Birthday Stuff I Want

Like I said, I may have killed my impulse shopping habit, but I still like and need to to shop. In a way, it's like dieting; even though I eat less or better food, I still need to eat. I just have to be smarter about it: track what I am spending, make a plan before shopping, and decide if I want to save up for something good or blow it all on small, cheap meals/items.

Hunh, maybe it is EXACTLY like dieting.

Angie at YouLookFab had a great post listing the 4 implicit categories on your shopping list. They were:
1. Wardrobe holes
2. New trends
3. Replenishment items
4. Unexpected delights

This has been very helpful as I have been sorting through what I think I want versus what I need. My birthday is next week, and I am hoping for some gift cards so I can do a little guilt-free shopping. In preparation, I've been doing some online window-shopping, and using these categories has been helping cull away items I added just in the heat of the moment (the "ooh, pretty" impulse items) and winnowing it down to only things that fall into one of these categories.

Sejour roll-sleeve twill jacket. I tried this on at the store, and fell in love. I've really liked my Old Navy lined anorak that I have been wearing like crazy this winter, but the black is kind of faded and dusty and it feels like a lot of coat. This is much trimmer and fitted, and the back flap is longer at the bottom, perfect for sitting and for keeping my butt dry when it rains. I hesitate on the color -- it comes in black, red/orange, olive/khaki and this bright purply-cobalt blue -- but the blue continues to be my top choice. It was the most flattering one when I tried it on, but I usually buy neutral outside jackets because my clothes are so colorful. I think I might have to go for it anyway; it's so pretty and I have a feeling I am going to need a casual coat this spring (I don't have one at all. Sad, right?)

This is a wardrobe hole and a replenishment item, and the color would tip it into the unexpected delights too.

A new spring purse is also on my wishlist. I am bananas about my Longchamp tote bag (I use it for my laptop for work), and I want the small version for a purse; I like the casual look of it, and the nylon means it's easier to carry around when the weather is bad. (I have a weird feeling we are going to be in for a wet spring this year; I don't know why.)

Initially I wanted the dark eggplant "bilberry" color...

...but if I go for the blue anorak, it doesn't work. So I am considering brown or slate. This one I will buy in the store, after I have purchased the jacket. I'll need to put the colors up against each other before I make a final decision.

This would be a wardrobe hole, and an unexpected delight.

The last item on my Nordstrom wishlist is a pair of Kut from the Kloth jeans. I love my boyfriend version, and Kut from the Kloth is just a better brand for my body than NYDJ is (NYDJ is too stretchy.)

Thing is, I don't really need another pair of jeans; my various Dreamers from Old Navy are all still doing fine. I just really want a nice pair of jeans, in a soft, expensive denim.

They're just an impulse purchase, so the only way I will get them is if I have anything left over on a gift card and my Nordstrom bucks. Dang those categories for making me realize where these don't fit! ;-)

I am also looking for a dressy clutch/mini-purse to replace my faux-Chanel. Lucky for me, quilted mini purses are all the rage right now; I just need to find the right one.

This Rebecca Minkoff is a strong possibility. It comes in emerald, tan, mint and a weird red, but I think the black will last me much longer and prove to be far more versatile.

This one is pretty much a nicer duplicate of my old purse, but I don't like the gold studs.

It's a wardrobe hole, but none of these are right yet. The search continues!

A new pair of flats is also on my wishlist, this time at Zappos. I am torn between the pink and the yellow. Mustard is my go-to fun color, but the pink is so unexpected and different for me.

The cap toe makes this a new trend category item, and the color puts it into unexpected delight. Especially if I go with the pink, as I am leaning. They're Clarks, so I am 95% sure they are super--comfortable, and will last for a long while. (I won't order any shoes until I figure out the coat and purse above, and the pants below.)

As long as I am showing off my Zappos wishlist, aren't these awesome? Angie linked them the other day.

It is highly unlikely I would ever buy these -- too pricey especially for something in such a short-lived trendy color. But I do love a good heeled Oxford!

