Reason Number 1

You may be wondering why I'm back to blogging.  As mentioned here, the reasons are varied.  One reason, however, is that I enjoy being creative.  Part of that creativity is sharing it.  One way I'm creative is in my dress, so it felt only natural to once again share my outfit creativity here on the blog.  

In reality, this outfit isn't creative at all.  Its pretty basic in fact: shirt + pants + boots.  But that would mean that an outfit is only as good as its individual parts and their basic attributes.  What made me really enjoy this outfit had nothing to do with the basics and everything to do with the unusual. 

My first attempt at the outfit included regular jeans.  The shape of this shirt and loosey goosey fitting jeans just didn't work.  So instead I grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans, tucked them into my boots and this outfit was born.  The only addition I made to it throughout the day was to add a blazer when I had to run over to the courthouse for something and a scarf when we went out to eat for lunch.

I bought this top for my mom in 2005 when I was studying abroad.  I figured she would enjoy the flowiness and the cool pattern.  It sat in her closet until this past New Year's Eve with the tag still attached.  I took it out of her closet and brought it back with me to NC.  I hadn't given it a lot of thought recently, but considering that it was Friday and I wanted something work appropriate but a bit funky, I figured, why not?  The reasons I love it are the shape, the pattern and the sleeves.  Does anybody else ever feel the need to get a little funky at the end of the work week?

Comfy Fridays

     I love Fridays!  It signals the end of the week, sure, but it also means I can go to work in something less than court attire.  In my county, at least, we don't generally have attorney court on Fridays.  It *is* possible that I'll do a plea or have to run to court real quick to continue a case, but more than likely (like 99.9% likely) I'm not going to be standing in front of a judge on a Friday.  Thus the comfy/casual Friday look you see here.  Now, don't get me wrong, its not like I'm wearing yoga pants to work.  And if I had to appear in court I always have a blazer and heels in my office to transform whatever casual outfit into a court appropriate outfit.  In fact, whenever I wear jeans to work on Fridays and I think I just *might* need to appear in front of a judge, I always bring a pair of pants to change into.  
     But I think I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit, so let me explain a bit about "court appropriateness."  Generally, I wear a suit or suit separates to work Monday through Fridays.  The reason being that I more than likely will be in court and thus in front of a judge.  Now, there is no dress code nor are there hard and fast rules for what is appropriate for court, but there are lines in the sand that I personally draw.  For example, I will always have a blazer or a jacket in court because to me, at least, its a nod to the formality and importance of the court.  I'll also not wear mini skirts or short dresses to court either for the same reason.  My goal in court is to be professional and represent my clients with the utmost respect for the court.  To me, at least, showing up to court looking sloppy or half exposed just doesn't do it for me.  In the end, it really just comes down to: what would my client like me to look like when I represent them?  

Happy Chic(k)

    I've been trying to write a post with the title of "pitty party" and because its been so hard to just sit down and write it, I've been a bad blogger.  Well, since I found my tripod today (yay!) I'm going to use that as an occasion to keep on blogging despite knowing that I have a LOT of stuff to tell.  Hopefully I'll be able to get that post up and the many many outfit pictures I've taken since the last time I posted. 

    Anyway, today I didn't have to go to court, so I got a little crazy and rocked my hot pink linen skirt.  I love this skirt!  I got it for $5 at Marshalls 2 years ago and I've loved wearing it ever since.  Up until now I've only worn it with white or black tops, but realized last night while planning this outfit that dark purple would work just fine.  

    And my shoes!  I feel really dorky because I chose these sandals to match my necklace.  If you remember, this necklace was made by my uncle.  I have no idea why, as I love this necklace and it works with so many things, but its still hanging out in my etsy store.  I really don't get it, do you?  Any thoughts as to why this really awesome necklace is just chilling in my store? 

The Details:
Top: The Gap
Skirt: Ralph Lauren (Marshalls)
Sandals: 
Necklace: el Gordo  

Start of Summer

    I wore this outfit last week for my last day of work.  I am taking the summer off of work in order to study for the bar exam at the end of July.  This, however, doesn't mean I get to slack off for the summer.  To the contrary, I will be attending bar prep classes from 9-3:30 every day (and some Saturdays!) from now until mid-July.  Sounds like a spectacular way to spend my summer, no?
    I took this picture on our porch overlooking the backyard.  As you can see, I have a small container garden.  I am really good at growing lettuce, but not much else.  My strawberry plants are currently doing well though, so hopefully I'll have yummy strawberries soon.  
    Unfortunately I'm still super tired and sore from this weekend (2 6+ hour drives and sleeping on a terrible mattress 3 nights) and have very little to say.  I did manage to look great for my sister's graduation only to not have a single picture taken.  Oh well!  I should have several this weekend as it will be my graduation. 

