Teaching School Last Week...In Real Life Outfits!!!

Yeah. I know it has been a long time. But the in real life outfits are back. I am not promising much (I have seen the photos), but I know you all will still like some of these. :)

BTW, my stupid camera card reader went and died on me last week so I had to go and get some cables to connect my camera to the computer. What a royal pain in the patookus. :) Hopefully I can get a new camera card reader tonight!

My Professor Cardigan Helps Me to Teach School! by dinagideon featuring FOSSIL watches
Oh, I had such high hopes for you...professor cardigan. You look so cute, and I think your scholarly appearance works with so many things I own, but last Monday (5/11/09) you just did NOT bring it. Bad cardigan!

It may be that the cocktail capris are just a wee too big (washer and HOT dryer here you go), it may also be that the green I paired you with was the wrong shade of green (it feels like you both were in competition). So sad. Well, I gave you a second chance (TODAY, 5/20/09) and you have redeemed yourself. Turns out that if I pair you with a scoopneck turquoise top and the fantastic mahali-dot capris you look just fine. I (heart) you again, Professor.


Yeah, I was not feeling it either. That is probably why I look like a teapot. I do LOVE the necklace with the green top. I also realize (for all the haters out there) that I should have put on some powder...that is some serious glow, miss dina. No bottom-half. You all don't need to see miss saggy-knees. I am not cruel. ;)


Outfit Number Two (wore on Wednesday 5/13/09): I know you all will love this one because you all are not blind. Out of the three outfits, number two rocks. It is all retro and fun, too! The dress is from Boden (Spring 2007) and I finally fit into it!!! YAY! It only took two years. When I slipped it on and it fit well, I actually started to dance. I don't dance well which is why I didn't videotape my glee, but just be assured that I was bustin-a-move.

The shoes are Mossimo (Target) from who the heck knows how long ago. They are so cute they should be outlawed. :)


This is for Polyvore. I plan on wearing this baby again!

Yellow, Grey, White for a School Day! by dinagideon featuring FOSSIL watches
So many of you love this polyvore that I am sort of psyched to show you the outfit. But only sorta. 'Cause I am not feeling the whole outfit here, either.


I wore this on Thursday (5/14/09) last week and I think I need to fix this outfit. I love the gladiola-print cami and the featherweight cardigan together, but I just DO NOT like it with the white denim capris and the strappy sandals. I think I should have worn jeans and a pair of grey flats. That would have looked awesome.

I also HATE my makeup. Paging Casper, Dina calling...I stole your makeup...so sorry!

Any other suggestions on what type of bottom to wear with this cute top and cardi combo?


I did a close-up of my cami for all you all who recently purchased it. I bought a Petite size 8. I am very out of proportion. My top half is very short in comparison to my bottom half. If I had similar measurements of my top on my bottom, I would probably look like a stick insect. People would probably force-feed me. :)

I prefer for tops to hit my high hip (unless they are stretchy) because I am nowhere near my size on top as on bottom. I could have bought this top in a regular size 6, but then because of how it hits the hip (in the middle), I would have had to unbutton the bottom buttons and that would just look stupid. So petite 8, here I am. :)

I hope all of you who bought it will love it. I definitely can see wearing this in the summer with a cute pair of shorts and sandals...

Have a great day, everyone. :) Thanks for having patience with me. So you know, I am done GRADING. Thank goodness...

Guava, Melon, and Yellow...Like a Yummy Dessert! (Or--One Outfit from BEFORE my Spring Break Began!)

As much as I love being on vacation, there is nothing that I love more than being back home. Northern Virginia, for all its faults, is a great place to live and spring here is glorious. After only five days of being away the tulips are blooming. Wow. Sure, the temps are supposed to be quite chilly this weekend, but when the tulips make it out, NOVA is ready for the good stuff...all that hot and humidity (which I LOVE and this is the reason Florida was so great). Of course I think I love the anticipation of the hot and humidity especially, which may be why a place like NOVA is awesome...we only get that type of weather for half the year (if that)...giving me something to look forward to the rest of the year. Does that make sense or am I just a little weird? I am also the type that loves the anticipation of a trip almost as much as the trip itself.