The last item on my shopping list are some colored pants. Aside from my blackberry cords, I haven't seen any colored pants that I want; most are too casual in their cut. My ideal pants would be the Gap modern bootcuts in aubergine, mushroom, and maybe a nice ivory, but Gap stubbornly will not fulfill my personal fantasy of giving me real pants I can wear to the office. So I am trying to warm to the existing colored pants trend, as it is. Maybe I can make ankle pants work? They're better than cropped, at least. Gap was having a 30% off sale last week, so I placed an order to try some different options.

If I keep one of these, I will be surprised and impressed. But I figured I might at least TRY them on, right?

The bright skinny pants have all been disastrous on me, so I am hoping a paler look is better. Bless you, these are "straight khakis" not skinnies. I do hope these work out; Vivienne just did a great set of pink jeans options that I loved.

Lots of bloggers have been extolling the virtues of these skimmer pants, and I would like a cropped pair of white pants for summer, so...we shall see.

Sometimes I like to kid myself that my legs are long and slender like this. Reality will show me otherwise when these get here. I am such a sucker for olive.

A coral jacket. C'mon.

That's like a wardrobe basic, for me. Right? Right? :) Fine, file it under Unexpected Delight. It will be mine.

It will be interesting to me to come back to this post in a month or so and see which if any of these I ended up getting. I've looked back at other Stuff I Want posts, and my purchases end up being pretty few. (Except the Blazer post; three of those have become closet staples.)

Goldilocks

You guys, I am absolutely LOVING my wardrobe these days. I had no idea that getting rid of the clutter, allowing myself to routinely weed out items that aren't working, and cutting back on the shopping would be so darned freeing. Instead of constantly trying to outdo myself in terms of being fashion-foward, I am finding it is more satisfying to find ways to wear what I already have.

Of course, they don't all work -- at least not when I look at the photos sometimes -- but that too helps further hone my closet.



I liked the idea of this -- two versions of grey with a cobalt blue tee and a scarf for visual interest -- and for the most part it worked. But it's one that when I look at the photo, I realized it didn't. I think it's finally time to concede defeat on these dark grey Gap straight legs; there is just something about the fabric or the color that makes it look frumpy and dated, like they were black and now have faded to this grey. It drives me nuts!



This I liked a little better, even though it is just a whole lot of black. I have two of these "blogger" necklaces, but this cobalt blue one gets almost no wear. (Maybe I should have gotten it in red instead.) I don't have a lot of good contrasting colors for it, so it really only work against black or white. I thought it worked pretty well here, playing on that idea with a patterned B&W tank from Target, black cascading cardigan, and my trusty black Gap modern bootcuts.

This one, from yesterday, was Goldilocks approved, as it was just right.



Also lots of black but it doesn't feel that way. The purple skirt and knit jacket are two purchases from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale that I have been waiting to wear (patiently, for months!!) and it is finally cold enough to do so. See how the turquoise bloger necklace works just so much better than the cobalt one does? I think it might be just a more flattering color for me.

The top is from Gwynnie Bee, and it might just be the best one I have gotten from them yet. It's a simple INC black knit long sleeve top, but it fits and drapes PERFECTLY. It is the Holy Grail of black tops. I am taking it to Macys tomorrow to see if they still have any in stock; I need to own this to complete so many other looks. Assets tights and my Franco Sarto Deer shooties finish the look.



I had my doubts about that skirt, but now that it is cold enough to wear, I expect it is going to get lots of mileage. It's the first skirt or dress that I have had in a long while that looks good on my dupa.

Coincidentally, I got a couple of questions about that leather-trimmed tweed jacket from my last post; it was also from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (and is out of stock now, sorry). It in fact inspired the color combo of this outfit. I may try the skirt and necklace again with the jacket next time!

If you are interested in Gwynnie Bee, anytime during the month of November,  you can sign up for a free 30-day trial. Leave me your email (or email it to me) and I will send you an invite. I really cannot speak more highly of this service. It's rejuvenating my closet!

