Wear No Black Week: Day 4 - Teal and Floral

Day four of the Wear No Black Week challenge hosted by Urban Darling.

I've been dying to wear this dress for quite a while.  And by "quite a while" I mean, since I bought it... over two years ago!  I got it at Gottschalk's in Auburn before the chain went under. Come to think of it, I did wear it one time but the arms were so uncomfortable that I walked around like a Tyrannosaurus Rex for the whole day in fear that I would rip the sleeves off if I made any grand gestures with my arms (such as reaching for a door handle, pencil or simply brushing the hair out of my face).

Two years later I got out the scissors and cut the band of the sleeve off.  I think it freaked the boyfriend out just a little when I walked in to the bedroom at 11pm with a sharp set of sheers and an intense look on my face.  He probably breathed a sigh of relief as I passed him and went straight toward the closet, took hold of the cuff on one of the sleeves of this dress and started cutting like a crazy lady.  He still looked a little puzzled until I explained that I could never wear this dress until I took the cuffs off.  Boyfriend actually had to help me take it off the one time I wore it (get your mind out of the gutter) when I literally couldn't get the darned thing off because the cuffs were stuck on my upper arm. Only slightly embarrassing.

Last night while I was in a project sort of mood, I grabbed this dress and finally finished it off! I thought this bright and cheery color would be great for a week in which I could wear no black!  Often when I'm wearing a monochromatic outfit, I feel like there are more liberties to grab the crazier or more colorful accessories... so these shoes seemed like a great match up!
 

Outfit Details
Dress: Susan Lawrence via Gottschalk's (long gone)
Floral Peep Toe Heals: Madden Girl via TJ Maxx
Silver Sparkly Disc Necklace: Cookie Lee

Super Casual

Let's hear it for a super casual Friday look!

I seldom dress this casual for work but there were a number of reasons I felt comfortable enough to wear this to work last Friday.  Every two years the company I work for has to go through a certification process and the time leading up to it can be a little stressful. We have a general idea of when they will show up, as in a one month window. On the day of the visit we get (at most) two hours notice before the representative shows up.  We had our review on the Thursday prior and passed with flying colors... 100% baby!  Our files were not only in order, we were told they were a fantastic example of how a file should look.  We exceeded many of the commission's standards and felt a great sense or relief (maybe a little pride) after hearing her thoughts on how we are handling things in the office.

Knowing that we'd passed our certification (and kicked ass on it) I thought I could get away with the ripped jeans.  There are certain people that feel that overalls or sparkly graphic t-shirts are appropriate for the office but I tend to disagree.  Realistically, the office is pretty casual but I just don't feel profesh enough wearing something like this daily.  But Friday felt a little like a holiday so I went with it! 

I was very pleased with how the look came together.  It's aways fun to pair a masculine piece (the ripped jeans) with a feminine piece (the white top).  I'm a huge fan of white tops and I'm guilty of buying way to many of them.  But, this one isn't your average white shirt!  When I found this top, what caught my eye was the beautiful detailing on the front and the sheer quality to the rest of it.  I played with the contrast of the picture below so you could really see the detail.  It looks a bit like an antique doily and gives the top a beautiful feminine touch.



I will definitely be on the look-out for more tops by this designer - Daniel Rainn.  When I did a google search I saw that most of the tops have a similar feeling with the light weight, flowing material and lace details. Love!

Outfit Details

White Doily Top: Daniel Rainn via TJ Maxx

Jeans: Express

Shoes: Bass

Shell Necklace: Cookie Lee

Turquoise/Gold Earrings: Cookie Lee

Slippery - Mimi, this one's for you!

Ready... Set... HOT!!! 

I know this is a blog about style but man, the weather seems to be my favorite topic lately.  I wonder if you all are starting to think of me as that boring date that has run out of topics and is now using the good ol' "Can you believe the weather?" line to pass a few more minutes until the end of the dinner. 

