30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 16

Want to know what I look like when I don't put my hands on my hips?

Blue cardigan - Gap Outlet, Button-down shirt - Anthropologie, White watch - Michele Watches, White skirt - Charlotte Russe, Sandals - Jeffrey Campbell

Kind of awkard, right?

Ahhh, better.

Also, it's like Husband is secretly reading my blog. This morning he took these pictures then said, "Your hair looks really nice today." See why I married him?

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 15

When I was starting to feel a little desperate while planning my 30 for 30 outfits at the beginning of the challenge, I came up with this combination:

Blouse - Uniquities, Dress - Proenza Schouler for Target, Belt - Primark, Gold Espadrilles - Michael Kors

I feel like it looked better in person.

The pinks didn't match but complemented each other, and the dull gold of the shoes went with the yellow-ish beiges and greens on the shirt too. And I liked the florals on....florals? Plants? Whatever the pattern on the dress is.

Aren't you proud that I wore this dress with something different?!

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 14

Today I decided to keep things simple and wear this dress, not as a bottom, not as a top (you'll see that later), but just as a dress.

Cardigan - PacSun (Husband found), Cream cami - Who knows anymore?, Dress - H&M, Strappy wedges - Jeffrey Campbell

I remember when I saw and tried on this dress I just felt like, Meeeehhhh. But I was in San Francisco and I needed to buy a clothing souvenir and I don't think we had an H&M in the area at the time...and now it's one of my #1 go to dress. I like the cool colors and it's super comfortable.

Man, my hair lately has been goooooood.

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 13

Yesterday when I wore this, I got compliments but also the comment(/compliment?) that I looked like a librarian.

Black polo tunic worn as shirt - Lacoste, Knitted top - Nordstrom, Skirt - Anthropologie, Cream and black flats - Sam Edelman

I think the billowy top didn't help. (I looked a lot thinner without it and kind of wished I hadn't worn it!). Maybe also the bun was part of the librarian look.

But it's okay because I secretly want to be a librarian. I should just submit these photos along with a resume. Also it's okay because I know I didn't look like your typical librarian when it came to date night after work. Do librarians wear such shiny accessories?

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 12

I planned to wear this shirt with leggings but it was shorter than I remembered, and the red jeans I was also going to wear them with are coming back from the tailor tomorrow. Ugh. Fine, pull out the shorts again.

Top - Uniquities, White cami underneath - American Eagle, Green belt - American Eagle, Shorts - 7 For All Mankind, Strappy wedges - Jeffrey Campbell

I never actually got the to pool like I planned, but Husband and I caught up on Teen Wolf, I got halfway through one book, and then a quarter of the way through another. I continued to only do light cleaning and successfully ignored cleaning bathrooms.

Me and my shirt: so carefree.

I've been more attracted to floral patterns lately, and I couldn't resist this flow-y blouse, especially when I saw the unusual cut of it, higher on the sides. I have lots of plans for this top for the rest of the 30 for 30!

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 11

It's the first weekend of summer--what sort of adventures did you get into?

Chambray shirt - H&M, Chain belt - Nordstrom Rack, Shorts - 7 For All Mankind, Watch - Michele Watches, Strappy Wedges - Jeffrey Campbell

I went to the gym, just workin' on my fitness, did some light house cleaning (very light), and hung out with Mom to plant some herbs.

She gave me some basil, I bought some oregano, and we had seeds for thyme, chives, and parsley. Can't wait to see if they hold and grow, especially because the basil smells scrumptious.

I definitely think I've worked up an appetite for grilling out at In-Laws'. I hope tomorrow brings pool time and more reading. Today I finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. My Goodreads review for it is here. And then I started In The Woods by Tana French and Hope and Despair in the American City: Why there are no bad schools in Raleigh by Gerald Grant (still working on The Instructions).

Fave of the week: June 18-June 24

This week's fave is from Wednesday.

This skirt makes me feel super feminine, and I was proud of the pattern mixing. I have a green cardigan that would have worked well with this, but it's not part of the 30 for 30. Still, the blues of everything tied it all together well.

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 10

I felt a little panicked yesterday, wondering if I could really get through the 30 for 30. I know I planned carefully, making sure everything went with multiple things, but I had forgotten some of my planned outfits and some of them were boring anyhow. I looked through my selection of clothes and came up with my outfits for the next week, putting me halfway through the challenge. And I also came up with a couple of outfits that I didn't have planned, including today's:

Orange and blue headband - Nordstrom, Shirt - Martin + Osa, Watch - Michele Watches, Dress as skirt - Nordstrom, Gold espadrilles - Michael Kors

I completely love those shirt. I found it right after I told Husband I needed to find some more stylish tees, and this one, looking just like a sunset, was just the sort of things I was thinking about. The colors include yellow, which blended right in with the skirt:

And orange, which let me bring out this fabulous but seldom-worn headband:

Thanks to Sister for taking today's pictures!

