Spring!

     Look kids, an outfit post!  Last time I posted an outfit I was waxing poetic about these shoes and how they go with everything including white pants.  Well this is the outfit to which I was referring.  I wore this outfit a week or so ago, just after the first day of Spring.  Bella and I were clearly loving the warm weather.  In fact, I've been looking forward to wearing these white linen pants for the past 2 months.  In fact, I've been waiting to wear several of my linen pieces for a while.  I'm really quite a fan of this beautiful fabric.  In spite of its habit of wrinkling by just looking at it, linen adds great texture and movement to an outfit.  Plus, it just fits in perfectly in summery and warm weather.      

The Details:

Top: Loft

Pants: Talbots Similar Also Similar

Heels: Nine West

Necklace: made by me

Green!

     Happy St. Patrick's Day!  This outfit is from Tuesday, but since I wore my green sweater vest, I decided to save it until today.  
     Looking in my closet this morning, I realized that I don't have much in the way of green.  Sure I have plenty of turquoise, but anything that most people would call green? not so much.  I'm not entirely sure why either.  I've never been one to shy away from color, but at the same time, I've focused on basics a lot lately.  I think this has resulted in my having tons of black and white and cream and a few other colors, namely turquoise and red, and very little of other colors of the rainbow.  This is going to have to change.  While I'm all for basic colors for suits, its tops and shoes and sweaters that tend to bring more interest, ie color and pattern, into my wardrobe.  Next time I want to get a new top I'll just have to put black, white and cream on the no-go list (unless of course its something spectacular).

From: Here

     So the inspiration for this outfit came from 2 very different sources.  The first is a probation officer that works in our court system.  He dresses beautifully every time I've seen him.  This last time I saw him, he was wearing a suit, and rather than wearing an overcoat to stay warm, he had on a sweater vest.  His outfit was in shades of black, gray and white with a red tie.  It was tailored and just plain put together.  So that got me thinking.  Then I went home and watched part of Love Actually while I rode my stationary bike.  If you've seen the movie, do you remember Hugh Grant's assistant's first outfit?  (pictured above).  While entirely too low cut and tight, I've always liked the idea of it.  In the end, I feel like I combined the two to make my outfit.  Where do you draw inspiration for outfits?

The Details:

Blouse: Zara Similar

Sweater vest: L.L. Bean

Pants: Gap

Heels: Nine West in Brown Croc

Pearls: by me Similar Color

Blazer: Loft (no longer available Similar

Less than 10

     Soooo, what do you do when you look pregnant in pictures but you're not?  That's the impression that I'm getting from this outfit.  It could be that when I put the suit jacket on in a hurry to take these pictures before the sun set,  I put it on weird, but I don't know.  The bad thing is that now I'm self-conscious about the fit.  I'm hoping that when I wear it again I'll be able to figure out if I *really* do look like I'm growing a bump or if it was a freak occurence or what.  I'm also really hoping that when I wear the jacket with the matching skirt it will look normal.  I need some feedback guys, do I look pregnant or is it just my imagination?

Pattern!

     On another note, this jacket is from a skirt suit that I bought just before going back to work 2 weeks ago.  I had to get the skirt hemmed, but I am in LOVE with the suit (except for the aforementioned baby bump issues).  I know that in the far away pictures it reads gray, but up close its a really cool black on gray stripey pattern deal.  The skirt has a really sweet ruffle that's just the right amount of feminine and cute without distracting from the formality of a suit.  Be on the lookout for this suit on the blog as I'm wearing it today and will hopefully post it later this week.

    Speaking of the blog, The Fiance made a comment to me on Friday that it had been a while since I posted.  Now, I know that he checks in on the blog every now and again, but I had no idea he kept track of how often I posted or even the length of my posts.  He did not appreciate that last Monday's post was the last time I posted nor that it was a short post.  So that made me wonder, what do you guys think about my posting schedule?  I try to keep posting regularly on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7 am eastern time.  Last week posting didn't happen on that schedule as I didn't get home in time any day to take pictures in day light.  Sadly, several of last week's pictures were really cute.  I guess I'll just have to repeat them.  

     Considering that I don't always have a chance to check in with my Reader every day, how often do you check out blogs?  Is there a number of times a week that there is too much posting? too little?

