OOTD: Lace and Aubergine.

Day: Wednesday, January 9, 2013.

Where: Tyson's Corner Center (the original mall, not the Galleria, darling!).  CW had an American Doll gift card to spend.  She got Caroline (her name!).  :) 

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Without the Boden coat, this outfit is a 4.5 of 5, but the coat felt a bit constricted through the shoulders with the J. Crew Lace printed sweatshirt under it.  I had to take the coat off before driving, since I felt a little too "straight-jacketed" with it on...

The Lace Sweatshirt is a size small and definitely worth every penny (on sale, not full price). I had been watching this one all fall, but of course the morning it goes on sale plus 30% off, my size sells out (I sized up from my normal extra small--I thought the xs was too clingy for a sweatshirt).  Fortunately it popped back quickly the next week, so I grabbed it then.

The pleated sweater skirt is a skirt I wasn't sure was going to work since I hadn't seen any reviews on it, and all the written ones were not exactly stellar.  When I received it, though, I knew it was exactly the right silhouette for my frame (it is very similar in feel to this Boden skirt I also own and love).  This is a size small, which is a size down from my normal skirt size (I wear an 8 normally--which would be a medium).  This skirt is so warm and cozy and comfortable.  Perfection and a great price on sale, too.  (It pops back, hand on heart!)

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) The color of the bag and skirt are in (although I shudder at the term "oxblood"--UGH) and with the touch of trompe l'oeil lace, it looks current and yet still appropriate for a mom on the go.  The Frye heeled boots help, too.  :)

Anecdote from the day:  Obviously Angus wants to be part of the action (look at photo three and four above).  I gladly obliged his little "ham-ness."

In addition to getting CW her American Girl, we also met up with HeidiG., yes, as in that Heidi from Head to Toe with Heidi.  She has assured me she is coming back to blogging, so yay!

Also, if you are in this area and regularly travel with three or more people in a car, definitely get the flex pass transponder to use the new HOT lanes on the Beltway.  OMG.  It took me under twenty-two minutes to get to Tyson's from my house, where normally (before the new HOT lanes were built), it could take anywhere from thirty minutes (no traffic) to an hour (with traffic) to get to Tyson's.  Now, it couldn't be any easier, and because we have the requisite three for the HOV (babies count!), we go for free...right to the doorstep of the mall.  (Actually, this may not be such a good thing.  LOL.)

Okay, that's all.  :)

P.S. Today is my blog's FOURTH (!!!) birthday.  I have a really great giveaway planned, with four total winners.  Be on the lookout for the post.  The winners will be chosen from comments made by followers of my blog (whichever way--facebook, bloglovin', or blogger), so if you aren't a follower, go ahead and sign up so you can be part of the giveaway action...

OOTD: Nordic Tria.

Day: Friday, December 28, 2012 (if my memory isn't failing me).

Where: Lunch out with the family to Applebee's.  Mr. Dina received a gift card there from a client.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Not sweats, so not a 5 for ease of wear, but OMG, this outfit, for all its frilly twee-ness is so easy to wear.  The Tria skirt (one of Anthropologie's best ever) is a stretchy knit wool, plus the (largest sized 13-14) mini Boden Nordic Applique t-shirt is made from very soft cotton. 

Even my high-heeled Frye boots were comfortable. 

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  If I was an Anthro blogger, I would rate this a 5 of 5, but since I am not, I think we all have to admit that it takes a definite strong personality type to willingly wear ruffles, lace, thick tights, an appliqued Scandinavian floral tee, Heidi braids, and an over the top cloche out in public.  I am not a wallflower, so everyone knows.  ;)

I don't anticipate the Sartorialist or his love, Garance Dore, jumping out of the bushes to take a photograph of CW or me in this particular ensemble.

Anecdote from the day: Mr. Dina showed up at 11 am at the house and announced that the work servers were down and he wanted to do something.  I was still in my PJs (I know, quelle horreur!), but quickly got my act together, as I was going a bit stir crazy.

He told me he was going to take me to Applebee's, which I like, and he doesn't (he also hates Ruby Tuesday, the Olive Garden, and Red Lobster...I don't care, I like to eat...).  I told him we would find something his delicate self could handle.  LOL.  I was able to get a drink with his gift card (Mojito, yum), and we still had four dollars on the gift card after our entire order was placed.  So we purchased four mini-sundaes with brownies for a dollar a piece.  They were very very good.  Much better than the rest of  the meal.  ;)

CW, btw, loved that I wore the same tee.  Because she is four.  We'll see how she feels about it at 12.*

*When I was growing up, there was this mother/daughter pair that always went to daily mass dressed up like each other.  But the daughter wasn't four, she was forty-four.  That's right, 4-4.  It was a bit weird.

You all have a great night!

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OOTDs: Besotted with the Dotted.

Good Tuesday!

I am a fan of dots, but in no way besotted, however my continuing use of dots in my wardrobe has led me to conclude that maybe I am *obsessed* (JCAs, a little copy for you to snicker at).

