Girl in black

When I was dressing this morning, my husband looked at me and said, "girl in black". I don't know why he was so surprised, I dress in black a lot. Not because it is slimming, but because I believe that it is classic and elegant.

You may not be able to tell from the picture, but this skirt has a bubble hem. It conjours up memories of the bubble skirts of the 80s that were stuffed with tissue paper. Thankfully, no tissue in this skirt.

Labels:

Black, ruffle-neck sweater - New York & Company

Bubble skirt - Macys (on super clearance with $0.99 shipping!)

Black, ribbed tights - Vera Wang

Red Mary Jane Heels - Nine West

Red and silver hinge bracelets - Ann Taylor Loft

Earrings - Charlotte Russe (I think?)

Not too long ago, I would have worn black heels with this. I love the "pop" of red on my feet and wrist.

Snowed In

Sorry, I will not be posting today as I am working from home and not wearing anything worth posting. Mother Nature decided to dump several inches of snow on us last night. Weathermen are predicting a "wintery mix" this afternoon and more snow tonight.

I did update yesterday's post to include close-up pictures of my shoes.

Pattern Mixing

There was a time what I would not have considered mixing this floral appliqued skirt with this plaid jacket. However, since the jacket is a window-pane plaid of black, brown and cream it acts as a psuedo-neutral and can be paired with other patterns.
The skirt has lots of visual interest up close. It is a green tween with chiffon and courderoy floral appliques, trimmed with a light green lace. And just for some added fun, I threw on my new crocodile embossed leather heels.

Labels:
Jacket - Ann Taylor Loft
Cream sweater tank - Ann Taylor Loft
Skirt - Josephine Chaus
Brown, crocodile embossed leather heels - Nine West
Peridot necklace - gifted
Bracelet - Lia Sophia

Work that Dress - The Ability to Accessorize

"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our abilit to accessorize."
-Clariee Belcher (Olympia Dukakis)
Steel Magnolias
Ah, so true! Today was the first time that I have accessorized this dress with browns. I have paired it with red, bright pink and turquoise before, but I think this is my favorite. Originally, I was going to put a rust and cream zebra print cardigan over top, however, the proportions seemed off. No worries, I really like the look without the sweater.

Labels:
Navy shirtdress - Ann Taylor Loft
Brown faux snakeskin belt - Mossimo
Beaded necklace - Xhiliration
Green jeweled bracelet - Lia Sophia
Navy hose - The Limited
Shoes - Oh Deer!

Work that dress - Day 3

This is the dress that I wore on Thursday. Sorry for not posting Wednesday's pic, but I never had a chance to snap one. Since it was in the 40s on Thursday, I felt safe wearing short sleeves in the office.
The pockets on this dress were an unexpected surprise. I tend not to try things on the store so I didn not notice them until I got home. I love the cut and fit of this dress. I wish I would have bought it in black and brown also.
Today I wore two pairs of tights, not for warmth, but so the black ones on top would appear darker.

Labels:
Dress - Merona
Belt - off of another skirt
Hammered silver bracelet - Xhilaration (I think?)
Black patterned tights (on top) - Target
Gray solid tights (underneath) - Hue
Black slingback heels - Jessica Simpson


P.S. I found these shoes on Clearance, but when they rang up they were only $5.00! It was one of those moments when I thought to myself 'hurry, get out of the store before the cashier realizes the mistake".

Work that Dress Week - Bold Accessories

I love dresses. I haven't always felt this way about dresses, I used to believe they were only to be worn for special occasions (dates, weddings, etc.). How foolish! In the last year, I have started to purchase more and more of them as they are so versatile. Wear them alone, throw a cami under, top it with a jacket...endless possibilities.

Today starts the first "Theme Week" - Work that Dress Week. As the title suggests, I will only be wearing dresses to work this week. This dress is one of my favorites. It is a knit jersey wrap dress. The best part about knit jersey is that you can ball it up, throw it in a bag and it still won't need to be ironed. Since the dress is solid, I paired it with some bold accessories.

