I Love it When a Plan Comes Together...

First up, thanks to all of you who have sent good vibes, prayers, and well-wishes out to my dad. I am happy to report that he is now home and recovering. Aside from being basically malnourished and dehydrated (he REALLY doesn't take proper care of himself) the reason he couldn't walk was attributed to "neurological neuropathy from acute spinal arthritis." He spent a week and a half in the rehab section of a nursing home and has not only graduated to using a walker, but he is moving walker-free around the house! He only needs the walker for longer outings.
Needless to say, I am SO RELIEVED about his progress.

Now, onto something more frivolous: clothes!!



Blouse: Heritage 1981 via Reddz Trading
Cardi: Target
Pants: Marshall's?
Shoes: Aeropostale
Cami: Kohl's
Earrings: I forgot earrings! oh no!!

Closeup:


I really love it when I throw on an outfit with little effort and minimal accessorizing and it turns out looking put-together and polished. (Though, after looking at these photos, I think I have made the decision to always wear my nude cami under this top, instead of white.)
I am totally in love with this new-to-me blouse. I love the reddish-coral color (which also happens to be big for spring/summer) and I love that it has not one, but 2 shades of blue in it (aqua and true-blue) so it pairs so beautifully with this aqua cardi. I also love the dainty pleats up near the neckline.

Tonight I am going to my second-ever blogger meetup.
Just two months ago, I attended my first meetup, where I got to meet the lovely Allie of Wardrobe Oxygen, and I also met a handful of new-to-me DC-area bloggers.
I am looking forward to seeing some of these gorgeous gals again tonight and hopefully meeting a few more new-to-me blogs. I love expanding my personal blogosphere! (Of course, being the ever-responsible blogger that I am, I totally forgot to bring my camera today. Oh well -- I'm sure there will be plenty of photos to be shared!)
So ladies, if you are a DC-area fashion or beauty blogger (or heck, even if you don't have your own blog, but want to be in on some DC-area fashion and beauty happenings), check out the newly-launched DC FABB site. There is a link to a list of other DC-area bloggers as well as a tab that lists upcoming meetups and events.

I got a new dress...

I got a new dress! I got a new dress!



Dress: Kmart
Shoes: Vera Wang for Kohls
Cami: Old Navy
Earrings: Claires
Necklace: made by me

Closeup:


Let's jump in the WAY BACK machine for a moment and look at the stuff I was wearing a year ago. OK, i didn't have this blog back then, but trust me, a year ago, dresses and skirts were NOT my go-to look mid summer. Not loving the weight I am carrying these days, last summer I would wear skirts and dresses only on the absolute hottest days, instead preferring to cover myself as much as possible and suffer the consequences (aka sweat and stinkiness).
Seriously, y'all -- what was I thinking?!

This year, I have pulled my head out of my arse and invested as much as I can in skirts and dresses. They are FAR more comfortable, and frankly, much more flattering on my figure! Plus, it's a whole outfit in just a piece or two -- couldn't be easier.

I scored this little number for just a song at Kmart last week. Kmart is one of those stores I wouldn't have thought to look in for clothes, since in my mind they aren't even on-par with other similar retail chains. But I have seen several other of you ladies sporting really awesome pieces you found at Kmart, so when dear fiance and I were there the other day, I decided to pop my head into the clothing section, and I'm glad I did! This little ditty was just a mere $15, and I also snagged a top for only $10. (I'm sure the top will be making an appearance soon.)

This dress does have a self-tie that I would like to remove, but I need to take a closer look before hacking away. I am not skilled at all at sewing -- or even un-sewing, since that's what removing pieces would be! I'm hoping to take a class somewhere (maybe AFTER the wedding) so I can know how to do basic stuff like hemming things and maybe even creating basic little pieces like the ones I have seen other bloggers wear. My mind is creative, so I would love to know how to do this stuff!

Inspired by: Hillary...

