My Name is Vanessa, and I Would Love to Share a Cup of Coffee with You!!!

Hi, my name is Vanessa, and I would love to share a cup of coffee with you. Since we are in France, I suppose I should say share a cup of cafe with you, but it doesn't matter, the sharing the cup is what matters.

Since it is a Saturday morning and we are taking it easy, I have decided to go casual, but still a casual that makes men weep. Look at me here in my perfect jeans. Look how nicely they offset the cashmere vest I am wearing. Notice how the bow is insouciantly perched...not too twee...just a bit messy to let the world know that I don't take myself too seriously. My bracelet and bangle are perfectly matched by being unmatched. I have my long hair down and my nails are short. The lipstick I wear is the only real color on my face besides my natural blush.

And no matter how good I look, I am still going to treat our conversation with genuine interest...because that is the sort of person I am. Please, now, sit, grab that newspaper and biscotti, and let's start sharing the cuppa.

Brought to you by: dinagideon's obsession...the J. Crew Paris Catalog September 2007.

Enjoy the memories...enjoy the beauty!

Let's Go to the Movies...with the Beautiful Olive Green Victoria (Cami, that Is)...

So I went out two evenings in a row without my kids. I must be growing up. :) Just kidding, it worked out that way. I actually miss them like CRAZY when I am not near them...but I know that it is a good idea for me to get out and live a little every once in awhile.

Movie Night in J. Crew! by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

So this is what I wore to go out to dinner and the movies...the superb Victoria cami in olive green (J. Crew--Holiday 2008), the soft merino v-neck sweater (J. Crew--Holiday 2007), jeans (Levis from 2007?), purple/plum low wedge shoes (Target--Xhiliration--Fall 2008), Bauble necklace (I think--J. Crew--Holiday 2008), and some earrings (History Store--2001).

I was actually a little freaked out by the collar at first. I thought, "can I actually pull this off?" Well, it turns out I can. I got a lot of compliments, which I never expect to get, and when I do, I am so tickled. :) I love this top so much that I am eyeing the melon and waiting for it to go on sale.


Here is the top close-up. If you have some interest in this top, consider getting it...it really does make a statement. I pulled my hair back (thanks, KatyO. for wearing your hair that way when you wore this top) and I truly believe that one hair change made this whole look possible. With my hair down, it was all just TOO much!

Have a great day, everyone!

Friday, May 1, 2009...Dina Does Drinks with No Daughter or Son...

First thing I want to say is "thank you" to the wonderful anonymous commenter over at J. Crew Aficionada who mentioned my blog as one her (maybe his) blogs that she (or he) regularly visits because she (or he) like our positive attitudes. AWESOME!!! I was honored along with FFM, Slastena, Gigi, Heidi, and many others...I read that today (Tuesday, May 5, 2009) and I have been kind of sad these past few days (has something to do with Rex and his Bug Walks class that he is no longer a part of) and seeing this comment totally brightened my day.

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And now back to the show...

So my friend Barbara said we HAD to go and get margaritas on Friday night. I COMPLETELY agreed. Ask any teacher you know and they will all say Friday night IS the night to drink. Every teacher I know is just done by 3 pm on Friday.

I went home and changed into something fancy (or for me, fancy). You wouldn't have appreciated the Friday (day) look. Let's all say it together...LAME! ;)


However, my night look...AWESOME. I felt so good wearing this. I, along with many other bloggers (like Gigiofca and My Closet, My Baby, and I) fell in love with this tunic top. Of course, you know that I love this print. The Fresco print may be one of my favorites ever. Pink, Green, and Olive...perfect! The addition of embroidery makes this top even more special. And special it was...it originally sold for 150 dollars...eek! But I took my Mickey card out one night and purchased it (on sale for 89 dollars) for only 50 dollars (they also let me use my teacher discount...so sweet). I bought it in a size 8 because I wanted it to fit a bit loose...and I think it looks very nice this way. The pants are Ann Taylor Loft from a few years ago and the sandals are Aerosoles, also from a few years ago. No need for anything else...these three pieces are perfect together and require no accessories!


Here is a close-up of the gorgeous detailing. I think this blouse was a good price at 89 dollars, but you definitely can't beat 50!

By the way, I will polyvore this top tonight...if any of you purchase it...I should have it in my items soon!

Have a great afternoon!

Two Outfits for the Price of One...or My Time is SO Limited that I Can Only Post Every Once in Awhile...

Okay...quick info...a couple of you may have seen this published before I added notes. Note to self...do not try to eat and blog at the same time...no matter how well Ms. HeidiG of Head to Toe with Heidi can do it!


