dress/belt and heels: Target
cardigan: thrifted
necklace: Jane
watch: secondhand (Coach)
Do you guys remember when pattern mixing was A Thing? A few years ago, it was all the rage with bloggers, right up there with color blocking and arm parties. I personally wasn't disappointed to see color blocking go the way of the dodo, as they say, but I think pattern mixing is a fairly classic trend.
I bought this dress back in early summer when it became apparent that I had five weddings on my calendar for 2015 and no appropriate dresses that hadn't already been seen by those particular social crowds. It's great for work too, though, and in the winter it's perfect with a pair of black tights. Although we're still facing unseasonably warm temps, so I feel like I could still get away with wearing this with nude hose if I wanted to. Craziness!
In other news, I now have a second blog (because maintaining one lately isn't enough). You can follow my adventures in portrait photography over at Elfie Photography, my business site. And hey, if you're looking for a newborn or family photographer in Columbus, Ohio, I'm your gal! Mention this blog to get 20% off your first session :)
dress: c/o eShakti
belt: came with a skirt from JCPenney
flats: Target
Friends and Twitter followers may be familiar with my phrase, "That's a problem for Future Emma." As in, "I really want to watch this movie, but I have so much work to do. Oh well, guess that's a problem for Future Emma."
Needless to say, I am rarely a fan of Past Emma.
So imagine my surprise when I went to edit some photos for today's post and realized that Past Emma had already edited four outfits' worth of photos! Proof that Past Emma is not always a jerk to Future Emma. Now I can go back to editing the last of the Marley photos.
Speaking of, can I ask you guys a huge favor? Kellen entered my favorite shot of Marley in a Parents magazine contest. If she wins, the photo I took of her will be on the cover of the magazine! This is obviously pretty exciting for both of us, so if you have a moment, could you please vote for her here? And if you feel so inclined, you can vote from multiple computers, your smartphone, your tablet and using your Twitter and Facebook account. I think you can also vote once per day via each of these methods. She is/we are currently #28, which is amazing and definitely within the "we could win it" range. Thanks so much if you vote!!
Guys, spring is almost here. It's so close I can practically taste it. Today, I left the house in just my faux-leather jacket...and it was UNZIPPED! DUN DUN DUN!!! And the season being just a few weeks away (we hope) means one thing: Spring fashion is starting to hit the shelves! Today I'm sharing with you a piece from my favorite online retailer, eShakti. If you've been around the blog for any length of time, you might remember some of the other items I've reviewed or purchased. (Can we take a moment to appreciate how glorious my hair looks in that first link? Not gonna lie, it kind of makes me want to grow it out again...)
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Spring is (almost) here, eShakti's spring 2014 line is actually here, and it is totally fabulous. And when they offered to have me review another sample, I was all about it. Once again, I chose a dress, but they have a ton of cute tops and skirts as well. I just really, really, really love their dresses. Seriously, it took me like two hours to find all my favorites and narrow them down to just one item. And here it is:
dress: c/o eShakti (like it? buy it here)
heels: Target
I love dresses that have a little neckline embellishment, thus eliminating the need for a necklace. It's such an easy, hassle-free outfit! Other awesome things about this dress (and most of their dresses, actually) are the pockets (woohoo!) and the built-in-bra-strap-wranglers. They might have an official name, but I like mine better. They're these little straps that snap into place inside the shoulder of the dress, and they do just what my name implies: Prevent those pesky straps from peeking out.
As usual, I used my own measurements to order a custom-sized dress, though I didn't use the "change sleeves/skirt length" options that are available. Naturally, it fits like a dream. I can't wait until spring to wear it to...well, everything :)
Oh, and if you were wondering, here are a few of the other options I considered. So much love!
Are you an eShakti fan? What's your favorite item from this season's collection? Link up in the comments!
Disclaimer: Most of my outfits are fairly modest/tame, but you are about to see what is undoubtedly the most risqué outfit I've ever posted, and possibly ever worn. It was for a bachelorette party that consisted of nothing but bar-hopping in Columbus' Arena District, where I was actually dressed more modestly than many girls out that night. That said, I felt pretty damn fabulous. Here goes:
dress: Express via Discount Fashion Warehouse
shoes: Lane Bryant via Discount Fashion Warehouse
necklace: Express
bracelet: Etsy
Ok, so it's not THAT bad. But I've never even considered wearing something with mesh-covered cutouts over my waist, back and chest area. I actually felt really awkward and nervous until I got a couple of drinks in me...then all the women in the bathroom kept complimenting me on it and I felt much better, haha. The only downside is that I now need to find another excuse to wear it out. It's not exactly a dinner-date kind of getup...unless I want Matt to look like he hired an escort for dinner ;)
Still. Every time I buy something, it's with the intent to remix it and wear it a billion times. It's kind of nice to splurge on a completely frivolous item! I initially thought the heels would be frivolous too, but they're so comfy and so awesome that I think I'll be wearing them fairly often. The challenge? Styling them for work. Muah ha ha...
