Pinned Down

I don't know what prompted me to paint my nails at half past midnight, but now that I have, I probably should wait at least an hour for them to dry. So I figured I might as well blog! I must be truly insane. (And it's no wonder I'm no morning person.) Plus I started looking through old blog posts for favorite outfits to recycle over the next few busy days (so useful!) and I started reminiscing a bit. The holiday season is quickly approaching, and with it all manner of cozy memories and activities. You know what? Blogging definitely seems to be one of them. That's a nice little incentive to get back in the habit of blogging nightly, isn't it?

I love a little pattern mixing. Nothing too crazy for this sartorially tame heart of mine - a pinstripe here, a polka dot there. It's all about contrasting scale and texture as much as complementary color palettes. And I definitely favor some kind of mix, however subtle, to help give an otherwise standard print-and-solid combo a little more visual interest.

Ring - gifted  / Necklace - The Limited / Earrings -  LOFT / Pumps - Nine West (via 6pm.com)

Peri Print Top - c/o Kiyonna / Pencil skirt - Simply Be / Handbag - Furla (via TJ Maxx)

This top from Kiyonna, the Peri Print Top, is a lovely little print. Vibrant colors and painterly floral shapes (the color is called "Floral Painting" ...) meet yet another crazily flattering silhouette of theirs. I think in warmer months I may gravitate toward equally colorful bottoms (coral! teal!), but since fall has most definitely arrived in these parts, I figured I'd pair it with a darker navy to start. And pinstripes. =)

I even managed to get a little oxblood in this outfit thanks to my new ring! (Thanks, Vanessa!) Hmm, now to get a pencil skirt in that color....

Cotton Candy

Once again, the power of pretty flexes its muscles. (Bats its eyelashes?) This time, it's a sweet coral cardigan over one of my favorite (striped!) maxi dresses (previously worn here and here), turning a relatively simple dress into a feminine delight. I felt so good in this outfit!

Often, I'm not sure how to style a maxi dress beyond the ol' denim jacket. The longer line of the maxi creates tons of proportion issues for this curvy girl, and no matter how high or low I search for great maxis, this continues to be the main reason I don't always love them on me. Maxi dresses are typically sleeveless, strappy or even completely strapless, and this really is the best way to balance out all the material at the bottom half of the body - have less material at the top. But if you're at all like me, baring all that flesh at my top half is not something I'm quick to do. Again, the denim jacket is certainly the easiest remedy, especially if you wear a shrunken or cropped style that doesn't completely cut your body in half. But what if you want to be a little more creative or feminine? Or what if, heaven help us, it's just too hot out to warrant that thick material?? Cue a thin, summer-weight cardigan.

Cardigan - LOFT / Striped maxi dress - Maurirces / Belt - The Limited /
Sandals - Bandolino (via Endless) / Handbag - Furla (via Filene's Basement)

And then it becomes a pretty familiar silhouette for me. Belted cardigan over a skirt? Well-worn territory. I considered wearing the sweater unbuttoned and unbelted, but I wanted to (re)define my waist in order to defy those maxi dress proportions. And of course, not any belt would do - how 'bout a subtle animal print to create a little pattern mixing with the stripes? Just a smidgen of pattern mixing - my favorite kind. What's great about this particular dress, too, is the embellishment at the neckline. So when worn this way, it becomes a great focal point for the outfit in itself.

All this is to say is that I felt like I hit out of the park with this look - styling a maxi in a way that didn't use a jacket as my usual crutch. I felt super feminine, comfortable and even a little chic. Good job, pink.

Ring - The Limited / Earrings - Lane Bryant

Find out if you're the winner of the $50 Kiyonna gift card! The winner has until 10am CST Saturday to claim their prize. Otherwise, I'll be choosing a new winner!

Mixed Company

Remember that thing I said yesterday about my obsession with coral? It continues...

Zebra print top - Dorothy Perkins / White tank - Anthropologie / Striped pencil skirt - Dorothy Perkins
Belt - Talbots / Handbag - DKNY (via TJMaxx) / Sandals - Nine West (via Endless.com)

I was thumbing through my closet the other day, trying to put together outfits for the week, when I realized that my zebra print top would be a perfect candidate for a little mixed print action with my striped pencil skirt. The shared colors of black and white struck a great balance. The proportions of the prints - medium sized zebras (if that's not a funny sight...) versus thin stripes - were close to ideal. This was happening. Besides, I wanted to wear this skirt again anyway. And coral, duh.

