recap: june

I've been in a work outfit rut lately and was looking back through my own archives (I knoooow--it's like how Maddie likes watching videos of herself) and really liked reading the monthly recaps I used to do.  So, let's get out the blogging gloves and recap June-ish.  In the middle of July though.


[wearing]
A lot of COS to work, a few fancy dresses to fun work events, and a lot of weekend sneakers.  (Dress on the right is from Asos)

[buying]
I just can't hop on the off-the-shoulder trend and it seems to be everywhere this year, so I've been focusing on my shoesdrobe.

Cole Haan leather sneakers
I wear these constantly because they have a super minimal profile and I can pretend that I'm wearing sneakers with a dress on purpose for my commute rather than looking like a devote powerwalker.

Mossimo Satin Slides
These are a recent acquisition and one hundred percent a product of them being displayed en route to the baby shampoo aisle.  So far they are comfortable enough for medium walks (less than a mile roundtrip) and are a comical combination of throwback to middle school sport slides and grandma-tastic satin slippers.

Madewell "Leila" suede sandals
I wanted a pair of sandals that were more work-ish than beach-ish, so this was my attempt.  So far they are not super comfy and it bothers me that the straps don't stay exactly parallel.

[reading]
Edward Tufte's Envisioning Information
I'm heading up the design side of new workplace standards for a very organized client at work, so I'm  brushing up on my graphic presentation skills.

Sophie Kinsella's My (Not So) Perfect Life
I'm just starting this based on a review over on the Cedar Park Blog and it has promise as a light read.

Amy Cuddy's Presence
I was assigned the goal of being louder within the giant office I work at, so I'm working on it (by using the most sciencey, TED talk-ish book I could find.)

[planning]
For a beach week at the beginning of August and a wedding trip Missouri in September.  Bring on the beach towels and dancing shoes!  (Sidenote: how great is it when your friends that have been dating for forever finally get married?)

dotty, denim, and almost denim

[wearing] 
jacket: banana republic
chambray shirt: old navy
jeans: joe's
heels: bcbgeneration
bag: everlane

[three things]
1. Caaasual Friday for the win.

2. Jeans with heels seem to feel like the right combination of looking like you tried on a Friday.

3. I've had a string of Fridays with no client meetings and boy, it is super nice to finish the week by checking a bunch off things off my to-do list!

dotty, wool blankets, and shiny pants

[wearing]
cardigan: vince
top: loft
leggings: ross
flats: cos

[three things]
1. I bought this cardigan a size up when I was preggers and this winter I am very happy that this giant blanket exists in my closet.

2. Is it too much if I'm wearing a blanket cardigan and flats that look like slippers?  I told a co-worker the other day that I only buy clothes that feel like pajamas.  I was kinda kidding, but really not so much.

3. Big stripes and tiny spots would definitely make the pattern mixing all-star team.

dotty, really tall boots, and really long cardigans

[wearing]
dress: j.crew
cardigan: old navy
bag: everlane
boots: old navy
necklace: target

[three things]
1. Hello!  It's been a minute, eh?  If you want to catch up on the places I've walked and a bajillion photos of my baby, then those two things are very well documented over on the 'gram.

2. These extra-tall boots recently joined my closet as part of my new-coats-and-boots-make-winter-slightly-better plan.

3. This dress has been in my closet for years now (evidence!) and that makes me strangely proud that I might just be finally making better purchases.  There were way too many years when it seemed like I was continually cleaning tons of stuff out of my closet that just didn't work out.  I still have to move things along, but the quantity is waaaaay less.



[previously on] j.crew camille dress

dotty, cardicoats, and coatigans

[wearing]
dress: loft
giant cardigan: cos
boots: loeffler randall

[three things]
1. Fall booooots!

2. Can I just keep the weather where it's crisp enough for big sweaters and boots, but not tights and hats?  Please, Midwest?

3. This cardigan is on the border between sweater and coat--which makes it perfect for a cold office since wearing a legit coat all day makes typing much more difficult.

dotty, crisp white, and...well, a bunch of dots.

[wearing]
dots top: catherine catherine malandrino
jeans: vince
flats: vince

Since any "three things" commentary would mostly be about how I managed to successfully not impale any toddlers at daycare this week while unfolding Maddie's stroller or how baby food bananas smell really good, we'll go with a little more structure for today's post.

creative: This top seems like the prefect combination of pattern and texture.  And yeah, I like me some dots.

young: This is essentially just jeans and a white top, but the longer sleeve length makes the top a bit more serious.

professional: This was a Friday outfit, but it could have been another day of the week with no client meetings since my office is pretty casual.  (Or I could just swap the jeans for some gray dress pants.)

weekend wishlist: fall dresses

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dotty, little navy dresses, and last hurrahs

[wearing]
dress: tibi (similar)
necklace: target
flats: vince

[three things]
1. Navy!  After a few years of being particularly devoted to black dresses, wearing some blue seems like a good idea.

2. Where did my shoes go?  Oh, don't worry, they are there...they just match my skin ridiculously well.

3. I'm trying to squeeze in a last hurrah for all my Summer dresses before Fall really arrives.  I find it much harder to find dresses that work with tights and boots for some reason, so my closet definitely favors the warmer months.

dotty, fall colors, and summer nails

[wearing]
top: vince
jeans: vince
flats: vince
clutch: clare vivier
necklace: target

[three things] 
1. Oh hi, fall color!  This shirt should make a lot of appearances during pumpkin season!