Fashion Flasher

I still haven't gotten back into the rhythm of daily outfit photos, but I have been trying to do a quick partial shot here or there to at least capture the flavor of what I am wearing.  So here are a few flashes of the last week.



One of the prettiest Gwynnie Bee tops, with a tie-dyed pattern draped cowl that I just adored. I wore this a few times before shipping it back, my favorite being when I wore it on Halloween with this cobalt blazer at work and then with a simple black sweater in the evening to highlight the "spookiness" of the pattern when we took Babyfriend out trick-or-treating. This version was with a short-sleeved royal blue sweater, which worked well with our in-between weather.



Not an outfit, I just thought that was a clever carving. :)



I was undecided about this pattern-mixing so I emailed the photo to my girlfriends and my mom. Mom thought it was chic, but my girlfriends were on the fence, not really being fans of pattern-mixing. But I got their replies too late, and I had decided for myself that I liked it so I wore it anyway. And got a surprising number of compliments!



What made it work for me is that they were all in the same color tone, and because that tone was grey, black and white it allowed for a little more creativity. Plus I just love love love that Target blouse with the buttefly pattern and pussybow. It is the one cheap-fashion shirt I do not regret buying whatsoever.

That said, I tried a more subtle outfit with that jacket later in the week.



Keeping the necklace grey kept it nicely subtle; there's a lot going on with the jacket trim and zippers, so it doesn't look as good if I contrast with a colored top.

So all that ruckus over trying to find the perfect bag for fall? (None of the booties worked so they were returned too.) I walked into the new Michael Kors store at my mall last Friday and fell in love with The One.



Medium sized tote, simple and clean, but with just the right details: a lovely chestnut/luggage color in a just-soft-enough leather, contrasting lighter handles, and best of all two side outside pockets where I can slip my phones in and be able to reach them without having to dig under my arm when the bag is on my shoulder.

So far, it is my one purchase for November. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It was already in rotation the next day, and I was ready for the weekend.



The boots and jacket are October purchases. First is a much-needed casual anorak jacket from Old Navy, with a removable lining and is surprisingly well made. Second are a pair of faux-suede nude booties from Target; I had seen them months ago online but since most Target shoes are crazy uncomfortable I resisted. Saw them on clearance in the store last week and gave them a try. They've been worn all day for several days now and are more comfortable than the $200 Munro ones were.

Sometimes cheap fashion is confusing, you guys. Obviously they won't last 4 winters like my Franco Sarto Deers have, but they're a nice addition for this year.

This is what was under my jacket.



Usually with a patterned top like this one (Target, of course), I wear a sweater over it to break it up visually. But since it was Saturday I spent most of the day in my jacket anyway running errands, which served the same purpose.

One of those errands? Getting my hair cut and colored. I went a little dark on the color so it matches better with the silvery-greys that are exponentially sprouting up. (That seems counter-intuitive, but it's true.)

This was how it looked on Sunday.




I went with a Sheila look, a tissue-weight short-sleeved tee over a long-sleeved tee, and added that weird blue-grey jacket I often have trouble working into an outfit. (Told you I was cycling through more unworn items, thanks to the Great Closet Purge.) Comfy and a little tough, I liked it!





Lastly, we get to Monday. The flash was in use outside because it was dark out so my hair already looks blonder again. So weird!






This other Gwynnie Bee top -- a rich pink cowl neck from Tablots -- breathed new life into this striped cascading cardigan from White House Black Market (remember when we bought this in Vegas, Mom?), black Gap straight legs, and my trusty Naturalizer folded cuff booties.

And that's all I got today! Have a lovely Wednesday, my friends. Off to back-to-back meetings, UGH.

Summer Business Uniform

Sometimes it is worth paying full price for a brand-new item. My Lands End navy striped blazer has become my go-to item this summer for any business meetings where I need to be in "business formal" in theory but I can dress it down a bit in practice (i.e., not a full suit but nice pants and a blazer).



