Blogroll

I updated my Blogroll today.  I thought I had added several blogs already that I have on my Reader, but I hadn't!  And for that I am sorry. 

Dress For Success (Part 3)

    So the next model is yours truly.  I was put in a brown skirt suit with a pink button down.  The major flaw with this outfit is that it truly did not fit.  The skirt was WAY too long, the jacket was too big, and the button down was too small.  It looked like I was playing dress up.   Had I been able to shop for my own clothes and tried things on, I'm sure it would have worked out, but I didn't have that luxury.  So my recommendation is ALWAYS TRY THINGS ON!!!  If it doesn't fit, its better to find out in the store than on the morning of an important interview or event.
   Assuming I had been able to try things on, I probably would have gone with a smaller sized skirt making it a high waisted pencil skirt.  This would have fixed the length issue, at least somewhat anyway.  As for the jacket, I would have tried on a size smaller and compared the two.  Regardless of which size jacket, I would have to get the sleeves shortened as I have short arms.  As for the button down, there is no remedy other than going up a size.  And even if the shirt fit, I would have a tailor put a pair of snaps between buttons to ensure that there is no gaping.  All of my button downs have these snaps even though they fit.  The reason is that I know that I'll be confident wearing a shirt that just won't gap, ever.   
    The really cool thing about this suit is that it is machine washable.  The saleswoman that came with the clothes told us that the suits really are machine washable and they turn out nicely.  So next time I need a suit, I may just go to Dillard's and try one of these on.  Also, I peaked at the price tag, and they're not terribly expensive (as suits go anyway).  If I remember correctly, I think the skirt + jacket would run about $250.
   A seriously surprising thing was that the panelists were perfectly ok with my dark blue nail polish.  In fact, they didn't even notice it until I pointed it out.  They explained that because of my coloring (ie dark hair, light skin) dark nails didn't draw their attention.  In fact, the female attorney thought it was pretty cool that I was so trendy and could take advantage of that because of my coloring.  What is most remarkable is that The Judge had explained about 5 minutes prior to my modeling that no one should EVER wear black nail polish and then said that my nails were perfectly ok.  That being said, regardless of your coloring or trendiness, do not wear dark colored nail polish to an interview.  Even red might be too much.  I'm a big fan of nude or very light pink nail polish on myself.  This means wearing nail polish that matches your nails so that its not obvious you're wearing it.  The reasoning is this: if you talk with your hands, doing so talking with  with dark nail polish on can get distracting.  Also, wouldn't you question the judgment of someone who came to an interview wearing dark nail polish?  Even though I would think they were trendy or an individual, I also know that because an interview is a formal event, I would definitely question the interviewee's judgment. 
    The subject of my hair didn't come up, but the general words of wisdom from the panelists were to keep your hair out of your face so that the interviewer can look in your eyes and you don't look like a cyclops.  Personally, I tend to wear my hair straight or in a bun or french twist for interviews or other important career type events, but I keep my bangs out of the updo and carefully pin them back in a side sweep.  I do it to keep it all under control and look polished but to make sure that my face isn't completely bare.  I'm not a fan of keeping my face bare of my bangs when its up because I feel like it looks like I'm about to go running, but that's just personal preference.  
How do you feel about showing some individuality in an interview?  Better to express yourself subtly, loudly, or not at all?   

Spring Preview Collage

The Details:

Blue Cardigan: Target

Gray Tank: Fruit of the Loom

Blue Skirt: American Eagle (OLD!)

Black Tights: L'Eggs

Gray pattern OTKs: Nine West (Steinmart)

Boots: Target

Necklace + earrings: gift from Melanie

Vintage Mouton Fur Coat

Does anybody have any special knowledge about Vintage Mouton Fur Coats from the 1940s or on Mouton Fur in general?  I found one at the consignment store I go to and am only considering breaking my Closet Shopping Challenge because its in pristine condition, its vintage, its Mouton, its gorgeous and its only $65 (as opposed to the $300 it could get on ebay).  

My hat

   A month or so ago I asked Audi of Fashion For Nerds for help in figuring out how to wear a hat because as seen here, she is a hat expert.  Its taken a while for me to send her an email with pictures of the hat, but I finally got around to it.  Audi very kindly allowed me to use her answer in a blog post.  So if you too need help in figuring out how to wear a hat, read her answer to my questions as well as her guest post at Already Pretty.  Here is my email asking for help and hers with her advice. 

