OOTDs: Preppy Patriotism.

Before I start this brief (and dated, lol) outfit of the days post, I wanted to let you Boden fans know that I have put up one photo of the new Sophia Dress (seen here at this post) at my Facebook page.  It is not available to purchase online yet, but for some reason, mine was sent to me early.  I don't know when it will be available, but the moment I see it pop up, I will let you all know.  I will be doing a review of it soon, likely in the next Boden Weekly Review Roundup.

Okay, onto the outfits!

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Day: Friday, July 4, 2014.

Where: Celebrating America's birthday the usual way--BBQ and FIREWORKS!

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I thought for sure I would never get into these shorts when I first received them, they just looked so tiny.  They worked, but I still thought I shouldn't at *my age.*  Meh.  I got over myself and just wore them already on July 4 since they worked so nicely with my (ancient old school J. Crew) striped tee.  I was fine wearing the whole outfit the whole day, no extra worries that I was showing too much skin.  ;-)

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I think this outfit makes me look younger and I dig that.  The shorts, btw, are the Hummingbird Short from the J. Crew Factory store last spring.  I bought them in a ten, and that size worked well for my frame.  AudreyBella has a great review of them here. 

Anecdote from the Day:  The afternoon BBQ was at a friend's house and one of my friend's dad was there, too.  He had recently lost his mom and we got to talking about her estate and in the process he shared some great stories about her life.  It is so nice to sit down and reflect on what others have done in their lives.  What a great way to remember that we all have some kind of impact on the world, however small.  I was so glad he shared her stories with me.  Very touching!

Day: Tuesday, June 24, 2014.

Where: Did something that day...probably involved picking up one of the kids from their summer camp classes.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Another preppy Old School J. Crew outfit.  :-)  This madras jumper is either from 2006 or 2007 and really fills the void of proper preppy that seems to only be found at Vineyard Vines or Brooks Brothers these days.  The cotton stretches out a bit through the day and the style is very easy, so the whole outfit was super easy to wear.  Bit short, but nothing scandalous.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Looks polished and preppy, and classic American.  I would say this was a winner, especially if you live anywhere where preppy is a *thing.*

Anecdote from the Day:  At 14 I had my very first date ever to Ballston Mall with a boy I met from school.  He and I didn't last (that one date was it) and we lost touch until recently.  Of course FB is great for connecting all sorts of people, including former first dates.  Anyhow his birthday was on June 24, and even though it wasn't listed on FB, I remembered from all those years ago and wished him a Happy Birthday.  I hope my freaky birthday memory didn't weird him out too much, lol.

Day: Wednesday, July 23, 2014.

Where: As lame as this sounds, I pretty much spent the day cleaning and sewing.  But at least I had a cute outfit on...

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This was brilliantly easy to wear.  The shorts are a bit large on me through the waist, so fall a bit low, making them super comfortable.  The material (hey, yo, poly, lol) doesn't wrinkle and crazily enough is more breathable than you would think they would be.  The top is made from the linen knit that J. Crew likes to use so even though it is thinner, it is very nice for hot summer weather.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I have always like turquoise and bright red together, so I like the look.  It is a lot of look, though.

I took a ten in the pleated crepe shorts, which is the opposite of what everyone else did with these shorts.  I had purchased them in a size 8 (in the navy) initially and while they fit, because of the way my thighs are, the pleats bagged open a bit.  So I repurchased them in a 10 in the red and navy, and these fit much better.  The price I paid was more than fine, btw.  (I think it was $18 a pair.)  Gigi's review of these is here.

The linen tee in anchors is like all my other J. Crew tees, it runs big, so the xs was the right size to pick, especially since this fabric stretches out.  

Anecdote from the Day:  I spent so much time going going going on our vacation to NC, SC, and GA that is was nice to have a day at home.  I feel like such an introvert purposely not going out and seeing people.

Okay, that's it for now.  Hope everyone is great!  If you have a review for the linen tee in anchors, I would love to add your link to my review.  Just let me know in the comments!

Fourth Festive Wear!

PLEASE PLEASE ENTER MY GIVEAWAY! ENDS TOMORROW NIGHT AT 11:59 PM!

