Large necklaces

The trend for large, chunky necklaces doesn't appear to be going anywhere this spring.  I recently spied these necklaces at World Market (for $25, I believe) and thought that they would be a great way to incorporate the big jewelry look at a reasonable price point. You can give your necklaces a new look for spring by layering them over a patterned top or by buttoning up a shirt all the way and tucking the necklace under the collar.

The only question is: red...

...or blue?

I debated, imagined outfits for either option, and ended up buying neither. Maybe I'll go back to the store this week and see if they're still available. Which color do you prefer?

Black and gray

I bought this fun faux-chinchilla coat on end-of-season clearance last year; it's such a piece (of craziness, some would say) that I usually keep the rest of the outfit pretty simple.  Easy substitutes here: exchange the t-shirt for a slouchy gray sweater (slouchiness is key! it must be somewhat oversized to balance out the leggings), or sub out the heels for Converse sneakers for a more casual look. Add a floppy fedora or a black baseball cap, and you're finished!

Coat: Ann Taylor // Pants: Kirna Zabete for Target* // T-shirt: Target // Heels: Ann Taylor // Clutch: Kenneth Cole // Watch: Michael Kors

* The side panels look almost purplish in this picture, but the pants are a true black in person.

Happy Valentine's Day

I decided to wear my heart on my sleeve sweater today at work and was happy to see a few other staff and students dressed up for the holiday too. Then, this afternoon I volunteered at my son's school party; the little kids were so cute all dressed in pink, red, and purple, and I was glad that they still decorate elaborate boxes and exchange cards (and candy!).

Hope you have a great day!

Sweater: Old Navy // Top: J. Crew // Pants: Express (thrifted) // Bracelets: J.Crew, BCBG

Thrifting finds

I stopped by my local consignment store last week and picked up a couple little items.

How could I not buy this vintage trinket box dotted with my initial (especially when it cost less than $5)? I think it will be perfect for storing jewelry or makeup.

I also picked up a large vintage scarf that reminds me of a combination of Brunschwig & Fils "Les Touches" fabric in red, Louis Vuitton's leopard print scarf, and Kenzo's tiger apparel and accessories. Once the scarf is all twisted and looped up, the bits of leopard peeking out should be a fun look!

Total cost: about $10.

And since we're discussing budget shopping, did anyone pick up some good finds at the Prabal Gurung for Target event? I got a pair of black sandals that will be much used this spring/summer, but the shoes I really wanted are only available online (here and here). My initial impression: the shoes ran a bit small (maybe 1/2 a size), and the clothes weren't really designed for petites. I did love the colors and patterns, though.

Matchy-matchy

When I was growing up, there were strict rules for matching outfits. For instance, navy + black = do not match. Brown + black = do not match. Shoes + purse = should definitely match.

The rules have loosened since then, or at least I hope they have, because today I wore black + navy + brown + unmatched shoes and purse. Fashion disaster!  :)

These three items have been in constant rotation this week. The coat is warm but not bulky, the snakeskin ballet flats match almost everything, and the purse is the perfect medium size for everyday use.

Coat: J. Crew // Sweater: J.Crew // Top: J. Crew // Jeans: Talbots // Flats: J. Crew // Purse: Ann Taylor // Necklace: Talbots (worn doubled up)

Boots

I ran across these canvas and rubber rain boots the other day and love the monogram. Too bad I already have a couple pairs of wellies, so I don't really need them!

In fact, these are the boots I'm wearing today, thanks to yesterday's winter storm:

I'm afraid spring rains are a ways off for this region of the country, but at least I'll get to enjoy my Sorels for another couple months!

What I'm wearing...

I've had a few people ask me lately if I would ever consider posting outfits on my blog. Nooooo, I said, because there are already so many blogs written by other people with great style and great photographers and great wardrobes. Oh, you should post some outfits, they said. And so, since I always give in to peer pressure, I might start doing occasional outfit posts. After all, I use this blog to chronicle things I like, DIY projects, and shopping guides, and fashion certainly fits into those three categories.