Audi,
Thanks so much for offering to find ways to help me wear this hat.  It is 100% wool (or so the tag claims).  I bought it at a consignment store a few months ago and have only worn it twice, both times to walk my puppy Bella.  I would really like to wear it more often, but I just don't know how to incorporate a hat into an outfit or daily wardrobe.  Then there's the question of whether I should take it off when inside or in class or what.  Plus, the hat fits on my head just fine, but I have to wear my hair down or in a super low pony tail in order for it to fit as a normal pony tail, bun or french twist suddenly makes my head too big.  So then I have to think about hat hair.  You're the only person I can think of that can help me with this.   Help me obi-wan, you're my only hope!

Audi's answer:

Haha, I will do my best! That's a cute little hat; you really shouldn't have any trouble pairing it with just about anything because of the neutral color and simple trimming. It would look great with a skirt, blazer, and boots, particularly with an outfit in which you mix different neutrals together. The light gray would pair well with rich browns, black, and darker grays. I also think it'd look great with dark purples and blues. Because the hat is sort of a cross between a fedora and a cloche, you could take in in different directions: a menswear-inspired combo of dress pants, jacket, and button-down (I'm thinking sort of an Annie Hall type of look), or perhaps paired with a floral dress, chunky scarf, and boots.

As far as the hat head issue goes, you have two options: throw the hat on just before you leave the house and use it only as an outerwear component (which means you only wear it outside and not for long enough for the hat head to set in), or else incorporate it into the outfit and leave it on all day. I suppose you could also wear your hair in a low ponytail and then when you take the hat off, pull your hair back into a regular ponytail or put it up in a bun. Dampening your hair and scrunching it, or carrying some sort of volumizing spritzer with you will also help to release the dent left by a hat. That might involve more work than you want to deal with though. If you do want to take your hat off during the day, make sure it is fully dry (and cooled down if you've used a hairdryer) before you put the hat on.

What do you do when you're not sure how to wear something?  Do you do like Tania of What Would a Nerd Wear and try different things and ask for help or just give up or play it safe and stay within your comfort zone? 

Rain!

    So it is Monday morning and instead of being at school learning stuff, I'm at home watching Big Cat Diary.  All because it rained yesterday.  The connection?  Well, water seeped into our basement and I had to skip my first class at 9 am so I could talk to our landlord and schedule the handyman to come out and I'm going to have to skip my second class because the earliest the handyman can come is 1:30, ie in the middle of my second class.  At the moment I don't know if I'll make it ot my third class at 3 pm.  If I had known I was going to stay home most if not the whole day, then I wouldn't have gotten dressed and might have slept in.  
    Instead I am sharing with all of you the outfit I put together yesterday to take Bella for a walk.  Saturday was a lovely day so we took Bella to the dog park, but of course Sunday, it rained and rained and rained ALL day long.  Well, my darling Bella can get a bit hyper if she's stuck inside all day, so I braved the weather and took her out for a walk.  But not before suiting up in my awesome new rain boots I got on Friday and the waterproof coat that Melanie gave me. 
    I am VERY excited to finally have a pair of rain boots.  It's even more exciting that they're leopard print.  The Fiance, on the other hand, is not such a big fan of animal prints.  (Boo to that, I say!)  Luckily for him, he's not the one that has the privilege to wear these awesome boots.  Bella, however, doesn't really care what I wear (another reason I love her).  So I wore them for the first time on my walk with her Sunday afternoon.  And were they useful!  Bella is no scaredy-puppy when it comes to water, and if it were up to her she would splash around in puddles all the time.  So instead of getting the bottom of my pants, my shoes, socks and feet wet, I got to stay dry and not worry about any of it.   

How do you deal with icky weather?  Tough it out with gear or stay inside?   

The Details:
Gray sweater: Gap
Yoga Pants: ON
Rain Boots: Capellia via Steinmart
White Undershirt: Hanes
Coat: gift (pics above and to right are from the collar and lining respectively)
Hat: Consignment store

Puppy: precious! 

(P.S. I have no idea how Bella ends up in most of my pictures looking at me.  But I absolutely love it!)

GRR, BARK, WOOF!

Identity

    Friday morning 2 weeks ago I went to get dressed and put on a gray tuxedo top dress.  I had my black tights and heels on and, well it was just too dressy for work.  None of my cardigans worked and wearing a blazer only exacerbated the problem.  So knowing I didn't feel like taking off my tights or jewelry (yes, I'm just that lazy) I went to put on my white button down shirt.  Well, I hadn't planned this, so my shirt wasn't ironed.  It then dawned on me to just layer a cardigan over the shirt.  Grabbed my gray pencil skirt and an outfit was born.  But wait, was this too sexy for work?  Was I playing into the "sexy secretary/librarian/legal assistant/(insert job description traditionally held by women here)" look?  What does it matter?