Okay, so I always have a blast over the Independence Day holiday. Obviously, I get to be all loved and treated well because it is right near my birthday, so by the end of the holiday, I have been wined and dined to the point where I have to be rolled out of restaurants. LOL. Fortunately this year I have two small toddlers who keep me moving, so that helped alleviate some of the inevitable weight gain...turns out that even if you eat fairly well, like salads and such, well, it doesn't really matter as home-made salad equals 350 calories and restaurant-made salad equals (and this is my approximation here) 125,678,301.1 calories. Oh, well.

And then you add on the 5,012 calories that I consume in red wine and you just know that I will have a bit of detox to make up for my indiscretions. :P

Onto the outfits I chose this year to celebrate my dear country's birth...


Wore this on July 5th to go to a local Alexandria community's fair. They had bike decorating contests, beautiful baby contests (baby CW--prettiest brown eyes), and lots of fun in the (hot, overbearing, OMG we are all going to melt) sun. I think it was 103 degrees with full-on humidity, so by the end all of us were dirty, sweaty, and tired. You know I looked fab--ha--not!

Sizes:
Dress: Size Medium. I bought this Mossimo (Target) dress about two years ago and I finally am wearing it. Yes, I wore a poly-blend dress on one of the hottest days of the year. So you know, this pic was taken BEFORE we left for the day. :) You would not want to see the after shot. (And come on--you see the fireworks--how perfect, right? Right??? Worth the poly-blend fainting spell I nearly had???)
Shoes: Size 10. These are the Cole Haan Air Lunetta sandals. They had a slide version, but I found those were a weird fit, but these have a toe hold making them stay on my foot better.
Necklace: Twirled Metal and Crystal Necklace. Umm, still full price at jcrew.com (of course). I bought this at 19.99 plus 20% off at the G'town store. Yes, I am insisting you do not buy it from the website. Please. But that said, isn't it a beautiful necklace???


And now for the sweet shot. Isn't this precious??? Sunglasses are Boden from last summer. BTW, I bought the A.R. Trapp Troubadour sunglasses and received them yesterday. I am in love, and look forward to showing them to you on Monday (hint for Monday's Mommy Style post--using inspiration boards to choose your pieces for your wardrobe).


And now let's reverse to Saturday, July 3rd. (Don't worry, I didn't forget the 4th!)

HOT HOT DAY which means summer sundress time for all female members of dinagideon's household.

Sizes:
Dress: Size 4. Large Ikat print sundress from the J. Crew outlet. For what it's worth, Mr. Dina really liked this dress on me, so I was glad that I purchased it. I still worry the print is too large, but I guess it works. I love the navy blue and white, had no red, but I was trying to be festive. :)
Shoes: Size 10. Old, old, old Born navy sandals. Good on Born for making a shoe that I have literally worn for years that still have plenty of life in them.
CW's dress: Size 2 from mini-Boden. I actually bought this dress when she was 5 months old as I loved it that much. She looks so freaking cute. Those are her Miss Trish of Capri pink/green daisy sandals.


And lookie there--POCKETS!!! :)

Untitled by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Above is the final look, the July 4th, red, white, and blue outfit.


Sizes:
Top: Size Petite 8. This is from last fall, and I am so glad I ordered this color. I have so little red in my wardrobe that I spend every July 4th wondering what the heck I am going to wear that has red in it. This, btw, is one of the very few reds I can wear, a rosy, pinky red, so I am not even sure it counts, but you all DO. NOT. WANT. to see me in a real red. That would make you run away in disgust, trust me.
Shorts: Size 8. These are the fun starfish shorts that are linen (yes, by the end of the evening, they had the horizontal lines on the front of them). I would say that J. Crew could have done an extra inch or two, but at least these shorts weren't of the 3-inch inseam length. :)
Shoes: Size 10. These are the starfish capri sandals from last summer. Quick question: Shortly after posing for this picture, the band on one of them broke where the band enters the footbed...I am assuming the shoe-guy can glue it back in or what...but what should I do re: telling J. Crew? I wore them twice last summer, this would have been my third wear. Do I have ANY reason to expect J. Crew to reimburse me for the repair?

