OOTD/Review: Squirrels in the Hartland.

Just a very quick reminder before I get this post written, Boden has been offering an extra 10% off all sale items for the past few days, and it is set to end tomorrow night (December 27, 2014), so if you wanted to receive the additional amount off, make sure to get those purchases done before it expires.  I have a sidebar link for the 10% off, but I have also included that link at the bottom of this post.  For more information on this sale, go to this post I wrote a few days ago.

Many of you have been asking me to show off the Hartland Dress (here at Boden, the white one is EXTREMELY well-priced with the extra 10% off), but because of a few reasons, I am only able to review it now, but better late than never, I suppose.

This dress is a size 6 Long, and that is actually one of the reasons why I waited so long to show it off to you on me, I simply did not have it in this size.  I originally purchased it in a size 8 Long (that written review is here), but after losing some weight, I discovered the 8 L was ridiculously oversized in my bust and somewhat oversized in my hips, so I knew getting the 6 L would make it work better on my frame.

It was the right choice, ultimately, but it took a long time to get to me.  In fact it wasn't until I got back from our trip to MS that I received it.

Before I move on to the next photo, the pockets are fab.  They are patch pockets, but they work well, and I found I was slipping my hands in them all day, so while my preference is side pockets, these were great!

Boden did a great job with the sewing of this dress.  The squirrels line up perfectly at the seams and through the sleeves.  It would look *off* if they weren't properly laid out, so bravo. 

I find this dress favors those with curves, so if you are more straight up-and-down, you may have a bit of a challenge getting it to fit properly through the bust, waist, and hips.  Because I am straight from bust to waist, my bust area is not filled out at all, even in the smaller size (there is a bit of bagginess from my lack of boobage), but as you can see my bottom fills out the curve in the back of the skirt well.

The dress features a back zip, which is my favorite, as it makes getting in and out of the dress so much easier.

You can also see here how well Boden lined up the squirrels.

The length is awesome, hitting right at my knee.  The sleeve length is odd, I think I would have preferred full-length, but the combo of full-length sleeve and shape of the dress could have read frumpy, so I guess that was why they went 3/4 length instead.

The fabric is super soft, btw, made from a baby cord material.  It also stretches a bit, though the lining doesn't, so it is neither here nor there ultimately regarding stretch.  The lining helps when wearing tights, though, so I will happily give up stretch for ease of wearing with tights in the winter.

The squirrel print is not super obvious until you get up close.  From far away it definitely looks like a geometric print.  It is for sure a perfect teaching dress, especially if you teach younger kids.

And that is what I did that day, I was on day #3 of teaching second-graders, but it was also my first day back after finding out that my friend, W., had killed himself, so it really was a matter of finding something easy to wear, modest enough for school, and cheerful enough to take away some of the sting of losing a good friend.  It worked, sort of, but truth be told (and those of you that have read the last few posts know this), I still majorly struggled to get through the day (and it was a half-day on top of it).  W. loved the outdoors and hiking and the woods, so the squirrels were a bit of a nod to his love for all things nature.  (I wore a tree print cardigan to his funeral, too.)  So that was my day, figuring out how to simply get through the day.

Okay, that's all for now.  I really hope you all are having a lovely Friday.  I love having the kids home with me for vacation (it's a long one this year, too, two weeks total).

Have any of you tried the Hartland and would like to put in your two cents?  Would love to see your comments!

Link to the extra 10% off is below:
Extra 10% Off Sale and Clearance Items + Free Shipping!

OOTD/Review: Whale Critters and a Pencil Skirt.

Hey, all...Happy Monday night to you all.  I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend, whether you were celebrating Memorial Day here or the Bank Holiday in the UK.

Up first is the review, followed by my very casual outfit of the day.

Linen Tippi Whale Sweater and Factory Printed Pencil Skirt (succulent green).  Tippi is a size extra-small and the pencil skirt is a size 8.

I rarely get to the stores anymore, but I have been able to get to the Pentagon City store twice in three weeks, since I have had so many returns lately.  Of course I can't resist walking around seeing what pretty is laying on the table, and one of them was the tippi whale sweater.  I hadn't thought I would be interested when it debuted on-line (even though I love a critter) because I thought the whales were screen-printed on the sweater.  Instead I discovered they were embroidered green whales, which made the sweater much more appealing to me.  I also love the linen tippi I own in neon orange since it offers great coverage against the sun but is still fairly lightweight.