    So I went to work and spent the whole day thinking of the post that Sal of Already Pretty wrote on the "Sexy Secretary" look.  Even though her explanation on how a generation gap might make a difference in how she views the Sexy Secretary look was interesting, her explanation on Position is what really drew me in.     

Position: And this is the one that I'm least sure of. I’m a communications coordinator. Coworker Cal - who can do sexy secretary like nobody’s business - is a development officer. We aren’t ACTUAL secretaries, we're mid-level employees. And I think people see our looks as playful and retro-kitschy when we don them. But Vanda is an office administrator and the stubbornly literal people of the world might struggle with her sexy secretary looks more than they would with mine. This look is culturally iconic, and when worn by a woman in a secretarial role, it may be harder to get out from under that ingrained image. I wonder, too, if women in positions of power in office environments may encounter problems. Most of the female execs I've worked for have erred on the side of androgyny, and I can't say as I blame them. It seems like a traditional, conservative or semi-conservative office environment would rebel against a female leader in pencil skirts and seamed hose. But I've never encountered either a secretary or an exec who sports this look, so it's all conjecture on my part. (reprinted with permission)

    As I explained in this post from a long time ago, being a woman in the law can be tough.  Part of that reason is because of the positions women have traditionally held in the legal profession.  Up until the recent past, maybe the past 25-30 years, women in the law were generally paralegals, legal assistants, receptionists or secretaries, ie women that all worked FOR men, not WITH men.  
    But why does this affect me, a 25 year old hispanic/latino woman who will be graduating and working in the 21st century?  It's because the legal profession hasn't changed much in the 300 years its been practiced in this country.  It is still mostly run by older white men.  And these older white men started practicing when there were few if any women working as attorneys.  So they're used to women playing a role as support staff rather than as a member of the team. 

    Given this background, maybe its easier to see why I would avoid a sexy secretary look, but then again not.  So I'm going to flesh it out anyway.  If I want to be seen as a competent attorney who just happens to be a woman then I have to make sure to dress conservatively and if not conceal then not draw attention to my womanliness.  Conversely, if I don't want to be taken seriously as a female attorney, then I should dress sexily or as support staff or any number of other ways that undermine my credibility.  In other words, being viewed as a secretary, not to mention a sexy secretary, isn't great for a female attorney.  Once relegated to a support staff role, its very difficult to be seen as an attorney (which is REALLY not good for one's career).  
    So when Sal stresses that she's not "an ACTUAL secretary" but rather a mid-level employee, it means that she is someone who puts on the costume for a day.  Depending on where you work, putting on the "Sexy Secretary" costume might be acceptable and work for you.  But in my case, ideally I would like to be a leader in an office someday.  So rather than risking being pigeon holed into a support staff role, I really have to think about what I'm wearing and what types of vibes it sends to those I'm working with, especially the men.  Does it say "Take me seriously, I'm an attorney you're going to love working with for a long time" or does it say "I'm a female employee and as such you can count on me to do support work"?  Essentially, I don't think I, or any young female attorney for that matter, can really risk "putting on the costume" because it could very easily turn into being viewed as support staff rather as an attorney.  
     By the way, this is in no way meant to disparage support staff.  As someone currently in that role, I know that the legal profession would come to a dead stop without support.  So I appreciate the secretaries, receptionists, paralegals and legal assistants that make the practice of law possible.  At the same time, I've worked really hard and gone through a lot of school to be where I am, so being grouped in with support staff would just plain suck.  I also know that there are varying experiences and that a lot depends on your type of workplace (large/mid-size/small firm  or in-house counsel), region, practice area and personalities, yours and those around you.  I'm lucky enough to work at a small firm where there are 8 women and 2 men, 1 of each being attorneys, and where being a woman does not automatically equal support staff.  Nonetheless, chances are I won't always be working for this firm.  I wish I could say that its unlikely I would ever encounter these attitudes, but I'm not so sure I can.   
Do you see any differences in these two pictures in terms of authority, responsibility and professional ability?  Am I simplifying this too much?  Any thoughts? (Click pics to make them bigger)







The Details:
White Shirt: BR outlet
Skirt: Jones & Co.
Tights: L'Eggs
Heels: Aldo
Necklace: Consignment Store
Cardigan: Target
Blazer: Nine West Suit

Under Construction

Just an FYI, I've been messing with the blog's template and layout, so if it looks weird, that's why.  If you have any suggestions, they are welcome.  Thanks!

