speigel skirts do have a plus size line with more generous cuts in the waist and hips, but I thought I'd see how I fare with the straight sizing on this one...and cuz it was cheaper. (The straight sizes go up to size 18.) I chose the 16 regular (I wear the same size in bottoms at Lane Bryant) and it fit perfectly. It does fit VERY close to the body, and though it does smooth away some lines as it says it will, I don't think I'd wear it without Spanx.

The other thing I like about it is that it has a higher waist specifically designed to help shape those problem areas in the midriff. It did do so a little bit, giving a relativity smooth line there, but not nearly as well as my high-waist Spanx do. I did appreciate the fact that it wouldn't hit me right at the worst spot of my waist to exaggerate my muffin-top, however...

Diagram courtesy of shapefx.com

I like the length on this one, too. I think skirts that hit me past my knees are the most flattering on me, but for some reason they've been pretty hard to find. The description states it's 27" long, but this accounts for the high waist. The nice thing about that, though, is that how high of waist you choose is pretty adjustable, so you can determine exactly how long you want the skirt to be.

After wearing the skirt all night, I did notice it stretched out a bit, owing to its high Lycra count. But I appreciated that fact since it felt less clingy as the night went on, making me less self-conscious even with my Spanx!

I had contemplated purchasing the Hold-You-In Pencil Skirt by Shape fx® instead or even in addition to the other skirt, especially since it had come with rave reviews. But, for the same reason I didn't try the ASOS CURVE Ponti Pencil Skirt, I didn't care for the seaming all over it.

I purchased both this red color, which is a nice deep scarlet red (more blue than orange in the hue), and the sapphire blue, which I'll be wearing later this week!

Bonus: If you register for emails at spiegel.com, you'll eventually get a 30% off welcome coupon good for your entire purchase! It's good for only one day, but I kept getting them every 3 days or so! Guess they really wanted my business...

Disclaimer: This review was done on my accord and by my own desire to share information. I purchased it with my own $$ and I was not asked or paid for this review in any way. =)

Bootie Call

Today's outfit may be considered a lesson in experimentation. I don't particularly care for this outfit, but I did decide to wear it anyway because, bottom line, what's to loose? Not every outfit can be total perfection, and that is just too much stress to put on a person to try. (I've had to learn that the hard way.) Besides, I'll only get to know my personal style better my having a few duds from time to time, and - shoot - I might even learn to like styles I previously hadn't liked!

Red pencil skirt - Shape FX* / Striped wrap - Maurices / Cream tank - Banana Republic / Black belt - LOFT / Black Booties - Payless

One of the things I liked least was my shoe choice, these faux-cuffed booties. (Though, the more I look at the pictures, the more they grow on me. Huh.) I've had these booties for a while, even with tags still on, but I never felt up to the challenge of wearing them. I decided to wear them with this outfit, again, to just give it a whirl, and because I did think the outfit need some kind of additional spunk. I figured if ever spunk could be added, t'would be with the currently trendy (but somewhat questionable) bootie!

And I guess I don't hate it as much as I initially did. True, they are ridiculously comfortable and, as I said above, super spunky, but I was most concerned with what they did to the line of my leg, which I think is the most common complaint leveled against them. Or maybe having all that solid black on my (giant size 11) feet is just too jarring; perhaps an open-toed bootie in a nude color would have been better? But the picture documentation continues to make me reconsider, as has been done more than a few times before. Maybe not a total loss, after all?

The other thing I don't love about the outfit is my jewelry choice. All the pieces seem to be a bit hodgepodge and don't work well together. I blame the necklace, which is new and wanted to be worn whether it worked or not. (My jewelry can be so pushy sometimes.) Well, it didn't. Perhaps some kind of funky gold or black number would have been more cohesive. Funnily, I didn't think much about it at the time because I was so concerned about the booties!

Black enamel flower ring - The Limited / Necklace - Lane Bryant Outlet / Gold loop earrings - The Limited

Meh, overall it's not bad. I think my knee-jerk reaction of dislike is simply caused by the fact that it's quite a different look for me with those shoes! Yet again, I'm grateful for my blog's ability to help me push my own limits...

* If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I've been looking for a new red pencil skirt. I've purchased a few, including this one from Shape FX, and thought I'd do a proper review in a future post. Stay tuned!

Rippled and Ribboned

Today's outfit was based on NOT wearing the color green. Our campus celebrated Unofficial St. Patrick's day yesterday, and aside from total obliteration on the part of any participating student (usually beginning at sunrise), you're supposed to wear green. I wanted no part in any of it....

Rippled and Ribboned Wrap - Anthropologie / Lilac tank - LOFT / Light brown pencil skirt - New York & Co.

The sweater/tank combo you've seen before, though I wanted to wear a pencil skirt this time around. (Shocking, right?) I almost wore some bright purple tights (We Love Colors in Rubine), which would have picked up some awesome colors in the tie belt, but it just wasn't a tight kind of night. (It hit over 60 degrees!) In fact, I almost went bare-legged and open-toed, but the fact that I haven't shaved in, oh, a while, convinced me to go with nylons and closed-toe instead.

Metallic burgundy pumps - Charles David (via Zappos) / Handbag - Tano "Minilisa" in Blue Marine

I have to say, though, that the sweater makes me look like a linebacker. I didn't feel that way the times I'd worn it with pants or jeans, so it must be something about the proportions with the skirt. (Come it think of it, though, I think complaint that was one of the things the reviews had mentioned.) Or maybe I should have sized down when I first purchased it, which I something I did go back and forth about. But, an older gentlemen told me I looked very pretty last night at work, so it can't be all bad. Haha! Watch out, Bob...

