Holiday Leopard

Believe it or not, this was the only holiday red I wore for my holiday work weekends. I figured I couldn't beat the off-the-shoulder red sweater from last year, so why try? Well, you may notice I kept the same basic elements - red, black and leopard - just mixed up a bit. You can never go wrong with a little leopard.

Black tee - Dorothy Perkins / Red pencil skirt - Lane Bryant / Belt - Lane Bryant

And no, you're not crazy for thinking I'm crazy for donning short sleeves and a skirt outside in December in the Midwest. It just so happens, however, that it was mid-60s that day, and short sleeves and an easy ponte skirt were kind of ideal.

Handbag - DKNY (via TJMaxx) / Shoes - Nine West

To be honest, though, I'm not crazy about the outfit. Its simplicity made it easy to wear, but it seemed much too simple for all the festive merriment surrounding me. (No competition with the girls in velvet and tulle today!) I blame laziness exhaustion confusion and lack of inspiration due to a 60° December day. And maybe a liiiiiittle resentment toward having to get dressed up at all on a Sunday when all I wanted to do was sleep in very late and watch football in comfies...

That's right. I stick it to The Man by wearing a red pencil skirt and leopard print.

Velvet Crush

One of the best things about working multiple shows of The Nutcracker is the high number of darling little girls that come all dressed up in their holiday best for the occasion. Velvet, glitter, bows, and full skirts; red, green, winter white, black - everyone is a Christmas princess for the day. It's absolutely endearing. I'm happy to say that the boys set the bar high this year, too, donning bow ties, fancy shoes and little manly suits and vests. One little boy even wore a fedora. A FEDORA! He won, hands down - yes, even over all the little girls in tulle. Presh beyond words.

I wasn't inspired by much red or green in my own wardrobe, so I went for velvet in a rich, royal blue, sweet little sheer cap sleeves and princessy peplum. I totes fit in.

Velvet peplum top - Dorothy Perkins / Pencil skirt - Simply Be / Heels - BCBG (eBayed)

The sheer yoke sure does make bra choice difficult, though. Even a nude bra was visible, and that just wouldn't set a very good example for all those impressionable young girls! I refuse to wear a strapless bra if I can help it, but it many ways it was the only bra style I owned that didn't peek through the top sides. My girls need straps though, so thank goodness for the clear strap option!

Ring - TJ Maxx / Earrings - The Limited / Nails - Essie "Fair Game" (via Ulta)

I almost saved this outfit for a potential NYE ensemble (the jury's still out on exactly what that'll be), but I couldn't resist wearing it to work for these events. I'd like to think that, if I were 6 and headed to The Nutcracker with my grandmother (a wish I always had but one that never came true), I'd don a little (or a lot of) velvet too.

A Little Lace

I'm making decisions, ya'll; making decisions and movin' onward and upward. The past few days have given me opportunities to reflect on the things I want most out of life, what I'm good at, what keeps me the most engaged and fulfilled. I won't go into too many particulars at this point, not least because nothing has really been put into action yet, so please forgive my (necessary) ambiguity. (Although, if you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you may have some idea.) It's all definitely in its early stages, but even the baby steps feel pretty darn good.

I'm getting oh-so-closer to being caught up with my outfits, too! I can't believe how long it's taken me to get back into the groove post-summer, but I thank you for sticking with me and encouraging me along with the way! It's so nice to know you're out there, ya know?

Lace shoulder tee - Lane Bryant / Ponte pencil skirt - Dorothy Perkins /
Handbag - Furla (via TJMaxx) / Shoes - Nine West

This outfit was ensemble #3 that owes its inspiration to product styling rather than stock photos. (See also #1 and #2.) I mean, I completely passed over this mostly uninspiring lace shoulder tee a few times both online and in store. On its own, it's kind of an unflattering snooze, even if it does reference current trends. But add a belt (rule of thumb, methinks) and some long necklaces ala the seasonal mailer, and you have yourself a surprisingly classy yet terribly comfortable outfit. Lane Bryant, whoever styled your August mailer knocked it outta the park. YA HEAR ME! More of this, please.

Belt - Lane Bryant / Necklace - Lane Bryant / Ring & Earrings - The Limited /
Nailpolish - Essie "Bobbing for Baubles" (via Ulta)

Seriously - tee shirt and ponte knit pencil skirt? It's a well-worn silhouette in these here parts, but never has it felt so much more like lounge wear than work wear.

Also.... BE SURE TO VOTE! MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! I'll be a nervous wreck for most of the day, without or without a major performance to supervise, but at least I'll have work to keep me somewhat distracted until the votes are all in!