When I put this outfit together, I wasn't intending to channel another blogger. I was simply standing in my closet, holding pieces next to each other until I felt like an outfit was born. When I held the vest beside this blouse, I knew they would be great together, and I knew balancing out the fitted upper-half with a poofy skirt would be a great look.



Blouse: Zara
Vest: H&M
Skirt: Gadzooks
Shoes: Vera Wang for Kohls
Ring: Laila Rowe
Earrings: Claires

Closeup:


So, as I said, when I pulled this combo together, I knew I had a winner, but there was something nagging at me that I just couldn't quite put my finger on until I actually put the outfit on the next morning. This outfit totally screamed Hillary to me. Poofy sleeves, check. Top nipped in at the waist, check. A skirt that just makes you want to twirl, check. Hillary is a master of this look.
I felt that to truly conjure Hillary, I should have added a long necklace, but none of the ones I have fell right with the vest. Instead, I threw on a slightly funky ring, of which she has several. (I used to wear mine a lot more often, but ever since becoming engaged last year and wearing a rather flashy engagement ring every day, I haven't felt quite right sporting a fun ring anymore. Hopefully when I'm more used to wearing the e-ring every day it will fade into the background and my beloved fun-ring collection can come out of hiding again...)

Dress Your Best: The Girls...

Day 3 outfit for the Dress Your Best Challenge:



Dress: H&M
Shoes: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Belt: TJ Maxx
Earrings: Claire's
Necklace: made by me

Closeup:



Sal always says that cleavage is never, ever, ever appropriate for the workplace. And 99.9% of the time, I agree.
However, on a day when I am celebrating the girls, I decided to go for it.
Normally I would wear a cami beneath the dress, but I knew I had no meetings today and wouldn't be interacting with clients. For just sitting at my desk, I figured I could deal with a little cleavage.
Of course, when I went to my hair appointment later, my hair dresser told me I was dressed like a St. Pauli girl, and the poor college kid sitting in her chair before me couldn't look me in the eye on his way out.
Oopsie!
But I guess that attests to just how awesome my ta-tas are!

I don't have amazingly huge breasts. I wear a B-cup, and sometimes I don't even fill that out. When I was younger, I absolutely despised my flat chest, and was mortified to have to go to a bra fitting. I remember being 11 years old, and my dance teacher told my mother it was about that time, as the studio was cold, and well, you know... I just never saw the point of needing a bra when I had nothing for it to hold up.
Then I discovered padded bras. Something that would GIVE me a little something up there. For several years, padded bras were my savior!
Fast forward to recent years, when I have put on some weight, and wow! The first place it went was to my chest! As I said before, I still don't have the kind of knockers that are gonna rival Dolly Parton. But in being smaller boobies, they have stayed seriously perky over the years, and mine are still right up there where they started while several friends' larger gals are already heading south.
Mine are like goldilocks and the three bears -- not too big, not too small... but just right.

May the Winds of Destiny Carry You Aloft to Dance With the Stars...

I have coveted this cardi ever since I first saw Hillary wearing it. Gray has quickly because my favorite neutral-of-choice, and I absolutely love the floaty petals.



Top: Marshall's?
Cardi: Loft
Skirt: NY&Co
Shoes: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Earrings: Laila Rowe

Closeup:


I haven't worn this skirt in a while because I had it in my mind that it had gotten too snug and was uncomfortable. However, after buying this cardigan at Loft's amazing sale over the weekend, I thought the softness of the sweater and the kinda-sorta edginess of the snakeprint in the skirt would be a perfect pairing. Surprisingly, when I put the skirt on, no snugness at all!
I wonder why I had that in my mind.
Does that ever happen to you?

Cherry Blossom...

This is my first time wearing this dress, which I absolutely love. How fun that the splotches of pinky-coral remind me of the cherry blossoms!