No, not really.  I will admit that maybe I have been indulging a bit lately in the polka pattern, but I blame all the retailers out there who keep putting the pretty little circles all over EVERYTHING. 

First up is the Swishy Jersey Skirt in charcoal spot.  I love my maxi length dresses and skirts from Boden, so when I saw that they had this darling skirt in a midi-length, I thought I would give it a try.

I almost gave up on it initially because I thought it was both too big and too long (I bought the US 6 Long), but upon channeling my inner fashionista (and a HUGE helping hand from sites like Garance Dore--more on that in a mo), I decided I would see if I could make it work for me.

Finding that the length was no longer an issue so long as I paired it with higher heels, I went with these Frye boots with a four-inch heel.

That left the looseness.  I had no problem with that as it does indeed make for easy wearing, but since the waist is a bit big, I figured I would let you all know.  I won't return since I kind of dig the way this skirt looks on me, but if I was re-ordering, I would buy the 4 Long.

I think this sweater may have been one of the most maligned ones ever produced by J. Crew.  It is "itchy, hot, fluffy, prone to pilling, etc."  I have an idea of how it got that image--it's J. Crew knitwear after all, but personally I don't find it too itchy, and I only wear it on cold days, so it isn't too hot, I agree that it is fluffy, but I definitely like that "cotton ball" look, and as of last weekend have seen nary a pill.

Plus I really like how it looks with the red and charcoal.

I wore this sweater while pregnant last year.  I prefer it on me not pregnant.  ;)

No big red Andie bag in the way for the review shots.

I am 5'8" and have a 34 inch inseam.  The skirt hits three inches below my knees.

The jersey fabric is so comfortable.  I could sleep in this skirt.  It has a nice fullness, too, but not in a way that over-emphasizes the hips/thighs, so pear shaped ladies, think about this one as a possibility for your closet.

From the back.

We were headed out to see Santa at "Breakfast with Santa" at Rex's school.  Santa had a fake beard, but the kids were in love.  So cute. 

This Women's Cashmere Silk Vineyard Scarf, is from Lands' End Canvas.  Its silk/cashmere blend is very light, but nice and warm.  Since it is a rectangle shape, as opposed to a square shape, I find that I can tie it a bit differently, like this way, where I twisted the fabric, then looped it three times around my neck and loosely tied the ends.

It was forecasted to get warm later in the day, and since I knew I needed to go to church that night, I brought clothes to turn the outfit from cold weather appropriate to warm weather appropriate, yet still church appropriate.  The shoes are wedges from Target, and the tee is crewcuts.

Above is one of the many images I had used to help me decide on how to style the skirt.

Even though Léa Seydoux is not wearing a maxi skirt, the overall look was one I wanted to replicate, with a strong emphasis on the makeup and hair and accessories.  Plus the silhouette of full and skinny seemed obvious and worked nicely with the fullness of the skirt in my outfit.

While researching this lady in the photo, I discovered she is a French actress and model whose birthday is exactly the same one as mine (not year, but date).  Not necessarily fate, but a strong coincidence.  ;)


Of course Boden's stock catalog photo helped me a bit, too...except for the hat, which I just can't do, it is far too big of a brim for my head.

This is today's spotted skirt.  Same bag, btw, and the bag is what helped me decide on the rest of the color scheme.

The Women's Dot Skirt is from Lands' End Canvas and is shorter than I anticipated, but since I have a ridiculous number of tights from Wal-Mart, I knew I would have something that would work to make it seem like I am showing less leg than I actually am.

I would like to think that I will wear it next summer, bare legged, but don't hold your breath...as much as I am all "I am woman hear me roar," I am still wearing ten extra pounds of baby weight, so I can't promise you will see this with sandals and a tank top next summer.

The shoes so do not have the same color red as the Anthropologie sweater or the Andie bag, and it bothers me not one whit.

Close up of the "Hi There by Karen Walker" tied illusion pullover.  I started off the day feeling that I had made the right choice of this sweater, especially since I had bows in my ears, on my toes, and at my neck...BUT as soon as the temperature hit 70, I was sweltering in this wool-blend top.  I should have done what I did Saturday and carried a navy short-sleeved tee in that big-a@@ bag of mine to change into.

Okay, that's it for tonight.  Once I do a polyvore of the first outfit, I will add it to this post.

Have you been besotted with the dotted lately?

Mommy Style Monday #23--Style Repeated.

I have totally discussed this topic before.  I called it my Mommy Style "go to," and that post is here.

However that post was mostly about my winter style uniform, and I wanted you all to see a summer style uniform.  This summer "go to" outfit choice of mine is especially useful for me when I am trying to get ready to go to church or dinner out but am a bit stumped or I am having the dreaded "fat day."

I love that feel of ease and effortlessness, so I highly recommend every momma out there grab a look or two and hone it so that when similarly stumped (or feeling stumpy), you have a go-to for nearly every moment of your life.  I cannot tell you how much better life with these multiple ankle biters has been since streamlining the dressing process.  I am able to just get it and go most mornings.  I do want to step outside my comfort zone and will do so, but refuse to let some "goal" of being different get in the way of getting the kids to preschool or getting us to church on time.