Fine Wine

You'll never guess what I'm doing at this hour! That's right, giving in to my insomnia, watching LOTR, and painting my nails. I am OB.SESSED with all things burgundy/oxblood/cabernet/whathaveyou these days. It's always a great color for fall, but the trends have eaten the color right up and with it tons of great things to lust after. Recently acquired: this burgundy cabernet cardigan from LOFT, the best nail color EVAH (Essie "Recessionista"), beautiful burgundy suede pumps and a burgundy oxblood peplum top from ASOS Curve. I think I'm covered for the season, no? =)

Cardigan - LOFT / Camisole - eloquii / Pencil skirt - Dorothy Perkins

LOFT cardigans are just about the best out there. They change details from season to season, but I can always rely on them to fit well and be just the thing to round out my wardrobe. I was kind of shocked I didn't have a cardigan in this color, but thanks to a $25 cardigan sale, I didn't have to put forth much effort (or moola) to make it happen.

 Brown pumps- Christian Siriano for Payless / Handbag - Tano

I've also decided I'm in love the combination of animal print and burgundy. I wore an outfit, as of yet only Instagrammed, with a great new animal print top, brown pants (!!!) and - just the thing - a slim burgundy belt. I loved the look and decided I need to do the combination as often as possible. (I'll be sure to wear/post that outfit again soon!)

And what better canvas than a pencil skirt and cardi, eh? Nope, nothing better.

Necklace - LOFT / Ring - Banana Republic / Earrings - Lane Bryant /
Nails - "Wicked" by Essie (via Ulta)

Double the Fun

It's only Tuesday? Really? Ugh. What's worse is that it's 10:30pm and Bob just went in to work. Yes, you read that right. So do I stay up until he gets home at 3am (cuz he'll wake me up anyway)? Yes, probably. And maybe I'll make myself a Totinos while I'm at it. There, now it feels like the weekend.

Except it's only Tuesday...

But hey, look! The green skirt again! I have to say, a black and white combo is my favorite pairing with this skirt. True, they're stripes and are therefore fabulous with everything, but I especially like their contrast with the vibrant color of the skirt.

Striped top - Dorothy Perkins / Pencil skirt - eloquii / Belt - Talbots /
Sandals - Bandolino / Handbag - Ruche

I also felt that one necklace was not enough. One big statement piece plus one long dangley piece equals necklace nirvana. Or something.

Necklaces - LOFT & Ann Taylor / Ring - Ruche / Earrings - The Limited

My Totinos is ready! One supreme party pizza is served. And LOTR, probably. See you on the other side of 3am.

And hey, then it'll be Wednesday.

In a Knot

I realized I threatened promised you lots of maxi dresses over the summer, but my lack of posting kind of made me a liar, didn't it? For better or worse, this is one of two more maxi dress posts I have to share, as I attempt to get caught up before the season explodes in my face. Bonus: the next one includes a hat!

Aztec knot maxi dress - Dorothy Perkins / Cardigan - LOFT / Cami - NY&Co.

This fabulously printed maxi, worn in mid-July for an outdoor work event, is actually kind of an oddity in my closet. As a lover of solid colors and classic patterns, I have few, if any, such outrageous patterns, but the symmetry and colors of the pattern really caught my eye. It is super low cut, though - a cami is a must. Fortunately there are about a zillion color options for that with this dress. I grabbed a little green cardigan for a easy (and optional, for once!) topper, too.

Ring - Ruche / Necklace - Banana Republic / Earrings - LOFT

In other news, today is the first day of classes! I welcome back my staff (I've actually really missed them) and lament the exponential increase of (usually idiotic) foot, bike and car traffic on campus. So much for the short lines at Starbucks and my easy commute to work!

Hangbag - Tano /  Sandals - Payless

Summer Lull

Summer brings so much laziness I can't even tell you. It brings many more days of unwashed hair, many days of outfits repeated in entirety or really just outfits comprised of pieces I only threw on so I wouldn't go out naked. I'm not even talking about the hot topic of "blog-worthy" - it's more, I'm barely tolerating this outfit and plan to change immediately into yoga pants and a tank as soon as I get home. And then there's the sitting down to edit/choose pictures and write. Clearly, I'm uninspired... Lately I'd rather spend the evening prepping my mise en place for dinner. (A rather relaxing activity, actually.) And then eating it. And then cuddling in my favorite chair or in bed with the Kindle I got Bob for his birthday. (I may have re-appropriated it.) Yep, that's my summer modus operandi, for better or worse.

But when I do put on clothes that I love and don't mind braving the sweltering heat for a round of pictures, this is it. It's definitey on the dressier side of my summer attire, though. My preference for maxi dresses as summer casual wear has already been well-documented, and a few cute little summer dresses have also made their way into my wardrobe, but they've yet to be photographed. (Laziness.) Ironically, this outfit would be on the casual side during the regular season. Such is the way of summer in the performing arts world...

Top - Dorothy Perkins / Denim pencil skirt - Dorothy Perkins / Sandals - Bandolino

I've had the top for a while, photographed ever-so-fleetingly a la Instagram quite some time ago. (Think I wore it with skinnies at the time.) Pastel birds make for a rather tricky print to wear without being too kitchy, though. Or elderly. Thank goodness for accessories and a denim pencil skirt. And purple. Of course, I love all the colors in the top - I'm pretty sure I have a pencil skirt in every single one, but lest I look like an Easter egg, I must choose carefully. Purple and maybe coral will be my first two once the season begins...