The Details:

Suit: Rafaella (via Belk) Fitted Blazer

T-Shirt: Ann Taylor (gift)

Pants: Gap Similar in Navy

Heels: Nine West

Lavender Pearls: by me Similar

Mixing Patterns

I wore this outfit yesterday.  I've been inspired by Brittney of A Day in the Life Too . . . to get out of sweats and into real clothes while I study.  It ended up being just as warm and comfortable as if I had worn PJ pants and a sweatshirt all day long instead.  In other words I sat with a blanket over my lap anyway.  I'm not sure if the clothes necessarily kept me on task more than normal--but I wasn't embarrassed to go outside to get the mail like I normally am when I wear my monkey face PJ pants.  
    This skirt is significantly shorter than I normally wear.  Because I spent the day in a chair, under a blanket, fidgeting to get comfy, it was PERFECT!  The short skirt let my legs move and get comfy without being restrictive at all.  I'm not sure I would wear this skirt without tights ever, but with tights I would feel perfectly fine wearing this in public.  

Cold!

    As you can see, I am boldly mixing patterns with my leopard print rain boots and purple plaid skirt.  I am quite a fan of this combination.  If I had actually left the house I may have even worn these boots instead of my suede knee highs too.  I'm generally not afraid of pattern mixing.  The only reason I don't do it more often is that I don't have a lot of patterned pieces in my closet.  I should probably work on that.  How do you feel about mixing prints? Fun or scary?

The Details:

Undershirt:Fruit of the Loom Available Here

Skirt: Old Navy (on sale for $7.97!(

Tights: Hue Available Here

Boots: Capelli via Stein Mart Available Here

Sweater: Old Navy  Similar Shape Similar in Cashmere

Post of Many Names

    This post could go by several names: To my mother, Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Little Post that Almost Wasn't, Third time's the charm. . .  Essentially, I wrote the post about my mom over a week ago.  It took wearing the outfit 3 times (yes I do laundry) to finally get decent pictures, something I wasn't sure would happen.  The sidewalk behind me literally ends right there.  So yea, here goes. (finally)
    I (originally) wore this outfit a week and a half ago on  Thursday when I went on a quick grocery trip.  I actually wore it that night and decided to recreate the outfit so that I could get good pictures (again).  But that's not the point of the post.  This is about my mom.  (When I originally put the outfit together) I was standing in my closet and grabbed my new pair of black jeggings.  I knew I wanted to wear them with my new Tsubo Hepti booties.  But then, what else to wear?  I didn't want to be weighed down by a coat, so I looked in my sweater section of my closet.  I decided to go with this soft caramel colored sweater.  And, yes, it used to be my mom's.  This was also part of the haul that my sister brought me after her Christmas break.  

     I've always loved this sweater.  The color is a soft neutral that works with everything.  It is also the perfect length.  A lot of sweaters that I've seen lately are way too long for me.  I get that a lot of tall ladies prefer the availability of long sweaters and shorter gals may like long sweaters with leggings, but for a short curvy gal like me, a shorter sweater works best with skirts and pants.  To add to the list of awesome characteristics, this sweater isn't all that bulky either.  Its not skin tight, but it does highlight my figure.  All in all, I love this sweater.

     Naturally when I grabbed this sweater I was thinking about my mom.  In fact, my mom probably wore some version of this outfit 20-30 years ago.  Thinking that makes me feel connected to her, even though she is several hundred miles and several hours worth of a plan ride away.  Little did I know when I threw on the sweater and stepped out my door that she would end up text messaging me.  Apparently my poor mother has a kidney stone (still) and spent all of that Thursday in the Emergency Room.  They gave her pain killers, but she expressly told my sister and me that she would rather give birth to several babies in a row than have to deal with a kidney stone.  While it was hilarious to hear her say this, I felt really bad.  She's so far away and only has my dad to take care of her.  I know they're adults and have lived on their own for a while, but I feel at least marginally guilty that I can't be there to help her out.  

Isn't the zipper just killer?

    If you want to know the story about these booties--Check out my review of them here. 

 Do you feel connected to people through your clothes?  Is your closet a way to feel close to your loved ones?

The Details:

Sweater: Carara (thrifted) Similar Also Similar

Jeggings: Old Navy

Booties: Tsubo Hepti in Dark Chocolate Suede/Terracota  And for a limited time $2.95 flat rate shipping from 2/1 to 2/14!

I Feel Pretty!

     Like I mentioned in my previous post, last night the Fiance had a work event to go to.  The thing is, the day was full of a lot of other stuff before I could even think about getting ready.  Normally, he takes the car and I stay home to study all day.  But because the event was at a hotel in town, it made more sense for me to take him to work and then afterward pick him up to go straight to the shindig.  Except that after I took him to work, I went and got a flu shot.  It took a good hour and a half to get in for a 2 minute thing, but since insurance covered it, I feel like it was worth it.  

