Back Splash

The great jewelry re-organization has begun! The mess that has been my dresser for, oh months, is slowly disappearing. I thought it best to break the task up into parts, and so far that has proven much more manageable. Tomorrow: rehang my cork boards (where I hang my long necklaces) and pair up earrings. I may well have this complete before we head to WI! Of course, other things on my list still need attention: wrap windows, hang lights, start regular gym trips (just joined a new one tonight!), and clean! Good thing a ladies' night at the new tequila bar in town is happening tomorrow too.

Wrap dress - Simple Be / Half-cami - Coobie (via Her Room) / Shoes - SM (via DSW)

This wrap dress is the one I debated wearing for my guest lecturer stint. Even now I'm glad I didn't go with it, as fabulous as a wrap dress can be. Just too much for a first impression. The day I did wear it (only a few days later, as it was), I got oodles of compliments from folks who aren't known for compliments, so that's saying something! A notice-me print, to be sure.

The shoes were a tricky part of the outfit, though. These recently acquired burgundy suede beauties are KILLER. Literally. They are poorly balanced, or something, because I couldn't spend more than 15 minutes on my feet in them. Not good in my line of work. I so loved the depth of color they offered the outfit, but I just didn't have anything as special to switch them with. A black platform was all I had - serviceable (in both form and function), but definitely less interesting. Ya'll have any recommendations for the next wearing?

Handbag - DKNY (via TJ Maxx)

I will take a moment to sing the praised of these half camisoles I found. I've long lamented the bunching that regular camisoles create under perfectly nice wrap dresses, ruining the shape and effect. A commenter recommended I try out those cami secret "as seen on TV" things, but I didn't care for the limited color options, the straight neckline or the lace trim. There's a time and place for a lace camisole, but it shouldn't be the only option. After much online searching, I came across this half camisole from Coobie. You can get them at probably many intimate apparel shops, but I found these at Her Room. I ended up ordering one in every color! Unfortunately, their "one size" doesn't seem to go much larger than a large, and even with a good amount of stretch, these are at their limits covering my DD bust. But they get the job done, and I definitely appreciated the color options and the scoop neckline, so I'd say that's a win! Give 'em a try, and share other options you've found in the comments!

Ring - gifted / Necklace - Lane Bryant / Earrings - Ruche

P.S. Essie's Head Mistress over Essie's Recessionista makes the perfect oxblood nail color!

True Blue

Holy crap! It's November!!

You guys... I'm giving my first lecture in three years tomorrow (or today, depending on when you're reading this). I've been asked to give a guest lecture for an intro course for music majors while pretty much the entire department is at a conference, and I agreed - mostly to challenge myself. I've been out of the whole academic circle (I've been a Ph.D. candidate in Musicology since 2009...) while working in my current position, necessitated of course by the job's hours, stress level, duties... I confess I've felt uber rusty with both the teaching material and the act of teaching itself, but after a few days review and preparation, I think I'm ready to go - I know I can do this just as well as I used to! Oh I'm still terrified, but it's also a wonderfully rejuvenating feeling to get back in the saddle again.

Wrap dress - Gap / Half-camisole - Coobie (via Her Room) /
Handbag - Banana Republic / Shoes - RSVP (via Zappos)

This makes me wonder...if I ever get back into academia, how would my sartorial choices change? Even as I put together my "teaching" outfit tonight, which incidentally also has to be an evening "boss lady" outfit (I get to wear both hats all in one day), I became painfully aware how they're not the same thing, that they don't really serve the same function. I think they could, but the line just becomes a little finer between them.

Case in point: I contemplated wearing a notice-me printed wrap dress in splashes of pinks for my lecture, but I convinced myself that it was a bit much to be in front of a classroom, at least this time around. I think that was more about the print (neither seasonal nor subtle) than the silhouette, however, because I generally think a wrap dress can do no wrong. This dress? I love it so much that I have it in a dark pink and a blue-green dot pattern as well. And I think I'd wear any of them in a (college) classroom.

How 'bout you guys? Do think it's necessary to keep a role (perceived or real) in mind when dressing ourselves? If so, how do you go about it? If not, what guides you instead?

Summer's Bloom

I've decided that wearing pink makes me happy. My mood and self-esteem is significantly higher when I'm wearing it - the glow on my face in these (and other) outfit pictures attests to this. Oddly enough, I've never really been drawn to pink before. Conclusion? Wear more pink. Buy more pink.

