December 8, 2010: Life Is Short, Be Nice

As the temperatures continue to hover in the 30's and below I will be bringing out lots of new things to keep me warm but, still stylish. No, puffy snow gear for me... yet ever! One of the things that I love to wear when the weather is cold (and even when it isn't) is tweed. I have been saving this skirt for an appropriate occasion and I'm not really sure what I thought that was. I figured it would be some time in November but, that came and went and the skirt sat untouched in my closet. Today seemed like as good a time as any to bust it out, life's too short. Do you hold on the special pieces of clothing for the "right" occasion even though you may not have a specific one in mind? If so, does it generally pan out?

So, there's a funny story behind this beautiful statement necklace...I had gone to church with my mom a few weeks ago and there were some holiday shops set up after the service. We wandered down to take a peek and I was pleasantly surprised! They has lots of great handcrafted or thrify items and we met some really nice people. One of the tables that we perused had this fantastic A. V. Max necklace lying amidst other sparkly baubles and I was instantly drawn to the details in each of the little medallions. While discussing the piece the salesperson handed me her card and I immediately recognized her name from work even though I had never met her before! Being a recruiter and reading hundreds of resumes a week will do that to you but, I digress... I let her know that her name seemed familiar and after a brief exchange we determined that I was not going crazy and that she worked at one of my company's other facilities. Then she gave us a discount on the necklace... it's a small world so, be nice!

• Top: orange v-neck sweater, Banana Republic outlet with a tank top underneath for the modesty
• Bottom: brown and orange tweed pencil skirt, LOFT
• Shoes & Accessories: brown pumps, Candies via Kohl's; brown tights, Merona for Target; gold necklace, A.V. Max via holiday bazaar at church; pearl earrings, birthday gift from Mom via Macy's; blue Foley + Corrina City Clutch, gifted via Plaza Too

November 18. 2010: Thursday Past

I am operating on a serious delay. Life happens (as we all know) but, it is my current mission to catch up and have everything back on track by Thanksgiving. Not too lofty (I hope) and considerably easier after I retrieve one of my cameras left at a friend's apartment over the weekend. I wish that one was small enough to fit in my pocket but, I digress... Thankfully, I am picking it up tonight.

I wore this outfit to regular work; no meetings, no job fairs, just hanging out in my cubicle and getting stuff done. I still look pretty put together though, right? I find that I am more productive when I fit the part of "put together young professional" even when I don't necessarily have to. Do you find a similar correlation between your level of dress and your productivity at work? If so, do you utilize the way you dress as a method of increasing your productivity?

• Tops: brown and cream argyle sweater, Merona for Target (same shirt different color here)
• Bottoms: gray wool pencil skirt, Isaac Mizrahi for Target/hemmed by Mom
• Shoes & Accessories: brown pumps, Candies via Kohl's (same shoes different color here); purple tights, Duane Reade; pearl earrings, gift from Mom; vintage Louis Vuitton speedy, eBay

Items from this outfit are previously seen here:

November 17, 2010: Job Fair Again

This pictures says waiting on line in a city agency. How depressing for my hallway but, I digress... If you are thinking the same thing let me clarify, BF and I didn't go to city hall to make it "official." I got the flowers from the job fair I went to today as a "thank you" for participating. That was nice of them, wasn't it?

• Top: ivory shirt with crochet embellishment, LOFT and a tank top underneath for the modesty, New York & Company; gray flyaway cardigan, New York & Company  
• Bottom: black pinstripe suit skirt, Calvin Klein via SYMS
• Shoes & Accessories: black pumps, Steve Madden; pearl earrings, gift from Mom; black spy bag, Fendi (not pictured)

Items from this outfit are previously seen and remixed here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here:

Powered by GoodWidgets.com

Night Out: Charity Auction - Mad Men Style

Two of my nearest and dearest friends invited me to an auction at their church. I have heard alot about the fun times that occur and could not wait to be a part of it! The theme of the auction was Mad Men so I needed to come up with an outfit that was representative of that era/show but, wouldn't cost me anything... The biggest challenge was the fact that I have never seen the show (for shame, I know) so I was working with a copious number of images from Google. While I went with a classic clothing pieces I really spiced everything up with the shoes. They style is vintage but, the leopard is so now! You'll have to forgive the state of my hair and makeup, these photos were taken at the end of the evening. I promise, everything was much more sleek at the beginning of the night. How do you think the look came out?

• Top: aqua cowl neck sweater, Mossimo for Target
• Bottom: black pencil skirt, Old Navy
• Shoes & Accessories: patent leather leopard print mary janes, Le Due; nude tights, Assets by Sarah Blakely; pearl earrings, gift from Mom; pearl and rhinestone brooch, borrowed from Mom; black satin clutch, Old Navy (not pictured)

Night Out: Gala

I got an invite to the very exclusive gala for my company about a week ago. Last minute, I know but, I was more than happy to oblige. I mean who wouldn't be excited for free dinner in a fancy hotel on Fifth Avenue?! Plus, this was a low stress situation; I already had a dress to wear, or so I thought... This unfortunate weight gain made that prospect null and void (maybe next year) and I was all of a sudden dress-less.

