Tag Archives: j crew

Anglophile

Posted on by
3

There’s lots of different elements that influence my style.  Lately one of my favorite inspirations has been 60′s English and French styles.  I feel like the above outfit has a little bit of both, but it felt more British to me.  The dress actually is British, so that should count for something.

 

I’ve never actually been to England, but it’s one of those places that I’d really love to visit one day.  My grandfather was stationed there during WWII (in Bassingbourn, near London) so I’d especially love to visit the base he was at and the museum that’s there.

 

 

This beret always makes me happy when I wear it.  I finished knitting it while waiting for a cab at LaGuardia during my trip to NYC several years ago.  It always reminds me of how great that trip was.  Not to mention the fact that it’s cute and warm.

 

Dress: Boden (via eBay)
Cardigan: J. Crew (via eBay)
Tights: HUE
Boots: Keen Bern Baby Bern
Watch: Fossil
Necklace: Wendy Brandes Little Woolf

 

Florida’s Two-Day Winter

Posted on by
3

Every year in Florida, we never really have a “true” winter.  Instead, we get sporadic days of weather below 50 degrees, after which the temperature will go back up to the 70s.  Seriously.  It’s 40 degrees outside as I’m writing this.  Saturday is set to have a high of 74.  So, when we actually get truly cold weather here, I milk it for all it’s worth.  I break out one of my two coats, I resurrect my hand-knits, I wear cashmere and boots like crazy.  Because I know that before we know it, winter will be gone from Florida again.

This is my, “I’m trying to smile even though I’m really cold” face

The key to days like today is lots and lots of layers.  I layered wool knee socks over tights.  I layered a slip, long sleeve tee, sleeveless dress and cashmere sweater for the rest.  And then coat and scarf after that.  Most Floridians, I’ve noticed, don’t get cold weather dressing.  I see people trying to get by with hoodies or cotton turtlenecks.  Everyone complains so much too.  But it’s really fantastic if you’re prepared for it, and it doesn’t have to be expensive if you search for good winter pieces year round.

At first I thought about belting the sweater, but the dress has such a strong pattern that I really wanted to let it shine.  By using the tie from the dress as a belt,  I brought the attention back to the beautiful pattern.

How do you layer for winter?  What’s your winter climate like?

Dress: Mlle Gabrielle (thrifted)
Sweater: J. Crew (via eBay)
Long sleeve tee: J. Crew Factory
Tights: HUE
Boots: Keen Bern Baby Bern
Watch: Fossil
Coat: Target (2008)
Scarf: Handknit by me

 

 

Last outfit of 2011

Posted on by
2

Last week, it finally started getting cold again.  Bear in mind that “cold” in Florida means below 60 degrees.  Thus I was finally able to wear my boots again!  I wore this for a day of running errands and enjoying my time off before going back to work on the 2nd.  Looking at it now, I’m not so crazy about the proportions.  I’m thinking maybe it’s just that longer hems don’t work as well with tall boots.  Or maybe I needed a shoulder bag instead of a cross-body.  Either way, I still enjoyed wearing the outfit.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Years.  My boyfriend and I decided to stay home for this one,  so he had some beer while I had some Jam Jar, and we watched old episodes of 30 Rock and classic 60′s Batman.  It was the perfect, low key end to the year and a great way to welcome 2012.

Happy New Year!

Dress: Soprano (via Li da la)
Cardigan: J. Crew (via eBay)
Tights: HUE
Knee Socks: HUE
Boots: Keen Bern Baby Bern
Scarf: Boden
Bag: Angry, Young and Poor Bread Bag
Watch: Fossil Outlet
Earrings: JuneDesigns

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

Posted on by
6

 

The last week before Christmas break, I challenged myself to wear red and green everyday without being tacky.  I was also battling a cold that had me slipping into pj’s and going to bed the second I got home everyday, so unfortunately, this outfit is the only one I had enough energy to capture.  Fortunately, it was my favorite, so it all evens out.

It’s not unusual to get compliments sometimes from people I work with.  This was one of those rare, wonderful outfits that garnered compliments from total strangers.  As I was leaving my dermatologist’s office, this cute little old lady stopped to tell me how much she loved my skirt.  At the grocery store, a clerk commented on how I must be dressed up for something special.  Thus, this skirt remains one of my all-time favorite second-hand finds.

Speaking of the dermatologist, I finally made myself go and find out what was making my lips peel and get irritated during the winter.  Turns out, lip balm addicts like myself have a habit of licking their lips a lot, and in the winter, it dries them out to the point where lip balm stings and does more harm than good.  My lips are better now thanks to some lotion my dermatologist gave me.  She recommended that I switch to lip stick or lip gloss during the winter, since you’re less likely to lick it off.  So here’s where I ask for your help: I’m a total lipstick noob.  I’ve always been a diehard balm user, and I think I own maybe four tubes of lipstick (which I got for free in Clinique gift sets).

