After winning a free pair of We Love Colors tights, I was eager to put together an outfit incorporating them. Because the tights are so bright and saturated, I decided to keep the rest of the outfit to simple black and white, with an additional touch of green in the necklace.
This outfit was a lot of fun to wear. I admit, wearing the tights made me feel just a bit 80’s, but I think since the rest of the outfit was simple, they worked fine. These tights are insanely awesome! These are the nylon/microfiber tights, and I can see myself by many, many pairs. They are thick, opaque, soft, and best of all, the waist-band fits but doesn’t feel constricting. With 51 colors to choose from, what’s not to love?
What do you think of colored tights? Are they just a passing trend, or are they here to stay?
Dress: Express
Cardigan: Ann Taylor LOFT
Belt: Anthropologie
Necklace: Pixisette
Bangles: Jill Popowich
Tights: We Love Colors, Scout Green
Boots: Dansko Risa (via eBay)
Quote: You’re Only Old Once! A Book for Obsolete Children
, by Dr. Seuss
On Saturday, I went to the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts in downtown Tampa. I always love to go every year. It’s a great place to meet up with family and friends, enjoy the fresh air and see some art. This year, it was held at the recently renovated Curtis Hixon Park. There were so many fantastic places to take pictures, but somehow I got distracted and this was the only shoot I got of my outfit. I decided to dress lightly and comfortably. The weather has started to turn warm, and my cashmere cardigan was actually a bit too hot at times. Still, I was comfy overall, and it was great to finally wear my Keen sandals again.
La Gran Arepa
One of the things I really look forward to at the Gasparilla Art show is the food. I always get the same two things every year. I start with an arepa, pictured above. These amazingly delicious things are essentially fried corn bread pancakes with mozzarella. So. fantastically. yummy. After I walk around for a bit, I always get some ice cream. They have a booth that takes a frozen ice cream bar (I chose cappuchino yogurt), dips it in melted chocolate, and then covers it with sprinkles, peanuts, or crushed oreos (I chose the later). I didn’t manage to get a picture of the ice cream, because I started eating it immediately.
I honestly wasn’t that impressed with most of the art at the festival this year, but there were several booths that caught my eye. One was a local artist, Nested Yellow. They sell gorgeous, nature-inspired jewelry on Etsy and at Tampa Street Market locally. I definitely plan on buying from them soon. There was also The Piper Sandal Company, which is a family owned small business that has been hand-crafting leather sandals since 1971. The sandals are gorgeous and made of high quality leather, and they will replace the leather straps for free when they wear out. At $119, they’re a pretty good deal. I also loved Marie Pierre Collection jewelry, which had some stunning silver cuffs.
Do you like to go to local arts festivals? What is your favorite aspect?
Cardigan: J Crew (via eBay)
Tee: Gap (via Revolve)
Jeans: Express (altered by me)
Sandals: Keen
Bag: Angry, Young and Poor
Necklace: Garage Sale
Bangles: Jill Popowich
Quote: Anatole over Paris.
, by Eve Titus
Sometimes, a fallback combination with a few new elements makes for the perfect, last-minute outfit. I’ve worn this sweater, pair of jeans and boots together before. Last week, I mixed it up a bit by layering a gray graphic tee underneath, and adding pops of dark pink in my sakura necklace and ring. This outfit was very comfy, but still put together enough for work.
The weather has started to hit a turning point, so I’m trying to get as much wear as possible out of my cashmere sweaters and leather boots. Soon it will be too warm to wear them (except maybe in over air-conditioned offices). I’ve already noticed my shopping and browsing habits shifting. There’s not a lot of point in my buying any new sweaters or boots right now, when I won’t be able to wear them regularly again until October. I know that a lot of the best sales on winter items happen right now, but on a budget as tight as mine, I prefer to buy things I can wear sooner rather than later.
Have you already started mentally shifting into Spring? Do you tend to purchase items that you can wear in the current season, or do you go for the off-season deals?
Sweater: J Crew (via eBay)
Tee: Style & Co (via clothing swap)
Jeans: Express
Boots: Dansko Nena (via eBay)
Necklace: Jorgensen Studio
Ring: From my mom
Quote: The OK Book
, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
When eShakti offered to let me try out one of their dresses, I was more than happy to oblige. There’s many things about this online retailer that I love: they have beautiful styles in a wide range of colors and sizes (0-26W). They tell you right away what the fabric content of every item is, which is very important to me. But what I love best of all is the fact that they will customize sizes and change certain elements of items such as the hem and sleeve length for an additional fee. So many times I will see an item that I love on a website, but I won’t like the cap sleeves, or there won’t be enough room in the hips. eShakti eliminates that problem by changing it for you.
This dress was customized from the original with a shorter hem and 3/4 sleeves. The color and fabric are fantastic, and the craftsmanship is very good. It’s such a beautiful dress, and I love the ruffle detail at the neckline.
