outfits

Old and New

June 24, 2013

After hitting up the weekend’s crazy stacked promotion sale at J.Crew I was excited to finally own the Color Collage Statement Necklace (that I paid $42 for…on sale from $165…yahoo!). This necklace is an amazing assortment of bright colors and it will integrate well in my pink and purple heavy wardrobe. I decided to pair it with the raindrop lace top which I love but always seem to have trouble doing more than just a color block match with it and well, my lattice print cafe capris from 2008 were a perfect way to not do a simple color block. Top it off with the silver Everlys which are feeling much better on my feet after stretching them out a bit and I had probably one of my favorite outfits of the summer so far. Well, at least of June. I wish I’d had the foresight to purchase multiple pairs of capris from the year I accidentally bought a larger size than I needed in these capris…while I’d still love to be the size I was in 2008, I’m not, and having these pants make it a little better. I like how they’re not as slim cut as the ones that are out now, they are a bit more forgiving on my shape.

Let’s admire the close up of everything …which turned out much more vibrant than my morning sun-exposed shots. One of these days I’ll figure that out. Or get someone to take photos of me full time. Back to the outfit. I can’t even explain how much I love this necklace. And these pants. And these shoes. Got it?

So, what say you? Do you have older clothing items that work with more current pieces? Obviously 2008 isn’t old but in my fashion timeline I guess it is. Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

When in Doubt…

June 23, 2013

Dress up! I’ve always been one of those girls where I do much better dressing up than dressing down. Perhaps it was spending 12 years in Catholic school in a skirt and dress shoes, or perhaps it’s just me. I had one of those nights Friday night where my closet looked like it threw up on my bed in hopes of trying to find an outfit just to wear out for a casual dinner. I ended up in a dress. I must have had some carryover on Saturday when trying to decide on an outfit for my nephew’s 5th birthday party (complete with reptiles). I tried to keep the dress a bit more casual with some basic sandals but I needed to kick it up somehow so went for the Fan Fringe necklace and a hot pink belt.

This is the J.Crew Factory lace Cora dress in which is their version of the retail Lucille Dress from last year. I’ve seen mixed reviews on this dress but I had good luck with this lace version. I did not have good luck with the Factory cotton sateen version, but I already have the Lucille from last year so it was probably just as well. The dress definitely looks better with a belt, it loses a bit of it’s shape without it. I’ve already worn it to work with flats and a cardigan so I think it will be a solid summer staple and it’s on the short list to bring on vacation as well. The lace on the dress is subtle so doesn’t read overly dressy in my opinion. So there you have it, another weekend outfit. How about you…do you prefer to dress up or down? Would love to hear your comments and thanks for visiting!

Flowers, Dots and Bows

June 20, 2013

I’m not sure how exactly this outfit came together, but after seeing this cute polka-dotted blouse on Forever 21’s website, I had to try it out. As I said before, I don’t often have the time to scour the store but I took a chance with this blouse and was pleased with the outcome (and the price!). Well, then came what to pair it with…for some reason I was drawn to the J.Crew watercolor floral skirt and even though they don’t really match, I think they at least coordinate. Which is good enough for me. Toss in my Contessa Snakeskin Bow pumps and the J.Crew Factory flower fringe necklace and I was good to go. I actually picked out this outfit a few weeks ago and stuck the blouse/skirt combo in my closet hanging together and sort of forgot about it. I was grateful for the pairing when I was at a loss for what to wear this morning (shocker) and re-discovered the pair in my closet. I was out late last night outlet shopping so didn’t take my usual time planning my next day’s outfit (outlet purchases coming soon!)

I love this skirt but I’ll admit I only wear it a few times a season since I’ve always had difficulty pairing it with tops. Which is probably why I just went nuts with this idea. This skirt makes me wish there were better cotton printed pencil skirts this season from J.Crew! I’m already scheming a new outfit for the blouse as well. So, what do you think? A little too much or does it all work? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

I’m also thrilled to say I linked up with Mix and Match Fashion this week for “What I Wore to Work!”

To Belt or not to Belt

June 18, 2013

Ever since I paired my new J.Crew Martina Suede Wedges with a purple blouse in last week’s review, I’ve been wanting to wear this combination. Originally I thought I would pair my royal purple Factory Blythe blouse with my blue/orange J.Crew Factory paisley pencil skirt; but after further thought I kind of wanted to break up the colors a bit so opted for my J.Crew Ponte Peplum top. And then added my J.Crew-inspired fan fringe necklace (via Groopdealz) to tie all of the colors in nicely. Once I had the outfit on and was taking pics, I found the ivory peplum just got lost with the skirt and my waist also went poof with the whole look. Not quite the fab I was going for this morning.

What a difference a belt makes, right?? I certainly didn’t dislike this top before, and I wear it a decent amount with pants, but wow, I think I’ll take the belt in the future. The cardigan is J.Crew Factory’s version of the Jackie cardigan – the Clare Cardigan in Byzantine Blue. The perfect match to this paisley skirt! Oh, and these Martina wedges – if I wasn’t in love before, now I’m smitten after a full work day of walking around and they barely felt like I had heels on. I need a neutral color in these soon. Or more outfits that incorporate these orange beauties.

Closeup of the skirt and necklace…gorgeous, right?

So what do you think – the belt makes a difference right? Amazing sometimes how adding just a few key clothing items can completely change an outfit. It’s all in the details! Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

Feather Paisley + Cap-Toed Cork

June 10, 2013

Another rainy day…and a Monday no less! Today’s outfit started with these cap-toed cork flats, which I scored at TJ Maxx last week (Kenneth Cole Reaction). I can take or leave the cork trend this season but I knew these shoes would go with several things in my closet. I paired my J.Crew feather paisley skirt from several seasons ago with my new J.Crew silk short-sleeve blouse in dried papaya and J.Crew inspired beaded rose necklace from Groopdealz. I’m loving the silk blouse – which I completely didn’t realize is just a short-sleeve version of the J.Crew Talitha blouse (or boat blouse) from last year that I have and love and wear all the time. I would have ordered it earlier (and in more colors!) if I had known that this was the same blouse. But this color isn’t a color I have much of in my wardrobe so I was glad to find a popback on sale in my size.

The blouse and skirt alone were a bit more orange than I’m used to and knowing it would be cold at work, I added my J.Crew featherweight cashmere cardigan in navy and I think it pulled together nicely.

Here’s the details:

Don’t mind my poor beat up feet…trying to break in a pair of Born flops for vacation later this summer and that was the result. More bright colors for a rainy day…would love to hear what you think of the outfit and thanks for visiting!

Paisley and Neon

June 5, 2013

Yes, I know. More neon. But I’ve gone three whole days this week with no stripes, so I’ll take the victories where I can get them 🙂 This morning I was very glad I had planned my outfit ahead since I had to be up much earlier for work than usual. Which is probably why my photo isn’t very clear since it was pre-7AM when I took this photo.

I don’t have a lot else to say about this except hooray for my skirts being back from the tailor – I got an extra inch of length (at least) on all of them and I’m feeling much more comfortable in them. The photo doesn’t do this J.Crew Factory skirt justice. I love the colors in it and liked finding something new to pair my J.Crew Mila cap-toe flats with. I know, I’ve been loving the Tippi/Tilda combo but I can’t help it! Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!