Fall Style: Blazers and pants

I may have mentioned in my Closet Purge post that I am wearing a lot of blazers and suit-like outfits these days; mostly it's due to having so many meetings these days at work, but blazers are also an easy cop-out on weekends to having to buy more fall jackets.

This is what I wore yesterday:



Pretty much everything is from Gap or Old Navy. The cobalt blazer is this one, the pants are the modern bootcuts, and the button-down is actually this military style jersey. I've decided I like this better than a stiffer cotton button-down, which tends to square my torso off in terrible ways.

But the parts of this outfit that make it interesting, IMO, are the necklace and the shoes. The necklace is what Gracie over at Fashion for Giants teasingly (and affectionately) calls the "blogger necklace", the colorful statement style that has definitely been making the rounds on many blogs. I picked two of them up as part of a Groopz deal that Kimberly from Fab Finds under $50 linked to a while back, and I've been wearing both all summer, and getting many real-life compliments on them. Even though the turquoise is a summer color, I used the inspiration from a Nordstrom display to wear it for fall too.




(Next time, I am going to try it with my trusty striped blazer.)

The other item of note are my flats. I have been thoroughly unimpressed with the shoes out for this fall; I've bought many and returned just about all of them, only keeping one pair of black studded flats so far. But these flats have been sitting in my closet for a few years now, an impulse purchase from the Ann Taylor Factory outlet, picked up for about $10. They've been mostly unworn because their style hasn't quite fit with my dress obsession or any casual looks on the weekends. But since hurting my back last week I've been wearing mostly flats with shorter-length pants, so I pulled them out and gave them a try. Good thing I didn't purge them; they look professional and cute with my new blazers look.



All in all, I thought this worked well for the season. I was actually one of the better dressed people at my meeting!



(Our new fish doormat says hello. A birthday gift from my parents to my fisherman-husband, heehee.)

Clutter I can enjoy

I am not a fan of clutter. It's almost at phobia level: I can't watch Hoarders, I can't be in people's homes if they have too many tchochkes and clutter on their shelves, I don't go thrifting or antiquing because there is just too much stuff, and worse, it's usually dusty and grimy or *shudder* sticky and grimy.

So it was a wonderful delight when I wandered into an antique barn yesterday and found the prettiest clutter I had ever seen.



Everything was cleverly styled, dustfree and inviting. This shelf of perfectly organized milkglass vases was only the beginning of the colorful store.

Not to be outdone, there was another shelf of jewel-toned milkglass pitchers.



The teal one was my favorite, of course.



Even the furniture displays were attractive, and had some hidden gems tucked around them.




I remember that phone so well! I always hated calling people who had 9s and 0s in their numbers because it took so long to use those. Nowadays I don't even know my best friends' numbers; I just plug them into my contacts list and select their names.


My very favorite part were the single-color displays. So, so pretty!!!


Blue



Pink



Orange



Green



Red


Yellow

Yellow is my favorite, closely followed by the pink. Which one is yours?


I might have to go back and buy some colored vases. Hmm, hunh, yep.

Dress me, internet!

I swear, I get all my outfit ideas from the internet lately.

Last week, Angie over at YouLookFab posted about how to wear the Sassy Sweatshirt. Obviously, wearing one at work is a no-no for me at the Nun Factory, but it did spawn an idea for Saturday casual.



I picked up the sweatshirt at Old Navy this spring, but have mostly been wearing it as loungewear. We've finally reached a cool point in the summer, though, so I suspect this will be getting a workout, especially on vacation next week. I am ready!



Next it was Ally at Wardrobe Oxygen who provided the inspiration. She wore a fantastic striped blazer from Karen Kane with a hot pink cami, and I was head over heels. Look at how amazing she looks!

I will definitely be duplicating it during the week too, with my own striped blazer, but I also did a version over the weekend with my trusty White House Black Market striped cardigan.