So here’s my questions:

  • How do I go about finding my perfect shade?
  • What’s your favorite shade of lipstick?
  • Do you use different shades of lipliner for different lipsticks, is there a one-shade-fits-all, or do you use it at all?

Tank: Target
Cardigan: J Crew (via eBay)
Skirt: Mix Noveau (via Revolve)
Shoes: Born Codder
Necklace: garage sale
Watch: Fossil outlet
Purse: Morelle Oyster

Monochromatic (sort of)

Posted on by
4

I’ve never been a big fan of full-on monochromatic looks, so this is about as close as I get.  This beautiful blue dress is one of my newest Boden pieces, snagged on eBay for a mere $50! (Boden dresses usually retail for over $100).  I had get several alterations done to get it perfect, but now it’s set to become one of my favorite pieces.  For this outfit, I buttoned up a cashmere cardigan over the dress, then took the sash and tied it obi-style over the cardi.  Boots and tights stayed neutral, and I added my bright orange watch for a pop of contrast.

Dress before alterations

As you can see in the picture above, the dress originally had a much longer hem (this seems to happen a lot with Boden dresses).  I got about 4″ hemmed off.  Also, the sleeves had a blousy elastic thing on the hems, which I can’t stand, so I had that taken out and replace with a regular hem, and I had them take-in the sleeves a bit too to make them slimmer.  Finally, the neckline was super low (another common occurrence with Boden).  My tailor took up the shoulders a bit, which naturally raises the neckline.

This dress is another example of why I truly believe that you need to customize everything.  It does require a slight investment to get things altered, but once you have an item that fits exactly the way that you want it to, you will love it more and thus wear it more and get more use out of it than if you left it without alterations.

Dress: Boden (via eBay)
Cardigan: Boden
Tights: HUE
Boots: Keen Bern Baby Bern (via Piperlime)
Watch: J. Crew & Timex

 

 

A neutral kind of day

Posted on by
4

 

Okay, so I did in fact wear a very similar outfit last September.  But hey, that was a year ago, and I have long hair and glasses now, so I think it’s just fine for me to post this version.

I had originally planned to put together a mustard and navy outfit.  That is, until I realized that my favorite mustard cardi was in the wash.  So I decided for lovely and elegant neutrals instead, with a pop of mustard in my bracelet.

I love how this little navy dress can work with just about everything.  It really is a year-round staple for me.  The fit is absolutely perfect, the navy color goes with everything (although I often wish I had it in brighter colors), the length is perfect for work.  I can wear it alone in the summer, and layer it up in the winter.  It’s definitely one of my best consigning finds yet.


Dress: Soprano (via Li da la)
Cardigan: J. Crew (via eBay)
Tights: HUE
Shoes: Dansko Sallys (courtesy of Dansko)
Belt: Vintage
Pearls: Coryell Design
Watch: Fossil
Bracelet: Vintage

 

For lack of a more interesting post title

Posted on by
2

Currently have 0% post title inspiration, but I wanted to post anyhow, so here’s one of my outfits from last week.  This is pretty typical work fair for me: dress slacks, Dansko Sally’s, nice top, nice cardigan.  I think it’s the details and the colors that make this outfit special.  Turquoise is definitely one of my favorite colors.

Outfits like this are so comfortable to me.  I feel very “me” with the vibrant colors, the slacks mean that I’m not self-conscious if I have to bend down or stand on a stool, and it’s all still very professional.  I definitely don’t feel that work clothes have to be boring, but I’m also a very practical person.

I wear this watch a ton, but I’ve never featured it on the blog before.  When J. Crew first started carrying Timex watches, I  loved them.  However, their insane price tags kept me away.  Meanwhile, my boyfriend acquired several regular (re: not insanely expensive) Timex watches.  J. Crew’s beautiful watch bands went on sale, and now we both have gorgeous watches at a fraction of the cost.  I decided to go for fun rather than practicality and got the orange band.

 

Top: Nordstrom
Cardigan: Bobeau (Nordstrom Rack)
Slacks: Gap
Shoes: Dansko Sally
Watch: Timex/ J. Crew
Earrings: received as gift

Mis-matched Day

Posted on by
4

Remember back in school, when you would have Spirit Week and each day would have a different theme, like Sports Day, Twin Day, etc?  One fun thing about working in a middle school is that you get to experience that every year :)  Our Spirit Week was last week, and this is what I wore for mis-matched day, my favorite day of the week.  It’s so fun to put together an outfit that is as intentionally mis-matched as possible.  I tried not to make my outfit so jarring that it was painful to look at, and also not so shabby that I looked homeless.  I think I succeeded.

