rainy and gray

A reworking of one of my favorite outfits from last fall for a rainy spring day.


Full draft due on Friday - think brilliant-writing thoughts for me!

Dress: TJMaxx, altered by me

Sweater: kersch essentials

Camisole: Costco

Belt: Hand-me-down
Boots: Steve Madden Girl

some kind of tuxedo

My friend Rebecca, who throws the most awesometastic theme parties, had a "Canadian tuxedo" party on Saturday night - guests were encouraged to wear as much denim as possible. Now, growing up in Alaska, I always called denim + denim a Texas tuxedo. And some of the folks at the party who were from New York called it a Jersey tuxedo. Apparently, this outfit is named after whatever place you feel the need to mock. Go figure.

Anyway, the party was a smashing success, as much denim was in evidence (and a well-timed break from my descent into Master's Paper Madness!). I grabbed every denim thing I had in my closet and called it good, but Rebecca and several of her friends made a special trip to Goodwill, where they purchased the finest denim the 90's had to offer. To wit:



Yes, that is a skort jumper. AMAZING.

Of course, as Rebecca is a loyal reader, we had to do the series of "fashion poses" I always do on my blog....

Ha.

Happy b-day, Rebecca!

On me:

Dress (worn as shirt): Target

Belt: from dress

Skirt: Levi's

Vest: TJMaxx

Boots: Steve Madden Girl via DSW

Earrings: thrifted

Necklace: gift

On Rebecca:

Everything from Goodwill - headband self-made! Not shown: Hilarious denim espadrilles.

radio silence

Hi folks,

Sorry for the lack of posting - I'm coming down to crunch time for my master's paper (and seminar paper - eek!). I've got a full draft due on May 1, and honestly, I will be glued to my desk and/or couch with laptop, books, articles, and transcripts until then. I spent all weekend in my sweats writing, and only bothered to get dressed again for work on Monday. I haven't given up on personal hygene yet, but I haven't been able to take pictures...I'll try not to disappear entirely, but please forgive me if I'm posting erratically. It's all in the service of becoming a MASTER.

~B

teacherly

One of my friends told me today that I looked "teacherly". Maybe it's the white button-down? Anyway, I like the adjective. And I was really hoping that this outfit would read a bit more grown-up than this previous version.

Taking pictures in the evening means a lot of experimenting with slightly different locations to see where the light is best. Options include:

In the dark corner by the stairs...

In the light on the side of the stairs...

And up on the rock, of course.

Which do you like best?

Dress: Old Navy

White button-down: TJMaxx

Leggings: TJMaxx

Boots: Steve Madden Girl

Earrings: Fred Meyer's

spring conference wear

On Tuesday I had to give one more presentation on my master's paper at a mini-conference at my university. The awesome part? My dad and sister (and good friend S!) got to hear me present! I rocked the PowerPoint pretty hard, I must say.

After the conference my sister and I went to visit my aunt and uncle in MA. Their flowers are gorgeous!

And my sister helped me put together this outfit, which I was very happy with. She picked the high-waisted skirt, and she was totally right (pardon the dopey pose).

PS: Happy birthday, Ursula!! :)

White blouse: TJMaxx

Cardigan: gift from mom

Belt: thrifted

Skirt: Merona, thrifted

Boots: GNW
Socks: TJMaxx

Earrings: Burlington

pbbbbt

My dad and my sister are visiting for the weekend, and this morning my sister told me that gray and brown don't go together.

I have proved her wrong, no? Or at least annoyed her, which was mostly the point.

Love you, Chels!

White cardigan: kersh essentials

Blue long-sleeved t-shirt: thrifted

Skirt: j.crew outlet

Scarf: H&M, gifted

Boots: Steve Madden Girl

Socks: TJMaxx
New ring(!): gift from mom

more fun with shapes

This shirt was one of the light summer tops I pulled out of the attic over the weekend. I love the bright color and geometric pattern, but with the overcast skies and chilly temps this morning (sigh) I knew I needed some layers. I usually think of this as a casual, with-jeans kind of top, so I decided to try to dress it up with some office basics.

I liked the overall shape of the tunic-ish top with the A-line skirt, and I liked the sort of unexpected twist of the modern top with the classics.

I am so, so wishing I could yank the top down a few inches in these pictures. Yikes.

Hey has anyone noticed what I have NOT worn this week? :)

Green top: Max Studio via TJMaxx

White button-down: TJMaxx

Skirt: Merona, thrifted

Boots: GNW via Fred Meyer's

color!

The world is brimming with new life and rebirth, and with that, lots of happy color! I decided to follow suit and be as bright as crocuses, daffodils, and budding leaves. That said, my sweater was WAY too warm for the day. As B mentioned, it was at least 80 degrees yesterday (my car read almost 90), and the sweater was just a bit much. Still, it was for working, and I was inside an air-conditioned building, so it wasn't all that bad.

I like the way all the colors are working together. Normally I would put light blue and bright orange together, but here they are and I think they're happy as clams together.