Would I wear the blousy top tucked or untucked, though? When tucked, I liked the waistline the outfit gave me, but, alas, the legend of horizontal stripes worked against me at my hips. I truly did need something to break those lines up. I thought I'd hate the top untucked (and belted, of course), but it really came together better than I imagined - even if I did solicit a sideways glance of Midwestern sartorial alarm or two. Or maybe cuz they thought my zebras were adorable?

Ring - The Limited / Earrings - The Limited

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.

Tropical Dreams

This outfit is one I've actually been plotting for a while, but other recent favorites took precedence even when I did have the opportunity to dress up a bit. Goodness, it feels so good to break out the pencil skirts, though!

Happy tropical print (my second serendipitous H&M find, incidentally) with even happier blue pinstripe pencil skirt makes for some delightfully easy pattern mixing. It turned out to be a great color palette for winter, too, while hinting at warmer days - which might be tomorrow, for all I know. Snow (finally) one day, thunderstorms the next...this "winter" is weird...

Top - H&M / Blue pinstripe pencil skirt - Simply Be / Nude pumps - Nine West / Clutch - ASOS (gifted)

Necklace - LOFT / Earrings - Ruche / Ring - Ruche

A Perfect Mix

I've been plotting this outfit for a while now. I've had the skirt since the fall and the wrap sweater since last winter, and the minute I saw them together I was struck by how complementary they were. If the first rule of pattern mixing is to make sure prints are in the same color palette, these two pieces - with their shared oranges, golds, greys and blues - perfectly comply.

Piece-A-Plenty cardigan - Anthropologie / Plaid pencil skirt - Lane Bryant / Cream cami - Anthropologie /
Handbag - Tano / Blue faux-suede heels - Payless / Necklace & Earrings - LOFT / Ring - Banana Republic

It was just a matter of throwing on a camisole and wearing accessories that got out of the way (blues were my preference) and I had an outfit. I feel very (and unintentionally) pro-Illini, too.

Dot Dot Dot

I know, I know... I've been MIA again. I'll spare you the usual sob story and simply state that I've been having a hard time juggling work and play lately. I've even been pretty silent on Facebook and Twitter, too - not to mention everyone else's blogs - so Jessica Unplugged has been generally all encompassing. I will admit that I've enjoyed a little respite from daily photographs and posting, however, even though I've missed the daily interaction with all of you lovely readers! (Boy oh boy I have some catching up to do!)

But, I did get dressed and took pictures and posted today! Yes, I'll have that cookie now...

Top - The Limited / Pinstripe pencil skirt - Lane Bryant / Skinny belt - The Limited

And just in time before the 15 minutes of the first tornado warning of the season forced us into our innermost, windowless room in our second floor apartment tonight. I hate tornadoes...

Heels - Nine West / Handbag - Gustto

But on the bright side, I do like this outfit - colorful dots (and accessories), pinstripe pencil skirt and super pointy heels can make all things better.

Ring - The Limited / Earrings - LOFT

But seriously, where's my cookie?

Flower Power

Just a couple more long days and late nights of performances before spring break! I don't automatically have vacation time like the student population, but it is certainly going to be much quieter, and I'll have lots of opportunities to relax as a result. It's comforting that the days of my evening work attire - and the pressure to impress - are numbered! Even if temporarily...

Peach cardigan - The Limited / Printed top - The Limited / Tweed pencil skirt - Lane Bryant / Handbag - Tano "Minilisa" in Blue Marine / Grey faux-suede pumps - Apt. 9 (Kohl's)

I kept coming back to the idea of pattern mixing with this tweed pencil skirt, which I did so delightfully in this outfit. (Seriously, so much of me just has wanted to re-wear that outfit in its entirety!) Instead, I chose a similarly colored patterned top and an equally vibrant cardigan to get the same silhouette and overall feel. And given that spring isn't quite yet here (almost! almost!), the wintry tweed balances out the springy (even summery) peach cardigan in the same way it did the bright teal one in the original.

With all the peachy tones, including my somewhat bulky bib necklace (a really tricky piece to wear), I added some pops of contrasting color with my turquoise ring and my blue Tano.

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

Bottom line? I'm all too antsy to break out my spring attire!

Variations on a Theme

This outfit is not at all what I had first planned on wearing tonight, but I'm pretty thrilled with it!

Cardigan - LOFT / Spotted ruffle tiered shell - LOFT / Tweed pencil skirt - Lane Bryant /
Nude heels - Nine West (via Endless.com)

When I was picking out my work-wear for the evening, I initially wanted to keep it low-key and easy with a pants-jacket-embellished top ensemble. It was relatively boring, sure, but - thanks to cleaning all afternoon (and the effects of PMS) - I didn't have much energy or desire to put something else together. Once I had it on, though, I knew I could do better - perhaps a variation of my colorful cardigan-pencil ensem! So I thumbed through my (many) cardigans, and I pulled out this bright teal one to get me started.