Blending In

    On gray rainy days you can either wear something bright to fight against the gloom like Tania of What Would a Nerd Wear or blend in, like I chose to yesterday.  For whatever reason, I've been loving gray as of late.  It just feels so much softer and less harsh than black, and since I haven't seen the sun since August, less harsh is good.  Also, I've been dying to wear this dress to school, but I couldn't figure out a way to wear it so that it wasn't too dressy or where I wasn't freezing.  My knee high boots and a dark pink tank were the perfect way to keep the dress from getting too dressy.  The dark pink tank just happened to match the flowers on the dress perfectly.  I was afraid that the built in bra in the tank would bug me since I didn't have time to cut it out of the tank yesterday morning, but I was lucky enough that it didn't.  I will, however have to remove the built in bra.  I get that for some women they work, but in order for me to wear a tank w/a built in bra, the tank ends up either almost not covering or entirely not covering the girls, which completely defeats the purpose of the tank.  For yesterday I just pulled it up so that the elastic was mid-boob and went on with my day.  I wouldn't recommend this with most outfits as its pretty obvious when you cut your boobs in half with elastic, but because I had 2 layers on top of the tank, I felt ok with it.  
    This blue cardigan rocked in keeping me warm.  I hadn't realized it until I took it off yesterday, but this cardigan is 100% wool.  From Target!  And I got lucky enough that I found it for $8 last time I was allowed to shop (ie ~3 weeks ago).  If I had known it was 100% wool when I bought it, I definitely would have looked and looked to see if I could have found more of them in different colors.  But its ok, I'm just glad to have added such a nice cardigan in a color that isn't black or white to my closet.
    I just wanted to include this last picture because 1. its cute and 2. it allows me to explain some how I take pictures.  I've mentioned before that I take outfit pictures by putting my camera on a tripod, setting the timer, then posing.  Well, before I even get to that step, I always take a test shot to make sure there's enough light for picture taking.  Well, yesterday while doing my test picture, Luna and Bella decided to get in on the action and peer out our glass front door.  Aren't they precious?


The Details:
Flower print dress: LOFT
Cardigan: Target
Boots: Target
Ombre tights: Target
Tank: Gap outlet

 

Dress for Success (Part 2)

    Lindsay is our second model.  She is wearing a great gray pant suit that fit her really well.  However, because she's 5'10", off the rack, the pants were too short for her to wear heels with the pants.  We used her as an example of a very low cut blouse, a too large necklace, a distracting headband and flat shoes.  Even though her look is almost entirely appropriate for an office, for an interview she would stand out, and not in a good way.  
    First off, her pants are too short.  When the panelists mentioned it, Lindsay explained that she has had to order all of her pants for suits.  Like many women who aren't "standard sized," whatever that means, she has to have her clothing fit to her.  In her case she has to order her pants long.  For other women it means hemming pants.  Regardless of what the fix is, fitting clothing to you is definitely worth it.  A suit tailored to your measurements is exactly the type of suit you want for an interview.  It may cost more to get a pair of trousers or a skirt hemmed at a tailor, but the finished product, a professionally fit suit that you won't have to worry about during an interview is worth it.       
   If the pants had been long enough, Lindsay would have worn heels.  Which brings us to the second problem with her attire, she's wearing flats.  You don't need 3 inch heels for an interview, but because interviews are formal, a shoe with some heel is expected.  Yes, even if you're as tall as Lindsay.  This actually came up when Lindsay was modeling.  One of our panelists, the judge, asked how tall women felt about heels.  He wasn't sure if they made tall women feel out of place or too intimidating.  Lindsay and the female attorney on the panel both said they were fans of heels on tall women.  I have to agree with them.  Knowing that a woman has enough confidence to wear heels on top of being super tall makes me happy.  I guess I'm living vicariously through tall women, but when I think of a tall woman wearing heels I think of a confident woman who is confident and isn't afraid of intimidating the boys or the other girls.
    The most glaring issue with Lindsay's outfit was her neckline.  Not only was the blouse cut too low, but the large and long necklace drew everyone's attention to that fact.  I'm pretty sure the top would never be office appropriate (unless worn over a button down for example).  However, the necklace could be office appropriate with the right blouse.   Nonetheless, neither of these would work for an interview.  A low cut blouse sends all sorts of wrong messages to an interviewer and the necklace is too distracting.  The reason pearls are almost always recommended is that they are a classic look that match everything and don't call too much attention to themselves.  So rather than showing off your new super funky necklace you found at a thrift store, its best to go for the classic standby of pearls for an interview.  
    Lastly, the headband Lindsay is wearing is too much.  It screams little girl rather than accomplished attorney.  And trust me, you don't want an interviewer thinking you're a little kid during an interview.  A better bet would have been a plain black headband, which is perfectly ok.  What matters is that you look polished and under control of your appearance.  If a headband is what you need to do that, then go for it.  Same with wearing your hair in a bun, french twist or a barrette.      

