Outfit catchup

As the last few blasts of winter have been rolling through, I've been bundling up and having fun with my blogger bubble necklaces.



Cozy and casual on a random Saturday. ON ivory waffleknit sweater, white ON collared knit shirt, ON Dreamer jeans, Me To two-tone flats, and the teal bubble necklace.



The teal necklace got worn again for work, over a new grey pullover sweater from Nordstrom (part of my birthday purchases), a fantastic purple Lands End button-down knit shirt from Gwynnie Bee, black pants and Clark boots.

I am really digging the collared-shirt-under-pullover-sweater look lately. Spoiler alert: expect to see it a few more times in this post!





Another killer Gwynnie Bee selection, a drape-neck brown and blue patterned top from Karen Kane. Worn under a brown ON heathered brown cardigan, black pants, and um I guess I was barefoot, LOL. Who cares, the top was just so, so lovely.



The purple Lands End top from Gwynnie Bee got another wearing, this time to herald spring in my beloved Lands End striped knit jacket, black Gap bootcut pants and Clark booties.



Quick upper-body shot that I sent to Jessie one morning, to show her how much better the blue Gap jacket looked on my compared to a red one I had to return to Gwynnie Bee (the red was just waaaaaay too cool and made my skin look all splotchy and weird).

I mentioned birthday purchases earlier, and I wanted to show for the record that I did buy both the purple/blue anorak and the small Longchamp bag as (a couple of) my gifts. It's not quite warm enough yet for the unlined coat, but the purse is already getting tons of use. LOVE it.






For instance, with this weekend outfit. Yet another new sweater (I swear, this was the end of the birthday shopping!) this time from Eddie Bauer, and the purple Lands End top in its third and final wearing. I was not sure if the red and purple would go together, but they really did. As I said to Jessie in our email exchange about it, it was like the way hot pink and orange work together: complementary but also clashing.




*cough* I lied. I got this bubble necklace too. (Same outfit and day as above, I just switched necklaces.) But now I have something in "blush" aka pale pink.

Whee, I'm trendy!




Wore it to work yesterday too, this time with neutrals. Mushroom knit Ann Taylor Outlet cardigan, the perfect white tee from Project Color: White, straight leg Gap pants, and the Me Too flats. I liked this, it felt pretty and soft.




The last two outfits are not soft, but they're fun to wear.





Hunh, I've been wearing a lot of casual lately. Or that's the only time I have time to take photos. Could be both reasons!

I'll try to get more work outfits next time. It's funny to me how few blogs there are that actually show clothes you can wear to work; this whole casual pants thing has me so flummoxed and irritated. What am I supposed to wear to the Nun House? Silky track pants ain't gonna cut it.

Anyway, colored dress pants remain my elusive shopping goal. If I find them, any impulse shopping habits will quickly return.

As always, if you are interested in Gwynnie Bee, follow this link to sign up for a 30-day free trial, and consider using it beyond then too. (I do get some compensation for pimping GB, but I think I prove in every outfit post how much I love the service, and how much variety it gives my closet. This is a reminder of all the reasons why I love it.)

Staycation kickoff weekend

My long-awaited staycation is this week, along with my birthday on Wednesday. I have kicked it off in style!



It all began on Friday, where I had to find the right outfit not just for casual Friday in the office, but dinner and drinks afterward with my work crew. I think I did well here -- that day clutch was a great way to cross over from work to evening.
Purple Nordstrom open sweater, white LOFT long-sleeved tee, Gap trouser jeans, black Clark moto booties, tan clutch from Lane Bryant (Kate, I finally used it!).



I got 2 celebrations that day!



My co-workers had lunch for me in the office, and gave me a lovely, glittery, fashion card. And Portillo's chocolate cake, known far and wide as the Best Chocolate Cake On This Planet We Call Earth.



That night was another group of work friends, all of whom used to work in my department but have since moved on (we have a lot of turnover, haha). We did dinner at Little Goat Diner (get the hot crab dip) and drinks down the street. I had sangria, Phillip had some kind of pink martini.

