Fave of the week: July 23-July 29

Another tough week in deciding my fave of the week! I almost went with Monday's outfit because I'm feeling so drawn to green lately, especially paired with blue (seen here as well), and I also like Tuesday's outfit, just because I felt cute all day. That skirt and those boots were both part of other recent faves, though, so I decided to give them a rest and chose Thursday's outfit:

This is actually one of my favorite dresses in my closet, but I don't pull it out too often (it might wear down the specialness of it). It still has that green that I've been digging so much lately, and contrasts sharply with the black. I enjoyed giving this dress a new look by wearing a high neck tee and casual sandals, and including a new hairstyle too.

House of Sand and Fog and detergent and wax

My Saturday was full of super adult things. I went to the gym; cleaned bathrooms; washed every single part of my bed situation (not just sheets, my friends, but comforters and mattress covers!); shopvac'ed everything in the garage, including inside my car, including the shop vac itself!; and washed and waxed my car (I must tell Dad, he will be so proud!). While I did these things in a sweaty tank top and shorts, I thought (1) there won't be a Saturday outfit post and (2) next week I will completely fail to be an adult (you've read this hysterical post from Hyperbole and a Half, right?).

Since you don't get to see my outfit, I will give you this instead:

Left to right: Uggs, Luxury Rebel, Vince Camuto

What...is that?, you're wondering. It's several things. (1) My warning to you that today's the last day of Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, where they have next season's things on sale. These boots were all purchased on sale. (2) Just a picture of my new boots. I can't wait for fall! (3) My favorite spread in the last Nordstrom catalog. The gray boots are in outfit 2, the black middle boots are in outfit 4. (4) Erm, my mattress without the mattress cover. It was being washed at the time. Proof! That I am an adult.

I will also give you this: My review of House of Sand and Fog by Andres Dubus III. I gave it 3 out of  stars, a solid "I like it" rating.

You're so colorful!

With the 30 for 30 over and the summer wrapping up, I had a look around my closet for things that I absolutely have to wear before the summer is over. Sure, some (most?) of these things can be remixed into fall and winter outfits, but they should also be worn as they were meant to be, as summer clothes.

Orange coral headband - Nordstrom, White cami (underneath) - American Eagle, Colorful stripe tank - Nordstrom, Jeans - True Religion (Husband found), Brown wedges - Sam Edelman

No lie--all day, with almost every person I had any sort of interaction with, I heard this, "You're so colorful today!" It started to make me twitchy. Finally I nearly jumped on some poor, unsuspecting person and was like, "Yeah? You got a problem with it?!" And they quietly mumbled that they thought I looked nice. Oh. Well. Thanks.

Work appropriate version: Yellow cardigan - Gap Outlet

Thank goodness I didn't wear my green wedges with this as originally planned. The dark brown wedges look too dark, in my opinion, but the green wedges would have elicited many more comments.

By the way, it has to be said, that I normally don't like True Religion jeans. They're normally not flattering on me, and their styles I usually find to be a bit on the tacky side. But I like these! They're more much understated than say, two giant, bright pink horseshoes on my butt.

Do we agree on True Religion jeans (in general and in this instance)?

Make it casual

This morning, Husband helped me with my part so I could do milk braids.

Don't ask me why I couldn't get this part going on my own.

I decided the hair called for a cute but casual vibe with my outfit.

White shirt - Michael's, Dress - Nordstrom, White watch - Michele Watches, Strappy sandals - Jeffrey Campbell

I normally wear a lower white cami with this dress, but I went for a higher neck tee and laidback sandals. This tee was originally bought to make a BSB fan shirt, but it shrunk a lot in the washer/dryer so Best Friend and I gave up on the idea. Fits a lot better now, though, than when I pulled it over my romper on Saturday.

Disclaimers

Yesterday I spent a good amount of the morning prepping to do milk braids. Somehow I couldn't get a good part going in the back, so I brushed and brushed and brushed, then threw in some cornstarch to sop up some of the oiliness, then I thought, Ah, just leave it straight.

Disaster. And I forgot to put on lipstick.