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 9

Tonight I went to Parents' house for dinner. Dinner was yummy, we played cards and talked to Grandma on the phone, Mom gave me clothes/challenges, and I bullied Mom into taking my picture.

Olive top - Arden B., Dress as skirt - H&M, Gold leaf necklace - Arden B., Watch - Michele Watches, Bracelets - Uniquities, Sandals - Jeffrey Campbell

This necklace got a lot of compliments today. I wore it because the neckline of the shirt with the dress underneath peaking out needed a little something.

I feel like it really pulls together the outfit.

In book news: (1) Harry Potter fans, make sure to give your email address at pottermore.com if you haven't already! And (2) How come nobody told me until today that Lilian Jackson Braun died? I have read at least half of her "The Cat Who..." series, and still think fondly of them even though it's probably been about 10 years since I last gave them a read. Once I finish the HP series and get some book club selections knocked out, I'll have to pick up The Cat Who Could Read Backwards and get reacquainted with Qwill, KoKo, and Yum Yum.

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 8

I've worn this dress as a skirt and today I wore it as a shirt:

Blue cardigan - Gap Outlet, White cami - American Eagle, Dress as shirt - American Eagle, Skirt - Anthro, Strappy wedges - Jeffrey Campbell

Maybe one day I'll just wear it as a dress--what a concept! My favorite part of it is the tied string detail on the front...and okay, I wanted to give a close-up of these blues working together:

I've been meaning to post this for a while now--did we all see this article in the Wall Street Journal about how dark young adult literature is these days? Here's the part I thought was most shocking:

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 7

So with this 30 for 30, I threw in some simple outfits, but I also really wanted to make sure to challenge myself. That means that I included some random dresses and skirts that I thought did not "go" with much. Here's one of those dresses:

Blue cardigan - Gap outlet, Dress - Proenza Schouler for Target, Strappy wedges - Jeffrey Campbell

I have openly admitted to not wearing this dress with too much but a very matchy-matchy cardigan. And that was still kind of true today, but I went with a different color--blue to match the bands of blue at the waist. Just wait, though, I have more plans for this dress. (Actually, I only have only one other plan for this dress but it's definitely not matchy-matchy!)

By the way, I didn't include this picture yesterday, but here's a close-up of my fourth pair of shoes:

I didn't include this picture yesterday, though I wanted to show you a close-up, because my nails look terrible. I am now willing to show these terrible-looking toes because I got a pedicure with Sister today. I'm more willing to admit that I'm not on the ball now that I'm actually back on the ball.

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 6

So I broke down and went for the fourth pair of shoes, to complete my 30 for 30. I wanted another flats option.

Headband - Roxy, Chambray shirt - H&M, Watch - Michele Watches, White skirt - Charlotte Russe (found by Husband), Flat sandals - Jeffrey Campbell

I almost (almost) went with another pair of wedges today but I could only incorporate one more pair of shoes, and I'm sorry, they had to be comfortable and be a color to go with everything. I wanted a colorful wedge to push my boundaries but it's Monday. Today was difficult. This is like my equivalent of wearing sweats, and I deserved it.

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 5

Okay, I tried to wear anything but shorts but I couldn't do it.

Necklace - Arden B., Black tank top - Target, Knit cardigan - Nordstrom, Watch - Michele Watches, Shorts - 7 For All Mankind, Flats - Sam Edelman

It was a full day of spending time with the fathers in my life--Dad, Husband, Father-in-law--so please excuse the frizzy hair. It was the end of the day, so I also wasn't up for a lot of picture-taking.

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 4

Ahhhhh, weekend, bring out the shorts.

Gold headband - Primark, Top - Nordstrom Rack, Belt - Primark, Shoes - 7 For All Mankind, Gold espadrilles - Michael Kors

I didn't do too much on Saturday, basically just wore this to the grocery store. I've had people express surprise at my shoes of choice when grocery shopping. I like to wear crazy heels because I think it's the best time to practice wearing them and to break them in. Think about it--you have a cart to help you with balance, at least you have hard surfaces and no carpeting to contend with, and for the most part, you only need to walk around for an hour.

Also, no lie, I got a ton of help from people (men) working at the store, including free green beans. Free! Worth it, right?

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 3

Back in black, baby.

