Plaid Shoes

• Blue jacket, The Difference
• Ivory top, GNW
• Purple cami, The Difference
• Navy pants, Lane Bryant
• Shoes, JC Penney
• Necklace, gift

I love shoes. I have lots of different styles, colors and heel heights. I'm trying to vary which ones I wear, so today I created an outfit around my purple and navy plaid flats. It was warm, flattering, and fun so I'm willing to overlook the fact that my navy pants are too short even for flats. Grrr.

Combining patterns

• Circle top, Cubism


• Aqua 3/4 sleeve tee, Port Authority


• Grey wrap, The Difference


• Black flowy pants, Lane Bryant
  
• Shoes, Franco Sarto


• Necklace and earrings, The Difference

Originally I was going to try something new. I had a pair of black pinstriped pants I planned to wear, making it my first official attempt at mixing patterns. Unfortunately, those pants are too short these days (am I growing or are my pants shrinking?) so I tossed them into the swap pile and will need to keep my eyes open for new ones. It's still a fun/cute outfit, but the pinstripe definitely upped the fun factor. Oh well!

PS - yes, these are the same pants I wore yesterday, and no, I didn't wash them! oh, the horror!!

Contrary to popular opinion...

I did actually wear cute clothes last week, I was just too busy to post about them. The first week of the trimester nearly did me in - explaining the rules and procedures of the classroom 8 times will do that to a person. Not to mention I think I was coming down with a cold, though I did manage to fight that off with Zicam, water and sleep.

Anyway, onto today:

• Sheer black top, Kohls
• Black lace cami, The Difference
• Green leafy top, Cubism
• Flowy black pants, Lane Bryant
• Green shoes, Paolo
• Green necklace, The Difference

I loved this outfit today. Flowy is always good, especially when a person is having a fat day, and I love any outfit that allows me to wear my green shoes. The best part about the green shoes? EVERYONE notices them and I get tons of comments on them all day long.

Still no batteries in the camera. I need to get on that.

Cuteness Abounds

• Circle top, Cubism
• Black 3/4sleeve tee, Port Authority
• Red wool skirt, J. Jill
• Black tights, Lane Bryant
• Grey shoes, Franco Sarto

I feel very cute today. Love those days!

Last minute adjustments

Picture to come. Batteries in the camera are dead. Darn.

• Ivory lace top, Target
• Red long sleeve top, Petite Pois
• Jeans, Eddie Bauer
• Shoes, Amalfi

I got up this morning and put on one of my favorite black tops instead of this ivory one, only to discover that the right sleeve of the black top had unravelled in the wash. I was so sad. Thankfully, the store took it back but they were not able to replace it since they've sold out. They did give me my money back, but now I no longer have my favorite top. I loved that top more than is natural. *sigh* RIP, cute black LB top!

Foundations

One of the really important parts of clothing, especially for women, is the foundation. Meaning (men, close your ears) bras. The way your ladies are being held up can make or break an outfit. It can also make you look heavier or thinner, depending on how well your foundations are or aren't working for you.

I'd been meaning to get new bras for a while but hated the idea of dropping all that money. I'm rather *ahem* blessed in that arena so I can't just walk into Kohl's and pick something up off the rack. Instead, it's a process for me that involves women I've never met before, loads of styles, a measuring tape, and lots of tugging and pulling.

One of the main reasons I tend to avoid bra shopping, and I'm sure other women feel the same, is that it seems so overwhelming. How do I know what to get? Which size/style/brand is going to be best for me?! All that putting on and taking off gets really really really old, not to mention when none of the 5,736 bras you took to the dressing room with you works, then you have to get dressed and head back out to start over.

Which is why I love Nordstrom. They have the best lingerie department ever. I will gladly drop a bit more coin for the wonderful experiences I have there. First, they go into the dressing room with you and measure you to see what size you need. Then, they get a couple of "sizing bras" - middle of the road garments that allow them to better know what type of bra you need. Because, you see, one brand or cut does not fit all. Each style is made slightly differently, and they are looking for specific cues that a bra fits you well. Once they've determined which brands/styles/cuts work best for you, they start bringing bras by the truckload.

It's fantastic. After about 30 minutes, I walked out with two new bras and a brand new outlook. I felt good again. So ladies, get out there and get yourself measured and fit for a brand new bra.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

• Orange Sweater, CMC



• Black Cami, The Difference

• Grey Skirt, Tribal


• Orange Tights, We Love Colors


• Grey Shoes, Franco Sarto


• Silver necklace, The Difference

I was all excited to wear this great new outfit, getting back to being dressier, wearing a skirt, giving my new tights a go for the first time, and embracing color. Then one of my students said to me, "Ms. S, Halloween was, like, 3 weeks ago!" Oops. Oh well, I always did like The Great Pumpkin.