The Details:
Sweater: Loft (consignment)
Green tweed skirt: Village (consignment)
Nude heels: Nine West
Belt: Target
Necklace: Consignment

Pretty Patterns

    Since my computer died for the second time in a week (this time the hard drive failed.  Got a new one, hoping it will last) I've unfortunately not been able to blog as much as I would like.  Nor have I been able to catch up on the blogs I read.  I did manage to update and move my blogroll.  You can now see it if you click on the link up top that says "Blogroll" or you can see it by clicking on the link to the right that also says "Blogroll."  It seems that I just keep adding more and more blogs and I really really like it.  It's cool to see how different people from all over dress for different climates, body types, styles and the like.  If you have a blog or know of one that I should check out, please let me know! 

    Now on to the important stuff, the clothes!  I wore this last Friday to work.  It was warm and sunny and I wanted to celebrate spring.  This scarf is the one I mentioned in this post.  I also got it for $2.50 at Target.  You can see it better in the close-up pictures, but the scarf has different shades of blue and turquoise and even some green thrown in there.  It is very springy, which is exactly why I chose to wear it on Friday.  I feel like it added a whole lot of interest to an otherwise plain-ish sweater + pants combination.  Moreover, I feel that adding scarves is a great (and cheap!) way to add interest through patterns to outfits.









The Details:
Top: LOFT
Scarf: Target
Pinstripe pants: Gap
Heels: Nine West

Comfy Florals

    Last Wednesday I went to work wearing this.  I managed to mix patterns and textures and different shades of blue and gray IN THE SAME OUTFIT!  Yes, it's that big of a deal. :)  At least for me it is.  


The Details:
Gray Men's undershirt: Hanes
Cardigan: Target
Necklace: gift
Headband: Forever 21
Skirt: American Apparel
Floral Tights: Hanes Outlet (detail below)
Flats: Target

I just *had* to show you all this picture.  Proof that the world does revolve around shoes. :) 

Don't forget to enter my Custom Headband Giveaway!

Pops of red

    I love this dress.  I bought it at the end of last summer on sale AND with a coupon.  It is wool and lined and fits me wonderfully. But it is sleeveless.   And as such, I didn't know how to wear it while it was still cold.  I didn't want to wear a cardigan because it would cover up the silhouette of the dress, and to layer something underneath would take some thinking.  So for this outfit, I thought hard and chose to layer a white button down under the dress.  But to give it a pop of color and keep it interesting, I added my trusty red belt.  Well, if I'm going to wear the red belt, might as well add the red slingbacks too, right?  I stopped there with the red; didn't want to go overboard. 
   I've noticed that my style has subtly changed.  For instance, this week I wore a skirt or dress 3 of 4 days I went to work.  I have also been wearing skirts and dresses to school and wearing jeans less often.  I really do think that part of it, if not the entirety, is due to blogging.  Like Tania of What Would a Nerd Wear mentioned here, I too have gotten more adventurous with my outfits since starting blogging.  Then again, since I started wearing mostly jeans and sweaters to class and trousers and sweaters to work, the bar was set pretty low.  Nonetheless, I've gotten a lot of inspiration and encouragement from other bloggers and its driven by style quotient way up.  So thank you all for inspiring and encouraging me to try new things! *hugs*

The Details:
Dress: BR
Button down: BR
Belt: Target
Brown tights: Target
Heels: Nine West 

Capsule Wardrobe Challenge Day 5

    Day 5 for me was Monday of this week.  I spent all of last Friday studying for my MPRE (legal ethics exam) that I took on Saturday, so I extended the challenge through to this week. For my final challenge outfit I went back to my black dress, scarf and cardigan, but this time, rather than wearing it as a blouse + skirt, I wore it as a dress + belt.  
    Even though its not in the pics, I'm really glad I took my cardigan to work with me.  Even though the weather is MUCH nicer now, it still gets rather cold in the office.  So the cardigan was perfect. 
    I think my favorite part of this outfit is the scarf.  I was able to bring some spring into my outfit AND accentuate my waist.  Also, the addition of the belt over the scarf kept the scarf in place and added some color and texture to the outfit.
    Another part that I love is the pleating details on the neckline of the dress.  Its subtle, but its there and makes an otherwise plain shift dress into something special.  


