OOTDs: Lots of Pants. Lots of Tops. Part One.

In my neverending backlog of outfits, I have a ton of really casual looks that include pants and tops.  (Exciting stuff here, lol.)

Anyhow, over the next two days I will publish them so I can be caught up at least partially.  ;)

Onto the outfit of the day purge!

Day: Tuesday, February 5, 2013.

Where: Preschool Run and Angus's Little Gym Class.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I love the overall comfort, but the 7FAM jeans are a bit loose and a bit low, so they kept needing to be hitched up, which isn't all that comfortable when you are running around after a baby in a baby gym class.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I think it looks pretty cool, if a bit derivative.  I didn't end up wearing the shearling vest, since I thought it read a bit too late 1970s.  I also sort of felt like the shearling vest was a little much for a preschool run.  That said, I would like to try the complete ensemble to go to a museum or out for drinks.

Lots of folks complimented the outfit (top photo), I think the bling on the tank drew them in...

Anecdote from the day: Nothing really to report.  Seriously, just another average day for our average family.  :)

Day: Monday, February 4, 2013.

Where: Out to the fabric store to pick up patterns and fabric. Plus Chipotle, yum.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I was having kind of a fat day that day, which means though the jeans look decent enough on me, I felt like I was just barely fitting into them.  It's on days like these (during the winter, especially) that I wish that elastic waist jeans were an acceptable form of fashion.  ;)

The brushed cashmere popover* was awesome, though.  It was cold and kind of windy, but I didn't need an additional piece of outerwear, this was just enough coverage since the woven cashmere textile is thick enough (and double faced, so it is super soft against the skin) to protect from the elements.  Keep in mind I am talking about VA cold and windy...folks in Canada, you all definitely should not be wearing this by itself for your cold and windy.

*I had been watching this item all fall for a break in the price.  Even at its original sale price, it was very expensive.  When J. Crew offered an additional 40% off, I decided it was worth the semi-splurge since it could be both outerwear and a sweater in my wardrobe.  I bought the extra-small which is fine for my frame, but I do have to undo the bottom two buttons near my hip.  I would have tried a small if it had been available, but I am perfectly happy with the extra-small. 

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I think the outfit looks pretty cool.  I love the grey with the cobalt blue and aubergine.  The floral lace jeans are likely on their way "out," but I think the look overall is modern and fun.

I ended up putting my hair up later that night, and when I looked in the mirror, it appeared I had a haircut.  My hubby would never be okay with me cutting my hair that short, but I think with the deep swooping side bang, the shorter hair would actually look okay on my frame and face shape.  Which sort of surprises me.  :)  I would love to try it some day, and not just in this "faux" way, but I think it will take a few years of wearing Mr. Dina down. 

Anecdote from the day: I ended up walking away not with patterns I needed but patterns to make the kids pjs.  I also picked up a pj pattern for me.*

Chipotle was awesome.  I noticed it was taking Mr. Dina a ton of time to get the food, but figured it was some sort of "let's be patient" kind of situation, but in reality, the folks were screwing up our orders.  But none of that matters because once we got our food, we ate and enjoyed.  Halfway through eating the manager came by and profusely apologized for the problem and gave us THREE free kids meals for the future (one for Angus, even!).  Considering that it wasn't that big of a deal to us, we were blown away by how well they handled the small problem.  :)  Chipotle for life!

*I have since made the pj bottoms for me. Oh, are they ever oversized, will definitely make them smaller for the next time.  You will see photos soon enough.  I have also made the pj bottoms for CW (turned out great).  I think I may be making the pjs for Rex today.  :)
 

Day: Saturday, February 2, 2013.

Where: Mass and a Luau Party at Rex's school.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Even the gorgeous Sixties Heels felt comfortable.

However, it was insanely cold that night, with icy/snowy precipitation, so this is why I wore something this easy and casual to church and a school party.  Rex's school is next to the church, so the walk over was fairly okay, but by the time we left, there was even more slushy bits on the road.  Fortunately the leather on the shoes were okay, glad I decided against suede.  :)

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) Well, it is a pretty outfit, and the lemons sort of read Hawaiian to me, lol, but since it was an outfit decided by the weather and not by the events, there really isn't much to say about it other than it did its job.

Anecdote from the day: Rex has a girlfriend at his school.  Her mother informed me that she has been in "like" with him since the first day of school.  It is now February and she has taken to hugging him, laughing at all of his jokes, walking next to him, and sending home love notes (which I have kept, OMG, they are so cute!).  At the school luau, she chased him around the room, again and again.  Her mom and I just lol-ed.  Very sweet.  Rex, btw, has made her a bookmark and has said he may marry her.

