Birthday Boy

That's one handsome man. How could I resist starting off this (little later than usual) post by featuring the birthday boy himself? Especially when he's wearing the crap out this blue Ted Baker suit, a crisp white shirt, and BR pocket square (that he picked out for one of his birthday gifts). My outfit pales in comparison after that anyway. =)

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

At least, I feel much less dressed up than I would have liked to have been. Quite disappointingly, the dress I was planning to wear didn't fit, so I had to scramble to put something else together that I could feel comfortable and confident in and wasn't too much fuss. This was Bobby's day, after all, and I wasn't going to let my frustrations damper the cheer of the day. I immediately thought of this great Kiyonna top that flatters all my assets and camouflages everything else, paired with, of course, a pencil skirt.

The real stars of the outfit were my accessories, however. I'd been plotting to debut some fabulous new shoes and my Trina Turk for Banana Republic pieces on this occasion, so it was imperative that whatever I wore would let them shine anyway. I do suppose it's hard to let a little box clutch and fabulous cocktail ring take center stage just by virtue of scale, but I sure as hell had to try.

Box clutch and Ring - Trina Turk for Banana Republic / Necklace - Anthropologie /
Earrings - Banana Republic (eBayed) / Sandals - SM Evan's Pump via DSW

Meh, the birthday boy still wins. =)

As has become customary, we dined at our favorite restaurant in town for the birthday meal itself, having course after course of delectable bites and a helluva bottle of wine to celebrate. Good people watching, excellent service, and just a relaxing evening spent together.

An upside down wine label has to mean good luck, right?

Today? A day off, a firmer footing on Weight Watchers (with a hope to fit into that dress eventually) and being ever so thankful that I get to celebrate birthdays and all manner of life's milestones with such a wonderful guy.

Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Bob's birthday last Friday! Per his request, we went to our favorite restaurant in town (the same place we went for my birthday) and had a truly mind-blowing meal. We also had more than our share of wine (note the empty bottles and glasses in the last picture), making us grateful for a Saturday of nothing that allowed us to recuperate. (And boy, did we need it.)

Dress - Anthropologie / Shrug - LOFT / Nude patent pumps - Guess (via Piperlime) /
Purple patent clutch - MAXX New York (gifted)

For the event, I wore this Anthropologie sale score (it has pockets!!) that I had intended to wear for Valentine's Day, but since we didn't go anywhere, it continued to languish in my closet. I must admit that it doesn't fit as well as it could in my bust/back area (gimme a few more weeks on Weight Watchers, though...) but fortunately its full a-line skirt is very forgiving. (And thank goodness for shrugs and Spanx.) Besides, Bob insisted that I wear it because he simply loved me in it, so the decision was made for me. =)

Necklace - LOFT / Earrings - LOFT

The print is pretty spectacular - blue and purple and orange and lime green brush strokes - which makes accessorizing fun, and I sure took advantage of it! I even got a manicure in a bright violet shade just for the occasion.

Bob's Outfit: Faux-linen blazer - Lauren Ralph Lauren (Kohl's) / Shirt - Robert Graham / Pocket Square - Banana Republic / Jeans - Polo Ralph Lauren / Shoes - Donald Pliner 

The man of the night was looking mighty fine himself, I might add. But he always does.... =)

And the food!! The food!! Here's just a "taste" of some of the amazing dishes we enjoyed.

Fried sweetbreads with black summer truffles and garlic scapes; Copper River Sockeye Salmon with smoked fingerling potatoes, greens and a mustard sauce

Happy Birthday, my dear Bobby!

What about Bob?

It's a snow day here in my neck of the woods, which means I'm not getting out of my lounge wear for anything. So I thought it would be a good day to share this post from my wonderful and equally fashionable boyfriend, Bob. Enjoy!

***

I’d first like to thank Jessica for letting me guest blog for her awesome website! To me, life is all about experiences. I look at everything in my life through the prism of the experiential. I view clothes the same way.

