recap: october

[wearing]
my commitment to neutrals is definitely still going strong.  i think it's time to bring back of my favorite pops of color though.  i'm thinking that this tomato-red sweatshirt and these rust tights are ready for a re-appearance.





[buying]

j.crew grandma cardigan via thredup (join here and we both get ten bucks!): $23. so warm!  (worn here)
j.crew silk ruffle tank via thredup: $12. i was a big admirer of this tank when it was in j.crew stores a few years ago, but couldn't justify the price for a novelty tank.  it's definitely more of a summer piece, but looks good under jackets too.
forever21 all-day chelsea wedge boots: $37. (exactly)  i've been looking for a pair of simple flat or low wedge ankle boots to pair with black tights. although these are pleather ones aren't going to last more than one season with salt and snow, i've been wearing them all the time, so a similar higher quality pair are definitely on my list now. (worn here)
forever21 street-chic sweatpants: $18. these were part of project comfy-pant-upgrade to find some alternatives to wearing ponte pants (really just fancy leggings) on the weekends (worn here)
forever21 desert camo harem pants: $20. (exactly) comfy-pant-upgrade part two.  (worn here)
forever21 no-fuss french terry top: $16. this shirt is basically a towel.  and i have no qualms with admitting that.
forever21 favorite marled knit sweater: $25. (exactly) it's all cotton and super cozy.  i foresee this being my top choice for holiday vacation lazing this year. (worn here)
forever21 standout layered necklace: $9. (exactly) i used to have a necklace almost exactly like this one, but it got caught on things a few too many times and totally fell apart. (worn here)
juicy couture heart-print blouse via t.j.maxx: $50.  (exactly) tiny hearts!  (worn here)

total: $210.  and i still need to find the perfect thing to spend my birthday money on!
if you want to check out some other blogger's budgets, definitely hop on over and visit franish.


[reading]

i had never read any of zadie smith's novels before and i am definitely hooked.  and i have definitely been taking advantage of the new yorker subscription i got the boy for his birthday.

dotty, weekend pants, and a big scarf

[wearing]
vest: forever21 (similar)
scarf: souvenir
cardigan underneath: gap (exactly)
pantsish: j.crew factory (exactly)
flats: zara (similar)

[three things]
1. this scarf probably the biggest one in my closet and i sometimes forget how wonderfully blanket-like it is.   it's just one step away from a snuggie.

2. strechy pants and this green vest have become my uniform for comfy weeknight and weekend outfits.  these "knit pants" are borderline leggings, so a long top or layer is definitely necessary.

3. my curly hair is quite possibly the most inconsistent hair that there ever was.  i can use the exact combination of products two days in a row with the same weather and end up with two entirely different heads of curls.  bah!

dotty, fall hats, and non-coats

[wearing]
hat: h&m
jacket: mine (similar)
cardigan: forever21
blouse: juicy couture (exactly)
jeans: old navy (exactly)
shoes: tom's (exactly)

[three things]
1. fall hat!  this hat is pretty useless for actually keeping my head warm in the winter, but it's perfect for crisp fall weekends.

2. i keep an old pair of tom's in the car for spontaneous adventures and shmergencies (shoe emergencies).  they're not the best for wandering through the woods, but definitely better than wedge boots.  

3. instead of wearing a real coat just yet, a cardigan+light jacket has been working great lately, especially for chilly mornings.  i did bust out my christmas coat from last year the other night to pick up some sushi though.

weekend wishlist: wool from gap

one, two, three, and four.

+
oh coats, i already have so many, but it's already so cold here!

dotty, houndstooth pants, and grandma cardigans

[wearing]
sweater: j.crew via thredup (sign up here)
sweater underneath: vince
houndstooth-print jeans: forever21
cap-toe flats: old navy (exactly)
bag: phillip lim for target


[three things]
1. i bought these pants for my last job where jeans were allowed everyday.  now that i can only wear jeans on fridays, they're a good pick for when i might have last-minute meetings that i don't want to be way underdressed for.

2. this cardigan is the warmest ever.  it's like wearing a coat, so it's perfect for cold days in the office.  it's a bit grandma-ish, so i added a shiny tassel necklace to young it up a bit.

3. happy weekend!  my mom is turning 29 again tomorrow which is now a little strange since now we are the same age.

dotty, rust, and red

[wearing]
jacket: zara
sweater: forever21 (exactly)
dress underneath: joie
super opaque tights: legale
boots: forever21 (exactly)
giant red bag: j.crew factory

[three things]
1. this rust-colored silk dress was my first of the three colors that all live in my closet.  the black version (seen here in an old post) and gray version (seen here this past summer) are definitely less memorable.

2. after carrying around my black phillip lim for target bag for quite awhile nonstop, i figured a day with the giant red bag was in order.  and i had just painted my fingernails to match!

3. i wore this rust+red combination earlier this month with totally different pieces and really liked how it was still a fairly neutraled out outfit, but wasn't my usual graysscale combination of pieces.

[previously on] rust-colored joie dress

dotty, stripes, and a theory about sheath dresses

[wearing]
jacket: michael michael kors (similar)
dress: calvin klein (exactly)
necklaces: forever21
boots: target (similar)

creative: mixing this office-wear sheath dress with ankle boots makes it seem a bit more fun.
young: there's a trendy spikey necklace layered with my usual pearls.
professional: i've kinda decided that you can mix anything with a conservative sheath dress and it retains its grownup-ness.







find more posts like this one over yonder.

dotty, weekend sweatpants, and hats

[wearing]
leather jacket: michael michael kors (similar)
tee: everlane (exactly)
sweatpants: forever21
flats: old navy (with dots)
hat: husband's golf hat
bag: phillip lim for target

[three things]
1. the boy's hat was sitting out after he played golf, so i commandeered it for a grocery adventure to our ridiculously crowded neighborhood whole foods.  i don't think i've worn a baseball cap since college, but i might be getting on board with this.

