Summertime Outfits

It's funny, I'm still wearing the same dang black and/or dark pants that I wear during the rest of the year, but I am doing my best to make them summer-ified.

For example, going with an all-white look on top.



Black Gap straight leg pants, brown peeptoe Clark shooties, white Loft tee and white Loft Outlet cascading cardigan.



What really made this work for me was the chunky smoky necklace. Can't believe it has lasted this long; I bought it at Loft a few years ago, and removed almost all of the extra crap on it so it is just the stones and gold.



I also have been scooping up as many summer blouses as I can find. My friend J and I bought this same pink-and-orange sheer blouse from Loft Outlet last month. I debated keeping it, but I just love the colors too much to give it up!



That is my Rebecca Minkoff bag that has been getting a tremendous workout since I got it in April. I've switched out to clutches or a casual crossbody on weekends, but the Minkoff is definitely my everyday bag this year. Love it.



(Mental note: watch that it doesn't buckle funny around my waist and make me look larger than I am.)

I am also in love with my Donald J Pliner bronze sandals (as seen in above shot). I got them last year at Nordstrom Rack; Hubby and I had gone downtown to celebrate our anniversary, and it was so abnormally hot (it was October, for cryin' out loud) I frantically picked them up on Michigan Avenue off-season. Now that the braid has softened and broken in, they are crazy comfortable, and I just adore their chunky chunkiness.





Another summer look I have been embracing is the striped blazer. I love the one I got from Lands End (on sale now in stores!) and have been wearing it at least once a week. It's great in a business casual office; we're supposed to be in business attire when we go to meetings but no one else in our new company does the same. So I often throw this on over a dressy top and pants and look more professionally dressed than anyone else in the room.

This outfit is more business casual.



(Yes, that is me taking a photo in my mirror. Horrors! But I really like this outfit and wasn't sure if I could get outside in time to get a shot.) I like that this is also kind of monochromatic: grey Gap straight pants, pale blue Loft tee, and navy striped blazer. The silver-gold pendant necklace added to the casual vibe, and the orange Clarks sandals gave it a contrasting pop of color.

Oh, hahahaha, right I did get outside but it was kind of a disaster. Very windy!





I perservered and got one good shot.



This outfit is remarkable only because I got busted by the neighbor just as the timer started going off. As evidenced by my panicked expression and fast approach to the camera. LOL!





Target top and aqua cardigan. I think I will try this one again with my new WHITE PANTS.



Gap finally made my beloved modern bootcuts in white. I snapped those babies up the moment I saw them. Wooohoooo! I haven't owned white pants in years; it's so hard to find the right ones, that aren't too sheer or too tight or too cheap. I definitely like these!



The top is also Loft from last year (boy, I did not realize how many of those I have!!) and I've never quite been able to find the right bottom to bring out the lovely snakeskin print of it. Now I realize it just needed some white pants. :)



You may have noticed in several of the above shots that I have a lot of bracelets on. I tend to wear them more in the summer, which is kind of counter-intuitive. They get warm on the arm in hot weather -- but in cold weather, I'm more bundled up and the metal gets too cold!

This was just this Friday. A hot pink Old Navy top, new navy Gap modern bootcuts, olive wedge Clark sandals, an arm of bracelets, and a new long silver pendant necklace I picked up at Loft Outlet on my shopping trip with J. (See what I mean about needing the pendant to be longer than the boob shelf, J? This way it doesn't bounce when I walk.)

I also tried Angie's suggestion of half-tucking the top, and I think I liked it. 



Heh, and here is a perfect example of the striped blazer raising the level of the outfit. It was too hot to put on outside, but I sure wore it for my meeting that day!




So that is what I have been wearing so far this summer. Does it spark any ideas for you? Any suggestions you have for me?

Heh, now that I am looking at this, I also realize it is time to look at my calendar. Methinks I am due for a haircut!

Red Bags for Spring: Reader vote!

I need a new spring bag. I've got a fantastic collection of Coach bags from back when Shopping Friend worked there, but now I want to try some other brands. And for spring this year, I want red. A killer red bag.