As it warms up swelters in the Sacramento valley, it is important to always have a layer with you, especially when you work in an Arctic freeze zone in your office.  I know I've mentioned this before but the front part of my office is typically 10 degrees (or more) cooler than the back half of the office.  As the back part of the office reaches the high 70's, my coworkers creep up to lower the thermostat causing me to sprout goose-bumps from head to toe!  I think the jacket went on and off no fewer than five times as I attempted to regulate my heat throughout the day.

My youngest sister went through this phase when she was about 3 or 4 years old where she wanted to wear a full slip with everything she owned - not just dresses.  She called them her slippery. She would come out of her room wearing a cute little sweat suit with the slip under the sweatshirt/over the sweat pants or jeans with a Minnie Mouse shirt with the slip under the shirt/over the jeans.  It was embarrassing for me because my mom frequently volunteered at my junior high and would bring my slippery-wearing sister with her.  My friends all thought it was funny and at the time I thought it was mortifying.  My lil sis just loved the feel of the slippery and wouldn't leave the house without wearing one.   This shirt makes me understand why she wanted to wear a slip daily...

Reasons why I love this top:

It has so many great colors - burnt orange, lavender, cream, beige, brown, black.

The lovely lace detail.

It is sooo silky soft!

The flowy cut.

Did I mention is goes with everything?

It feels like a socially acceptable way to wear a slippery in public!

I just feel great whenever I put on this top.  Not only is this top versatile, it is also one of the most comfortable pieces I own!  Mimi, this slippery top is for you!

Outfit Details

Beige Jacket - kikaPaprika

Patterned Top - Sunny Leigh Via Macy's

Brown Cropped Pants - Pantology via TJ Maxx

Brown Wedges - American Eagle via Payless (gift from super friend Trish)

Brown Elastic Belt - Target

Splish Splash Swimwear

I guess it is apparent that I'm not afraid of color when it comes to swimwear.  I know that so many people think that black is a slimming color but I think it is such a boring choice when it comes to swimwear. On top of that, my skin is so pale right now (due to lack of sun this spring) that I think black might to too stark a contrast and make me appear larger.  The one piece bathing suit seemed to be the way to go this summer so I sought out suits with a little bit of visual interest.

This weekend I'm going to Las Vegas with my girlfriends and I'm so excited to wear these little darlings poolside!  Let me introduce you to them individually...



Vamp - Jantzen



There were so many things to love about this Jantzen suit.  The rouching on the sides help to distract from any of the lumps and bumps hiding beneath and the length of the "skirt" on the suit is fabulous.  It has a halter strap if I so choose but I love the fact that I won't have to worry about tan lines with this suit.  It also ties in the back so I can adjust the top.  This is important to make sure the girls are getting the support they need.  I found this suit at TJ Maxx for $24.99 but the same suit can be found here for right around $50.  Jantzen has so many other fabulous suits right now.  They also have a great blog that features previous as well as current designs... http://jantzenswim.blogspot.com/.



Gabar



I initially loved the ruffle along the v-neck on this suit.  I've never heard of this designer before and had a hard time finding out where one might go to find this suit online - I did see a few similar ones listed on Ebay.  I found it at Ross for $19.99.  It had a tiny little bow that really didn't fit in with the rest of the suit so I took it off once I got home.  The coverage on this bust line is great and I really like that the straps are adjustable.  I often find that a suit that fits perfectly while dry often needs some adjusting after I've been in the water - problem solved!





Tommy Bahama

 I actually got this suit a while back (a year or two ago) but I've only worn it once.  Usually Tommy Bahama suits retail well over $100 but I was able to pick this one up at the factory outlet for under $30. This is another suit that I can adjust easily due to the tie behind the neck design.  Similar suit.

Looking at all of these suits together I'm  noticing a bit of a throw-back theme.  I think I might be able to wear any of them to a Mad Men poolside cocktail party.  Now I just need to find a cute little white wrap to finish off these great suits!