    Anyway, so on my way home, I stopped to get my eyebrows waxed.  While I've been studying I haven't really cared much for grooming them.  Sure they're on my face and highly visible, but its such a pain to pluck them.  So I've let them grow out.  I used the event as an excuse to get them waxed.  A friend had recommended this hair salon, so I went online and checked out their prices.  Since I would get charged the same thing at the mall, I figured I would go to the salon instead.  I got there and was impressed by the salon.  Their prices are reasonable and the salon itself is beautiful.  I asked if I could get my eyebrows done and within minutes I was headed to the back to get my eyebrows waxed.  The esthetician was really nice and friendly.  She asked me if I wanted them cleaned up or shaped and I said yes to both.  I think they turned out excellent.   I would definitely recommend checking out Tanglez Hair Salon if you're ever in the Wilmington (NC) area and are in need of getting your eyebrows waxed. 

    So after I finally made it home I had to put the Fiance's clothes together so that he could change in the car after work.  Then it was time for me to decide what to wear.  Monday I had picked out 3 outfits and I let him choose which one I should wear.  Since it was his event, I thought it was only fair for him to decide what I should wear.  He chose this Talbots dress that I bought using my Talbots dividends last fall.  

     I got to decide on the accessories.  Even though its 66 and raining today, last night was pretty chilly so no bare legs.  I went with my Merona polka dot tights to keep me warm and add a bit of a youthful flair to my LBD.  To keep the theme of unexpectness going, I went with these burgundy pumps.  (Let's ignore that the mirror I used for this is not 100% clean and reflective, k?)  
     These pumps were my Christmas present from the Fiance.  I had been stalking them online for quite some time, and then mid-November they went on sale for 50% off with free shipping.  I got him to order them for me and they arrived about 2 weeks before Christmas.  *I* wanted to open the box and try them on.  He wouldn't let me!  So I waited until Christmas day to open them.  And lo and behold, I thought they were too tight.  I was a wee bit perturbed as I could have tried them on and gone to the mall to check out the sizes all before Christmas.  In the end, I dragged him to the mall to try on the shoes on in 9.5.  These ended up being too big.  The lovely lady behind the counter was able to stretch out the 9s for me so that they were no longer tight.  Hooray for great service!

Serendipity!

    So, let me tell you about my hair.  Since I washed my hair a few hours before having to leave the house, I had to figure out something to do real quick.  After washing and putting in my Hana Shine Shield leave-in, I threw my hair up in a towel to dry for a bit.  Once it was dry, I finger combed some mousse into it and dried my whole head with a diffuser.  The result was a lot of curls and a lot of body.  Unfortunately, it was also a lot of frizz.  I felt kind of Hermione-ish.  So I put my hair in a Clever Clip, ironed my bangs and decided that that would be good enough if I couldn't do something cute with my hair.  I ran out of the house with my hair up, resigned to wearing it up.   After picking up the Fiance I undid the clip and amazingly, my hair turned out beautifully!  I have no idea how it happened or why I was blessed with this serendipity, but I even *felt* pretty.  And that is HUGE.  So off we went to the Fiance's event looking and feeling great!

The Details:

Dress: Talbots (no longer available) Similar with Belt, Similar, Similar with Sleeves, Also Similar

Tights: Target Available Here

Heels: Nine West Available Here (not in burgundy)

Earrings: ?

Coat: Tahari (consignment store) Similar Shape

Weekend!

Since the weekend is just around the corner, I wanted to share with you all what we did last weekend.  (Kind of late, I know)  A friend of mine that lives in town recently had her dog move in with her from her parent's house.  She wanted to take Buddy to the beach and asked us if we wanted to take Bella too.  Of course we said yes and headed towards the beach with Bella in tow.  

Posing

Getting her to sit for the camera

 While there, my plan was to take beautiful outfit pictures with the ocean and dunes as my background.  Complete Fail.  The temperature was around 48.  In my mind it would feel like a brisk 50.  With the wind it felt like an awfully cold 40 instead.  I got the Fiance to take some pictures anyway in hopes of having *something* worth posting.  
     After we got to the car we defrosted and once we got home we planted some trees I got for free at the mall on Saturday.   All in all, it was a great outing hanging out with a friend I haven't seen in a few months and taking Bella to the beach.  Hopefully the next time we go it won't be nearly as cold.

Bare feet was a stupid idea.

Bella had no problem posing despite the cold and wind.

Look! An outfit under the track jacket!

Weird pose while being cold.

 We did manage to see some dolphins though.  The Fiance was seeing if Bella would approach the water (she didn't) and called out to us that there were dolphins.  I pulled out my camera and managed to get a few pictures.  I completely missed the dolphin that surfed a wave--but these turned out pretty nicely.