Labels:

Red knit jersey dress - Ann Taylor Loft

Blue tank top - Ann Taylor Loft

Silver choker - Lia Sophia

Black and White pendant - New York and Company (this pendant was on another necklace that I didn't like, so I cut it off)

Silver Spoon Ring - New Orleans French Quarter

Nude fishnets - Vera Wang

Zebra stilletos - Steve Madden

A promised close-up picture of the shoes. Aren't they fun?

Casual Friday 01/16/2009

Sorry Friday's post is late. I was busy this weekend painting my kitchen cabinets that I did not get to posting pics until today. This is about as casual as it gets for me in the office. I don't really subscribe to the "Casual Friday" trend. Who came up with this anyway? Why should we dress differently because the weekend is only a few hours away? In my office, some people see Casual Friday as a way to showcase their Birkenstock and Croc collections. Come on people, we work in an office, not at an ashram! Save your ultra-comfortable and ultra-ugly shoes for gardening.

Today's wardrobe was chosen purely for comfort. I knew that I would be shuttling between buildings today and since it was -6 when I woke up this morning, I needed warmth.
Labels:
Ruffled, button-down shirt - Bitten
Cable knit sweater - Old Navy
Black slacks - New York and Company
Silver beaded necklace - Tiffany & Co. (gifted)
Black booties - Payless

P.S. I have received a request for close-up shots of my shoes. Look for those pics starting Tuesday.

Unexpected

My photographer (husband) did not do a very good job of getting the best part of today's outfit in the shot, my shoes! These shoes are fantastic - pony-hair, zebra print, stilleto heels. What more can you ask for?

Labels:
Purple velvet jacket - Ann Taylor Loft (12/26 find)
Ruffled tank - Ann Taylor Loft
Black pencil skirt - Apt. 9
Zebra print heels - Steve Madden
Necklace - Lia Sophia
Nude, cable knit tights - Old Navy (they are like wearing a sweater on your legs)

Not giving up - 01/14/09

Just because it is bitterly cold outside, who says you can't wear skits? If skirts wern't meant to be worn during winter months there would be no need for tights and knee-high boots. Instead, I decide to layer the top half of my body. I hope I still have the same philosophy about wearing skirts as the temperature creeps closer to zero later this week.

Labels:

Black turtleneck - New York & Company

Cardigan sweater - Merona

Skirt - New York & Company

Tights - Vera Wang (the best!)

Black, knee-high boots - Merona

Flower Pin - Xhilaration

Red, beaded bracelets - Ann Taylor Loft

Two Eyes

Today, I have two eyes as I managed to take a picture without my bangs covering the right one. I have been growing out my hair for almost a year. While I am happy with the length of the longest layer, I wish my bangs would hurry up and grow. By the end of the day they are usually tucked behind my ear. Not very flattering, but at least I can see.
By the way, if you are still looking for post-holiday bargains check out Macy's. They are currently offering 99 cent shipping on clearance items. I ordered one skirt and two tops and saved almost $12.00 on shipping charges. Since I had GCs from Christmas, I only spent $3.25 of my own money on the whole order. That is a bargain! I can't wait to show off my new items here.


Labels:
Aqua Tank - INC
Sweater - New York & Company
Belt - off of some skirt (that has probably long disappeared)
Tweed slacks - Ann Taylor Loft
Black Heels - Merona
Necklace - Ann Taylor Loft

Overly Critical?

After blogging for one week, I have come to two conclusions 1.) my hair looks better in person than in photographs and 2.) I am dissatisfied with my body. Am I being overly critical or am I not used to seeing myself in photographs? Usually I am the one behind the camera and not in front of it.

This is the first and last time that you will see these tights. When I uncrossed my legs today at work, the zipper of my boot snagged a hole in them. Maybe I can find another pair at Target. I do love the texture and the weight of these.

