OOTDs: Three Pairs of Pants and One Purse.

Day: Tuesady, March 11, 2014.

Where: CW's Bible Play.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I love the ease of this outfit.  I normally try to dress up more if I am going to the kids' school, especially if it is for a play/performance, but I wasn't feeling up to getting kitted up that day, so I figured a dash of color would make up for the fact that I am wearing jeans.  :-)

The Must Have Tee is super soft and just warm enough, even though it is fairly lightweight (see my original review of it here).  I didn't have to wear a coat that day, by some minor miracle in this Canadian winter of ours, we had a day of semi-warmth.

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  Very pretty, but also very casual.  Just somewhere right in the middle of cool...

Anecdote from the Day: You can never hear kids when they are performing, huh?  There is a chance CW did say her line properly, but we aren't sure.  They all sang the songs really well, though.

Day: Wednesday, March 12, 2014.

Where:  Home sewing and school pickup.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Again, a super high score for comfort.  Those Pure Collection pants are sublime, and I am so glad I have these in both the navy and the black color (I am wearing the black now as I type).  Even though I haven't been able to do a lot of in-depth reviews of Pure Collection lately (budget constraints, boo!), I do look over there from time to time (and keep their coupons in my sidebar) since I LOVE everything I have from them.  Looks like they have a near dupe of these pants in their current collection called the Pure Silk Tie Waist Trousers, and I kind of think I need to save up for the ones in jade.  My pants are made from a heavy poly mix, so I suspect the silk ones would be even more luxurious and special.  Pure is having a big mid-season sale and the pieces in there look to be very pretty, especially all the cashmere in sherbert shades.  The Pure Silk Tie Waist Trousers are not in the sale (the sister, the silk tie waist skirt is, though), but you can use the sidebar coupon to get an additional 25% off those, if you like the look.  (The 25% off does not come off the mid-season pieces, though.)

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  The Downtown Field Jacket seems to be the coolest bit of this look, as it is so popular that J. Crew keeps bringing it back season after season.  The rest of the outfit is fine, of course, but not especially cool.

Anecdote from the Day: My stinking Pants Sloper I worked SO HARD on is TOO BIG!  I spent hours redrafting the sloper into a new pants pattern with a yoke and pockets only to make the whole thing up and find the whole thing was too big by one whole inch on each side.  Sigh.  I put the redrafted pattern against what I had made in class and it was the same, so the only thing I can think is that because I wore tights and not bare skin to the lessons that the friction from the fabric allowed the pants to stay up since they definitely were falling off of me when I finished all the hard work on the pants I made at home.  I can save them, I took an inch off each side seam and they fit better, but still a bit loose.  I think I need to redraft the pattern again and hope for the best.  I can save the pants I worked on, but they will likely become "at home" "fat day" pants.

At least the crotch length and depth is accurate, so small favors, right?

Day: Saturday, March 15, 2014.

Where: Finishing the kindergarten class quilt, the Veronica Mars movie, and Girls Night Out with B. and T.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The Peter Pilotto for Target tee is very soft and comfortable (and worth the $20 I spent, only thing from the collection not overpriced in my estimation).  The points off are for the jeans, which while look fine on me are just not *super, over the top,* pj comfy the way I have decided I want all my pants to feel.  LOL.  I am getting soft in my old age. 

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  This outfit is pretty cool.  I think the whole look makes me look a touch younger, maybe not super youthful, but maybe, possibly, *not a mom with three kids* young?  :-)  Here's to hoping, anyhow.

I cannot believe how much the people in the UK were willing to pay for these Target pieces.  They were sold at Net-a-Porter UK and from what I could tell they simply took the American price and put a pound sign in front of the amount instead of a dollar sign.  So this tee would have been 20 pounds, or nearly $35.  Yikes.  And then of course some of the items sold out and the ebay people over there then double or tripled the UK price.  Seriously.  Wow.  I made a joke with some of my UK blog friends that I could go to the local Target, buy most of the pieces on sale, and then make a *stupid* amount of profit if I did that.  I guess we didn't want these pieces as much as the ladies over there did.

