January Edits and Purchases

*waves to Lorena* See, I did keep up with this during my hiatus!

We had our first real cold temperatures of the winter in January, so I reached into the sweater section of my closet to bundle up. Turns out there were several items in there that ended up in the edit bag.



Cream Gap long grandpa cardigan. The color always washed me out, and now it is too small in the shoulders to boot.



Blue marled extra-thick long open cardigan with tie, from Old Navy. The fit isn't right anymore, and it looked terrible as loungewear.



One of my very first boyfriend cardigans from LOFT. I still love the look, but this is too small in the shoulders. I couldn't completely let it go, so it went downstairs to my plastic clothes bin.



Grey cocoon cardigan from Gap. This was a fairly recent purchase from this fall, but I realize I should have gotten it a size up (I did so for the same sweater in black), and I already have a grey sweater that I wear much more often. A regretted purchase, for sure.



My sister and I traded these super-soft Target hoodies back and forth between us for years, but they are way too stretched out to keep anymore. This one was in white.




This one was in pale pink. It was so pill-y and worn out!



Last item that got kicked out was a grey LOFT tee. I actually loved this top; it sat well on me and the neckline was just right.




Too bad the grease stains ruined it.



January total: 7 pieces edited out.

On the purchase front, it was even less.



The first three came from an outlet mall trip with Jessie and Kate; I was far more restrained in my purchases than either of them were. (For once.)

Ooooh, that was the trip where one of my readers secretly spotted me in the LOFT store! Hello, Mary, hope you are still reading, and that you are doing well. :)

I also picked up a couple of pullover sweaters, as going through the sweater section of my closet revealed that I did not own a single one. Isn't that crazy? I love both of the ones I got and have been getting quite a bit of wear out of them.

Cozy, thick cotton. I especially love the tight knit of the weave; too many sweaters these days are too thin and baggy. This one is much better quality than that. On sale at Gap in purple, green or black stripe for $35.

This is also a chunky knit, but it is Old Navy and is a looser, cheaper weave. Which is okay, because I've owned and worn heavy woolen fisherman's knit sweaters before, and that is just too much. I only wanted a facsimile of that, which this delivers. :) Now on sale at Old Navy in a number of colors for $15.

So that was what I bought and got rid of in January. How did you do?

Work with What You Got

Last summer this was one of my favorite dresses. Because it was a heavier knit, I was able to wear it all year long. I always get compliments when I do; it's a flattering shape.

When Target released more versions of this dress in different colors, I snapped it up. Now I have purple...



and a fabulous, unexpected green (a color I have very little of in my closet; really it's green, not teal).



What I love about this dress is that it does exactly the opposite of most of my other clothes: it doesn't hide my shape, it celebrates it.

I am a pear. I have a big rack, a flat dupa, a high waist, small shoulders, wide hips and thighs, a short torso and long legs. This dress highlights every aspect of that in a positive, flattering way. The dolman dropped shoulders puts extra fabric and width at my small shoulder, making my silhouette more balanced. The fabric on the top and bottom gathers right at the wide belt section, making my waist even more pronounced. The skirt's tulip shape emphasizes the widest part of me, my hips and thighs, making them part of the whole look all the way down instead of an extra body bit marring the sleekness of the silhouette. And the length stops right at the top of my knee, showing off all of my curvy calves (my best body part, imo).

I feel sexy, confident and kickass in this dress.

Is it any wonder I bought three of them? (Man, it comes in yellow. YELLOW!! If only it was in my size, I might have gotten that instead of the purple. Maybe.) Best $27.99 per dress I ever spent. They're only sold online, so if you buy from Target always go through eBates. Target rarely has coupon sales like other clothing stores, but at least with eBates I will get cash back.

Sometimes I forget that even though I am overweight, I don't always have to hide and misdirect attention away from my unflattering bits. Sometimes I can just say, "Yeah, this is me, and I rock."

Do you have any clothes that make you feel that way? What about them works for you?