 This is what I wore yesterday afternoon while running a couple errands after work. It's just a really casual and comfortable outfit with lots of wool layers to keep me warm. I wear a lot of denim, red, black, and grey, so this outfit is pretty representative of some of my favorite things. Speaking of favorites, I have gotten a lot of use from this leopard bag (a Christmas present from my brother). It matches almost everything, and I like to carry a clutch while shopping because it's compact and easy to slip into my shopping bags if I need my hands free.

Two of my favorite patterns: leopard and plaid

Coat: Michael Kors // Top: Ann Taylor (similar) // Sweater: J. Crew (cute striped option) // Jeans: Tommy Hilfiger (similar) // Flats: Gap Outlet (similar) // Clutch: Banana Republic (similar) // Scarf: Juicy Couture (similar and on sale!) // Sunglasses: Banana Republic Outlet

Easy summer dressing

When in doubt, just wear white.  It feels summery and cool, and wearing one color head-to-toe is an easy way to look put together without really doing much work.  For bonus points, choose clothing with an interesting cut or fabric, and let your accessories be colorful or bold.

Cut-offs: Lauren Conrad for Kohl's

Tank: Target

Sweater: LOFT

Necklace: J. Crew (similar here)

Bracelet: Ann Taylor (similar here, here, or here)

In the clutch

This brown clutch is on my wishlist for fall.  Yes, fall.  I know it's 100 degrees outside, but I just finished school supply shopping for James, I'm wrapping up my fall schedule and syllabi, retailers are advertising the tax-free, back-to-school shopping days, and I guess I'm looking forward a bit to the cooler weather.

I like the brown wool-like fabric and the geometric print (and the $14 sale price).  It is fairly large: I think I could fit in my iPad, pen, attendance book, and keys...so theoretically I could even use it for work.

Sea & sky

Over the weekend we watched Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (the movie version, not the old British TV series).  The most memorable part for me was the song that played at the end of the movie as the film switched between a flashback to a holiday party and the sad end of the story.  It's Charles Trenet's "La Mer," sung, obviously, in French.  I do like the English version ("Beyond the Sea"), but I hadn't heard the French before, and I think the French was better.

Humming "La Mer" the past few days must have subliminally affected my shopping and dressing habits.

Remember these nail polishes?  Well, I recently picked up the same formula in the color "Sea," and it's a nice change from the pink or neutral polishes I've been wearing lately.  I really like the color of this polish with white and blue, as I noticed when I set the bottle down between painting my nails, reading a design book, and drinking coffee from my Blue Willow mug (see picture above).  :)

After all, aren't these pretty rooms?

 House Beautiful

Lonny Magazine

Williamson Designs

Elle Decor

This week both James and I inadvertently ended up dressing in blue, white, and sea green:

James is doing better than me: he has anchors on his shorts, so he gets bonus points for an explicit sartorial nautical reference.  Get ready for the summer, guys: lots of matching mother-son outfits and photo ops are in store, apparently.

Dress: BCBG, Cardigan: LE Canvas, Ombre sunglasses: Michael Kors, Nails: Sally Hansen Smooth & Perfect in "Sea"

Here's a little summery outfit I put together that uses these shades.  As a bonus, each piece is under $100.

Dress: Old Navy

Blazer: American Eagle Outfitters

Sandals: Enzo Angiolini

Clutch: Juicy Couture

Necklace: Ann Taylor

Bangles: J. Crew, Banana Republic, Juicy Couture

Hat: Target

Nails: Essie "Turqoise & Caicos"

Summer accessories at Target

Browsing through Target last week, I found several fun accessories that would be great for the summer.  Lots of great straw textures, bright colors, and ethnic patterns, all for around $13 - $30!  Happy accessorizing!

From top: fedora, backpack, scarf, zippered bags set, straw tote, straw clutch

Which is your favorite?  I love the blue clutch--could be a keeper!

