Mad Me?

 Image from AMC: http://blogs.amctv.com/photo-galleries/gallery-photography-for-mad-men-season-3/joan.php

 

I have heard all sorts of wonderful things about Mad Men.  At this point, I really want to watch it, I just need to find the time and DVDs.  What I *can* do for now though, is admire the clothes.  In particular those belonging to Joan Holloway.  You see, she is a gorgeous curvy woman that isn't afraid of her curves.  Its taken me a while to figure this out, but I think my body type is very similar to hers.  After reading this post by A of The Glamourous Grad Student, I went digging through my closet to see if I could find anything Joan-eque.  What I came up with was the skirt from my interview suit.  I absolutely love this suit, but until today (Saturday), it didn't occur to me to really love the skirt as a high waisted pencil skirt. 
So, what do you guys think?  Is this Joan-esque? Does it work on me the same way it does on her? (Be honest, you won't hurt my feelings) 

The Details:

Gray top: H&M

Navy Skirt: Nine West suit

Heels: Aldo

Necklace: Banana Republic Outlet 



As an aside--I asked The Fiance what he thought about this outfit.  His response, "It shows off your curves." <3 him! 

Let's find a cure

    So, The Fiance sent me this video about 30 mins ago. What  impresses me the most is that these people took the time and energy to willingly feel and look silly in hopes of getting the message across about breast cancer education and awareness.  

    I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but in undergrad, I was in a sorority.  (Normally I don't volunteer such information because of the ridiculous and erroneous portrayal of sorority women in our culture.)  Anyway, the reason I mention the sorority is that our philanthropy is breast cancer education and awareness.  I ended up joining the sorority in hopes of making a difference, and we did.  I helped start our annual philanthropy event in which we got a beat up car, painted it pink and sold tickets so people could smash it with a sledgehammer.  (Awesomely fun)  We managed to raise $5,000 in our first year just by selling tickets and t-shirts.  

    In addition, my best friend from Undergrad lost her grandmother to breast cancer and The Fiance's grandmother lost her battle with lung cancer.  Cancer sucks.  I hope this video makes you want to do something about it.  If so, here is a link to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  There are also many many many other foundations out there that would love your help.  I hope this video touches you the way it touched me.

Once bitten, Twice shy

    The last time I wore this dress, I looked at the pictures after posting them and realized that the dress didn't look so cute the way I wore it or the way the pictures were taken.  Of course, that meant that I haven't worn the dress since then.  Thursday , however, I decided to be brave and try the dress again.  There are several things I changed this time around that I think made a difference. 

    The first is something you can't see even if you tried to look really hard.  I wore a slip under the dress.  I realized after wearing this dress a few times, that jersey is way too clingy to wear without a slip. So now I own 2 slips, a full slip and a skirt slip, as a result.   Another thing I did differently this time around is the belt over the dress.  Looking at this outfit, it makes me really happy that I bought this belt in the first place.  I wasn't sure I would like the idea of belting things at the waist, but I (now) most definitely do.  
    The last change was the different shirt under the dress.  I don't know if you can tell through pictures, but the V is so low that I absolutely *must* wear something underneath this dress so the girlies don't hang out.  I'm  not sure if it was the color or the flimsiness of the long t-short I wore last time, but I'm not 100% sold on wearing it again under this dress.  So I had to find a new one to wear.  I went digging through a bag of old clothes that I was going to give to Goodwill, when I found this sweater.  It is a 3/4 sleeve length cream sweater that fits too tight to my body for me to wear it as a sweater, but as a layering piece it worked really well.  Because its form fitting I didn't have to worry about it riding up under the dress and creating funny lines.  I then added the Turquoise coconut shell necklace that Debby gave me this past summer for some color, tights and boots for warmth and I felt complete.    
    Comparing the two outfit shots, I really liked that I added the belt.  The first time around it felt like the only interesting parts of the outfit were the necklace and boots, whereas this time around there are different things that are interesting from top to bottom.  I also like that I changed up  the color of the shirt under the dress.  I think the dark shirt could work, but this one probably worked better.  Overall, I think the reason I like this dress this time around is a matter of proportions and accessories.  Things just sort of worked better.       
    Do you tend to shy away from certain pieces if you don't wear them well the first time around? How do you talk yourself into trying them again? And how do you make them work the second time around?

The Details:

Brown Dress: Banana Republic Outlet

Cream Sweater: American Eagle

Brown Tights: Merona control top opaque tights

Belt: Target

Necklace: Gift from Debby

Boots: Candies

Cool Belt from Monday

You'll never guess where I got this belt, in fact, please do.  I'll tell you the answer tomorrow (or the next time I remember to get on here).  
Anyway, I was digging through my closet and found these olive green corduroy pants.  Given that they're a size 12 and I'm NOW sort of a 12/14, I haven't been able to wear them in a while.  Well, when I tried them on, they fit, but fit too short.  I let the hem out and used some iron-on tape to redo the hem.  In figuring out what to wear with the cords, I remembered that this canvas belt has some olive green and built the rest of the outfit around it.  I added the black sweater for warmth because it was 31F when I went to walk Bella yesterday morning.  
Do you find yourself composing outfits based on an accessory?  

The Details:

Green Corduroy pants: The Gap

Red Top: Express

Black Angora Sweater: The Gap

Boots: Nine West

Belt: ???

Fashion Challenge Contest

Found this contest today while messing around on facebook.  It's open until December 9 and you get a $50 Sears gift card if you win. Good Luck!

Exam Time

Just an FYI, my blogging for the next 3 weeks will more than likely be all over the place and light.  Exams start next week and go on through Dec. 18.  I *should* be studying as of 3 weeks ago, but need to light a fire under my butt.  So don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for a couple of days in a row for the next 3 weeks.  I'll try to post or schedule posts so I don't disappear altogether.  

Saturday Surprise

When I got dressed Saturday to run some errands, I didn't really strive to put together an "outfit."  But I did!  So here it is.

The Details:

Cardigan: August Silk Ross

White T-shirt: H&M

Jeans: Old Navy

Flats: Puma

Glass necklace: Gift