PS - No head today. It was 10 by the time I got home to take the pic and every time I shot the photo I looked tired and dumb. The outfit is the important part anyway!

Playdate

I discovered tonight, as I tried to decide what to wear tomorrow, that I really need to have a weekend playdate with my clothes. It's fun to mix and match, and I always wind up with 4 or 5 ideas centered around 1 piece of clothing (I should probably write those ideas down, huh?). If I keep playing long enough, eventually I have a full weeks worth of clothes, which is a very, very good thing.

I'm also having to learn that clothes in the new closet get buried. My closet in the old house was a) completely mine and b) completely open. There were no doors, thus no place for the clothes to hide. In this house, though, the stuff that hangs toward the middle of the closet kind of gets lost. I had a skirt hanging in there that I completely forgot about - one of my favorites, too!

Which brings me to my next point - I really need to wear skirts more. I have several, and they are all crazy comfortable. My issue with "dressing up" has never been the skirt or dress itself, but instead the hosiery. Since I discovered We Love Colors (thanks Kasmira!) hosiery is no longer a problem. Not only are their tights comfy, but they are opaque so I feel well covered.

However, if I'm going to start wearing my skirts and dresses more, I need a slip or two. I really wanted to wear a new knit dress tomorrow, but as I was playing around in it I noticed it was sticking to my stockings and slowly c-r-e-e-p-i-n-g its way up my thighs. Whoops! I'm pretty sure I donated my old slips to Salvation Army when we moved since they are old and um, no longer the right size.

So those are my revelations. The slips I can definitely do something about, and I can work to incorporate my skirts more. The ony problem could be the weekend playdates. I hate hate hate getting dressed/trying on clothes - always have, ask my mom about shopping with me when I was younger - so while getting the outfits together is never a problem, trying them on to be sure they work almost certainly will be. Oh well, maybe I can power through, one week at a time.

Quit gettin' up in my grill, yo!

:-P

I know I need to take pictures. I know! I'm lazy. sorry. I'll do better next week...I hope.

Boring, yet again

• Blue sweater, Lane Bryant
• Gray pants, Lane Bryant
• Necklace, Fred Meyer...or Target

It's production week, I can't be bothered with exciting outfits :-P

Seeing spots

• Spotted top, Macy's
• Black tee, Port Authority
• Jeans, Eddie Bauer

One of my students said, "you're very spotty today." Hah! If only he knew just how spotty (and flighty) I truly am!

Neon Sign

• Black top, Lane Bryan
• Pink tee, Port Authority
• Jeans, The Difference

I felt like a flashing neon sign in this pink top. Normally I don't but the contrast with the black was kind of "WHOA!"

Romance

• Maroon top, Petite Pois
• Ivory lace top, GNW
• Jeans, Eddie Bauer
• Necklace, The Difference

This outfit seems very romantic to me. At least it's comfy though!

Update

Oddly enough, I've been wearing good outfits but not posting. Normally when I quit posting it's 'cause I'm wearing dumb outfits - jeans and whatever top I happen to grab - but I've been quite creative lately. Unfortunately, I've also been crazy busy. I'll start again Monday. I might even finally get around to taking pictures.

Boooo-riiiiiing!, Take Two

Sad that I have two very boring days in one week. Jeans and a CU long sleeved tee just don't really make for a fantastic outfit though, sorry!

Booo-riiiiing

• Black sweater, ? I honestly can't remember where it came from! Kohls, maybe?
• Purple cami, The Difference
• Black pants, Lane Bryant
• Plaid shoes, JC Penney

This outfit is soooo boring. I had another outfit planned, but didn't like the way it looked at the last minute so I changed to this. It's boring, but safe, and I did get lots of compliments on the shoes!

Hello, Juliet!

• Tan top, Fred Meyer
• Maroon top, The Difference
• Brown Pants, Liz Claiborne Outlet
• Red shoes, 9-2-5

I love how versatile this maroon top is! I can wear it with so many colors, and in so many ways. My goal is to see how many times I can wear it in a different way before it gets too warm for the top - and without wearing it more than once a week. I love it, and I think it looks a little different under every top.

This version of the maroon top makes me feel all Juliet like. A rose by any other name...

Calling in sick

I'm out sick today. I doubt anyone cares, but my outfit consists of pajama pants, a long sleeved softball shirt, my robe, and my slippers. Oh, and my softball quilt most of the time.