Wrap dress - Gap / Camisole - Anthropologie / Shoes - Nine West

This wrap dress is the same style as the dotted one I wore a few weeks ago. I was so happy with the fit that I was thrilled to find they made the dress is this infectiously cheery pink version as well. "Summer Azalea" is the name of the color - beyond perfect. Even just the sound of the name evokes a state of summery bliss.

Azaleas (image via)

I thought I could wear the dress without a camisole, and for evenings out, I perhaps still could. But for daytime, I totes still need one. (I attempted to go the first half of the day without. Uffda.) This is a bummer since the camisole creates unflattering bunching underneath the otherwise clean lines of the dress. A print might conceal this; a light-colored solid cannot. I keep hearing ladies tell me about those mock camisoles (aka "cami secret" or winkee) that attach to your bra; I might have to break down and try them myself!

In other news, I'm recommitting myself to Weight Watchers. For real, this (umpteenth) time. I've gained a lot of weight this year, and possibly even more the last few weeks. Thanks to thoughtful dressing (which I'd do no matter what my size) and careful posing, perhaps this hasn't always been noticeable in my pictures. But it's gotten to a point that it's become difficult to revel in the kind of silhouettes I so love to wear. The crazy thing is that I've been a WW member this whole time, neither going to meetings nor even really visiting the website, but I haven't brought myself to cancel (again) because I really didn't want to admit defeat - even though I've clearly been defeated. We eat well overall - local, fresh produce and grass-feed meats, and a near avoidance of any processed foods, but we just eat too much. And exercise? Non-existent. However much I want to practice the curvy-girl mantra of embracing the size I am, I can't deny that, especially as I approach my mid-thirties, I know my heath is at risk. I'm simply not as healthy (or happy) as I need to be...

Handbag - Coach (gifted)

So, I'm hoping this public declaration of my intentions (and reasons) will help me forge ahead. I've already tracked both today AND yesterday, and despite the scary total number of points I've accumulated in only two days, I know that I'm regaining control. So here we go!

Ring - Ruche / Necklace - LOFT / Earrings - Ruche

Stay tuned for the winner of the $50 Kiyonna gift card tomorrow!

Spring for Dots

My one non-sale rack find that was still on sale. (What, now?)

I tried to contain myself only to those additional 25% off sale sections during my recent shopping trip to the Gap, especially since I was only supposed to be there to return something. But what should jump out at me but (practically) a flashing sign for 30% off dresses, and even more so, their amazingly vibrant colors and prints for spring and summer. A dotted maxi dress, just like this wrap dress but in burgundy and orange (which doesn't seem to be available online at the moment), was fitting room priority #1. I loved the colors, but the fit was off, and I knew that wearing the right bra would be problematic. Still loving the dots in green and blue (a combination I'm really loving lately), I eagerly tried the wrap. I was floored by this one! I'm always a lover of wrap dresses, and the fact that this one even fit my bust well shocked me - not to mention that it had longer sleeves AND a longer hemline. AT THE GAP. I'll not lie, either, that the fact I could still wear the large made me feel good too.

Dress - Gap / Cami (not that it was really needed) - Anthropologie / Sandals - Payless

Naturally, I thought my coral sandals would be fabulous with these colors (as it did with this outfit), but sadly, the shape of the sandal was not quite right with the dress. So I went with my trusty neutral caged sandals (I call them the "Kendi" since she rocked them practically all last summer) and punched up more color with other accessories and my pedicure. Gotta get those corals in there somewhere...

Handbag - Steve Madden

Also, please note the even awesomer (if I do say so myself) coif today. I'm learning to wield the full power of the round brush, and hot damn! It looks JUST like it does after my hairstylist has had his way with me (er, my hair) in his chair, which I've never been able to replicate at home. A $40 blowout for only $17? Yep, this means I will certainly be wearing my hair down waaaaaay more often.

Ring - Ruche / Necklace - Urban Outfitters / Earrings - Lane Bryant

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?

Easy Breezy

There are few things easier to wear than a printed wrap dress, methinks.

I picked up this LucieLu dress at Boutique Larrieux, a wonderful plus-sized boutique I found - next to an Anthroplogie, of all things - in Milwaukee's Third Ward. I've come to know and love a number of LucieLu pieces already, so I was tickled pink to be able to see and try on - in person, for once - these and many other plus-sized brands I've only been able to peruse online. I was the only person in the shop at the time, so I got all the attention of the eager and helpful sales associate. Though they had lots of holiday attire (noted!), I wasn't in the market, so I focused my attenion on seperates and casual dresses. This dress, the Sativa, fit all those bills so nicely that I happily walked out of the store with it - and at 20% off!