Also from that night...I think our priest is great, he and I went to the same high school (he is far younger than me, though, sigh, old age creeping in)...but I ask you, how comfortable would you be speaking with him while PSY's "Gangman Style" is playing in the background, with the words "H-E-Y Sexy Lady" seemingly louder than all the other words of the song?*

*On a related note, right after CW was born we went to the school's Oktoberfest celebration and the priest there at the time was talking to me about something when Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" song was playing in the background.  How, and by whom, was it decided that was a good song to play at a Catholic School event?  I mean really!  :)

Day: Friday, February 1, 2013.

Where: Out with my brother to have fun with the kids.  Also wearing a ton of red for "Wear Red" day.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I can finally wear the cafe capri in kaleidoscope dot!  I bought them when pregnant with Angus, but I was unable to wear them until just recently.  Unlike what everyone else said, the pants did not run big for me, in fact, I should have sized up.  (But now that I am getting down in weight a bit, I guess it's okay I bought my "size.")

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I am giving it a 4 because I wore my red with pride.  I take women's heart health seriously and think no matter who you are, you should wear red on February 1.  I even made Angus wear red. 

I think had I worn this outfit on any other day, I would downgrade it to a 3 because it is a bit matchy-match/preppy to be cool.

Anecdote from the day:  A lady at the coffee shop said, "I LOVE your pants!"  I happily said, "thank you, and they finally fit!"  She replied back, "that's awesome."  I love girls who love clothes.  :)

Okay, that's it for today.  I am fixing to comment back on my backlog of comments at the last week's posts.  I like Saturdays that are lazy, since that means I can be a bit less lazy.  (Weird, right?)

P.S. Before I go, I wanted to let you all know that Boden "pinned" a photo of mine (the still shot of the Pointed Mary Janes I reviewed in this post) to their Pinterest "How We Wear" page.  I am super excited and very grateful!  Thanks to Keeley for letting me know!!!  :)

Boden Weekly Review Roundup!

Welcome to the weekly roundup...

Reminder, if you want to see an item up close, click on the photographs that I have taken myself. If you want to see an item at the Boden website, click on the item that was photographed by Boden (a new window or tab will open up). If you want to see the item on another blogger, I have provided a text link to that person's website.

Enjoy!

Ruffled Ribbon Necklace in real life. This is the sand version, basically a light brown color. I wanted the most versatile color, but the other colors it is offered in are very pretty.


Ruffled Ribbon Necklace. Also pretty in spring green. :)

On me, with the Liberty Bouquet Shirtdress. I probably won't wear the two together, but I was taking pics for this review post and the one yesterday, so lazy ole me didn't take the shirtdress off before snapping pics of the necklace. You get an idea of how the necklace looks here, regardless of what it is paired with.

The ribbon is well-made, a nice grosgrain ribbon all shirred together and knotted with large (larger than I expected, but not unpleasant) mirrored balls.

You can change the length on the tie, so you can wear it tighter to the neck or longer closer to the decolletage.

I think if you like statement necklaces, or love the Engineered Blooms Necklace from Anthropologie, this may be a great option. Not a great choice if you are simple, one pendant on a chain kind of gal.


Breton Top. See it BEAUTIFULLY styled on Egyptomaniac. Love how she paired navy blue and green together.

SALE ITEMS THIS WEEK...found this in my folder from December photos. Whoops! I knew I had worn it, but couldn't remember when...


Boho Gilet. I bought a size 4, which is one size smaller than my typical Boden top size. I chose to go smaller after reading the reviews, which said if you went with your true size it would be very boxy and frumpy.

Here are my thoughts on fake fur vests.  If you are going to wear one, keep everything else SUPER-simple.  A fake fur vest is a HUGE statement on its own.  I only liked this vest exactly as it is shown here, closed, belted, and over a long-sleeved cashmere tee.  When it was opened, I detested it.  (See bottom photo for how it looks closed, yikes!)

From the side.  Not a stitch of color anywhere.  All neutrals.  If I had added color, it would have been too much.  So bear that in mind if you choose to purchase a gilet from Boden from this sale. 

I liked how warm it was.  Either a great layer under a coat or for the late fall or early spring, a nice piece as outerwear.

Undone it makes me look like I escaped from a casting call for "Almost Famous."  All I would need is a headband (forehead wrapped kind, natch) and pink sunglasses.  Yeah, that's the look.  LOL.

So take it easy lest you are you headed for a retro night at the club.

Thanks!  Great week!

If you have a review you would like to be published today, please e-mail me before the end of the day.  If I receive it tomorrow, I will include it in next week's roundup!

Have a great afternoon!

P.S. Don't forget, only the full-priced items (barring the Boden Limited Edition) are eligible for the extra 10% off coupon that is running at my sidebar.  If you are a NEW customer, Boden is running a "free necklace" offer to all of you (lucky!)...that coupon is also on the sidebar.  If you want to save on sale items, the coupon for 10% off also includes free shipping and returns, so at least you can save a little bit there (tried it myself earlier this week and it worked, but I did have a gift card in there, so who knows?).

