Breaking the Silence

Remember when I used to blog??

Sadly, shortly after our great trip to the Northwest last month, I was taking daily outfit photos and dropped our camera for the second time.  The lens yet again got stuck and this time, it was irreparable.  Well, not totally irreparable, but expensive enough to make it not worth it.  We’re a bit in limbo at the moment as we want to purchase an SLR, but can’t quite justify the expense and yet don’t want to plop down the $200 for the ELPH again as well. 

I do have a borrowed one at the moment….so here are some old photos from the last *gulp* near month…

September 14, 2010

white pintuck tunic—H&M
glenplaid shorts--Banana Republic, retail days
gold flats--Target
filigree earrings--Express, remixed

September 16, 2010

chambray shirt—H&M
purple satin skirt--Limited, remixed
big brown belt--Banana, remixed
brown wedges--Payless, remixed

September 21, 2010

lace top—Forever 21, remixed
gray pants--Banana Republic, retail days
black peeptoe flats--Madden Girl via DSW, remixed

September 22, 2010

blue patterned dress—BCBG, thrifted
putty cardigan--J.Crew, remixed
gold flats--Target, remixed
gray sparkle headband--J.Crew, remixed
teardrop necklace--Limited, remixed

 

September 26, 2010

black & white dress—Anthropologie, remixed
gold flats--Target, remixed
yellow beads--Limited, remixed

September 27, 2010

gray molded & melded tee—Anthropologie, remixed
black capris--NY&Co, remixed
black wedges--Madden Girl via DSW, remixed
pink earrings--10,000 Villages, remixed

September 28, 2010

paisley top—Tucker for Target
gray ruffle vest--H&M, remixed
trouser jeans--Banana Republic, remixed

September 29, 2010

pink cardigan—Banana Republic, remixed
blue lace cami--Banana Republic, remixed
jeans--Joe's Provacateur via ebay, remixed
pearls--Forever 21, remixed
brown wedges--Payless, remixed

October 3, 2010

brocade pencil skirt—Tucker for Target
white ruffle tank--Gap, remixed
navy blazer--LOFT, remixed
beige pumps--Madden Girl via DSW, remixed

October 5, 2010

blue plaid shirt—Gap, remixed
gray skirt--H&M, remixed
brown plaid wellies--Banana Republic, remixed
red snowflake socks--J.Crew, remixed
beaded belt--Anthropologie, new!
mother-of-pearl earrings--Sarasota gift shop, remixed

As you can see, I’ve done a bit of shopping lately (shhh….) .  Several of the pieces I wore in these outfits were new, including the Tucker for Target top and skirt, the chambray shirt from H&M, and this gorgeous beaded belt from Anthro.  LOVE.

Semi-Professional

August 24, 2010

black & green sweater—LOFT, remixed
silver pants--Limited, remixed
patent mary janes--J.Crew, remixed

It was raining again today and so we’re still stuck with indoor photos.  For whatever reason, I wasn’t happy with any of the ones I took this afternoon, so here’s the best of the worst.  :)

With the rain, I wasn’t up for my rubber flats again or my wellies, so I went with patent pumps, which are basically waterproof anyway.  I put on pants that aren’t capris or shorts for the first time in….months?!  It was so strange, but I felt very professional all day with my pants and collar & cuffs.  Plus, these shoes are comfortable enough for walking from my car, taking the dog out, and running errands.  All that and a pop of pink patent peep-toe (say that three times fast!)?  Yes, please.

This is Why You Don’t Sleep on Wet Hair

striped blazer--Limited, old
blue floral blouse--H&M
jeans--Joe's "Provacateur" via ebay
orange patterned pumps--Madden Girl, DSW
red pendant--jewelry shop in Sarasota, FL
These photos were brought to you courtesy of a bad, bad hair day and a dark and rainy afternoon that made picture-taking outside impossible.  Blargh.
These are probably my favorite jeans, even though I always forget to wear them.  On a whim a couple of years ago, I tried on a bunch of designer jeans at Nordstrom and then went home and searched on ebay for my size in a more reasonable price range.  After a few weeks, I found these Joe’s in the petite cut: the “provacateur.”  I love the dark wash and they fit me better than any pair I’ve ever owned. 
I also love these pumps, but they’re not my most comfortable: case in point, I have a sizable blister on my left pinkie toe after walking around moving my car every few hours today. 

But aren’t they pretty??  :) 

Dressing My Best--Day 2!

When I made my top five list of my favorite body features,  I had a couple of outfits in mind, but this was not one of them. :)

black petals cardigan, LOFT sale, remixed

brown sequined tank--NY&Co

black zippered capris--NY&Co

blue double-buckle belt--Old Navy clearance, remixed

black pointy flats--DSW, remixed

However, a few things happened to bring this outfit together today...