The Details:
Dress: Target
Scarf: Mom
Belt: Target
Tights: Target
Gray heels: Bandolino (Steinmart)
Not Shown:
Black Cardigan: August Silk (Ross)

Out of Bounds

    I bought this dress in January right before the semester and my shopping ban started.  Its a HUGE detour from what I normally buy.  Its a very dark shiny pink number with petals on the neckline.  I'm more a fan of simple plain things.  But since the dress was on sale at Ann Taylor LOFT, I figured I could buy it, take it home and see if I could make outfits with things already in my closet.  So I did and decided to keep the dress.  But as you can see by looking though the blog, I haven't worn it yet.  Until a couple of Fridays ago. . . 
    I'm not sure why, but the dress spoke to me that day.  And of course I listened.  Being a sleeveless dress, I knew I had to wear a cardigan or blazer to make it winter office appropriate.  My trusty blue cardigan was perfect.  And since I already had some blue in the outfit, I layered a blue tank under the dress to avoid exposing too much cleavage.  In hindsight, I probably should have added some form of necklace.  But that morning I was hurried and couldn't think of anything to go with it.  Also, would a necklace take away from the petals?  So I chose to add earrings instead.  

    Unfortunately, this was the last wearing of my favorite gray tights.  I snagged them on the desk at work that day and they ran.  Like a huge run up and down my left leg.  It was very sad to throw them away, but I hope to replace them sometime soon.  Do you feel sad too when you have to say goodbye to beloved pieces of your wardrobe?


The Details:
Dress: LOFT
tank: ON
cardigan: Target
Tights: L'eggs
gray heels: Bandolino
earrings: gift


   

Sassy red + purple

I look tall!

    I wore this dress last Friday to work and felt sassy ALL DAY LONG! It was amazing. The combination of the red belt and shoes with the purple dress rocked. Not to mention that I also wore my favorite gray tights. (Sadly, these tights are now departed since I snagged them on my desk today and caused them to have a ginormous run in them. :'( )  I think the reason I felt so sassy was the proportions of the dress.  With the red belt, I was able to make my waist look smaller and the skirt of the dress look fuller.  The combination reminded me of something out of the 1950's, and frankly, that made me happy.  Also, I think the proportions somehow combined to make me look taller, what do you think?  
    When I chose the red shoes, I knew I was treading a fine line between being an individual and work appropriate clothing. Knowing that my office is very casual and accepting, I figured I could run that risk. Especially since the red shoes matched the red leather belt. And believe it or not, one of my bosses told me I could get away with wearing my outfit with light purple tights and the other told me he liked my red shoes. It was pretty cool to know that others, including my bosses liked what I was wearing.


How do you tread the fine line between being an individual and maintaining work appropriateness with your accessories?

The Details:
Purple Dress: Target
Red Belt: Target
Red Shoes: Nine West
Cream Sweater: LOFT
Tights: L'eggs
Earrings: gift

Kinda Mod

    Sometime last week I decided to wear this dress and try to make it look different than the last time I wore it. I think I achieved my goal. I layered a skin-tight black long sleeved shirt under the dress as well as black tights and boots. I think I dressed it up pretty well. In fact, one of my professors asked me if I dressed up for work that day. She then told me that if I wanted to, with a sweater or blazer, my outfit would be office appropriate. So yay for me! 
    When I first put the outfit together I was kind of afraid of the lumpiness and curviness. As you can see, you can't really hide a whole lot in a bright green fitted sheath dress. I was afraid that the belt would highlight my tummy pooch and make my boobs look enormous and . . . In the end though, I ended up feeling really comfortable all day long and didn't really worry about the lumps and bumps. 
    I added the Bravissimo trench to the dress so I could brave the elements. I have really grown to love how the trench itself as an outfit piece. I love how the cut creates an illusion of a much smaller waist and that the "skirt" of the coat is so swingy. It reminds me a lot of the 50's and how different proportions can create the most amazing illusions. If it buttoned a bit lower I might risk wearing the trench as a dress, but as it is, I would be exposing myself a whole bunch if I did that and that's not a risk I'm willing to take.

How do you face your body issues when you get dressed?  Sometimes I suck it up, like on this day, and wear whatever I want regardless.  Other days, when I'm not feeling quite so confident, I cover up in great big sweats.  Which do you prefer?  If you do both, what makes you decide?  Do you think there's another way?

The Details: 
Green Dress: Target
Shirt: Gap (old!)
Tights: L'eggs
Boots: Target
Belt: Target
Trench: Bravissimo

Amadeus (+ giveaway!)

    This outfit is from a couple of Fridays ago.  Sorry my posting has been all out of order, but sometimes I just don't feel like writing a post about some outfits when I do about others.
    Anyway, I chose to debut my black Hanes cardigan by belting it over this ruffly purple top. From the second I belted it, I felt like a modern day punky Mozart (hence the title). Looking at the pictures now, I probably should have gone for a lighter gray pair of pants to add some life back into the outfit. Or maybe it's the light (or lack thereof) in my dining room. I'm not sure.   
    Either way, this belt is new and actually one of the only things I've paid full price for in a LOOOOOONG time. I've been wondering for a while now why that is. Part of it is that I want to save money, and if waiting a bit longer for something to go on sale is what it takes, well that's all fine and good. What I'm afraid of is that this feeling that is from a good place, will turn into one from a bad place. That I'll start to think that I'm only worth paying sale price for things, that I deserve to wait for things to be on sale and possibly miss out on them, that I'm not worth the full price. My guess is that thinking about it beforehand will insure that it won't happen, but there's this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that's telling me that my love for sales shopping will turn into self-destructive behavior.  Let's hope not.

