The Affair of the Necklace

I finally found an outfit for this necklace! I've been holding on to it ever since December, when I got it from my mom as a birthday gift. It's ironic, because I'd been lusting after it forever, claiming that if I ever did get my hands on it I'd wear with everything. Well, it's not been that easy! I've tried to wear it a few times but I never could find an outfit that worked - the size and shape of it is quite overwhelming even for a girl who loves statement necklaces! The combination of colors and proportion in this outfit finally seemed to hit the mark.

I've decided blazers don't photograph well for me, though. Okay, the real reason is that none of my mine fit properly, but the thought of getting them tailored intimidates me. This one is particularly bulky, and I don't really wear it much as a result, but it's such a pretty dusty purple that I can't get rid of it. (Or, you know, get it tailored.) I particularly loved the idea of it paired with the darker purple top underneath. And the layers of the two with the minty green beaded goodness of the necklace was perfection.

Corduroy blazer - LOFT / Top - The Limited / Flare denim - Lane Bryant /
Clutch - eloquii / Boots - CL by Laundry

Necklace - Modcloth / Earrings - The Limited (?) / Ring - Banana Republic

Square Dance

I don't know why ankle pants seem so risky to me. Between their skinny leg and shorter length, I just feel more exposed than I do in a regular skinny jean. It's a little odd considering the minor differences, but I can only hope that the more I wear them (cuz they seem to be a huge trend for spring), the more comfortable I'll feel!

Rylan Ruched Top - Kiyonna / Ankle pants - Lane Bryant /
Snakeskin clutch - eloquii / Heels - Nine West "Hopefloat" (via 6pm.com)

I will say that the right footwear can go a long way to make me feel more like a rockstar in, well, pretty much anything, though. I could wear this outfit with cute flats and feel decidedly less confident than I would in heels. I need the length, the height, the opportunity to rock a fierce color, pattern or shape on my foot! Basically, I need to mitigate these thick, somewhat stumpy legs that my Norwegian ancestors bestowed upon me. I do, however, love how my ankles look here, so bring on more ankle pants, I guess!

As for the top, it is easily one of my favorite and most forgiving items in my closet. I'd still like to have it shortened a little bit so it doesn't completely overwhelm my top half, but the wide open square neckline does a lot to balance that out. The last time I wore the top (and I have it in green as well), I also wore a black bottom, but that just seems to me one of the best ways to really make the rich purple pop. I could also see wearing it with sandy-colored bottoms (pencil skirt?) for a more springtime vibe. Ooh, and coral accessories/shoes....

Well, crap, now imma need to get coral shoes. On it.

Ring - Lane Bryant / Necklace - The Limited / Earrings - The Limited

Spring Fling

When I first purchased this lovely teal pencil skirt for all its colorful, springtime-wearing glory, I wanted to be sure to wear navy with it at some point. I dunno, I just really liked the idea of the combination! Even better, I wanted to find a pretty navy-based print to pair with the skirt and one of my zillion cardigans. So when I found this cute and über-springy butterfly print at Old Navy (again, of all places), it was exactly what I wanted.

Cardigan - LOFT / Butterfly cami - Old Navy / Pencil skirt - eloquii /
Heels - Payless / Handbag - Steve Madden

This reminds me that I recently uncovered an oldie-but-goodie navy LOFT scoop neck sweater in my closet. (Yes, it's seemingly so messy vast that I often forget what I have in there. Yikes.) Imma have to wear that with the skirt next! I mean, if the weather continues to vacillate between tornado watches and snow flurries, I'm sure I'll have ample opportunity to don sweaters again. Hmm, I see tights again in my future, too.

But back to this outfit. I sure do like this open cardigan/cami look, don't I? (Exhibit 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.) It might not be the most creative layer, but it's pretty effortlessly classic. (And I have many.) The combination of accessories is pretty straightforward, too. I like the purple that the necklace brings into the mix; it makes for a much more cohesive look than the yellow I had chosen initially. Navy heels and a tan handbag tie everything else together. Oh, and the perfect minty green manicure.

Necklace - Le Mode Accessories / Ring - Ruche / Earrings - Anthropologie / Nails - Mint Candy Apple (Essie)

Leap of Faith

A leap year outfit (yes, I'm a little behind) has to be something out of the ordinary, I think - or at least out of the ordinary for the wearer. Thus, colored ankle pants!