This is a big change for me; I rarely even wear red at all, as you may have noticed. But I think that's what will make it work -- the red will be complementary to all the other colors I do wear (yellows, purples, teals, and lots of neutrals and blacks), plus it will go great with my new trenches. Check them out below!



This one is the earth-grey one; it's a slippery material, like a parachute. I'm wearing it casually here, but it's been a great one this week for work while it's been rainy/cloudy.

The other one I got hasn't been worn yet, but it should be this week. We've really turned the corner into warmer weather now, and both trenches should be getting a workout.



A red bag would go great with these, right?

This Cole Haan Marrow hobo was the first one at Zappos that caught my eye. I love the woven pattern of the leather.

I have coveted Kate Spade bags for a while now. Classic, elegant, fire engine red. And on sale at Zappos. What's not to love?

This Lucky Brand Joshua Tree hobo is a little more casual, but the darker red is more in my wheelhouse. And the price is more reasonable than the first two.

This one is just fun -- it's made out of seatbelts! Haha!

No? What about in a black-and-white houndstooth pattern?

Admit it, you kind of want a seatbelt bag now, don't you? :)

ANYWAY. Back to my red bag dilemma. Which would you pick -- for me? What about for you?





Let the voting begin!

My new winter wear

Hello! Sorry for the mini-break in posting; I've been fighting the remains of a cold since last week and have been too lazy and tired to bring the photo card from my camera to my computer at night. Weirdly, I am also having a lot of trouble getting dressed this week, I think for a couple of reasons:

1. The clothes I selected for the 30-in-30 Challenge were chosen because they fit me right now -- and pretty much they are ALL that fit me right now. So as much as I don't want to keep wearing the clothes from the challenge, that's all I got. Whoops.

2. The weather transitioned into bitter cold, but my pre-challenge closet is still set for mid-fall with lots of short-sleeved tops and thin sweaters. Whoops again.

I am going to have to do some major rearranging this weekend in there so the appropriate things are at my fingertips and the rest is buried in back for a while, but for this week I am struggling a bit. BUT! I did do some Christmas shopping for myself and put together a cute winter outdoor outfit.



(Imagine my Dansko Kylees on my feet instead of my pajamas and bare feet, LOL!)

The tote is new from Nordstrom, from their Halogen line. LOVE it in the cobalt blue! It's the perfect size for my laptop and papers for work but isn't as clunky and ugly as my work-issued computer bag. It will also be great for traveling to Vegas, methinks.

The gloves I picked up at Macys during the Black Friday shopping weekend. They have little pads on the index and thumb so allegedly you can use them with your iPhone, but that feature doesn't quite work as well as I would like. Good thing the color is so cool! I am not usually a citron/sour yellow person, but it works when it's on my hands. :)

The scarf is the YLF-beloved peacock scarf from Nordstrom. I normally would have gone for one of the brighter shades, but something about the brown undertone appealed to me. And now I am all matchy with my outdoor accessories!



Close up:


What I really like about all this is that it takes away from the boringness of my black coat and black purse. I will probably switch out the scarf for a warmer one soon, but as long as my commute is just across the parking lot to my car, this definitely suffices.

30 in 30 Challenge: Day 26

I was supposed to be in a training class all day, thus the jeans on a weekday -- and the preppy scholastic look. :)

This LOFT sweater is kind of weird; it's pretty long so trying to wear it over the red pinstriped Old Navy button-down tunic created a lot of strange bumps along my middle. I couldn't quite figure out where to let it sit so it looked right, and Hubby (who was working from home and is who George and I are looking at just off-frame) kept nixing all my attempts. He suggested adding a belt, which worked...almost. Eh, it was fine and I had to leave earlier than normal for class.

(Unfortunately, when I got there I realized I had signed up for the wrong class, and I ended up having to go back to the office anyway. In jeans. Whoops! But it turned out well -- I got an extra day in the office where I was able to make some headway on some looming deadlines, and I got to have a nice impromptu bonding chat with my boss. She's so frazzled and stretched even more thin than I am I haven't had any time with her lately, and she is one of the really good people. I love working for her, and with her. It was great to be reminded of that.)

