The First Post After the Prolonged Absence...

OK all, I have been a bad blogger since I moved, but in my own defense (1) we got hit by the snowiest winter in DC-area history (which doesn't seem to be quite finished yet!), (2) we moved -- and the room where the computer lives now is totally freezing, so it's tougher to motivate myself to go down there, (3) my commute is a little longer now (and I have been extremely busy these last few weeks outside of work too) so there's less free time when I get home...
I could go on, but I sense that you're not here for excuses, you're here for photos.
At least there, I can help you out! See, while I may not have posted during the hiatus, I did at least remember to snap photos during a few of those days.
So prepare for a seriously long post, full of lots of outfit piccies!!

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Top: NY&Co
Vest: H&M
Capris: Torrid
Boots: Ros Hommerson
Necklace and Bracelet: Claire's
Earrings: a stand in the mall

Remember how I told you that the outfit I ended up wearing on Go Red for Women day wasn't the one I planned on wearing? Well ladies and germs, *this* is the outfit I had planned on wearing -- only I didn't end up wearing it until last week on Tuesday. Better late than never, right?

(no detail shots for this one, I'm afraid, as I just completely forgot!)

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Black Cardi: NY&Co
Top: Forever 21, altered
Pants: Lane Bryant
Shoes: thrifted
Necklace and Earrings: gift from fiance
Bangles: thrifted

This outfit was worn on Wednesday of last week.
I was following Kimberly's Inspiration Calendar, which that day called for "Black and Tan." I apparently have a severe lack of tan in my closet, so I opted for cream instead. I love the pattern on this top, but the straps make it extremely work inappropriate. It sadly had never dawned on me before to wear it under a cardi, thus rendering the straps irrelevant. I was super-happy to be able to get more use out of this top, since I bought it against my better judgment and put extra money into it by having it altered (when I bought it, it was about a FOOT longer in the back than in the front -- WHY F21??)
In the end, I really loved this look.

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Tshirt: 2 Skinnee J's concert
Dance Pants: Champion
Dance Sneakers (not pictured): Capezio

As some of you may recall reading, I am a member of a dance team. I have been a dancer since I was 2 1/2 years old. I grew up doing mostly jazz, but throughout my life I have also done tap, ballet, poms, modern, hip-hop...you name it! I blame college (and thus quitting dance for 4+ years) for the huge change in my body.
A year ago, a friend asked me to audition for an adult hip-hop team run by another gal we knew. We expected it to be fairly basic -- after all, we are OLD now -- but no such luck! We are pushed pretty hard each week, and this team is serious! And just to make it that much tougher, our coach has us perform with the high school gals. But so far, we have competed twice, and won first place twice. Yay!
Anywho, this is the kind of getup I wear to practice -- baggy tshirt, dance pants, dance sneakers. Nothing exciting, but I figured it would be fun to show you something other than a work outfit!

(bonus points to anyone who has heard of and loves 2 Skinnee J's as much as i do!)

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Top: Nordstrom Rack
Skirt: thrifted
Olive Green Tights: We Love Colors
Shoes: thrifted
Necklace very old, JC Penney's?
Earrings: Claire's

As you know, we just moved about a month ago. My favorite part? Finding out the there is a Nordstrom Rack just minutes from our new house! I have already dragged dear fiance there twice, and this top was one of the items I scored there.
It's tough to tell in these pictures (I still need to find a place to take some outdoor photos at the new house!) but these tights are actually an olive green. I was unsure about pairing the green tights with the teal shoes, but since both colors are in the top and the rest of the outfit is grounded with black, I felt ok with it. and I love it! (This outfit was worn last week on Thursday.)

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Navy Dress: swapped
Floral Shirt: thrifted
Burgundy Tights: We Love Colors
Shoes: NickelsSoft, swapped
Earrings: Laila Rowe

I had a really great outfit that I wore last week on Friday, but alas, I got no pictures of it. Perhaps I shall recreate it, just for posting purposes.
The reason that I was unable to snap a photo for you was because I left straight from work to go to Atlantic City with my dance team (for the second competition, discussed above). We were there for the whole weekend, only to return Sunday night with another practice! So alas, no outfit shots for you until Monday (aka yesterday).

I was feeling really tired and lazy Sunday night, so I didn't feel like picking out my outfit. I charged dear fiance with this task -- surprisingly, I think he is actually the more "fashionable" one of the two of us, so I really like getting his opinion on my outfits!
The first thing he pulled out was this top, which I'm not sure I've ever actually worn. I got it on a thrifting trip and wasn't completely sure about it, but it was cheap so a grabbed it. I half expected him to pull it out only to crack a joke about it, but it turns out he really liked it and wanted to style the outfit around it.
I helped him out a little by pointing out items I thought might work with it, but he made the final choices. The only thing I added was a pair of tights, but I let him choose which ones I wore. Hand-down burgundy, he told me.

Personally, I would have liked to have added a belt, since I think the outfit needs some definition at the waist, but overall, I think he did a good job!

Have you ever let your significant other pick out your outfit for you?

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Turtleneck: H&M
Pants: thrifted
Shoes: thrifted
Necklace and Earrings: Laila Rowe

Finally, we come to today. I normally don't have time to take outfit photos in the morning but (1) I was running early this morning and (2) I knew I was going to whip up this post at work today, so I decided to sneak today's pictures in so I wouldn't end up a day behind.

This isn't the most exciting outfit, in fact color-wise, it is all neutrals. But there are some details in the outfit that I think make it not-so-boring.
(1) The pants have a windowpane pattern on them that isn't showing up in the photos.
(2) I mixed my brown-toned neutrals by mixing chocolate, khaki, and orange-brown all in the same outfit. I think this makes for a richer color palette.
(3) The necklace. I am absolutely in love with it. While the necklace itself really does just come off as silver, there are little hints for pale green, aqua blue, and milky white going on in there. Not enough IMHO to constitute actual color, but enough to lighten up the dark sweater and break up the great expanse of brown.

This idea of wearing a non-boring all-neutral outfit is something that Rose has been talking about over on her blog.

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*whew!*
well, there you have it -- all caught up!
On my honor, I will try never again to let so much time go by without regular updates!