Oh, and heads up: I only posted this today because frankly, it seems weird posting such an intense outfit during the week. Like, oh hey, happy Tuesday, here's waaaaaaay more skin than you're used to seeing. Let this serve as inspiration for your weekend, maybe? PARTY ON DUDES.
Okay. So for those of you who have been long-time readers (or as long-time as you can get for a blog that's two and a half years old) will recognize this as the post where I apologize profusely yet somehow lackadaisically for the upcoming infrequency of posts. Yup, that pesky thing called "life" is happening again (go figure) and I'll be a bit quiet for the remainder of the month. But instead of the old "freelance work is burying me alive!" excuse, I actually have a fun reason.
Matt and I are moving!
We'll still be in Columbus--in fact, our new house is only about half a mile from our current one--but the new place is a major upgrade. It's a side-by-side duplex, so we have an upstairs for the first time! (Our current place is a one-over-the-other duplex, so our neighbors live above us.) Also, it has air conditioning, about 50% more space, a claw-foot bathtub, and an enormous six-by-nine-and-a-half-foot room that will be my very own closet. Needless to say, we're chomping at the bit.
Fortunately, we find ourselves with a bit of an overlap. Or a lot of an overlap. More than three weeks' worth. We got the keys last week and started painting over some ugly trim, narrowing down paint choices for the rest of the house, and just generally figuring out how much furniture and whatnot we'll need to fill the space. This weekend we'll paint pretty much every room in the place, thanks to some help from friends, and next weekend we officially move in. Then it's just a matter of cleaning up the old place, filling a multitude of nail holes, and all the other little things that will help us get our deposit back.
So what does this mean for Verbal Mélange, you might be wondering? Or not, I mean, I'm sure no one is as deeply interested/invested in this little corner of the internet as I am. But in case you're curious, I'll tell you. It means the aforementioned shortage of posts for now, but also a HUGE FLOOD of house-related posts in the near future. I'll still post outfit photos, of course, along with the occasional recipe. But the DIY- and decor-related stuff around here is gonna be featured in a big way. What can I say? I love to nest. And this house is actually worth nesting in, unlike our current one that features not-up-to-code flooring, teeny tiny spaces and generally sub-par potential.
So for now, I leave you with these unfortunately blurry photos. Sorry, guys...I didn't realize it until I deleted the others from this shoot. Womp womp.
dress: secondhand
button-down: New York & Company
shoes: Buckle
necklace: The Limited
If you follow me on Instagram, then maybe you saw this photo I posted last night:
That's right! My insurance claim was finally processed, so I went out and snapped up my new Macbook. (Using the credit card that earns me Amazon points, which I will promptly pay off when my check is deposited on Friday. Free money, woop woop! Also, new computer, woop woop times infinity!)
I also decided to try to re-install my Adobe Creative Suite. I knew if I was able to install it, that would mean the pawn shop had uninstalled all my software on my old computer in addition to wiping my other info from it. And sure enough, Adobe installed! So good news all around.
It seems fitting, then, that I'm down to the last photos from my point-and-shoot camera. And they happen to be from the morning that all this ish went down. I've been kind of avoiding these pics, to be honest, and for a while I thought I wouldn't post them at all. But not posting them won't change anything, and I'm sick of letting fear and regret dictate my choices and actions. So here they are.
button-down: New York & Company
dress: eShakti
nude shoes: Franco Sarto via Marshall's
silver shoes: DSW
necklace: gifted
The top photo is what I had planned to wear to work that day. I stuck the heels in my bag because walking long distances in them is pretty awful, so I was wearing flip flops. (Yes, I tried to chase down a thief wearing flips flops and a dress.) Needless to say, those nude shoes are gone. I would up wearing the silver ones when I went to work for a few hours that day in a vain attempt to distract myself.
I suppose the silver lining to losing those Franco Sartos is that I didn't wear them much because the heel height was a bit too much for me...and my insurance pays out replacement value for items, so they gave me $95 for these shoes instead of the $25 or so I paid. So, that's cool, I guess.
Those bottom two side-by-side photos, by the way, are what I wore to my sister's high school graduation party. It's so crazy to think that she's going to college in just about a month--but she's going to my alma mater, so I'll have plenty of excuses to visit her ;)
dress, heels: Target
shrug thingy: thrifted
necklace: gifted
I'm not sure why I look so stern in that first photo. The weird faces we make when taking blog pics, amiright? Also, these pics are maybe the best I've ever taken on my point-and-shoot. The lighting was pure perfection.
