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!

Casual Night Out...

This outfit was worn the same day as my Hillary outfit. After getting home from work, dear fiance and I decided to have a casual night out, so I decided to throw on a top I almost never wear, since it sorta screams 13-year-old teenybopper. Open tie-shoulders and a hole in the back combined with polka dots? Definitely pushing the boundaries, but at least the fiance thought I looked cute!
(Excuse the blurry photo -- I used dear fiance instead of my regular tripod.)



Top: Rue 21
Jeans: Levis
Shoes: Payless
Earrings: made by me

Closeup:


I attempted to do the cute jeans-pegging look that I have seen several other bloggers sport, but alas, on me, it just looks like I rolled up my jeans to go dig for some clams. Methinks I need pants that are actually fairly wide-fitted to get the look right, and frankly, at my size, I'm not about to invest in pants and larger than they need to be.

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...)

All the Colors Mix Together to Grey...

I bought this top to wear to see my friend's band (aka my wedding band!) play out in Ocean City, MD -- dear fiance and I had taken off the Friday before July 4th to have an extra long weekend. I realized I could also make this top work appropriate, if I mixed it with the right pieces. Remove the booty-jeans and instead wear capris. Slash the flashy earrings and go with something a little more subdued. I probably should have worn a cardi with it also, but I'm a rebel, and I like to push the limits that are imposed upon me.



Top: Forever 21
Capris: Target
Shoes: Aeropostale
Earrings: NY&Co?

Closeup:


I haven't worn these capris much this summer (I also have them in black) because I remember last year deciding that I need to do something with them to make them more flattering. I'm thinking that I need to take them in inch or two shorter, and possibly also have the hem brought in just a smidge, to taper just a bit. I do like how these pants fit, but the bottoms just aren't quite right. What do you gals think -- what alterations would make these perfect?

I'll Stop the World and Melt With You...

It has finally cooled off just a smidge in the last few days -- and last night I experienced my very first earthquake! Yes, that's right kiddos, Maryland had an earthquake last night -- a whopping 3.6 on the Richter scale. From what I've read, there were no injuries or any destruction reported. Which totally makes sense, since when it woke me up at 5am, I seriously thought there was just a large truck driving by the house or something...
It is strange to look back just over a week ago and see that it was SO HOT that I was literally melting while taking my photos. So much so that I had to do silly poses just to stay cool:



Dress: swapped
Scarf: gift
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Cami (unseen): Old Navy
Earrings: Claires
Necklace: CATO

Closeup:


I started taking pictures outside the back of the house again, since there is some shade back there that makes it ever-so-slightly cooler than the front of the house. Of course, the downside is that, well, there is shade in my pictures too.

Better Late Than Never...

Yes, kiddos, I am still alive. And despite the lack of posts, I have even been taking photos on some days! What with the heat wave that has suffocated the east coast, there were definitely a few days that I skipped capturing images of myself, since I was 99% melted by the time I got home.
But for the rest of those days, where I actually managed to get some pictures, I have just had seriously bad time management as of late. Work has been pretty busy, and not-work has been... well, spent planning a wedding! (Seriously, I have always hated when my friends used "planning my wedding" as a reason to drop off the planet, but now I get it. This stuff really can take some time out of your schedule!)

Without further ado, I offer you an outfit!



Dress: swapped
Cardi: NY&Co
Shoes: Etienne Aigner via Rack Room Shoes
Earrings: Old Navy
Necklace: NY&Co?

Closeup:


I wore this outfit last week, on my first day back to work after a 4-day Independence Day weekend.
I have only worn this dress one other time on the blog (and that was the only other time I have worn it, ever). I got it from a clothing swap I went to last year, and never quite knew how to style it. I like this look much better than the other one, since I feel much less like a disco-loving stewardess.
The outfit is nothing amazing, but considering I had spent the previous 4 days wearing jeans, tshirts, golly -- even gouchos, this was a strong step back into the world of actually caring what I look like.
I found these simple little earrings at a freakishly amazing sale at Old Navy several weeks ago -- don't they look like they were made to go with this necklace?

Does it bother you when bloggers post their outfits out of order or several days after the outfit has been worn? Do you like to know what people are wearing each day, as the day passes? Or do you just prefer to see the outfit and gather inspiration from it?

Science Fiction, Double Feature...

OK, so maybe it's just a single feature, and not so much of the science fiction. But still -- I am this month's featured blogger at Miss Vinyl Ahoy!
I was super surprised and very honored when Suze asked me. After all, I still consider myself quite new to this whole blogging thing, and I'm still trying to find my voice and my perspective on things.

Anywho, if you're interested in checking out the Q&A, check out the post here. My attempts at being funny and witty probably feel flat, but oh well. Check it out!