P.S. I just finished a book, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery. It's a little heavy-handed at times but quite good, and I actually liked the ending. I think I recommend.

On me:
Blue sweater: New York and Co.
Orange tank: Old navy
Brown trousers: Torrid
Scarf: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Fashion Bug

a bit fifties

Today, my friends, was GLORIOUS. It must have been 80 degrees. Time for more summer clothes!

As soon as I saw this pretty sparkley top in my Easter basket/box, I thought about tucking it into one of my summery circle skirts.

The timer went off while I was fussing with things, but I liked how the picture showed off the bell shape of the skirt.

Can I just say how much I love full skirts? They just make me feel so ladylike. With a hand-me-down scarf for a pop of color, This felt like an outfit my very stylish grandmother would have worn in the fifties.

I needed a cardigan in the morning, but by noon it was in my bag. Yay for the first really hot day of spring!

Top: Calvin Klein Jeans via Costco (thanks Mom!)

Skirt: Banana Republic

Scarf: hand-me-down

Flats: Rocket Dogs, gift from mom

Earrings: hand-me-down

not-so-short pants!

After feeling a weensy bit matronly yesterday, I decided to go full-on undergrad today and wear my skinny jeans, UNMITIGATED. No tunic, no boots, just skinnies. Eeek!

C's turquoise-fab outfit totally inspired me to bust out the bright spring colors. I layered a white tee under my summertime tank for warmth and modesty (I do have to tutor today, after all).

I ended up really liking the overall effect. I definitely felt young and happy and comfortable. In other news, I am also delighted to announce the return of my absolute favorite gray swing jacket!

Please excuse the dopey expression. I serious *heart* this jacket.

Blue tank top: Ann Taylor Loft
White tee: Target
Skinny jeans: Banana Republic
Flats: JCPenny's, gift from mom
Earrings: street vendor on Cape Cod
Gray jacket: Old Navy, altered by me

short pants!

Spring done sprung up here, folks - it hit 75 over the weekend and I got my first (minor) sunburn. Woo-hoo! I hauled my box of summer clothes down from the attic on Friday and rediscovered...my cropped pants.

Ok, so I am never quite sure about these pants. They were a pair of GAP dress pants that shrank in the wash to that dorky length that barely brushes the tops of your feet. So I got brave and hemmed them myself, an act of creativity of which I was extraordinarily proud. However, sometimes cropped dress pants read a little less fabulous and a little more, well, soccer mom. Today I tried to sass them up with a sparkley top, bright red shoes, and big hoop earrings, but I still worried. What do you all think?

Cardigan: hand-me-down from C
Top: Target
Pants: GAP, cropped by me
Shoes: BR, gift from mom
Earings: thrifted

boot bandwagon

So, I have these boots, and I'm pretty sure I haven't worn them since the capsule challenge of many months ago. I just fear that boots make my calves look big, as I have already expressed in previous posts. Still, I kind of like what's going on here.

This outfit is meant for work, though the corduroy skirt might be a tad casual for my work environment. I'm liking all the colors together: though I tend to think of jewel tones as fall-only, my last post and today's post both make use of them. It just goes to show that tealy/turquoise is a color for all seasons. As far as the casualness is concerned, I'm not that worried. The white button-up and sweater vest take care of that, methinks. The only thing I am worried about is comfort. I'm on my feet the whole time at work, bringing heavy dresses back and forth to customers all day long. I'll probably bring a change of shoe.

But, since B is basically obsessed with boots, I figured I'd give them another shot. I don't even hate the way they make my legs look, and I'm not sure if it's because I've lost a little weight since the last time I've worn them, or if it's because I just don't care as much about adding a little bulk to the calf area. Regardless, I like it all.

Boots: Marshall's or TJ Maxx
White shirt, teal vest: Old Navy
Beige skirt: hand-me-down, Old Navy
Brown tights: Target
Brown socks: Marshall's

guess who?!

It's SPRING! Notice the forsythias in the background of my pictures. :)

So, I have news for people:

-I've been very busy planning a wedding...for MYSELF. My boyfriend (now fiance, I suppose) and I decided that there was no time like the present for getting hitched, so we've been furiously and feverishly planning. We have a lot of it done, but still need some important odds and ends (a photog and dj come to mind). Still, that's exciting. The date: October 30, 2010. The jury is still out on whether Halloween costumes are encouraged at the party after the reception (it's a day wedding, the reception ends at 5pm. I say yes to after-party costumes, Pete says no).

-I still work at the bridal store, but I've had a few interviews here and there, so things are looking up a bit.

-I recently attended an open house at Simmons College for their GSLIS program. I just think being a librarian is my calling. The program seemed pretty good (it's a large program--over 800 students) but I still have more research to do on other programs throughout the country. I'm willing to move, so if anyone has any advice on that front, feel free to open up.

On C:

Teal shirt: Express
Mustard cardi: Banana Republic outlet
Capris w/zip detail: Old Navy
Brown wedges: PayLess
Necklace: Given to me by my paternal grandmother