ANYWAY. Back to the clothes!

This is the wool coat I bought on Thursday night. I appreciate all the support, but truly I don't feel guilty about it. It was absolutely needed -- and I got in the nick of time, as I just woke up this morning to the snow coming down fast and two inches already on the ground. And the 30-in-30 rules said coats and outerwear were not part of the challenge, so let's pretend that extended to the no-buy part of the challenge too. Ha!



I added one of Hubby's great scarves, and my black Coach bag. Time to haul out the old classic! I liked the turquoise glasses too; just enough contrast to throw off the matchiness of the red tunic and red sweater.

I mentioned Hubby was home while I was taking pictures, right? He even deigned to be in one of them!



We are seriously a pair of dorks.

30 in 30 Challenge: Day 13 and 14

Weeeeeeeeekkkeeeeend!!!!!

Saturday:



Simple, but the pewter necklace played off the ruffles of the black tank perfectly. Then I added a few more layers for going out, and I thought I'd show you that too.



Can't quite button the leather coat from last year (YET), but the rest of it fits in a pinch. :)

Top: AT Outlet black ruffled tank
Sweater: purple boyfriend cardigan, LOFT
Jeans: Kut From the Cloth straight legs (I thought they were skinnies, but they're straights)
Scarf: ON
Jacket: brown leather Kenneth Cole, Nordstrom 2009
Booties: Naturalizer Bates, Zappos

Sunday:

My first major mistake in the 30-in-30: I did my laundry.

All my laundry. Including every pair of pants (skinnies, ponte pants or jeans) that I wear on the weekends. Whoops!



I was only going out to run to the grocery store for stuffing ingredients for Shopping Friend, but I just could NOT bring myself to either go in my sweats, or make Hubby go for me. I didn't want to skip a day in the challenge either, so after much hemming and hawing, I put on the only pair of clean pants I had (my grey modern bootcuts -- dress pants to the nth degree!) and winged the rest.

I think it looked better with a scarf and my brown Gap tote.



I was home within an hour and put back on my sweats so I could get cooking. Still, I will be much more careful with next weekend's laundry. I'm not gonna lie, this one threw me for a loop. I had such a cute outfit planned too. D'oh!

Wednesday: To infinity and beyond!

You wouldn't know it from this picture, but yesterday was a fashion disaster. It was one of Those Days, the ones that occur right on the one day of the month when you are your most bloated and cranky, when absolutely nothing fits right and your hair insists on going off in every direction and your face is all shiny and weird and even your shoes are letting you down and either squeezing your toes in a vice or falling off your heels with every step.

On one of Those Days, I usually resort to wearing black.

Black DSW flats, black Target flyaway sweater, black Target patent belt, black Loft lantern-sleeved knit dress. This dress has magical properties; no matter how fat or how skinny I am feeling (or weighing on the scale), it always fits perfectly. The tag says it's a 10, but it turns itself into an 8, a 12, even a 14. I have no idea how it does that, but I am grateful all the same!

The scarf is what pulled this outfit out of its complete Those Days slump; it's a fabulously soft infinity scarf from Nordstrom, an unexpected birthday gift from my two co-workers. Wasn't that the sweetest thing? I love those two!



I did find my white trench on mega-sale at Martin + Osa last weekend, and since it is suddenly getting very warm, I traded out my short wool coat finally for it. I love it! (Now you can see what I mean by Those Day's crazy hair and shiny face. Yikes!)



Just to top off the end of my Those Day, I should disclose that I am wearing a pair of nude "micro" fishnets from Vera Wang at Kohls, and just as I walked in the door after a 12-hour day, I proceeded to snag the knee on my computer bag and ruined them. SIGH.

The temps are going to be in the 70s today, and should stay like that through the weekend. You guys, I think...I think it's time for peeptoes and sandals. OH MY GOD.

