recap: april

[wearing]
i finally realized that i feel more put-together when i'm wearing at least one pattern and a jacket, so that's been the name of the game this month.  

[buying]
gap luxlight cardigan: $34 via gap.com. this silk-blend cardigan is a replacement/upgrade of an old gray cardigan that has seen better days.  (seen in this post)
calvin klein striped dress: $50 via t.j.maxx.  this was a last-minute purchase for an event and i'm hoping that it will make itself useful as a summer work dress.
collective concepts sheer print top: $10 via nordstrom rack.  i adore this brand's prints, but it seems to be all synthetic materials, so this dress had been the only collective concepts piece i owned.  this shirt is sheer and an oversized dolman cut, so i think that helps the polyester-ness.(seen in this post)
old navy pointed toe flats in "high voltage": $20 via oldnavy.com.  i already own these flats in nude and dalmatian print, so i thought bright yellow would be a fun pair to add to my collection.  they're a wee bit too highlighter-ish, so if i can't muster up the courage to wear them soon they'll be headed back.  
old navy black pointed toe flats: $20 via oldnavy.com.  before i bought these i had no black flats in my closet and there were a few times this winter when i wanted a pair to go with black tights.  nothing fancy here, just filling a closet hole.
gap dot legging skimmer jeans: $38 via gap.com.  i can't wear jeans to work, but i am still super excited about these fun jeans.  my colored denim doesn't seem to be getting much attention lately, but this pair adds some oompf to jeans+tee weekend outfits. (seen in this post)
merona leopard-print pencil skirt (not pictured below): $22 via target.  (seen in this post)

april total: $184 
and i sold $52 of old clothes, so really it's $132 out of pocket this month.



[reading]
hemingway's the garden of eden.  this book seemed kinda racy for 1946, so maybe that's why he never published it while he was alive.  i've been reading a hemingway every few months and it occasionally reminds me of high school english class....like i should be writing a five paragraph essay on symbolism.  in conclusion, this was not my favorite hemingway and i definitely hated catherine, but it was still a good read.  
david rakoff's don't get too comfortable.  during one particularly boring time at work several years ago i listened to all the this american life archives and since david rakoff is a regular contributor, i've had this book on my "maybe i should read that" list for awhile.  the stories are funny and i listened to this in the car so it was like a this american life marathon without ira glass there to ruin things.  
david sedaris's holidays on ice.  it's not december, but i hadn't read this sedaris book yet and the stories are funny even in april.  

dotty, double boots, and snuggies

[wearing]
dress: joie (similar)
cardigan: forever21 (similar)
tights: apt. 9
suede ankle boots: target

[three things]
1. yup, right after i posted last week about impulse purchases at target i bought these ankle boots on clearance when i stopped in to stock up on greek yogurt.  as you can see below, they look a whole lot like the pair i bought clearance at the end of last winter...just a little more cowboy-ish.  
2. this outfit was crazy comfortable.  this cardigan is like wearing a blanket and since snuggies aren't socially acceptable, this is the next best thing.
3. i'm pretty excited about some warm weather this week.  my office is always extra cold, so i'll still be wearing sweaters inside.  #lamesauce

dotty, patterns galore, and a shiny clutch

[wearing]
hearts: asos (similar)
jackety cardigan: forever21 (similar)
black pants: zara (similar)
heels: missoni/target
clutch: marc jacobs/target

[three things]
1. it's surprising how often i end up mixing patterns just because two pieces end up hanging next to each other in my closet. i used to organize everything by color, so these two might never have met if i was still so organized.  
2. judging by my shoes and clutch here, apparently i am all about target designer collaborations.  i really wanted to like the most recent kate young one, but none of the dresses seemed me-ish.
3. it's friday!  my day is meetings and meetings and meetings, some of which are not going to be pleasant ones, but then it will all be over and the weekend will be here.  yessss!  

dotty, pencil skirts, and loudness

[wearing]
sweatshirt: target (similar)
skirt: target (similar)
boots: forever21
bag: banana republic (similar)
necklace: forever21

[three things]
1. this sweatshirt was an impulse purchase at target back in november, but it has proven it's worth by going to work, yoga, and everywhere in-between since then.  
2. this skirt was a more recent random purchase at target.  i totes want to wear it every day that i'm in the office even though i haven't been that into wearing pencil skirts lately.  i have to wear pants whenever i am on-site, so my skirt days have been a bit limited these days.  
3. the combination of the two is a bit loud,  but i'm liking it.  so there!





