dotty, the beach, and peach

[wearing]
tee: american apparel (exactly)
jeans: bdg (similar)
scarf: forever21 (exactly)
belt: forever21 (similar)
flats: cole haan


+
i always think that i'm not that fond of pastel colors, but i've been super into this peachy color for spring.  this polka dot scarf is just so wonderfully easter-like!  

dotty, stripes, and belts

i haven't done a how-to post in awhile and i've been feeling a little crafty lately. anyway, i saw this stripey belt at j.crew a few months back, and thought "hey, i could make that!" and then kayley did, so i figured it was time to give it a whirl.



first off, gather your supplies:

• embroidery thread
• scissors
• a belt (mine is a cheapy from forever21)
• and some sort of glue (not pictured)

(the back)



(the front)



(making a mess and watching a whole lot of arrested development)









(pair with bright pants)

dotty, dots, and paisley

[wearing]
knit moto jacket: forever21 (really similar)
tank underneath: club monaco
scarf: vintage
skirt: thrifted (similar)
tights: target
boots: old navy


creative: there's some subtle pattern-mixing in there with the spotted tank and paisley-ish scarf.
young: this moto jacket seems to make pencil skirts seem a bit less grownup.
professional: i'm grayed out.


(see the whole creative young professional series of posts over yonder)

dotty, boots, and spring

[wearing]
sweatshirt: target
dress underneath: forever21
boots: target
necklace and earrings: forever21 (exactly)


+
i've been contemplating pairing these tough boots with a thin skirt since seeing this outfit, and the crazy warm weather has allowed for tightslessness much sooner than i thought.  way to go, spring.  

what's in dotty's bag: weekend edition

[left to right]
silver envelope clutch from h&m: everyone loves this bag.  seriously, everyone.  especially strangers on buses.  
orange wallet: it's lime green on the inside.  
iphone: for wordgames and maps.  and the occasional text message.
various lip goos: they fill the bottom of bags quite nicely.
black sign pen: work pen.  they show up everywhere.
mini chocolate bar from trader joe's: well, yes.
miffy-themed pill box from japan: filled with remedies for headaches and tummyaches and such.


p.s.
have a great weekend!

dotty, neutrals, and quiet weeks

[wearing]
trench vest: forever21 (similar)
triangle top: forever21 (exactly)
pants: j.crew (exactly)
wedges: old navy


+
all sorts of black, brown, and tan all hanging around together today.  
i seem to oscillate between wanting to wear all neutrals and all brights.  
this is turning out to be a neutrals kind of week.
maybe it has something to do with wanting to be quiet at work and get a whole bunch done.  

[previously on] trench vest
(it hangs out with non-neutral hues sometimes)

dotty, springtime, and sunshine

[wearing]
leather: michael kors (exactly)
stars: forever21 (similar)
tweed: banana republic
skinny belt: forever21
boots: target (similar)
cowl: dotty-knit


+
i just want to take a second to let you know how much i adore sunny, spring weather.
it is amazing.  

dotty, fancy pants, and leathahh

[wearing]
top: club monaco
collar: from a pins and needles dress underneath
pants: anthropologie (similar)
jacket: michael kors (exactly)
mostly hidden flats: j.crew (similar)


+
i was in a creative rut, so i asked the boy to help me out.  
i had kinda forgotten about these fancy-pants, even though they got bashed on pinterest.  
seriously though, silk wide-leg pants are the stuff dreams are made of.
or at least what fancy pajamas are made of.  

what's in dotty's bag

hillary does awesome whatsinmybag posts, so i thought i would give it a whirl.



[left to right]ish
extra scarf and hat: a scarf-enir (scarf souvenir) from london and a knit hat from forever21
cole haan case with ray-ban sunnies in it
pocket-sized moleskine notebook: this one is for lists of all kinds
gold pouch from h&m: to store all the oddities that are in the photo below.
orange pencil case: i need three different pen colors at all times.
orange wallet from ebay: i bought it just because it's lime green on the inside.
silver business card holder from muji
iphone 4s: for wordgames and maps.  and the occasional text message or two.
baggu grocery bags: i hate plastic grocery bags oh so much.
banana republic gray leather tote: i've bought this bag twice now.  that's how much i like it.

in the gold pouch:
bag of raw almonds
assorted lip goos
kleenex
orange tic tacs
miffy pill case: i get migraines and the boy is lactose-intolerant, so we don't leave the house without a miniature pharmacy
e.l.f. shine eraser sheets: more pertinent in the summer when i get shiny
extra headphones: for transit and for listening to my voicemail at work
tiny nail file
individual eyedrops: i wear contacts and like heat vents.  
friction block: for shoe blisters

dotty, pink, and rust

[wearing]
moto: forever21
tee: american apparel
skirt: j.crew
tights: target
boots: old navy


+
i really like this pinkish-red skirt and rusty-orange tights color combination, but it seemed a bit bright at 6am, so i grayed it up and scurried off to work.  

[previously on] rust tights

dotty, tiny tuxedos, and gin drinks

[wearing]
dress: joie (similar)
tiny tuxedo jacket: thrifted
fleece-lined tights: forever21
boots: target
earrings and necklace: forever21 (exactly)


[going]
to work and happy hour.  i felt comfortable in this at both, so it was a definite workfit success.  

dotty, groceries, and long sweaters

[wearing]
coat: zara
scarf: vintage
sweater: thrifted (similar)
leggings: target (exactly)
boots: vintage


[going]
grocery shopping so i can recreate the amazing pasta salad i made last weekend.  and we got asked for directions multiple times, so these leggings must make me look knowledgeable.  or people just get really lost.  

dotty, sweatshirts, and blazers

[wearing]
blazer: thrifted
sweatshirt: target (similar)
skirt: club monaco (similar)
tights: forever21
rainboots: loeffler randall (exactly)


[going]
meetings and such at work.  
and i'm wearing this sweatshirt yet again pretending that it's not really a sweatshirt.  
but maybe wearing a sweatshirt and rainboots to work and having them pass as business casual is my new thing.  

[previously on] white pencil skirt in the summertime