Replacements, and my Missoni update

Maybe it's the return to layering weather, but I have been feeling inspired lately as I get dressed. Just before I get in the shower, I stack a couple of outfit options together -- dress and a necklace, these skinny pants and a top, that olive Gap jacket I haven't worn in a while -- and while I am getting ready, I ponder what other elements will complete the outfit. Sometimes my ideas work out, sometimes they don't. But because I have everything visible in my closet, if it doesn't work out I have an alternative right in front of me.

Take Tuesday's outfit. I knew I wanted to wear the skinny pants and a longer blouse-top. This Gap blouse (a replacement for my still-mourned LOFT polka-dot top) doesn't get enough wear, but it should. There was something about the volume of the top that wasn't working this time, so I added my new patent belt from Nordstrom (to go with my new dress that is out getting altered). The new Old Navy sweater in coral (haha, another replacement for that awesome melon/coral Banana Republic sweater I wore down to the pilly nub) was just what I needed to stay warm as the temps went up and down the scale today. The glittery statement necklace (from LOFT) and my Sam Edelman embellished cheetah print flats were the final Fall 2011 Trend items that completed the outfit.





It all came together remarkably fast, for me. :) Of course I have probably just jinxed myself and I'll be late for work getting ready today! LOL.

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Daily Food Tracker: Tuesday
Breakfast: yogurt, berries, fiber one cereal
Lunch: shrimp po' boy, fries
Dinner: 2 Coney hotdogs on wheat bun with Hormel chili, broccoli slaw, wine
Snack: english toffee ice cream bar

++++++

Let's talk about the buzz of the internet for a minute: the grand opening (and closing) of the Missoni collection at Target.

Like I said yesterday morning, when I went online at 5:30am, everything that I had had my eye on (that awesome throw, the glass bowls, and the long cardigans) were already sold out. I put a couple of other items in my shopping cart, but it was nothing I had my heart set on, so I didn't buy them. I logged off, updated my blog, and went to work.

Little did I know the chaos that then erupted. The stores were reporting lines when they opened up, and people were buying everything they could lay their hands on. My own local store even got a mention in the Chicago Trib. Demand was so high the website crashed.

Unaware of this, I stopped at two different stores in my area, the first of which I assumed would have plenty of stuff because the clientele isn't that fashion-forward. Both stores were totally cleaned out.

Store#1's sad shoe display. I'm surprised the hordes actually left the shoe boxes.




Store #2's shoes. They tried filling it in with their regular shoes, like anyone wanted those today.




The only piece of clothing I could find, a lone x-small sweater hanging sadly on a cleaned-out rack. There was a black dress there too but someone came along and took it before I could take the picture.




This was all I could find of anything Missoni at the second store: a dozen plates, some bowls, and 4 glasses. And there were two little old ladies picking over them anyway.




I'm not going to lie, I am sorely disappointed everything's gone. I really was looking forward to buying several items for my house; we're starting to think about redecorating, and I had my eye on a few that I knew would be good items to use as base pieces. That plan is now trashed, so I am going to start using Pinterest to collect ideas for redecorating instead. Can anyone send me an invite?

And excuse my language, but I have no intention of buying any Missoni pieces from any of the assholes who cleaned out the stores to sell it on Ebay. Seriously, they're assholes, and they ruined a lot of shopping fun for a lot of people. If anything, I'd rather save up and buy a real Missoni piece before I would buy anything from those jerks.

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.




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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?

Target finds and the Missoni collection

I stumbled across this at Target this weekend.




Does it look familiar? Like, say, this?






Linea Pelle has put out a Target line of handbags, in very similar construction, and that irresistible perforated leather, as their regular line. It comes in olive and purple, and is $29.99. Mine was just under $300 from Linea Pelle, and at Nordstrom.

Truthfully, I wish I had known and gotten the Target one instead. Mine is definitely a better leather, but it's actually a little too soft and shapeless; the Target one stands up better, and the leather isn't nearly as cheap as it could be. It felt pretty good in my hand. And the colors are terrific for late summer/early fall; the purple is rich and if you are a neutral fan the olive has some interesting greens in it.

Hmmm. I might just get the purple one anyway. It's 90% less expensive than the one I have! Sigh.