Saturday was a trip babysitting and shopping with Babyfriend and the 2 J's. Babyfriend had her first chocolate chip pancakes, which were a BIG hit, as you can imagine. She is getting so big!



I dragged everyone to go see the Sejour anorak. We liked the olive okay, but the blue was the winner by a mile.





Around naptime, we broke up the party. I then went out for some adult games. :)



Between two big wins, I cashed out about $500 on that machine. Yay!

Sunday was much less exciting. Didn't even really have time to take a good shot, but I needed to memorialize my Color Project: Red usage of this pink/red-and-grey striped top, worn over a grey long-sleeved tee with ON Dreamer jeans.



Hee! I am tugging on my shoes because I had to head downstairs and start bailing. Our basement flooded, AGAIN. But we were expecting it, and even hoping for it a bit; we need to find the source of the leak so we needed another rainfall. Which we got, in spades. But we were smarter this time, at least; we bought a wet-dry vac to sop up the water as it seeped and pooled, and we just cut away the trashed carpet and padding. Hubby wants to get rid of it anyway and re-do the linoleum down there.

It was exhausting, but we kept the spread of the water from going too far, and when the condo maintenance guy came on Monday morning, we found the source of the leak. So the waterproofing companies will be here on Wednesday to give us some estimates. Not the best part of my staycation, but a necessary one.

How was your weekend?

February Edits and Purchases

I culled out of my closet in February...



Just one of the Color Project: White tops. For now.



This canteloupe colored long Gap cardigan is one of TWO canteloupe/coral long cardigans I somehow owned, and this one was too small in the shoulders. Time to go.



I did not even wait until the end of the Color Project: Red to get rid of this. I tried multiple times to find an outfit for this, and hated every attempt. Too boxy on its own, and the tones were not right under any of my sweaters, even the black and grey ones. See ya!



This edit hurt, mainly because I just bought both of these jeans a few months ago. I got dazzled by a recommendation from another blogger and loved the idea of these jeans without any fasteners at the waistline. No worrying about muffin top or my zipper poking out! It was weird, but it seemed like it would work.



Unfortunately they stretched out so much so fast I ended up looking like I had a guy's junk in the front of my pants. I even bought another smaller pair to see if that helped, but they stretched out too much too. As much as it kills me to have wasted the money on these, I have to cut my losses and get rid of them. They just frustrate and upset me when I see them in my jeans drawer. So they are gone, and I will be more careful in my denim choices in the future.

One of my friends suggested cleaning out makeup drawers. As I think we have to replace our bathroom vanity fairly soon, I may do that in March. It's not just clothes that need editing!

+++++

My purchases for February:

Nada. Zilch. Nothing.

Don't be too impressed: I already have several things on order this month. Unless I can go other months this year without buying anything, I have to assume February was a fluke. I am killing the impulse shopping urge, not the need for shopping completely.

Still, I'm kind of impressed I managed to go one month, at least. :)

Color Project: Red

The Color Project: Red has officially begun!

I started two weeks ago with this Lane Bryant top under a Gwynnie Bee sweater. The red top is tons of fun, and an easy staple in the closet. No question it is staying.



Last week I wore a number of tops from the project.

First was a purple Old Navy collarless blouse. I've struggled to find outfits for this before; it's one that I have to work into the rotation consciously, not one I grab because I want to wear it, like the red LB above. Not sure this one is going to last the month.
(Worn with a B&W striped cotton cardigan from Lane Bryant, faded Old Navy Dreamers, pewter Privos, white camisole, and my Brighton silver pendant. Variations of this are definitely my weekend wear.)





This mauve LOFT tee is the twin of the white one I dithered over during the White Project. Funny how a different color makes all the difference; I love the softness and tone of this one. It will be staying in the closet, for sure.
(Worn with a black Target cocoon cardigan, same faded Dreamers, and multi-stone long necklace from LOFT Outlet. Barefoot because it was my work from home day. :))







I forgot to add this purple-and-grey abstract banded top from Old Navy to the original Red pile, but it is mostly purple so I am adding it in. Trying with a tone-on-tone look with a purple Babeau draped cardigan from Norstrom from a few seasons ago, black NYDJ stretch straight legs, and Clarks Artisan fauz-moto booties.





