On Safari...

Don't I wish! Instead I am attending an all-day seminar today, so comfort was in order. I took another stab at pattern mixing today (skirt and belt). I think it "goes" well, since the width of the belt is not that large and the black and white in the belt mimic the colors in the skirt.

I like this jacket in theory. The bottom of the jacket hits me at the top of my hips, yet in the picture it makes me look short-waisted.


Labels:
Safari jacket - Old Navy
Belt - Target
Skirt - New York & Company
Slingback heels - Jessica Simpson
Necklace - Old Navy??

Menswear

During my early college years, I became fond of the "menswear" look for women. My wardrobe consisted of lots of vests, wide leg trousers and wingtip shoes. I even owned a necktie (which I am pretty sure I still have). I think I developed that style as a rebellion to my elementary and secondary school uniforms. For 12 years, I wore skirts and white blouses to school. When I arrived at college I think I just needed a change. My style eventually evolved and sadly I discarded the aforementioned items. I wish now I would have kept at least the vests.

I wasn't brave enough to incorporate the necktie today, besides I wanted to inject some color into this otherwise neutral outfit. Instead, I tied my scarf like a tie.

Labels:

White tuxedo blouse - New York & Company

Vest - Mossimo

Black trousers - New York & Company

Black peep toe heels with silver studs - Nicole Miller

Turquiose scarf - Forever 21

Watch - Target

Silver spoon ring - French Quarter (New Orleans)

Earrings - crafted by me

Mixing it Up

I am not one for mixing patterns. I think other people do a great job of pattern mixing, but when I do it it looks as if I got dressed in the dark. Today I am documenting my attempt at mixing patterns. I played it safe by choosing a shoe that almost acts as a neutral, the navy bandana print pumps to pair with this floral skirt.

The skirt is part of The Limited's spring 2009 collection. I fell in love with the print, but also with the fact that it has pockets. More designers should start incorporating pockets into skirt and dresses.

Labels:

Denim jacket - Ann Taylor Loft

Light blue tee - Ann Taylor Loft

Skirt - The Limited

Navy bandana heels - Oh Deer!

Flower pin - The Limited

Silver earrings - New York & Company

Transitioning

I stood in front of my closet Monday night thinking Ihave nothing to wear. I frequently have these thoughts as the seasons transition. I find the winter-spring transition the hardest one to make. How many layers should I wear? Tights or no tights? What colors are appropriate? To make this transition easier, I often wear neutrals with pops of color. My solution for today was to pair this dress with turquoise. The dress came with a matching skinny, tie belt. I decided to replace it with this wide brown belt with tortouise buckle.

Labels:
Dress - Merona
Turquiose cami - New York & Company
Heels - Carlos Santana
Necklace - some Target brand (I found it in the clearance bin)
Wooden bracelet - Ann Taylor Loft

Favorite skirt

This is my favorite skirt, the length and fit are perfect. It is starting to wear and I am on the lookout for a new, black pencil skirt but I haven't been able to find one that I like as much.



After selecting this outfit, I had a difficult time deciding which shoes to wear. I have a pair of green heels, but the color is wrong for this sweater. I decided on pink shoes and thought these went perfectly.





Labels:
Green cardigan - Ann Taylor Loft
Green Lace cami - Merona
Skirt with belt - Apt. 9
Shoes - Naughty Monkey
Pearls - gifted

Defying the Dress Code

My corporation has an archaic dress code. The dress code states that legs and feet must be covered. I inquired about this when I started and was told that bare legs aren't professional. Apparently sweatsuits, crocs, and flip flops fit the dress code, because that is what alot of people choose to wear despite the fact that they have meetings or escort visitors around the organization. Today is not unusaul. I often defy the dress code, leave the pantyhose/tights at home and defend that I look more professional than most of the people I work with.

Close up of necklace.

Labels:

Dress - Old Navy

Navy cami - New York & Company

Shoes - Oh Deer!

Necklace - Etsy

Watch - New York & Company

Seeing Spots

Polka dots are my favorite pattern. I can't get enough of them. I like the large polka dots in this blouse, although the cut of this blouse is not my favorite. I have this blouse for almost a year, yet this is only the second time I have worn it. It has an A-line shape which is flattering in a skirt, but not necessarily in a top. I tend to like tops that are cut closer to the body. Next time I will try belting it, but thought a belt would be too much with the jacket today.