Jacket - LOFT / Striped top - Banana Republic / Ankle pants - Talbots / Heels - Banana Republic

In truth, I've worn the pants before, feeling somewhat uncomfortable in them at the time. But I really wanted to celebrate the unseasonably warm springtime day with something nautical and colorful, so I lept for it. I love the coral and navy combination so much that I might have to do it again! Thanks to the longer lengths of the jacket (one of my favorites) and top (stripes!), I felt a little more covered and therefore more comfortable this time around.

The weather had to be out of the ordinary as well, I guess. Windy as hell and a balmy 68 degrees surely qualifies as such, no? I definitely wanted to take pictures outside, but the wind just didn't want to cooperate. Sure, the effortless windblown look is nice on occasion, but these gusts could have knocked me over if I let them. Perfect hair shots are replaced by goofy outtakes with me holding hair in place.

Rather than default to a white belt (and I really wanted a belt), I aimed to incorporate a third color - something on the darker end (it looked better with the jacket), but something that looked just as good with the color of the pants. Green? Not dark enough, and I wanted to save that for my handbag. (See below.) Teal? Teal! I was surprised how much I liked it against the navy, especially since it's not a typical combination.

Ring - Ruche (gifted) / Belt - The Limited / Necklace - Banana Republic (eBayed) /
Earrings - Ruche / Nailpolish - "Cute as a Button (Essie)

As if the wind wasn't enough, the sun/shade ratio in my usual photo locations weren't cooperating either, as you can tell by the shadow of my tripod and camera. Classy, eh? Oh leap year, you got me.

Handbag - Banana Republic

Old Reliable

Thank goodness for those ol' reliable outfit combinations. Not really having to think about whether or not an outfit will work is a blessing to this anti-morning, planning-handicapped girl. Especially when her closet and bedroom is such a disaster zone that outfit planning is impossible anyway.

Striped top - Dorothy Perkins / Ponte skirt - Lane Bryant / Boots - Coconuts (gifted)

Bottom line, any outfit that involves stripes is good by me. (And ponte. And boots. And a big cozy scarf.)

Scarf - Gap / Belt - Talbots / Ring - Ruche / Earrings - Ruche

Handbag - Tano "Minilisa"

The Camel's Hump

This is one of those outfits that was seemingly only intended for the blog. Aside from a short work meeting, I saw pretty much no one all day. But hot pink heels shall not be wasted! Thank you, blog.

Yes, you've seen this sweater before in black. I liked it (and its price at extra % off) so much that I decided to make it a pair. The fur collar is removable on both, converting the sweater to a nice tied cardigan for warmer weather. For now, I like the cozy, luxe look of the fur and rich caramel coloring. Especially if I'm only wearing it for myself anyway - I like how it feels on my neck. =)

Fur collar cardigan - Eloquii / Camisole - Eloquii / Denim - Lane Bryant /
Sandals - Nine West / Handbag - Gustto

I thought I should try for some color, though. It was a warm enough (i.e. above 40°) to break out some open-toed sandals, so I chose these bright pink lovelies for a kick, doubled by my fuchsia Gustto. Now that I look at these pictures, though, I'm not sure why I was so afraid of all those luscious camel tones on their own. Perhaps I harbor a secret fear of neutrals, as if color is the only thing that imparts an outfit's interest. As if that fur collar wasn't enough! Meh, who can deny the opportunity to wear hot pink open-toed sandals on a cloudy day?

Best moment of the day? Walking to said work meeting and getting a "Now those are some awesome shoes!" from a girl walking in the opposite direction. I guess the outfit wasn't lost on my corner of the world after all. =)

Earrings - Ruche / Ring - Banana Republic / Necklace - The Limited (?)

Budding Romance

Sunday: Not fully recovered, but another day of getting dressed for the sake of getting dressed. (Work, of course.) I felt like it was a pencil skirt kind of day, but nothing too extravagant. A sandy neutral skirt, a cute little chiffon ruffled shell and a brightly colored cardigan was just what the (style) doctor ordered.

Cardigan - Banana Republic / Shell - Old Navy / Pencil skirt - Eloquii /
Heels -Gabriella Rocha (via Zappos.com)  

The shell is a recent purhase from Old Navy, of all places. I rarely have any good luck in there - their fit is wonky on me and I rarely like their cuts or prints. But this top (and another in a cute butterfly print I'm sure I'll wear soon) really caught my eye. It's such a pretty spring flower bud print and has a nice ruffle detail at the collar and side panels. I figured it would be a great top tucked in with pencil skirts and worn with a nice cardigan, and I was not disappointed.