It's amazing what a quick swipe of lipstick and pulled back hair can do for you.

Blue shirt - Forever 21, Skirt - Anthropologie, Wedges - Jeffrey Campbell

Ignore the angle of these photos. My legs don't look that stumpy in this skirt. It could stand to be hemmed slightly, but it's riiiiight at/above the knee, as seen in these pictures, not below like how it looked yesterday.

There's also a black tank top underneath this blue shirt.

These pictures are also deceiving because after picture-taking, my shirt kept shimmying down and making me look super cleavage-y. And the black tank I put under my blue shirt to prevent an overly-cleavage-y look (and to pull up some of the black of the skirt to my top half) also shimmied down. So I basically felt inappropriate at work all day. Sorry, boss!

I feel like this entire post has been some sort of disclaimer. To sum up: I need to figure out my hair and lipstick situation at all times, I am not that stumpy, I don't mean to be overly cleavage-y ever at work.

Trench-tastic

Skies were gray this morning, so I prepared a rainy day outfit.

Dress - H&M, Belt - Lacoste, Boots - Frye

Two pairs of Fryes in two days, but less chance of me falling in a puddle in these babies.

Trench - Burberry

This my beloved trench. Which did not even get a little bit wet. The skies cleared, but the temps miraculously stayed down. Husband and I ate frozen yogurt outside at our local strip plaza in celebration.

No need for the trench then.

Don't bother looking at me. This post includes Matt Lewis!

I spent some time in my closet Sunday night trying to plan out some new outfits. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, I was drawn to my 30 for 30 skirts, and still found ways to remix them!

Dress as shirt - Libertine for Target, Belt - Primark, Skirt - Anthropologie, Clogs - Frye

I'm still trying to mix in different shoes, though!

I love my clogs.

These clogs are seriously like sliding your feet into butter. When I first tried them on, I said to Husband, "Feel these. They're like butter." After convincing him, we made the salesman feel them too. I 100% love them even though I every time I wear them, I at least once dangerously trip, sway, or hobble, almost breaking my ankle. It's not their fault.

Won't it be terrible if I really do one day break an ankle wearing these?

On Sunday night, I also saw Parents and Sister. I was reminded that I really needed to put up a link to Go Fug Yourself's posts about Matt Lewis AKA Neville Longbottom. Because this is what he looks like now:

Hiyo! [this image from Go Fug Yourself]

Go Fug Yourself also has some past pictures to look through, leading up to this hotness. One thing's for sure--Lewis always worked those suits. You can also check out Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort, though this covers a longer career, of course), and James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George, or is George and Fred, Weasley).

NKOTBSB hangover

It's a bit of a downer that we can't all go to the NKOTBSB concert everyday. I woke up very excited and replaying the concert in my head, but then you feel a bit like, What do I do now? I didn't feel as depressed as I did after last summer's BSB concert, which made me feel a bit like, When will I ever see you again? This one was a much bigger production (more high energy, more dancing, bigger stadium, pyro even!) and being surrounded by all of those fans made me feel kind of like, You know what? It isn't over for them. They'll keep doing their thing because we all love them still.

And now I'm done being cheesy (thank goodness, you all breathe a sigh of relief). Let's move on to happy, bright clothes!

Blouse - Express, White tank underneath - Target, White watch - Michele Watches, White shorts - Gap, Espadrilles - Me Too

I picked up this shirt on a whim. It was on sale and I was drawn to the colors--a mix of red, pink, and purple.

But what did the Boys wear?

Saturday was a special day for me and Best Friend. Along with Husband, we went to a magical, amazing place and had tons of fun. Any guesses what this place is? Here's a hint:

That's just one of two awesome posters (the second one says, "Since 1997").

Quit playing games, you know the answer, right? As long as you love me, you'll have a guess, right? Well, that's not all I have to give.

Cue the screaming girls. Erm, women.

The NKOTBSB concert!

We had stellar seats by an aisle, which the Boys strutted down, along with their new pals.

The New Kids, still looking and sounding great!

Here are a few more outfit shots, just for you.

