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!  

dotty, reindeer, and stilettos

[wearing]
reindeer sweater: thrifted (kinda similar)
skirt: thrifted
tights: target (similar)
heels: marco santi (similar)

last time...
i wore this sweater it was for an ugly sweater party four years ago.  somehow, i could never bear to re-donate this acrylic masterpiece to the thrift store, so it's been waiting patiently for the day when it gets to worn unsarcastically.  if only these reindeer knew that eventually they'd be hanging out with gray suede stilettos.  

dotty, sequins, and thrifting

[wearing]
sequin skirt: thrifted (similar)
sweatshirt: target (similar)
jacket: mine c/o marshall's (similar)
flower: h&m
wedges: elie tahari (exactly)

+
apparently i get all my bling from thrift stores.  i've shifted away from thrifting lately for a bunch of reasons, the big one being that i have yet to find a favorite store in the chicagoland area.  i definitely had my spots when i lived in nevada and michigan, but i haven't had much luck finding a store i click with here.  i still really like the idea of finding weird/unique things, but somehow the hunt has lost its appeal.  



last time...
i wore this skirt with stripes in the SNOW!  

dotty, scallops, and spots

[wearing]
beaded top: thriftastic (similar)
cardigan: old navy (exactly)
jeans: citizens of humanity (exactly)
boots: target (similar)
arm party: forever21

+
this top totally belongs at an octogenarian's new year's party, but when i spotted it in the bridesmaid/prom dresses section at a thrift store i knew we would be friends.  anyway, i'm going to spend this week wearing all my forgotten holiday duds.  i can check crazy beaded top off my list now!






last time...
i wore this top for an everybody, everywear challenge.  sadly, it has not gotten worn at all since then.  

dotty, thanksgiving, and mmmmm

we're off to the mitten for the long weekend for some serious eating, eating, and more eating.  i'm most likely wearing something a lot like this so i can transition from napping to playing board games easily.  anyway, have a good one, y'all!

dotty, clashtasticness, and gray pants for good measure

[wearing]
pants: j.crew (exactly)
sweatshirt: target (similar)
belt: h&m
hidden shoes: old navy

creative: i bought a gray version of this sweatshirt last year and so when i saw this upgraded version (blindingly red-orange, gold splotches, sleeve tabs, and an exposed back zipper) i was really excited about it.  i've been pretty good about staying away from cheap shopping lately, but i fell for this sweatshirt hard.  anyway, today it's coming to work with me to add a bit of crazy saturated color to my work life.  i should also point out that my desk is adjacent to a pumpkin orange accent wall.  it's clashtastic.  
young: this sweatshirt is definitely from the junior's department.  
professional: the bottom hem of this sweatshirt really gives away it's identity, so tucked it in is key to keeping this work-appropriate.  

dotty, fall-colored denim, and weekending

[wearing]
rust jeans: old navy (exactly)
sweater: vince (similar)
jacket: mine
flats: chinese laundry (exactly)
giant bag: banana republic (similar)

+
why wear blue jeans when you could wear red jeans?  these suckers haven't made nearly enough appearances on the blog since they arrived last february.

dotty, polls, and one of these things is not like the others

[wearing]
jacket: h&m
dress: joie (similar)
necklace: target
tights: simply vera (exactly)
sandals: target (similar)

+
somewhere along the way this outfit took a turn for the worse and i'm having trouble figuring out where it happened.  i've worn this tights+sandals combination before, i adore this dress, and the necklace has worked out before.  anyway, help a girl out and cast a vote!

what's wrong here?
	that necklace is weird.
	too much contrast.
	too much going on.
	orange and green should only be used for candy pumpkins.
	everything!
	nothing?!
pollcode.com free polls

dotty, white boots, and tights too

[wearing]
dress: diane von furstenberg (exactly)
moto jacket: forever21
tights: target
boots: vintage
scarf: forever21 (similar)

+
i don't really like light-colored tights in general, but these boots always look silly with dark tights and i already had these oatmeal-colored ones from last winter.  so yyyeah, i might be warming up to them.  

[previously on] gray knit moto jacket

dotty, yellowness, and land of lincoln for the win

[wearing]
sweater: vince (exactly)
vest: forever21
leggings: ross (similar)
boots: old navy (exactly)

+
yellow leaves.  in november.  yesssss.

dotty, yohji, and boots day

[wearing]
blazer: h&m
t-top: forever21 (exactly)
pants: j.crew (similar)
boots: target
clutch: h&m
necklace: forever21

+
the boy said that i looked like a salesperson at yohji yamamoto in this outfit, which is much cooler than i usually dress for work, so i'm in.  

p.s.
it's boots day over at everybody, everywear!

dotty, the boy, and neutrals

i'm really hoping that eventually we will go everywhere wearing matching tracksuits.  until that happens, here's what we usually look like on the weekends.


[on her]
tweed jacket: h&m (similar)
tee: american apparel (exactly)
scarf: forever21
coated jeans: forever21 (similar)
flats: old navy (exactly)

[on him]
jacket: maxfield
tee: fruit of the loom
jeans: levi's
boots: alden (similar)

dotty, a sack, and a leather jacket

[wearing]
dress: suzi chin (exactly)
tights: apt. 9 (exactly)
jacket: michael, michael kors (exactly)
boots: target
clutch: h&m
necklace: forever21
bracelet: inpink

dotty, tweed, and polka dots

[wearing]
tweed skirt: banana republic (similar)
jacket: mine c/o marshall's (similar)
shirt underneath: spense
tights: apt.9 (similar)
boots: target

+
while i have a whole drawer full of colorful tights, they have a tendency to counteract my pretending to be a grownup at work.  that's where these polka dot tights come in...they're still fun, but not quite so punchy.  

[previously on] tweed pencil skirt

dotty, bag time, and RED

[wearing]
dress: joie 
jacket: h&m
fleece tights: forever21
boots: old navy (exactly)
clutch: vintage (similar)



i'm in the market for a new red bag since i realized a really like a bit of a red punch with my outfits.  i've been carrying around my giant gray bag to work most days, but since i don't need to my laptop and/or camera on a daily basis, it's time for some downsizing/brightsizing.    



left to right:
banana republic evan satchel
coach legacy duffle
rebecca minkoff mab mini