What do you think about Lindsay's outfit?  Anything you would do differently besides what I pointed out?  Is what she's wearing appropriate for an interview your field?  How about for a normal workday?  

Thank you Lindsay!  

Corporate with a twist?

    Audi at Fashion For Nerds has put together some ways to "Add Pizazz to Corporate Wear."  She has some great tips that include incorporating fun shoes, vintage pieces and funky accessories.  Even though some of them wouldn't work in a law firm, you should definitely head over there and check them out to see some fun ways to get creative with your clothes. 

Dress for Success (Part 1)

    Last Wednesday we had our "Dress for Success" program held by our Career Services and Women's group at the law school.  I took part as one of the models and also set up my camera so that one of our Career Services ladies would be able to take pictures.  For the event, we had three panelists critiquing our suits, shirts, shoes, hose, jewelry, hair, etc.  We did this so that the women in the first year law class who would be interviewing for the first time for summer law jobs would know what is expected of them and what is appropriate for interviews and firm outings and events.  A few of the lovely ladies have allowed me to include their pictures in this post so that I could let all of *you* know what works and doesn't for law school summer jobs and events.  

    Melanie, the president of the organization and one of my best girl friends, modeled a beautiful gray sheath dress and jacket.  Even though it was all the same shade of gray, which could come across as boring, the panelists commented that this was a "Boys, I'm here to play and kick your butt" type of look. (quote from a judge!)  
With regard to the sleeveless dress, the female attorney on the panel commented that as long as she was in the office doing work and there was no danger of clients seeing her without a jacket on, she would be fine working in the sleeveless dress.  However, she would always put the jacket on to see clients as well as to go to court. 
    Personally, I love this dress and am trying to convince Melanie to go buy it.  It's a simple dress, but has enough details, the black belt and ruffles on the sleeves, to keep it from getting dull.   To make it interview appropriate all you have to do is add the matching jacket.  But to give it some more personality, you could of course just add a statement necklace (or pearls if that's more your style), great pair of heels, a cardigan, a scarf, a brooch, a different belt, etc.  The advantage is that with a sheath dress in a dark color that flatters your figure like this does on Melanie, you can really add any accessory to dress it up or down because the foundation of the outfit is simple, classic and flattering. 
   I also wanted to add this picture of Melanie because the outfit is from her own closet and has the added bonus of showing that lawyers aren't always clad in gray.   This is a look that *anybody* can try as its just a few simple basics (black pencil skirt, white blouse, black heels) paired with a flattering blazer in a bright color to keep the outfit from getting boring.  This pale blue blazer takes the outfit up a notch and happens to make Melanie's blue eyes stand out. 

How do you all approach interviews and interview appropriate attire?  Would a sleeveless sheath dress and blazer be appropriate for your field?  How about the pencil skirt + non-matching jacket combo?


Thank you Melanie for letting me use your pictures!

(P.S. Most of the suits that we modeled were provided by Dillard's)  

Warm (enough)

    Yup, its warm enough to wear a skirt today without wearing tights.  I have no idea if this weather will continue, but I choose to not fret and simply enjoy the awesome weather.  Even though its warm enough for a sundress and flats (it's currently 63F while I write this at 2:40PM), I have opted for my awesome new boots from Target.  They are easily the best $30 I've spent in a while.  In the per wear calculation of their worth, they're at $10/wear since I've already worn them 3 times.  My guess is that the # will continue to go down to a good $~1/wear.  And even if I wear them til they die, I will continue to be happy because they were so cheap!  
  So since its warm enough to not wear tights, I figured I would try a new trend, knee high socks + knee high boots.  I got these argyle knee high socks for Christmas at the office Christmas gift exchange and am wearing them today.  (Unfortunately only 1 of the 3 pairs I got actually fit my calves, so I will be giving 2 pairs of cute argyle socks away).   I feel kind of daring in a subtle way because I'm wearing fun socks but only the very tops are visible.  And they're quite comfortable!  Even though this pair's sister pairs can't fit my ginormous calves, this pair do, and without any pain or discomfort, so that's a plus.  And since I've centered my outfit around my socks, my skirt, top and belt all match the socks too.  The color of the red and the dark pink aren't 100% right, but with my knees in between, I don't think anyone can really tell.  And if they can, well, its not bothering me today.  Because really, how can something as trivial as the color of your socks bug you on such a gorgeous day?

