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.)

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!

Hump Day

Gosh, how did we get to Wednesday already? I'm so far behind in everything I need to do!!

Anyway, I promised I would wear something out of my sister's box of clothes every day this week, and I would photograph it. I am not sure I am going to make it to the end of the week; turns out none of the awesome skirts fit. The good news is they are all too big, but the bad news is that means I will never be able to wear them. They are so gorgeous, I'm pretty bummed about it. I might get one of them (a fabulous houndstooth) taken in, just to see it works.



This was Monday. One of two great Lane Bryant tunic sweaters; the other one was a strong green. I did wear it over the weekend, but unfortunately the color did not work on me as well as this peacock blue one did, so I passed it along to my friend Jessie. She looks AMAZING in green, so I know she will rock it.

I know a white top and black pants is a bit of a cop-out, but you know, when the sweater has enough character you don't need to overload with other stuff. I did wear my pretty gold circle necklace with it, to help emphasize the cowl neck.




Tuesday was a bit dressier than I have been lately, but it was all in service to the yellow Banana Republic sweater that made its way back to my closet in the box. It's a little snug right now, so I layered it under a Tria tweed jacket instead of over a button-down like I wanted to wear it. The sweater is short-sleeved and has cute ruching at the shoulders. Maybe you'll see it again later this winter or spring when it fits better.

The details of this aren't clear, but the pants are a navy pinstripe, and the jacket has great gold embellishment all along the hem. I added a couple of triple-strand gold necklaces to finish it off.





Today this will be the outfit, although I may mix it up with a different necklace or scarf. I cheated and wore it last Friday, but I like this sweater so much I am repeating it. This is a Forth & Towne oldie but goodie. Love the melon-y color, the faux-wrap look, and just the general weight and softness of the fabric. This is almost 5 years old, and it's still one of my favorites.

Sometimes I don't mind having gained the weight back because it lets me re-discover beloved pieces again. And believe me, I have plenty more in smaller sizes in the basement! :)

Lastly, I am enjoying all the food I made this weekend. I've had leftover soup a couple of days, and yesterday I brought in this:



There are cauliflower pizza crust/pancakes under the pulled pork, which worked out very well. They gave the pork a nice base but wasn't as carb-heavy as just bread. I added some of the roasted veggies with it. Yogurt, a mix of clementines and blackberries, some store-bought granola (Shelley, I had to concede defeat on making my own for now), some Special K crackers (which are so good!), and a couple of extra clementines filled me up for the day.

Aaaaaand now I am late for my day. Have a good one, all!

The last outfit photos of 2011

Wow, what great responses to yesterday's post about weight-loss tips! Cynthia, I love the link to that NYT article you sent. So much to think about!

I also loved that there were some common tips that work pretty much universally: track what you eat, track your progress (somehow), plan your meals, and have a positive attitude.

I would add just one more: enjoy what you eat. It's food, and well-prepared food is supposed to be enjoyable. Food is not just fuel; it affects all of our senses. So don't waste your calories/points/checkboxes on something that doesn't taste good. Conversely, not everything that tastes good is calorie-laden. Fresh oranges, homemade tomato sauce, a simmering bowl of seasoned bean soup, a slice of warm crusty whole-grain bread -- these are healthy, delicious, satisfying choices.

Anyway, onto the outfits!



This was Thursday before Christmas, one of my last days at work. We had our department holiday party after work that day, and this easily made the transition to party wear. Plus, I finally added some color to the dress!


Friday was my last day of work for the year. Hurray!



This transitioned into a travel outfit nicely -- all I did was lose the belt. :) I got the turquoise top from Lane Bryant this summer, but have yet to find the right outfit for it. This was close...maybe it will work better with my black ponte skirt? I definitely liked it with the long-sleeved top under it. A work in progress for 2012!

This one is for my sister: the last Bento of 2011.




Leftover Maui chicken from the Yardhouse, peeled clementines, and pomegranate yogurt with blackberries.  Yummy!

I hope you all have lovely New Year's. We'll be staying in that night, but I have plans for the day and the next day. Plus reflections and resolutions to make. Plan on seeing a few more posts this weekend from me! :)

Happy New Year!

Ciocia Kristen

Hello, internet! Did you miss me while I was gone? We had a lovely weekend away in Detroit (not an oxymoron LOL); we went for a family reunion picnic but I affectionately called the trip our Casino Tour Across Michigan. I hit big on our first night in New Buffalo, and that paid for the rest of the pitstops along the way and our stay in the Greektown Casino and Hotel in the city itself. Yay!

But more importantly, what did I wear? The weather was crazy, the kind where you over-pack with shorts for heat, jackets for bundling up, and shirts and sweaters of every weight, just to cover your bases. And I ended up wearing all of them.