This was the first rendition, when I took Hubby out to breakfast for his birthday on Sunday. But it was a little too warm for long pants and a long sweater, so I went back to my boyfriend jeans. Loved them with the chunky wedge sandals.






Thanks, ladies, for the continued inspiration!

Outfit secrets, and blogger inspiration

Notice anything about this outfit?

How about this one?



Did you notice I am wearing trouser jeans? This pair from Gap, to be precise.

I haven't had a pair of trouser jeans since Forth & Towne, and those were more of a wide-leg. I am crazy about the look of these straight legs!

My husband wears jeans regularly to his business casual environment, even though they aren't allowed. His secret is that he wears a jacket and tie, or a very nice shirt and gorgeous tie, so everyone's attention is focused on the upper half of his body, and no one even notices that he is in jeans. It's worked perfectly for eleven years; hasn't been busted yet!

So that's what I did with the two outfits above, and no one noticed. I was only working in the office those days, no travel, so if I did get caught it would only be by the people in my department. Hee!

The second outfit, with the silver-grey tee under the striped blazer, was purely inspired by this fabulous look from Small Fabric of My Life. I wish my top had the same drapiness of hers, but overall it did work; I just have to be careful when I am posing that the stupid little zipper pull isn't sticking out through the top. UGH.



You can't see the poking zipper when the jacket is buttoned, but it was much too hot for that nonsense. :)

These dresses continue to get a workout this summer. They're so easy when it's too hot to wear clothes, but you know, you still have to wear clothes. :)



And now it's time to get ready for work again. Is it vacation soon?

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!

Sunday Cooking: My New Living Room

Last weekend, I zipped through my weekly cooking to spend more of my time setting up my new living room. The same trend continued this week.


The main seasoning ingredients used. I start with chopped onions, minced garlic and a couple of cubes of frozen basil. Two large cans of crushed tomatoes and one of puree starts the sauce. After it's simmered for an hour, I add a small can of paste, kosher salt, a lot of Italian seasoning, and my Babchi's secret ingredient, a teaspoon of sugar. As tomatoes tend to be too acidic for me, the sugar helps cut that a lot.

 Oh, there was cooking too; I used up the last baggie in the freezer so I made another batch of my Babchi's spaghetti sauce. I also did a variation on the kale infused meatloaf, this time using ground turkey and chopping up a couple of strips of bacon into the veggie mix to give it more moisture. Verdict: a little too crumbly, but the flavors are amazing. I think I could have skipped the bacon since you really don't taste it. The chipotle is the standout, in a good way.

Hubby polished off the roasted veggies so I will be making the asparagus and the cauliflower at some point; I didn't plan well enough on the veggies this week, methinks.

Anyway, onto the main project of the weekend: continued renovation of the living room!

Last week we got the chairs and the new side table.



This Saturday, we got the rug.



Seriously. Isn't it awesome?



We are completely nuts about it. So is George!


What? I am NOT playing with the edge. I swear! How can you accuse me of such a thing?

Sunday I went to Target to look for lamps, and completely scored on the one for the side table.



I am less enamored of the tall halogen I got (forgot to make sure it matches the other one) but those are easier to replace. Mostly we are just excited to finally have some light in the room!






The last step will be the paint (I know, we did it backwards). The guy is coming in two weekends, according to Hubby and his scheduling with him. We're keeping the mustard but the blue is getting done over with this incredible dark orange called Tiger Stripe.

We are also getting the stairwell and kitchen done in a creamy pale peach called Bagel.

The three (the mustard we have, plus the two above) will be great background for all the color in our furniture and accessories. I'm so excited for the painting to be done. We've had these color almost ten years, since we moved in. We are due for a change.

Yeah, I think it is safe to say that we love color.

I especially like it because it's such a welcome contrast to my office. I like our new building, and I LOVE that my new office is so huge, but it is white white white. I have as many colorful accessories, artwork and interesting lights as I can, but it's still pretty white.









It's nice, but I much prefer coming home and seeing this.



What about you? Do you like white and neutral in your living space, or are you a color fiend like me?