Paris: Day One Outfit(s) of the Day.

Quick Update 2:41 PM: Umm, you all, before I begin with my Paris journey...just received word that the Boden Spring Preview 2012 is up and on-line.  Take a gander here.  I will do a dedicated post sometime this weekend.  :)

ORIGINAL POST:
Bonjour!

You all have been so sweet to me lately. Do not worry, I am getting plenty of sleep and rest. I have not exaggerated in any of my posts when I said that we overextended ourselves in Paris, it was miles and miles of moving and walking, many stairs climbed (sometimes with strollers--eek!), and many little hands held. So let's just say that my bedtime has been really early each night.  Even though I should have gained weight with all the amazing cheeses and full fat dinners we enjoyed, coupled with all those scrumptious pain au chocolats we had each morning, I didn't.  Um, yeah, the Paris way of life is kind of okay by me.  ;)

I have decided the only way I can get through my Paris photos and experience here on this blog will be to separate the outfit photos into separate daily posts, with extra posts (to be published in the near future) on strictly family photos (lots with the kids and sights that we saw) and on any advice, thoughts, etc., to be published on their own.

So without further discussion, here is day one, aka Dina's attempt at looking chic under intense tiredness and mental fatigue. LOL.

At Notre Dame the first afternoon.  I am glad I wore this outfit as the day was crisp and windy.  I needed something I could move in, but still would look decently presentable and fairly chic (for traveling, anyhow, which is kind of hard admittedly).

Coat/Jacket: J. Crew Collection Double Faced Cashmere Popover.  I will be doing a review of this at True Crew Love, promise, hand on heart, but for now, this is the perfect topper for fall/spring travel.  It packs well, is easy to get on and off, and when layered is pretty toasty.  The popover is also insanely soft and luxurious (as it freaking well should be, even with discounts, etc., it took me FOREVER to save up for it).  Here's the issue, though.  I am small on top, no doubt, but for those of you even more petite than me on top, you will be sized out.  This is an extra-small and it is just the right size.  And sadly J. Crew did not make this in a size extra-extra-small. 
Scarf: J. Crew Silk Driving Scarf.  I know this is really popular in blog land, and you all have seen it on me a few times already.  It pairs nicely with the olive tones of the leggings, and is a nice add on to the v-neck collar of the popover.  (Oh, and so you know, everyone wears scarves in Paris, everyone.  I didn't wear a scarf everyday, but I definitely felt like I fit it on the days I did.)
Leggings: J. Crew Essential Leggings.  I bought these in a medium.  I could have gone with a small, but I like how loose they felt, yet still had a slim shape.  Plus these leggings tuck very nicely into the Britten tall flat boots I brought.
Boots: J. Crew Britten Tall Flat Boots.  I think they should bring these back for a second season, I feel that they are that well done.  I also really like the exposed zipper in the back, which while functional (hello, easy pants tucking), are also pretty cool.  (Parisians also wear a lot of boots, so yep, another "I feel like I fit in" sartorial choice.)

BTW, for all of my mentioning that I felt like I fit in, I truly believe that no matter what I brought from my closet with me to Paris, I would have felt good...in some way, I think that truly stylish places appreciate individual style and taste, and I found that very freeing about Paris, and I always feel that way about NYC.  I have only ever felt uncomfortable in certain places, and it usually stems from the women having a basic "uniform" and when you step outside the custom of what they wear, you get "looks."  I could go on and on about that, and while I am fine with there being a uniform of sorts for some localities, and will even attempt to not offend whilst there, because of my own individualistic tendencies, places where that liberty of self-expression through fashion is embraced is wonderful.  :)

This was worn under the popover.  I kept the popover on for the whole day, for the most part.  This is the stripe button back tee from last spring, J. Crew, size extra-small.

Those of you who visited my blog yesterday saw this image.  I really like this image.  :)

This is a close-up of the popover for you all.  The pockets were sort of nice to have, as the metro ticket and the museum passes all fit in there quite nicely.

I brought a beret.  People actually wear them in France.  I love my beret, and this is now its 11th (!!!) year of use by me.  By the way, those gloves were bought by me at the clearance center in Lynchburg, VA for $25.  They have a teeny-tiny pen mark on them, but other wise, the leather and cashmere is in great shape.  I also love the zipper, even though they are superfluous and have no real function.

And how great is it that we have a family photo that turned out decently?  Awesome!

Paris: Day One. by dinagideon featuring printed scarves

Above is the polyvore of the outfit, for you polyvore fans.

I should note that I did not start the day in the first outfit.  I actually was on the plane in the above outfit, which includes the Saturday pants by J. Crew, a long-sleeved striped tee by J. Crew, a Boden scarf, and a pair of Bensimon sneakers.  I also had on a pair of really attractive support hose (strength: strong, oh, baby!).  I wear support hose on long flights because I have a blood clotting disorder.  I also take full-strength aspirin to help blood thin even more.  (So the end effect?  I have really ugly hosiery on my legs and if I bump into anything I bruise quickly and very colorfully, but I will take both of those over blood clots which can lead to some nasty complications in my body...)

We stopped at the Gare de Lyon (we were at the hotel nearby--omg, you all, the Novotels are wonderful hotels!!!) for a quick bite to eat before we started our day.  This station serves Southern France, and it took all my willpower not to hitch a ride to Nice.  (Mr. Dina has promised me a trip to Provence, one day.)  ;)

Okay, all, have a great day.  Thanks again for your sweet comments lately...and very soon I will respond back.

Here it is...Outfit #1 for Trip to Florida!!!

You all have already seen the polyvore of this day's oufit, but just in case you haven't go to this post and see "Saturday." Oh, and so you know, that pretty green dress also shown as part of Saturday's outfit? Well, it wasn't worn till Sunday, so you all will have to wait to see me in it (I know, the anticipation is JUST killing you...heehee). ;)

I am glad I chose to wear this outfit on the plane...it was UBER-comfy. The cardigan is the same merino michelle cardigan in melon that I wore on April 1, see this post here. The tank is the J. Crew painted tank that I searched high and low for...and finally bought from some store in Connecticut. It is VERY long on me, but I think I will tailor the straps to make it a bit shorter. It is weird...for as tall as I am, I have a very short torso so even smalls are sometimes too long or large. (I definitely never have that problem on my bottom-half...sigh.) The pants are J. Crew Madison stretch chinos and even though they are a little big (should be retired), I decided to keep them for this trip exclusively for the plane...there is nothing I hate more that having a too-snug waistband when you can't get up and adjust (you all know what I mean). The belt is the darling skinny-belt from J. Crew this season. Its perfect hot-pink color works so nicely with this cardigan and tank. The shoes are Earth shoes, and yes, they are ugly, but I have to wear them...they are perfect for travel. I also have on a pair of compression socks. I suffer from something called MTHFR disorder, which basically means that my blood clots too easily, and that can lead to BIG problems on flights. Here is a great explanation of the disorder. You probably have heard the stories...young girl on flight...gets off flight...collapses...discovered that she has a huge clot in her lung...she dies because it was too late. I also have to take extra aspirin (I take one baby aspirin a day to thin my blood everyday without fail) during this time for extra-blood thinning power...woo!

Aren't the kids just precious? Yes, I did dress CW to match me. And no, Rex is NOT dressed yet. He is still in his PJs...smart when you have a two-year old just learning to eat properly with a spoon!!!

Up next will be the post with the outfits from Sunday (the day we went to Magic Kingdom and this awesome restaurant called T. Rex in Downtown Disney).

Have a great night, everyone!!!