#1  It was really cold.  Like high in the upper 40s cold.  In May.

#2  I wanted to wear my new capris and tank--more on that in a minute

#3  By process of elimination, I decided to dress to emphasize another favorite part: my petite frame.

I've been "small" my whole life.  Pretty much, that means I've been short and proportional.  As much as I like wearing heels and am often jealous of those who never have to hem pants, I really do love my petite figure, short limbs and all. 

Wearing capri pants might not seem like the most obvious way to show that off, but I thought I could sneak in Dressing My Best AND my new clothes by doing a monochrome black look, with skinny pants and pointy flats.  Besides, both these pants and the tank were FIFTY PERCENT OFF.  Thanks crazy NY & Co. sales!!

Meet My New Hat!

Oh friends.  I am tired.  This has been a long, long week and our lovely Census training concluded with field training in the torrential rain this morning.  This is pretty much how I felt about it...

white tunic/dress--Limited, old

jeggings--Hue via local shop

black trench--Limited

brown wellies--Banana, remixed and remixed

pink necklace--Old Navy clearance, remixed

With the crazy thunderstorms out there this morning, I had only leggings and my trusty rain boots in mind for our last day of training today.  I was actually observing people conducting real interviews and shuffling paperwork and maps--it was fun!  And, completely unintentionally, both this tunic and "jeggings" (kind of a gross word, right?) fall into the Wear It or Lose It category.  I think I'll be keeping them both even though I'm tempted to toss the leggings into the donation pile.  However, they're good for layering under pants in the winter when it's freezing and I care much more about warmth than fashion.

After the conclusion of our lovely training, I was able to come home and change since the rain stopped and picked up my lovely, lovely mother-in-law from the airport.  We hung out at home for a bit and went to a friend's barbeque before settling in for the night with pizza, TV & Bananagrams.

green sailcloth trench--LOFT sale, remixed

oatmeal tee--Banana, retail days

boot-cut jeans (rolled to try for the boyfriend style)--Banana, retail days

pink patent belt--J.Crew

beaded wedges--Target, old

green fedora--Eugenia Kim for Target!

I LOVE MY NEW HAT!!!

I am so not a hat person.  I own a few baseball caps (all Cubbies) that I never wear and a ginormous floppy straw hat that I love for the beach.  I just feel like they never look quite as cute on me as other people, but, like the rest of the world, I love the Eugenia Kim collection at Target and decided to take the opportunity to expand my fashion horizons.  The husband told me I looked like Inspector Gadget in the trench and fedora. 

I'm trying out the "boyfriend" look on my jeans as well.  These are boot-cut jeans that I've had for years that I never had hemmed so that they actually fit.  I love how I've seen so many people (notably Christine) rolling them haphazardly and pairing them with heels for a laidback look.  It looks totally easy but chic--thanks for the inspiration!  It was also super practical for a wet day like day when I didn't want to drag my pants through the puddles...

I know this photo is dark, but can't you see how Guthrie and I are connecting?

All Moved In

Hooray!  We're all moved in!!  I've finally got all of my posts (well all that I'm going to move) transferred from Wordpress to Blogspot and ready to tackle this blog-project with gusto.  Yes!!

I decided to move the blog because I really know nothing about, oh, computers, blogging, hosting, photography, html, uploads...you get the idea--and Blogspot seems a little less complicated than Wordpress.  Plus, I like having user-based ads that can point you toward things you might like if you enjoy my blog and I didn't feel as constrained with the widgets (not that I actually know what that word means).  So, thanks for bearing with me and please visit often!  I'd love to hear thoughts from other bloggers who use either Wordpress or Blogspot and which they like and why.  Help me get started--for real.

I'm still working with a very temporary layout and header and hopefully the husband and I can work on those soon, but I just want to get into a regular rhythm of blogging and daily posts and then pretty it up some more.  Once again, any advice or knowledge are more than welcome.

As I continue to catch up, here's my outfit from Tuesday.  It was a perfectly normal afternoon and then just as I was set to take a photo for the day, the sky turns black and ominous and we get a 7-minute crazy storm.  Hence, this is the only shot I got and I'm threatened by rain at any second.

pink polka dot blouse--Express

navy tulip skirt--Banana Republic, retail days

yellow lace cami--Limited

brown kitten heels--Macy's clearance, remixed

Here's the thing: my closet is stuffed.  Ridiculously full.  And, I have a pretty nice sized walk-in closet for an urban apartment.  But, I cannot seem to stop myself from buying new stuff and even if it is a great deal, thrifted, on sale, whatever--that doesn't solve the space issue.  I already switch everything out for winter and spring and store the off-season garb in giant tupperware containers.  Plus, I really know that I don't actually NEED this many clothes.  I could easily get by with half of this stuff that I really like and re-mix it often. 