Handbag - Tano "Minilisa"

So is spring yet? And can I please stop coughing now?

Ring - TJ Maxx / Earrings - The Limited / Necklace - LOFT

I'm Alive!

My dears, I'm so sorry I seemingly dropped off the face of the earth for the past week! As feared in my last few posts, I had indeed come down with the horrible midwinter flu bug that has been flying around these parts. It kicked my butt into last year. I couldn't leave my couch for much of anything, couldn't form any coherent thoughts, and didn't get dressed in much more than yoga pants and hoodie. UGH. My energy level is not quite back to 100%, and my hoarseness (from coughing for nearly a week straight - and still going) makes me sound worse that I feel. But I went back to work this weekend, if nothing else because I felt out of touch with the world and was desperately wanting to wear nice clothes (and my contacts) again. And so I did!

"Marcel" wrap dress - LucieLu / Lace cami - Sisley / Navy faux-suede heels - Payless

I've been sitting on this LucieLu dress for a while now - like before the holidays. I'm not really sure why... I guess there were always other outfits I wanted to wear instead. You know how that goes, yeah?

It's a great-fiiting faux wrap dress in a fabulous graphic print and rich berry tones. Totally my palette; totally my print. Just like the other LucieLu dress I own (the same style, no less), I love the length and elbow sleeves, but I only wish that the attached tie were longer so I could double-wrap it AND have extra left over to dangle off the hip. I dunno why, but that's one of my favorite features of a wrap dress (faux or no).

Nails - Eve-y On the Eyes (Sephora by O.P.I.) 

And, huh, I styled it pretty similarly too - lace cami, almond-toe heels... When it ain't broke, eh? I tried not to be too matchy-matchy with either cami or accessories, though. Early options were a cream cami and purple stone necklace, but I wanted to take it just a tad further. I stayed in the same color family with the cami, of course, but opted for one in a lighter shade than on the dress. I like how the speckles on my necklace unexpectedly echo some of the colors on the dress, too.

Earrings - Ruche / Necklace - Urban Outfitters / Ring - Banana Republic

So here's to being able to rise from the couch and wads of Kleenex to get dressed again! I mean, I'm wearing hose and Spanx and everything...

Handbag - Furla (via Filene's Basement)

I'm not much for reporting on/critiquing the Oscars, but we did watch and thoroughly enjoyed it - and not just the couture! How about you?

Candy Land

The moment I had purchased this skirt from Dorothy Perkins, I knew my first wearing would be just like this. Yet another successful Pinterest inspiration! Yet another happy stripes purchase!

When I first saw her pictures, I thought the belt was red - a pairing I've come to love and was eager to replicate. But when I looked closer at the pictures when it came time to put together the outfit for myself, I realized the belt was pink! An even better, brighter, more colorful pairing. The cheeriness is infectious.

Ring - Ruche / Belt - Talbots / Necklace - Urban Outfitters / Earrings - Banana Republic

But seriously, taking outfit inspiration from Pinterest is kind of like stealing candy from a baby. And this outfit kind of looks like candy.

Cardigan - LOFT / White tank - Anthropologie / Striped skirt - Dorothy Perkins /
Handbag - Gustto / Platforms - Nine West "Hopefloat" (via 6pm.com)

Easy Pieces

Whatever's going around these days, I've got it. It started off quietly over the weekend with a sore throat, blossoming into a full-on flu with head and body ache and chest congestion yesterday. I went home sick, basically kicked out by my office mates, and proceeded to enjoy a steady diet of tea, saltines and ibuprofen while drifting in and out of consciousness on my couch. Hence, no post. =) I'm feeling a little better today, back at work but trying to take it easy. I need to be better by the weekend for my belated Valentine's dinner with Bob in Chicago!

Printed dress - Target / White cardigan - LOFT / Heels - Nine West "Hopefloat" (via 6pm.com) /
Handbag - Furla (via Filene's Basement

Therefore, I've donned an easy 10 year old jersey dress from Target (!!) with a belted cardigan. I wore it a few years ago, pre-blog, and I remembered how effortless it felt, and that I couldn't believe I still fit into the dress! Yay for jersey's forgiveness! I threw in red and pink accessories again in a subtle remembrance of Valentine's Day. Shoot, I almost wish this was my EBEW post!

Ring - TJ Maxx / Belt - Lane Bryant / Necklace - The Limited / Earrings - LOFT