Labels:
Scarf - Target

Velvet, brocade blazer - Ann Taylor Loft

T-shirt - Merona

Denim skirt - Merona

Black tights - Target

Black Knee High Boots - Target

Silver watch - New York & Company

Earrings - crafted by me ( I will take close-up pictures another day)

Flowery

It is only three weeks old, yet I am already tired of winter. I have had enough of the cold, impending threat of the "white death", and covering limbs. Every year by the beginning of March, I try to will spring here by wearing more bright colors and exposing more flesh. For some reason those feelings have hit earlier this year. Maybe the thought of training (running) outside has me longing for milder temps? Hence the brightly colored sweater and flower pin today. Yes, my legs are bare. Take that Old Man Winter!

Labels:

Brown and white print dress - Merona

Green cardigan sweater - Ann Taylor Loft (it really is an addiction)

Brown, knee-high boots - Impo via DSW

Pink, fabric flower pin - New York & Company

Silver flower necklace - gifted

Silver spoon ring - French Quarter, New Orleans

P.S. I love this ring! The only piece of jewerly I wear more frequently is my wedding ring.

Close-up of ring:

Rare Occurrence

I am wearing slacks today. I usually wear skirts and dresses to work, not because I don't like slacks, I just like high heel shoes more! With heels on, I stand over 6' tall. Finding pants I like and can wear with heels without looking like I am waiting for a flood is a challenge.
I love this jacket! I bought it several years ago while I was pregnant, hoping it would fit post-partum. Now it is starting to feel too big. There are many colors woven throughout, so I can wear different colored tops underneath (I prefer this coral tank). Even so, I have a hard time matching it with a bottom piece. Mostly I pair it with denim and chocolate brown. Does anyone have other pairing suggestions?

Labels:
Jacket - M.D.L. New York (found at SteinMart)
Coral shell - MixIt
Brown slacks - The Limited
Brown heels - Isaac Mizrahi
Gold and triple diamond necklace (same as yesterday) - gifted

Identical Shirts

My sister received the same multi-colored tank for Christmas. I tend not to buy things that friends and family already own after an unfortunate "Who Wore It Better" incident at Thanksgiving. The aforementioned sister and I showed up to my aunt's house wearing the exact same outfit! Same jacket, same color shirt and jeans! Only our accessories differed. I think we both felt like total dorks. I will be sure to wear it only when I know we won't be together.

However, I was in Ann Taylor Loft the day after Christmas and spotted this tank ultra-cheap. I immediately thought about pairing it with purple and gray. The tank has purple, blue, turquoise, grean and white in it - so it has alot of versatility.

Labels:
Purple cardigan - New York & Company
Multi-colored tank - Ann Taylor Loft
Grey pencil skirt - Ann Taylor Loft
Gray tights - Hue
Black booties - Payless
Purple and gold earrings (which you can't see) - Ann Taylor Loft
Gold and diamond necklace - gifted

P.S. I do really need to become more comfortable in front of the camera. I look so stiff!

Back to Work!

After 12 long days off, it was finally time to get back to work. I have been dreading this for the last two days and chose an outfit that would help me to feel pretty and excited about being in the office again.

I love this skirt! It is black lace over a gold satin skirt. It is "bombshell" and may be slightly inappropriate for the office. My attempt to "business" it up came in the form of a crisp white blouse. Outside of the office, I generally pair the skirt with a little black sweater and fancier heels. Since I didn't receive a wardrobe lecture today (I never have) from my boss, the skirt may be a permanent addition to my work wardrobe.

Labels:

Wrap bloue - Ann Taylor Loft

Black Cami - The Limited

Lace pencil skirt - New York & Company

Nude fishnet hose - Vera Wang

Slingback heels - Jessica Simpson

Necklace - Lia Sophia

Watch - Xhiliration

Happy Birthday to my blog

Welcome to my blog! This is my first post. I hope to post my first wardrobe pictures on Monday January 5th. I have been thinking about publishing a daily fashion blog for a long time after following such devoted and fashionable bloggers: whatiwore2day, CuteontheCheap and FabFindsunder50. My New Year's resolution is to maintain this blog on a regular basis (hopefully M-F). My goal with this blog is to better utilize the many clothes that I have in my closet(s) and to inspire others to dress well. Happy New Year!