Dress: H&M
Shoes: Modern Vintage, thrifted
Earrings: Claire's
Bracelet: Claire's
Cami: Kohl's

I have had gray heels on my Want list for quite a while. I found these lovelies while thrifting the other day, and they look like they may have only been worn once! I love that there is both patent and suede on them, which, as Audi would say, makes them special.

Dear fiance wasn't impressed with this dress when I tried it on, but I think it's perfect for me because it has a spring feel to it with the ruffles, floaty fabric, and floral-like print, but it is still in my comfort zone because of the drape and color scheme. While I love pastels and flowers on others, there is something in the inherent "girliness" that just feels awkward when I try it out myself.
I love the versatility this dress offers. I can throw a belt around it to create a more defined waistline. I can class it up with nice heels and jewelry, but at the same time, I can throw on some boots, my leather jacket, and bass-ass accessories and wear it a little more rocker-style, like Erin would do.

Wild Thing, You Make My Heart Sing...

Most people like to rope in wild animals, but apparently I like wild animals to rope me in:



Green Button: Merona, thrifted
Pants: NY&Co
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction
Belt: Cato
Black Cami (unseen): Kohl's
Earrings: black coral from Curacao, gift from brother for 21st Bday
Necklace: NY&Co?
Bangles: probably Claire's

Unfortunately, I couldn't get photos outside due to the rain, and seemed to be unable to get a decent full-length shot. As a consolation prize, I share with you the corner behind out front door. Dear fiance loves his comics, and the entire first floor (which really is only a tiny computer room -aka- man cave) is decorated with comic posters and DJ paraphernalia. I think for Christmas or his birthday I am going to buy tons and tons of frames, so at least they can be properly mounted and hung, instead of using thumbtacks dorm-room style. If our house is gonna be decorated with posters of Deadpool and the X-Men, at least I can class the joint up a bit!

This outfit felt better than it looks in the photos, and honestly, I think it looked better in person. And seeing this necklace in the photo reminds me that I want to shorten it. I love the necklace, but I'd like it better if it hung closer to my neck. As I've said before, I normally don't wear my tops tucked in, but I wanted to show off this awesome belt. I love it!
I got a compliment from a coworker while wearing this outfit that I looked very professional. Whoda thunk it that a zebra-print belt would elicit such a comment?!

Swirly Thursday...

I wore this outfit on Thursday of last week. I don't wear this top very often, but I love the swirly pattern and the bright colors:



Top: Kohl's?
Skirt: Old Navy?
Tights: We Love Colors
Boots: Ros Hommerson
Earrings: Claire's
Bamboo-Design Bracelet: gift from my parents for my 21st Bday
Sunglasses: Claire's?

This top originally came with a black sash attached to it, but it hit me in entirely the wrong place (as is the case with MOST tops that have attached belts), so I removed it and love the top on it's own.

Does anyone have fit issues with skirts?
I often find (and it is the case with this skirt) that when I find skirts that fit my hips, they are often too big around the waist and gape there. I knew this was an issue with pants for curvier gals, but I don't know that I've ever heard of others commenting on this about skirts. I'm not sure if maybe I need to go up a size, but that doesn't seem like the answer because then the rest of the skirt would be too big. I suppose I could go up a size and then have the rest tailored in...but golly, that can get expensive!

I'm interested to hear what the rest of you have to say on this -- any thoughts? advice?

Bright Sunshine-y Day...

I wore this outfit way back on Tuesday of this week, but I've been a bad blogger and I'm only just getting around to posting.