Fave of the week: July 16-July 22

So last week I felt like I had a lot of serious contenders for fave of the week, and this week, meh, not so much. Since the end of 30 for 30, I haven't sat in my closet and planned a bunch of outfits, which is what I normally do, so you're getting some simple, random things thrown together. Also, I had a repeat dress on Saturday that I didn't take a pic of, and you missed out on Tuesday's dress because the day was crazy (otherwise, I seriously would have taken pics and probably chosen Tuesday for this week's fave).

This week's fave almost went to Sunday's outfit, but I really think it was just because I loved my milk braids so much (and I also love those pants). Instead I'll give it to Wednesday's outfit.

Because sometimes, all you need is a cute dress and some cute shoes, and you're done. I liked the casual vibe from the outfit and I adored the bright colors from the dress. The crisp white peaking out from under the dress and from my watch also made me happy because when it's summer and you've got the tan going on, might as well work it.

Just call me Kim

I wasn't even going to post yesterday's (Friday's) outfit because it is not my most put-together outfit. In fact, I threw it on in about 10 seconds while running out the door. I had the day off from work, but it was full of errands, and I was late pretty much half the time. This is what I look like on those sorts of days:

Sunglasses - some random cheap-y kiosk, Scarf - Target, Shirt - Pac Sun, Belt - Target, Watch - Michele Watches, Khaki green shorts - Uniquities, Wedges - Franco Sarto

But I decided to post this for two reasons. I wanted to say that when I started this blog a few months ago, I never intended to post every outfit everyday. Some days I skipped for good reasons--long, busy days that didn't leave room for taking pictures, let alone posting them. But since this blog is new, all of my outfits are never before shared, so I've been sharing them all. And the 30 for 30 challenge also had me taking pics almost everyday. I don't know--I might keep taking pictures everyday, but I wanted to relieve some of the pressure by just warning you: If I don't post a picture, it's because my outfit isn't that exciting. It probably just looks like this:

Which isn't bad, but it's not that exciting now, is it? Who knows, I might still post them for continuity's sake.

My second reason for posting yesterday's pictures, though not that exciting, is because...well, see if you can figure it out.

See it yet?

That is some heavy make-up going on! But maybe you still haven't spotted what I was so excited about yesterday.

Fake lashes are so exciting.

I read somewhere that Kim Kardashian (I seriously first accidentally wrote that as "Kardassian") wears fake lashes everyday. That might not be true anymore because maybe she treats them with Latisse now, but um, I can kind of see why she likes to have the super long lashes. I felt super feminine all day and completely entranced Husband.

Baby bump

If I was a celebrity, how crazy would the blogs be going over my protruding belly in this picture?

Don't get it twisted--It's definitely not a baby bump!

I just really hate sucking in my stomach. Husband claims everybody does it, but I just can't. It's uncomfortable and fake. Nothing wrong in staying as healthy as you can...and maybe having a little dessert too. Why can't we be real about that? To be fair to me also, my skirt folds over at the top, so there's some additional lumpiness from that. Let's look at me straight-on, shall we?

Gold hairband - Primark, Necklace - Present from Friend, White tank - Target, Green shirt - Hollister, White watch - Michele Watches, Blue Skirt - Old Navy (Husband found), Green wedges - Steve Madden

I was thinking today wearing my outfit that I really need to get into more color blocking. I don't feel like today's outfit counts because navy blue is like black in that I feel like it goes with everything. It's like cheating. Maybe if I threw in one more color I would have felt truly like a color blocker. Or worn something brighter than green. I guess I am very technically color blocking but it's on the safe side. Now I'm babbling. Me and my food baby are going to log off now.

Buh-bye, 30 for 30!

Actually yesterday was the end of 30 for 30 for me, and I joyfully slipped into a different dress and shoes. Unfortunately, you don't get a picture, because I was out the door by 5:45 am and didn't get back until 10:30 pm, and you don't want to see the end result of my day. My legs were killing me so all I could think this morning was, Cowboy boots.

Oh, yes.