Thank you for coming on by. :) I know I have been a bit absent lately and I 100% appreciate you all sticking around. I want to be more active, and I ESPECIALLY want to be more active on other's blogs, but I have been around my computer less and less...which means less and less can be given to my beloved blog friends. So thank you, again!

A Couple of Outfits from July!

I will never, ever make it to the present time in blog posting if I don't just bite the bullet and start posting all these long ago outfits. So, in order to spare me some time so I can actually catch up to real time, I will post most of the July and early August outfits in pairs or triplets.

Today I have for you three outfits from mid-July. None have polyvores which makes this post especially easy...and easy is what I need because baby CW is being clingy, needy, etc. and I am finding it hard to type and hold her at the same time. (Stay at home mom doesn't mean less work it just means a different kind of work...) :)


Here is one I wore to the gym on a Saturday morning (for a while there I had a Pilates Allegro class on Saturday mornings)...

Info: Cardi: J. Crew, Summer 2009, size small; Tank: Athleta, Fall 2008, size medium; Shorts: Wal-Mart, size large (has to be, that inseam is way too short otherwise); Shoes: Born from forever ago, size 10.


Mr. Dina affectionately called me a "hippy-chick" in this outfit. Haha. He is right, though, I do look a bit crunchy-granola. And the skirt...man, it is long...

Info: Top: J. Crew, Fall 2008, size medium; Skirt: Target (Merona), Spring 2008, size 10 (this may be why it is so long now); Flip-Flops: J. Crew, Summer 2007, size 10.


I actually really like this outfit, worn to summer school. I just wish the skirt was shorter. I think as I get smaller, the skirts still technically fit, but since they ride lower, they look longer, which on me reads as dowdy.

Info: Tee: J. Crew, Spring 2008 (maybe), size medium. Skirt: Macy's Style & Co., Fall 2008, size 10. Shoes: Earth, Spring 2009, size 9 (their shoes run a bit wide and long).

There is more to come. If you have any questions, please comment. As usual, I will comment back...I always *eventually* do. (For example, I have commented back if you have left a comment on the last two posts...)

Orange You Glad This Only Lasted Three Days?

I usually put forethought and planning into my outfits. Seriously. I love planning, arranging, playing with colors, having a mix of serious and whimsy, etc.

Then the first week of summer school happened. I obviously was going for a pattern...two whole days of Boden, and then three days of this...

ORANGE. If you hate ORANGE, I have warned you...


Wednesday, July 8, 2009:
Top: Ann Taylor Loft (Spring 2007)--Medium Orange (like a ripe to almost too ripe pumpkin).
Pants: J. Crew Outlet (from Ebay, so no idea on when)--Light Aqua Blue with Orange Whale Critters.
Shoes: Aerosoles (Summer 2009)--Sherbet Orange (looks like a yummy dreamsicle).


Thursday, July 9, 2009:
Top: A Turkish Blouse my dad bought for me in Fall of 2007...from Turkey (he was on a study tour). BRIGHT ORANGE!
Pants: J. Crew (Spring 2009). These are the very comfy colored chambray cocktail capris. They do NOT photograph well...none of them do. It is weird. You all know what they look like so I didn't feel you all would be sad if you didn't see them...


And because it was Friday, July 10, 2009:
Top: J. Crew (Spring 2009). This is the graphic floral top I wore in green all the way back when...and yes, I bought it in a very neon orange.
Pants: J. Crew (Summer 2008). The overdyed denim capri pants. They are bright neon orange as well.
Shoes: Navy Born (way the heck back when...forever ago...I don't even think I had kids).

So my hair on Friday was all poofy. I am showing you all because you all are used to me either in a ponytail or barrettes. I think the poof happened because I slept on it funny. I still liked it, though!

Okay, everyone. I hereby promise to not wear the same color three days in a row again. This was just CRAZY! (Although it did make it easy from a posting perspective!)

Oh, and let's all pray for a 20% or 25% mickey card soon...certain items over at jcrew.com are just CALLING my name!

Summer School=Two Boden Outfits, Of Course!

In the vein of attempting to always try and make a good impression (which I admit doesn't always work--I have seen some of my outfits--and wooh--they are certainly "unique")...I approached my first two days of summer school with a couple of thoughts.

#1--I am teaching kindergarten, therefore I must be colorful and expressive (kids love both).