Top: Charlotte Russe
Pants: Marshalls
Shoes: Aeropostale
Earrings: Claire's
Cami: Kohl's
Bracelet: thrifted?
Flower: H&M

I have this same top in 4 different colors, and it is one of the few items I can still wear, despite my vast fluctuation in weight over these past few years. I went through a brief period where I thought it didn't work for my now-larger body frame, but seeing it in this photo, I think it's quite flattering!
I love the dusty rose and ruffles paired with the slightly punk-rocker vibe of the stripes on the flower. I really look forward to finding outfits to wear this flower with!
Hopefully it doesn't come across too much in the photo, but my hair was actually pretty dirty this day. I usually only wash my hair every other day (or maybe every third day, if it is behaving well), and it really needed to be washed but I just didn't have the time. To camouflage this, I decided to try out Hillary's french braid style (which I had filed into my brain and wanted to try now for a while anyway) -- despite having short hair, I actually have quite a bit of length in the front, and I love finding new ways to style my hair, since I easily get bored with the same look every day. It's been a very long time since I have french-braided my own hair, so I'm really rusty and the braid wasn't as clean as I would have liked, but generally I really liked the style and look forwarded to trying it out on cleaner hair after a little more self-braiding practice.

Flower Power...

I wore this button-up open for most of the day and just wasn't feeling the outfit, despite receiving a few compliments on it. It wasn't until almost the end of the workday before it dawned on me to actually button up the shirt, thus giving me a waist, and I liked the outfit much more after that!



Floral Button-up: Old Navy
Purple Knit Top: Charlotte Russe?
Gray Pants: Lane Bryant
Purple Heels: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Earrings: NY&Co
Green Cami: (seen through purple knit top IRL, but not in photo: Kohl's

I really liked these pants when I bought them, but nowadays, I'm thinking they are too big in the pooch region. I sure don't need any help looking larger there! These may end up in the giveaway pile, especially now that warm weather is coming and I won't need to be wearing pants for much longer!

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Wardrobe Capsule Challenge, Days 4 and 5...

Apologies for the delay in posting, but on with the rest of the challenge photos!



Green Sweater: Marshalls?
Gray Cowl Neck Top: NY&Co
Gray Pants: NY&Co
Purple Heels: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Scarf: Laila Rowe
Earrings: NY&Co
Purse: Nine West via Marshalls

I wasn't sure if i liked the scarf as a belt with this outfit, but I received several comments around the office, so it must have been a hit! I initially tried the belt-over-scarf look I saw on S. over at Academichic, but the belt and scarf I had selected for this challenge just didn't work. Rather than force it, I decided to hold off on that experiment until I had the proper tools at my disposal.



Dress: Moda International via swap
Green Button-up: Merona, thrifted
Purple Heels: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Earrings: NY&Co
Purse: Nine West via Marshalls

I spent Thursday evening trying on TONS of combinations. Despite having several outfits planned on paper, the only way to know if they truly work is to actually try them on -- and several on-paper outfits just didn't look right in real life. Added to the fact that I was seriously growing weary of these pieces, I finally settled on this combo. I probably should have worn tights under the dress since (1) my legs are glow-in-the-dark white, and (2) the dress is a bit short on me.

Wardrobe Capsule Challenge, Day 1...

For the first day of the challenge, I wanted to start out with something simple.
Wrap dress, scarf, hoops, heels. Easy Peasy. Since hosiery was a freebie, I decided to add in a pair of blue-gray tights.


Dress: Moda International, swapped
Scarf: Laila Rowe
Shoes: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Earrings: NY&Co
Purse: Nine West via Marshalls
Tights: Target?

I originally intended this scarf to be a Christmas gift for my future MIL, but I ended up finding something I liked better for her, so the scarf defaulted to being mine. I don't mind so much, trust me. I love the colors! Surprisingly, this is the first time I've worn it!
I've seen E. from academichic wear her scarves under tops so that they look like a layering top, and I've always found it to be a very chic look, so I thought I would try that here. I really love that the purple in the scarf ties in the deep purple of the shoes. (Yes, those shoes are deep purple, not black!)
There is no other olive green in the outfit besides the purse, but I am quickly becoming part of the camp that sees olive green as a neutral. I'm not fully-converted, but I do think olive green can go with most anything. And if not, let's just consider it a pop of color!

What are your thoughts on my attempt for Day 1 of the challenge?

Go Red Snow Day...

