summer sweater

I picked up this very lightweight sweater on my hooray-I-have-a-paycheck-again shopping spree, thinking that it would be a nice polished option for teaching on the cooler days of summer.

Now that I see the pictures, I'm not sold. It looks...cheap. And lumpy. Anyone know any tricks for smoothing out a sweater over a button-down? Maybe I should ditch the belt?

At least my skirt is twirly.

Sweater: GAP outlet

Blouse: Banana Republic outlet

Belt: thrifted

Skirt: j.crew outlet (okay I am sensing a theme here)

Boots: Steve Madden Girl via DSW

Bracelet: gift

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.

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

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

airplane and day 1

Can I just say how much I love wearing jersey dresses on the airplane? You guys. Here's what no one ever tells you: jersey dresses are basically nightgowns. They are awesome for traveling.

I felt so comfy (and so posh) all day. I am pretty much going to wear this outfit on every plane trip I take from here on out. Death to pinchy waistbands!


Jersey dress: Max Studio via Loehman's

Cardigan: Costco

Leggings: Target

Boots: Steve Madden Girl via DSW

For the first day of the conference, I wanted to be on the more casual side, since I wasn't presenting myself and wasn't sure how formal everyone else was going to be. I figured a shirt dress would be right in the middle.

Turns out, English teachers' conference wear runs a pretty wide range from jeans and t-shirts (ok, that was just the one guy) to a lot of business casual (dress pants and sweaters, button-downs, casual blazers), with presenters often wearing full suits.

Apologies for the poor hotel room lighting!

Shirtdress: Converse via Target

Belt: hand-me-down

Boots: Steve Madden Girl via DSW

Tights: ancient

blavy

Pulled this black top out of the back of my closet this morning. I think it's been over a year since I've worn it, which is a shame, because the cut always makes me feel cute and sassy.

I tried for a bit of black and navy blue mixing, using my top and boots as the black and the sweater and dark jeans as the navy. Kasmira says using two pieces of each color makes the mixing look intentional.

I felt pretty good about it all day (especially with my gray and black scarf on), but looking at these pictures I wonder about the jeans and the sweater...they're either too close in color or not close enough, I can't tell. What do you all think?

Black top: Old Navy

Cardigan: kersh essentials via Costco

Jeans: Banana Republic

Boots: Burlington

Earrings: Aldo outlet

Watch: Target

Ring: tourist shop in Russia

two in one

This outfit was inspired by Tina's recent pretty outfits: the colors from this one with a little dash of the shapes from some others.

I had originally planned to wear just this long sparkley scarf, a la Tina, but it was really chilly out this morning. So I paired it with a pashmina for warmth. I ended up really liking the colors and textures together!


I was glad to squeeze in one more wear of my most ladylike wool skirt before it's time to pack it away.
And a little belt sass never hurt anyone.

Sweater: Banana Republic
Skirt: United Colors of Benetton
Belt: Target
Sparkley scarf: gift from mom
Pink pashmina: unknown
Tights: Hue
Boots: Steve Madden Girl via DSW
Ring: market in Russia
Earrings: AK state fair

the return of the mustard

Sunny days make me want to wear yellow. That's all.


Cardigan: Old Navy
Top: Oscar via Burlington
Belt: hand-me-down
Denim skirt: Levi's via Sears
Boots: Steve Madden Girl via DSW
Tights: CK via Burlington
Earrings: GNW via Fred Meyer's
Watch: Target
Ring: Burlington

shirt dress!

I have been looking for a shirt dress forever. I have probably tried on about a bazillion shirt dresses in every conceivable fabric. Mostly the problem is that if they fit my top half (i.e. none of that stupid gaping between the buttons) they're too baggy on the bottom. Does anyone else have that problem?

So I was awfully excited to find this denim-ish shirt dress on the sale rack at Target this weekend. It FITS! And is COMFY! If it had pockets it would be well-nigh unstoppable.