I liked the idea of pairing this otherwise colorful cardi (heralding spring?) with this dark tweed skirt (last seen here) to give a more wintry, but still cheerful, feel. Where the top was concerned, I didn't want to wear just a simple camisole, so I dug around my closet for an embellished or even printed top to try a little pattern mixing again. My initial preference was stripes, but then I spied this dot-print shell, last seen here. I hesitated at first, thinking it was too much of a pattern mix considering how large the dots were. I scoured my belt collection to find one in grey or cream to help break up the two prints a bit more, but I just didn't have one that could sit at my hips. So, I convinced myself to just run with it. I mean, it's better than whatever else I was going to wear! (Which might be tomorrow's outfit, FYI...)

When Bob saw me, he ooohed a bit, commenting how "Mad-Menny" it made me look. (This is a good thing, of course.) He even approved of the pattern mixing! NOW I was sold. =)

The shoes had a moment of indecision. I went back and forth between these on-trend nude heels and a pair of grey faux-suede pumps. Bob voted for the grey pumps for obvious reasons, but I liked the look of the nude heels, pulling out the cream tones in the top, and really extending the line of my leg (as all nude heels so fabulously do). They're not great for being on my feet all night, but beauty is pain, people!

Handbag - Tano "Twiggy"

In the end, I adore the color palette, and I especially like the visual interest of the tiered ruffles. I might still try to find a belt for future (springtime?) wearings, but this particular pattern mixture is really growing on me!

Earrings - LOFT / Necklace - LOFT - Multi-colored stone ring - Banana  Republic

I leave you with this: When I arrived at work, my house managers were pretty excited that I was wearing ruffles. (My house managers are currently all fashion-conscious women.) Apparently we all were! This outfit was fated...

Face Time

I can't remember the last time I didn't have to work an event on Friday night. (Mind you, I'll be working both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon...) So I took advantage of a truly casual Friday, and I had a little fun with it!

Black jacket - Maurices / face graphic tee - LOFT / Leopard print ponte knit skirt - Lane Bryant /
Pink tights - Lane Bryant / Black boots  - Nine West "Onthemoon" (via Endless.com)

I just love a graphic tee, don't you? They can do such unique things for outfits.

I wanted to try styling up my new black boots again, and though I stayed with a mainly black color palate, I dressed it up with a printed pencil skirt (tweed and pinstriped were also early options), this cute graphic tee, and - oh yeah - bright pink tights! I've actually done a graphic tee with this pencil skirt before (another face tee, too!), but not like this! When I remembered that I had these super colorful tights that I hadn't yet worn, and that they matched the pink lips in the tee so perfectly, I knew I scored! 

I initially thought I'd rock my fuchsia Gustto with this outfit, but it was totally a pink overkill at that point. Instead, I pulled out this two-toned metallic Tano I had (and sadly rarely wear) to have at least one neutral accessory,  which even pulls out some of the grey tones in the tee. Can you believe I hesitated at first because I thought it was too small? Sure you can... =D

Handbag - Tano "Twiggy"

But I did add just one more pink accent with these pink stone earrings!

Hammered metal disc ring - The Limited / Pink stone earrings - New York & Co.

Inertia

You know those days when you don't realize how exhausted you are until you stop moving? Yeah, that was today. I gotta say, though, I like a day where 9 hours go by in a blink of a eye, even if I spent most of it running around. I got my work-out today, that's for sure! (Er, something I definitely need more of...)

Black and white checkered jacket - The Limited / Floral cardigan - LOFT /
Ivory camisole - LOFT / Turquoise skinny belt - The Limited / Black wide-leg pants - NY&Co. /  Black ankle length boots - Laundry by Chinese Laundry

As today was a super early morning for me (I rarely see this side of 7am for anything), I knew 1) my hair was going to go up, 2) I was going to need a latte (after I picked up bagels for my staff) and 3) I needed to find an (good) outfit the night before. And this was it! I'm really pleased with this remix of mine. What I like most about it is the pattern mixing/layering of the jacket and the cardigan, both of which, when worn separately, have significantly less pizazz. The pairing just adds so much more texture and depth to a potentially boring black pants ensemble. I added the belt for just a little more color to tie it all together (literally and figuratively, really).