Do you like my floral bracelet? It is really a pin that I attached to a hair tie in order to wear it on my wrist.







Labels:
Jacket - Ann Taylor Loft
Polka dot blouse - Newport News
Trousers - The Limited
Polka dot peep toes - Madden Girl
Red flower ring - Charlotte Russe
Red flower pin - The Limited

In the dark

I have no idea why this picture turned out so dark. We took several this morning and all turned out dark. I had alot of meetings today, so I wanted to dress comfortably. For me comfort = dress.

Labels:
Dress - New York & Company
Faux snake skin belt - Mossimo
Brown croc heels - Nine West
Short and long necklaces - New York & Company
Watch - New York & Company
Large bead ring - Etsy

Spring is (temporarily) here!

The high today is supposed to be 70 degrees so the occasion called for bare legs. I can't think of better weather to celebrate St. Patrick's day.

This is my "princess" pose. This is how the Disney princesses stand when being photographed with a guest.

Labels:
Black wrap top - Ann Taylor Loft
Pink tank - New York & Company
Python print skirt - New York & Company
Pink heels - Liz Claiborne
Necklace - Lia Sophia

These shoes are starting to fall apart, but they hold a special place in my heart. There were the first pair of non-neutral heels that I purchased. I love the color and the enlarged crocodile print.

Black and White

Last week the fabulous Kimberly posted a spulge-vs-steal version of a BCBG dress. After spotting the "steal" version I realized that I could recreate that outfit without purchasing a single item. So I shopped my closet and came up with a similar version.

Labels:
White ruffle blouse - New York & Company
Black eyelet skirt - Ann Taylor Loft
Silver loop necklace - Exhiliration
Zebra pumps - Steve Madden

I'm back (and with a tan)!

No, I did not fall off the face of the earth, I have been on vacation with my family. We went to DisneyWorld so that I could run the 2009 Inaugural Disney Princess Half-Marathon. I haven't yet figured out whether a trip to DisneyWorld is a vacation. I was so exhausted when we returned, I felt as if I needed a vacation after my vacation.
The race was good, I was glad that I ran in Disney at least once. The entire race takes place within Disney and we got to run through Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Since the parks are so spread out, most of the race is on access roads and there is not alot of crowd support outside of the parks. As you can guess from the title of the race, most of the entrants were women. The Expo prior to the race was fantastic and the finisher medal rocks! If anyone is interested in running a half-marathon, I would suggest running this one once.

Thank you to my friend (and fellow runner) Beth for making a guest appearance on my blog.

Me and Beth post-race (sporting our rockin' medals) and pre-salon appointment.

Our salon appointment was not what we expected. We had our hair and make-up done at the Bippidy Boppity Boutique in Disney. A word of warning, this salon should only be frequented by pre-pubescent girls. I should have known when I called to make the reservation and the receptionist told me they would have no princess dresses to fit us.

....And post-salon hair-style. There were only 3 to choose from: fairy-tale princess, diva princess and pop princess. I was a pop princess and Beth was a fairy-tale princess. Yes, I walked around DisneyWorld sporting this hair the rest of the day and evening. I am pretty sure that small children feared me. My 3 year-old daughter (diva princess) thought I was silly.

I referred to myself as the 6-foot troll since my hair reminded me of the popular collector items.

Bubbly

Not only is it Monday, but the temperature is in single digits. I wasn't feeling particulary "bubbly" this morning, so I decided to fake it by wearing this bubbly skirt. When I started this blog, I hadn't intended to regularly comment on the weather. However, it is winter in the MidWest and temperatures seem to fluctuate by tens of degrees day to day. Mother Nature has certainly made it difficult to dress this season.
After choosing this skirt this morning, I originally paired it with my black velvet blazer, but it seemed overly formal for work. I finally decided on this wrap tee. I rediscovered this shirt in my drawer recently and I have already worn it several times since.

Labels:
Wrap t-shirt - Ann Taylor Loft
Red tank - United Colors of Benetton
Bubbly skirt - Ann Klein
Argyle patterned tights - Ann Klein
Patent Leather Shoeties - Steve Madden
Silver earrings - New York & Company

Necklace - The Limited
Red bead bracelets - Ann Taylor Loft