OOTD: Playing dress-up

Given that it is almost NYE and we are embarking on a new year, I thought my outfits should reflect that. While I really only wore this around the house today (don't make fun.), I did actually wear this for my husband's 32nd birthday at a cute little Parisian bistro down the street from us.

(p.s., saying my husband just turned 32 makes me feel a little old, especially when I was casually told by a peer at school that 30s are "actually middle-aged." Vom.)

 Dress: F21/Twelve by Twelve (maybe still in stores)

Blazer: Remain Paul strong shoulder jacket (here)

Belt: F21 bow belt

Shoes: Sam Edelman Niland (here-- the most comfy heels ever!)

Bracelet: Tom Binns Alice in Wonderland bracelet (here!)

Aaaannnywho. About the outfit. The dress was a great find at F21, especially because I have struck out with them lately. Nothing has really caught my eye, save for this little dress. I have been into lace recently and really like the chic and uber-feminine style of this. The jacket was a great purchase because I was dying for a new black blazer (I think I had a blazer in every color except for black, until now). How cute are the tuxedo-esque details? My bow belt is sort of my bow tie replacement, methinks. :)  Re: the bracelet-- I'll show it in more detail in another outfit soon because it's just the coolest thing ever, but this is all ya get right now. (it was my Christmas present from hubs!)

OOTD: pretty pastels.

First thing's first: Thanks to a helpful reminder from Ms. EHayes, who knew I've been thinking about getting a pair of J Brand Lovestorys, I stalked the J Brand Gilt sale this morning and clicked CHECK OUT as soon as the size 27 in Falcon dark wash could make it in my cart. Done! I'm excited to try them, although I'm a tad worried since I've only ever owned the pencil leg in Ink (which I did not like because the denim was super stiff). But for the price ($59, woah), I had to get them while I could. I'll for sure do a review when they come, which is looking like it might be as much as one month from now (sucky sample sale turnaround). Yippee, hooray!

I've been really good about outfit posts lately, and I think it's partially because I don't have all that much else to blog about. I've done a lot of shopping recently, including uber-crazy house shopping, so wish-lists seem a bit excessive at the moment. I'm sure the shopping bug will hit full-force again soon, but right now I have a "content-ness" with my closet, which is a rare inner peace for me. Heh. So, if anyone would like to see something on my blog-- whether it be style requests, how-to's on trends, what have you-- shout it out now. Otherwise, I'm going to stay un-creative and post more pictures of me, me, me. Sorry. :)

Top: DvF silk blouse in Budding Roses (still available here)

Jacket: Zara basics blazer in blush

Jeans: Rich and Skinny Sleek jeans in black wash (same style here, on sale)

Shoes: JS Cedary sandals

Necklace: Anthro's Stormy Seas necklace in amber colorway

Frankly? It's way to effin' hot in Dallas to seriously wear this, but my office is always way too cold (I have a space heater on daily), so it's ok for work. This pastel color combo is a little strange at first... the yellow, pink, teal and amber-orange I've got goin' on seems a bit much, but it then tends to blend together a bit to create a more cohesive look, probably because of the lightness of the palate. And I think I like it. I really think that necklace could go with just about every color because it tends to take on whatever is underneath it nicely. Plus, it's that blazer. I heart it and would wear it with a paper bag under it if I had to. :)  Hey, I told you I would find a way to fit the sleeves of this blouse under it! Heh.

OOTD: "Ikat" of the Tiger.

Ha! Get it?! Like that awesome (coughSARCASTICcough) song Eye of the Tiger? Grrr, baby. :)

(...and Happy Mother's Day!!)