I had read that the sweater ran tts, and I would say it does since the extra small is just fitted enough without being too tight.  It does stretch out, so if you are between sizes, go down because it may be too slouchy by the end of the day if you size up.

The skirt is wonderful.  I liked the last "regular" J. Crew rollout, but man, the prices were so expensive.  The factory rollout happened one day beforehand and I fell hard for two of the skirts (the poppy mini was the other) and because the prices were actually reasonable, I could bite on both without feeling super guilty.

The skirt fits true to size, and because it is a stretchy cotton sateen, it moves with you and with your curves, which is awesome if you are curvy in your lower half.

The print is so pretty, and the succulent green name is perfect for the color the green is...sort of a delicious mid-green that is neither too lime or too kelly. 

I don't know that the two pieces work well together, but they do match.  :)  I tried them on together because I happened to be wearing the tippi and the shoes with a pair of green shorts that day (last photo in this post), and I was being a tiny bit lazy. 

Side view.  The tippi's length is a touch shorter than my other tippis, so if you have a longer  torso, this may be a deal breaker for you.

The skirt is longer than my other factory pencil skirts, so yay for that.  Tall ladies, rejoice!

Back view.  I didn't snip the thread on the back vent, but there is a back vent that will make moving around even easier.

See the Tippi on beach chic girl and rynetta.  See the pencil skirt on Gigi.

Day: Friday, May 24, 2013.

Where:  School Pickup.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I almost contemplated not putting this outfit on the blog since this outfit is not anything special, other than the fact that I am preppy enough to happily wear a whale embroidered critter sweater alongside a pair of really bright green Bermuda shorts.  It is like living preppy heaven here in VA.  I just need to get a pair of navy blue sperry top-siders like I had in high school and I would be the preppiest person at pickup (not hard with all the lululemon butts, lol).

The shorts are from J. Crew and although I find their shorts usually too restrictive in my size (they fit but are too short in the crotch depth), the lightweight version have a stretchy cotton blend which makes them fit so much better.  And because I am a huge sucker for comfort, I sized up to a 10 and it feels like I am wearing pj bottoms out in public.

Cool Factor: (2 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  This guy would think I look "cool."  And so would anyone who regularly shops for clothing at Vineyard Vines and/or their grandpa's closet.  The Lululemon moms probably were blinded by my shorts, though.  Thank GOD they were wearing their expensive Chanel sunglasses.  ;)

Anecdote from the day:  Really stupid day for me to wear shorts, though, since it was raining and 55 degrees outside.  Oops.  I can't believe that after the last few years of crazy hot we have had here in VA, we can't get our summer properly started.  (We went to the pool today and basically put our feet in the baby pool so we could at least say we went to the pool.)

Okay, that's all for tonight.  Have any of you tried the above items?  I would love to hear your thoughts on them, especially the pencil skirt!

Come Sail Away...Part Two.

I am nothing if not thorough.  :)

Whilst watching my babe slumber this afternoon, I decided I needed to clear out some other photos from my files.  Those poor ootd photos just sit there waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  I blame Boden this month, after all, between the fantastic summer sale and the release of the new fall items, a bit more of my blog's time has been devoted to goings-on across the pond.

I did a post over at True Crew Love on how to score on J. Crew samples (for those of you in a hurry, it is called ebay), and now I want to finish up all possible nautical themed outfits of the day I have had lately.  I guess I have been on a naval expedition, sartorially speaking, anyhow.  (And here's another thing, I have three more outfits that I am planning on wearing soon that all could fall under the heading "seaworthy.")

I am convinced that the people in CW's dance class think I only own dresses, skirts, and tops with some sort of fish, sailboat, lighthouse, ocean animal or scene, or are in the color range of red, white, and blue.  Maybe I will wear a plaid button-down and grungey shorts next week to mix it up, so to speak.

Dress: Anthropologie Castle Lake, Size 6 (or is it small, can't remember).  I have seen people reverse it so the rope tie is in the front, but this way flatters my neckline more.  Belt: J. Crew Skinny Metallic Belt, size small.  Sandals: J. Crew Jolene (or Joellen?) O-Ring Sandals, Size 10.  (BTW, if you have these in a 9.5, ANY COLOR, I will buy them from you, I LOVE these sandals and should have bought an extra pair or two.)

Speaking of nautical/fishy things...an ebay seller is currently selling the above top with bids starting at 6.99.  I love mine, and have worn it over and over since purchasing it in January 2007.  I believe it was called the Ringspun Tee in the fish print. 

