OOTD: Silk Scalloped Dress and Blush Tones

A quick snap from my office cube. I took these all stealth-like after everyone else had already left for the day. Note my OCD community management editorial calendar and sticky note collection.

But let's talk about these photos. So I'd see other bloggers' photos, and often wondered why people would edit their faces out. For anonymity, sure, I can understand that. But after taking these and failing pretty hard at getting a full body shot, I can't help but wonder if many of those other blog posts started off as accidents too? I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm so out of practice! Self portraits don't create themselves, y'all.

Something else I noticed? My run/spin/yoga regimen seems to be making an impact--my calves are stupidly muscular right now. So much that I can't squeeze them into boots. Ouchy.

Enough with the tangents, though. I really loved this outfit. It took me from my laid-back office gig to a more conservative school function, and all the way through the night to catch the second part of the Portlandia tour. I felt really girly, but polished enough to power through the day.

Okay so there was one slight wardrobe change...

I put a bird on it before running out the door.

Happy Monday! Stay tuned, I have some exciting announcements this week.

Outfit details:

• Madewell Silk Scallop Wave Dress (similar here and here)
• Madewell belt, old (similar: here, here, and here) 
• J. Crew Jackie Cardigan (similar: here and here)
• Frye Melissa Riding Tall boots (similar here and here)

February Photo Challenge: Days 15-21

You know when you get sucked into a midterms + multiple jobs vortex? Yeah, me too. Here's a belated Febphotoaday update.

15. Phone.

16. Something new. New exercise gear, new workout regimen. Uhh, in general working out again = new.

17. Time. Sunset time, time to leave the office!

18. Drink. Soda sips from my favorite local pizza place.

19. Something you hate to do: counting pennies. Can former retail girls relate? Yuck. Why are there like four rolls in there?

20. Handwriting. Midterms, as I mentioned.

I ended up accidentally skipping day 21 since I feel asleep early on Wednesday--and didn't wake up until the next morning. So I'll throw in a bonus snapshot.

Markus bought me tickets for the Portlandia tour for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, I had a work event already scheduled, and couldn't attend. BUT THEN! They added a second show last night, and we got to go giggle with Fred and Carrie firsthand.

Even better? Uhh, special guest Margaret Cho. I was close enough to pass them notes. Eek!

Have a great weekend!

Manicure Monday!

Tanie has been running her weekly Manicure Monday posts for a minute now, and today I finally got my act together to play along! Not gonna lie: I have an embarrassingly large nail polish color collection. So really there's no excuse for my talons not to be dressed their best too.

And heh, my nails matched my outfit today. I decided to do a neons twist on the crescent moon/half moon mani. 

Butter Tea with the Queen, OPI Did it On 'Em

Nail art has definitely made some strides into the mainstream--anyone have some awesome nail art blogs to recommend? My coordination and skills aren't quite there yet, but I love to look at what people have managed to create!

Jason Travis: The Most Fun Engagement Photos, Ever

It's been a busy week! I feel like my Twitter feed was BLOWING UP all week between NYFW and Social Media Week. It's almost too much excitement, enough that Valentine's Day almost got lost in the mix.

I said almost. It seems like love wasn't totally forgotten in Atlanta. In fact, we even made Mashable's top ten list of cities with the most engagements as number 1! And with engagements comes a whole slew of whirlwind activities and planning, starting with a photo session for the big announcement. Being tapped into the creative community in town, I get to see so much amazing work from my friends.

My friend Jason Travis shot this set for Karyn and Keith (of Oryx and Crake fame), and I couldn't help but share. Love and creative minds really do mix. Inspired by Jon von Holleben's Dreams of Flying series.

Whovian themed <3

A clever nod to their musical talents!

How clever are these themes! I keep looking and looking at these, and can't help having a big silly grin on my face.

Find more of Jason's work at http://www.jasontravisphoto.com/.

Learn more, find tour dates, and listen to tracks from our lovely couple's band
Oryx and Crake here: oryxandcrakeband.com

Spring Wardrobe: A Visual

I don't know about you guys, but I am already over the disappointment of having a fair weather Winter, and I'm ready to jump into Spring!