Unfortunately, I don’t think it was the right choice for my body type, because it doesn’t flatter my hips. I had to wear another dress underneath to remain decent, because whenever the wind blew, it would fly open. However, this has everything to do with the wrap styling of the dress, which was the one I chose. I still consider it to be a quality product, and I will definitely buy from eShakti again. I’ll likely get this red dress soon in a knee length, since I need more solid colored dresses.
I’m so happy that I was able to wear this outside without a sweater or jacket. It’s finally starting to feel like spring again. I’m feeling so ready to shed some layers and enjoy the warmth that Florida is well known for.
What signs of Spring’s arrival have you been noticing?
Wrap dress: Courtesy of eShakti
Polka dot dress (underneath): Express
Blue Cami (underneath): Old Navy
Tights: Hue
Boots: Dansko Risa (via Ebay)
Bangles: Jill Popowich
Pearls: Coryell Design
Purse: Morelle Charlotte
Quote: Anatole over Paris, by Eve Titus
(Disclaimer: I received this dress for free from eShakti, but I was not compensated in any way for this post. This is my honest, unbiased opinion.)
Thank you for the kind words yesterday. I’m feeling a bit better. I know that things will work out before too long, I just need to keep positive.
I wore this outfit for another nice, relaxing Sunday. I caught up on things around the house, deep conditioned my hair, gave myself a mani/pedi and took a nice afternoon nap. I think taking some time for myself every weekend is starting to become my therapy – it’s so nice to relax and not feel rushed and catch up on everything.
I was in the mood to be both girly and comfortable on Sunday. The weather was a little bit warmer, so I was able to get by with my lovely new Anthropologie floral blouse and my blue cotton cardigan to add a little bit of warmth. I wanted something that would let my beautiful new necklace shine.
I had e-mailed my boyfriend a wishlist of items I liked on Etsy for my birthday, and after picking out what he got me, he forwarded it along to his mom. She got me this gorgeous Sakura branch necklace from Jorgensen Studio that I’ve been eyeing for months. I aboslutely love it, and it’s even more beautiful in person.
What rituals do you have when you take time for yourself?
Blouse: Anthropologie
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Jeans: Express
Boots: Dansko Nena
Necklace: Jorgensen Studio
Ring: From my mom
Quote: Madeline
, by Ludwig Bemelmans
Today is my 26th birthday! Yay! I’m actually substituting today, so this is not what I am wearing. My outfit posts are always a few days behind, so this is what I wore for an amazingly relaxing Sunday. We seemed to have a warm front then, because the weather was perfect. It was nice to feel a hint of spring coming. I opened up all the windows in the house, got the laundry done and cleaned the kitchen. I actually find cleaning relaxing, because it’s such a relief to be able to get it done without feeling rushed. I got some spinning done as well and took an afternoon nap while listening to the birds outside. Absolutely. awesome. day.
This outfit contains two new items. That J. Crew breton striped blouse is a deliciously soft cashmere/cotton blend that I scored recently on Ebay. For $15. Love. You saw the Dansko Sela sandals on Saturday. I really didn’t expect to get to wear them so soon, but it was wonderful to finally let my feet be free of socks for a bit.
After I get off work today, I plan to check out a new thrift store near where I’m subbing. Thrifting on my birthday is starting to become a sort of tradition for me. I love taking time to explore the racks and search for treasures, but I often don’t have the time. On my birthday, I make the time. After that, I’m going out for sushi with a friend. My boyfriend is working the night shift tonight, so we’ll be celebrating my birthday together this weekend.
What makes a perfectly relaxing day for you? Do you have any special birthday traditions?
Blouse: J Crew (via Ebay)
Jeans: Express
Sandals: Dansko Sela (via Ebay)
Purse: Vintage (via Advintagous)
Necklace: Chocolate Cake Jewels
Cuff: ?? (via Classy Consignments)
Quote: I Love You Stinky Face
, by Lisa McCourt
Hmm… didn’t I wear this cardigan with a similar dress and grey tights in yesterday’s outfit? Why yes I did. And you know what? I’m just fine with that. I have a very small closet. I have a limited wardrobe, because I only keep clothes that I love, and I don’t have tons of money to buy tons of new clothes. So sometimes I may wear some elements on an outfit two days in a row. And that’s perfectly okay. The main thing to me is to make sure that each outfit is unique, and my favorite way to do that is with accessories.
Yesterday, I punched things up with a new color scheme of yellow, green and blue. Today, I dropped the green. I switched out my black Dansko boots for my blue Fluevog ones. I added some grey accents with the long sleeve tee layered underneath. I added a different necklace, and my new black belt. So while the outfits are similar, they are not the same.
Do you sometimes repeat elements of an outfit two days in a row? What do you do to keep them fresh and unique?