Thursday: Making a Statement

I walked into Martin + Osa last weekend during my wanderings through the mall, and bumped into an old Forth & Towne co-worker who was now working at M+O. She talked me into trying on this outerwear jacket, and styled it for me as a suit jacket instead. As soon as I put it on, I was in love; it's a great midweight grey patterned wool, and it hit my leg at EXACTLY the right spot (the one I need to find a tunic to hit at). She kept talking at me, but I could see how many outfits this would go with -- with pants and a button-down for a suit look, open with a sheath dress, even with jeans and a tee on the weekend.

The one in the store was too big, so she ordered it for me online. They were having a 30% off sale on top of it being on sale, so I ended up with a $250 jacket for $150. It arrived on Wednesday, and I acknowledged when I put it into a perfect outfit within minutes -- no raiding of the closet for an hour, a miracle! -- it was worth every penny.



What's amazing to me is that on my own I would never have tried it; the breast and the hip pockets alone should be all wrong. But there is something about the placement of them, and the quality of the cut and the fabric weight, which makes them work. I can't explain it, but I love them. Thank you, Cindy, for convincing me to give it a try! (Ask for her the next time you go to the Martin + Osa at Old Orchard; you can tell her I sent you. :))



Angie over at YLF has talked several times about statement pieces and finding one's signature style. I've struggled with the concept of a signature piece, usually because I've taken it to mean an accessory of some kind, and I don't have one particular accessory I think really defines my style or sets me apart as unique. (Especially since Shopping Friend and I have all the same Coach bags, LOL.) But I do think I have a signature style: polished, professional, confident, colorful, tailored and classic. The prep-school ethos runs deep in me still even if I don't wear my pearls with my sweatshirts anymore; I prefer clean lines and traditional looks over ruffly and romantic or studded and edgy. I like mature, but not old-lady; confident but not showy.

This jacket is a statement piece for me. It will go with almost everything I already own, dressed up or dressed down. It takes even the simplest pieces in my wardrobe -- in this case black Semantiks suit pants, a gold Lands End turtleneck, a black Target leather belt and my simplest black Franco Sarto heeled loafers -- and elevates them to a killer outfit. I knew it was a winner when not only did I receive random compliments walking down the halls from just about everyone, but the two guys I eat lunch with, the ones who talk about football, snowblowers and their kids constantly, both did a double-take when they saw me. LOL!



I can't wait to wear it with something else!

++++++

In unrelated news, Shopping Friend gave me 5 BAGS of unworn suits, skirts, jackets and pants. I have to try them all on for fit and length, but some are old favorites from Forth & Towne, and I will probably have them tailored if they are a little too big. We both sighed in nostalgic fondness when we saw them! I'll post photos of the keepers later today. YAYAYAYAYAY. Guess it pays off to lament one's lack of pants and skirts publicly. :)

Monday: New Dress Debut!

I was starting to feel guilty about falling behind in posting again, but I've decided I'm just going to do two posts right now and not worry about it anymore. Blogging is supposed to be fun, not a chore!



New dress debut! I picked this up at Macys this weekend; I paid way too much for it, but it's a size 8 so I didn't care. Vanity sizing will win over budget every time! :)



I kind of wanted to wear it without the sweater but it was too cold. But the details of the dress are so pretty I know I won't leave them hidden for long.

Look at that pleating! Love.


And SLEEEEEVES!!!!


Do you know how hard it is to find a dress with sleeves?! It's insanely hard. I don't get it; what good is a sleeveless wool dress in Chicago? (I am looking at YOU, Ann Taylor.)

I also found the CUTEST winter coat ever -- it has a pleated hem! And it's down to my knees, which is what I've been looking for desperately; car coats are too short for my dresses. Got it at Von Maur, and even better, got it on sale. I saw it last weekend while out shopping with my girlfriends, but it was full-price ($214) and it was a week before Black Friday. So I took a chance that it would still be there the following weekend. It was, and while the store itself wasn't having a store-wide sale, these particular coats had been marked down $70 off (I still paid $140, just to clarify). Whoohoo, it was mine.

And just in time; I had to tear off the tags on Monday so I wouldn't freeze getting into work.


I seriously love it. I over-exposed a couple of shots so you could see the details better:





Whee! I am ready for winter!