The Fab Life

Double Stripes

June 12, 2013

Apparently I was going through stripe withdrawal this morning since I chose to wear two striped shirts today(and will admit that I briefly contemplated a striped skirt but figured I didn’t need to be dubbed crazy stripe lady or something). I couldn’t stop thinking of the old Doublemint commercial, “double your pleasure, double your fun.” You know, double the stripes, double the fun…right? The day was looking brighter than it had all week but my office is still freezing, hence the long sleeves which I could roll up if I had to. I wanted to wear navy pants with this (again) but I wore navy pants yesterday so the skirt it was. I realized that one of my wardrobe holes is a good navy cotton pencil skirt so I’m on the hunt for that now as well as a new natural colored cotton pencil skirt.

Sweater, skirt (similar here) | J.Crew, Blouse | J.Crew Factory, Shoes | Nine West (here – on sale!)

And yes, I have another pair of pointy-toe bow flats. So what? I can’t turn down a good pair of bows. I probably could have used one more swipe with the iron but these skirts are usually done for after a day at a desk. So, what do you think – too many stripes? Could I have swung the skirt too? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

J.Crew Martina Suede Wedges

June 11, 2013

In an effort to build my collection of non-black shoes, I ordered the J.Crew Martina suede wedges in bright pomegranate during a recent 30% off sale promotion. I don’t own any pairs of orange shoes and something about these shoes were attractive to me. I also don’t own a lot of wedges. I think I’ve often found my legs look funny in them and I prefer the look of regular heels, however, the few pairs of wedges I do own I find to be very comfortable. The website photo to me read more papaya than pomegranate but after seeing the Cece suede flats on Audreybella’s blog here, I knew I was in for some bright orange shoes. That’s ok though, I can do bright.

Well. They arrived last week and straight out of the box it was love at first sight. They fit perfectly, and are oh so comfortable. Granted, I haven’t gone a full day in these yet, but my inner fashion voice tells me that these will be comfortable. I went right to the website to look at how many different colors are currently being offered (many still regular price) and I know there is also a patent version which I think need to be on my list (even if they are black). I had a pair of black patent wedges from Nine West that died a pretty quick death so I will not be revisiting those for a replacement pair.

Aren’t they pretty? I have to say I’ve never seen a pomegranate this color, and I think perhaps the color-naming gods at J.Crew must have their fruits confused. These are definitely tangerine. I was hoping for papaya but they’re really just flat out orange. No toe cleavage as you can see. I took my usual 1/2 size up in J.Crew shoes in these (9.5).

The online product description lists a 3 inch heel. There’s no platform in the toe area, but regardless, they are incredibly comfortable. The product description also lists a cushioned toe-bed which I can totally buy.

No full leg shots since I think I’m probably wearing gym shorts with these but they don’t make my legs look horrible. I also don’t mind the orange with my pale skin. I’m on a bit of a coral/orange kick this season and I will probably be pairing these with the obvious navy, as well as other more adventurous colors like bright pink and purple (my staples). I wish I had more reason to wear them because they are pretty fab shoes. I’m already figuring out what color I need next. After I plan all the fun outfits I can pull off with these shoes of course…

I’m obviously not wearing the cherry blossom capris and the waterfloral tank together, but I was glad to see I have a few other bright options for the shoes other than basic navy. I will certainly be planning several outfits around these shoes soon, as soon as I make sure they’re safely protected from the elements. So, what do you think? Do you have these shoes? Love them or not so much? 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!

Fab ‘on Location’ – Everly Debut

June 9, 2013

This past Saturday night was what my girlfriends and I call ‘Fab on Location’… also known as…girls’ night out! Dinner, a theater show and drinks – a perfect excuse to wear my new J.Crew Everly Mirror Metallic Pumps. My goal for the evening was to create an outfit centering on these shoes. Cooler than usual June temps meant I could work in a jacket so here’s where I ended up:

The details: Jacket | Forever 21, Top, Jeans (old), Shoes | J.Crew

Not gonna lie, I’m totally in love with this outfit. I always struggle a bit more with my casual outfits than my work outfits, since I feel I have a much more robust work wardrobe. So when I pull together a fab outfit for going out, I am pretty proud of myself. The peplum top has been a staple for me these past few months in terms of “going out” ensembles. And score for finding a cute jacket at Forever 21 that actually fits me. For $22, I couldn’t go wrong. I bought one in ivory too.

So, these shoes. I’m in looove. But by the end of the night, my feet didn’t love me and lucky for me and my random shoe hoarding, I had a pair of silver flats stashed in my trunk that came out for the final round of drinks for the evening. I would have suffered through if I didn’t have flats, because that’s what fab girls do, right? So, what do you think? Do you find you have more luck putting work outfits together or casual outfits? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

Rainy Day Dots

June 6, 2013

Today was one of those miserable rainy days where I wished all day that I was home in my pjs reading a good book or working on my latest writing project. But alas, off to work I go. At least I could wear some bright dahlia pants to keep it bright. These aren’t J.Crew, they’re Ann Taylor from last year, but the color is spot on to the J.Crew bright dahlia colorway. Pants this bright need some neutrals and I’m still working on new pairings for the J.Crew Factory Linen-Cotton Polka-Dot Popover. I seem to love it with the Factory Classic button-down in dotted chambray since that’s the only way I’ve styled it so far.

I didn’t feel like wearing rain boots today so I had to opt for a rain-safe shoe, and the J.Crew Factory Emery flats fit the bill. They got soaked to and from lunch and did alright drying out. I really wish these shoes were more comfortable but they’re just not. They just about make it through a workday and then I’m done with them. But I can’t stop wearing them. So, what do you think? Do you try and brighten up rainy days with your wardrobe? Would love to hear what you think 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!