By the way, it is supposed to 79 degrees tomorrow... Hopefully we will get to 80 degrees and then I'll have an outfit post for you.  Fingers crossed!

Case of the Cold Office

I've mentioned before that my new office has bipolar temperature issues so I have to be sure to grab a sweater or light jacket while getting ready in the morning.  I grabbed my hooded jacket because I thought the blue and the lime would play off of each other well.  

While I liked the way the colors worked with each other, I didn't like all of the volume at the bottom.  I think next time I will grab a shorter sweater or something a little more form fitting.  I feel like the jacket/pants combo made me look much larger than I would like. 

Outfit Details
Blue Hooded Jacket - kikaPaprika
Embellished Lime Tshirt - Old Navy
Black Cropped Pants - Larry Levine via Ross
Black Flats - Nicole via Ross

Tongue-tied Tuesday

I'm tired and I think that headache from yesterday fried a few brain cells so I'm a little tongue tied.  This is what I put on today, nothing special except for the fact that these pant fit much better now that I've lost close to 7lbs... Whooopee!

Hopefully I have more words for you tomorrow... goodnight y'all!

Outfit Details

Sheer White Top: Style & Co via Macy's

Brown Cropped Pants: TJ Maxx

Brown Heels: M.P.S via Off Broadway Shoes

Snakey Belt: Off a top bought at Kohl's

Flower Necklace: Cookie Lee

Monday, Monday

Oh Monday, you got me this time!  My dog decided to get up and shake around at 4:30, 5:00, 5:30 and then 3 minutes before my alarm went off.  I got caught in a time warp while trying to figure out what to wear. I didn't have any time to stop for caffeine on the way to work. And then I got a migraine half way through the day so I left work early, climbed in to bed and slept it off.  My head is still sore but I think I'll survive. 

The last time I wore this sweater was a Monday as well. Nothing like a loud sweater to try to pep up a Monday - only it didn't work this time!

I think this cheetah print sweater was made for this skirt. The outfit felt a like what Betty Paige might have worn if she was a conservative librarian. The white shirt felt a little bright under the sweater but I wanted the option of being able to remove the sweater if need be... we were expecting weather in the low 70's today and I didn't want to be stuck roasting away.  Check out Jessica from Surely Sonsy to see another take on animal print... This gal knows how to rock a pencil skirt like no other!

I would also like to welcome my bare legs to 2011. Thankfully my legs weren't quite as pasty white as I feared they might be.  My bare legs thought they wanted nylons for split second today but then they remembered the post we read on Facebook pertaining to an overheard fitting room conversation.  My friend heard a sales gal tell a younger woman that she should wear nylons under a cute sun dress and my friend was appalled at the advise. The debate over bare legs versus nylons took off from there.  What do you think?  Are Nylons off limits to ladies under 60?

Outfit Details
Cheetah Cardigan: FWM via Freestyle Clothing Exchange
Skirt: Sunny Leigh via Macy's
White T-Shirt: Gap
Quilted Slingbacks: Anne Klein via TJ Maxx
Wide Elastic Belt: New York & Co

RIP Nylons... Literally!

Uh-Oh, I got a runner in my pantyhose!

LIttle Grey Dress

 

Rain, rain, go away... it just won't quit.   

Lost... And Found!

I wasn't on top of my game last night when I deleted a bunch of photos.  While I was at work today I started thinking about these "lost" photos.  When I got home I looked in the trash bin and guess what?  They were in there!  I don't know why I didn't think of something that simple last night!

Back At It

 

I decided to take a few days off between my old job and my new job.  I had all of these grandiose ideas about how I would try to take pictures outside, update my blog, organize my closet, purge items that don't work any longer, and do all of my laundry.  Of that list, I did a few loads of laundry.  Where did the time go???  We had a production dinner at our house this weekend and much of my time off was spent cleaning and running around getting ready to have a bunch of people over.