Preppy

 Rocking out my preppy side today for weekend errands.

 These jeans are thrifted.  I tried on about a thousand pairs last weekend and managed two that fit, from the same size and the same company.  It's funny to imagine inheriting more than one thing from the same person's wardrobe.  Thank you to the other curvy girl out there who took such good care of her jeans!

Hair is pulled up in a high, bun, as big as I could manage.

Pink shirt - Tommy Hilfiger, thrifted
Sweater - stolen from husband
Jeans - Gloria Vanderbilt, thrifted
Necklace - American Eagle
Loafers - Target

Faux fringe

 

 Didn't get a proper outfit photo today, but did get the hair!  Today I tried out the faux fringe featured on Hair Romance.  It was fun to play around with having bangs for the day, while sporting this retro look.

The link above will give you all the details on how I did this one, but you can see the basic below.  Just took second day straight hair and used my ponytail to create a fringe.  I can use the word fringe because I'm fake british.

What I wear when thrifting

 I went thrifting today, which calls for a very specific uniform.  The Valu World near my house doesn't have a changing room, which means you must wear clothes that allow for trying things on in public.  I knew I wanted to buy new/old jeans, so I wore my leggings, usually reserved for winter running.  On top, lots of layers.

Husband actually said he liked this outfit, which is surprising.  Usually he is not a big fan of the plaid shirt. I think he probably secretly likes leggings because of how noticeable one's butt suddenly becomes.

Hair is second day curly.  I added sea salt spray and volumizing powder to make it as big as possible, then clipped a bit over for some faux bangs.

Grey tank top - Target
Blue long sleeve - Gap, thrifted
Plaid shirt - J.Crew, thrifted
Leggings - Nike
Shoes - Born

Sparkly shoes

Trying to decide what to wear last Tuesday felt like a big deal.  I wanted to send all my good vibes towards President Obama getting re-elected.  The answer?  Sparkly shoes.  

I've been searching for a pair of oxfords for everyday where.  These are just subtle enough to be okay for day time, but not actually every day.  Way too noticable, so they're more like a once-every-two-weeks kind of shoe.  

I voted, went to work, then hung out at my parent's house in the evening to watch the returns come in.  Hung out with my sister's cat, Monty.  The win was thrilling.

Purple shirt - Banana Republic, thrifted
Cardigan - thrifted
skirt - thrifted
Shoes - Sole Society

new-old jeans

Simple weekend outfit, I wore to see Cloud Atlas.  My book club read it (except me, oops).  I enjoyed it!  It was fun getting to see all the actors in so many different parts.  

 The excitement of this post is that I'm finally fitting in an old pair of j.crew jeans, that I hadn't worn since maybe 2008.  They're not my favorite, but it's a thrill to wear them none the less.  The only reason they still exist is because the husband used to wear them every now and then (big on him, obvs.)

Hair - Second day, straightened

Striped tank top - thrifted

pink sweater - thrifted

jeans - J.Crew

Flats - Born

Fall layers

 I continue to experiment with transitioning my summer wardrobe to the fall.  I took one of my favorite summer dresses and added sleeves and a grey cardigan on top.  Knee highs over tights plus my sexy librarian heels kick it up a notch.

 I wore this to work, had lots of meetings today.

Purple shirt - Ann Taylor
Cardigan - Ann Taylor
Skirt (aka a dress) - JCPenny
knee highs - Urban Outfitters
Shoes - Ann Marino, via DSW

Halloween 2012

I wore this to my parent's house to hand out candy on halloween.  A little subtle, but I dressed as a DOLL!  You can see the makeup below.  Red lips, red cheeks, defined brows, and marks under my eyes to look like lashes.  Plus a bow, braids, heels and knee high socks.  

These are my doll poses.  Happy Halloween! (2 weeks late)

Blue tights

 I wore this outfit to work, where I had some clients coming in for a tasting today.  Black and white and heels look professional, while the blue tights keep it young and colorful.

I wore my hair in a high ponytail, and I covered the band with more hair to make it look more purposeful.

Shirt - no idea, bought about 10 years ago in France
Dress - JCPenny
Tights - Target
Shoes - DSW
Earrings - The Limited

green and purple

 The awesome thing about color trends these days is that so more suddenly "matches".  I remember growing up, I would have never paired these colors.  But now, as long as the two colors aren't two similar, almost anything works.

The sad thing about these pants is that I've come to understand what could have made them $5.  They are cheap.  They start out cute and form fitting and end up all saggy and weird by about 3 o' clock.  Not cool.  These pictures are from the end of the day.   Therefore, must find new colored pants.

 Hair is in a Katniss braid.  I'm currently inspired by the Hair Romance braid challenge.

Bottom layer black t-shirt - H&M
Green sweater - no idea, had it for a few years
pants - JCPenny
Shoes - Born, via DSW

Pattern Mixing

This green top has become a favorite to pattern-mix with.  The green is such a pretty color and the dots are subtle enough to pair with a lot of my other patterned favorites.

 I wore this outfit to work on a client meeting day.  Serious looking bun, but the patterns and my favorite bright lipstick kept it young and colorful.

Cardigan - Target
Dress - JCPenny
Earrings - The Limited
Shoes - Born, via DSW

Purple pants

 Purple pants!  I'm on a purple kick these days.  I got these pants for $5 at JCPenny.  Here I've paired them with a simple grey sweater, added a long pendant necklace. This necklace is a part of my efforts to add more casual jewelry to my collection so I don't try to wear pearls with everything.

 I used pins to make a little bump at the front, then created as big a bun I could on the top of my head.

Specifics:  Gap grey sweater, purple JCPenny pants, American Eagle pendant, Born gold flats

Pretty pink stripes

 Another outfit from a monthish back - you can tell because the leaves behind me are still so green!  I wore this to work on an event day.  I really like the combination of pale pink, stripes, and the cowl neck.  Perfect sweater for work in these fall months.

Hair is a dutch braid along one side, with the rest of the braid curled into a bun.

Shirt - Thrifted
Skirt - Thifted
Belt - H&M, many years ago
Shoes - Born, via DSW

One last summer outfit

 Just wanted to post one last summer outfit from a few weeks ago when we were still getting those lovely 70 degree days.  I've been amiss in taking outfit photos for a few weeks but I'm itching to get back to it and showing off my fall outfits.  So here's one more from my phone that hasn't made it up yet.

 The awesome secret about this shirt is that I'm wearing it backwards.  It was only $5 at H&M but way too low cut, but I love having the scoop in the back. I have to resist telling everyone who comments on it so I don't give away all my secrets.

Hair is about as natural as it gets, just left curly with a bit of mousse.

polka dotted dress

Black and white and yellow again!  This dress is a staple of my summer wardrobe.  It ties in the black to keep things nice and pulled in right at my waist, and I love the pattern.  Plus it matches my yellow bag.


Hair is left in it's most natural state.  No braids, no buns, no heat, just curls.

Adding sleeves to a summer dress

I'm starting to put together more transitionary outfits - summer dresses paired with sleeves for the slightly colder temperatures. 

I really enjoy yellow on black and white.

 Hair is pulled into an extra large side bun.  Can't quite recall how I made this one happen - I think just a lot of pins and pulling.

Summery

Many many people commented on how summery I looked today.  This color does garner a lot of comments, usually.  I accidentally carried my yellow bag with me to work, causing a yellow on yellow overdose.  So ashamed.

 My hair is pinned up in a messy bun.  I used pins to try to create as much volume in the back as I could manage, and topped it with a flowery headband.

 Dress - Thrifted, originally from j.crew
Shirt - not sure
headband - not sure
shoes - Born, via DSW