Black and white and red all over

• Sweater, Lane Bryant
• Top, Cubism
• Cami, The Difference
• Jeans, Eddie Bauer
• Shoes, Franco Sarto

You know that old joke, what's black and white and red all over? (A zebra in a blender). Well, my students tell is and the answer is a newspaper. Get it? "Read" all over. ha ha.

It was definitely fall out today, so I was excited to be able to wear the sweater. Actually, I was planning on the sweater - I got it several weeks ago and haven't had a chance to wear it in our 90 degree weather - so I was bound and determined to wear it today, no matter what. Boy was I relieved when I woke up and it was raining - perfect sweater weather!

The jeans were originally too long, but I've washed them and dried them on high a couple of times and they've shrunk enough to wear with heels. I'll have to make sure to wear heels, though; they're still too long for flats.

Mixed Tape

• Green sweater, The Difference
• White cami, The Difference
• Jean skirt, Lane Bryant
• Black leggings, The Difference
• Green Shoes, Paolo

This outfit reminds me of the late 80s and early 90s, when we were all about the mixed tapes. My friends and I would sit there with our fingers poised over the record button of our tape decks, waiting for our favorite songs to come on the radio so we could tape them and have them forever and ever. It was always so frustrating when the DJ would talk all the way through the intro of the song - no one wanted to tape the song with the DJ's voice in there!

Anyway, I'm a child of the 80s, so I guess the outfit is appropo!

Black and blue

• Blue sleeveless top, JC Penney
• Black 3/4 tee, Port Authority
• Charcoal pants, Lane Bryant
• Black shoes,
• Jewelery, handmade by a friend

Black and blue refers only to my clothing, not the way my body is feeling, thankyouverymuch! Kind of a boring, uninspired outfit but oh well.

Vested Interest

• Black top, worn as a vest, Nordstrom
• Aqua undershirt, Mervyn's
• White cropped pants, Land Bryant
• Necklace, The Difference

It was predicted to be around 90 today, but it's the last day of September, so I didn't feel I could go sleeveless. Instead, I put one of my favorite tops over another favorite top for a vest look. Made it feel a bit more fallish, but both shirts are very light so I wasn't hot at all. Very comfy!

I have no title

Honestly, nothing witty is coming to mind, oh well.

• Black top, Lane Bryant
• Coral Cami, The Difference
• Aqua capris, Lane Bryan
• Shoes,
• Necklace, The Difference
• Earrings, Fred Meyer

It's hot and I'm tired. Anymore questions?

Ahoy, Me Mateys!

• Black top, worthington
• Red top, Petite Pois
• Pants, Kohl's
• Jewelry, The Difference
• Shoes,

Last Friday was talk like a pirate day, and I wish I'd dreamed this outfit up for then because it definitely is getting me into a piratey mood. Arrrr!

Feeling Frumpy

• Black top, Lane Bryant
• Green cami, St John's Bay
• Gray pants, Lane Bryant
• Green Shoes, Paola
• Necklace, unknown

I'm feeling quite frumpy and uninspired today. I was able to talk with my fashion consultant and get some ideas from her, so I feel better now. I played with my clothes when I got home and am fairly satisfied with the clothes I plan on wearing tomorrow. At least, they look good on the hanger. I've also been cleaning out the ol' closet and even rediscovered a few things I'd forgotten about, so hopefully that will help.

Shades of blue (and grey)

• Blazer, Axcess
• Blue sleeveless top, JC Penney
• White 3/4 sleeve tee, Port Authority
• Pants, Lane Bryant
• Shoes, Franco Sarto
• Jewelery, The Difference

Is it gray or grey? I never know, and I can't decide which I prefer. Oh well!

Two realizations - one, these pants are too short for these heels. I need to try them with flats. If they are still too short, I'll need to either modify they (crop, or add something to the bottom to make them longer) or thrift them. I may just throw them in the bag for Salvation Army - they are 6 years old, after all - but at the same time, I enjoy having something other than black, brown and grey in in my pants repertoire.

The second realization - I get more dressed up than my colleagues. It draws a lot of comments. I wish I was confident in jeans a tshirt, but I'm just not. I need to be dressed up to feel good about myself and feel confident that I know what I'm doing. The way I'm dressed definitely affects my outlook and the way I teach. So I guess I'll just continue to be overdressed.