Clutch - eloquii / Necklace - The Limited / Earrings - The Limited / Ring - Ruche / Belt - The Limited

"Once the season begins." I find myself saying that a lot with potential outfits lately. This is rather revelatory in how I view my style during the course of the year: totally dispensable in the summer; center stage (no pun intended) during fall/winter/spring. During the summer, I see no one except a few office mates, and I rarely work an evening event. The idea of going to work on a muggy 97° day in a lined pencil skirt and killer heels, laden with accessories, makes me sweat just thinking about it. (Even though a pencil skirt is clearly my strike zone when trying to dress my body well.)  But it's summer. I'm, like, off-duty. Where the blog is concerned, this means far fewer posts, even though I have much more leisure time to write them. During the season, I have far less time to post, but I have far more to show and tell.  I'm constantly "on" - always dressing to be seen by a lobby full of patrons, bosses and even the occasional artist.  Working harder to look better pays off more. And there it is.

I'm clearly self-conscious about this, though, aren't I? Maybe I should just let it be how it is. At least for as long as I have this particular job, anyway...

Mileage

I hope you don't mind that I took a few days off there. Commencement weekend left me exhausted in mind, body and soul. I've taken off a few days from work too, so being unplugged from the world for a few days has been a nice reprieve.

But believe it or not, I managed to take pictures of two of my outfits from the weekend! Friday night was easy since I had the afternoon to do so; Saturday - out of the house by 6:15am and not back until 11pm - was impossible (I just re-wore this comfortably cute outfit anyway); and Sunday will be shared tomorrow!

Ponte dress - Dorothy Perkins / Instant Sleeves - LucieLu
Sandals - Nine West (via Endless) 

The outfits I wore needed to be comfortable, breathable, beltable (so I had something to clip my radio onto), and something I could just feel good in, ya know? I thought this ponte dress was a good candidate for all of that. I tried a few different accessories from the first wearing of the dress, and I added my LucieLu Instant Sleeves in Mocha to add a second color and a little more arm coverage.

Handbag - Banana Republic / Belt - Lane Bryant

I'm doing a lot with brown and greens, though, aren't I? And, like, all different tones of them. I think it mostly works, but I confess all I really care about is that I got to wear this necklace again. And the shoes... Yes, believe it or not, I really was able to run around for about 4 hours in the them! How's that for shoe mileage?

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

Think Pink

I can't decide if this pencil skirt is too big or if it's just right. When I had the size smaller, I felt it fit too closely 'round my (round) belly, but it seemed to sit nicely on my waist and hips. This one, a size up, lays nicely over the belly (even if it wrikles constantly), but it sits a littler lower on waist than I would like. (Oh, what's that? Get it tailored? Oh sure, I'll get right on it...) I have to say, though, that it feels pretty great when I wear it, so that might answer my question.

Boatneck top - Gap / Pencil skirt - Macy's / Belt - Dorothy Perkins

The color palette for this outfit was reworked from this one. I simply love this boat neck top - so soft, comfy and feminine...a pretty pink I want to wear all the time. Since I wear pencil skirts all the time, I thought this outfit was a good solution.

The blue belt replaced the blue of the denim; the light tan skirt replaced the jacket; the pink top, of course, got to stay and even gets to show off a little more. My delightfully green alligator-print handbag brought a bit more color to the mix. I love this bag.

Handbag - Banana Republic / Peep-toes - Banana Republic

Alright, dears. I now sign off for my weekend of graduation frenzy. See you on the other side!

Ring - Ruche / Necklace - LOFT / Earrings - The Limited

Hearts on My Sleeve

I thought it time to wear this cute little heart-print top again, even though one of my employees commented that I looked Valentines-y (but she liked it). I hadn't really considered that pink hearts would have such a singular message; I'm not sure if that's stupidity or rebelliousness on my part... Maybe neither. I just wanted to wear it again, gosh darnit!

Heart-print top - Dorothy Perkins / Pencil skirt - Lane Bryant

There aren't too many ways for me to wear it that will work for me, however - pencil skirts seem the best way to go. And I say that not as a pencil-skirt-aholic (thank you, Curvy Everyday), but as someone who works hard for good proportions. And who doesn't like pants... (Ahem.) Since I wanted to be a bit more dressy, I went with something other than denim this time. A steely, slightly heathered grey seemed like a good choice to me.

I should have tried for another color somewhere, though. This is all very one-note, even considering what a cheery shade of pink the top is. Oddly enough, I had originally planned to wear my turquoise strappy wedges with the top's second wearing, but for some reason I had decided against it. Some bright blues would have definitely been a nice contrast.

Handbag - DKNY (via TJMaxx) / Sandals - Bandolino (via Endless)

So, next time. I promise.

Ring - Ruche / Earrings - Banana Republic / Necklace - Local boutique