A Little Milly, A Little Carly...

You all (unless buried under piles of snow yourself, begging for mercy, "get me out") did notice that we had a little bit of snow these past few weeks. You may not have known this but we had to cancel my son's 3rd birthday party (originally scheduled for the 13th) because of the snow. Nanny and Pops, Mr. Dina's parents, had to reschedule their flights so that they could even see us (had they come in on the 11th, they would have had to stay with my dad...ooh, fun...in-laws, yet no kids or more importantly, grandkids).

Okay, I promise this is going somewhere. The new date for the reschedule was February 20th, which was last Saturday. Instead of being a Mardi Gras/kids' funfest, the new party just became a kids' funfest...bad juju to go and have a Mardi Gras party after Mardi Gras...wrong to mess with Lenten observances and all. (I did make a hearty--yet sort of salty and spicy, oops--gumbo this year, always make a gumbo, no matter what!)

So, and I am sure this is on all of your minds (ha)...what did dinagideon wear to her son's 3rd birthday party?

A Little Milly for Emma! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Well, I did a polyvore a few weeks ago with the new Milly dress I had gotten on (a deep discount) sale at ebay. I also sent the polyvore over to What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?, so if you see this set at her blog, you all go ahead and vote for it. (Or else the bad juju is coming your way...just kidding.) ;)

Didn't wear the heels or some of the other pieces, but I came to a close approximation.

At first, I was kind of stressed that the jacket would look terrible IRL with the dress, even though in the polyvore it looks good...but in the end, it all came together, even if it does look a bit "church-lady." (It's okay...I am not exactly sitting front row at Bryant Park in this ensemble...I am hanging with my very sweet, darling, very non-fashionista friends!!! Well, except for Summerilla and Drewablank who were able to come and hang in my 'hood for a bit...)


Sizes:
Jacket: Size Petite 8.
Dress: Size 8. (By the way, it is called the Milly Clover Lace Dress or something like that--there are actually small clovers in the lace overlay...and the lining is silk, feels so nice!)
Tights: Medium/Tall.
Shoes: Size 10.

If I was to go out on a date in this, I would have nixed the flats and worn much edgier shoes. I would have also found a different jacket or cardi as a cover-up.


Without the jacket it is so so pretty. Look at the bow at the waist. DARLING! (See why I sent it to WWEPW? Does this dress not scream "I am a neat freak guidance counselor at a school with a fantastic Glee club?)


So the party is winding down (yet I heard it continued for two hours after I left), and I switch into wearing something to go out with the very cool DC JCAs. I had a feeling the ladies all wanted to see me in my Carly dress get-up (see the photo above as a reminder of it), so I dressed just like that, except I kept the sparkly tights from the Milly dress outfit and I wore the Naturalizer boots instead (better match for the darker tights than these Metropolitan boots were).

I quote one of my good friends here..."Dina, very funky." I must have made a face (although I like funky). He then responds, "No, I like it...Funky is good."

Okay, then.

Drewablank and I mosey on out...and had a great time. For me to go further into the story would be a waste of energy, because...

HeidiG. did a great write-up...

as did Summerilla...

as did Slastena (whose birthday it actually was)...

Have a great afternoon. Enjoy your Tuesday, all!

Oh, and P.S., I didn't forget to do the Crystal Devote Necklace review, I just want to give that post more time and energy than I have to give right now. You all know I am good for it, right??? ;)

Blushed Tweed Pencil Skirt and a Frances on a Friday!!!

First, before I go into my tale of debauchery (not really, but it felt like that to me), I want to remind you that I have a list of links on my sidebar to "Help Haiti." I have received extra links to add, so keep looking, and if you can help in any way possible, I thank you!

Second, I have one of my Polyvore sets in a contest over at the very fab blog "What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?" Emma Pillsbury is the guidance counselor over at the show Glee who is very likely to show up for work in pencil skirts and frilly blouses, i.e. the very epitome of lady-like. Since Emma is a character who reminds me a bit of my alter-ego (very much neglected of late...sigh) Mid-Century Mom, it was obvious that I needed to send a few of my polyvores over to this other blog to be in the game of "What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?" Well, sadly for my polyvore set, it is against a set with a skirt that has a bow. And if you know Emma Pillsbury you know she loves herself a good bow!!! So head on over and vote in this fun contest, better yet, become a follower of that blog so you can join in future frivolity (including the time in the future when my set won't go down in flames...it's actually okay, I think the other set is REALLY EMMA)!!!

Blushed Tweed and a Frances on a Friday! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Onto my outfit (and debauchery) from last night. In this post I said I would wear the blushed tweed pencil skirt for Chanel Fashionista and the Frances Cami for Debye on Friday. And that is exactly what I did. I had a ladies night out, so I wanted to splash out, even though all I would be doing is chilling with some of Mr. Dina's co-workers and wives of Mr. Dina's co-workers (who are all amazing ladies, and when told of this blog, and of all the other awesome JCA/Boden centered blogs, were very,very intrigued). Regardless, I was insanely excited to go out in this outfit. And what made this outfit even more fun? Wearing it while drinking really great red wine. Thank you, Megan, awesome tasting South African wine. (And thank you, Miss Leigh, for providing us a perfect place to drink said wine!) (And by now you have guessed why I didn't post this last night, right??? I was definitely a bit "drunk" Dina. Mr. Dina was kind enough to drive me there and back...)

