blouse, skirt: secondhand
blazer: Express via Discount Fashion Warehouse
tights, heels: Target
necklace: gifted
Oh yeah, I went there. Does using words like "chillaxin'" make me cooly ironic, or just dorky? Wait, don't answer that; I've just realized that I don't actually care :)
So I thought this weekend would be a pretty busy one, but it actually turned out to be fairly chill. We went to a friend's housewarming-slash-football-viewing party (Go Bucks!) for most of the day Saturday, then Matt and I ordered in and watched movies the rest of the evening. (Apparently one's day-drinking skills go out the window a few years after college.) And Sunday I did some freelance work while Matt ran errands, and we settled in for some more do-nothing laziness. It was incredible, especially after the chaos of last weekend.
And of course, it's now Monday and I'm wishing for a third consecutive morning of lay-in-bed laziness. Ah, well. I guess I'll never be able to get enough of that :)
On a random note, after looking at these pictures, I've decided it's time to pull another RIT-in-the-washing-machine-dye-job. This blazer is decidedly less black than the tights and shoes. I've done it before, but dyeing clothes in the washer always makes me nervous. Have you ever tried it?
P.S. Hey Columbus-ites, don't forget to enter my giveaway! Ends a week from yesterday. Also, it's pretty damn epic.
shirtdress: Express via Discount Fashion Warehouse
tights: Groupon deal
boots: Target
Only two shots today because the rest turned out unexpectedly out of focus or I just looked kinda dumb. Having a rosebush in the background is nice, but it definitely makes it harder to get a good lock on the field of focus. Actually, I'm not even a huge fan of this outfit either, but it's the only one left in my queue and I didn't post yesterday, so... I guess they can't all be winners, huh?
I think I would have liked this outfit better if the tights had been the right color. They're supposed to be gray, but they're such a dark slate gray that they're nearly black. I have a pair of lighter gray tights, but I'm not good at making decisions in the mornings. I'm too busy trying to wake up. In fact, most of the outfits you see posted here are the result of pre-planning the night before. (I even have a note in my phone with possible outfit ideas.) Once in a while I'll surprise myself in the mornings, but usually if I don't plan an outfit in advance I end up wearing slacks and a plain blouse or nice t-shirt. This outfit was pre-planned, but I just couldn't get it together enough to decide to change my tights, haha.
How do you plan your outfits? Do you like to throw things together the morning of, or do you brainstorm ideas the night (or days) before?
...is pretty much what I need to do with my life.
shirt: thrifted
skirt, tights, necklace: The Limited
heels: Target
belt: came w/ a skirt from JCPenney
I often feel like there's not enough time in the evenings to do all the stuff I want to do. Work out, shower, blog, make a delicious (read: not frozen/takeout) dinner, occasional freelance work, relax...actually, when I list it all out, it really doesn't sound like that much. But it sure feels like it.
The obvious solution would be to do some of those things (work out and/or blog) in the mornings. But I'll be honest: Mornings are NOT my strong suit. I am so anti-mornings that I've turned Matt, who used to be a huge morning person. Now we both just hit the snooze over and over, curling up under the blankets and trying to avoid the inevitable moment when we actually have to (gag) get out of bed.
I would love to get up an hour earlier to head to the gym or even half an hour earlier to write a blog post. But honestly, dragging my sorry butt out of bed at 7 (okay, let's be honest, 7:15) is hard enough as it is. I know. I'm the worst.
dress: The Limited
scarf, boots: gifted (boots via Old Navy)
belt: came with a skirt from JCPenney
tights: Target
You know what they say...when it rains it pours. (Or if you live in the midwest/on the East Coast this week, you could go with "when it snows, it dumps 10 freaking inches on your lawn in March." Somehow, it doesn't roll off the tongue quite as smoothly.)
Uhh...where was I? Oh yeah. Raining and pouring. That's how my workload has been lately. I feel like I simply cannot catch up this week. A series of last-minute tweaks to the fashion article I mentioned last week have been sucking up a lot of my usual blogging time, and I'm trying to get back into a workout routine again. (My ab muscles can at least testify that I've been doing okay on that effort—oof, it hurts.) And of course, there seems to be a million other things going on, too.
I guess I can't complain, really. Maybe by the time things settle down, it'll be warm and springy outside and I'll actually feel inspired to do new outfit pics on a more regular basis!
shirt, tights: H&M
cardigan, flats, belt: Target
skirt: New York & Company
necklace: VeryJane
Last week I talked about my evolving sense of personal style, and how I find myself wearing things that I normally never would wear. Like purple skirts and lots of tights in various colors (not to mention colored pants), trendy colors like mint, and of course, different animal prints. Now, it's kind of funny to think that I once shied away from all those things. Especially animal print, which is one of my new favorite ways to accessorize.
So that ramble-tastic paragraph is really just my awkward introduction to my new leopard print shoes! I mentioned that my old flats died a noble death as a result of too much love, and I bought these at Target to replace them. Two years ago--hell, one year ago--I would have immediately dismissed these shoes because of the studs. Now? I think the studs are my favorite part about these guys. Prepare to see more studded items around here, as I find them.
So here's the link to the shoe on Target. You can't buy it online right now, but you might still be able to find it in stores. While I really love these guys (yes, apparently my flats are male), I do have a warning: The back of the heel is a bit high, so they take a while to break in. I had to wear bandaids on my heels for a few days, but it's totally worth it.