My only regret - my shoe choice. Nine hours of running around calls for a much more comfortable pair of shoes, or at least a pair with Footpetals inserts. These boots were a failure on both counts, even though they were the right height and silhouette for the paints. Gotta pick your battles, eh?

Outtake! I should do more of these. Shoot, it's new pose, for cryin' out loud...

Re: the latte - I got it for free! The Starbucks barista (manager, actually), with whom I used to work at Banana Republic back in the day, not only recognized my voice through the drive-thru speaker, but told me the latte was on him today. You rock, Jason! Totally made my day. That, and my fabulous, fantastic, funny and hard-working staff that helped make an otherwise hard day of work relatively easy. Garsh, I'm all warm and fuzzy inside now.

I also just watched WALL-E so that might have had something to do with it, too. =)

Necklace and Earrings - LOFT

It's barely started to sink in that I have two weeks of holiday vacation bliss now ahead of me. What to do with myself? I think I'll wrap presents...

It Only Gets Better

I'm feeling so much better today, everyone! Thanks for all your well-wishes, too! It was wonderful to rejoin the human race and to actually get things accomplished today. Primarily, that meant heading to Target to restock the Kleenex supply! And oh, man, I can't wait to start drinking lattes again...

Green cropped military jacket - Maurices / Striped tee - LOFT / Dark skinnies - Gap / Reversible loop scarf - affordablescarves.com

Today's outfit is remix of a few things you've already seen before - kind of a conglomeration of this outfit and this outfit. Definitely a favorite silhouette of mine, especially if it means I can wear these boots! And getting back into the swing of things calls for an easy and comfortable number.

Handbag - Tano "Minilisa" in Blue Marine

I will admit, though, that I wore my snow boots all day, since I forgot my regular boots. I really need to waterproof them, too, since I'm really afraid what all this snow and slush will do to them otherwise!

I love this scarf. Yes, yes, I'm a broken record there.... I love that it's two scarves in one since it's reversible - you can wear it so many ways just by deciding how much of each print you want to stick out. I feel like I have a complete set now that I have it in yellow and grey!  Bonus: Hilary of byhilary just picked up this scarf, too. Now, as she put it, we're twinkies! Great minds think alike...

Featherweight

Shocking - I'm behind again! Tis the season, right? (I hope?) As always, I'll blame work - though, ironically work is the reason I dress half as well as I do. I'm not behind on pictures, though! Boyfriend has been working with me to diligently take pictures every day, which means I do have lots to blog about. So, I thought I'd post this real-time entry tonight, then tomorrow - since I'm off (and after working all weekend you better believe I'm taking off), I plan to play some bloggerific catch-up.

I love this outfit. I love how I feel in it. If you've been following this outfit diary of mine at all, you know my penchant for pencil skirts. I'll take any opportunity I can get to turn myself into a 40s bombshell. =) 

Top - Anthropologie / Blue pinstripe pencil skirt - Simply Be / Faux suede pumps - Payless

The top is actually the first item I've ever purchased from Anthropologie. A sale item, I found it in a size too small, but it was insta-clothing-love. This top has everything I look for in an article of clothing (hm, have I said that before?) - architectural but feminine detail, good color palette, interesting but simple print. Special. As my first Anthropologie purchase, too, it made me fall deeply in love with the store, and I've been mildly obsessed ever since.

This was in March, by the way - and today was actually my first wearing of the top. Why wait so long for its debut, you ask? Well, I really wanted to wear it with a pinstripe blue pencil skirt - and they are actually pretty hard to find! Thank you, Simply Be, for having one not only in my size and desired color, but having one that hits below my knees! Seriously, why is a pencil skirt of that length so hard to find!?!?  I honestly believe it's not only the most flattering length for my body, but that it tends to look fabulous on most women. When properly fitted, there's just something about the silhouette that highlights every inch of a woman's curves in the most wonderful way.

The occasion? A HUGE day of nonstop holiday festivities at work. Indeed, I'd been dying for the right time to debut this outfit, and I felt this was, but now that I have (and that I'm rockin' it so), I feel badly that I didn't wait to debut it for New Years. New Years also also happens to be our anniversary... Who knows, I may still wear it then, but the blog might not get to take part in the festivities. =) And, of course, the thrill of getting to wear it for the first time will have also worn off. (Er, hence my clothing addiction, eh...?)

Handbag - Tano "Minilisa" in Blue Marine

But, oh, this outfit also marks the homestretch for the holiday season in the performing arts. What a busy, busy weekend, but it was festive and exciting and joyful, and it's only downhill (on a sled) from here.