The Details:
Skirt: closet shopped (originally an H&M dress)
Shirt: Target
Argyle socks: gift
Boots: Target
Belt: Target
Necklace: BR Outlet 
Velvet Jacket: ON  

Template

So I want to change my blogger template.  Do any of you have suggestions or thoughts on what you like looking at best when visiting blogs?  Is there a type of font you prefer?  How about background color for the text?  Or background color for the blog itself?  Any type of themes you like a lot?  How about anything you absolutely hate?

I'm looking at these themes, any thoughts?

http://disorganized-deluxe.blogspot.com/

http://deskmess-template-hive.blogspot.com/

http://hive-color-paper-proto.blogspot.com/

http://spiral-pad-deluxe.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your help! 

Two

    I spent the day feeling great from the waist up today.  From the waist down, my outfit didn't really wow me.  I think its the shoes.  Even though I love these shoes, they just weren't on the same wavelength as the rest of my outfit.  When I got dressed in the morning I knew I wanted to be comfy.  that's why I grabbed my big comfy cardigan, jeans and pumas.  What I didn't expect was that with the addition of a necklace and earrings this outfit would end up being dressier than expected.  Even the dark blue nailpolish contributed to the dressiness.  I guess the pumas were the weakest link and didn't match the surprising dressiness of the rest of the outfit. If I had a do-over button, I would have grabbed boots instead of the Pumas, but such is life.  
    This brings me to the topic of why post the pictures.  No one makes me post pictures of myself when I look icky.  So why do it?  I do it because I grow from the experience.  I have learned that if you're willing to put yourself out there, people are very nice and helpful.  And the only way to grow is by putting yourself out there.  Sure I could pretend all of my outfits are perfect when I put them together and tweak them endlessly until I get the perfect outfit and only THEN take pictures.  But that would make this blog boring.  And I really hope I'm not boring.  So I take pictures of myself even when I look lumpy, when I'm not 100% put together, when my outfits aren't exactly a cohesive unit.  But I'm ok with that.  I (now) have enough confidence to go ahead and put myself out there, knowing that I may not be everyone's cup of tea, but happy in the knowledge that I have enough courage to keep on doing it.   
    Do you feel pressured to come up with perfect outfits all the time?  How do you deal with the inevitable non-cute outfit or the less than flattering pictures?

The Details:
Cardigan: Target
T-shirt: H&M
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: Puma
Belt: Target
Necklace: Consignment shop
Earrings: Blue Nile

 

Intertextualism

    On Tuesday, La Historiadora de Moda of Fashionable Academics wrote about how she is often inspired by other bloggers in putting together her own outfits.  Little did I know that the very next day, Wednesday, I would be calling upon one of her previous outfits to put together one of my own.  If you follow Fashionable Academics, and I definitely recommend that you do, you might remember this post in which La Historiadora de Moda listed her top 5 teaching outfits for 2009.  Her #1 favorite outfit was a red skirt, black turtleneck and purple tights and belt.  Well yesterday, while I was getting dressed I decided I wanted to wear this purple wrap shirt dress again, but wanted to make it look different.  Thinking of LHdM's previous outfit, I grabbed my wide red belt, black tights and boots and found myself happily invoking her style wisdom in my own way.
   For whatever reason, as you might tell from the past few days' worth of outfits, I like wearing dresses when its cold.  I think its because its unexpected and I like wearing tights.  But I'm not really sure.  Either way, I felt really great and confident in this outfit all day long.  And it was a long day.  Last night was our Dress for Success program in which yours truly got to model.  The point of the program was to show the first year class women what they should and should not wear to interviews.  I'll put together a post later that shows some of us modeling and showing what is to be expected at an interview and what should not be worn to an interview.  
    Just an FYI, pretend like my hair is down and curly and that I'm wearing black tights in these pictures.  I got home and forgot to take pics, so I got in PJs and ate dinner.  Then realized that this outfit was just too cute not to post, so I got dressed again real quick.  But by then my tights had been discarded and my hair was already up.  So, just pretend, k? 