Every once in a while, the folks at eShakti contact me to offer an item sample for me or a discount code for my readers. This month, they went all out and did both! Free swag for me and a bonus perk for you guys? Love it.
If you're not familiar with this online shop, let me give you the quick rundown. (Otherwise, skip to the next paragraph? Or read this one. Hey, who am I to boss you around?) It's this awesome online store that features a great array of skirts, dresses, tops, etc etc. My favorite thing about it, though, is that you can custom-order any item they sell with your exact measurements. For someone like me, who has really broad shoulders, really slim hips and really long legs (I'm like a weird isosceles triangle), this is a major blessing. And the custom-sizing options are FREE, and include the ability to adjust sleeve and skirt length, when applicable. So really, the store is about quality clothes that are custom-made to your measurements...and what more can a girl ask for?
For my sample, I was allowed to pick anything from the store's new fall line. It was NOT an easy decision, let me assure you, but I decided on this dress, with my own custom measurements of course. And I lurrrrve it! It's a little big in the bust, I think, but let's be honest: Matt helped me get all my measurements using a scrap of measuring tape that didn't go all the way around my chest. It's highly possible that one (or both) of us used just a little too much wishful thinking when measuring that part, haha!
cardi, tights: Target
dress: c/o eShakti
booties: Burlington Coat Factory
And, as promised, here's that coupon code. Unfortunately, it's only good for those who have never made a purchase from this store before, but if you've been looking for an excuse to try the place out, well, here it is! Just use the code below to get $25 off your first purchase between now and the end of the year. Cha-ching!
And hey, since you were cool enough to read all the way down here, you should probably make sure you enter my giveaway, too!
Disclaimer: eShakti sent me this dress, free of charge, in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions stated here are, in fact, my fair and honest opinions. As for the coupon code, I get a little shopping bonus (basically, an eShakti gift certificate) each time someone uses it. But don't let that stop you ;) In fact, feel free to share it with your friends, too!
After Saturday's post about promising to not let negativity get the best of me, I actually had a really wonderful weekend. We grilled out and watched the OSU Final Four game with a bunch of friends (even though it was a heart-breaking loss, I'm proud of our boys! Go Bucks!) and went downtown to the outdoor climbing wall to get in a few good routes. It was lovely.It was actually pretty easy to be positive and in a good mood this weekend. But like all good things, the weekend had to end and here we are at Monday. Matt just left for a five-day business trip in Texas; the longest one he's been on since he started this job. In fact, this week will be the longest we've been apart since I was a junior in college and had to spend winter break at my parents' house. And while it's definitely easier to be happy when he's around, I'm not going to let this (and the whole stressful job situation I mentioned on Saturday) get the best of me. Positivity!
blazer, tights: Target
blouse: The Limited
skirt, pumps: thrifted
watch: Walmart
necklace: gifted from MattI wore this for my job interview back in January. I was going to save it and post when I had an official start date, but I got tired of waiting. Plus, pretty soon all my photos will be outdoor shots, so I'm trying to get rid of the inside ones now.This actually isn't the first interview I've had in the past six months. I wore this outfit way back in October to an interview for a job that I didn't end up getting. That's okay though. I know I'll like this new opportunity, when I finally get started with it, more than I ever would have enjoyed the job that I didn't get.I'm thinking I might make that outfit my "first day at a new job" one, actually. It's one of my favorite professional styles that have appeared on this blog. Positivity! This week could be the week! And if it's not, well, that's okay too. Some things are worth waiting for.
I'm not gonna lie, I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day. I always managed to get fewer cards in my box in elementary school, and I'm not even gonna start on the horrors of dating-age Valentine's Days. (Though I will say that in college alone, I drunkenly ran into my ex at a bar and made a fool of myself one year, then almost had to go to the hospital the next while making dinner for Matt. Suffice to say the holiday has not treated me well.)This year, Matt is currently en route to Louisiana for work. We did celebrate last weekend, and I came home last night to a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me, so I suppose things could be worse :)
Still. I definitely have a love-hate relationship with the holiday, and I think I somehow channeled that into my outfit today. There's a good balance of cynical black and romantic pink and red, haha.
button-up and sweater: New York & Company
skirt: The Limited
tights: Target
pumps: thrifted
necklace: Tiffany & Co (gift from my aunt)I have to say, I've never been a big fan of the pink and red combo that's so trendy right now. Not sure why, but it's always kind of bugged me. But when I woke up this morning, I decided to face the EBEW challenge head on, stretching myself ever so slightly out of my comfort zone. And you know what? I don't hate it.Linked to:
Do you ever wear an outfit all day, thinking you look awesome, only to realize as you edit and blog your outfit pics that you actually don't? That maybe, just maybe, you look a little bit like a hooker, or some other inappropriate wardrobe malfunction has befallen you? No? Just me then.
(This one's the hooker-esque shot)
dress: H&M
cardi: Old Navy
tights and socks: Target
boots: Burlington Coat Factory
ring: Modcloth, giveaway winSo yeah. This would have been much, much better with flat boots. But I wore this weeks ago (just found it in my "to-post" list, haha) so I didn't have my beloved flat black boots yet. I'm pretty sure I'll never wear these boots again, in fact. I'm not sure what it is...something about the heel and the way it folds over at the top makes me think "slutty pirate." But I bought these last year, when I was desperate for cute boots and stupid with my money.Hey. You live and learn, right?
