Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Dressing Up Is Now More Fun Than Ever!

Before I start the actual post, I want to let you all know that we were fortunate enough to go to Kill Devil Hills, NC, over the weekend. For those of you that don't know, Kill Devil Hills is located in North Carolina's Outer Banks, and is the favorite beach destination for all Virginians (seriously, there are more VA license plates in the OBX than NC license plates...I think it is harder for NC residents to get to the OBX than for us Virginians).

Also, today was Rex's first day of preschool. The preschool survived. Phew!

It feels good to be able to post again...I love being busy, but I miss my blog when I am doing a million things...

Okay, so back to the post...I am such a girly girl that dressing up is one of my absolute favorite things to do...I love it so much!!! Of course my "dressing up" has a tendency to look most like an Anthropolgie catalog or *maybe* like some of J. Crew's crazier looks, but still my wardrobe is extremely feminine. (That is probably why I adore the Liberty print fabrics so much--flowery prints in gorgeous, well-made cotton...heaven!)

Over the past few weeks I have been fortunate enough to find plenty of reasons to "dress up." It used to be I would dress up to teach and come home and throw on shorts and a tee. Now I wear my pjs some days until noon, throw on some yoga wear, and then at night, when Mr. Dina takes me and the kids to Target or wherever, I get all fancy...well, not ball gowns, but you know, flirty ruffles and doo-dads and special fabrics.


Untitled
Untitled by dinagideon featuring J Crew

First up is this outfit found in this polyvore. I will also be reviewing this dress for you all who are on the fence about buying it. I know HeidiG. has reviewed this dress and did not like it for her. I have this dress and love it for me.

Some other folks who have reviewed this dress? Gigiofca; Chasing Davies; and of course, my favorite mom-to-be, Slastena.


I think I wore this dress for a swim coach meeting. You know that I was the most dressed-up for that meeting, right? I don't even need to tell you, huh? Swim coaches, and I have been known to do this, too, wear flip-flops, shorts, and tank tops even in the wintertime. We *may* throw on a hooded sweatshirt in the winter. Maybe. But I now am resisting this, especially when I am not going anywhere near the pool...

This dress is just fantastic. FANTASTIC. You all know what HUGE fan I am of the jersey dresses of J. Crew. This dress does not disappoint. The dress is not only pretty to look at, it is also INSANELY comfortable. I also adore the empire-waist, but I find this is one of the more flattering dress styles for my pear shape. The heather latte color scared me at first, but I am so glad I purchased it...the neutral color is light, but is not an exact match for my skin tone, so somehow it works. I bought a small, and maybe could have bought an extra-small, but honestly, the small isn't too big...plus if I ever get preggers again, this will be an excellent transitional dress...plenty of volume on the bottom, but not so much that I actually look pregnant now.

Bottom line? It is worth paying for...and I would even say at full price. :) Buy it here.


Just another view for you all. (I always put my hand on my waist, and I feel that you all sometimes need to see things without my hand there...different look and all.)


I wore this dress out and Mr. Dina almost died...he was all like, "where are you going, hot stuff?" Haha. :) Whatever, Mr. Dina. He honestly thinks that other guys are looking...yeah, I am such the catch, married, over a certain age, have two very young children, etc. I think Mr. Dina is safe.

Anyhoo...this dress is fun...it comes in tons of colors and is on sale now for 78 dollars? Maybe? I bought it WAY back when and it was 78 dollars then, too. I don't know why it hasn't dropped since then, but I am guessing J. Crew must know what it is doing...

I liked that I added the stone-colored belt...I felt like the dress was a bit much all one color block, but with the belt it breaks the look up a bit, and in a good way. The flip-flops are the fantastic grosgrain flip-flops that J. Crew makes so well, and I really really hope they never stop making. I live in J. Crew flip-flops, year-round (see my comment about swim coaching above).


And then there was the night that dinagideon became a teenager from 1988. It was fun! I went to eat dinner with Mr. Dina and wanted to look nice for him. The top is the plum raisin painter scoopneck tee from this fall (2009). It is a small. Gigiofca reviewed it here...she didn't care for it...but I was one of the lone dissenters. I love it so much that I own it in amber, too.

The skirt is from the J. Crew outlet and I think I paid 10 dollars for it? The skirt is a size 8 and is so stretchy and fun. It is high-waisted, too, so I can make this skirt look dramatically different in another outfit.

The belt is the patent leather jeans belt (from Winter 2009), but I bought it in a small so I could wear it at my waist or slightly below my waist rather than at my hips (which is actually where I wear my belts when I wear jeans).

Ooh, and I almost forgot...the necklace is one of my favorite pieces from this fall, the Galaxy ribbon and chain necklace. For 78 dollars (same price as the halter embossed dress), you can own one of these necklaces. I bought the stone colored one, but it also comes in black and dusty blossom. It is way more lightweight than it looks. Plus it is deconstructed enough looking that not only keeps the necklace interesting, but also keeps it from being too twee. If you like it, check it out here.


Love my girl. And as you can see, she loves the necklace, too!