Polo tunic - Lacoste, Necklace - American Eagle (present from Sister), Belt - Lacoste, Leggings - Roots, Flats - Sam Edelman

A few of my 30 for 30 outfits are super simple because sometimes...you just have those days. And nothing's more simple than wearing all black.

Favorite part of the outfit? My flat Sam Edelmans, that are completely ripping off the spiked Louboutins that have been around for a while.

I saw some hot Edelmans that had spikes all over the backs of the heels but could barely walk in them, so here's my compromise.

Fave of the week: June 11 - June 17

My computer is having issues, and I won't have it for the weekend. I'll still take pics of my outfits, though, and will post them as soon as I can (probably on Monday). Until then, my fave of the week is...surprisingly, Tuesday's outfit. For an outfit that required a few hours of agonizing to pull together, that I still wasn't even sure about when I did actually wear it (I thought halfway through the day about going home to change), I'm looking at the week's pictures now and thinking, Wow, neon + neutral--digging it!

Also, I'm posting my pictures at a larger size. Looks okay, right?

Happy weekend!

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 2

Okay, so yes, I will probably have to add another pair of shoes for the 30 for 30, because these today gave me blisters.

Button-down shirt - Anthropologie, Star-studded belt - Primark, Watch - Michele Watches, Dress, worn as skirt - American Eagle, Espadrilles - Michael Kors

Or I can look at this as a great way to break in new shoes.

Today I was happy with about my pattern-mixing--florals and stripes, combining into one outfit due to the same colors. It made me realize again how much I love this challenge--it really pushes your remixes. I had never seen this as a combination until I had to squeeze one more dress into my 30 for 30 wardrobe.

Something else I'm happy about? I just read this article about pottermore.com. Okay, June 22nd, I'm waiting.

Neon + Neutral, Take Two

My second BDIB: Neon + Neutral outfit heavily focuses on the neutral of black, which honestly, I wasn't even sure if it counted for the challenge. The fabulous examples provided all showed neons with white or nude colors, which is what I went with yesterday. But I would normally classify black as a neutral, wouldn't you?

Fifi Lapin scarf - Charlotte Russe, Hot pink dress - Hollister, Black dress - BCBGMAXAZRIA via Ross, Shoes - Target

Also what seems to not count about this outfit is that the assignment calls to colorblock with your neons and neutrals, whereas I threw in this scream-inducing, patterned scarf. I say "scream-inducing" because when I saw it at the random outlet mall in Arizona, I whisper-screamed to Husband, "Fifi Lapin! Fi. Fi. La. Pin. On a scarf!" But then I decided this: BDIB is supposed to make you think outside the box, and hey, even if you don't go by the BDIB rules, as long as you got outside the box, it's a win.

Because, no, I would not normally wear a pink summer dress under a black work dress. And I haven't known what to wear this scarf with until now. And I've never worn a scarf like this.

I was very happy to already have my outfit all laid out yesterday and today because it's been a whirlwind of activity here. Visiting family = sharing stories over dinner, playing Go Fish, swimming at the pool, watching movies, and...cooking and cleaning. I currently have cookies cooling, as well as tomorrow's breakfast of waffles. No wonder the book reading hasn't been happening at all lately.

Bloggers Do It Better: Neon + Neutral

So I'm already taking a break from 30 for 30 for the latest BDIB challenge of Neon + Neutral. I'm not even taking that much of a break, though, because half of what I'm wearing is actually from my 30 for 30 wardrobe (the dress and shoes).

Yellow necklace - Nordstrom, Oatmeal-colored tunic as shirt - Arden B., Hot pink belt - Bebe, Yellow dress as skirt - Nordstrom, Purse - Marc by Marc Jacobs (Present from Husband), Strappy wedges - Jeffrey Campbell

You know what was super tough about this challenge? I don't even have that many neutral colors! I have some white and enough black and gray, but black and gray seem too easy, so I really had to look through the closet for this tunic. I really wasn't sure if this would work, but adding the accessories helped, and I ended up getting several compliments, ranging from, "Cute outfit!" to "You look like sunshine!"

Have you met my purse? I like to change out my purses every two weeks to four weeks, and this bright blue color went perfectly with the challenge.

Tomorrow I'll wear my other Neon + Neutral outfit I came up with, featuring black and hot pink! I felt like black was too easy, but the outfit is too cute to not wear.

30 for 30 Summer 2011: Outfit 1

I would like to introduce you to the skirt that I'm going to wear probably five times during the 30 for 30.

Olive green peasant top - Arden B., Skirt - Anthropologie, Strappy wedges - Jeffrey Campbell

I got it at Anthropologie with its blue cousin and felt like I didn't have tops to go with either one. Le sigh. What's a girl to do? Pull out both skirts when building her 30 for 30 wardrobe, of course. And look through every single shirt in her closet and discover that there are actually tons of tops that go--hurray! That's why I had to rock it on the first day of 30 for 30.