Close-up of the Brighton silver pendant, a Christmas gift from my mom. It's supposed to be a badge holder but it's much too pretty for that.



This last outfit was my favorite of the week. I got this red polka-dot drape neck blouse from Nordstrom this fall, and I've struggled with the right outfit for it. I think my search is over.





What makes it work is that both pieces have a black heathered quality to them, so there is an underlying commonality to the patterns that makes them work together. It made me happy to wear all day long.



5 down, 5 to go. I might get through this chapter of the project faster than the White round.

The Color Project: White

One of the OCD things about my closet is that I have each item category (sweaters, tops, jackets, pants) sorted by color. When I am looking for a black top, for instance, they are all together so I can see my options. Now that my closet is so lean, I even hung all the t-shirts so they can be included in that grouping.

One day as I was grabbing a favorite white top, I started to wonder if I really wore ALL of the tops that were in each of the color categories. Or was it just a favorite 1-2 that got cycled through and the rest were there as filler?

So I embarked on what I am calling the Color Project. I pulled all the white tops to the front of my closet and purposefully worked as many as I could into my outfit rotation. I did not put a time limit on it -- i.e., wear them all in a week -- because this wasn't some fashion challenge I was forcing on myself; the idea was to see if I really did NEED to have all the ones I had, or if a few could be edited.

Turns out, I wore them all. I didn't love them all, but I did wear them. Since none were obvious edits, I've had to look a little deeper to see which are worth keeping.

1. V-neck ruched Sejour long-sleeve, Nordstrom. Worn with a navy polka-dot scarf from Old Navy, navy Gap modern bootcuts, grey long-sleeved Target Merona cardigan, and grey Franco Sarto Deers. My co-worker told me I looked like the definition of Connecticut preppy, which I consider a compliment. :)
I took these particular Deers to the cobbler and had him replace the heel tips, which just extended the life of these shoes by another 2-3 years for sure.  You know how I love all my versions of these shoes, so I am thrilled.



Verdict: The shirt itself is okay; the v-neck sits a little crooked on me, and I keep thinking that is more versatile than it is. There's a bit of a flare to it at the waist that I don't love. I'm not ready to let it go quite yet, but it was tougher to rotate in than some of my others. 

2. Old Navy collared knit button-down shirt, first under a new cream Old Navy waffle-knit pullover. It was a snowy day, so bundling up was key. The Gap straight-legs were the only option as pants because I had to tuck them into my Dansko snow boots. I thought the blue bubble necklace added the right amount of dressiness to tip the outfit into the business casual/office appropriate look. Not what I would wear if I had been at one of the hospitals, but for just my office it worked.



I wore it again this weekend under my new striped cotton pullover from Gap, Dreamer Old Navy jeans, pewter Privos and the clear acrylic ice cube pendant from Banana Republic. Even Hubby thought this was a cute look.



Verdict: This one is a total keeper. I was avoiding wearing it because it was too wrinkled and I was too lazy to iron it, but I found that it can either go under my new pullover sweaters or a few hard shakes will eliminate the worst of the wrinkles.

3. Lauren Conrad embellished tee, Kohls. I have had this for at least 3 years, but it still works with so many looks. I posted the first outfit below back in January; my plan was to wear all the white shirts over the month and see if anyone noticed, then do a round-up post. Those plans got waylaid when I stopped posting. ;-D



I wore it again this weekend with the mushroom knit cardigan, faded Dreamer jeans, and a color-blocked infinity scarf I got last spring from Old Navy; it is navy, olive green and mint/paleblue, which I am seeing around as a pretty trendy color these days. So I dug my only version of it out. :)






Verdict: this veteran still has plenty of life in her. She's going nowhere.

4. Basic long-sleeved LOFT tee, worn under a Forth & Towne faux-wrap cardigan. I posted about this outfit before too.



Verdict: I completely forgot I wore or even owned this until I found the picture on Flickr. That does not speak well for its longevity or necessity in my closet. I think I only need one long-sleeved white top, so I will probably keep either this or the v-neck.