And the very famous School of Fish skirt (same basic look as the tee, but in a more stunning fashion) is for sale in a size 12 with a starting bid of $64.99.  These always go out of control, but I have heard it is worth it (and was willing to save my pennies to grab one a while back).

And last, but certainly not least, another ebay seller has this school of fish dress in a size 2.  The current bid is at $51, but it still has a few days to go.  I suspect this one will top out at near $200, if not higher.  Very pretty dress, btw, and my wallet is so happy it isn't a 6 or 8 for sale.  LOL.  :)

Have a great day, and yo, ho, ho!

Trying to Be Festive...Talbot's Style!!!

I don't really go for the "festive" look very often. On Halloween, I will wear orange and put in some pumpkin earrings. On Valentine's Day, I wear pink. At Christmas, I wear holiday colors, but rarely anything with trees, presents, etc.

And although I know that this reindeer tee from J. Crew has a lot of fans, I am not one of them. But then Talbot's, the purveyor of all things for a certain "mature" sort of woman called my name. They made two specific tops that made me want to be festive for real. And, yes, one of them was a reindeer tee.

Festive in Talbot's and J. Crew! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

The polyvore above is the outfit I am wearing today to substitute. For all of you locals who know how cold it is outside, be aware that I am wearing a cardigan and a puffer jacket. Even I don't run that "hot." :) I adore this top...very pretty, very comfortable, and it has just a dash of festive, in the form of very small sequins placed very carefully on top of the print. I am not even sure you could see them even when you expand the photo of me wearing the top, it is that subdued.

The pretty lady in my polyvore? The most excellent Anna Torv of the show Fringe. Easily one of my most favorite characters on TV, and also my beauty ideal (I try to have beauty ideals that I could easily replicate...no use in me attempting to have Audrey Hepburn or Iman as my beauty ideal, as gorgeous as they are, I don't anticipate having big brown eyes or tiny hips anytime soon).

The pants I am wearing are similar to these pants in this polyvore. I call these "sailor-esque" sort of denim pants my "GingerSnap" pants, because one of my favorite bloggers ever, yes, she of GingerSnap's Daily Fashion Post, has a pair of pants that so remind me of the ones I wore today. And doesn't she just look darling wearing them???

I totally forgot to wear that necklace. Ergh. I bought that necklace from the J. Crew outlet in Lancaster, PA a few weeks ago (see below for more info on why I was in PA). It is really pretty.


Top: Talbot's, Size Small. This top has a blouse-y effect. I think I could wear this even if I was a bit pregnant (no, I am not), Winter 2009. :)
Jeans: Isaac Mizrahi for Target, Denim Trousers, Size 10, bought a long time ago.
Shoes: J. Crew, Caroline Jeweled Ballet Flats, Graphite, Size 10.
Watch: My lovely, and very trusty Fossil.

Yes, that is the ever awesome Uncle Peter holding CW in the background. He is babysitting today. The kids were beyond thrilled. :)

There is no polyvore for the second outfit. Too tired. :)


Top: Talbot's, Reindeer Tee, Green, Size Medium (for the length), Winter 2009. I like this reindeer tee because it is a bit more understated. I know, I know. This is coming from the same girl who wears BRIGHT YELLOW on a regular basis. Sorry to be so hypocritical.
Pants: J. Crew, Cropped Cocktail Capri, Khaki, Size 8, Spring 2009.
Shoes: J. Crew, Etta Flats (I believe), Metallic Silver and Gold, Size 10, Fall 2008.

Look at the preciousness named CW. She looks perfectly festive for Valentine's Day wearing that adorable heart onesie.

I wore this outfit for a drive up to Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago. We went up there to visit Thomas the Tank Engine. Rex only sort of appreciated it. Sigh. ;)

Have a nice day. I may end up doing 6000 posts tomorrow. Turns out we are supposed to be blanketed with almost a foot of snow here in the NOVA region. And if you know this area, things will shut down for days because of it. We haven't seen this much snow since 2003. (And, yes, all you Canadians and Bostonians can start rofl'ing right now...we are a bit of a spectacle here...)

So this is What Mother's Day Looked Like this Year!

If you have spent anytime at Polyvore this week, you have seen my outfit for Mother's Day. Somehow it was one of the most "popular" this week because it hung out in the "popular" section of the various groups I published it to. Well, yay!

