recap: december

[wearing]
more red than usual, lots of pants, and that theory dress a bunch of times.

[buying]
my first grown up suit from theory and a bunch of random workout gear.  i've been going to yoga three times a week, so i've been adding to my stretchy pants collection (instead of doing laundry more often.)

[reading]

• dave egger's zeitoun.  i finished this while getting my hair did and my stylist told me "i only read funny books...really only tucker max books" and then we didn't talk anymore.
• sarah vowell's unfamiliar fishes.  i find her hilarious, but her voice always irks me on this american life, so i'm not entirely sure why i picked this up as an audio book.  7.4 hours later, i know a whole lot more about the history of hawaii and do not hate her voice anymore.  
• david sedaris's squirrel seeks chipmunk.  not my favorite sedaris book, but still good.  

dotty, back to work, and sweatsuits

[wearing]
hearts shirt: asos (similar)
foil sweatshirt: target (similar)
wool sweatpants: j.crew (similar)
leather tote: banana republic (similar)
booties: forever21 (super similar)

+
i'm lucky* enough to go back to work in the middle of a  long holiday weekend sandwich, but i am most definitely wearing my version of a sweatsuit to go into the office.  i just need to keep reminding myself how many vacation days i'll be getting in 2013 to make this worth it.  and how clean my desk is going to be to start out the new year.  


*sarcasm.  duh.


yup, i'm in our dining room again.  no matter how nice all the brick walls are, it is way too cold outside for that.  

dotty, christmas sequins, and cozy sweaters

[wearing]
sequin skirt: thrifted j.crew (similar)
sweater: vince (exactly)
leopard tights: forever21 (exactly)
boots: forever21 (similar)

+
ever since this skirt re-surfaced a few weeks ago, i've been wanting to find a way to wear it again.  paired with some of my recent favorites (the coziest oversized sweater ever and tights that look brown until you're two feet away and realize that they are totes leopard print) i'm all set for holiday festivities.  anyway, i have yet to start wrapping presents, but i'm thinking using up the obnoxious penguin paper seems like a good idea this year (last year's wrapping strategy and the year before were definitely much classier than skiing penguins).   

p.s.
kate is hosting her very first linkup of holiday looks, so pop on over and check it out. 

dotty, birds, and boucle

[wearing]
jacket: c/o eshakti (similar)
tank: love21
pants: elie tahari (exactly)
heels: missoni for target
bangle: gift from my niece





[previously on] chevron heels

dotty, purple knees, and safari vests

[wearing]
dress: theory (similar)
vest: forever21 (cuter with a bow)
tights: simply vera (exactly)
boots: target
necklace: hive and honey (similar)
bag: banana republic (similar)

[going]
to my yearly review at work.  some people dress up for this sort of thing.  i wear my best purple tights.  

dotty, suit time, and wearing the pants

[wearing]
suit!: theory (exactly)
shirt: zara (similar)
wedges: elie tahari (similar)

+
a big thank you to everyone who helped me through my suit decision last week. i ended up trying on a bajillion (or like twenty) suits from elie tahari, theory, and j.crew.  i settled on this gray lightweight wool one from theory after a whole lot of iphone photo comparisons, size switcheroos, and number of button debates.  it was definitely the right call to wear a suit for this particular work event and my co-workers made funny comments all day about "putting on the big girl pants".  and now it's hanging happily in my closet, ready for the next time i need to dress like a grown up.  

dotty, hounds, and ladders

[wearing]
equestrian-print blouse: (on loan from) oasis
pants: target (exactly)
boots: target
talon necklace: forever21
belt: j.crew (similar)

+
these are totally my construction site pants.  i wear them whenever i have field work or meetings since they are easily replaceable, washable, and bootable.*

creative: horses!  this shirt doesn't look too crazy from a distance, but then, BAM!  there's hounds and horses!  they're upside down for some inexplicable reason, but this shirt is just visiting, so i'll let it slide.  
young: glitter belt.  
professional: even on site days, i still can't wear jeans, so this is me trying to keep it professional, but still be able to climb ladders and such.  

*meaning that they work with my super glamorous steel-toed work boots.

dotty, xmas lists, and lots of hot pink

this year for christmas we're keeping things pretty simple.  i'll be spending christmas with the boy's family, since mine will all be out west celebrating the short stack's fifth birthday and getting a good dose of sunshine.  i already have the boy's super awesome present secured, but he's been too work-busy to go shopping yet, i thought i might share some christmas hints.  i've been trying to add more color and pattern to my wardrobe, so that's where this is coming from.  and hot pink looks extra friendly on rainy, dark days.  

left to right:
a bright smallish crossbody purse since i bought another giant one last time i tried to downsize
a big patterned scarf since i work in a chilly office
stripey glittens since winter will eventually arrive

dotty, rust tights, and black dresses

[wearing]
dress: theory via tj maxx (similar)
tights: target (similar)
boots: target



[previously on] rust tights
for some reason, these tights have held up the best out of all the pairs i've bought at target.  i even bought a backup pair at the end of last winter since i liked the color so much.  

dotty, weekends, and mixing up a big batch of patterns

[wearing]
coat: zara (similar)
sweatshirt: target (similar)
jeans: old navy (exactly)
flats: old navy
scarf: forever21
bag: banana republic
hat: forever21 (similar)

+
i'm really working on my pattern-mixing skillz this winter.  (see below)

dotty, non-suits, and suits

every once in a very long while (like twice in five years) i have found myself in a situation where, if i were a dude, i would need to be wearing a dark suit and conservative tie.  i've got one of these events this week and i'm kinda freaking out about it--more so about what to wear than the public speaking aspect of it.  i talk about my work all the time, but i definitely don't wear a suit um...ever.  so, i'm weighing my options here.  i have several pairs of j.crew pants that would be good candidates for new, matching jackets.  basically, if i were to buy a suit, the pieces would have to be useful on their own, since they would rarely hang out together.  my other option is to wear coordinating pieces to form some sort of professional ensemble.  i'm kinda leaning toward biting the bullet and just buying a real suit already.  i have a strange feeling that my career is just going to include more and more of these types of events.  

so, since a lot of y'all seem to work in similar environments, i'm looking for a bit of advice on the suit vs. non-suit debate.