BTW, I probably won't be able to comment back on all your awesome comments till tomorrow...I hope you all will forgive me.

Without further ado, here is an oldie but goodie (wore it over a week ago, on Wednesday, April 1, 2009).

The polyvore is here:

Guava, Melon, and Yellow...Like a Yummy Dessert! by dinagideon featuring J Crew tops

This is the outfit on me full-length. I really like how the merino cardigan in melon looks with the guava tunic. I also happened to have the most perfect belt ever for this outfit...J. Crew (surprise) from four or five years ago. I have only recently begun wearing belts around my hips...love that my hips are thinner...enough that I can wear belts without getting the dreaded muffin-top look. The pants are cords by Lee Riders that I bought at Kohl's in fall 2007. The shoes are the buttercup colored perfect-patent flats by J. Crew from last fall.

Here is why I tucked in the tunic: I still don't feel completely comfortable with the hem of this top...it is still giving me the scrunched-up look and I really don't like that. Also, there was the added bonus of showing off the pretty belt, so I went with it!!! Here is where my initial review of the tunic is located.

Next up: Saturday's outfit for the plane and the first day in Orlando! (Or Outfit #1 from the trip...)

You all have a great day!!! I am so excited to be back...

A Long Review of the Silk Solid Tunic!

This is what the guava silk solid tunic looks like on-line. Very pretty, very silky, and on sale for $20 off of 88--or $68. Some of you may choose to bite at this price, so I am here to suss out whether or not you should! You can find it here on jcrew.com: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/shirtstops/camisblouses/PRDOVR~12342/12342.jsp


You think it really was going to be that nice shade of pale pink? I would have NEVER ordered it if I thought it really would have been that pale. Because I am such an avid follower of J. Crew Aficionada, I knew that guava translates into a fairly bright pink-peach and not pale pink (there was some scandal over the Harlow blouse last fall when many JCAs opened their guava blouses to be surprised by the "intensity" of the color).

No worries if you dislike such a bright color, this tunic also comes in the more muted shades of ivory, black, and navy. But you know me...bright is as bright does. (I am laughing as I write this...) I personally love this shade in real life...and I think the color works for me, unlike pale pink (my nemesis color).

This shot above is of it in real life, laid out on my bed.


Here is a close-up of the buttons and pockets. It is a henley shape and falls straight from the armpits to the hip. There is no cut in the hem at all (like on other tunics), it is straight around on the hem, which I dislike (now) but will like (maybe) when I get about 5 pounds more off my hips (I am almost there...whee).

Close-up of the collar. The material is a nice weight and will be lovely for spring and summer. I think the color is not the best for winter, but I will happily break that rule if I find some reason to wear it in the fall or winter...

Yeah, yeah, I know, it is like 28 degrees outside, 8 inches of snow, etc., but I don't care...I had a blast dressing up like it was 78 degrees outside and taking pics. :) Plus, maybe if I dream it is possible, it will be possible.

You can see there is no split in the hem because I had to create ruching (sp.?) at the bottom. Fortunately, it works with the flow of this top. It almost makes me look like I am about to head off to a fire-pit on the beach and trade tales of years past. The shoulders and chest and arm length are the perfect fit. The shorts are J. Crew from last summer...and yes, they really are that color in real life. It works well with this color top! The flip-flops are also J. Crew and they are this season but only available in the stores right now. (I have not found them on-line.)

I really love the color's warmth. I think it enhances my skin tone rather than makes it sallow (or heaven forbid--red). I also love the stitching at the top...purely decorative but beautiful nonetheless. The buttons are nice, too.

I like this shot...very arty, Jim...but it serves a practical purpose. You can better see the shoulder detailing in this shot.

I suspect many of you will pass on this, but I was more than happy to buy it at full price. If I can't lose those last five pounds at the hip area (NO!), I will just have a tailor cut into the hem to give it some movement.