This was Friday; wore it to work and then on the car ride across Illinois and Indiana that night. Gap Outlet purple and grey striped sweater, grey Lauren Conrad for Kohls embellished tee, black Gap skinny pants, red Target cutout flats. Those flats got quite a workout all weekend!






Saturday we drove the rest of the way across the state then met up with my sister-in-law and niece for lunch at Slows BBQ in the city of Detroit. It's a funny restaurant, funky and upscale like many restaurants found in the funky urban neighborhoods of Chicago, but because it's in Detroit it's pretty much surrounded by abandoned buildings. The food was ridiculously good; I had a brisket and onion marmalade sandwich that was amazingly tender and flavorful. Plus, I got to spend time with my niece! She's only two so she's like an amnesiac still; she doesn't remember me between the times that I see her, so I have to win her over all over again at each visit. But Ciocia Kristen (Aunt in Polish) is persistent, and by the end of the reunion on Sunday she was running into my arms and kissing me. :)











I love how fearless my sister-in-law is in taking her daughter through the city. They live there, after all, and it's good to teach her to enjoy the good and not to ignore the bad.


This was one of 3 outfits on Saturday. The WHBM striped sweater kept coming off and on as it heated up, so I was glad I had just gotten this Old Navy long sleeved ruched v-neck tee this week on sale. It's so soft, and the optic white looks good against my skin tone. I ended up getting even hotter and changing into a fuschia sleeveless ruched tee from LOFT for a while, then that night I wore my batwing black top when we went out drinking and gambling with my brother-in-law. (Also when we went for Coney dogs at 10:30 at night. It's a Detroit tradition!)





Sunday was the reunion out at a gorgeous park up by my brother-in-law. The sun was out but the wind was cool, so my new Old Navy striped sweater kept coming off and on as the temps changed. Underneath was another Old Navy ruched v-neck tee, this time in deep teal. My gold circle Nasri necklace and Old Navy Dreamer jeans finished off the outfit. No full-lengths shots, but here are a couple of closeups. I bought those aviators last year, and they were expensive from Ralph Lauren. But they look awesome, and they've lasted well. No regrets about buying them at all!






Me and my nieces (ages two and sixteen). Love both of these girls so much! The reunion was perfect because the adults were busy talking to their cousins and aunts, but since I don't know any of them I got to spend time with my nieces one on one. Usually at family parties their moms and grandmas hog their attention. :)



 
My husband proudly wore his new Made in Detroit shirt. LOL!





He also did some fishing with our niece. She loved it, and didn't want to stop even though it was time to go. They kept catching the line on lily pads and other assorted greenery in the water, and my husband joked that they were catching "salads". When we got her back with her mom, she proudly said, "I caught salads!" We have been repeating it to each other ever since.

Good thing they didn't actually catch a live fish; she might have freaked out.




The kids played games at the picnic, and one of the prizes were bubbles. That turned out to be the most fun of all, as the little ones chased the bubbles all over the field. I could have watched them for hours. So adorable.





By Monday, my flats-length Old Navy Dreamer jeans had completed bagged out, but I did not want to wear heels for the drive home. So I rolled up my heel-length Old Navy Dreamer jeans (why do the other pair bag out, but not these? It's a mystery) and added the white long-sleeved tee again, my grey asymmetrical sweater from Marshalls, red Target flats and my new crossbody from Nordstrom. This was definitely a remixing weekend! (And an Old Navy one, apparently; they are my go-to store for casual this year!)



And now I am back at work. Alas!

This is what a 20-degree difference looks like

Wednesday, in the 70s. Since my office is always crazy cold, I elected to wear my last two new pieces together. First time I've been in non-jean pants in a while!




I really liked this outfit, so expect to see variations of it this fall. That is the new Old Navy striped sweater and the Gap skinny pants. I added a chambray shirt, my orange Clarks Long Ponds, a pewter mesh bracelet from Banana Republic, and a long strand of pearls double-knotted a la Angie at YLF. The skinny pants and the chambray shirt put it on the casual end of business casual, but I can get away with that when I am not out at meetings.






By the time I got *out* of the office on Wednesday, however, we were in the midst of a late-summer heatwave. Maybe I should pay attention to weather reports more...

Thursday, then, was a return to 90 degree temps, and the face-melting summer look. Good thing, because I wanted to wear the most summery of my dresses one last time before packing them up. Looks like I got my chance to do so!