Winter Wardrobe: Days 2, 3, and 4.

I started this post last week with Day One: Inspired by Michelle Obama. Today is Day 2, 3, and 4. I am feeling a bit better about having had an off week with fashion that week because as so many of the comments said, all of us are harder on ourselves than others are. Confidence is key and usually half the battle with fashion. If you feel good, then work it, baby (oh, austin, behave).

So without further discussion, here they are, the good, the bad, and the 70s. LOL.

Inspired by on Day 2: the 70s, unintentionally.  In the end, I enjoyed wearing this outfit, but was about to change into a melon colored top (like the one I had worn on day one), but again, ran out of time.  So I just went with it and told the girls this was my TONAL 70s look.  It gave me an excuse to talk about color theory and to talk about fashion from other eras.

The cardigan is from Anthropologie, and is called the glassflower cardi.  I purchased it from an Effortless Anthropologie Exchange seller and I was excited to see how "effortless" the purchase was.  I need to stalk that board more often.  Maybe then I can find a Tria sweater skirt in a size small or medium for less than $99 (cough, cough ebay).  This is a size medium.  It stretched during the day.  That's okay, though, I liked the feel and can live with the stretching.

I like it better from the side.  Too bad I can't just stand like this all day long.

Alright, enough blinding your eyes with acid green.  Onto day 3 where I can blind your eyes with cinnamon, peach, and ivory!

I love the Boucle de Souffle Jacket (also by Anthropologie and reviewed here by me) and I actually really like it with the ruffles of the Victoria, but yes, I can see where this combo would really chafe at the vision of people who far prefer more subtle, modern, and clean lines.  I do look like I am ready to audition for Bram Stoker's Dracula, all I need is a silly little hat a la the one Winona Ryder wore in that movie (you gotta see that hat, Mr. Dina and I constantly make fun of it).  I did also throw on a cambridge cable knit v-neck sweater in cinnamon from J. Crew to tame at least one set of ruffles.

Again, another outfit I far prefer from the side.  Those pants are the Medallion Foulard Skimmer Pants from last spring, size 6.  The pants had all the tones in the sweater, Victoria cami, and the jacket.  The flats are the Lulu Ballet Flats.  The girls in my class LOVED the bows.  Girly girls and bows, imagine that.

Okay, this is a lot simpler and except when I was walking in the hallways and outside, I wore this instead of the full-on late 1800s look.  I have a feeling quite a few of you will prefer this simpler styling.  (It's okay, though, I know a few of you will love the silly frou-frou deliciousness of the Boucle.  We'll keep it our secret, though.  Would you wear Winona's hat, though?)

And the side.  Love the Victoria cami's just so ruffles.

Okay, let's visit modern times...

Day 4.  Yeah, my hair wasn't fully dry.  We'll live.

Have any of you realized just how perfect the Marled Thandie Blazer is?  It is just heavenly and I have only recently acquired it.  With that said, I have worn it quite a bit since Thandie came to live with me.  I think she may be gaining speed as one of my most favorite jackets made by J. Crew.  This is a size 4 and everything about it, the soft wool jersey fabric to the double breasted placket to the l-o-n-g sleeves (long arms and a short torso are HARD to fit) to the goes with everything color are perfection.  Anyone else part of the Thandie fan club?

The tee is a crewcuts tee and I purchased one for me in a size 14 and one for CW in a size 3.  She wore hers the same day as me, but sadness, she got the stomach flu the same day and the poor crewcuts tee only had a very limited outing.  Oops.  (Thank goodness it is machine washable.)  Oh, so you know, I left glitter everywhere that day.  I think when J. crew puts glitter on their items they pack it on!  I felt like some sort of pink and grey fairy spreading her special fashion fairy dust all day long.

Full outfit.  Includes the prized rose peep toes by Miss Albright (another Anthropologie purchase).

In the classroom with my Glen Plaid Sasha Peacoat and green wool scarf.  (I am showing you this pic for a reason.)  The peacoat is also double-breasted and pretty warm.  The scarf is from Scotland.

Scarf on with just the Thandie.  Did get cold throughout the day, but the scarf helped keep me toasty.

Lighting is HARSH in classrooms, btw.  HARSH.  ;)  You teachers know what I mean.

And finally my inspiration for Day 4...the ever lovely Blake Lively.  I saw this in one of the mags that I purchased for the kids' inspiration boards and I was all, "ooh, let me try that."  Of course I have no brightly colored skinny jeans (outside of the pink ones I am wearing above) but I tried.  The kids appreciated me showing them that if they have to do it, I can at least do it, too. 

After trying this look, though, I realized I really, really want those boots and that scarf.  Sigh.

Have a fab day.  More later (hopefully a secret from Boden--get back to me, Johnnie) and Day 5 (which is BY FAR my fave outfit of the week).