dotty, matchy matchy, and summer scarves

[wearing] 
scarf: banana republic (exactly)
jacket: zara (similar)
tee: j.crew (exactly)
jeans: old navy (exactly)
flats: old navy (similar)
tote: madewell (exactly)

[three things] 
1. it's summer, eh?  it can be a little chilly when i leave in the morning for work and it is quite a bit colder by the lake, so yeah summer scarves and jackets.

2. i am totally amused by the unreadability of this tee when it is under a jacket.  it just looks like random letters.  it's amazing.

3. this tote is giving this corresponding belt much more screentime lately.  i'm not particular about matching my shoes to my bag, but this bag seems to make more sense with a navy-based outfit if it has a cognac friend.

dotty, kinda a big deal, and june shoppies

seriously, june bug, where did you go?  i even disappeared from this here lil blog for the last week!  oh, nose!  how will my sister know what i've been wearing to work?!?  

anywho, i started a new job (eep!) which is a gigantic change that i have been quietly plotting/scheming/negotiating for months.  seriously, mooooonths!  this also meant that i quit my old job and that turned out to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad two weeks.  but, it's over and maybe someday i'll give you all the reasons why you should never work for meanies.  (spoiler alert: the number one reason is that they're mean.)  

what's happening is that pretty much all my usual routines are totally different.  i don't really know how to explain it, but basically i switched from driving to walking and from a small firm to a big firm.  also, i can wear jeans whenever i want.  (eep again!)  and so i bought a bunch of new dresses.  yeah, because that makes sense.  i haven't done a budget recap in quite awhile, so i thought i'd better document my month of ridiculous shopping.  i have somewhat of a disclaimer/post-rationalization though.  first of all, in april and may i didn't buy much.  i was really busy at work and just didn't find much that i liked.  secondly, my job switcheroo included the payout of a chunk of vacation time that i could never get scheduling approval for.  this resulted in a treat yo self (yes, tom and donna style) type of situation since christmas break never happened last year.  

one: madewell sketchpoint tee dress, $98.  (seen in this post)  it's a giant sweatshirt.
two: madewell transport tote in english saddle, $168.  (seen in this post)  it's a train-commuting champ.
three: madewell morningside shiftdress in leopard sketch, $128.  (instagram'd on my first day)  it has very friendly spots.  and pockets!

four: banana republic ikat shirtdress, $66.  (seen in this post)  it's a big print and that's a big deal for me.
five: gap two-band sandals, $37.  (seen in this post)  they're crazy comfy.
six: gapfit breath mesh panel tee, $19.  it's a post-yoga-and-i-want-a-giant-frappucino kind of tee. seven: j.crew camille dress in black, $84.  it's a grownup work dress.  and it plays quite nicely with big necklaces.
eight: j.crew linen tee in amazing, $28.  fantastic and amazing are pretty much my favorite words, so this had to happen.
nine: zara asymmetric neckline dress, $60.  it's a thinking ahead purchase for a fancy pants cocktail party we're going to in a few weeks.

oh, hey!  peek into other blogger's budgets over hurrrrr.

dotty, weekends, and fleurs

[wearing]
dress: zara (similar)
flats: chinese laundry (exactly)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)
necklace: forever21 (similar)

[three things]
1. this is definitely not a weekday dress, but i really wish it was more knee length-ish since this is the first floral print i've committed to.

2. as much as i love me some layers, the warmer weather simplicity of dress+necklace+shoes outfits is pretty darn nice.

3. the last time i wore this dress it was mostly hidden under a giant cardigan.

dotty, a big print, and tote time

[wearing]
ikat shirtdress: banana republic (exactly)
tote bag: madewell (exactly)
flats: old navy (exactly)
necklace: h&m

[three things]
1. for some reason, standard shirt collars on shirtdresses really bother me.  since they are usually some sort of polyester blend they never seem to be in the right spot or just always look floppy.  so, shirtdresses with henley collars are definitely much more my style.

2. ikat print.  go big or go home.

3. let's talk for a second about this tote that eeeerbody and their brother has.  (okay, maybe not their brothers, but maybe a stylish sister or girl cousin.)  i get it now.  i can carry everything i could possibly ever need with me.  i should probably schedule weekly bag cleanouts to keep this under control.

dotty, tomatoes, and old pins

[wearing]
cowlneck sweater: victoria's secret (similar)
dress underneath: rachel rachel roy (exactly)
flats: old navy (exactly)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

[three things]
1. i pinned this awesome all white layered look a year ago and finally got around to attempting to re-create the outfit.  it's quite slouchy, but that's my jam lately anyway.

2. i just posted last week about how i have been wanting to wear an all white outfit this summer and i can already check that one off my list.  bam.

3. i have yet to have a tomato sauce incident while wearing this dress.  i consider that to be a major grownup success.  now that i am almost thirty, i seem to have finally mastered eating lunch.



