Soup Eating Weather

Outfit details: 

Handmade fascinator by Shoe
Vintage whistle necklace (from Pangaea boutique in Nashville)
Anthro Stratus Clouds top (similar styles: here and  here)
Anthro Maiden's Braid cardigan (similar here and here)
J. Crew denim Minnie pant (now on sale, and I've seen them at the outlet too!)
Gap leather ballet flats (similar here and here)
Orla Kiely handbag (this season's style: here)

I feel like I always have a new and different story for why I don't wear specific items of clothing. On the heels of the recent garage sale purge, and the still ongoing struggle to consolidate my wardrobe into a smaller space, it's more important to me than ever to figure out what really is and isn't useful for me to hold onto.

This little cardigan fell into the "maybe I need it" black hole for the past year while I decided where it really belonged. Much of my dress and top collection is comprised of prints, and for some reason I felt that this topper really called for a solid, and a white one at that. So really, it was just another thing that highlighted the lack of separates in my closet.

Separates are hard for me. Dresses, on the other hand, are a complete outfit. No extra thought or matching top and bottoms required.

But after taking inventory of what I already have, I've decided I can't necessarily wear one-off quirky print dresses everyday forever. And especially not to job interviews or huge presentations. So in line with this new plan, the cardigan stays and a new strategy for building a proper separates wardrobe is now in place.

For my first outfit embracing this new sartorial goal, I took it easy. White top (which really is what the cardi needed), dark jeans, and kicky red flats.


And because it was so special, let's talk about where I wore this. My extremely generous domestic goddess friend Tracy held a cool weather kickoff party featuring her homemade cheesy potato soup. The soup was loved by all, and the mood was captured by Erich's awesome photobooth installation:

Mmmm warm gooey goodness.

 

I'm tickled by the temperature drop and all of the hot chocolate, chili, and stews I will be able to consume. Do you have any traditions to kick off the fall season? This soup dinner party has been my favorite to date.

Sunday Etsy Love 03.21.10

This week's theme: Lemon yellow.

I have loved this first little glimpse into Spring this week. In honor of sunshine, blooms, and April showers, I am featuring the happiest color out there--yellow! And instead of a few different alternatives for one type of item, this week I put together a fun sunny hued outfit. I think all of these pieces together would be very fun!

They call me mellow yellow.

Clockwise, from top left:

1. Stylish yellow knit headband by AllAboutStyle, $15. I have been wanting a crocheted or knit headband with a flower a la Anthro, but have not known where to look. When I came across this Etsy seller, I was stoked to find a rainbow of colors at a great price! In chilly weather, this  piece can double as earwarmers!
2. Vintage April Cornell Cornelloki Floral Yellow Frock Dress from VintageAsh, $52. I'm all about floral dresses lately, and this ladylike frock is right up my alley. It feels very sweet and still translates into a modern wardrobe. I want to wear this while frolicking in fields and picking daffodils.
3. Vintage Retro Umbrella from zadoodle, $35. Of course (at least in Atlanta, anyway) with Springtime comes crazy rain showers. I always feel like a cheerful umbrella cuts through grey days. It's fun to be the one carrying a brightly colored umbrella in a sea of black on the sidewalk.
4. Limoncello Cluster Necklace by foamywader, $99. This statement piece is just gorgeous. Easy to wear with simple solid colored dresses as well as tees! I think it would look great with a boatneck sheath dress and a classy updo.
5. Yellow Sunrise Purse by madebylaurenb, $28. When I saw this, I immediately smiled! The handpainted clouds are a great little punch to this adorable bag. I don't think you could be in a bad mood while carrying this lovely!
   

Tribal Print + A Facelift!

Outfit details: Vena Cava x Gap khaki dress (very similar here)
Minnetonka tramper boots in black
Feather headband from birdbaths on Etsy

For work I'm supposed to be dressing "Spring" to sell Spring/Summer clothes. I thought this dress fit the bill. The neckline detail really has me dreaming of warm weather and dying for a Spring Break getaway to the beach.

I decided to take it pretty far and added a feather headband, fringed moccasin booties, and my cowgirl belt. It feels very cowboys and indians now. Does this make outfit number two that would benefit from the addition of red cowboy boots?