Also, for those of you who have been waiting desperately (yeah, right) for me to comment back, I have!!! I still need to comment back on the FFM birthday and I (Heart) Milly posts, but I will get to it!

Today are two outfits from when I first got back from California. That was the insane week where I nearly disappeared and you all wondered if I had gotten the swine flu or something. No, nothing like that...but there was a field trip both weeks that sucked EVERY available bit of energy from me. :)


This is what I wore on the field trip on April 23, 2009. This was the Thursday after I got back from California. This is also the only outfit that you will see of me from this week because it was the only day I could really get the energy up to try and "work it!" Drewablank, if it looks familiar, it is because this is the outfit that you saw me in that afternoon at Pentagon City.

The top is from Macy's, a Charter Club lace frou-frou concoction that is AWESOME. It is stretchy and tailored and really, really pretty. Under it I wore a light purple camisole from Costco (Lady Hathaway). Does anyone else LOVE Lady Hathaway camisoles as much as me? They have a shelf bra, are super-long (but not too long), and come in the greatest colors. Plus, they are as soft as silk (even though they are not). The pants are the stone-colored version of your favorite pants of mine, the Bistro stretch pants. I actually own these in an 8. And they fit. WOO! The shoes are the Juliet patent pumps in Dusty Rose. Do you all have a problem with the insole lining coming out? I know I can get them glued back in, but I was wondering if you were experiencing the same thing...

All in all, I love the way this outfit looked. Pretty, professional, and just the right thing for carting 60 6th-graders on a field trip to DC. Yeah, I know, I am just a little bit crazy. ;)


I wore this on Monday, April 27, 2009, and yes, I am very aware that the skirt kind of makes me look like a nun. The issue? I didn't realize how much this skirt does not fit me until I looked at the pics and then it was too late to change. Whatever. The idea of the outfit is good, but the execution, not so much. A tighter, shorter (to the knees) pencil skirt would have made this outfit sing!

The top is a J. Crew v-neck tee from Fall 2007. I think I bought it in Summer, though. Love the top. It is in citron and has the definition for "spontaneous" right there on the front. Too cute. The skirt abomination is from this Fall and purchased four weeks after CW was born to wear to a Gala. It fit well then. Of course I have lost like 25 pounds since then...I guess I just wasn't thinking. It was comfortable, though, I will give it that. I bought it at Macy's, on sale, for like 12 dollars. The shoes are from Kohl's and I love breaking out the sandals, 'cause that means summer is here! Woo! ;)


Here is a close-up of the tee. I actually have started doing this more, taking pics of my shirts close-up, so that I can use them in polyvore. Is anyone else doing this, too?

Have a nice day. I have more outfits to share, but it will probably have to wait until tomorrow. I have a whole slew from this weekend, today's outfit, and one from Disneyland left to show you. Maybe I can get them all posted tomorrow. We'll see.

Happy Birthday, FFM, and Results of the Poll on Getting Dressed in the Morning!

Hi Everyone!!!

Today is Fabulous Florida Mommy's Birthday. (Thank you, Gigiofca, for letting us know!)

I love May...such a wonderful month...the bad weather is gone, the flowers are out, and school is almost done for the year. May is pleasant and lovely, like FFM herself. I can think of no other month that can embody FFM's spirit the way that May can! So, without further discussion, happy birthday, FFM! :)

Also, as you read in this post, sometimes I have trouble figuring out what to wear in the morning, especially if my planned outfit doesn't work for me that day. So I went ahead and started a poll pretty much to that effect. The question was: What do you do when the outfit you had planned for the day just isn't "working" for you?

The #1 answer was my personal choice: Get out my tried and true outfits (those outfits you have that you know will always feel and look good on).

This answer's popularity didn't surprise me, at all. ;)

The #2 answer was: If it looks good, keep it on.

Wow...that is good to know. I may have to think about doing this...sometimes I have looked in the mirror and been like "ooh, this looks good," but then take the outfit off because I just don't think I can make it work that day (for a variety of reasons, but my comfort level is usually why I take outfits off and put my tried and trues off).

The rest of the answers were barely registering with you, but they all got one to five votes a piece, except for the answer that read, "give up, call in sick, go back to bed." That had no votes. :) Good to know!

My dad and my friend were the ones who voted for the answer "If I could, I would go naked." Haha. ;)

What should my next poll be on? I love polls...they marry my love of getting to know people and math and statistics. Give me some feedback...I would love to have a poll for every week my blog is up and running!