I actually loved wearing this outfit last Sunday. It was AMAZINGLY gorgeous here. In this area we typically go from yucky, cool, rainy weather to HOT AND HUMID overnight. If we are lucky we squeeze in two or three days of perfection. That was what we had last Sunday. It was 75 degrees and sunny. I think God was blessing all us moms in the DC area. So, thank you, God...we totally appreciated it!

Here is the polyvore:


Mother's Day 2009! by dinagideon featuring J Crew Clothing



Here is the full-length. I am standing next to my brother. We are at my church. Peter and I and my dad have been going to this church since I was 10. I even went to grade school here. One day maybe my own kids can go here (we are still members). I would even love to teach here one day. We'll see! :)

I loved this outfit because it was the right amount of color, fabric, and accessories for the day. The one warning I have is about the shoes. Rex decided to sit on the poor sandals and the turtle fell off. Sad! They are not put on the sandals quite in the same way as the starfish from the other Miss Trish of Capri for Target sandals I own. So I have had to buy some heavy-duty glue to place the turtle back on...

The dress is older, from last year J. Crew. It is very comfy. I bought a medium because I wanted it to fit longer. It is like wearing a really long polo shirt.

The necklace is the very pretty vintage daffodil necklace made by DianaP. The dress was the perfect backdrop for the necklace. I received a million compliments on the necklace from people last Sunday!!! (DianaP.--you have yourself a great idea here...)


Here I am with the kids in Bethesda. After church we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Louisiana Kitchen (which replaced Louisiana Express when it closed). The current Louisiana Kitchen is in a different location but serves almost the same menu. If you LOVE Cajun food, this is the best place to get it in this area. It is very similar to the food you can find in the New Orleans area. Mmmm. I do spend quite a bit of time down there as that is where Mr. Dina is from (actually SW Mississippi--but pretty darn close). Our favorite restaurant in New Orleans is Mother's and although Louisiana Kitchen doesn't have the menu of Mother's, it is almost as good!

After Louisiana Express, we went and explored the Bethesda Arts Show. We even ended up buying an original piece of art...a 3D Robot Face (it is too hard to explain--I'll just have to get a pic up at some point).

All in all, a great day!

You all have a great Sunday, too!

Part Four of my Florida Vacation...or Tuesday, April 7, and Wednesday, April 8, 2009!!!

First, I need to apologize for waiting so long to publish today's post. I had intended to post this on Sunday, along with my Easter outfit. But then I received the call...my beloved Uncle Jerry, who basically acted a lot like a grandpa, was on his way down. At 7:22 pm, he passed away in his sleep. We all knew his health was failing, but none of us knew when he would actually pass away. We are a very strong, faithful, Catholic family, so even though we have heavy hearts about losing him, we feel for Uncle Jerry to pass away on Easter is so fitting and special. He lost his own two children to polio when they were very small. I believe they were there waiting for him and welcoming him. And knowing how loved all of the children of our family were by him (it makes me incredibly sad that CW never got to meet him), I am sure when he saw his precious Donny and Margie, he had the biggest smile on his face ever.

I am heading out to California this Thursday morning. I am heading out with just CW. Sadly, Rex and Mr. Dina (thanks for the name idea, Gigiofca) cannot make it...too expensive. What is funny about all this? Mr. Dina rightly pointed out that CW and I are amongst a small handful of people who have gone to Disneyworld's Magic Kingdom one week and then to Disneyland the next. Walt would be proud. What is bittersweet? The last time we went to Disneyland was with Uncle Jerry for Rex's first visit ever (see above pic).

Okay...so back to the Florida outfits...these are the last two. Tuesday was really cold, but we had NO idea when we left. Lucky for us we brought a few jackets. We went to Universal Studios that day and saw a lot of folks wearing Universal Studios hoodies, coats, sweatshirts, etc. I think that is how these parks make money...they fool everyone into believing Florida is warm all the time and then getcha when it is cold. :) But we were prepared!

I had forgotten to put this outfit in my polyvore, but here it is...a lime green polo with crab critters all over it from summer 2008 (J. Crew), a pair of J. Crew stretch summerweight shorts (11" inseam) in dark honey (or something like that) from this season, and of course, the lovely critter flip-flops (I guess Tuesday was a critter day).

I don't really have a lot of time to write about Universal Studios, so I will have to post on the experience later. We did have fun...even though this happened (see next photo):

Yep...that's right, Dina got sun- and wind-burned. So did Rex and CW. Mr. Dina was fine...he wore a hat. So did you know that when it is cold but the sun is bright and closer to you that you can burn? Yeah, I know, all you ski-bunnies get that, but for a proud flat-lander like myself, it didn't even freaking occur to me.