Although I was greatly fooled by what I thought was a gift from the gods (namely, the Intermix coupon that ended up having more strings attached than I expected), I looked cute on my shopping trip Saturday! It wasn't all bad-- if you read my post from earlier, you'll see I took advantage of the ever-tempting Neiman Marcus Pre-sale event. Ladies, this is a killer. Do not go unless you plan on dropping dough. I rarely go in to Neiman's, but when I do, it always seems like pre-sale time and I always leave with a new credit card bill (hate they don't take Visa debit). Plus, the SA was cute and I recognized her from my retail days (she worked across the street from me at an adorable boutique that has since closed). We had a nice long talk about what a shame it is they don't carry Geren Ford at Neiman's (we were both wearing GF). Speaking of:

Top: Geren Ford Tiger Ikat overlap tank

Blazer: Zara Basics blush blazer

Jeans: Hudson signature bootcuts

Shoes: Charles by Charles David reptile wedges

Necklace: Flavanilla (etsy)

This top was actually a part of my Friends and Family loot at Shopbop and I snagged the last one (though it's still available at Intermix and Geren Ford's site). That always makes it more special, right? I love this top so much. When I saw that pattern I knew it would be the perfect way to marry the feminine aesthetic I gravitate towards with the tribal trend that is "in" for spring/summer. Plus, it looks great with my new Zara blazer (which sadly hides the back of this top. I'll save that for another time). I have been looking for a tailored blazer for a while now and wanted one in white or black. But. I spotted this pretty blush color and couldn't resist. It fits me wonderfully and has a great weight to it-- I think it will work for most of the year despite the springtime hue. I love when pieces are pretty and special enough to be worn without a lot of adornment or extras, so all this called for was my "Love" necklace and I was out the door. I'd say it was a great Saturday, even counting the sad news about my strings-attached coupon. Win some, lose some.

OOTD: the cure for the common block

I'm having a blogger's block today. I just can't decide what to post on... that's why you get to see what I wore to work today. Yay! No thought required. :)

 

 

 

Blazer: eShakti custom tailored jacket

Top: F21 teal ruffle front tank

Skirt: F21 leopard print pencil skirt

Shoes: Steve Madden Tristanos

Necklace: F21 teardrop necklace (the Anthro copycat)

Purse: Coach circa 2007?

Don't usually do the purse-thing in the photos (mostly because I am a strange girl and really don't have a "purse thing"), but I figured it's the pop of color I need to add to these OOTD posts, and hell, I never have anything to do with my hands except for placing them upon my hips like I (and everyone else) always seem to do. Oh, wait, still some arm-to-hip placement in the last one. Oh well. :)

Also, I've put most of my items from the blog sale up on eBay. Didn't seem to get the interest I hoped for, so I suppose it's the tried-and-true method for me from now on. Just in case your interested, my seller name is justinelise. Check it out if you're so inclined!

OOTD: Feeling Catty

(Please excuse nail polish issues... it's all chipped and I'm lazy and whaaateeeeever.)

I own so much animal print but rarely wear it. It's quite a predicament. Sometimes I think I like to just look at it. Take the tunic dress below.... I've worn it maybe one or two times, but I just love it. I won't get rid of it because it's pretty, but I never actually put it on. So enough's enough today. I decided to bring 'er out.

Blazer: Viridian Blazer by ModCloth

Dress: F21 Leopard print tunic

It's quite a simple outfit for today, lovies, but it satisfied my cat-like instincts. Which is good. Because the hubs is allergic to the real thing.

Saturday night OOTD

I actually would like to change that to OOTN, outfit of the night. I did wear something different this afternoon, but now I'm wishing I hadn't-- I totally love this look! What do you think?

Blazer: purple velvet by Symmetry
Top: F21 floral teal top
Jeans: Hudsons (the one and only jean brand for me!)
Necklace: Francesca's boutique
Shoes: Nine west dual metallic shoe (see below)

The heel is silver! I love mixing metallics.

You can see the top better here....


...and the blazer/necklace here.

I love this blazer because it is very rare that I can wear it. The weather has to be just right--fall, given the material; cool, given the heaviness of it; and still warm-ish, since it's short sleeved. Ooouufff. But tonight is the night, lovies! :) And I looooove the mix of light pink, teal, and this deep burgandy/purple. My favorite thing is playing with color and texture in an outfit. I've learned that neutrals go beyond black, brown and white. And deep jewel tones can be mixed with a myriad of other colors! I mean, within reason, obiv. Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend full of wonderousness and love and joy. Awwwww. Heh.

New F21 Items came in!!! Review!

OK lovies, here's the deal. I'm going to review the items I'm keeping from my recent splurge (because uploading on to Blogger sucks). To note, the items I'm returning, honestly, aren't because I didn't think they fit well, or were of bad quality- I'm returning them because I don't need them or won't really wear them based on my taste. So, to summarize: F21 CAN DO NO WRONG.