[previously on] target (mossimo) red foil-printed sweatshirt

dotty, red again, and green stairs

[wearing]
sweater: vince (exactly)
skirt: thriftastic (similar)
tights: apt. 9
boots: target (similar)
purse: target
necklace: forever21

[three things]
1. i wore a similar outfit that paired this sweater with red recently, but i felt it was a little too casual for work. pencil skirts always seem to dress up things a bit.  
2. this skirt is kinda memorable, so i tend to wait awhile before i re-wear it.  i really liked the last combination it was apart of, so i'm glad that it made one more appearance before i pack up all my wool clothes until next fall.
3. these green stairs make this outfit way more christmas color-ish than i felt wearing it.  

dotty, glitter shoes, and black pants

[wearing]
top: collective concepts
trench vest: forever21 (similar)
black pants: zara (similar)
purse: target
glitter heels: nine west (exactly)

creative: this trench vest can look really casual, so i paired it with a pretty pattern and dress pants to lessen the casual-ness.
young: glitter heels!  i bought these for fancy events since last christmas i had a bunch of work events that i had to dress simultaneously professional and festive for.  i have now figured out that the perfect thing for this is fancy shoes with a plain dress.  now that i've got the fancy shoes i want to wear them all the time.  i have become that person that wears heels to the grocery store...but they're so sparkley and fun!  
professional: since i've gotten over my fear that black pants are boring, i've embraced the closet staple-ness of this pair and wear them all the time.  

+
thanks to everybody for the feedback on my linkup idea last week.  how about we meet back here next tuesday and make that happen.  yay!


find more posts like this one over here.

dotty, triangles, and spikey shoes

[wearing]
geometric tee: gap 
jacket: mine (similar)
pants: j.crew (similar)
flats: steve madden (exactly)
purse: target
sunnies: ray-ban

[three things]
1. i wear gray v-neck tees a lot of the weekends, so this triangley shirt is perfect for mixing things up just a tiny bit.
2. this outfit is totes just a bunch of pieces that i've been liking lately plus some excitement about wearing a non-winter jacket.  eep!  
3. look at all those trash cans!  as it turns out our alley is actually meant for trash pickup, not outfit photos.  

dotty, my outfit process, and jackets

i've been cataloging all sorts of creative young professional outfits over the past year-ish and i've gotten some questions lately about how to transform a simple or casual look into something that's more professional.  so, here goes...


there's nothing wrong with some good comfy casual separates, but i've got to at least look like i'm not ready for an afternoon nap on the couch when i show up for work.


this is definitely the biggest step.  i've collected a slew of jackets over the last few years since they seem to always make outfits look more put-together.  


oversized pearl earrings and a clustered necklace add a bit of fanciness.


it isn't always practical for me to wear heels, but these medium height wedges are a good compromise between flats and need-to-hold-the-handrail tall heels.  


i end up putting my hair up around 3pm a lot of the time, but i like to at least start off the day with my hair down.  


well, there you have it!  this is pretty much how i get dressed everyday.  i start with something comfy that i want to wear and then dress it up so that i can wear it to work.  

[wearing]
tee: american apparel (exactly)
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
jacket: h&m (similar)
flats: cole haan (similar)
heels: merona (exactly)
necklace: forever21

dotty, big shirts, and borrowed cardigans

[wearing]
redness: j.crew factory (exactly)
big shirt: uniqlo (men's)
sweater: ralph lauren (men's)
flats: zara (similar)
necklace: forever21

+
dude, i borrowed two pieces from the boy for this outfit.  this sweater has shown up on the blog before and it's the perfect super warm layer when i want to go outside without a coat.  