The Details:

Purple Dress: Target

Black Tank: Old Navy

Black Tights: L'Eggs

Black Boots: Target

Red Belt: Target

See? Even Bella appreciates my outfit :)

Switcheroo

    For whatever reason, I had a craving to wear a dress today.  I tried on two of my new Ann Taylor Loft dresses to winterize them, but couldn't find the right look.  I opted for my red Hanes dress in the end.  Part way through my day I went to Target and bought these black boots.  I've pretty much given up on finding a pair of knee high boots that would allow me to tuck jeans into them, so I went ahead and got these.  

    The question of course is, how does this fit into my closet shopping challenge?  Well, I had been looking for knee high boots since September and because of my large calves, I figured I wouldn't find a pair and as such didn't put them on my list of exceptions.  Also, I kind of forgot to put them on my list of exceptions.  So even though they're not on there, they were supposed to be.    

The Details:

Red dress: Hanes

Black tights: L'Eggs

Black boots: Target

Freshwater pearl necklace: Me

Quickie post

Last week I had to run some errands.  I had enough time to take a pic on the stairs to our deck while Bella ran around in the cold.  The combination of jeans+top+ cardigans is slowly becoming my go-to, easy to throw on look.  What's your go-to look?

The Details:

Purple wrap: Hanes

Leopard print top: Express

Jeans: Old Navy

Flats: Target
Gray Belt: Target

First Day of the LAST Semester!

    So, what does a girl starting her first day of the last semester of schooling wear?  Today, at least, something warm.  I woke up this morning to 17F.  That's a good 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit colder than average for this time of year.   It's just plain cold.
    Today I went for something a bit daring.  Yes, leopard print is daring for law school.  Luckily the leopard print has  been toned down by being black and gray spots on a white background rather than the normal black, tans and browns.  But to give this top more pop, it has silver thread throughout the top.  I got this right before my shopping ban when I went to the mall with The Fiance.  To my surprise I found this at Express when they were doing their box sale.  It was further reduced and I paid something like $9 for it.   I'm quite happy with it even though its probably a bit longer than I would like.  I'll probably shorten it, but that's not a big deal for such a cute top.  
    To keep warm I layered this blue 3/4 sleeve cardigan over the leopard print.  It further toned down the leopard print, but also made the print stand out some as it was the center of attention amidst the blue of the cardigan and jeans.  I added the necklace Melanie gave me and my new favorite turquoise sueded flats.  
    Now on to the school stuff.  Today was the first day of my last semester of school, unless something unexpected happens.  I am very excited and ready for this.  Normally I get nervous and can't sleep the night before my first day.  Last night, however, I slept really well and woke up ready.  I really feel like I'm in the right place at the right time.  I'm not sure where this confidence came from, but there it is. 
    On a more mundane note, I'm waiting to see if I'll get in off the waitlist to a Mediation class.  If I take the class it would fulfill part of the requirement to become a certified mediator.  It would also look REALLY REALLY GOOD on my resume.  So, keep your fingers crossed and hopefully I'll get in off the waitlist.  If I don't make it, then I'm probably going to have to take Bankruptcy, which although useful, wouldn't be what I want.  Anybody else starting off classes this week?  How have you decided to face the new semester?  Do you get nervous too?

The Details:
Leopard Print top: Express
Blue cardigan: Merona Target brand
Jeans: Old Navy
Necklace: gift from Melanie
Flats: Target

Feeling Risky

    This week is my week off.  In light of my not planning to leave the house or changing out of my PJs, I'm getting creative for post content.  Today I painted my nails.  Purple.  Shiny purple.  :D  I'm really excited.  I haven't painted my nails any shade of purple since junior high school.  Hell, I haven't really painted my nails anything outside of the pink-red spectrum in the past I don't know how many years.  If I had to guess, it would be 8+ years.  I knew I wanted to paint my nails something bold, and preferably jewel toned.  When I discovered that I actually had a shiny purple nail polish, I got happy.  It's not everyday you find exactly what you've been looking for in your own house.  So please ignore the awful job I did in painting my nails.  I haven't done this in a while.   

    Anybody else still enjoying their vacation?  Any pointers on what else I should do with my free time other than watching Twilight on Blu-ray, taking pictures of my sleeping fur-babies and watching LOTS of wedding specials on tv?    