Although I am a P.L.A.N.N.E.R. by nature, I feel like my wardrobe (and especially the new additions) never quite feels deliberate. In an effort to streamline my closet this season, I visually mapped out my current wishlist. Surprisingly, it all seems pretty intentional to me! (What! There are even common themes!) Now just to have the willpower to avoid cute cat tshirts and anything with a peter pan collar, and I'm golden.

You can click on items to purchase.

February Photo Challenge: Days 8-14

I've been hanging in there for week 2 of the photo challenge. This week I've been a lot more focused on composition and incorporating features from other apps (DipTic, Tilt-Shift, Camera+). I can already tell that this upcoming week is going to be more about scrambling to Get It Done since my calendar's pretty full! How's everyone else doing?

8. Sun: the last rays of the day. Taken during (my parents') moving day mayhem.

9. Front Door: guaranteed greeting when I get home.

10. Self portrait: shopping for cocktail lemons, a rare dressdown occurrence.

11. Makes you happy: bou-cou jewelry trunk show at Squash Blossom = new bullet necklace.

12. Inside your closet. I promise that I will eventually do a closet tour post. Pinky swear!

13. Blue: lots of blue in my new tucked away study space. This is literally the view from this chair in the library. Wild, right?

14. Heart. Playing around with a mix of different camera apps.

Anthropologie Westside: 1 Year Anniversary Party

Last week I attended the Howell Mill Anthropologie store's one-year anniversary party. Celebration, libations, and a chance to shop my favorite store after-hours? Of course I had to attend. 

The party was thrown in conjunction with the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, with 10% of the evening's sales benefiting the Center. I feel that Anthro has always been well versed in giving back to the community, and this event was local supportive in every way.

One thing I really love about this Anthro in particular, is how it embodies the vibe of the revamped Howell Mill neighborhood. I've seen the Westside/White Provisions area undergo a major transformation since it was my haunt in college, and the newest Atlanta Anthropologie complements it beautifully. The neighborhood vibes with the store, and the store definitely vibes with the neighborhood--case in point, the catered goodies were from nearby restaurants Osteria Del Figo and Empire State South.

Caprese skewers and assorted meatballs from Figo.

Gourmet fruit jellies from Empire State South.

But within its bits and pieces of local flavor, of course the shop has what's really important--the clothes! Oh my word, since school has been back in session, I haven't made much time to visit any of my local Anthropologie stores. It had been long enough that every single rack was new to me!

I wanted to touch and try everything.

I was extremely pleased with the large number of novelty print/embroidered items for the season. Finally, the whimsy and fun that drew me to the brand is back in spades!

I did try... and buy a few things.

I went with Lana, whom you've met on a few occasions on the blog. We met Jess there, who looked Cute as a Button. Check out her awe-inspiring updo!

<3

Lana had on this rad kittycat brooch.

I had a blast! It was the perfect ladies night, and a great midweek pick-me-up. Thanks to the Westside store for letting me play paparazzi, and for inviting me out for a fun evening!

February Photo Challenge: Days 1-7

I've managed to keep up with Fat Mum Slim's February photo a day challenge so far. It's nice to have a low pressure daily reminder to keep being creative. Just the thing to get my blog face back on.

Here's a recap of what I've come up with. Some are so-so, but I feel more inspired than ever to create lots of GREAT.

1. Your view today: the view out of my student office window at school.

2. Words: How people used to exchange words. Through the mail. This mail chute lives on in my building.

3. Hands. Bling it on.

4. A stranger: This little bundle of joy is still a stranger to me! Can't wait to meet her.

5. 10am: Writing the most recent blog post on Sunday morning.

6. Dinner: Hanging out in the Student Center. Sabotaging any notion of a dietary change.

7. Button: The set of buttons I face every day.

P.S. Anyone else participating? I'd love to see your posts!

P.P.S. Did anyone else watch the live streaming IFBCon? Or go? OMG the bits I caught were so good!

Jason Wu for Target: the Aftermath

I would like to think that I'm your alpha consumer. Since I'm in marketing, you'd think I'd learn to be more immune to advertising and slick direct marketing messages, but I'm not. Show me an enticing glossy magazine ad or send me an email coupon to my favorite store, and I'm sold. I guess you can call me a sucker!

So when the buzz was building for the Jason Wu + Target campaign, of course I paid attention. Navy day dresses and versatile floral printed frocks? Definitely right up my alley. But what really drew me in was the cat motif in this collection. I live with two black cats with a lot of personality, and showing my black cat pride by accessorizing accordingly is always a fun bonus.