This is not the outfit I had planned on wearing today in honor of Go Red for Women Day. Due to all of the snow we were expecting today, I decided to work from home instead of heading into the office, and I opted for a more casual look instead of the schmancier ensemble I had planned on wearing -- don't worry, though, I will wear that outfit once we are back in the office, and I'll be sure to snap a photo!



Sweater: Moda International via Victoria's Secret
Tshirt: Kohl's
Pants: NY&Co
Socks, gift from future MIL

That's right, kids; no shoes with this outfit. With the exception of the black sneakers I wore to the grocery store and my fiance's office, I was shoeless all day. As such, I decided to sport the snowflake socks my fiance's mom gave me as a stocking stuffer I think last year?

I picked up a few of these tshirts at Kohl's a few years ago, and I had never thought to incorporate them into a look I could wear to work. But seeing it under this chunky cardi, I might have to rethink that!
What I really love about this cardi is that it buttons up off-center. I think that gives it a funky bit of flair, so I usually style it fairly simply. It works really well left open or fully buttoned up, but more of the time I wear it with a few buttons closed and the rest left open to show the under layer.

Fiance and I walked to the grocery store today -- our new place is just a block away! It was nice to take a walk in the snow before it got too heavy, to wet, and too dirty to want to be out in it. It was also nice to get some food in this house other than fast food! Our fridge now has actual ingredients in it, which we haven't had since we moved in last week. Taking a walk, carrying back groceries, a real meal...I feel healthier already!

Very First Outfit Post...

That's right ladies and germs, here it is: my very first outfit post! It might not rock the world of fashion, but it's an exciting even for little me.

For my first outfit post, I'm sharing an outfit inspired by the Inspiration Calendar created by the lovely Kimberly over at Fab Finds Under $50.
Monday's theme called for Color Combo: Purple & Orange so I went with it.



Cardi: TJ Maxx (I don't recall the brand)
Black Tshirt: H&M
Khaki Pants: NY&Co.
Shoes: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Scarf: I don't recall -- probably Claire's
Earrings (unseen): Claire's
Necklace: made by a friend

(apologies for the creased pants -- for now, photos are being taken after work)

When I bought this cardigan, I wasn't sure how often I would wear it since the orange is a little bright for my skin tone. (I'm really quite terrible at knowing which shades of which colors look good on me, so more often than not, I just wear the colors I am drawn to and hope they "work.") I think wearing the darker color top beneath the cardi helped subdue the brighness of the orange and made it manageable.

I didn't wear the scarf for most of the day because I wanted to world to see this lovely necklace made by a friend of mine. I don't own much purple jewelry, but I loved the beads in this one, so I just had to snatch it up.
When I did have the scarf on, I tied it using the new-to-me knot that I learned here. I always get compliments from the ladies at work on the way I tie my scarves, and the funny thing is that I really don't know any actual knots -- I just mess with them until I like how they look. Thanks to Kimberly for pointing out this video. Now I can share the knowledge with other fashionable ladies!

These shoes are to DIE for. It's hard to tell, but they are really a very deep aubergine color, not black. Purple suede heels had been on my WANT list for a while, and while these aren't suede, as soon as I saw them (and saw that they were only $30!) I decided that they were sufficient to fill the void. I have a tough time with heels because no matter the quality of the shoe, they *always* end up hurting my feet. But these do surprisingly well. I still wouldn't run marathons in them, but I can sport them around the office and not want to throw them out the window when I get home. (I suppose that it helps that I sit at the desk most of the day and wear "comfy shoes" for walking to and from the office.)

Since I still very much consider myself a student/novice in this fashion blogosphere, I openly welcome constructive comments from you wonderful ladies (and gents!) who have already established yourselves here. Since you are my reason for starting this blog in the first place, I invite your comments on anything and everything -- colors, fit, style, you name it! I'm here to learn and maybe even teach others who can learn from my mistakes -- and I expect I will make plenty of them!