++++

As you probably have seen  around the internet, Target released their lookbook for the Missoni collection that will be starting Sept 13. The whole collection is here. I am really loving a lot of pieces, which isn't that much of a surprise: distinctive patterns and bold colors? I'm in! What does surprise me is that I am far more interested in the housewares than the clothes. They may have done a little overkill in the styling of the clothes; as my friend Amanda dryly asked, "Can you just buy one item or do you have to wear six at once?"

Here are some of the things I will be looking at come September 13:

Yes, I am just enough of a neat freak and office supply nerd to buy patterned folders. You should see the collection I already have in the office. They really brighten up my desk and make me happy.

I need a new jewelry box to hold my burgeoning bracelet collection. I actually have one from Target that is in my car to return right now because it's too small. That blue one looks like it will be perfect.

When I moved in with my husband, he decorated his whole apartment in black and white. I have brought huge amounts of color into our lives, but that's on the walls (currently dark blue and mustard) and the furniture (red). A couple of "neutral" vases like this will really stand out.

When I saw this blanket over of Budget Babe, I gasped. Want want want want for a new summer blanket for our bed! Unfortunately it's a throw, not a comforter, but I still am intrigued. We literally just threw out a chenille throw this morning from the living room.

This is a bedspread, which I like but don't love. I want to see it in the stores, but this is probably the thing I am least likely to get.

How gorgeous is this bowl? Freaking gorgeous. Can you picture it full of oranges on my counter? Me too.

You can never have too many coffee cups, in my opinion. (Although we probably already do.) But these have their own holder! And matching/clashing plates! They're so cuuuuute!)

But wait! There were some clothes that grabbed my interest.

Mostly it's the long cardigan sweater in this look; I'll try on the dress as a tunic but I don't have high hopes. But I could work that cardigan a dozen different ways this fall and winter, with skinny pants or jeans, or one of my black dresses.

The long cardigan again, but I want to see the fabric and cut of the maxi dress in the store too. Just to see how it looks and feels.

Target shoes and I rarely have good relationships, but that little zigzag on the toe box is SO GREAT. Especially with the stitching! I have to try these on, at least.

Have you found anything at Target lately that you like? Are you going to check out the Missoni collection, or are you like most of my friends and could not care less?

If I get any more casual, I will be in sweatpants

Thursday was spent at my sister's, hanging out and watching Housewives of Orange County/Jersey/someplace else, playing with her boys and shopping at consignment stores, and oh yeah, taking her to her MRI appointment for her knee.

Do you guys remember when we went to New Hampshire this summer with my sister and her family? She climbed Mt. Washington without a scratch, but when she got back down to the bottom, she wiped out in the parking lot trying to help maneuver the car out of its spot. Her knee has been in pain ever since. The doctor finally had her go in for an MRI; he thinks she has a torn miniscus. Once he sees the films next week, they will discuss surgery. She's looking forward to it, if only so she doesn't have to wear a knee brace and hobble around in pain all the time. Grimacing is a fashion don't!



So I took her for her MRI last night, and while we were there I remembered I hadn't taken an outfit photo yet! K obliged just outside Radiology.



The white sweatshirt jacket is new from Target, the teal top is on loan from my mom, and I broke down and bought the Target cutout shoes in yellow. They were on sale for $11! I did not have any closed-toe shoes! They're yellow! :) On Wednesday, Mom and K and I also hit an overstuffed accessory store called Charming Charlie's, and I picked up this multi-metal chain necklace. It's very me, don't you think?



Just a couple more days left to my vacation; readjustment back into heels, work clothes, and actual WORK is going to be very difficult next week! This has been really great.

Investment Pieces are Full of Baloney

I had to continue on with my impromptu Stripes Challenge. I could probably do a week of Polka Dots, and Florals. Anyone want to see how long I can go? :)



This is one of Target's new styles for 2011, and I love it beyond reason. My friend Jessie bought the striped version in oatmeal heather, and she is working it with some great bright greens, but I love the navy and grey stripes. (And this blue polka-dot, and I have this bright jade one on back-order. Taylor, you are not the only one who likes her duplicates!) They had it even more colors on the website, but they have been going fast. With good reason; the drape and shape of these things are stunning, the colors and patterns are fun, and they are going to be drop-dead perfect in the summer when it is sticky and gross and the thought of a layer makes me want to weep.