And no, I didn't pull a Speidi!

My amazingly talented and generous boyfran devoted many hours working on this partially implemented facelift for my blog. What do you think? I'm loving it and cannot wait to clean up the details.

Unfortunately, it is midterms week and the remaining rollout might have to wait until exams are over. So it might be pretty quiet over here for the next few days while I'm studying.

Sequin Tiered Ruffle Tissue Tank

Outfit details: 
J. Crew Sequin tiered ruffle tissue tank (similar here and here
Wrap Cardi by Moth from Anthro (see similar here and here)
Joe's Ex-Lover Cropped Boyfriend Jeans
Anthropologie Triple  Strand Headband
Forever 21 Tubular Beaded Necklace
Seychelles booties (similar here and here)
Aldo Varble oxfords

It seems I keep taking photos and then forgetting about them for a few days. This is what I wore on Friday to run errands and stop by the Atlantic Station boutique sale. It's been pretty warm this week, so I was excited to show a little more leg (har har) and be able to wear something that didn't completely cover my arms!

Friday was another shoe shuffling around day. I wanted to wear something comfortable since I knew a lot of waiting during errand-running would be involved, but needed to look nice enough in case I got called into work during the day.

As far as the comfort level goes, these jeans are amazing. They are so soft and broken in that it almost feels like I'm in pajamas when I wear them. And the tank-- I hadn't jumped on the ruffled jersey tank bandwagon yet. Then this fall, J. Crew had this fun little piece with added sequins. I diligently waited for it to go on sale (I mean, it's a $50 tank!), and managed to snag it for less than $20. I'm happy with it and understand the fuss over this shape now.

Hello January!

Outfit details: Yoana Baraschi dress (similar here, here, and here)
Rodarte for Target lace cardigan (sold out online-some left on eBay)
Anthropologie Rose-Is-A-Rose Headband

I found this hanging out in my flickr and realized I hadn't posted it to the blog. This is what I ended up wearing to Christmas day festivities with my family. This cardigan came in the mail Christmas Eve and I was super excited to wear it as soon as possible. For some reason, I normally like to hang onto things for an extremely long time to ensure I *really* want them before wearing.

I love that this RFT piece is both demure and a little edgy. It makes the layer underneath feel just a little bit more special. For those of you trying to track these down in-stores or on eBay, the arms felt snug for me, but had enough give that I could wear my normal XS in it. In the store I put on a medium and it looked totally normal too since it's designed to be a little slouchy. The sleeves on it are a little long so that they scrunch up at the cuff. A nice little detail because I'm always fussing with my long-sleeved things in order to cover my wrists in the Winter.

Speaking of Winter, really cold weather has all of a sudden crept up on us down South and I for one, am not too pleased. I've been regularly hibernating in layered pajamas with stacks of books and movies and my favorite space heater, avoiding venturing out unless absolutely necessary.

Since I am a big baby about chilly weather, and since growing up in the South leaves me ignorant about warm things, my cold-weather garb has been laughable. None of my coats are legitimately warm (novelty and for "Fall"), and the only pair of gloves I own don't match anything I am wearing. I  basically sprint out of the house to my car in wacky combinations topped with a summer scarf. Apologies for lack of documentation--honestly, I don't know how you gals with snow on the ground can stand it!

Meow or should I say, Ruff Ruff?

Romper and headband, Anthropologie; tights, Target; flats, Marc by Marc jacobs;
cardie, J. Crew; blazer, Urban Outfitters; clutch, Rebecca Minkoff.

I almost passed on this romper because it's summery and well, not B school or work appropriate. But it has scottie dogs and really fun pleated shorts. I just had to.

I ended up running all over town in this, first to work, then to Britney Spears (I got offered a ticket for free last minute), and then to wish my little sister happy birthday. It seemed versatile despite the fact that it would have been costumey in most settings.

I swapped the cardie for a blazer. Boyfriend blazers are like the new boyfriend cardigan in my book. Too bad I'm also into skinny jeans and big hair at the same time. Sometimes I wonder if I am just a caricature of myself.