The polyvore is accurate. I even will do a tiny, itsy-bitsy review of the tangled treasure bracelet (which is in final sale and is the reason I bought it).


Sizes:
Cardigan: Size Medium.
Top: Size Petite 8.
Skirt: Size 6.
Belt: Size Small-Medium.
Shoes: Size 10.

I like the play on proportion...with the tight pencil skirt, the shorter ruffly cami, and the l-o-n-g forever cardigan. It feels feminine, but not too over the top. I think heels would have been too much, as well. The flats feel better for a ladies night out at a house. :)


Here is my little lady. She did not have a ladies night out, but her shoes are very cute, no?

The tangled treasure bracelet is not nearly as scary in real life as you would imagine it would be. Based on the photos on jcrew.com (which I can't find because it appears sold-out; if the pics come back, I will update this post). I was a bit nervous, but figured I could work it somehow. The dangly bits are definitely "dangly," but I love the beads and mix of chains and pearls. I have also ordered the tangled treasure necklace (hello 30% off final sale--awesome), and have a feeling I will love it, but I imagine that will be a harder sell than the bracelet. I love a great statement necklace, but the tangled treasure necklace may be too much for 98% of JCAs out there.


My action shot. HeidiG. mentioned to me that it is hard to pose with an open cardigan, and she is right, so I looked on-line and saw that in all the photos of models wearing an open cardigan, they had one hand on their hip holding back part of the placket on one side of the cardigan. I think this flatters a woman's shape nicely. I may have to do more of these "action shots" in the future.

Ta-Ta, all. Tomorrow is the Campo dress (equals success--black looked GREAT under it) and maybe some Boden try-ons??? We'll see!!!

Boden + J. Crew=LOVE! (Oh, and a Special Bag Called the Lexi!!!)

I thought I would get these two outfits out together because we are almost at November, and barring a few places in the U.S.A. and Canada, it is full-on fall here. (Of course, as I type this, it is 71 degrees and gorgeous here...huh.)

So even though these outfits may not work for you...there are pieces in here that some of you may be on the fence about buying or you may really like the color combos I have done or you just really like looking at summer clothing when it is yucky outside...but for whatever reason you look today, enjoy.



Frances Cami and Striped Cardi Fun! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore of the first outfit.


This "favourite v-neck" cardigan is still for sale at Boden. I bought it when it was 20% off, and unlike the spring/summer version I wore here and here, this cardigan is not 100% cotton...it is a mix of wools and cotton. If you are an "itcher," this may be too wool-y for you. But Boden does allow free returns so if you are on the fence, get it...you can always send it back free of charge. For reference, this is a UK size 12, although a 10 would have fit great. I wear a medium in J. Crew cardigans, usually.

You have seen the Frances cami on me before, here, in sage. I really really like this deep rose color and think it is so pretty with this striped cardigan.

The shorts and sandals are all J. Crew, but from seasons past, so most likely unavailable except through every one's favorite capitalist site, Ebay.


Without the cardigan, the outfit is just okay. Very comfortable. (Surprisingly so...)



Boden Henley and Lexi Clutch!!! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore for outfit #2.


The top is a Boden henley from last spring. It is also now unavailable, but did languish for a really long time in their sale section.

The shorts are from Target, and because I am a sucker for a plaid bermuda short, and this pair had my very favorite colors, I had to get it.

The real reason I even bothered to take photos of this outfit wasn't for the clothing but rather the SUCCULENT spring daisy-colored metallic Lexi clutch. OMG. This is definitely not a bag for anyone looking to fade into the background, but look at it...I feel like butterflies and birds will come and perch on my shoulder because they will be attracted to the bag like they would a flower.

I can't say that this is the most practical bag ever, but it is a lot of fun. I am wearing it in this shot across my body, with the strap attached to the clutch part (the strap is very easily taken off, if need be).

If you love it, as I do, it is available here at jcrew.com for 99 dollars (I went ahead and got it when there was an extra 20% off, though, so I didn't pay that price).

Now, in all fairness, I should point out that the very lovely A Bigger Closet bought the light purple version of this bag and did not end up keeping it, and her reasons are very valid. So, please do take a look at her post on this bag.


Yes, at one time, I manage to look both stupid and pregnant. I have no idea why I am holding my hand like that, nor do I know why I made that face. Regardless...THE BAG...Look there...it is in clutch form. So pretty!!! Squee...

I would not recommend this for a party bag because it is too big, but I have been using it as a fun day bag...you know, going to lunch, hanging out at a friend's house, taking Rex to preschool kind of bag...

If you have any questions, go ahead and post them...

Have a great afternoon, all.