The Details:     
Cardigan: Hanes outlet 
Purple Ruffly top: Target 
Gray pants: Gap 
Black Heels: Nine West 
Belt: Target

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

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!  

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)  

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)

Today I feel:

Today I feel:

- confident -

- glamorous -

- chic -

- attractive -

- feminine -

- creative -

- fun -

- lucky -

- curvy -

- happy -

- in control -

The Details:

Red Jersey Cardigan: Just my size via Hanes outlet

Black tank: Old Navy

Black pencil skirt: Jones & Co. via Steinmart

Grey Microfiber tights: L'eggs via Hanes outlet

Black demi-heels: Nine West

Crystal heart necklace: Swarovski (present from my little sister) 

Black Ribbon: from another shirt

Shades of Gray (and wine)

    As you may recall, I got these tights for The Fiance to give to me for Christmas.  I had been thinking of what to wear them with since I bought them, and of course wanted to wear them the very first chance I got.  So I have paired them with this gray halter dress.  I bought it several years ago so that I could wear it to one of my sorority's functions and it has since been worn by at least 2 other girls.  My friends and I liked to share our collection of cute and affordable dresses so that none of us had to get a new dress every time we had a function.  Since I'm no longer in undergrad and don't have a need for fancy dresses and functions, this dress has been lingering in the back of my closet for a while.  That and the halter top doesn't fit my boobs anymore so I just haven't worn it.  

    A couple of months ago though, I wanted to make it into a skirt so I asked my neighbor the seamstress to turn it into a skirt.  She, however, was afraid that because of the material she would not be able to sew through it, so its still a dress.  That has not stopped me in the past from wearing a dress as a skirt if you will recall here, here and here.  So by layering a black tank and cardigan along with a slip to keep things decent, I have turned this dress that I haven't worn in ages into a really cute skirt that I would love to wear all the time.  (The only downside I see is that you can see the tie behind my neck and the halter top part creates bumps on my chest.  Going to have to figure out how to make it into a skirt eventually, even if it means hand-sewing an elastic waistband.) 

The Details: (in order of layering from closest to me outward)

Tights: L'Eggs Bordeaux microfiber tights

Slip

Black Tank: Old Navy

Dress:  Macy's in Puerto Rico

Cardigan: Sam's Club

Cordovan Heels: Aldo

Freshwater Pearl Earrings: Cathy 

P.S. How do you all feel about the new non-standard pics?  Any suggestions? 

Santa's little helper

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

    I wore this to work yesterday.  I knew I wanted to wear something Christmas-y, but I didn't have a Christmas sweater, so I improvised.  This outfit is a bit costume-y, but I like it.  In fact, 2 of my co-workers knew exactly why I was wearing this outfit despite the skirt being pink and not red.  (Just pretend I'm wearing my black heels in the pic.  I took them off upstairs and was too lazy to go get them for my pics. )

The Details:

Skirt: reworked H&M dress

Sweater: Gap

Tights: Target

Heels: Nine West

Belt: Old Navy 

Freshwater Pearls: Cathy

Winter Break (!!!)

    So I got home and sat down to blog and thought to myself, "you know I'm really tired but I really have to finish this so I can . . ." and then realized I didn't have anything to do!  And the angels rejoiced!  Which is sort of how I feel right now about not having stuff to do.  So this post will be super short.

    When figuring out what to wear, I knew I wanted to wear pants and somehow ended up with this outfit.  I thought of wearing black pants at first, but figured the brown blazer and the black pants would look odd, so I opted for gray instead.  

    I have some real issues with this shirt.  It's a really great striped print, but the fit is awful.  It fits my boobs, but because it's in no way fitted, it tents out from there.  So I really only wear it under sweaters or blazers.  I wonder if its worth it to get it tailored or just invest in already-tailored button downs.  
    Given that so much of this outfit was structured, I wanted to add a bit of whimsy.  I opted for my brand new earrings that I got from one of my co-workers Mike.  It turns out that her sister made them and I love them.  They have a red bead on top and a red and white swirly bead on the bottom.  

The Details:
Chocolate Blazer: Old Navy
Striped button down: Old Navy
Gray Pants: Gap
Cordovan heels: Aldo
Earrings: Mike's X-mas present to me (thanks Mike!)
Hair: Clever Clip 


P.S. I'm getting bored of just straightforward photos and will be trying out new ways to take pics of myself.  What do you guys think?