Dress: Express
Cardigan: J Crew (via Ebay)
Layering Tee: Kohls
Belt: Anthropologie
Tights: Hue
Boots: Fluevog Heather (via Ebay)
Necklace: Chocolate Cake Jewels
Quote: Fancy Nancy
, by Jane O’Connor
Like many people, I find Mondays difficult. My sleep rhythm is usually out of whack from the weekend, leaving me tired, groggy, and not in the mood to stare at my closet for about 20 minutes trying to decide what to wear. But that is often the case, making me late for work, stressed out, and in need of more coffee. But now I’ve realized that, since my workplace basically has no dress code, and everyone is very casual, it is totally acceptable to wear an easy, fall-back outfit on Mondays. This is often a jersey dress and a cardigan. Last Monday (yes I’m a week behind on outfits) I decided to dress up jeans and a tee.
And I loved it. I felt like this outfit was casual and comfortable, yet also stylish and smart. Having that cashmere cardigan and pink pearls took what would normally be a weekend outfit and made it a little more dressy. I added my hand-knit, hand-spun scarf for a little extra warmth and coziness, and it was perfect.
I’d like to pretend that I’m walking through a beautiful forest in these pictures, but as I’ve mentioned before, this is actually just a field near my place of work. I can see two major roads from where I’m standing. I used to love to go hiking when I was a teenager, but it’s been years since I took an afternoon to walk through one of the larger nature parks in my area. I should try to do it again while the weather is not miserably hot, like it will be in a few months.
What do you do about Monday outfits? Do you plan ahead? Do you wear one of your go-to outfits?
Tee: Style & Co (via clothing swap)
Cardigan: DKNY (via Revolve)
Jeans: Express Stella
Boots: Dansko Nena (via Ebay)
Scarf: Spun and knit by me
Purse: Morelle Charlotte
Pearls: garage sale
Quote: The Three Silly Billies
, by Margie Palatini
I generally tend to be about five days behind in posting outfits. This helps to keep putting posts together from being too stressful, because I don’t have to worry if there simply isn’t time to take a picture of an outfit one day. Thus, this is actually what I wore on Valentine’s Day.
To be honest, I don’t really take the holiday too seriously. My first job was working for Hallmark Cards, so I’m a bit disillusioned at the commercialization and pressure that tends to come with Valentine’s Day. My boyfriend and I kept it simple. He gave me some chocolate, and we relaxed and watched movies and cooked a really tasty dinner of mashed potatoes and gravy with turkey and brocolli. This outfit was the perfect compliment to a low-stress, relaxing day, and the floral pattern kept it a bit romantic.
When I picked up this blouse off the sale rack at Anthropologie last week, it was mostly on a whim, because I was attracted to the pattern. I didn’t really expect to get it, since I have so many sleeveless patterned blouses. But now, I absolutely love it, and I think it’s going to become a wardrobe staple for me in the coming months. It’s funny how you sometimes find your favorite items when you least expect to.
What’s one of your favorite wardrobe items that you stumbled onto without really looking for?
Blouse: Anthropologie
Salmon Layering Tank: The Limited (via Revolve)
Cardigan: J Crew (via Ebay)
Jeans: Express
Shoes: Born Codder
Necklace: garage sale
Ring: from my mom
Bangles: Jill Popowich
Quote: Anatole Over Paris, by Eve Titus
For several weeks, I thought I had lost this cardigan. I searched all over the house, checked the lost and found box at work, but I couldn’t seem to find it anywhere. Then one day, I remembered that I had recently moved my handknits to a different drawer while reorganizing my studio. What a relief! Nothing feels much worse than thinking you lost a cardigan that took you a few months to knit.
Finding my cardigan gave me the perfect excuse to wear my new belt that I got at Anthropologie last weekend. I think I’m one of those types who likes to wear new things right away. I’m really, really happy with this belt. It filled a definite gap in my wardrobe, and I can tell it’s going to get plenty of use.
I’m really beginning to love wearing scarves tied up like this. They keep my neck nice and cozy, and they still allow me to add an additional pop of color with a long necklace. In this outfit, I echoed the color of the necklace by wearing a turquoise bracelet. I really love mixing yellow and pale blue/turquoise.
Do you like to wear new things right away? Or do you prefer to save new items for a special occasion?
Long sleeve tee: Issac Mizrahi for Target
Cardigan: Minimalist, handknit by me
Jeans: Express
Boots: Dansko Nena (via Ebay)
Belt: Anthropologie
Necklace: Chocolate Cake Jewels
Scarf: Bought in Chinatown, NYC
Purse: Morelle Charlotte
Bracelet: ??, gift
Quote: Don’t Take Your Snake for a Stroll
, by Karin Ireland
Daily Outfit | Diana | 
March 10, 2010 7:00 am | 
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