Anecdote from the Day: My hubby and I love Veronica Mars.  I loved it enough to obsessively watch it, but my husband was obsessive enough to actually give money to the kickstarter to get the movie funded.  It turned out that he couldn't give money in the end since the whole project was funded in one day (fast!!!).  That's some serious love.  It was a good movie, but it was weird, like it should have been on TV, but there I was, along with other adults reliving their *decade old* youth in a theater.  Did anyone else out there see it?

Okay, that's all for now. 

If you have a Boden review, I will be writing the BWRR up tomorrow if you would like to include yours in it.  You can either comment your review here at the Boden Reviews tab, or you can email me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com.

OOTDs: Freshpair to the Rescue!

Day: Sunday, March 2, 2014.

Where: Church and then to one of our favorite Peruvian Chicken places and then to (hey--favorite place of all) Harris Teeter.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  You'll read more about Freshpair at the bottom of the post, but I have to say this outfit was SO much more comfortable than it was the first time I wore the dress.  The Spanx Tight-End Tights really did help suck me in *just enough* that the dress went from "ooh...it fits" to "ooh it fits!"  I like my dresses to fit my shape, but I am enough of a prude to not love love love the whole wiggle dress look (on me, love it on others).

I also am super grateful to a reader who read that I had the Maggie jacket in the size 4 and was going to sell it because it was just a touch too small throughout, and was super sad that this pretty coat wouldn't be mine anymore.  She wrote to me and told me I could have hers (for a great price, too, thank you!) in the 6 if I wanted.  I did, and happily bought it from her.  And that, too, helped up the comfort on this outfit.

Hey, I could eat chicken, yucca, and have a coke in this outfit, too, and then go to grocery shop at Harris Teeter, so you all know I am not lying.  ;-)

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  Very pretty outfit, but in the middle "cool-wise."

Anecdote from the Day: Um, so the next day we received our fiftieth thousandth snowstorm of the season and we knew we would be unable to go anywhere for an extended period of time, so my hubby insisted we go to the chicken place for lunch.  Then I insisted that we go to the grocery store to get my migraine medication renewed (absolute last thing I want to be without!).  Yeah, great idea, right?  Every flipping person was in that store buying their eggs, bread, water, and butter.  No, they weren't.  Every buggy had a bottle of wine and chips.  LOL.

Day: Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

Where: Ash Wednesday Mass, Mom's Group, and Target.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This time Freshpair's Spanx Tight End Tights weren't needed to suck me in so much as keep me warm and keep my shirt tucked in, which is my "I am so persnickety" clothing pet peeve.  I absolutely loathe wearing button-ups with skirts and having it come untucked throughout the day.  This happens to me a lot since my waistbands are always a bit too big on my skirts, so the shirt doesn't really have anything to keep it in place.  :-P  If you look at the second to last picture, you can see my joy that this worked.  I have tried it before with other tights, but these are *hands down* the best at keeping the shirt tucked in, likely because of the super control top on the Spanx (that also doesn't make my insides feel too squished like super control tops can do).

The Boden booties kept me going, too, even with that little heel.  I love heels that act more like flats. 

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  Well it is a purple gingham shirt for Ash Wednesday (purple is the color for the Lenten season).  But again, somewhere right in the middle.  The skirt is probably the coolest bit of the outfit with its asymmetric hem.  It is also the oldest part of my outfit, I bought it way back in 2003.  Somehow holding onto it has allowed its funky little hem enough time to come "back in," if you will.

Anecdote from the Day: The mass was fine, I went to the kids mass so I could see my children (Peter and I sat with Rex, Grandpa and Mr. Dina sat with CW), and Angus managed to make it to the distribution of the ashes before he decided enough was enough.