More Jewel Tones

    I wore this outfit last week and just didn't finish up writing the post.  This outfit is way more casual than I've been wearing for a while.  I got these burgundy corduroys several years ago.  They had originally been hemmed for me to wear with flats.  I had them taken out so I could wear them with heels.  Unfortunately, they're still super short, so wearing them with heels is a bit odd looking.  I can definitely still wear them with flats or short heels.  
   Sad to say, this will probably be the last post for this shirt.  Even though I love it and its different, its just not working for me.  The front of the top has a double layer of fabric.  This wouldn't be so bad if the double layer went all the way down under my boobs.  But that's not the case.  The line dissects my boobs.  And I hate it.  I spent the whole day fidgeting with the top trying to get the line lower, but in doing that exposed cleavage.  All in all, its just not worth it.  I would try to cut the layer out, but I'm pretty sure all I would accomplish is messing up a cute top.  I'm going to just give the top to one of my friends who is less boobed than me. 
    Speaking of problems with boobs, the coat that I'm wearing in the picture to the right is a godsend.  I got it while in Puerto Rico a few years ago and was thrilled to find that it actually fit my boobs.  In fact, the coat STILL fits my boobs which have grown some since I bought the coat.  AND I can layer sweaters and scarves under it too!  Great buys rock.

The Details:

Tan top: Zara

Burgundy Cords: Gap

Turquoise flats: Target (on sale!)

Turquoise necklace: gift from Debby

White Coat: Guess Outlet
Rainbow scarf:  Gift from Melanie (Old Navy)

A Good Samaritan

Wednesday afternoon I went to take my lunch break, got in my car, drove across the street to the Chick-fil-A, got my nuggets and drove back to our work parking lot.  After I pulled in, a gentleman in his mid-50s (I guess) pulled in behind me.  I just thought he was going into an office in our building.  H then honked at me and made a motion for me to roll my window down, I did and he told me that my back right tire was really really low and that I should take a look at it.  He then drove away.  I jumped out of my car after a few minutes and checked my tire, and it was in fact low.  It probably looked flat from afar.  I finished eating my nuggets and went to go remedy my tire situation. 

The Good Samaritan by He Qi  

Source

I wanted to tell you all of this because of the importance of being nice, even to people you don't know.  This man had no business telling me that my tire was low.  He doesn't know me or owe me anything.  But he stopped, in fact went out of his way, to let me know that my car wasn't safe.  So readers, be nice, all year long, to people you know, you love, to those you don't know and even to those you don't care for.  You never know when someone will do the same for you and save you from a whole lot of trouble.  For this tidbit I thank the Good Samaritan that let me know about my tire and reinvigorated my faith in humankind.   

Has anybody ever made you feel better about humankind with a random act of kindness? 

Jewel Tones

     Went to the mall on Saturday with The Fiance.  I ended up finding a great black, white and gray shiny leopard print top on sale at Express for ~$8.50.  I'm pretty happy about that.  I also plan on going back to figure out the sizing for the Reebok Easytone sneakers.  I might end up customizing a pair online so that I have personalized shoes, but I guess it depends on what the ones in-store look like.  If they're cute in-store, I could just get those, but then I wouldn't have a chance to put my name on them.  

    Also, it is really really really cold here.  As I write this (Saturday night) its 19 degrees Fahrenheit.  That's about -7 Degrees Celsius.  That is COLD!!!  So of course going to the mall is an exercise in freezing or sweating.  I could wear my coat into the mall and deal with it while all the stores in the mall have their heat on and sweat up a storm.  OR freeze on the walk from the car to the mall.  I chose the latter, The Fiance did the former.  Guess who was happier?  If you chose me, then you're right!  I did add a fleece scarf that my friend Melanie gave me on my way to and from the car and stashed it in my purse while shopping.  (Hi Melanie!)  It worked out really well.  

    Speaking of Melanie, the necklace I'm wearing in the picture above was also part of her Christmas gift to me.  I knew I wanted to add a necklace to the outfit when I first put it on, but not wanting to overdo the purple, I chose Melanie's necklace that just happens to match my shoes.  I love that the colors in the necklace and outfit are all saturated jewel tones, but work together to make a cute outfit rather clash and make me look like a rainbow.  I think its the gray men's undershirt and gray belt that tie everything together (literally and figuratively) and also balance out all the rich colors.    

Me posing in front of our gas fireplace

The Details:

Purple Cardigan: Hanes Outlet ($5!)

Gray Belt: Target

Jeans: Old Navy

Flats: Target

Gray shirt: Fruit of the Loom

Necklace: gift from Melanie