Every article of clothing tells me a story. The Nautica brown herringbone blazer I'm wearing was a Christmas present from Jessica a few years ago. She saw me admiring it once at a Macy’s, but I never had the intention of getting it so it was a complete surprise when I opened the box. [Jessica here. (I'll make interjections in this format throughout.) It's been a oft-worn article of clothing, too - one of those investment pieces no man should pass up.] Underneath the blazer is a navy blue wool ½ zip-up sweater from Ralph Lauren. It’s one of the few nicer pieces of clothing that survived an apartment fire from six years ago. I’m glad it did because Jessica loves seeing me in ½ zips.  [That's the truth. He actually has a small collection of them...] Underneath that is a pink and grey striped button down shirt from Banana Republic that Jessica got for me during the few months she worked there. [When I wasn't spying things I wanted for myself, I was constantly putting together outfits for Bob. He got tired of it after awhile.]

 Dubious Denim

Believe it or not, I grew up hating wearing jeans. I think I stopped wearing them through most of my teen years. When I did finally get a pair again, I shocked a lot of my classmates. I finally conceded that they were just too versatile not to have in the wardrobe of a poor student. I would only own one pair at at time and only buy another when my current pair would threaten indecent exposure from all the holes. But it also bugs me that, due to the sheer popularity of jeans, they are frequent victims to the whims of fashion fads, of which I am not a fan. Jessica and I struggled in finding what exactly I like and should stick with. After a few months of bickering about it, we finally found the right formula: straight leg, not too long, and a dark wash with as little fading and whiskering as possible. Basically, no bells and whistles at all. [But they have to make his butt look good. =)] It actually took us over a year to find the pair I'm now wearing - a straight leg, vintage wash jean from Polo Ralph Lauren (Outlet), which is in all ways perfect. Unlike the past, too, I now have a rotation of jeans. This pair is one that I save for dressing up, but in all other instances, I wear one of my faded older pairs. Hopefully, this will keep me from buying another pair for a long time.

The Boots

After six winters in Illinois, I finally decided to get winter boots. I threw away my last pair after the fire and didn’t feel that I needed to replace them. These past couple winters have been especially snowy so I finally decided to get a pair. I took one look on Zappos and I was overwhelmed by all the choices available. Serendipitously, the very next day after deciding to look for a pair, Esquire magazine (a subscription I've had for years) ran a feature on the LL Bean boot. That made my decision much easier. I managed to get them just before the snowiest winter we’ve had during my entire time here. Best purchase I’ve made in quite a while. [And worn pretty darn stylishly here if you ask me!]

The Occasion

As for the entire outfit, I wore it to an event called Porkapalooza - a foodie celebration of all things pork with a loud polka/punk band in the background. A trendy downtown Champaign bar, Boltini, has hosted this event for the past two years. I had to go by myself because Jessica had to work that evening. [And because such an event is not really Weight Watchers friendly, now, is it??]

I have gotten quite used to letting Jessica pick out my outfits for going out. At the very least, she has veto power over any choices I do make within this realm. [Damn straight! Haha.] On the rare occasion that I have to dress up for an outing that doesn’t involve her, I feel somewhat apprehensive picking something out. In the end, I was happy with what I had picked out and Jessica loved it. [Bob isn't giving himself enough credit. He knows what he's doing and he always looks good. He's been a good student. =) ] I jokingly asked her if this outfit could be my maiden entry [bachelor entry?] into Surely Sonsy and, well, you can figure out the rest!

A Night to Remember

Thank you SO much for all your kind birthday wishes and compliments! This post is a little later than I had intended, but that's me - always late to the party. =7 I had a wonderful time with wonderful friends, and I am happy to share a few moments (and outfits) with you here! (In other words, this post is photo heavy!)

