recap: march purchases

i must admit that i'm pretty happy to be done with march.  the weather was cold and gray, my projects at work have all been in terribly mundane phases, and my yoga sculpt class (weights+95 degrees+a happy baby or two at the end) has been making me feel particularly noodle-armed and coreless.  anywho, i was really happy with my closet acquisitions this month and i've got some shoes (from this wishlist) that should be arriving this week.  so yeah, here's to april!  i'm rooting for some sunshine...or at least no more snow.



[left to right-ish]
twelfth street by cynthia vincent cardigan (via ebay, $129) i posted about this cardigan last fall, but there was no way i could justify spending that much on yet another leather-sleeved piece of clothing.  six months and an ebay alert later, the white version is now my go-to cardigan.  it's replacing my old acrylic-blend patterned cardigan from forever21 that has seen better days.

banana republic star jacquard scarf (bought online, $25)

banana republic monogram pleated cuffed ankle pants (bought online, $53) it took a few tries to get the sizing right on these pants to get the perfect amount of slouch, but now i can check replacing these old zara pants off my shopping list.

diane von furstenberg zipper collar tunic and club monaco open-back sweater (via thredup, $3 with credits) i had some stored up referral credits and bag credits, so i ordered a few pricey-ish pieces from some of my favorite brands.

[below]
j.crew triangles sweatshirt (bought online, $50, but it's much cheaper now)

and as usual, check on fraaaaaaaanish for some budgeting blogger goodness.

dotty, denim, and matchy matchyness

[wearing]

coat: zara
cardigan: victoria's secret
belt: h&m
jeans: old navy (exactly)
flats: candie's (similar)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)
sunnies: ray-ban

[three things]
1. belted cardigan, jeans, and printed flats.  dishes are done.

2. i need to step up my jeans game fo sho.  i bought this pair when i had a pantsmergency because i wore a dress and heels to work on the day of a baseball game outing.  oops.

3. my hair matches my belt which matches my shoes.  bam.  or i have leopard print hair.  hmm.

dotty, dune love, and gray skies

[wearing]
coat: old navy (similar)
cardigan: twelfth street by cynthia vincent (similar)
jeans: gap (similar)
boots: stuart weitzman (similar)
scarf: marc jacobs x target
hat: forever21 (exactly)
gloves: gift from my mama

[three things]
1. we used to live a block from the lake, but since i am the worst at commuting and living in a shoebox was a bit smushy (there's photos of it posted here, but you can't tell that it was less than four hundred square feet), we moved inland two years ago.  i definitely miss the empty winter beach (seen here), so a stop at the indiana dunes was in order for our latest trip back home to the mitten.

2. i had no idea what an ice shelf was until there were warning signs all over the beach for them.  that white wave-like mass in the background is just straight up frozen.

3. alright, winter.  i've been to the frozen beach, so we're good now, right?

dotty, palm trees, and green pants

[wearing]
blazer: zara (similar)
sweater: joie (similar)
pants: zara
wedges: elie tahari (similar)
earrings: forever21
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

[three things]
1. this jacket and sweater have crossed paths before.  (the post from back in november is over here.)

2. these pants are actually dark green, even though they look off-black in these photos.

3. these spike earrings are one of my standards, but they seem to stick at weird angles when photographed.  like a kid who has a terribly fake school picture smile.

dotty, rainboots, and late winter neutrals

[wearing]
coat: zara (similar)
scarf: marc jacobs x target
sweater: blvd
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
boots: loeffler randall (short version)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

[previously on] loeffler randall rainboots

[three things]
1. apparently i was wearing these rainboots when we got engaged (middle photo above).

2. i saw an annoyingly snarky comment on jill's blog the other day about how fashion bloggers are supposed to wear lots of color.  i was not aware that this was a thing that people actual thought (or commented!) so i was kinda bothered by it.  it's definitely easier to make a statement and stand out with a bright color or pattern, but i do not think that it's a prerequisite for being stylish or blogging about style.  anyway, i have definitely been dressing more neutral-ish lately and i don't see that changing drastically any time soon.  sorry to get a bit ranty, sometimes the judgies and meanies just get to me a little.