Sativa dress - LucieLu (via Boutique Larrieux) / Brown lace camisole - Banana Republic

As most wrap dresses on me do, this one showed a little too much cleavage, but it was nothing a nice little lace camisole couldn't fix. The SA tipped me off to a strange sizing issue with LucieLu dresses, too. Online the sizes are marked as the usual 1x (14/16), 2x (18/20), and so on, but they apparently fit more like a 12/14, 16/18, etc.. In short, they run SMALL! The shop even marks the dresses with the revised sizes, which I did appreciate. Oh-so-happy to actually be able to try the stuff on, I sized up to the 2x. Case in point of fit being more important that an arbitrary size!

Handbag - Furla (via Filene's Basement)

I also loved the colors of it much more in person than I did when I first saw it online, where the colors look drab and lifeless. In reality the colors are a subdued but pretty combination of browns, tans, and powder blues. (Another win for in-store shopping!) There's a tie-die feel about it, certainly, but it looks more like an abstract print of florals to me. The best part, though - besides the perfect below-the-knee length and elbow sleeves - is that the material is a cozy cotton jersey. It's practically a pajama dress, people!

Necklace & earrings - LOFT / Ring -  Lane Bryant / Shoes - Payless

So comfortable, so easy - and caught in all the right ways by the day's relentless wind. Even if my my hair wasn't...

The Blues

I'm not sure what to write about tonight. It's been one of those days when I have a lot in my head, but nothing seems to want to come out of it, at least coherently. Maybe I'll resort to making lists...

1. My current Pandora station is based on Ray Lamontagne. It's perfect everyday.

Printed silk wrap dress - Banana Republic (via eBay)

2. Is it spring yet?

3. I always forget about my tea while it's seeping. By the time I remember it, I need to reheat it in the microwave.

Handbag - Tano "Minilisa" in Blue Marine

4. I need to clean my apartment, but I'm not sure when I'm going to get around to doing it.

Purple tights - Simply Vera by Vera Wang (Kohl's) / Navy blue pumps - Payless

5. I love what colorful tights can do for an outfit, especially purple ones.

Ring - Banana Republic / Necklace - The Limited

6. Anything purple is good, really.

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning...Oh, What a Beautiful Day...

I had a day today, folks. Not a bad day; just a day... So many things going on in one night that it'll make you're head spin. It made mine spin, anyway. All good things, though, all good things. Except my feet hurt. Beauty is pain, right?

So I put up my feet and flipped on the TV....wouldn't you know it, Oklahoma! is on! I get giddy and sentimental whenever this lovely old musical comes on TV. I played Laurie in high school. First starring stage role, first kiss (yep, on stage - pretty pathetic), and a lot of other good things were on their way... It was a rosy time of life, really. This movie has a wonderful way of bringing that all back. More than anything, I guess, it just really takes me back to my younger days, when the world was as big as it was small... (Isn't that what the musical is about, anyway?)

And now I'm an adult...more or less.

Blue animal print wrap dress - BCBG (via TJ Maxx) / Blue cami - LOFT / Gold embellished peep-toes - BCBG (via eBay) / Handbag  - Gustto (via BBOS)

Necklace and earrings - Banana Republic

The nostalgia is strong tonight, folks. What is it about the midnight hour that brings that out?

Multi-layered

Another wrap, with a totally different feel...

Orange print wrap dress - Yellowfield 8 (via local boutique) / Military green cropped jacket - Maurice's / Seafoam lace tank - Banana Republic / Beige long-sleeve cropped tee - LOFT /
Boots - Guess (via DSW)

This outfit went through a few iterations today, even after I got to work. On its own, it's a great little wrap (even with all the fussing they come with) in a playful pattern that works well in the summer or fall, with boots or with sandals.

Sporting bangs in the wrap dress as-is (with cami) on a beach in Santa Monica, CA two summers ago

For today's wearing, I had first just planned to wear it on its own, layered with a long-sleeved tee underneath (the time for short sleeves is over), a long necklace, and boots. This seemed normal for me, and I loved how slim my waist looked (!), but all in all it was kind of uninspired. Then I remembered this cropped jacket I had in military green, which picked up the olive tones in the dress. That was fun! For added dimension, I tried this lacy seafoam-colored tank underneath, picking up the blues in the dress, too. Lace and military! And it's a trend this season! Double fun!