I put my hair in two messy buns (Husband said it was reminiscent of Princess Leia) to vibe with the top, and I felt cute all day! Thinking about my hair for just two seconds really pays off.

Tonight I went to a book club meeting to talk about Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris. Most people didn't like it, but it was an easy read that brought up interesting conversations. I'm glad it wasn't my first encounter with Sedaris because it isn't typical Sedaris and it's not his best. My full review is here on Goodreads.

Are you ready for the 30 for 30?

I am so excited about the 30 for 30 challenge! This is seriously one of the reasons why I started blogging. Here are the pieces I've chosen:

1 white cami, 1 cream cami, 1 black tank top. For layering.
8 tops, including 2 T-shirts, a chambray shirt, a polo tunic, and some blouse situations.
5 cardigans. I love cardigans. And I need to keep things work-friendly.
3 skirts and 4 dresses. Some are more work-appropriate than others, but I've found ways to neutralize the summer sexiness of all of them.
1 pair of black leggings, 1 pair of denim shorts, 1 pair of colored jeans.
3 pairs of shoes--1 cream and black flats, 1 light gold espadrilles, 1 light gray strappy sandals with a slight wedge.

That gives me...29 pieces. I haven't actually decided on item 30! I think I'll end up with another pair of shoes, but honestly, the three shoes I chose will work for the 30 days, no problem. I might throw in another pair, though, if I get tired of these three? Or maybe I'll be behind with my laundry and will have to throw in an emergency dress?

The hardest part of the challenge might already be done--I already spent a lot of time thinking and trying on clothes, trying to maintain a summertime feel to my outfits, but staying office-appropriate. I made sure everything could be worn at least twice, and actually, a lot of things can be easily remixed into three to five different outfits. My only worry now is making sure I stay on top of laundry so I can mix things properly! I've already done all of my laundry today so I can start fresh tomorrow!

P.S. I just saw that a new Bloggers Do It Better challenge has been posted--neon + neutral. I am just going to say this now--Kendi explained that the 30 for 30 is anything you want it to be, to not stress, you can take breaks if need be! Nobody says you have to do the 30 outfits in 30 consecutive days. Now, I do intend to actually do the 30 for 30 consecutively, except when I have to throw in a BDIB outfit. So there you go, I'm not cheating.

Return of the dress

Remember when I had such a bad day that I could not post my outfit? Actually, I probably could have posted it, but my problem was that I couldn't even take a picture. I could not smile and pose. I wanted to grumble and fall into bed. Well this was the cute dress I was wearing, but it got changed up a little today:

Gray shirt - Pac Sun, Purple dress - Gap Outlet, Belt - Primark, Sandals - Dolce Vita

There are various purples going into grays in this dress, so I wanted to try out a gray shirt underneath. Before I didn't have a shirt underneath, but a cardigan over the dress. One day I'll just bring out the shoulders and soak in the sun.

This weekend was super busy (I didn't even get a chance to take a pic yesterday), but I did find time to finish Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. My old review from Goodreads is here. Every part of it is still true, except wow, I forgot just how funny this one in the series is, which is such a relief because the next one is pretty dark.

Fave of the week: June 4 - June 10

There weren't a lot of outfits to choose from due to my lack of pictures from my beach weekend, and then my brain was too tired to come up with a lot of outfits when I was home (outside of my 30 for 30 planning). Probably my favorite, though, was from Thursday:

Yes, completely simple, but I felt pretty, professional, classic, and well accessorized--the bronze belt perfectly went with the hardware on the sandals, the watch, and the chain of the necklace. Hard to see in the picture, but trust, it was on point.

I'm really excited to see what my faves of the week are going to be during the 30 for 30 challenge, which starts tomorrow!

A bit boho

Today was hot, and I knew I would be in a crowd for Child's school event. I needed to wear something comfortable that would let the air flow. Thus, today's outfit:

White cami - American Eagle, Tunic as shirt - Arden B., Black skirt - Express, Sandals - Dolce Vita

I even wore flat sandals, which made me feel ultra-short all day. I don't mind being short, I actually like being short, but I've been majorly into wearing heels for about a year now. When I don't wear them, wow, I feel so low to the ground.

Purple cardigan (to make this more work-appropriate) - Express

I rushed home after work to make dinner, make an extra dinner (straight into the freezer for later), and dessert for the fam. Um, has anybody else ever made apple dumplings with Mountain Dew? Amazing, and the best part is that it's super simple and fast to make.