#2--Because I am teaching kindergarten, I must be comfortable, and above all, must wear something that can be cleaned very easily.

#3--I also walk to school, therefore I must be able to wear it for a mile's distance in the heat and sun without completely boiling and baking!

So here you go...the beginning of my series on my workwear, summer style...

Summer School Day #1 by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore of Day #1.


So, yes, I did wear a Boden sundress (in white) on the first day. But I honestly could not resist. I had a suspicion that 5-year olds would love the big graphic flowers. :) They did. Mr. Dina really liked it, too, although he only saw it when he took the pic (I am a big fan of getting into yoga pants or shorts when I get home from work).

There was a lot of buzz over at the Boden site about how ill-fitting this garment was and how many people just thought it was the wrong style dress for them and everything. But I decided to try it anyhow ('cause that's me...Miss Risky...smile), and it paid off. I bought it in a UK size 12 (US size 8), which nicely fit my shape, because Boden gets my "pear" shape. God bless you, Johnnie Boden. Unlike J. Crew (whose Gladiola shift was just plain wrong on me), I have with this delightful British company a "shift" dress9 which is narrow enough on top to not make me feel like I am swimming in a pool, but wide enough in the hips to allow me to sit down like a normal person.

I have no clue if it still is for sale over at their site, but if it is I bet it is on super-sale. ;) Just a thought...

Summer School Day #2 by dinagideon featuring FOSSIL watches

Here is the polyvore for Day #2.


As you can see, I took it nice and easy on the second day...nice and bright...just like the green crayons the kids use in the classroom. This is about as simple as an outfit I will ever wear (as you all should know by now). Even though there is nary a print or piece of flair on this dress, I still loved it. Man, this is a great, simple dress. AppGal, if there are any left on the Boden website, it should be yours...I know you would love it! BTW, I bought this in UK size 10 (US size 6) and it is perfect. Therefore, AppGal, go with a UK 8. Seriously. :)

One issue I had was with the sandals...if you can believe it...the thong strap part completely came out of the footbed. HUH? These are a nice pair of Born and all...I wonder if a shoe repair place could fix it? Mr. Dina actually had to come (with babies in tow) to pick me up and drive me part-way because I needed another pair of shoes (look at the polyvore to see what I actually wore).

BTW, Summerilla, I will do the Jakarta dress post tomorrow, just for you. ;)

Three Outfits for One Day--All Are Red, White, and Blue!!!

I am feeling a wee bit tired today (Rex has been very trying already and it is barely 5 pm), so I won't being going on and on like I normally do. However, it is my FAVORITE holiday, so I knew I needed to post, if only to say "Happy Independence Day!!!" Yay, America. ;)

Also, I want for you all, right now, to go and check out the awesome blog known as Deco Aurora...it is the ultimate blog for people who love summer and summertime things...I am in love with the posts...Mslay (the blog author) always transports me with her beautiful pictures and lovely ideas. If you enjoy what you see, become a follower. Trust me, she won't let you down...

I will post three outfits because I have a spare moment and want to show that I still want to take an active role in my own blog (heck, I even commented back on the last two posts...imagine!).

Plus, the three outfits SLIGHTLY tie into Independence Day in that they all either have red, white, or blue. (And don't fret, I am definitely wearing something patriotic today and yes, we have taken photos...)

Navy Blue and Pink--Lovely Combo! by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

Here is the Polyvore for outfit #1, the outfit I wore to take Mr. Dina out for Father's Day.


Here I am with Mr. Dina, just about to leave for Father's Day. I am wearing the incredible Ruffled-hemmed jersey dress. I have a confession...as awesome as this dress is, I really hate ties on dresses...I feel they are superfluous (heehee), so I took it and tied it twice, so the bow would tie in front...ahh, much better. And aren't these shoes too die for? I wouldn't have even noticed them had it not been for 3-Penny Princess waxing poetically about them at this post.


Here is the dress a bit more buttoned up with the soiree sateen blazer. I think if I was still working, I would definitely teach in this get-up...so comfy and yet so polished!

Ruffles for a Graduation Party!!! by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

Here is the Polyvore for outfit #2, an outfit I wore to a former student's graduation party (I taught him my first year teaching, and he is easily my favorite student ever).