5. This slub tee from Lane Bryant I actually pulled out of my loungewear drawer and rotated back into regular wear. It has two tiny stain dots on the front that had relegated it to loungewear, but I managed to cover those up and finally understood the power of a great plain white t-shirt.
I wish I had gotten a good front-on shot of this outfit, which was all my co-worker's idea. This was a gorgeous tux-like jacket from Gwynnie Bee with sequined sleeves, and I went for a rocker look with an assortment of long silver necklaces. Really fun look that I will probably repeat with some other dressy jackets I have.



A-ha! I did wear the slub tee again, this time with a fabulous snakeskin print cardigan from Gwynnie Bee. I loved that sweater so much I wore it four times before I sadly returned it. This time I added my Bestey Johnson camera pendant necklace, faded Gap Dreamer jeans, and patent tan-black colorblocked flats from Me Too.





Verdict: the perfect white t-shirt. Will try to find a replacement at Lane Bryant, or will figure out how to get those two stain dots out. (Thanks for the tips in the last post, gals; I will try those with this!)

6. LOFT ruched neck sleeveless tee. Probably my least-favorite of all my white tops, especially now that I have found the perfect one above. This is with my new-ish mushroom Ann Taylor Outlet knit cardigan, new black Gap long-and-lean jeans, and my trusty pewter lasso necklace from Banana Republic (which I bought with Shopping Friend a million years ago). 

I forgot how awful mirror shots were; so glad I got my office corner back for my tripod!



Verdict: it's okay, but the Lane Bryant one is better. Might be hitting the road soon.

7. This LOFT tee has angled distressed stripes, which offer interesting texture to a basic ivory tee. Paired with the Betsey Johnson camera pendant again, my fuschia Gap piped shrunken blazer, grey pinstriped Gap modern bootcuts, and black Clark Artisan boots.



I wore this top again the following weekend, this time pairing with a couple of familiar items, the mushroom knit cardigan from above, and the same faded Dreamer jeans. The jewelry this time was an assortment of long gold necklaces (boy I liked that look with the sparkly jacket), and a pair of faux-suede tan boots from Target.





Verdict: like the cream embellished one in #3, this is going nowhere for a long time.

8. The last top of the White Color Project was a regular button-down, a no-iron three-quarter sleeve Foxcroft version from Nordstrom. I've had this in my closet for at least a year, and I think I wore it one time. It is the reason I actually embarked on this experiment at all -- I didn't think I would like it when I tried to incorporate it into outfits, and then I could finally edit it out without guilt. 



But here's the funny thing: turns out I LOVED IT. The fit is perfect, there is no gapping at the chest, it tucks in without too much extra fabric bulking up under my pants, and the no-iron claim really means no ironing needed. Best of all, I had forgotten how much I like a good collared neckline; one of the most annoying parts about being fat is the enormous scoop neckline that are on nearly every top. Easily 75% of all plus-sized tops are like this, especially the nicer ones from Nordstrom. (Skim this page to see what I mean.) I learned from this round of the Color Project that I really miss a variety of necklines, and having that variety among my current white tops made this rather enjoyable.

Verdict: not only keeping it, but probably buying another in a different color.

++++++

Final thoughts of this Color Project round:
1. A variety of necklines is important to me, which I will keep in mind as I shop in the future. (Note to self: add turtleneck to your list for next winter.)
2. I love the look of a plain tee, funky jacket and a bunch of necklaces for dressy going-out occasions.
3. I had forgotten how much I love a good button-down.
4. Keeping: cream embellished #3, ivory distressed stripes #7, knit collared button-down #2 and no-iron button-down #8, and the perfect plain white t-shirt #5.
5. On the fence: one of the two long-sleeved tees (#1 and #4), the ruched sleeveless tee #6. 
6. While I don't mind repeating outfits, it did get boring for a stretch, I think because I was just tired of white.  But since I usually rotate colors more often than I did here, this was likely a product of the Project itself than an issue with any of the tops.

Next round is red (pinks and purples are included in that section of my closet too). I've already started!




What do you guys think? Any tops I should reconsider keeping?