And colors! And simplicity! (I added a blouse on top of this and a belt before I decided, No, no, simple.)

White tank - Target, Dress - Gap Outlet, White watch - Michele Watches, Bracelets - Uniquities, Blue boots - Frye

Pure joy.

I was in planes, trains, and automobiles yesterday, so I brought along a book--House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III. About 65 pages in, I was telling my coworker that it hadn't drawn me in quite yet, maybe my brain didn't have space to pay enough attention, then bam, I started flying through it (maybe because at that point, the meetings were over and there was only a plane ride left). I'm trying to read one book by him before jumping into Townie, Dubus's memoir.

The Commoner, House of Sand and Fog, and Room (another book for book club)

The day before that, I finished up my book from the weekend, The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz, a novel about a commoner marrying into the Imperial Family of Japan. I think it's probably a... 2/5.

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 30

Wow. I did it.

Black polo tunic - Lacoste, White skirt - Charlotte Russe, Belt - Primark, Strappy sandals - Jeffrey Campbell

I wish so much that I could have worn my gold espadrilles. Or put on some color. But I couldn't. I'm so tired. Instead, you get shiny, shiny hair.

It's not just me, right? That hair looks shinier than usual.

And a shiny, shiny bag.

Pay no attention to how wonky my hair looks in the back.

A few things I've realized.

1. Pattern mixing--I am back in the game. During the winter months, I felt like a got a good handle on pattern mixing (before this blog was born), but I was kind of afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it in the summer (less layers). The 30 for 30 challenged me to mix, and I think I went over and beyond what I was doing in the winter.
2. Red and yellow are great statement colors, whether it's your main piece, or an accent.
3. Hairstyles are so important. This feeling has been growing since starting the blog, but it really became clear during the challenge. It can change the entire mood behind an outfit. It can elevate it beyond "that dress you always wear" or "just another jeans and tee". I can't promise I'll have great hair everyday, but I'll try more.
4. I might need more necklaces in my life...and scarves (those didn't come out at all during the 30 for 30, though I tried a few times in my closet)...and a few more belts too. Necklaces make a little statement that go a long way, while scarves give you a fun accent of color, and belts really tie things together!
5. Next challenge, choose less cardigans. There were some I only wore once! What a waste!
6. Instead of cardigans, choose more shoes. Preferably one in a fun color. I missed my shoes so much.
7. I don't need as many clothes as I have. Not to say I'm going to throw away everything except these 30 pieces, or never buy anything again, but I definitely feel very comfortable saying, You know what? I can slow down the buying. I believe in my own creativity. (Oh, right, #4 goes against this. Well, I'll do more thrifting.)

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 29

Not much to report, outfit-wise, from Saturday. I rewore my yellow dress from outfit 18, with some different accessories and hairstyle, but I didn't bother to take a picture. What super awesome thing did happen on Saturday, though? I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II, and can report that it was really good! Probably the best in the whole franchise. Alan Rickman is pretty much my favorite actor in the world right now. I definitely cried a couple of times, especially with Snape's final scenes. I don't want to say much else, so as not to ruin it for anybody, but definitely go watch it.

I can also report that the Nordstrom fall boot selection is...good. Not as good as last year, but good. Maybe I got a few pairs. But they are definitely very different than what I currently have, and I feel happy with my selections. I might have to take pictures and share them, especially since fall seems really far away right now....

So today. I watched a YouTube tutorial on milk braids and made my first attempt. They weren't perfect, but I was happy with them. And guess what? Not so hard to do.

Rooney T-shirt - from their last concert in the area, Belt - Target, Red jeans - Citizens of Humanity, Strappy sandals - Jeffrey Campbell

Husband and Child both very sweetly told me that I looked like a goddess, and then, some Italian instinct kicked in, and Husband made sauce with meatballs and sausage for lunch. With all of those good feelings flowing, and since I didn't have to make dinner last night either (great curry, Mom!), I felt energized to clean bathrooms, vacuum, do laundry, and make two lasagnas that got thrown into the freezer.

Goddess? Domestic goddess!