Turquoise ring - Banana Republic / Necklace - LOFT / Earrings - The Limited

Bottoms Up

Today's outfit was literally built from the bottom up - these shoes simply HAD to be worn today! It's true, ever since I got a pedicure last week, I've been hankering to wear open-toed shoes as much as possible. And I just couldn't let these fabulous (and new) yellow beauties languish in my closet any longer!

Yellow snake-print open-toed pumps - Nine West (eBayed)/ Pedi - O.P.I. "Russian Navy"

The outfit, too, is a casual remix of this outfit, one of my all-time favorites. My perfect pair of jeans were the really the first building block for the outfit (it was another wonderfully low-key day), but the mustard shoes completely inspired this particular remix, allowing me to play with a similar color palette by swapping out the cardigan in the original for the shoes. The printed tank is the anchor of the two outfits, of course, and I'm glad to find other ways to wear it. It's on the longer side, too, which does make it somewhat difficult to wear. I thought of pairing it my cropped purple jacket as I did here, but I didn't like the proportions for exactly that reason. Instead, I pulled out the rather vivid cobalt blue in the print with this open cardigan of mine (last worn unconvincingly here). I went back and forth between belting it like a wrap or leaving it open and flowy, belting just the tank underneath the cardigan, but after taking a few pictures both ways (the other version can be seen here), I decided that wearing it this way gave me the best shape and was the most visually appealing, especially with all the layers that the cardigan has.

Blue open cardigan - Willie Smith (TJ Maxx) / Found Foliates Tank - Anthropologie / Flare-leg denim - Lane Bryant /
Purple skinny belt - The Limited

Not surprisingly, this outfit is now also one of my favorites. =)

Handbag - Steve Madden (via Endless.com)

Ring - Banana Republic / Necklace - LOFT / Earrings - Ten Thousand Villages

Zip Her

White cropped jacket - Maurices / Green empire waist lattice neck top - Maurices /
Grey ponte pencil skirt - Chloe Dao (eBayed)

Springtime is in the air, folks. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself - by means of a grassy green top, short sleeves, a trench coat, and going without tights. My (unshaven) knees got a bit chilly today, I must admit... But if it's sunny out these days, I basically have to fight the urge to wear sandals!

Handbag - Tano "Boogie Bucket" in Grape / Belt - Old Navy / Boots - Ciao Bella (via DSW)

I pretty much love this skirt though. I had been looking for a casual grey pencil skirt (you know me and a pencil skirt) and I was gravitating towards a ponte knit. Wouldn't it figure that I saw a full stock of them a few months ago at a Lane Bryant Outlet, but I wasn't in the market for one at the time. And now? Nothing. Anywhere. So I resorted to eBay, and I found this interesting number with a full exposed zip in the back! I hesitated at first - I prefer basics, really - but then I decided to dive right in. I'm glad I did - it's so darn unexpected and unique! The zipper can get just a bit cold on the behind, is all...

Also a good side view of my oft-remarked (and totally bump-it-less) poof and my awesome new highlights

In other news, we're apartment hunting. Since we're a one-car household, we want to move closer to campus (where I work) so I can more easily bike/walk/bus. We also want to downsize a bit and decrease living expenses. I've gotten a few leads, but I'm really not looking forward to the whole process. I actually used to enjoy it all (I once kept an annotated and hyperlinked spreadsheet of 50+ possible locations and would plot floor plans on graph paper...) but now it's just stressful, time consuming, and full of dead ends. Maybe I'm too picky, I dunno. Alls I know is I want the perfect place, with ample storage, clean walls and carpets, good light, a spacious floorplan, a reputable landlord, and a decent neighborhood to fall right into my lap. Is that too much to ask (in a campus town)?!? Yeah, I thought so too... Blurg. Wish me luck!

Ring - Banana Republic / Earrings - LOFT

Solid

So my closet fell down yesterday morning. Yep, you read that right. The shelf, hanger bar, canvas totes, and all those clothes went crashing to the floor at 7am, scaring the crap out of me and Bob. Apartment maintenance (who seriously rocks) already fixed it today, but I think it is a serious wake-up call to downsize my wardrobe. Guess I better study Kendi's Guide to the Purge.

Blue pintucked belted shirt - The Limited / White camisole - The Limited / Dark skinnies - Gap / Brown cut-out wedges - LOFT

In the meantime, I continue to rebel against the cold weather with my trench coat and open-toed wedges. The sun came out today, though, so that's a start! Today might be one of those rare days that I felt my outfit completely matched the day, if that makes any sense - that I'm finally getting a hang of dressing up denim for work (a handicap of mine). A little casual flair with some funky accessories in a hue that encourages patience for warmer days - just a good old, good-looking Tuesday. A day with purpose. A solid day...

And because it was the most accessible thing I could pull out of my shamble of a closet.

I know I've been wearing my blue Tano, like, every day, so I decided to throw in a bright pop of color with my always reliably colorful fuchsia Gustto. Makes me want to see flowers already!

Speaking of color, here's a shot of the pretty colors my stylist put in my hair!  I have to remember to get shots of the other side of my head, where the colors are even more dramatic and funky...

Necklace - Urban Outfitters  / Topaz ring - Banana Republic (eBayed) / Earrings - Maurices