So last year, I was a bridesmaid in the weddings of my sister (Abby) and of one of my dearest friends (Tiffany). Usually, as a bridesmaid, you just kind of accept the fact that whatever you are wearing will be banished to the back of your closet until you eventually decide to give it to a thrift shop for some thrift-happy girl to wear to prom. But this dress right here? That was my bridesmaid dress for Abby's wedding. It was $20 at Target. How awesome is that? I got so many compliments on it when I re-wore it last week. And my necklace was a gift that Tiffany gave all her bridesmaids for her wedding. So I was really channeling my former bridesmaid-ness with this outfit :)
The dress for Tiffany's wedding was a bit more like your average bridesmaid dress...satiny-y and fairly formal. Not something I could probably ever wear again. (As if I could even fit into it...I gained weight between ordering it and wearing it the day of, meaning I was gasping for air most of the day. And I've gained a couple more pounds since then, too, so...yeah.) But I have a pretty cool idea for re-using the dress later on, so it won't go to waste! I can't post it here, because it's going to be a surprise for Tiff, but when I do get the chance to do it, I'll post pics :)
Speaking of pics, I got some AHH-MAZING shots of fireworks last night! I'm going to try to upload them this evening/weekend, despite a full schedule. (My parents and some of my sibs are coming down to Columbus to visit today, I'm heading up to Cleveland to see Book of Mormon tomorrow, and on Sunday I'll be in Akron to see Abby and her husband, who are up visiting from South Carolina--busy weekend!) So keep your eyes peeled for a special weekend-edition post, maybe. (Oh and hey, if you're a robber thinking, "Sweet, the house will be empty all weekend," you might wanna think again. Matt will be home most of the time, as will our upstairs neighbors. Sorry, everyone else. You can't be too safe.)
What about y'all? Any fun weekend plans?
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!
Ok, I'm officially over winter. I mean, let's be honest, I was officially over winter about five minutes after it started, but I'm going into full-on cabin fever mode. I want pretty skirts and dresses without tights, and sandals, and bright colors and fun patterns. So when I was invited to sample an item from eShakti's spring line, my winter-weary heart skipped a little beat. I was instructed to pick my top three dresses, and they'd send me one of them to review here on the blog. How fun is that? Nothing like a great springtime surprise, right?
For those of you who aren't familiar with this great online shop, it specializes in custom clothes. So in addition to carrying sizes 0-36W, you can also send in your own personal measurements and they'll make the clothes specifically to fit you. Fo' free, y'all. You can also make other customizations, like changing the sleeves, hem lengths, and adding or removing embroidery, pockets and other embellishments. It's like designing your own clothes! And I'm picky and awkwardly sized, so of course I love it.
Anyway, here are the three items (all dresses, of course) that I'm going to send in as possible samples:
The cute black-and-white floral is my top choice and offers soooo much in the way of remixing possibilities, don't you think? And the navy one would fill a major hole in my closet...in fact, it'll probably be part of my March clothing budget if I don't wind up getting it as a sample. And the shirtdress is just fun!
You can check out eShakti's spring line here. Which items are you jonesing for?
Oh, hello there. I seem to have forgotten that I have a little blog going here. I guess a little break was necessary, given all the chaos of the holiday and the wretched cold/flu hybrid I'm just now recovering from. Anyway, I'm still here! And I still have outfits to post! Hooray for having a little stockpile of postable outfits :)
dress: H&M
cardi, booties, tights, belt: Target
necklace: sidewalk sale
So I decided to do the whole "year-end outfit review roundup" post, but because I am the queen of a nation called Procrastia (see what I did there?), I'll be doing two posts tomorrow. Making up for lost time in December, I suppose?
In other news, I got a TON of kitchen stuff for Christmas this year. You know what that means? More food posts in 2013!! Woop woop! Better dust off that ol' gym membership now, haha...
dress, necklace: The Limited
blazer, wedges, belt, tights: Target
This outfit features several of the items I bought during my previously mentioned shopping spree. The dress, the tights and the shoes are all new, and let me tell how much I am loving these shoes: A LOT. Seriously, they're my new favorites. They're closed, so I can wear socks and keep my feet warm. They add height, so they give me the appearance of being classy. And they're wedges, so I can actually walk in them without wobbling. Ladies and gentlemen, it's the trifecta.
The dress is pretty great, too. This photo is of an outfit I wore to work; I wore almost the exact same thing to Thanksgiving festivities. (The Thanksgiving version featured black tights and no blazer or belt...gotta love Indian summer days!) Anyway, I got a lot of compliments on this dress from my family. And the best part? I bought it on clearance, when The Limited was having a 40% off storewide sale, so it only cost me $20. Ultimate win.
dress: c/o eShakti
heels: Franco Sarto via Marshall's
bracelets: handmade in Uganda (fundraiser purchase)
ring: TaDa.com
First, I know that this dress looks gray, but it's definitely purple, I promise. Someday, I'll photograph it proper light, I swear. It's frustrating when outfits don't show up on camera the way they do in real life, isn't it? (Where are my fellow bloggers? You know what I'm talking about.)