I think I should have packed a green top for this outfit (would be a lot less jarring against my very pink skin), but how was I to know I would get burned? I had wanted to wear shorts or something other than this, but darnit, it was cold again. So out came my fly-home outfit early for our last day in Orlando (we went back to Downtown Disney...fun...review at same time as Universal, maybe...). The sweater is a cashmere short-sleeve top from Garnet Hill. Ladies, the cashmere in this sweater is probably a hundred times softer than the J. Crew cashmere. Admittedly it is a bit more expensive, but if you buy it on sale (like I did), it can be a reasonable price. Plus I love wearing cashmere on planes...it's cozy without being cumbersome. The pants are the chambray cocktail pants from the Pants, Pants, and More Pants post. They are definitely getting to be too loose. WOO! And, yep, the lovely critter flip-flops.

You all have a nice night and Wednesday morning. :) I will get back in my groove soon enough...it may just take awhile (darn grades...they take forever to do and have to be turned it at the absolute worst time for me)!

Pretty in Pink for a Relaxed Day!!!

Pretty in Pink for a Relaxed Day! - by dinagideon on Polyvore.com
So here is the outfit that I decided to wear for three reasons: 1) It is gorgeous outside and I was feeling decidedly "Springy!" 2) I am walking from the school to Starbucks (about 1.25 miles) after I am done for the day (don't worry, I brought walking shoes and will store the flats in the backpack--I made room); and 3) It is CW's six-month birthday (big deal when you are this small) and I wanted to wear very "girly" colors.

The polyvore shows the outfit in its entirety. Some changes--the shirt is not the Parisian polo (although I do own that one), instead it is the polo from J. Crew, Summer 2006 that had the critters on the chest. The polo I have has the whale critter. The fossil watch is similar to the one in the set, as are the pearls.


Here is the outfit, full length. I do LOVE these pants. They are so pretty and comfortable. And again, the material is ridiculously soft. If you didn't visit the Polyvore site, the pants are the colored cotton chambray cropped chinos (still for sale at jcrew.com). The shoes are the fresco-print (on silk) ballet flats (last I checked they were still for sale at jcrew.com). These shoes are from my collection of Fresco printed items. I love the fresco print. It must be the colors, green, olive, and pink that drew me in...


Since it is CW's 1/2 year birthday, I had to put a pic of her and me together. You can also see the whale critter closer-up and you can see the watch and necklace, too. I think I got the necklace from Macy's on "super-sale."

I hope to comment back to all of you who commented on the two outfits yesterday (THANK YOU) but I have a meeting in a few minutes and then we are off to shop at Costco, Macy's, and possibly even IKEA, so I may not be able to comment back until tomorrow!!! Please forgive me...I love commenting and commenting back!!!

It's raining and I am walking home...you heard me right!

So nothing fancy today because there is NO WAY I am ruining a special piece of J. Crew by walking home in the rain. That said, I have no desire to look like a complete bum, either. This is a middle ground which will keep me warm, is sturdy, and is interesting enough to say "I tried."

The cardigan is the lovely and warm oatmeal haley. It is so pretty in real life and such a nice neutral. The silver version (as I may have mentioned before) was so shiny and looked like tinfoil. I am really glad I purchased the oatmeal color instead. The shirt is one of those ring-spun ones from J. Crew last spring (2008). It has a map of Andros (a Greek island) on it. It is the prettiest shade of blue and right near the map has a "critter" of an anchor embroidered in gold. It is a very comfy, yet stylish shirt. I think someone over at the J. Crew Aficionada blog mentioned how statement tees are for teens only, but if you are in a profession like teaching, it is an acceptable look. Kids actually look at teachers longer who wear brighter colors...it is kind of cool to be in a profession that prefers colors to greys and blacks. The cords are the fantastic-fitting matchstick cords in citron. I have good news, these are about to be retired, which means I have lost more weight (whee)!

The tennies are an adidas from DSW a few years back. I am not picky about tennis shoes. My question when buying them is "will they last and are they comfy?"

Here is what the outfit looks like without the cardigan (how I wear it in the classroom). My classroom is about 80 degrees, so I have to wear layers to ensure I won't collapse from heat exhaustion. IT WAS GREAT WHILE PREGNANT (NOT)!

The ubiquitous shot of me and CW. She does make this outfit shine, huh? :)