And they are $20. What's not to love?



I don't usually list out the cost of my outfits. I love a good deal -- this particular outfit cost me less than $50 altogether -- but I'm not a thrift shopper. My favorite outfits are the ones that mix up high-end and low-end pieces, and I don't have a problem paying money for something I like, or in the case of my ball outfit, that I need. To me, the price is only one factor of many that makes me buy the clothes I do.

But one thing I try never to kid myself about is calling something "an investment piece". That gorgeous purse I bought for the ball? It's not an investment piece; sure, it will become to go-to purse I use for fancy parties, but that's not an investment in anything. It has always grated on me when I hear that phrase in terms of clothes, but I've not really been able to articulate what about it irritated me. So I appreciated reading today's blog post about what investment pieces really are over at get Rich Slowly. Yes, that.

This is how I feel: if you're going to spend money on an item you want and can afford, then spend it and enjoy your pretty new item. Get lots of use out of it, and don't feel guilty. If you can afford it, if you've got your bills paid and your savings squared away and some money tucked away for a charity, then get the shoes, dress, purse, jewelry, that you want. Don't try to hide it behind the "investment piece" curtain. Wear it loud and proud!

And when you get a good deal, crow about that too! Like this one: the awesome Target Merona dress, Target Merona red cutout flats (on sale at the store!), denim leggings from Vera Wang at Kohls, cement grey Old Navy long sleeved layering top. Even the necklace was on sale at LOFT about 3 years ago.



Yay!

In unrelated news, here is the new sweater I wore on Tuesday and didn't get a picture of. Even the Gap Outlet is on fire this year! Such a yummy grey and rich royal purple.

Eye Serum review

This is Prevage anti-aging eye serum from Elizabeth Arden. It is a wonderful product, silky and rich with collagen, and it has done a fantastic job of filling in the wrinkles around my eyes. They're still there, of course -- Mother Nature will not be defeated in the end -- but they look like pretty laugh lines, not dry cracks in a desert floor.

I was talked into buying it after a makeup session (free with facial) at my salon, and I haven't regretted it. But it was $98 freaking dollars, so when they said just use a small dab every day you can bet your bippy I listened. The bottle lasted me 3 months.

Just before buying the Prevage, I had purchased another eye serum from Target's Up brand, and of course I moved it aside to use the pricier, better product. I am a sucker for the upsell! When the Prevage was gone, I hesitated on buying another one; the price tag just seemed too high. So I brought the Target bottle back to the forefront and gave it a try.

It is the same damned product.

Obviously, it is not exactly the same. But it's got the same silky texture and it gives me the same results. Feels exactly the same on my fingertips and under my eyes.

And it only costs $13. Target up & up Eye Lifting Serum. Get it.



(No one paid me for this review. All my own opinion, bleep boop beep!)

Target: Cute spring items!

I am ready for spring, at least in terms of outerwear. Thank you, Target.



A yellow trench. So, so, so cute. I ordered this one and the 'teardrop blue', and Hubby and I unequivocally liked the yellow. Perfect for weekends and casual days. Lots of great colors to choose from, only online!

For dressier days, I got this thinner one in earth gray. Love all the details!





Comes in black, grey, pebble, and an interesting rusty brown.

Lastly, I went to Target to try some red patent bow flats I had seen on another blog, but I tried these cut-out wedges instead. Surprisingly comfortable as long as I went up a half-size, far more than the bow flats. I really liked the red ones, but I was eying the yellows too.



The trenches I have already and will get some photos of them in the coming weeks as the weather gets warmer. I'm still waiting on the flat for now, but they were pretty comfy so I don't think I will wait forever.

Now, if only they had better tops. Target tops have been so disappointing the last couple of seasons. Here's hoping summer and spring is better!