I was really impressed with the way E. from Academichic remixed her shirt dress three different ways, so I'll be trying all three of them over the next few weeks. I started with the most basic today: tights (doubled up for warmth), brown boots, and this awesome new brown belt I inherited from a friend who was cleaning out her closet.


I liked the way the different browns played off each other, and I can't wait to wear this dress again!

Dress: Converse via Target
Belt: hand-me-down
Tights: ancient
Boots: Steve Madden Girl via DSW
Watch: Target
Ring: Burlington

blades of glory

Inspired by the Olympics, I pulled my ice skates out of the back of the closet and went to the rink on campus this morning. I skated for years when I was growing up, and it was glorious to use those muscles again, to feel that glide and the freedom of zooming around the ice.

I needed an outfit that I could tutor in that also wouldn't suffer too much from being stuffed into a skate bag for a couple hours. Sounds like a long cardigan and scarf to me.

Also, I continue to be in love with these boots. Yes, they are somewhat impractical for the warm temps and resulting mud, since they are extremely flat and suede. I do not care. They make me feel cool.

Black cardigan: kersh essentials via Costco

Tank tops: ancient

Jeans: Banana Republic

Boots: Steve Madden, ebay'd by mom

Scarf: gifted, H & M

Earrings: Burlington

Ring: Alaska state fair

the sneaky knot

So I do not own many crewneck shirts. I think they make me look short and squat and bulldozerish. I tend to stick to boatnecks and v-necks and turtlenecks. When I fall in love with a cruel, cruel crewneck, such as this lovely soft jewel-tone sweater, I tend to try to break up the neckline by layering it over or under something.

Yesterday I was substituting for another ESL teacher and wanted to stay a little on the conservative side, so once again I thought of this sweater and a pencil skirt. For a different way of camoflaging the neckline I tried the "sneaky knot" recently featured on academichic.


Results? Meh. The scarf didn't totally hide the neckline when tied this way, and the "sneaky knot" creates a lot of bulk down the front, which is kind of distracting for someone who waves her hands around as much when teaching as I do. It's also an impediment to good hugs. I do not think clothing should interfere with hugs.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Top: BR outlet
Skirt: GAP outlet
Scarf: gift from mom
Tights: street vendor in Russia
Boots: Burlington
Earrings: Fred Meyer's

blustery day

Man was it windy this afternoon! And warm - all our pretty new snow is melting. Check out the wind tunnel effect on my hair. Cue the violin music! Some romantic cliche is about to take place!

The drapeyness of this cardigan also gets awfully interesting in the wind.

I did say something about being obsessed with gray and purple, yes? I like the brown elements mixed in too. A good outfit for a long day on campus of writing center and meetings and studying.

Gray cardigan: ebay'd by mom

Purple tank: Costco

Belt: GAP

Jeans: Banana Republic

Boots: Steve Madden Girl via DSW

Earrings: street vendor on Cape Cod

dark and light

We finally, finally got some snow on Tuesday. So, hooray everything is pretty and white! On the other hand, boo, I got stuck taking my pictures inside, which is unfortunate because I was rather pleased with my outfit.

I wanted to wear this pretty purple jersey dress again and this time show off the pretty gathered sleeves and the line of the skirt. So I layered a button-down shirt under it and emphasized the empire waist with a belt.

I felt adorable all day. Also I am kind of obsessed with gray, black, and purple right now.

Dress: Max Studio via Loehman's
Button-down shirt: TJMaxx
Belt: mommed
Tights: Calvin Klein via TJMaxx
Shoes: via TJMaxx


Happily, I got back outside for my pictures on Wednesday. The glorious sunshine reflecting off the new snow made me crave some lighter, brighter colors. A little orange, perhaps?

I had a presentation in class yesterday, so I used the button-down-and-belt combo to keep the skinnies-and-boots combo from looking too undergrad-y. And with a heavy pair of wool socks inside, these brown boots were surprisingly snow-worthy.

Button-down: ancient, I think TJMaxx

Sweater: Old Navy

Belt: thrifted

Jeans: Banana Republic

Boots: Steve Madden Girl via DSW

Bracelet: gift from sister