The Atlanta Edgewood store at 7:55am this morning.

As a dutiful sucker of a shopper, I:

• Marked the date on my calendar as soon as I got wind of the collection.
• Scoped out the 2 pieces I would aim for.
• Waited up till 3am EST (that's midnight on the West Coast) to buy online to avoid the crowd. Discovered they were both "in-store only."
• And so dragged my butt out of bed at 7am in order to get to the local Target store when doors opened. I stood in line with a group of very excited and polite ladies, and we chatted about which pieces we were looking forward to finding. Neither the dress or the scarf I wanted were even on the racks.
• Shifted gears and restrategized: which suburban store within 30 minutes would likely have the most available? I drove to the store by the Atlanta airport. The first thing I saw after walking in? Two women with carts filled to the brim with the remaining merchandise, clearly to be scalped on eBay.

I hate to put on a pair of ranty pants, but this morning was a pretty big disappointment. I don't know where the breakdown in planning or allocation was, but after training me as a consumer to come to the store to buy this stuff, Target didn't deliver on actually having the goods available.

All disappointment aside, all of the other pieces that were left (blowing in the wind) were worth a look. I was only referring to my wishlist and being strict with myself, but I felt the pieces I saw and touched look just as good as the ads portrayed.

• While to me, the navy poplin dress (ahem, which was nowhere to be seen) was the standout piece of the selection, the cream and yellow bike wheel print dress with the pearl collar detail was beautiful in person.
• The navy floral print pieces were vibrant and felt fresh and looked expensive for polyester.
• The solid separates looked well tailored and the colors were saturated.
• The trench coat looked like a million bucks!
• The colorblocky graphic plaid was a huge win. Well-executed details (pleats! darts! contrast sleeve caps!) looked perfect in person.

Did anyone brave the crowds this morning? Let's talk about it. :)

February Flamingos, or Is it Spring Yet?

Off the heels of last night's post, here is a quick outfit snap from earlier this week.

I'm with all of y'all: yeah right, Punxsutawney Phil. It's been bare legs, open toes, and no outer layers in Atlanta since Christmas.

I bought this skirt during the height of winter, and felt kind of silly for wanting to wear it before cruise season, but alas here we are. Is everyone else in as much of a beach mindset as I am? I'm ready for sun sun sun.

Outfit details:

• Charlotte Taylor flamingo print skirt
• J. Crew Factory neon gingham shirt (similar)
• Bass x Rachel Antonoff Matilda oxfords

Outfits of Yesterdays

dear creatures sweater, levis jeggings, frye savannah sandals

During my fall internship, I finally had daily access to a blogger-on-the-go's favorite tool: the office bathroom mirror. I'm already a bag lady/packrat as it is, so adding my camera bag to the mix of briefcase, schoolbag, and packed lunch (and dinner!) wasn't really so appealing.

j.crew cardigan and buttondown, j brand jeans, frye boots

Every so often, when the mood struck me, and my outfit was snapshot worthy, I would take some quick mirror shots during my lunch break. For those of you ladies that do this on the regs, I applaud you. It is kind of nervous-making. And it's hard to explain to people what you are doing...

joxasa cuff, AG jeans, bass loafers

But why did I end up caching these away instead of posting them? Well, the perfectionist in me couldn't help but wrinkle her nose. I had a hard time convincing myself to post anything I considered sub-par compared to the rest of my blog.

charlotte taylor dress

So going back to the bit about not liking to carry my DSLR all over, my iPhone has become my default camera. And the mobile camera social phenomenon really changed my stance on posting casual snapshot photos.

madewell shirt, anthro jacket, bass loafers

Creating Instagrams is like blowing up little digital balloons and letting them drift away, without too much thought. It's very casual and lots of fun--how blogging used to be before I got too caught up in keeping pace with everyone else.

j. crew jacket and shirt, levis bellbottoms, frye sandals

I thought about it, and what better way to take the pressure off of getting back on the blogwagon than with a cameraphone shots post? A different way to OOTD, if you will.

dear creatures dress and coat, j.crew cardigan, all black shoes

And while we're all in the insta-photo spirit, I will also be participating in the #FEBphotoaday challenge on Instagram (and by default Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook). Play along using the list below!