So, I started Operation Wear it or Lose it this week.  OWIOLI involves going through my closet, pausing over anything I'm either iffy about or that I haven't worn in the last year or so and either wearing it or losing it to the donation pile (and making a gain for someone else!).  I'm only showing the stuff I end up wearing because if I don't like it enough to wear it THAT DAY, it gets put into the pile.  I'm terrible at filing stuff in a "to give away" bag only to pull it back out later.  So, this is my challenge: wear it then and there or give it AWAY.

This outfit actually ended up incorporating two OWIOLI pieces.  The skirt was an obvious choice: I picked it up on sale when I worked at Banana years ago and although it was different and a beautiful navy color, I always had trouble pairing it with things because of it's funny shape.  On anyone else it would be a tulip skirt, but because it's a little big and my legs are so short, it falls pretty long on me.  But, I didn't want to lose it so I had to figure out something to pair with it.  I needed a tailored top to balance out the ruffles and length, and this blouse from Express that just seems to hide amongst the bulk in the closet worked!  Along the way, I also managed to put one skirt back into storage for winter and add one other one to the donation pile.

Totals so far:

Items Worn: 2

Items Donated: 1

Sequins & Stretch

You know those days where you just feel, for lack of a better word, ick?  It usually coincides with my monthly cycle and how much salt I've eaten in the last few days, but let's just say that today called for a billowy top and stretchiness in the waistband-area. 

purple sequin tunic--H&M
gray denim leggings--Gap, remixed
brown wedges--Payless, remixed
cathedral earrings--American Eagle, old

I'm so happy that tunics came back into style last year (are they still "in?"  I have no idea).  So comfy and today's post-rain breeze is beautiful just blowing through my sleeves.  I love it.  My apologies for the terrible picture and lighting, but with the wind and the rain, I decided to just snap a few indoors this morning. 

Happy Monday!

04.26.10 Comfort First

Today and yesterday had two things in common:


1. I wanted to be nothing but completely comfortable &
2. It was cold and rainy.

Somehow this left me in gray both days....

gray "molded & melded" tee--Anthropologie
gray skinny cords--J.Crew sale last Xmas
yellow satin flats--American Eagle years ago
silk patterned scarf--H&M
wooden earrings--H&M

I actually ended up freezing after our morning Mass and layered a sweater, scarf, and boots over top of this when I went back to work in the evening. Again--comfort prevailed. After I had on the tee and pants and realized I was completely monochromatic, I added the scarf and shoes. I love seeing the turban-style on so many blogs lately and the red lips are an accessory in and of themselves, I think. Flats were a necessity since I ran a 5-mile race on Saturday and am sadly out of shape with bad knees. Yes, I'm also 80 years old. (Actually..speaking of which, my dear dear husband replaced our old gross bath mat today with pretty blue ones he got in a cheap set. A set that included a fuzzy toilet seat cover. All I can think of is a grandmother's bathroom in the 80s...)

gray tunic--Forever 21
black leggings--Urban Outfitters
houndstooth wellies--Banana, remixed a lot this rainy spring
white cami--Abercrombie, seriously this thing is 15 years old
green necklace--street vendor

So on Day 2 of Operation Be Comfortable At All Costs, I ended up in gray again. I think gray is my favorite neutral in the last few years--in a home full of pets, it doesn't show cat hair like black and brown and looks good on pretty much everyone.

My office actually makes for pretty good photos, even if I feel a little silly taking pictures there. Although, let's name it: taking pictures of yourself is already an exercise in ego, so where and when you do it is sort of besides the point. Mondays are generally quiet, but I made today SUPER productive, which felt great as the school year begins to wind down..come on SUMMER!

Happy Earth Day!

Yay Mother Earth!! I hope everyone is celebrating Earth Day today by doing something good for the environment or at least forgoing one disposable coffee cup, plastic bag, or extra errand in the car. Sometimes the little things really add up even if we can't all go out and plant trees or donate a lot of cash to environmental organizations.

Today I:
1. brought coffee and water to work in my re-usable containers
2. brought my lunch in re-usable tupperware and a bag
3. took the bus!

Actually, I don't really deserve any credit since these are things I do most days, but hey, we can all raise a little awareness on Earth Day, right? ;)

Okay...on to my outfit...

black lace top--Banana Republic
blue & green necklace--Old Navy
pink skirt--Express (10 years old!!)
black woven belt--H&M, remixed
rubber rhinestone flats--J.Crew, remixed

This skirt has been in my donation pile so many times and yet I pull it back out every time. I figured if I was going to keep rescuing it, I should probably at least wear it. The end.

