dotty, stripes, and vestasticness

[wearing]
dress: calvin klein (exactly)
vest: zara (similar)
heels: target (exactly)
necklace: forever21 (similar)

creative: adding this 80's-tastic vest to a sleeveless sheath dress means i get my layering fix without adding any sleeves.
young: even though this dress is a very class cut, the stripes make it a bit younger.  and with a textured shoe thrown into the mix, i've got just the right amount of pattern mixing going on.
professional: neutral colors and a conservative neckline on the dress make this trendy vest seem like it's in the right place.

hey! find more posts like this one over yonder.

dotty, horse races, and a big hat

[wearing]
dress: cos (similar)
giant hat: j.crew (exactly)
clutch: zara (similar)
shoes: zara (similar)
belt: h&m (similar)
necklace: ebay 

[three things]
1. i wore this same hat when we went to the racetrack last year (post here) and it's perfect for being fancy and ridiculous.  
2. nobody else wears hats to arlington unless it's the fancy race day.  the only exception was a few fedoras and little kids in easter hats.  this does not bother me since i can't really see much when i'm wearing this hat.  
3. two years ago when we went i took a bajillion photos (post here), but this time i focussed on picking the winners based on their names.  i can't imagine why "pumpkin pusher" came in last.  

dotty, rusty brown, and highlighter yellow

[wearing]
top: joie 
pants: vince (exactly)
bright flats: old navy (exactly)
belt: j.crew factory
giant bag: banana republic (similar)
necklaces: lightinthebox and forever21

[three things]
1. i finally dealt with my dry-cleaning pile last week, so this blouse has returned to my closet after being out of commission for months.  
2. whenever i wear silly shoes to meetings i get warned about jobsite safety even though i ALWAYS put on my boots before wandering into a construction site.  i guess shoes like this just make it much more obvious that i do not dress not a construction worker.  
3. i like to always have a basic pair of black pants in my closet.  in the winter i still love this pair, but they are heel-length and wool.  i've worn a pleated pair from zara on the regular for the last few months,  but the synthetic fabric has started to show signs of wear.  this new cotton pair is quite comfy and i'm hoping that they will last through the next six months of thursday construction meetings.  





[previously on] rust-colored, silk, gathered joie top


find more remixing posts like this one over yonder

recap: july

[wearing]




[buying]
i made a ginormous order from the zara sale at the end of june, but i had not received all the boxes when i posted my june budget, so it was nicely low and this month's total is crazy high.  i did pretty good with my efforts to buy highly quality pieces and frankly, buying online helps a TON with that.  it's really hard for to make quick decisions when i shop in stores and i end up regretting a lot of my purchases.  with the exception of the pants, i made all my purchases online this month.  





zara 80s-ish white vest: $59.99 via zara sale (worn here)
everlane silk blouse: $80 (review here)
zara striped jacket: $99.99 via zara sale.  
zara leather-sleeved jacket: $69.99 via zara sale
vince side-stripe black pants: $99.99 via nordstrom rack

zara orange clutch: $49.99 via zara sale
zara ikat slippers: $49.99 via zara sale

total: way over budget ($520) and i have an arbitrary budget of $300.  
p.s. check out franish's budgeting bloggers series to spy on other blogger's spending habits.  


[blogging]
i posted some of our wedding photos, 
i reviewed some silk shirts,
and i got dressed and went to work a bunch.

dotty, macaroni, and leroy

[wearing]
dress: joie (similar)
necklaces: forever21, light in the box (similar)
flats: zara
clutch: h&m (similar)

[three things]
1. i wore this the other day to a pig roast birthday party where the giant bowl of macaroni and cheese was parked in front me at the table.  i ate more than i did at thanskgiving last year and it was amazing.  
2. our friends have started turning thirty.  thirty!  eeep!  
3. our lil car, leroy buffington, ended up in the photo below and i didn't crop him out since he recently celebrated his first birthday.  we got him an oil change with his favorite fancy synthetic oil for his birthday.  

dotty, stripes, and orange clutches

[wearing]
dress: joie (similar)
jacket: zara (similar)
clutch: zara (similar)
heels: gianni bini
necklaces: light in the box
iphone case: c/o iconomesis

[three things]
1. i wore this to the annual summer cocktail party for the boy's firm.  i really had wanted to find a fancy new dress for the event, but when i tried on what seemed like a bajillion dresses and couldn't find the perfect one i decided to wear something from my closet and debut my new crazy-orange clutch.  
2. i had my makeup artist use false eyelashes for my wedding and i still had some leftover, so i added just a few to each eye to make things a bit more fancy pants.  it turns out, when i had it done it hurt ten times more than it needs to.  the girl pushed each clump of eyelashes onto my lashline with tweezers until they dried, which was super painful since the glue stays tacky for quite awhile.  my eyes are hurting just thinking about that!  when i did it myself, i basically just dropped them in place and hoped for the best.  anyway, i never thought i'd be this high-maintenance, but i might be addicted to awesomely long eyelashes now!
3. speaking of this new orange clutch, the llama iphone case has definitely found it's new orange best friend.  

friday five: orange things, sparkles, stationery, etc.

1. i am almost done with my wedding thank yous and have not had any complications from licking envelopes (unlike george castanza's fiance.)


2. naked juice's mighty mango.  when i'm too lazy to deal with our juicer, this is my go-to for mangoey deliciousness.


3. essie's lux effects in "set in stones".  it's just a bunch of giant silver glitter, but it makes me super happy when i do a forward fold at yoga and my toes are all sparkley.  


4. a new llama phone case c/o iconomesis.  my co-workers all judged me for having such a silly phone case, but i am huge fan.  i like talking llamas and funny plays on words, so this lil dude is going to be traveling with my phone for awhile.  


5. zara ikat slippers.  zigzags and orange edges?  i'll take both, please!