The Mom's group was fun, too.  One of the ladies that showed up I knew through the Little Gym, and it took us a while to realize why we knew each other.  :-)  It was nice to see that the world really is pretty tiny, sometimes.

At Target, I found a buggy (sometimes I don't), and made on with my merry way.  A woman saw my ashes on my forehead and inquired where I had got them (she had just moved here) and we got to talking about the church, and eventually I invited her to the Mom's group.  I love that this little group of ours is growing so much!

Freshpair Review: I was contacted by some folks at Freshpair who wanted to see if I would be interested in receiving some of their products (c/o or care of) and after taking a look around at their website and seeing my most favorite bra ever (ever ever--been wearing it for years and years), I knew I had found my people.  I hate shopping for undergarments at Macy's or Target or wherever.  I like to take my time thinking about my purchases and I have found that even when I do attempt the underthings shopping at the store, they *never* have my flipping bra size anyhow, so I go home and sulk most of the time.  (I wear either a 32B, 32C, or 34B, depending on the company.)  I told the people at Freshpair that I would be definitely getting some bras from them on my own, but I would love to try the Spanx Tight End Tights and (you'll see the review for this late) the Jockey Skimmies Short.  I figure since this is a personal style blog and I usually focus on more conservative/modest fashion, doing a review on something that is part of an outfit may be the best way to start off with them.  They agreed and made the process of ordering and receiving the shipment super easy and fast.

The Spanx Tight-End Tights I bought in a size C and fit well out of the box.  At $28 they are an investment, but if you know me, I happily buy well-made tights that I know will last a really long time.  These definitely fit that bill, I have now worn them multiple times (in a span of less than a month) and they have successfully been *delicate* washed and *line* dried and still look as good as new.  The only issue I have?  WHY ARE THEY NOT IN MORE COLORS???  Maybe Freshpair can get them in more colorful shades.  I would happily buy these in all sorts of hues!

Freshpair has free shipping and always has great sales.  I will start placing their ads in my sidebar, and like my other ads, will make sure to rotate them so you are getting the best sale deal.  :-)
Free Shipping on all US orders

Free Shipping to Canada on orders over $50. Automatically applied at checkout.



You all have a great night!!!  Talk soon!

P.S. I know some of you are really into Boden's Nancy Dress.  I took a photo of myself wearing it the only day recently we have had weather that would allow me to try it on and not freeze.  Enjoy!

OOTDs: Marled Colorblock Loveliness and Some Truly Awful Pants.

Hey, all.  I have been meaning to get to posting my ootd posts more frequently but I have been a bit busy with the usual, you know, constant needs of children, and the unusual, the complete drafting of my first pants block/pattern.  Last Saturday I spent four hours at G Street Fabrics working with an instructor who had us take very specific measurements of the lower half of our bodies (there are seven of us in the class) and then carefully draw precise lines and shapes from the measurements on pattern drafting paper.

This week we are meant to take the pattern and make a muslin of it with two inch seam allowances, and I don't about you sewers out there, but I am struggling to get those two inch seam allowances on there, even though I have a curved ruler and a very large clear straight ruler.  It's probably my inexperience, but I also bet a few people who have more experience than me might hate adding seam allowances to patterns, too.  ;-)

But--for all of the hard work I have to do to get the pants block ready--I so want this pattern to be done and asap, since I am at the point where I absolutely LOATHE 90% of my regular pants.  Leggings, fine.  Ponte trousers, great.  Actual physical pants with a waistband, pockets, and a zip/button closure, ugh.  I now weigh less than I did a year ago, but I guess since my sewing journey has started, I realize just how horribly pants fit most people.  It's like a tic...no matter what, I look for how pants fit people when looking at a photo of someone's outfit.  I even noticed that freaking J. Crew models have poorly fitting pants, all saggy and wrinkly and crotch-whiskered, too (at least nine offensive pairs of pants in the February 2014 issue, fwiw).  My *brother* has fitting issues, his crotch had massive amounts of wrinkles in the fabric in the pair he wore tonight.  So what to do?  Well--sew your own freaking pairs and sell the rest.  I think by the time I am done, I will have in my closet exactly three pairs of non-handmade pants that is how vile I think all of my purchased pairs are. 