[previously on] cream rachel rachel roy dress

dotty, lil stripes, and bananas in pajamas

[wearing]
dress: madewell (exactly)
scarf: forever21 (similar)
sandals: gap (exactly)

[three things]
1. i have a few fitted dresses in my closet, but i definitely prefer slouchier styles.  this striped dress always makes me feel polished, but definitely does not have the feels-like-pajamas quality that i like my clothes to have.

2. i have been trying to find the perfect sweatshirt-ish dress for quite awhile and this subtle striped version with oversized sleeves is just what i was looking for.  i went with a size up to get a little bit more length.

3. i've been thinking about some ideas to dress this up for work...with a statement necklace?  or a belt?  or by smushing those sleeves into a blazer?  any ideas, dear reader?

weekend pretties: mid-june

• some ideas for what to wear to work this summer.
• some man sleeves.
• some opportunities to win some wedges. 

• some yogspiration.
• some lil people romper cuteness.
• and some preggers romper cuteness.
• some sweet potatoes and quinoa.
• some fantastic typography pins.

dotty, light gray jeans, and oversized shirts

[wearing]
big striped shirt: thrifted
jeans: old navy (exactly)
heels: merona (exactly)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)
sunnies: rayban

[three things]
1. have you ever bought something that makes that rest of your closet make sense?  i've been having some style identity issues lately, but these jeans are making everything better.  i just wanna wear gray all the time, okay?

2. in the past when i've worn this men's shirt i have hidden the giant man-sleeves (seen back here), but i'm over it.  i think this shirt might be my most worn thriftable too.

3. i got my hairs cleaned up last week and started the transition to stop bleaching the bejeezus out of it every eight weeks.  what?  it doesn't look any different?  yeah, i know.  but i definitely sat in a salon chair making small talk for three hours.

[previously on] gray skinny jeans

summer @work

+
now that it is FINALLY summertime, i've got some plans to mix up my summer work wardrobe. i haven't done a budget recap in a few months because um...nothing particularly interesting has joined my closet.  i've replaced a few things that have worn out and bought a few things that are really soft, but really nothing too exciting.  anyway, about those work clothes.  (in the summer.  when i really just want to be at the pool wearing a giant hat.)  let's talk about those for a second.


this white dress of mine is totes going to make this a possibility.


these pants of mine are definitely due for another appearance anyway.


stripes?  dots?  vaguely tribal-ish patterned skirts?  these all sound like great ideas.


i've attempted this before and is definitely the right time of year to give it another whirl.

image sources can be found via my pinterest board over here.

dotty, shoe day, and a loud dress

[wearing]
jacket: mine (similar)
dress: philip lim x target
necklaces: forever21
clutch: h&m (similar)
shoes: jambu c/o onlineshoes.com (exactly)

[three things]
1. wedges, man.  this jambu pair that onlineshoes sent over are my kind of neutral, with a genius little orange elastic bit on sides.  ankle straps also greatly decrease the chances of me losing a shoe during my mid-afternoon milkshake runs.

2. i've never been part of a blogger contest before, so this is kinda making me a little bit nervous.  eep!  here's the deal: vote here, you could win a pair of shoes, and have a good afternoon.  even if you decide to vote for one of the other pretties involved, you're still in the running for froes (free shoes) and that's a good situation for eeerbody.

3. even though i've pretty much banished brights from my closet, this stretchtastic philip lim x target dress is still holding its own.  and it's orange.  not bright orange, but still pretty orange-ish.

dotty, jeans, and a tee

[wearing]
top: stylestalker via thredup (similar)
jeans: old navy (exactly)
heels: vince camuto (exactly)
necklace: forever21
bag: phillip lim x target

[three things]
1. i love the long back hem of this shirt even though it looks really odd with most of my jackets.

2. can i have casual friday every day of the week?  okay, thanks!

3. even though i upgraded to my brown-ish bag, my pleather p-lim still makes an occasional appearance.  it's just such a perfect shape!

dotty, dressy hoodies, and summer skirts

[wearing]
hoodie: forever21 (similar)
skirt: target (similar)
wedges: elie tahari (similar)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

[three things]
1. pencil skirts.  no tights.  summer, you da best.

2. is a dressy hoodie a real thing?  can we make it one?

3. this is completely unrelated, but the other day i was ordering some finish samples and i got an email asking how many chains i needed.  it was really hard not to respond "2 chaaaaaainz", but i managed to pull myself together and respond professionally.  #lamesauceworkdotty





[previously on] leopard skirt

dotty, some pleats, and silly shoes

[wearing]
dress: madewell (sleeveless version)
jacket: zara (similar)
flats: old navy (similar)
necklace: light in the box
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

creative: i wore this last friday for a solid ten hours of building tours and client meetings.  since i couldn't wear my friday denim, i settled for a super comfy knit dress and novelty flats.
young: there's spots on my shoes.
professional: i put on a jacket and pearls, okay?