Preppy in Pearls

• Cardigan, Lane Bryant
• Ivory top, GNW
• Brown lace cami, The Difference
• Brown pinstripe pants, Ann Taylor Outlet
• Brown Loafers, no idea
• Pearl necklace, gifted

I feel very preppy today, what with the pearls and all. A little stepford wife-ish or something. It's fun, but not very "me." I think the next time I wear the pearls I need to funk up the outfit a little, and the next time I wear the outfit I need to funk up the jewelry. It's all a little too predictable.

I also need to find new brown shoes. I have had these for ages, but they are beginning to fall apart. Not to mention, the have these little hooks on the outside. Today I was standing in front of the class as we were having a discussion. One of my students was saying something, but I couldn't hear him so I took a step toward him. I'd had my feet crossed at the ankles, and as I stepped I realized my shoes were hooked together. I fell into a (thankfully unoccupied) seat in the front row and my shoes came flying off. We all had a good laugh over it, but I think it's time to find some shoes without hooks!

Theme?

~Black and white camo top, GNW

~Aqua 3/4s v-neck t, Port Authority

~Jeans, Ethel

~Cute new shoes!, Franco Sarto

I'm not sure I really have a theme this week unless you count "New." As in, new 'do (got my hair done Monday), new shoes, and new clothes. Since I have new things I'll be bringing them out to play this week. On display for today are my snazzy new shoes, purchased by Grandma. Ok, purchased by me with a gift card from Grandma!

Romantical

*Editor's note: Due to a technical error (as in, I accidentally deleted the photos), all Week of Love photos were lost. I'm redoing them...slowly.

~Crepe top, GNW
~Coral 3/4s tee, Port Authority
~Jeans, Ethel
~Red shoes, 9-2-5


Eh. Not really feelin' it today, but it did the job.

Season of Love

In honor of Valentine's day, this week's theme is red. Or, as I'm not sure I have enough red for a whole week, there might be some pink thrown in as well. I've got a couple of outfits picked out already and am working on the rest.

And a splash of color...

~Corduroy blazer, JC Penney

~Red print dress, The Difference

~Black 3/4 sleeve tee, Port Authority

~Black leggings, The Difference

~Shoes, Paolo

~Necklace, The Difference

ok, more than a splash! This dress is a lot of fun to wear, and I love the shock value of pairing it with green. I always get a million compliments on the shoes, which I adore. I bought the shoes on a whim because I was in love with them and thought they were adorable, and different - but then realized I had nothing with which to wear them. I had to go shopping to find something to wear with the shoes! Because I love them so, a close up:

And details of the necklace. This is one of my favorite pieces.

No pictures with the jacket because I couldn't get one that didn't make me look enormous. I swear I didn't look pregnant today!

Change the Batteries

~Green velvet blazer, Tribal from The Difference
~Ivory top, GNW from Fred Meyer
~Purple lace cami, The Difference

~Jeans, Ethel from The Difference
~Tweed Shoes, J Jill

I brought my camera to school today so I took take a picture. I turned it on, got ready to set it up, and all of a sudden the display reads "Change the Batteries." Next thing I know, it turned off. So here is my after school picture

The first day of the Blazer Project is going well. I feel professional, but young and "funky" at the same time. And the blazer helps keep me warm, which is nice.

Close up of the shoes I love

The Week of the Blazer

I've decided I need themes. I have such a hard time building outfits, so that when I find something I like I tend to wear it once a week. I hate that. I thought that perhaps using a theme as a guideline each week might help me to build outfits.

This week is the week of the blazer, or jacket, or cute little coat, or whatever you'd like to call it. Next week will be The Week of the Green Shoes. It's kind of like the Chinese calendar, with the year of the rat and all that, only different.

I've got everything picked out, ironed and hung up for tomorrow and Wednesday. Tomorrow night I'll figure out Thursday and Friday (any idea on how to dress up my school spirit t-shirt? No? Me either).

Oh, and no blazer today. Well, I suppose you could count my rain coat...

Yes, I've been on hiatus

Several people have commented that I haven't posted pictures in a while. You're right. I've never been much of a morning person, and with my thyroid being so out of whack I'm really not a morning person these days. I used to take the pictures after school, but I can't do that anymore because I go to softball practice right after school, at which point I change into my favorite outfit of navy blue sweatpants, a gray or white t-shirt, and about 5 million layers of sweatshirts and rain gear.

I am going to try to get up earlier and take the pictures in the morning. If that doesn't work, I may even resort to taking the camera to school. If that doesn't work, I'll take pictures of a week's worth of outfits when I pick them out on Sunday! But by golly, I will get this thing figured out.

That, as my friend Jen would say, is all.