Anyway, I wore this last Friday to Matt's sister's wedding rehearsal dinner. Even though this dress is wool, it's surprisingly light and comfortable, which is great because dinner was a several-hour-long gathering filled with wine, good company and great conversation. (Come to think of it, I feel like those three tend to go hand in hand, don't they?)
Saturday was, of course, the wedding. It was so unbelievably gorgeous; Matt's sister, Beth, looked like she came straight from 1940s Hollywood. I didn't get a chance to get a photo with her (she and her new husband were busy socializing with the other 150 guests, of course), but after the ceremony I pulled Matt aside for a quick snap of my outfit with my phone.
dress: Lily Boutique
scarf-as-shawl, necklace, clutch: Target
shoes: DSW
bracelet: Forever 21
ring: TaDa.com
This dress is actually kind of the reason why I don't shop online very often. When I first saw this dress on Pinterest, I immediately fell completely in love. I waited literally four weeks for it to come back in stock, then pounced on it the second it was available. On the mannequin, the dress looks great. Classy. Elegant. On me, it looks so short as to be almost a little...wel...inappropriate. Almost.
But when I wrapped this scarf around my shoulders, shawl-like, it added some modesty to the outfit and kept it from showing too much skin. Low(er) heels helped with that, too. Maybe next time I'll try it with a pair of opaque tights, to balance out the shortness, and leave my arms bare. Hm...
dress: gifted
sleeveless collared shirt: New York & Company
cardi: H&M
shoes: secondhand
necklace: Target
bracelet: Forever 21
Sorry if you're tired of hearing (reading?) this from me, but my office is COLD. Like, keep-a-heavy-sweater-in-your-cube cold. Once, I wore a skirt and long sleeves, and wound up having to wrap my sweater around my legs and tie the arms in a knot to keep it in place. That. Cold.
Anyway, the best way to handle such frigid temps when it's 90 degrees outside is, of course, layers. I just throw a non-wrinkle-prone cardi in my bag with my high heels, then throw it on when I get to work and switch my comfy shoes for my actual shoes. (Hey, walking around downtown in four-inch heels is NO FUN.)
So I need some feedback from you guys with this outfit. When I was wearing it, I felt really thick around the middle. Just kind of...puffy. And when I look at this outfit, I feel like I look puffy. Does anyone else see that, or is it just me? Also, I'm not really sold on these shoes. I think they'd be cute with long pants, so just the toes poke out. My friend at work called them "grandma" shoes...you can't see it in the photos, but they have a square one-inch heel. Any opinions on those?
This might be the first time I ever posted at night, haha. But I need a break from cranking out all my freelance writing...between today and Friday at 7 pm, I have to crank out about 8,000 words. I have about 2,000 down. Not bad. But I wanted to write about something other than Mac external hard drives for a little bit, and I still have New Year's Eve photos to post, so...
dress: New York & Company, last year
tights: Target
pumps, clutch: thrifted
broach: came with a NY&Co shirt
bracelets: don't remember
hoop earrings: gift from Emily
Matt and I, just before midnight.I look nervous in that first picture because, well, I was. Turquoise tights. TURQUOISE tights, people!! This is unprecedented. I know it's a bit lame, since I've been doing the style blogging thing for nine months now, but I truly never would have worn an outfit like this one in December of 2010. In fact, I bought this dress for NYE 2010, couldn't figure out how I wanted to wear it, and promptly forgot to return it. This dress sat in my closet, tags on, for a full year! The fashion sacrilege. Now, I think it might be one of my favorite dresses. (It's kind of hard to tell, but it's got this chiffon-like fabric ruffled all down the front. Very pretty.)In fact, this outfit throws into sharp focus just how much has changed for me in the past year. Some of the big things have remained the same, of course—Matt, and my job—but so many other details have changed. We moved into our first house (okay, we're still renting, but it's a house!) and got a spastic kitty. (Who I love dearly.) I went on a Financial Diet, saved more than $1,000, and got on a solid plan to get out of debt. I worked three jobs for a time; something I never thought I'd have the determination or energy to do, but somehow managed anyway. And I started this blog.I'm not one for resolutions, but I've been trying to improve my life, health and well-being in general these past few months, so I'm going to continue with that. I'd like to go down to just working one job, but I'll do what I have to do, to get where I want to get. And I'm going to keep up with this blog; something I wasn't really sure I'd be able to do when I first started it.Sorry for the rather long post. I get this way when I start reflecting and whatnot. Anyway, here's to a bright, productive, blessed and happy 2012...for all of us.