3. with that said...black and tan fo life.  

dotty, spring hats, and snow boots

[wearing]
coat: vince (exactly)
sweater: vince (exactly)
jeans: citizens of humanity (exactly)
boots: target (similar)
hat: j.crew (exactly)
purse: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

[three things]
1. i should have worn taller socks, but i ended up re-rolling the cuffs on these jeans to avoid frozen ankles after these photos.

2. yup, i have this hat in two colors.  (the darker version is here)

3. i've got big plans for some white+tan outfits this spring with this hat and my triangles tote bag. (last posted here) and my bike is cream-colored too.  (she's over here)  this is gonna be good.

weekend wishlist: commuter shoes

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

pretty much every summer i have an internal debate between wearing cute sandals and not getting blisters.  we walk A LOT in the summer and shoes that are just okay at the one mile mark are usually a disaster by the end of the day.  my plan this year is to start the summer with a trusty pair or two of travellin' shoes to avoid some of the shissues (shoe issues) that i usually encounter.

dotty, grownups, and gray dresses

[wearing]
dress: j.crew (similar)
scarf: forever21 (similar)
boots: stuart weitzman
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

[three things]
1. when i was in college, i imagined that i would wear this sort of dress when i was a grownup.  then when i started working a real job this kind of dress just seemed so stuffy and oooooold to me.  so either i have become stuffy and old, or i finally figured out how to wear a conservative wool dress.

2. my husband got me this dress for christmas, so i don't deserve any of the credit for picking out such a great piece.

3. did you ever notice how much i rely on scarves?  not that there's anything wrong with that...

words: you got this

i've been using this phrase over the last few months quite a bit, so it was about time that it showed up on the bloggy mcblogerson.  

dotty, winter boots, and summer dresses

[wearing]
dress: forever21 (similar)
jacket: zara (similar)
scarf: marc jacobs x target
boots: target (similar)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

[three things]
1. i'm getting a bit bored with wearing skinny pants+boots or fleece-lined tights+boots options lately, so i busted out this summer dress and layered the bejeezus out of it.

2. i've totes done this before with this dress. (with a white jacket back here and with a mustard scarf back here)

3. even though i've cut cheapies out of my wardrobe strategy for this year, i've still got plenty of them in my closet to mix things up!  every once in awhile i would find that lucky piece from forever21 that i keep for more than six months, but they are way too few and far between.

dotty, black bears, and brown bears

[wearing]
jacket: zara (exactly)
shirt: day birger et mikkelsen (similar)
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
boots: target (similar)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)
map locket: gift

[three things]
1. my husband surprised me with this little map locket as a belated valentine's day present.  i'm pretty excited about putting a teeny tiny photo of him in it!

2. i'm really happy that i got over my hang ups about mixing black and brown.  my new brownish-grayish bag definitely encourages some serious neutrals mixing.

3. this jacket is basically a tailored towel.  it has some eighties-style shoulder pads to keep it from looking sloppy which i definitely appreciate.

dotty, dinosaurs, and hatlessness

[wearing]
coat: zara (similar)
tee: old navy (exactly)
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
boots: forever21 (exactly)
scarf: marc jacobs x target (similar)
necklace: gift
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

[three things]
1. it was almost above freezing this weekend, so i celebrated by wearing a lighter coat (but a bunch of layers underneath) and no hat.  i was freezing.  and it was snowing.  #stillcold

2. i totes forgot about these boots since they got hidden behind my slipper stash in my closet.  i'm taking this as a sign that i still have a lot of closet cleaning out to do!

3. i posted a photo over on instagram (find me here) of this dinosaur necklace in realtime and it is definitely going to be an everyday occurence for awhile.

weekend wishlist: spring

even though it is most definitely still winter, i'm starting to think about some spring purchases to mix up my casual/weekend wardrobe.

one: a floppy hat (h&m wool hat pictured above)

two: an oversized and drapey white shirt (equipment "ian" pictured above)

three: d'orsay flats (bcbgeneration "tilda" pictured above)

four: distressed slouchy jeans (zara "ripped boyfriend" pictured above)

five: fancy mules (loeffler randall "mara" pictured above)

six: a graphic-print sweatshirt (zara geode sweatshirt pictured above)