[previously on] red! pants  
and hey!  check out aj's friday favorites for more remixing fun. 

dotty, triangles, and highlighter yellow

[wearing]
cardigan: target (exactly)
tee: gap (exactly)
skirt: the limited (similar)
wedges: apt. 9 (similar)
necklace: forever21 (similar)

[three things]
1. i've been really big into triangles lately, so this fun tee was an obvious choice when i was doing some gap shopping last month.  i never bought much from there in the past for some reason, but lately they have been killin' it.  
2. i'm kinda disappointed that it's still tights weather, but i leave for work mighty early and it is still definitely way too chilly for bare knees.  
3. we've only re-arranged the living room once since we moved in and i'm definitely itching to switch things up.  our last apartment was really tiny, so there were not too many options, but now we've got tons of space and so many chairs!  and a lot of plants too since the boy insists we buy one every time we stop at ikea.  and since i loooove ikea we have lots of plants.  

dotty, print pencils, and slouchy sweaters

[wearing]
leopard skirt: target (similar)
sweater: vince (exactly)
tights: legale (similar)
boots: target 
shiny clutch: h&m (similar)

creative: this skirt is a little bit wild for my corporate-ish office, but i was too excited about it to not wear it to work.  it has pockets!  the pattern mirrors!  eeep!
young: leopard print, suede ankle boots, and a shiny clutch.  geez, that's a lot of trendiness.
professional: neutrals!  my sister has a theory about how black tights make everything look more toned down.  this came up a lot during our countless "can i wear sequins to a work function?" conversations.  i'm pretty excited to wear this skirt all summer, so i'm going to have to come up with other ways to professional it up.  

p.s. would anybody be interested in a work-fits linkup?  i know that there are bigger ones out there, but i'm always on the hunt for like-minded blogs.  i've found some awesome new reads lately through some remix-ing linkups (holla at aj and the whitney/franish ones).  






find more posts like this one over yonder.

dotty, printed jeans, and big spots

[wearing]
dot jeans: gap (exactly)

dot top: collective concepts 
cardigan: old navy (exactly)
desert boots: forever21
necklace: forever21 (similar)
belt: j.crew (similar)

[three things]
1. it was wintery cold on saturday so i went for desert boots instead of ballet flats to keep my feet warmer.  
2. new jeans!  i haven't bought any new jeans in quite awhile since i can't wear them to work, but these little bleachy spots convinced me to get a new pair.
3. i was pretty excited about mixing together big dots and little dots.  i've been trying to focus on  finding awesome patterned things to buy (instead of more gray soft pieces) so these two new-ish pieces are a step in the right direction.

dotty, gray, and a summer pencil

[wearing]
jacket: h&m
tee: american apparel (exactly)
skirt: club monaco (this year's version)
wedges: elie tahari
bag: banana republic (similar)
necklace: forever21

[three things]
1. yup, a slightly more dressed up day at work.  i've been veering way more towards pants-land lately, but sometimes a crisp pencil skirt is where it's at.  
2. can i be done with tights now?  okay, thanks.  
3. several of my co-workers get called out on it when they wear t-shirts to work, but for some reason i am immune to this.  i'm guessing that pearl necklace is a good enough disguise.  

dotty, a bright jacket on repeat, and a big necklace

[wearing]
jacket: target (exactly)
sweater: old navy (exactly)
necklace: target
pants: j.crew
flats: chinese laundry (similar)
bag: banana republic (similar)

[previously on] mossimo supply co. bright tweed jacket
i was a little dubious when i bought this jacket on clearance as to how versatile it would be since it is soooo bright.  i really like that the tweed fabric makes it a bit more formal than my knit moto jackets and i think my eyes have finally adjusted to the brightness.  

dotty, a bit too casual, and maybe it's the loafers

[wearing]
sweater: vince (exactly)
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
scarf: souvenir
loafers: candie's

[three things]
1. this is about as far into the realm of casual as i go for work outfits.  in theory it meets the dress code since there's no jeans inolved, but it's a bit more weekend-ish than i probably should be wearing to work.  
2. with that said, i am really into this mint+red+rusty brown color combination and now i want to come up with a more dressed up version of this.
3. i've been really into snacking on pumpkin seeds lately.  i've always been a big fan around halloween, but yeah...it's april.  





p.s. it's what i wore wednesday!

dotty, a big scarf, and white jeans in april

[wearing]
jacket: mine
tank: marika tek
jeans: bdg (similar)
flats: zara
sunnies: ray-ban (exactly)
scarf: c/o noma (exactly)


[three things]
1. NOMA kindly sent over this printed scarf that has quickly become my new favorite.  the print is a grown-up version of tie-dye (with much better results than any of my childhood camp creations) and the material is super soft.  you can get 75% off any scarf on their site with the code DOTTY75.
2. white jeans.  yup.  this is happening way before memorial day.  
3. i picked up a new workout tank and now i just want to pretend it's a real shirt and wear it all the time.