I settled in to watch the Law and Order: SVU, B.D. Wong marathon (I love B.D. Wong) but got distracted because the Women's World Cup heated up. Who was I rooting for? Well...it may not be red and white, but that is a sun on my shirt.

Hurray, Japan! You ladies are awesome!

Look, I would have been happy if the U.S. had won, but I knew from my screams when Japan first scored and last scored who my heart was really with.

Fave of the week: July 9-July 15

This last week was a good outfit week! For my fave of the week, I almost went with Thursday's outfit, but I decided on Wednesday's, which was my answer to the BDIB challenge of the maxi skirt.

I got a lot of sweet compliments, but even without them, I felt really pretty all day. I loved how soft everything was--the long, flowy skirt, and the sheer shirt. And I felt like I nailed it with the accessories, from the brown braided belt with brown woven wedges, the silver flower in my hair echoing the gray skirt, and just a little bit of bling from my necklace.

Once again, the BDIB challenge called for me to do something different and I really liked the result!

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 28

This is outfit 28?! I completely miscounted. It's late and I'm staying up to do laundry because I thought I was on outfit 27 and needed a couple of things to be washed. Ugggghhhhh. So typical.

Oh, sorry. I meant, Oh, this is outfit 28.

Necklace - Aeropostale, Black tank - Target, Knit top - Nordstrom, Red jeans - Citizens of Humanity, Watch - Michele Watches, Flats - Sam Edelman

I'm going to call myself out by saying that this is similar to Outfit 5 but with the shorts changed out to my beloved burnt red pants, cuffed today. And I found this different necklace with some beads on it, perfectly matching my pants. Sometimes I am amazed and what gets stuffed into my (rarely touched) jewelry drawer.

I won't beat myself up, after all, this is what remixing is about.

So I'm also up kind of late because we had to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I. That's right, it is Friday, 15th July, and I did not go to the openings of Part II nor did I go to the Nordstrom fall sale. I completely blame Husband for working late. But we're going tomorrow!

Yay!

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 27

Oh, hello there.

White cami (underneath) - American Eagle, Shirt - Uniquities, Belt - Primark, Skirt - Anthropologie

Why, yes, this does look very similar to Outfit 1, down to the hair and everything. But I added a belt! And I'm doing some serious pattern mixing, playing off the light pink in both the shirt and the skirt. And I changed my shoes.

See? Different shoes.

I really think it's just the hair throwing you off.

Speaking of being thrown off, Thursday night (this outfit is also from Thursday), I finished The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard. I had to finish it. Like most other Powell's Indiespensable book choices, the writing was completely gorgeous and sucked me in. To the point where I read it in the tub until the water was cold. Then crawled into bed and finished it at 1:30 in the morning. I give it a 3/5. Spoilers ahead...

Bloggers Do It Better: The Maxi

Hurray, as soon as I said, Man, I gotta redo Neon+Neutral because there hasn't been any new BDIB challenges, a new challenge comes up! And guess what it is! Something that I just happened to buy at Express this past weekend when they had buy one get the another half off on bottoms. I have been craving these maxis for a while now, especially since I discovered how much I love maxi dresses.

Flower pin (in hair) - Nordstrom Rack, White tank - Target, Blue top - Nordstrom, Necklace - American Eagle (present from Sister), Braided zipper belt - New York & Company, Gray maxi skirt - Express, Brown wedges - Sam Edelman

And I felt just as good wearing this skirt as the dress. There's something so feminine about a maxi. I honest to goodness almost walked right into two people because I was so charmed with watching the fluttering of my dress by my feet. Where did my feet go?

Oh, there they are.

Husband raved at how pretty I looked today, which was incredibly sweet. And Child said that I looked like a princess, which was even sweeter. I think it's because of the flower in my hair.

Pretty, pretty princess flower. 

Oh, I have to introduce you to my purse because I finally changed it after...what, has it been 30 days? I get itchy for a different purse when I hit the month mark.

This is my friend, Burberry.

It would have gone a bit better if it was heavier on the browns than blacks, but overall, it's the perfect summer tote.