This was yesterday for a whirlwind set of meetings at two different hospitals. It's in the high 80s and getting warmer every day, so I needed to beat the heat and still look professional and like myself. The pants are navy Gap modern bootcuts, the top is a light purple LOFT tee semi-tucked a la Angie, the necklace is a new favorite silver circle pendant from LOFT Outlet, and the sandals are my trusty nude Clarks from last year. Between the stripes and the seme-tuck, it looks on trend, but not too trendy, I think.



I just adore the detail of the chambray on the interior of the cuff. It's on the underside of the collar too, but I am not fond of the popped collar look so no one gets to see that.

It is still full-price at Lands End ($80), but they have a coupon for $20 off any $75 purchase online, and in Sears (where I bought it) they also have other sales going on. (They're not paying me to plug it, although they should. I am a walking advertisement for this jacket this summer.)









And several other outfits that I never got photos of...

Do you have a favorite item this summer that you can't stop wearing?

Long weekend

I worked a half-day at home on Friday, and took a much-needed afternoon off. So sartorially, it was a long weekend, 'cause you know I wore bum-around jeans at home working!



These are the Dreamer Old Navy bootcut jeans; I actually like them better in the long version, but I only have those in faded wash and they were in, well, the wash. :) So I added flats and went with the short, smooshed look. The maroon cardigan is last years from Kohls, the top is a new cream diagonal striped from LOFT, the necklace is a gold knotted stretch from Nordstrom, the purse is also from Nordstrom, and the flats are my beloved Sam Edelmann embellished animal prints.



It was a gorgeous day, sunny and perfectly crispy fall. Since it was later in the morning, I crept out off my patio and snapped a couple of shots in the area behind my house. Our neighbors have cute Halloween decorations out. We have our flamingos. LOL!



I changed before I went out to dinner with my friend Laura, but I forgot to get a picture of that. Which is fine, because I could not hold a candle to her chic-ness. LOVE your new red hair, Laura! She had a great grey cabled cowlneck tunic with grey heathered tights and the best piping-edged boots. We never take pictures when we got out, but seriously, we should.

++++++

On Saturday I needed an outfit that would take me from morning grocery shopping to afternoon babysitting to an night of dinner downtown celebrating a friend's birthday. I think I got one fit the bill.





You know how earlier this week I was all about covering up my dupa with boyfriend cardigans, or talking about wearing outfits in proportions. Sometimes you just gotta channel a little Shakira, cause in this one, my hips don't lie, and I don't care. These are Gap Long and Lean jeans, and they are great for outfits when I want to show off alllllllll my legs, hips and thighs and all. They only work in the tall version with heels (my super-awesome olive green Clarks Vista Vermonts, which you may have noticed in many weekend outfits lately), but they work in a way my other jeans don't.

The jacket is a cotton olive cropped from Gap from last year; it's pretty casual but every once in a while works perfectly. The black long-sleeved layering top is new from LOFT (I scooped up a bunch on sale with a coupon and the last of my LOFT points this week), and the scarf is a great mix of navy, baby blue and olive. With the glasses it kind of looks a little "matchy-matchy" but I think the color combo is so unusual it works.




+++++++

Hubby agreed to take my photo on Sunday. He's getting better about not making me a dot on the horizon; I barely had to crop this one!



Another wearing of the Old Navy Dreamers, this time with a new teal LOFT layering top, an older Kohls cropped black sweater with dolman sleeves tied with a black ribbon. The shoes are my Ann Taylor Outlet tweed flats. Functional, and cozy.

This afternoon has been what I am beginning to call Soup Sunday. This week I made another batch of my Babchi's spaghetti sauce; I zipped through the first one mostly due to waste. Fresh tomato sauce goes bad in the fridge after a week (sob!), and I had frozen the rest in too big a container so I had to use it all at once. This time I am following Corporette's suggestions for freezing foods, and storing it in flat pint bags. (A pint of sauce is usually good for one meal.)