Long orange beaded necklace (doubled) - local boutique

I went back and forth with the under-layers, though. The jacket was a definite, but should I wear the long-sleeve tee AND the tank? Just the tank? Just the long sleeve tee? Which necklace to wear in either case? Oh the decisions!  The BF recommended I wear the long-sleeve tee since it was definitely weather-appropriate, and he liked the lacy tank with it, as well. So, I went with both, and we snapped these shots before we left for work.

After seeing the pictures, though (I brought the camera to work with me), I began to think this outfit was kind of weird. It's definitely NOT my usual style, especially since I would just normally wear the dress as-is. But this was kind of the point. (The BF said it was "funky." I asked, "Funky good or funky bad?" He shrugged. He's not one for "funk" in either form, but he seemed to support the attempt.) Later at work I decided to de-layer the tee, rationalized by the fact that there would be 500+ people in the lobby for the evening's casual wine-tasting event, and it would get pretty warm pretty quick. I also thought it might lessen the suspected weirdness of the outfit...

(I can't believe I managed to snap a few more pictures! I kind of love the brick background - maybe I should try to take more outfit pictures at work? Now, THAT'S weird.*)

Looking at this last picture makes me wish I would have worn either a more obvious/colorful tight or none at all - my legs just look pasty here! I do think the overall look is the most successful, however. The long-sleeved tee seemed to add unnecessary bulk to my upper half, and lord-knows I don't need additional bulk there! It all just looks more...purposeful? I'm still not quite sure about the ensemble, but I worked it nevertheless.

You know, if it wasn't for this blog, and the fact that I'm consciously trying to take a few more fashion risks, I wouldn't have considered any of this, and I would have walked out of the house (mostly) content in the wrap layered with the tee. I find this all...interesting...

*Every time I wrote/thought/said "weird" in post, I thought of this comic. Thank you, Oatmeal, for making me as conscious of my grammar as I am of my outfits.

It's a Wrap!

Ah, the wrap dress. What an ingenious invention! Thank you, Diane von Furstenberg....

This outfit is apparently almost entirely brought to you by Banana Republic. (I had just realized this when I was writing the outfit descriptions.)  This is kind of a faux-wrap, since the skirt is fully enclosed, but the bodice is still adjustable at the waist, which is where you want it adjustable anyway.  So, no fears of the skirt blowing open to reveal my ladyparts! Hurray for hassle-free! Well, except for the neckline. Thanks to the girls, I fussed with covering my cleavage most of the day.  I had used clothing tape at first, but that wasn't holding very well.  And I didn't want to wear a camisole because it would add extra bulk underneath and ruin the line of the dress. In the end I pinned it, which solved most of the problems. I don't love pinning clothes, however - I hate to make unnecessary holes, and you can just tell that it's pinned by the weird pulling that results.  But, it was the best option in this case.

Grey 3/4 sleeve faux-wrap dress - Banana Republic

I'm still playing with difference between inside/outside pictures, and hopefully trying to improve the ones I take indoors...

It's a great dress though - fantastic material, lays beautifully, great length, great details in the neck (a somewhat mandarin collar) and the shoulders (a slightly gathered sleeve).  It's one of the BR staples, and they've added it in purple for the fall.  I highly recommend it if you're looking for an all-occasions dress!

I kept my accessories and the overall ensemble rather minimalistic since Friday's event was a very conservative one - not the time to be making fashion statements. I wrestled with adding a pop of color somewhere, whether in accessories/shoes/camisole, but I decided to keep things subtle, choosing gold/ivory accessories to add a twist to the grey, rather than silver - which might have been a propensity.  I LOVE browns/tans with greys.  I was inspired by the combination from an old What Not to Wear episode, and I've loved it ever since.  I really do feel its a sophisticated pairing of neutrals.

Nude heels - Nine West (via Endless.com)

Gold polygon necklace - Banana Republic /
Smokey quartz earrings and bracelet - Banana Republic

What it probably actually came down to was the fact that I really wanted to wear this bracelet. It's one of my favorites, but I don't get to wear it that often because I always have trouble pairing a necklace with it.  Once I put it on, I knew I must wear it with this dress, so it won out.  I even thought I might go without a necklace, since the neckline could speak for itself, but I did want something to fill the space in the end. The necklace is actually a single strand that I doubled up. I thought it played well with the bracelet/earrings without overwhelming them.

Yes, this was Friday. Today is Sunday.  I am, once again, behind.  I'm about to get ready for work in a minute - yep, Sunday night - so I'll have another post for you later (or tomorrow, at this rate!)

Thanks for reading! =)