Oh, and before you all go, check out crewsing through my 50s blog post on how to determine your perfect skirt length...turns out I have really long shins compared to my thighs, so I look really nice in knee-or a bit longer than knee-length skirts. (And I am wearing that length in outfit one and two.) I am not really meant to wear shorter skirts, but dangit, I just can't give them up that easily! :) Enjoy the post...really, really good info!


Next up? New haircut and new glasses (which at this point are nearly two week old...but I am close to catching up...)

11 comments:

tm said...

ahh, obx stickers are as omnipresent as vanity plates on VA cars. ;) I was lucky enough to visit kill devil hills a few times when I lived in VA. I enjoyed the outer banks brewing station.

I like the boatneck painter tee and the colors, but was dismayed to see the moth-eaten back collar panel. Why, jcrew? oh well, at least it doesn't go all the way around the neck! :)

Great outfits! I should have bought those sandals (Lucia) when I saw them at TJ Maxx.

MMM said...

You are looking as fabulous as always in these outfits, Dina- WOW!! :)

I am waiting for that jersey dress and the Galaxy necklace to go on sale! ;) I have the plum raisin boatneck tee too and I LOVE it as well!

Thanks for sharing! :D

Suzy said...

Hi Dina,
You are so CUTE! Love you in the dresses! I did buy that first dress - in the dark charcoal, and ordered the suede leather belt in tan to go with it, which came today, so I will probably wear it to school tomorrow. Thank you for your pic, as when I wear this dress, it fits me the same way - as an empire waist style, and I thought maybe it was just my top taking up too much room! haha

I have the blue dress, too, wore it to a rehersal dinner in Florida in May, and it was so incredibly comfortable! (and it was 78.00 then too, and I got an extra 20% off). I am large chested for my size, and this is the first dress I ever bought/wore without a bra, and it had great support! My daughters love this dress too - and when I wore it to my youngest daughter's (17) confirmation later in May, my middle daughter thought I looked so cute and called it my "Betty Rubble" dress. haha So that's what it's called around my house...lovingly.

My dream cardi arrived last week - so I am ready for a cool day to wear your specially designed outfit for me...so keep watching! Thanks again - I really need to meet you!!!

AppGal said...

Yowza! you are looking fiiine Dina! :) Seriously, all of these outfits are beautiful on you. I do love the jersey dress (duh) but this may be one I have to do without. Darn my pesky clothing budget! And the blue dress looks absolutely divine on you. That neckline is soooo flattering. I tried the boatneck the last time I visited a b&m, but grabbed the wrong size and forgot to get the right one. Boatnecks never work on me, though, so I'm probably better off without it...

Love the pics! And I love that you are finding any excuse to dress up I think I would be the same way :)

AppGal said...

Oh, and can you believe I've lived in NC now for about 8 years and have NEVER been to the OBX? I'm not much of a beach person (probably because I was ruined for life by Myrtle Beach in my homestate) but I would love to visit at some point. I hear it's really nice!

MaryMoo said...

Love seeing your outfits as you are roughly my height and shape.

Did you stop by the Crewlet in Nags Head?

Summerilla said...

You look gorgeous, I completely see why hubby thought other guys were looking.... you look G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S in that blue dress! Of course you look radiant in all your outfits but even more so in that blue color.

Hello adorable CW!! Such a cutie pie!!

Cleo said...

Wow! You look fabulous in those dresses. And I can understand what your husband means about the blue dress. :)

Anonymous said...

One word: Fabulous!
Love the girly feel to these outfits. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
I am nominating you for the title of Best Dressed Mom in preschool. Yeah!!!
BTW, I am glad Rex did well in his first day in preschool. According to my Mom, I just slept and I was so annoyed at some kid crying that I stuck my lollipop in his mouth to shut him up. My mom swears that actually happened.

Ema said...

You look so cute in all the outfits, but I especially love the color of the plum boatneck tee on you. And I love the Galaxy necklace, I think I'm going to get it soon ... Your daughter is getting big!

dinagideon said...

Hi, Ladies! The in-laws are in town tomorrow, so I have to make this brief (I have GOT TO CLEAN THIS HOUSE)...I loved every single one of your comments. You all are the sweetest, ever, hands down!

Those of you who have been to OBX...it's awesome, huh? I wish I could live there year-round. It is ALMOST Virginia. ;)

Tastymoog: I bought my Lucia off of ebay...I am sure someone bought them at TJMaxx, but you know, it wasn't that bad of a price on ebay...well below the 98 they originally cost! :)

Suzy: I have bigger ladies right now because I am still nursing, but I do think this is a higher-waisted style, period. It looks different on the model. I think I need to try a contrasting belt...

Betty Rubble...haha--that is funny!!! :)

Marymoo: I did stop by that outlet...it ROCKS. I loved it and the staff were great. I even got a few goodies... :) YAY!

Summerilla: CW sends you a kiss. SWAK!

P.S. It is her bday tomorrow!!! #1!

Rosa: OMG. That is the best preschool story!!! I love it and I can see you (at that age) doing that...so cute!!!

Ema: It is a great necklace. Speaking of big, your sweet girl and my sweet guy are the same age and at preschool. SOB! :( At least we know that we are doing something right because our kids look great!