Here is the dress that I waxed poetically about in this post, but in navy. Ahh, navy...you are such a fine neutral. I am also wearing the very pretty Seychelles necklace that I won on ebay for half its original price. The shoes are the Carina metallic leather sandals and they got me through Costco, so I can definitely say they are possibly the comfiest shoes that J. Crew has made that I have owned. (And, yes, you read that right, I shopped at Costco in this outfit. Yes, people were looking at me...I just smiled and moved on...)


Here is the outfit from the side. I love that bow at the front...very feminine.

There is no polyvore for outfit #3, but I have included a pic so I can clip to polyvore right from this post!!!


I wore this to go out to a dinner with a friend on June 29, 2009. We walked from my house to a restaurant about a mile away, so we needed to look dressy but be sensible. This was my take on "dressy but comfy." The dress is from Anthropologie by the company Maeve. I have noticed that this company makes their dresses kind of large. This is a six and is one of the few by them that fits closely. The other dress I have in a six is HUGE. Weird...

The shoes are by Born and are the sandals I wore all over NYC. The necklace is Erickson Beamon for Target and the clutch is the makeup giveaway bag from Clinique but styled by Trina Turk.


Here is the dress for Polyvore. It is A BRIGHT dress. You could definitely see me coming that night...

Happy Independence Day, you all...I promise, Coccodrillo Pencil Skirt is coming soon...but I also know a lot of you take the weekend off from computing, and I figure you all would rather miss this post than the review of that skirt.

Three Outfits Worn to School (Week of May 18-22, 2009)...

These three outfits are from TWO whole weeks ago. I guess that is what happens when you combine testing (almost done) with illness (almost over, thank goodness...still yucky, but at least I can sit up straight) with raising two kids (well that is ongoing but my absolute favorite). Suffice it to say I will not spend a ton of time on each outfit. If you have questions go ahead and ask in the comments (I will eventually answer them all...promise)!

Outfit #1:

Worn on Monday, May 18th, 2009. I like this outfit in concept more than reality. I think I needed to wear a different pair of pants. I think the top and shoes work really well together, but the pants...eh. The outfit consists of:
INC Petite Small Peasant Top,
J. Crew Colored Chambray Cocktail Capris (Faded Blue Color--in store only), size 8,
J. Crew Salina Patent Flats in Peacock.

Do you all have any recommendations for pants to wear with this top? What about these faded blue cocktail capris? What would you wear with them? I have a hard time matching this blue to things in my closet!!! (It has been a long time since I have worn this color pants--it actually kind of reminds me of the denim that was popular in the early 90s--faded and cowboyish.) Thanks for all your advice...you guys give great advice!

Outfit #2:

Boden Greens and Blues!!! by dinagideon featuring FOSSIL watches

I wore this outfit on May 20, 2009. I really liked this outfit. Definitely a winner.


Here it is in real life. I LOVE this outfit. The skirt is especially cute. I also have the fun skirt (Boden calls it this) in the white with the multi-colored flower/sun thing. BTW, the kids at school loved the skirt, too. I think teachers (especially those who teach the younger kids) should think of buying a fun skirt or two or three. Kids are suckers for these sort of embellishments. :)

Outfit #3:


Navy, Orange, and White for a Beautiful Day!!! by dinagideon featuring FOSSIL watches
I really enjoyed wearing this (to SCHOOL) on Friday, May 22, 2009. Yep, I was allowed to wear shorts (Fridays are normally jeans day but at our school tailored shorts are okay, too).


Here it is on me. I walked to school, by the way. I was running late...and yep, those lovely Born shoes caused me some awful blisters when I decided to run to make sure I was on-time. For me, on-time means getting there ten minutes before school starts. I prefer to get to school 30 minutes before school starts, but when I am walking, ten minutes is fine enough. That is how late I was...I had to sprint to make it to school ten minutes before school started. My blisters are fine now...but man, they hurt for a good week.

This Boden top is a size 12 (size 8 U.S.). It was a bit large on me so I went ahead and shrunk it in the dryer. It is now the perfect size. :)

You all have a good day. Hopefully I can get one more post up before the end of today (my goals are not lofty right now...)!