I hadn't paired the blue polka-dot Target dress with my yellow Target cutout flats yet, so this was a new combo. Normally I would not have worn the short leggings, but we were going out after work to the rooftop bar, and I learned from my trip there with Laura that the couches are too low and wide to wear a dress gracefully there. I had to bow to function over form with the leggings. On the plus side, it's the leggings that make the yellow shoes work; obviously the leggings cut my legs off funny, but the almost nude look of the shoes counteracts the worst of it, and the casual nature of the leggings make the flats look better than heels would.




++++++

On the food front, it's been a weird, stressful week. Work has been super-crazy and I didn't prepare well last weekend for snacks and dinners. I hadn't realized how much that was saving me. Another thing I did not realize: I much prefer the grab-n-go flavored yogurts over a quart of plain. I wanted to make the switch to plain for my morning breakfasts, but it's just...one thing too much. I don't want to eat it, so I end up bypassing fruit altogether and eating just starch in the morning. So of course I am hungry faster, and it's too easy to eat crap all day instead. It doesn't help that my whole team is really stressed, and we've been indulging at lunches as a group. Then I am still stressed when I come home but not really hungry, so I have a slice of bread with spreadable cheese and call it a day.

You will notice there are no vegetables mentioned here. Not good.

So this weekend I will stock up at the farmer's market, and prepare as much of it beforehand as I can. and I will refill my stock of yogurts. :)

What are your plans for the long weekend?

30 DoC: Day 23

This was the Day of UN-Creativity.



Notice anything in my "casual" Friday outfit?

That is a black-and-cream striped Lane Bryant sweater, coral Caslon cami, grey Privo sandals...and my BROWN Not Your Daughter's Jeans ponte pants. Not the black ones I thought they were.

Brown and black, unintentionally.

Sigh.

But you can imagine how the rest of my day went, right?

Let us never speak of this again.

30 DoC: Day 18

Today is a quiet day at my sister's, mostly just babysitting her while she recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery. She's dozing on and off this afternoon, and so am I, so I thought now was as good a time as any to do a "what I packed" post.

This was a short trip, only 4 days, but the forecast said it was going to range from 60 to 85 with rain some days and sun on others. Plus I knew I would be in a plane, which is always cooler than in regular places. Lastly, while it was for a casual trip taking care of various family members, I wanted to wear and enjoy some of the new summer clothes I bought.

I brought:

2 pairs of shorts in tan and brown, and 2 pairs of jeans (one faded longs and the other dark rinse for flats). I could have been fine with one of each, but I really wanted to wear both pairs of jeans this weekend, and the dark ones have a tendency to stretch after one wearing. I'm not going to lie; I just really really wanted to wear the faded jeans this weekend. I love them so much!
Weekend tally so far: brown shorts could have stayed home, everything else has been worn at least once (tan shorts have been twice, faded jeans will be twice after tomorrow).


6 tops. In fairness, the white in the middle was included so I could pass it on to my sister. This is usually where I like the most variety, and tend to overpack.
Weekend tally so far: I ended up wearing two tops on Thursday, so by tomorrow all will have been worn.


3 sweater/jackets: olive knit cropped Gap jacket, blue cropped Gap cardigan, grey asymmetrical Marshall sweater. Each one was added in case of the cooler weather range, and their color schemes took each of the tops in different directions, so after dithering while I was packing on Thursday, I reminded myself how cold I was a month ago on the same trip, and included them all.
Weekend tally so far: the grey sweater has been worn with my pajamas every morning but the other two have done unworn so far. I would still bring them on a different trip. You never know in Connecticut!


Accessories:
-coral scarf, multi-weave clutch, silver bracelets
-necklaces galore (I can never decide so I always take waaaaay too many)
-orange tall wedges, mustard Keens and grey Privos (the talls had to come to go with the faded jeans, the other two because they're awesome.)

Everything fit with plenty of room to spare in a weekender bag (the soft over-shoulder ones, not the rolling suitcases. So much easier to deal with in this day of tiny planes/overhead bins and fees for checking bags.

I also put outfits together as possibilities, and compared it to the final result.

This was what I wore on the plane on Thursday (plus the orange wedges).



This was ready in case the airport AC was set to chilly, but there wasn't a need.



It was hot when I got to my parents, so I changed into something cooler and more sporty:




Friday I wanted a funkier look.


I ended up switching out the necklace to a matching stone one, ditching the sweater and adding the yellow sandals and clutch.



Like I said, today has been a slow day just bumming around the house with my sister.



About the same, minus the blue sweater (may be added back tonight when I head back to my parents for dinner on the patio.)



Based on what's left, I think tomorrow will be the remaining unworn cream top, faded jeans, orange wedges, and a funky necklace. The blue cardigan will at the top of the bag just in case. Let's see if that comes to pass!

Ooops, my sister is up, time to go!