Merging Winter & Summer...

white floral applique dress--Forever 21

long gray cardigan--NY&Co, remixed

blue double-buckle belt--Old Navy, remixed

gray diamond-print tights--American Eagle, remixed
riding boots--remixed (tired of these yet?)

I just wrote a whole post and somehow deleted it when I hit "publish." Clearly, I have yet to figure out exactly how Wordpress works to my best advantage. :(

Even though today is rainy and sub-55 degrees, I refuse to dig out my winter clothes now I've packed away most of my cold-weather closet. I'm also tired of waiting to wear my cute sundresses and summer clothes, so I decided to wear this sweet dress today and winter-ize it. It's pretty sheer, so I wanted a longer cardigan that would keep me warm and give me some coverage, as well as the tights. Obviously, I belt without abandon and wear these boots every day that it's not 75 degrees and sunny.

At first, I thought the combo of the airy dress with the heavier and darker sweater, tights & boots would seem like I was confused about what season it was, but I think it works. Plus, I was warm and comfortable for running around today and I really like how the sweater frames the pretty neckline and delicate buttons on the placket of the dress that might otherwise get lost in the babydoll shape. Perfect!

No Idea What Is Going On Here...

yellow ruffle blouse--Target, remixed
big brown belt--Banana retail days, remixed often
brown tweed shorts--H&M clearance, remixed
navy tights--no idea
riding boots--remixed and remixed

More rain and highs today in the low 40s, so back to boots and tights with curls we go. I picked up these shorts from H&M this winter for only $10 on clearance and wanted to get one more wear out of them, but I have trouble deciding on a top that goes with them. The navy tights were the only non-patterned ones that were clean and I'm a firm believer in Stacy & Clinton's mantra that neutrals all go together and with anything else. I also feel like they're a bit short for work, even with tights. I started off with a blue blouse and blazer, but something was off and I haven't worn this yellow blouse since January, so I pulled it out (un-ironed) and belted it. It's not my favorite look and something still feels not perfect, but I wore it all under a big trenchcoat anyway. :)

Ruffles!

Lacking Inspiration

Blah. I know I just started this blog and thus should probably try to be upbeat and happy to garner readers, but you know what? Today was just one of those lackluster days that we all have. It's not that anything bad happened at all--it didn't. I think it's more of the burn-out that inevitably happens at the end of the semester whether you're a student trudging through finals, faculty grading all of those finals, or staff trying to wrap things up as students buckle down to write. The weather has turned and is nice and warm--we're actually having spring in New England!--and that means I want to lay in the sun, walk the dog, and generally do things other than sit in front of a computer at work. Don't get me wrong: I love my job and recognize that I am beyond blessed to have this work, especially in a time of such rampant unemployment. But, having been at it for three years now (the longest full-time employment I've had thus far), I'm wondering about my own wanderlust tendencies as well. Too much personal info for a new style blog? Maybe, but my hope is to use the venture of daily outfit posts as a journal of sorts and a window into what each day brings, so there you have it. The plus side is that it's mid-April, Commencement looms, and I have a very flexible summer schedule. Yay for that.


Now, the real reason I'm here...some photos! This is what I wore last night to week 2 of the pub trivia tournament we're competing in and I know it's not super exciting, but I go with my husband and two guy friends, so it's not exactly a runway show. :) We won again for the second week in a row-woo-hoo!! It was fun to relax and have free drinks (the prize each week is a gift card so we haven't had to pay yet), even though I missed GLEE, which I'm going to watch online tonight after my run. Can't wait!

long gray cardigan--NY&Co, $7!
purple ruffle-collar tank--Limited, after-Xmas sale
skinny jeans--Gap, remixed
blue double-buckle belt--Old Navy clearance, remixed
riding boots--Aigner via Macy's clearance, remixed
green metallic headband--J.Crew, remixed
mother-of-pearl earrings--Florida, remixed

Forging ahead...on to today. It was a good thing I planned what I wanted to wear last night because I woke up SUPER late and had less than 20 minutes to shower and get out the door. Eek. Somehow I managed, even with crunchy hair (too much mousse, no glance in the mirror), no makeup, and a small run in my tights (mostly hidden by shoes). I love this dress and coat though. The dress is just a knit from Forever 21 and is super comfortable with it's elastic waist and the trench is nice and lightweight for this time of year. Perfect!

green sailcloth trench--Ann Taylor LOFT, clearance
floral-print dress--Forever 21
black tights--Limited, remixed
patent wedges--Banana Republic, remixed
sunglasses--American Eagle, remixed
bronze earrings--Target