2. these sweatpants have zippers at the bottom which makes me think they're meant to go outside.  okay, just for weekend errands, folks.

3. shiny toes!  these flats always dress things up a bit.

dotty, muppet smiles, and mudboots

[wearing]
stripes: old navy (similar)
vest: forever21
pants-ish: j.crew factory (exactly)
mudboots: loeffler randall (exactly)
bag: phillip lim for target

[three things]
1. when i dance (and apparently when the boy takes my outfit photos while my parents are making jokes off-camera) i tend to have what we call "muppet face" (a permanent open-mouthed goofy grin).  it has appeared a few times before on this lil blog, but i have yet to point this out.  so here ya go...this is what i look like in real life.

2. i ordered this striped shirt online awhile ago and the neckline is a little weird on me, but i kept it around because it worked perfectly for wearing underneath this wool dress (that i have since donated as it turns out).  lately i've been really into slouchy longer jersey tees though, so this stripey number is making a comeback from closet obscurity!

3. something about stretchy pants, comfy layers, and rainboots getting classed up by a structured tote makes total sense to me lately.  next step is a new oversized watch!

dotty, the winter of short boots, and wild card pants

[wearing]
jacket: rag & bone (really similar)
top: forever21
pants: j.crew (similar)
boots: forever21
necklace: ebay
bag: phillip lim for target
sunnies: ray-ban

[three things]
1. i bought these pants on final sale two winters ago and they have become my go-to pants when i want to switch it up from skinny pants and wide-leg trousers.

2. i adore the print on this jacket, but the sleeves are unlined and kinda scratchy.  i've got pretty high standards for softness, so i'm thinking that having my tailor add lining might be the best plan.  or i should just wear long-sleeves underneath it.

3. knee-high boots used to be winter staple for me, but i've got quite a short-boot arsenal ready for this year and i like that they don't break up my legs into three segments when i wear dresses/skirt with tights.  (example here, but i still love those boots!)







[previously on] wool (sweat)pants

and i'm linking up with tara today!

dotty, tights season, and those boots again

[wearing]
dress: cynthia steffe (exactly)
cardigan: acne (exactly, but in mohair)
boots: forever21 (exactly)
purse: phillip lim for target

[three things]
1. i tried on a bunch of different necklaces with this, but they all seemed to compete with the dresses chevrons.

2. yup, it's tights season.  i try to delay this every year, but i work in an icebox.

3. and because it's tights season, i get to bust out my collection of wee-bit-too-short-for-work dresses!  so i guess there's a flip side to this whole cold weather situation.

dotty, print pants, and fancy-jamas

[wearing]
jacket: michael michael kors
sweater: vince (exactly)
pants: forever21 (exactly)
wedges: elie tahari (similar)
bag: phillip lim for target

creative: lately i've really into slouchy looks that still look put-together, (i think of it as "fancy-jamas") so i've been pinning quite a few to try and figure out how to look more "fancy" and less "pajama".  so far my list is made up of structured bag, simple heels, a big necklace, a skinny belt, and a jacket.  and while i work in a strangely conservative office for a creative profession, i've decided that instead of conforming, i'm just going to be that girl.
young: um...printed jersey harem pants.  but these are made for someone approximately a foot taller than me, so a lot of the harem-ness gets eaten up by necessary high-waisted-ness.
professional: heels, fancy-looking bag, neutrals.  you know, the usual suspects.

find more posts like this one over yonder.

dotty, a birthday, and new boots

[wearing]
leather jacket: michael michael kors (exactly)
dress: theory
scarf: forever21
boots: forever21 (exactly)
bag: phillip lim for target

[three things]
1. i totes turned the big two-nine this weekend!  eep!  we celebrated by eating all my favorite things--brioche french toast with sauteed bananas and mascarpone, crabmeat and pineapple wontons, and a giant bucket of popcorn amongst a bunch of other things.

2. my weekend and weekday outfits are beginning to merge together, since i would totally wear this to work.  but this was also perfect for a good day full of city wanderings to all my favorite places.  and these short wedge boots passed the hours of walking test with flying colors!

3. to make things even better, i found out that i passed another licensure exam last week.  yessssss!  the testing center is quite possibly my least favorite place on earth, so i am definitely counting down to being done with it.  and i ran into my first case last week at work when it would've been helpful to be able to stamp a drawing myself, but instead i had to convince a real deal architect to do it.  so yeah, it's time to make this happen.

weekend wishlist: barney's

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine.

+
we wandered through barney's this weekend and i definitely considered spending the rest of my clothing budget for the YEAR on one thing.  oh, leather-sleeve cardigan, you belong in my closet.  

dotty, cornfields, and rainy days

[wearing]
big scarf: souvenir
vest: forever21 (similar)
shirt: cos
pants: old navy (exactly)
boots: loeffler randall (exactly)
purse: phillip lim for target

[three things]
1. how midwestern are these photos?  dude, that's corn.

2. these pants are proving to be a great leggings-substitute for comfy outfits, but they're real pants!  i promise!

3. mint+olive is a stellar color combination to wear some color without getting too bright.

dotty, multi-stripes, fall boots

[wearing]
striped jacket: zara (similar)
striped dress: calvin klein (exactly)
scarf: target
boots: target (similar)
bag: phillip lim for target

[three things]
1. stripes!

2. i think that sticking to neutrals has led to some more interesting mixes of patterns since i can mix a bunch of patterns together and still look something like a grownup.  or at least i keep telling myself that every morning!

3. i bought this dress specifically for my wedding shower back in april and it's been a good dress for meeting days at work since then.

 [previously on] striped sheath dress