Leopard and polka dot = pattern mixing

I wore two different socks, two different styles of Converse Chuck Taylors, two different earrings.  I tried to keep the base of the outfit a little more simple, so the solid colors didn’t match, but also didn’t clash painfully.

I can French braid my hair again.  Yay!

Is it strange that I actually had more fun getting dressed when it was mis-matched day than on a normal day?  I love having a theme or challenge for an outfit – to me it makes things more interesting than just pulling clothes out of the closet and wearing them.

Did you have mis-matched day at your school when you were a kid?  How did you dress up?

Cardigan: J Crew (eBay)
Top: Target (thrifted)
Skirt: Thrifted
Tights: Hue
Socks: Hue (grey) Smartwool (green)
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylors
Scarf (in hair): Vintage
Belt: Thrifted
Watch: J. Crew/ Timex

“Living is simple”

Posted on by
5

Right now, life is a crazy, hectic and over-stressed world, and I’m just trying to make it through it one day at a time.  Nothing particularly bad is happening, there’s just lots and lots of deadlines as the school year winds down,  lots of bored kids who don’t want to stay on task, and lots of stressed out fellow adults dealing with their own deadlines.  I know that this just goes with the territory as the school year comes to a close, so I’m just taking it one day at a time.

At this point, I’m trying to keep the rest of my life as simple as possible so that I can really focus on the important things and not get bogged down by clutter.  That includes physical, mental and emotional clutter.  I took a bunch of stuff to Goodwill during spring break.  I’ve started listing stuff I know longer use on eBay (if you’re interested, check out here.  It’s just shoes right now, but I might add books and other misc later).  I’ve been clearing mental clutter by cleaning out my inbox and cutting back on mailings that don’t interest me.  I’ve been trying to deal with some emotional clutter by getting rid of items that I was holding onto because I was trying to cling to a part of me that doesn’t fit anymore.  These items were things that used to be a strong part of my identity, but my identity has changed, and I think that they had simply become emotional weight that was bringing me down subconsciously.

I have a feeling that the tone of my blog is changing and evolving.  I don’t really like to write short, frequent posts anymore (and it’s difficult to find the time).  But I love to share with my readers (you!) and I love to express my thoughts and my journey through life in this blog.  I think my posting style is going to change to longer, deeper, but less frequent posts.  That’s just what works for me right now, and I think it’s best to go with the flow of how my life is rather than to stress myself out conforming to a pattern that doesn’t work for me.  We’ll see how it goes :)

Tank: Ann Taylor LOFT (Revolve)
Cardigan: J Crew (eBay)
Slacks: Gap
Shoes: Dansko Sally
Necklace: Urban Outfitters

Quote: Living is Simple, by Switchfoot

Shopping Plan: December

Posted on by
1

*December edition of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

At the end of November, I had $63.50 to add on to my $125 for December.  Here’s what I bought:

Green Cashmere J Crew Sweater, $20 on eBay

Awesome deal? Oh heck yeah.  The sweater’s slightly shorter than what I prefer, but for $20, I’m willing to layer.

Printed Boden Dress, $60 (with shipping)

Striped Boden Cardigan, $38 (with shipping)

When Boden had it’s awesome 50% off winter sale, I finally caved and bought some stuff directly from them.  I’d been drooling over that cardigan since I first saw it in the catalog months ago, and I absolutely love the print on the dress.  I’m planning on getting the dress tailored, since it’s a bit loose in the chest and waist.

Bateau Turquoise Cardigan, Nordstom Rack

White August Silk Cardigan, Nordstrom Rack

Not Pictured: Grey Tank Top, Hue Knee Socks, Nordstrom Rack

$35.86 total for Nordstrom Rack purchases

This purchase was due to the awesomeness of Groupon.  They had a deal going on where you could purchase a Groupon that would allow you to get $50 worth of clothes from Nordstrom Rack for only $25.  I ended up going over the $50 mark, which was why my total came out to $35.86.  Still a pretty insane deal.

That makes $153.86 spent.  So even with some awesome Boden sale purchases, I still didn’t go over budget.

I’m not going to reflect on my Great Shopping Plan of 2010 at this time.  Honestly, the past few months, I just wasn’t feeling it.  I feel like I’ve gotten the hang of keeping to a budget with my clothes shopping, and documenting it just feels boring to me now.  But I have a new project lined up for 2011, which I’ll talk about on Friday.  I’m super excited about this one:  it will be called 11 in 2011.  Stay tuned :)

Related Posts with Thumbnails