Or it could just be that I am tired of pants because it has been too cold to wear anything but pants.  Darn you Arctic Blast.

So below are three outfits with pants in them.  Fortunately for the pants, they were at least topped by sweaters or tees that I just love, including the Marled Colorblock Sweater, which I recently acquired in one of the 40% off sales (although I think I may have bought this one at 50% off if I am remembering correctly).

I am going to not bother with any of the extra details tonight, but if I can link to a product page, I will.  :-)  I will add a few words about the pretty Marled Colorblock Sweater, too.

Okay, these pants are okay.  Bit short, but it wasn't too cold that day.  Plus it has a ridiculous amount of stretch in them, so they really don't count as "real" pants anyhow.  ;-)

You can find the Arrowstack necklace at Madewell.  The Embellished Ballet Flats are in clearance over at Boden.  

I made the sweater using the Crewneck Sweater pattern in Burda Magazines August 2013 issue.  Again with the tracing and adding seam allowances.  Worth the effort, though, I am a huge fan of this unusual shape and the fabric since I have NOTHING like it in my wardrobe.

You can read more about the process here at Pattern Review.  I won't be turning this project into a "made by me file" post here at the blog.

Close up of the fabric and the stretch lace trim I used on the sweater.

These stupid jeans.  They are too baggy at the waist so I had to keep hitching them up all day but oddly too tight in my upper thigh.  Sigh.  They look way cuter in the photo than they felt like in real life.

You can find the Metallic Snowflake Tee here at J. Crew Factory.

Close up the tee and the darling bow cardigan.  The tee fits well, I sized up to a small and like it a bit bigger and longer.  Works well with the silhouette I chose yesterday.

Does anyone recall the name of this coat?  It is from 2006 and it is so warm (probably made from stadium cloth fabric).  Anyhow, I pull it out when it is bitter a$$ cold out and that is what it was yesterday.  Bitter A$$ cold.

Sorry about the color, the shot was taken a bit underexposed and in attempting to get the lighting brighter, it turned the whole photo a bit green/cool. 

Those pants are the worst offenders in my closet.  I only wore them out because I literally put them on four seconds before leaving and because I knew that I would be wearing that grey coat (in the last photo) over it.  I think the pants being made from a horribly wrinkly cotton sateen make these pants extra wrinkly and saggy looking.  They are just so bad.  I shouldn't even give them up, I should just turn them into work pants and be done with it.  They fit, that's what makes the whole situation even worse.  They feel so comfortable on...what a pity that they look like UTTER crap on me.  LOL.

Color is a bit better here, but still a touch cool.

The Marled Colorblock Sweater is still available, and I have seen this color pop back a ton in both shades in all sizes.  I sized to an extra small based on Gigi's review, and I think I chose well since it feels comfortable without being too baggy or loose.  This would look really cute with a pencil skirt, if only it warmed up enough for me to want to wear a skirt.

The necklace is a stunner, and I am so glad I bought it way back in 2009.  I only wear it a handful of times a year but it never fails to make me smile.  It suits the coloring of the knit, especially the light purple shade of the yarn.

I personally love the tiny specks of neon threading but if that is not your thing stay away.  :-)

Okay that's all for now.

If you are a Boden fan, the "Spring Trim" of the day ends tonight and tomorrow starts another two day "trim."  You can read more about the current trim here.

Valid 1/26 - 1/31. 6-Day Promotion: 20% Off Selected Items; 10% Off Everything Else + Free Shipping & Returns!

OOTE: Lucille Goes on a Date in the City.