I heart Ann Taylor shoes

Now that my finals week has wrapped up, I have to admit that it is actually (technically) summer!  That's hard to believe when we're barely into May, but I did go ahead and buy a couple new pairs of shorts and (of course) some new shoes for the season!  Read on for the new additions...

I've been looking for some new black heels for a while, so I was happy to see these pop up in Ann Taylor's final sale.  The combo of suede and polished leather is fun, as are the little cut-outs.  I can attest to the comfort of these shoes.  I wore them all day on Wednesday and they only started hurting at the very end of my day (that was after 5 1/2 hours of college commencement, including 45 minutes of walking to my car, which I consider to be a reasonable amount of pain to endure if you're wearing heels).  I don't see this exact shoe on the website anymore, but they were still available in our local store the last time I checked.  Here's the same style in a fun orange texture.

Since I was feeling the consequences of walking in heels for 13 hours the day before, on Thursday I dressed down and wore these sandals (also available in pink/orange, silver, brown, and cork).  They are a good way to introduce a little color through the neon yellow strap.

And last, I got these beige flats with neon toes.  The other options were pink (which I would have purchased, but they were sold out in my size), yellow, or basic black.  I envision getting a lot of use out of these as well, since blue is one of my favorite colors.  I've noticed a few of my favorite bloggers wearing these as well, and they are a fun way to introduce a trend into a work-appropriate outfit.  If you like these, check your local store since they are marked down lower in the store than online.

What about you?  Have you started shopping to fill out your summer wardrobe yet?

Cute rain shoes

I've been waiting for a rainy day to break out these new rain ballet flats:

I have a couple pairs of rain boots, which are terrific, but these flats are a little more work-appropriate than having to take off a huge pair of boots at your desk!  :)  I wore them today dashing between buildings to teach my classes.

A few options online now:

Kate Spade (also in pink or navy)

J. Crew (also in black and blue)

Cole Haan

DKNY

Looks like we'll have plenty of opportunities to wear these this weekend.  Lots of rain in the forecast!  Hope you have a good one!

One amazing tassel

Speaking of tassels...I had to include a picture of the tassel on my Isabella Fiore bag.  It's three little tassels with a larger tassel on top, making one gigantic tassel.  I suppose if you were super-crafty you could probably create a similar tassel by modifying this tutorial.

I like the purse itself; it's very roomy, the quilted diamonds are fun, and the leather is soooo soft.  But I think it's the huge tassel that makes it.

Tassels

I've been noticing tassels popping up everywhere lately.  Below, a few of my favorites, at a variety of pricepoints.  First, some more understated or neutral options:

1 shoes / 2 necklace / 3 bracelet / 4 bracelet / 5 clutch

For days when you want to dress colorfully:

6 neon bracelets / 7 scarf / 8 scarf (similar)  / 9 bag



Tommy Hilfiger heels

How great are these shoes from Tommy Hilfiger? They are so many crazy colors and patterns that they would match everything!  I would definitely wear these, and I especially love the triple gold bands running through the heels!

Check penny loafer, Sandal, and Patent penny loafer

They're not cheap, but you can get 40% off with the Friends and Family discount through today (RTMNFAM40).

Have a lovely Easter weekend!

To wear now

I know that neon is a huge trend for this season, but when it comes to nails I tend to go a little more subtle.  I think that is partly due to my work environment; I'm not sure how professional it would be to come to work with yellow and blue polish splashed on my nails.

So right now I'm really liking these Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect pastel colors I picked up recently at Walgreen's.  I only bought "Dune" (tan) and "Linen" (pink), but they also come in purple, blue, green, etc. (eight colors total).  By the way, the tan color almost matches my skin tone exactly, and I'm not a tan person, so keep in mind that these are really light colors.

The brush is really wide, making the process faster and easier.  I got a nice smooth finish without using a base coat or top coat, and I am horrible at doing my own nails, so I need all the help I can get!  These would be great for Easter or for a more conservative work environment.

Maybe I'll buy some neon come summer!

And by the way, Happy St. Patrick's Day!