^ this is kinda what i'm thinking of if i go non-suit, but with grownup shoes.  

dotty, bright red, and purple tweed

[wearing]
top: reiss, brought back from dubai (exactly)
jacket: c/o eshakti (similar)
pants: forever21 (similar)
boots: old navy (exactly)
bag: j.crew (exactly)

+
i'm so smitten with this bag that i carry it around even when it doesn't match my outfit. now that i think about it, my four-year-old niece does the same thing with fairy wings and tiaras. we're definitely related. word to the sister: i'm sorry that your daughter says things like "i need my suuuuuuunnnies" and asks for headbands for christmas, because that is totally my fault.

dotty, neon, cloudy days

[wearing]
neon raglan top: forever 21 (exactly)
hutton pants: j.crew (exactly)
not-anthro necklace: charlotte russe
bag: banana republic (this season's version and seriously this is the best laptop-toting bag ever)

+
i totes bought this top to put on after yoga to help with the 70 degree difference between the studio and outside temperatures, but it's just so soft i couldn't resist wearing it to work.  and apparently i'm making the same argument with wide-leg dress pants that i made with pencil skirts yesterday (that they automatically professionalize any top.)  anyway, my boss has exactly five jokes and one of them is "does that shirt come with batteries?"  unfortunately, it's been getting a lot of mileage this year with neon being so popular.  

dotty, white stripes, and pencil skirt collections

[wearing]
dress as top: theory (similar)
skirt: j.crew factory (similar)
tights: apt 9 (similar)
boots: target (simiilar)
clutch: h&m

creative: there's a lot going on here, (a crackley lightning print, a big white stripe, some polka dots) but i stuck with all neutrals to keep things cohesive.
young: polka dots and suede ankle boots.
professional:i feel like pencil skirts can make almost any top look more professional.  based on the number of pencil skirts in my closet, i really hope this is actually true!

dotty, surprise scarves, and leather sleeves

[wearing]
coat: zara (similar)
sweater: vince (exactly)
jeans: citizens of humanity (exactly)
loafers: candie's (similar)
bag: j.crew (exactly)
scarf: gift

+
this belated birthday gift scarf showed up in my mailbox last week and i was really excited to add an extra pattern to my winter layers.  

recap: november

it's recap time again!  let's start with the outfits from the last month:

wearing: um...pants more than usual.  i really liked the outfits i posted this week that used forgotten shiny/sparkley/holiday things.  and i'm starting to get used to wearing tights again, but pants are more practical for me at work a lot more lately.  


buying: 

• lululemon no limits tank in split pea: i wanted to try out some fancy yoga gear, but the lululemon site didn't have the right combination of style and color in stock, so i turned to ebay for some neon thrills.  $55.99 (with shipping).
• theory crackled print silk dress: i had a stash of t.j.maxx gift cards from lydia's giveaway and credit card rewards, so i splurged-ish on this fancy dress instead of buying a bajillion random things. $15.71 (after it was all said and done).
• mossimo foil print sweatshirt: i'm pretty sure that no one likes this sweatshirt besides me, but i'm working on buying pieces with more personality...and well, yeah.  it's already appeared twice on the blog, so it's definitely a big deal. $19.99.
• reiss portia contrast back shirt: the boy spent a week in dubai this month for work and brought me back this galactic shirt with a tail on the back that looks fairly amazing with jackets of all sorts.  $0.00 (gift)
• j.crew factory dorset hobo in vibrant flame: i posted about red bags earlier this month and finally decided on this super simple bag.  it's a little bit bigger than what i was looking for, but that just means i can carry around more snacks and mittens. $110.60 (with promo codes and such)
• merona gray cropped skinny dress pants: after climbing down a makeshift construction site ladder in a pencil skirt and steel-toed boots last month, i decided it was time to wear pants for site visits.  i already own these pants in blue, so i knew they would tuck into man-boots well and the price point was perfect for the dust/goo that i'll inevitably get on them.  $24.99 (and i bought icecream bars in the same visit!)
• november total: $227.28.

reading: i just started listening to life of pi in the car and am back to the wind-up bird chronicle since i still haven't finished it.  bah!  

going: to yoga.  a lot.  i agreed to try out a yoga studio with a co-worker/friend/more-friend-than-co-worker mostly just to be nice, but with a little smidgen of curiosity.  i thought i would feel awkward and hate it and fall over and fall over some more.  nope, not at all.  turns out i have found my ideal physical activity.  i absolutely adore it.  and hot yoga, which i thought was total crazy sauce (even though i liked always feeling warm when i lived in nevada) is my new best friend.  even though the seventy degree differential is killer when i leave the studio, it is such an amazing experience.  i've had spurts of athleticness over the years (lacrosse in high school, racquetball and broomball in college, several failed relationships with treadmills along the way) but none of these left me feeling this good.


okay, that's enough talkies for me until next month...happy (almost) december, y'all!

dotty, forgotten sequins, and vests

[wearing]
sequin sweater: j.crew (similar)
trench vest: forever21 (similar)
print pants: silence and noise (similar)
boots: target

last time...
i wore this sequin sweater with a yellow skirt and i didn't like the outfit, so then i didn't wear the sweater again for months.  oops.  it wasn't the sweater's fault!