2. After being pretty into dark nail colors (especially grays) it's nice to switch it up with some off-white polish for a change.  

3. I've got a long-term commitment to gray jeans.  This is my second pair and I'm hoping they end up being as prolific as my first.  

weekend wishlist: upgraded sneakers

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eleven
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dotty, tiny dots, and helmut

[wearing]
jacket: helmut lang
dress: h and m
flats: justfab

[three things]
1. This long jacket with a long dress combination definitely makes me look shorter, but you just can't look taller than you actually are every day.  And really, I'm not tall, so there's that too.

2. This jacket is pretty awesome, but oddly hard to pair with my collection of more casual-ish dresses.  Whenever I pair it with a more tailored dress it gets an 80s vibe real quick.  #cutproblems

3. Flats with tiny dots on them have gotta be one of the happiest shoes out there.

dotty, pink, and pink

[wearing]
jacket: h and m
tunic: zara
jeans: vince
flats: vince

[three things]
1. I've been using a lot of blush pink lately to make my all-neutrals-all-the-time closet just a smidge more interesting.  I'm thinking that olive green might be my next foray into seasonal accent colors.

2. I've been really shying away from heels at work, so these pointy-toed flats have been dressing things up a bit.  It helps that I have two pairs of the same shoes in different colors.  And I might have my eye on a black pair to complete the trifecta.

3. Have we talked about my bangs yet?  They seem like old news to me now, but random co-workers still keep telling me how I look like a different person.  #giantofficeproblems

dotty, grown-up dotty, and young dotty

[wearing]
top: rebecca taylor
pants: old navy
flats: vince
clutch: clare vivier

[three things]
1. Lace crop tops are probably not usually intended for thirty-somethings.  I made an exception for this particular fancy and especially cropped one.

2. After wearing skinny pants pretty much exclusively, these pajama-like pants feel amazing.

3. Sometimes black pants and a black shirt are the perfect combination.  Man, if you had told me this ten years ago I would've said that that sounds like the most boring wardrobe ever.  I also was big on this idea that I should never wear black, just dark brown, because my hair was brown.  Oh, young Dotty, you had it all wrong.

 

weekend wishlist: shoooooes

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Lately I've got my eye on two new shoe purchases--blush pink flats and some sort of interesting fall boot.  If I wear the same black boots all winter like I did last year my shoooooes column on my Instagram feed is really going to suffer.  #priorities

dotty, maps, and dresses

[wearing]
dress: Y.A.S.
flats: cos
bag: rebecca minkoff
watch: mvmt

[three things]    
1. I wore this dress throughout my whole pregnancy (even though it is definitely not maternity) and was wearing it the day that I was induced.  Oh, memories.

2. Is this dress supposed to look like a topographic map?  That might be why I bought it.

3. These flats are really more like leather slippers.  And I am totally okay with that.

dotty, skirts, and sneakers

[wearing]
tee: old navy
skirt: t by alexander wang
sneaks: new balance
tote: banana republic

[three things]
1. This is totally the skirt version of my most repeatable outfit.

2. But with sneakers.

3. Because I take my walks to the grocery store very seriously, folks.

dotty, garbled words, and fridaaaaay

[wearing]
jacket: vince
tee: j.crew
jeans: joe's jeans
flats: justfab
watch: mvmt

[three things]
1. FriYAY.  This was my first full week back at work and whoa, I've been gone for awhile.  This is going to take some serious adjustment time!

2. Navy and black.  Together.  Bam.

3. Does it totally ruin this shirt to wear something over it that obscures the text?  It definitely confuses people when they can't read the whole word.  Oops!

dotty, shoppies, and pants problems

[wearing]
tunic: zara
pants: j.crew factory
shoes: vince camuto
bag: rebecca minkoff
necklace: maslo jewelry

[three things]
1. I was sorting through my work pants and I need to do some serious pant shopping.  Ugh.  Shopping for work pants has got to be one of my least favorite types of shoppies.  I might just wear dresses all the time if I didn't have to do site visits.

2. This tunic is from the Zara Woman line.  What am I?  A grownup or something?

3. I am super tempted to order this necklace's lighter colored cousin.  The only thing stopping me is that it's a rather distinctive/memorable necklace, so I probably don't need two versions of it.

dotty, monochrome dressing, and a white moto jacket

[wearing]
jacket: banana republic
dress: eliza j
flats: vince

[three things]
1. I bought this dress for my birthday last fall and considered wearing it to my baby shower in March, but then I wiggled my eight months pregnant self into it, looked in the mirror, and instantly thought "sixteen and pregnant."  It was pretty short with my bump and I couldn't shake the reality show association.  Luckily, without a bump it is an appropriate length for someone twice that age.

2. I've realized that over the last few years I feel most comfortable in primarily monochromatic outfits.  I wore a whole heckuva lot of black with black this past Winter, so I need to balance that out this Summer before I unpack my snowboots again.

3. This jacket gets soooo dirty.  It has a texture that somehow attracts all the dirt to me.