I (Heart) Milly!!! (Worn on April 17, 2009.)

Hi! Please understand that while J. Crew will most often be my clothing company of choice, there are many other brands that I love. One of them is Milly. This clothing company makes some wonderful dresses, especially, with all sorts of funky and pretty prints. I really (heart) the dresses that this company makes in the jersey fabric. They are soft, flowy, and exceedingly comfortable.

What don't I (heart)? The price tags. OUCH! I have seen Milly dresses well into the hundreds of dollars. I can only even begin to think about purchasing a Milly dress on sale. Also, Milly is hard to find. I realize that the clothing is sold at many upscale department stores and on-line, but it is really hard for me to get out and go try on clothes (and if I am spending hundreds of dollars that is what I need to do).

Here are some of Milly's current offerings.

I am sad to say I only own one Milly dress...and it came with me to California. This was purchased in 2007 at some super-sale price from Pink in Richmond, VA. I think it was originally price at 250-300 dollars but I was able to get it for about 125 dollars.

It is a lovely, funky, bright print and is made of that wonderful jersey fabric I spoke of earlier. It has a belt detail and decorative (non-functioning) buttons. It is a shorter dress, but since I rarely show off my legs (I am weird about it when it is too cool outside), when I do show off my legs I like it to be with a cute dress or skirt (even all my shorts are bermuda length). Because I think high heels look odd with a skirt this short, I paired the dress with my vachetta sandals from J. Crew (spring 2008).

Now, read this carefully, I know, definitely am aware of how odd the lighting is. I am also very aware of how odd the angle of the photograph is. No, my skin is not really that pale and my hair is not that color. (Lighting can screw any photo up and make things look different than in real life...anyone who blogs and posts pics knows this all too well.)

BTW, I forgot to mention why I wore this dress...I was going out for dinner with my family in California. We went to one of our uncle's favorite restaurants and had an empty chair to represent him...it was cool, sweet, and touching. :)

Update: I found one on sale (Ebay) for 110 dollars in a size extra-small if anyone likes this dress. :)

Grey, Cerise, and White on a Spring Day; Plus a Quick Review of the Featherweight Cashmere Short-Sleeve Cardigan!!!

Cerise, White, and Grey for a Spring Day!!! by dinagideon featuring J Crew sweaters

Yesterday, over at J. Crew Aficionada, there was a JCA who asked about the featherweight cashmere short-sleeve cardigan. Many of you know that I just LOVE this cardigan. I currently own it in slate and in misty lavender (and if it goes on further sale, maybe spicy olive or melon). I thought, you know I need to wear the darn cardigan so people can see just how awesome the piece is...hence my outfit today. I wore it in the slate color today. The review is at the very bottom of this post.

It was cool enough for me to wear it. Anything above 72 degrees and the sweaters go away. I run VERY hot and even something this light would kill me in a very little amount of time in a classroom setting.

My polyvore is not 100% accurate. The pants are the same, but the tee and shoes a wee bit different.

The other pieces are the cerise Bistro pants from winter 2008 (J. Crew); the French Market tee with the pig on it from summer 2007 (J. Crew); and some peep-toe pumps in a slate grey from Nine West last winter (2007).


Here is the outfit, full-length. The pants keep getting looser and looser. YAY! Love it. That color still shocks me on how bright it is. Wow. I only get compliments when I wear them, so I must wear them well, but still...Can someone say "TOMATO?" The grey cardigan was chosen for two reasons: 1. I obviously wanted to review the piece today; and 2. It definitely helped tone down the overall outfit and it happens to match the shoes perfectly!



So the cardigan itself. You can buy it here from jcrew.com or from your local store (most seem to carry it). The cardigan is one of my favorite J. Crew pieces because: 1. I love the cashmere they used in it...so soft...may be the softest I have felt from them; 2. The overall shape is so pretty and feminine...I mean I don't see a bunch of men running around in short-sleeve cardis, do you?; 3. The ruffles that edge the placket and the sleeve openings are so sweet but without being exhaustingly twee; 4. The colors this cardigan comes in are so very pretty, even something as potentially dull as grey; and 5. I love the crystal buttons, so gorgeous and unexpected.

I hope this helps some of you. I bought a medium because I like to be able to have some wiggle-room...I don't like my cardigans to be too tight. (Plus, more cashmere means just that, more cashmere...mmm...so soft!)


Oh, look at my teeth...so shiny, polished, and flossed. Hmm...maybe I do actually practice good dental hygiene. What do you know? ;) (If you don't get what this sentence means, then just ignore it...if you do, just smile or chuckle to yourself.)