(ok that's false. But I really have come to love them lately!! And look how cute the following items are!)

First, the canvas textured knit sweater. I liked this a lot, but I'm actually still on the fence about it. The canvas-esque fabric is very soft and it fit well enough to wear with a slim tank or a thin sweater. I think I might have something similar enough to return it. But oh, the PEPLUM! Love.

Next, the Parlor Tunic Sweater. This is for sure a keeper. You can tell in the second picture, which you couldn't in the first or online, that it has SPARKLES. yes. OK. Great fall colors, again very soft material, versatile, and oh-so MINEMINEMINE. sorry.

Then there's the Striped Cinched Sleeved Jacket, which looks as cute on as it does online. Pretty true to the website picture. I like it, but either this or the black parlor jacket is going back. What do you think???

Now for the Animal Printed 3/4 jacket. OMG. Love. Seriously guys, so cute on, and I just love leopard print done tastefully for the Fall. To me, two things say Fall-- purple, and ANIMAL PRINT. So I know it sounds tacky, but you can't tell me this print is tacky. It is adorable.

Umm, can you tell I love it? Heh.

And finally, this is an outfit I put together yesterday from a recent trip to my local F21. (yeah no, not addicted or anything.) I love this look. Especially because the top was $8.80 and the skirt was $10.80. This outfit seriously cost me less than $100. That's the style I like! :) And it's perrrrrrfect for mambo taxis (aka best drink EVAH) in the West Village for happy hour.

Uhh, yeah. Leopard print AGAIN. :) And sorry about the grown-out-bangs-in-eye look. Ugh.

So help me out here, lovies. Which of those blazers (striped vs. peplum) shall I keep? I'm just not sure... Help!!

Obsessions du jour

I think I'll kick off my first real post with some current obsessions of mine. (Then maybe I'll tell you more about me, but I like to be mysterious. So we'll see. Heh.)

This is the time of year when I start getting sick of summer and I'm looking ahead to Fall. However, this is a problem for me, lovies. Because I live in Dallas. And it's hot as hell. And my lanky arms won't be seeing a sweater until Christmas time (if I'm lucky). But I've never been one to care about my comfort when it comes to fashion, no-no-no. I am loving Fall blazers right now, and I plan to get my hands on one soon. Like this weekend soon. Here are some options from the ever-amazing Anthropologie.

I just love this color... it's like a marigold, and its made out of that super soft slub that has been so hot (ahem, I don't mean sweaty hot... though I suspect I will be if wearing anytime soon) for some time. Moto-jacket? Yes, please. Plus, I'm really not a leather girl. I could be if I tried, I suppose, but it's just too expensive (and the fake stuff can look just that... fake). Perfect Fall jacket, I do believe. Or....

OK, I love this one, too! Grey is versatile, and this jacket really looks like it could be paired with almost anything. And bows... oh, bows. I love you. A cinched waist helps me a lot (I'm a bit of a stick with no curves), and the zipper is no-fuss. But, reviews say it wrinkles a lot. Hmm. Do I mind wrinkles? I don't know. Am I indecisive? Yes... and there are more options. Here's another:

Purple! Oh how I love me some purple (color of my wedding... basically the only color. P.s., this leads me to a tangent: for any of those who have ever gotten married, are you not totally frustrated by the question, "So what are your colors?" like you need 15 of them. Purple is just fine, ok?! sorry.). And ruffles... I have two (going on three) of the same exact sweater (in black and tan) that I wear alllll the time that have pretty, dainty ruffles down the front. I need more ruffles. And the one to throw them allllll off? Get'a load of this baby-->

I have to confess to you, my lovies. I am a trend WHORE. Self-proclaimed, will-work-for-fashion, trend slut. I've tried all my life to buy classic pieces (trench, button down shirt, little black dress), but I sadly own none. So this jacket is almost definitely going to be in my Fall repertoire, even though a consignment shop may see her in 2 years. Bleh. Whatever.

But for those of you who see this post (hello?! hellloooo?), what do you think? I have to pick one (for now), so who's the winner? And if I hear echoes, I'll still be sure to let ya'll know what happens. 'Cuz I'm nice like that.