First, the obligatory full-body outfit pose from home, with fresh make-up, hair and sassiness:

Dress - Connected Apparel (I cannot remember where I got it, though) /
Navy faux suede pumps - Payless / Necklace - Urban Outfitters

Let me say a few words about this dress. It's been in my closet for a few years now. I first wore it for my sister's bachelorette party back in 2007 (I think). I was heavier then, so it was considerably tighter on me, but after I'd lost a bunch of weight, I still came back to this dress often - especially when I had gained a few pounds but needed a dead-sexy dress to still make me feel good. Unfortunately, I've gained back more than a share of those pounds, so I was so happy to be able to rely on this number for my birthday. It's a dress that really celebrates my curves, you know? And what better dress than that to wear for a birthday - one that celebrates YOU?? =)

The dress is just perfect for a winter night's event (long-sleeves, thick cotton material), with totally figure-flattering details. Its double-banded waistband perfectly defines and accentuates my waist, with a roomy but shapely bottom to conceal all manner of sins below. The deep v-neck showcases my buxom girls and narrows my broad shoulders. (A good bra - thank you Lane Bryant plunge - is imperative with that much cleavage, though!) The length is also perfect for my tastes - I love a retro length that hits below the knee (as you see for my love of pencil skirts), showing off just a bit of my calves and ankles (which I generally love), but not too much to make me feel uncomfortable - or cold!

I toyed with various pops of color in my accessories for a long time, vacillating between blues and pinks in shoes, jewelry, and handbag. This necklace filled the space of my décolletage the best, however, even though it was still a neutral color. So, I relied on the color of my fabulous fuchsia Gustto, and finished off with these rich (though not bright) navy pumps. I thought it was a good balance of colors, but I clearly think that my shape is the star in this outfit, rather than color. =)

Handbag - Gustto (via BBOS)

You saw a few preliminary pictures with this same backdrop at the restaurant. I just love the burgundy walls (especially with my dress) and I couldn't resist having a little fun with a "prop." As we were pretty much the only party in the entire restaurant at this point (we had an early reservation) I figured I could act like I owned the joint for a bit.

And now, meet my boyfriend of nearly 6 years, Bob. He's cute. =) He also knows how to rock an outfit like the best of them.

Bob's Outfit: Navy blue blazer, redone with mother of pearl buttons (his idea!) - Polo Ralph Lauren / White button-down with blue diagonal stripes - Banana Republic / Light blue tie with pink stripes - Haines & Bonner (via TJ Maxx) / Pink pocket square - Polo Ralph Lauren / Brown heathered pants - Jos. A. Bank / Brown cap-toe oxfords - Johnston & Murphy / Glasses - Ted Baker

I love the backdrop here - rows and rows of wine bottles in lounge room of the restaurant (located on the other side of the room from my picture above). I did actually try to take the outfit picture in front of it, but it sadly did not turn out well. (Stupid camera. I have a new one on my wish list, though! We'll see if Santa pulls through.)

Aw, the loving (read: schmoopy) gaze...

I'm clearly all smiles with this boy at my side. =)

Friends! Look at them rockin' that photo op pose...

Group shots!

This girl here, a (former fellow) grad student finishing up her dissertation, has always rocked an outfit, especially a jacket. She has her own style that I've always admired and has even inspired me on many occasion. I tried to talk her into starting her own blog, but she wasn't having it. Maybe I'll have her guest post from time to time. =) In the meantime, check back for an update of her outfit deets. (I have to get them first!)

I didn't take pictures of the food, which, as the (sometimes obnoxious) foodies that we are, we often do, but after a few glasses of wine, great conversation and laughter with friends, and extraordinary food, I didn't even think of taking food pictures. Oh, and this isn't a food blog. And I was hungry! Seeing as how we've been to this restaurant for all of our birthday celebrations, we can confidently say it was heart-stoppingly tasty. Thanks to the phenomenal staff at Bacaro for a memorable evening!

A Christmas tree made of wine corks - Awesome!