The other soup in process is Broccoli Chowder, one of my favorite meals. I did a double-batch in hopes of bringing it into work tomorrow, but I'm not sure I like how it came out. Eating a bowl now, and letting the pot simmer for a bit to cook down. Hope it fixes itself so I can take it in!

I can feel my foodstyle fighting its way through the haze of Halloween candy and work stress; I did a big round of grocery shopping this weekend, and have been busily stockpiling recipe ideas for quick dinners, like these Barbecue Portobello Quesadillas. YUM.

 And Helen, I bought the Cooking Light edition for Thanksgiving ideas; I am still mulling over more veggie side dishes and I would love a new, lighter potato idea, so any ideas are welcome!

Hope you all had lovely weekends, and those of you in the Northwest, hope the snow melts fast and you didn't lose power. First time there has been a storm like that since the Civil War. I can't even imagine!

Team Straight Leg

Follow-up on my last post:
1. Hurray for the resounding approval of my new bag! As you will soon see, it has already been put into rotation, so I guess it's a keeper. :)
2. I am still laughing at RoseAG's comment: Isn't that gunmetal jacket the one with documented color-coordination issues? Ha! Spoken like a true fellow IT project nerd. :) And yes, yes it is. I should know better by now, but I keep trying with that one!

 Monday was rather a boring day, sartorial-wise. I did some closet rearranging, and am making a concerted effort to remix my new pieces with my older ones as much as possible. I feel like this summer it was all new, new, new, probably because it was all new dresses and my awesome sandal collection. This season I'm trying for more of a balanced approach. For now.



I am officially in love with this cozy knit long sweater from Old Navy. I remixed the white sleeveless tank with the bow, also from Old Navy, but this time swapped in a black stretch belt instead of the self-belt. The grey pants are Ashley Stewart, which I bought last spring but never really cottoned to, and the shoes are my grey tweed Ann Taylor Outlet flats.

I like being able to work in rarely-worn pieces like the pants and shoes, and I love when they work together.




I think I need to re-evaluate the hem on those pants, though. I'd rather be able to wear them with heels than flats. Hmm.

The best part of the outfit, of course, was the new Coach bag!








Yeah, it's a keeper.

Tuesday was another remix, and the debut of my new True Straight Leg pants from Gap. I wish I could wear these pants every day. Oh. My. God.




This was another version of a cream top (my Lauren Conrad tee with embellished horizontal lines) with the cream Gap sweater, then adding a sweet pink and brown floral infinity scarf (a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law) to break it up at my face. The shoes are brown suede BOC heeled clogs from DSW, a favorite find from last fall and available at DSW again this year. I guess clogs aren't totally done yet!

But the real star of the outfit are these new pants. Angie asked yesterday if readers were Team Wide Leg or Team Bootcut, and my answer is that I am Team Straight Leg. It is hands-down the style that looks best on my body shape. I'm not a small woman, in any way, and my legs are my best asset; the larger I get, the more pronounced my pear shape gets at my hips, but then it quickly thins out from my knee down. So a bootcut tends to look like a mermaid-shape on me, and makes my hips even bigger. And a wide leg...well, it looks like Monday's shots. Kind of shapeless and everything is the same size as my thighs and hips. Not my best look.

Skinnies, too, pose their own problems; their streamlined shape is actually too pronounced for my legs, and I look like an ice cream cone. But straight legs have all the virtues of a skinny (highlights my lower legs) but in a less pronounced way.







Truthfully, all of my "skinnies" are really straight legs: the NYDJ ponte pants, my old Kut from the Cloth jeans, etc. But these new ones are really the best of the bunch. The fabric is a great heavy stretch, which keeps its shape but still has some nice give to it. They feel exactly like Banana Republic's Martin Fit pants did a couple of years ago. I am IN LOVE.

Lastly, in case you were worried I have been going way too neutral lately:



I am still me!