The day after Mother's Day, Mr. Dina was supposed to take me on a date in the city at a restaurant I have recently fallen in love with, America Eats Tavern (also known as my baby shower restaurant).  I had been bugging him to get me there before it closes for good, and of course, he gets sick the day before we are supposed to go.  Sigh.  So I tell him to cancel it and make a new reservation for later than week.

Good thing he did, btw...the Monday we were supposed to go was rainy, blustery, and kind of cool.  The day we went?  BEAUTIFUL, sunny, gorgeous, lovely, I could go on and on...

Before he showed up to get me and the babies (they went with my dad, though), I got dressed to my springtime nines, dragged out my D70, and did some self portraits of the outfit. 

The Lucille dress served me well.  I not only loved the outfit and its colorful bits, but it was really comfy, too (although the Pia pumps did hurt a bit at the very end of the night).

Coat: Boden Spring Trench.  I reviewed it here.  It is sold out (in this hue) but often pops back.
Necklace: Banana Republic.  I have had this one for a long time and don't wear it a lot, but it does come out at least twice a year.
Dress: J. Crew Lucille Dress in Scalloped Eyelet.  I did a review here. It fit me much better on this evening than on the night of the review.  ;)
Bag: J. Crew Collection.
Shoes: J. Crew Collection Pia Calf Hair Pumps.  Bought them off ebay for 99 dollars, much less than I ever saw them on-line.  These pop back every once in awhile, but I recommend going the ebay route.

I have been digging the look of wearing the coat on the shoulders instead of fully on, but it really isn't very practical, just very pretty for pictures.

Here is the coat on properly, with just a bit of a popped collar for fun.

Close up of the necklace, earrings, and the bodice of the dress.

No trench which was the way I wore it over the course of the evening.  It wasn't until the very end of the night that I needed to wear it for warmth.

Lucille Goes on a Date in the City. by dinagideon featuring a retro polka dot dress

Above is the polyvore of this outfit.

We found a space right on 7th Street, next door to the Hirshorn (this will be important later in the post) and across the street from the Air and Space Museum.  Rarely do I ever take the metro into the city.  I took the metro for SO many years (pretty much all of middle school, high school, college, and with my first job) that I definitely prefer going straight into the city and parking. 

We were able to sit at the BEST people watching table, right at the entrance of the America Eats Tavern.  The night was utterly perfect for al fresco dining (70s and sunny and dry).

This ale drink was amazing and very refreshing, a bit citrusy, a bit hoppy, and a bit sweet.

A lot of the drinks and food items are based on historical recipes, so if you are a foodie AND you like American history, get to this restaurant before it closes at the end of this month.

Okay, so remember how I said that it was important that we parked right next door to the Hirshhorn?  As we approached our car after about a half mile walk, we saw the circular walls of the Hirshhorn were ablaze with random images of people and items.  Then we hear the music, the pretty haunting music.

Turns out we had stumbled upon (in my opinion, anyhow) one of the most inspired modern art installments I have ever seen.  Called "Song One" by Doug Aitken, it was a multimedia presentation of the song "I Only Have Eyes for You," sung by multiple singers in a film that was projected onto the walls of the museum.

It was simply chilling, beautiful, stunning.  I had goose bumps.

This image, btw, is now my background of my computer.  Mr. Dina says that "the man" is watching me.  Yeah, I guess he probably is...

This is my good friend Tilda Swinton and I.  Just hanging out.  ;)

Perfection.  That was that evening.

The trench coat did well for another lady.  In a Star Magazine issue from a month or so back, they pitted three celebrities wearing a Kmart (Kmart!!!) dress against one another, and the winner was Louise Roe because of the Boden Spring Trench.  Yay for Boden!

Okay, that's all.  I am really tired and I am ready for a full day tomorrow (Angus and I are heading to the city so I can take him to his first museum!).  I have been bad about commenting back, but again, I am definitely reading them and appreciating them, so THANK YOU!  \

Have a great, beautiful, utterly perfect night!