I resigned myself to try and make my Monif C. Marilyn Convertible dress work for the event; With 22+ different ways to tie it there had to be something that worked for this occasion, right? Not so much... Even though the event was not black tie the dress was too plain for evening wear. Now I was really in a tight spot, let the stress commence.

Enter my local Loehmann's! I got a coupon in the mail and thought, "Why not?" It was a good move because they saved me with a nice selection of modest pieces (it was a work event after all) and this lovely Calvin Klein dress was the winner. Seriously, if you are ever in need of a dress for a fancy occasion head to Loehmann's, if you can, they have an awesome selection! What do you think of the final ensemble?

The best part of this dress is that I don't have to count it in my purchases for November! Why, you ask? Because it was free! BF had gotten a rebate on our new cell phones and he gave it to me to get the dress (what a sweetie.) Still, I didn't want to squander all our free money so I was a discount ninja when it came time to check out. Let me break it down for you: Original cost of the dress $128.00, Loehmann's price $59.99, Gold member discount: $6.00, 15% off coupon discount: $8.10, Price after discounts, $47.90 (w/ tax) minus a gift card: $15.00, Final price: 32.90. I was honestly impressed with all that and still had money to give back to BF! I love it when things work out like this... What's your favorite discount ninja memory?

• Top: gray sheath dress with pearl embellishment, Calvin Klein via Loehmann's
• Shoes & Accessories: black and gray leopard print peep toe pumps, Hollywould for Target. Does anyone else remember that line?; pearl earrings, gift from Mom; black satin clutch, Old Navy (not pictured)

October 7, 2010: Bye Bye Corduroy

So far this week, I have been unintentionally leaning on corduroy skirts. I guess the fall is getting to me after all. Today though I am going in a different direction, pants! It's been a while but, I have a feeling we'll be seeing alot more of them soon... I have another job fair today at one of the local(ish) VA's. It seemed appropriate to lean twoards the menswear trend. What do you think?

• Top: orange short sleeved sweater with beige and white argyle, Merona for Target (same shirt different color here); white polka dot button down, Merona for Target. FYI if you pick up the the October 2010 edition of Real Simple there is a 20% off Merona coupon in there, or you could just rip it out at the grocery checkout... either way!
• Bottom: brown knit pants, New York and Company
• Shoes & Accessories: gray pumps, Steve Madden; pearl earrings, birthday gift from Mom a few years ago; purple tote bag, Coach outlet

Items from this outfit are previously seen and remixed here and here:

Powered by GoodWidgets.com

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

September 23, 2010: Somewhat Autumn

This first day of fall doesn't really feel like fall yet but, the calendar (and my challenge) don't lie! Regardless, I have a meeting this morning at 8:30 (what is up with that?) so, I need to look put together despite the slightly ridiculous hour. I think this sweater with the pearls and these fabulous shoes really do the trick! I might even throw on a blazer to combat the morning chill and enhance the professional look! I know, I'm going all out...

• Top: cream sweater with natural stone collar embellishment, August Silk via Mom
• Bottom: red eyelet trim skirt, Old Navy
• Shoes & Accessories: nude snake print sandals, Bandolino via Unique Thrift Store; pearl earrings, birthday gift from mom a few years ago; brown leather tote, Bulga

 

Items from this outfit are previously seen here:

August 16, 2010: Make It Work Monday

I think everybody has been where I am this morning... You have an idea in your head but, you just can't make it work out that way. While browsing blogs I noticed that Kendi from Kendi Everyday was wearing the same LOFT skirt that I got for my birthday as a(n exchanged) gift. After that, I was completely inspired and set on wearing the skirt today! While searching through my closet I came up with a few really great outfits but, none that were appropriate for high humidity 85°+ weather. I guess those will appear as the weather gets cooler and this will have to do for today. Do you give up on an outfit when it's not working out like you planned or try to salvage it?

• Top: purple scoopneck sweater, GAP outlet (same shirt different color here and here); tank top underneath for the modesty
• Bottom: ivory and black animal print pencil skirt, LOFT birthday gift from BF's mom
• Shoes & Accessories: black peep-toe wedges, Dr. Scholl's; silver feather headband, LOFT birthday gift from Mom; pearl earrings, birthday gift from Mom a few years ago; silver L.A.M.B bag via Loehmann's

Items from this outfit are previously seen here:

July 15, 2010: Why So Serious?

Does the purple and green color combination remind you of the Joker? Because for me that is the only thing that comes to mind. When I use it in outfits I try not to make it so jarring hence, using it as an accent color. How do you think it came out?

• Top: cream sweater with natural stone collar embellishment, Adrienne Vitandini via Mom; green tank top underneath for a pop of color, New York and Company
• Bottom: brown pinstripe skirt, New York and Company
• Shoes & Accessories: purple suede-ish ballet flats, Mossimo for Target. Does anyone remeber when Mossimo was a big brand sold at fancy retailers like Nordstrom? Maybe it's just me; pearl earrings, birthday gift from mom a few years ago; gray Balenciaga Le-Dix/motorcycle bag

Items from this outfit are previously seen and remixed here:


Don't forget to enter the giveaway!