To remind you of the last time I wore an outfit similar to my summer uniform, it was here on the kids first day of preschool.  Now that I have tried this look a couple of times, I will definitely continue to pull from this uniform look in the future.

Stripes and Florals...Easy Breezy. 

Tee: J. Crew Cashmere Tee, Striped Citron, from Summer 2007.  Fitted shape to offset the more full shape of the floral skirt (also done in the preschool day outfit).
Skirt: J. Crew Sketchbook Roses Belle Skirt, Size 10 (I sized up one size for length and so I could tuck tees in it), from Fall 2008.  This full skirt works nicely on most figures, but make sure not to go too full or else it can look a bit juvenile and if you are at all hippy (like me), it can over-emphasize the hips if too full.
Necklace: J. Crew Crystal Devote Necklace.
Shoes: Plenty for Tracy Reese Felt Almond Heels from Anthropologie.  How these are not sold out already is beyond me.  These are all at once COMFORTABLE (even with the heel), FLATTERING (love the v-shape to the top of the shoes), and all leather (and on sale for $70, still).  I took the size 40, which works great for my (J. Crew sized) 9.5 narrow foot.

CW is feeling fine in her summer staple uniform, the frilly, girly, all cotton dress.  :)

Grey Floral and Yellow Stripes. by dinagideon featuring leather heels

Above is the polyvore of this set.

I can't let today's Mommy Style Monday go by without including my version of Halloween chic.  We had CW's ballet class this morning and my way of going festive was to wear orange and a snakeskin print.  (And jack-o-lantern earrings.  I had totally forgotten about those.  They were from my full-time teaching days.  No, I do NOT own a "Christmas Cardigan."  Hand on heart.)

J. Crew Python Print Silk Twill Dress.  This was a random purchase of mine on ebay that worked out.  I was nervous it wouldn't fit, but thank goodness it did.  :)  However the silk twill fabric is super static cling tastic...does anyone have a recommendation for a short slip to go under this dress?  Merci!

Tights are Ralph Lauren control top sweater knit tights and very warm.  Love them.

Frye Ada Peep Toe Kitten Heels.

Not loving this face, but it makes me laugh.  The earrings are the lovely jack-o-lantern earrings that are so cliche they are probably hip in some sort of ironic hipster way.  The coat is from J. Crew last winter, the double cloth bonbon.

Wasn't super cold today, but the bonbon was a welcome addition to my wardrobe this past weekend.  Not only is it orange but it is a winter jacket.  I cannot believe that in VA, where we typically don't wear coats until mid-November, that we had FREAKING snow and mid-30s temps on Saturday.  Yeah, blegh.  Welcome to Halloween, VA.

They have their costumes already to go...CW as Princess Aurora and...

Rex either riding a T. Rex or as a T. Rex. Your call. LOL.

Happy Halloween! by dinagideon featuring cable knit stockings

BTW, here is the polyvore of today's outfit.

Also, because I am curious...do you all have a summer staple uniform that you turn to when you have no time or "one of those days?"

Have a great night. Back to normal My Superfluities programming tomorrow!

Target Love, Merona/Missoni Style.

All, hi!

How has everyone's weekend been? Ours has been great, a bit tiring overall, but that seems to be status quo for me lately, huh. :)

We went to a restaurant called Texas de Brazil last night, and if any of you have been there, you will agree with me on one thing, that restaurant is like my blog name turned into an eating establishment. Holy freaking cow, what overabundance. I am not a huge eater, so I definitely didn't get my money's worth, but my son, oh, yes, the $5 it cost to feed him was definitely not wasted.  That outfit I will present tomorrow, and no, I did not wear an elastic waistband.  LOL.

Anyhow, I thought I would present you all with two recent outfits from the past week that include a Target item. I don't buy a ton from Target anymore, but I will say that I rarely get rid of a Target item, they wear well, and are usually distinctive enough that I want to keep wearing them.

This skirt you have seen before, here, and if memory serves correctly, you all have seen all of these pieces before.  :)  I don't have time to look up all the pieces to show when I last wore them, but I read somewhere recently that people love it when blog authors show how items can be worn in different ways and with different pieces.  I will try to get back into that, I had done it for a while, but for one reason or another, I stopped doing it.

(And so you know, I realize that the way I wore it last time is similar to this time, but ah, well, no big deal, I am sure I will blow you all away with my creativity at some other point in the future.)

Merona Collection Paisley Print Skirt, the pattern being a exact match for J. Crew's Coppelle Paisley Pattern.

Anthropologie Moth Paisley Gust Sweater Jacket.

J. Crew Sevigne Capri Sandals.

Open Sweater Jacket showing off the cute Goldfish Graphic Tee by J. Crew.  BTW, I love the sweater jacket both opened and closed, I am a fan of the draping both ways, each way doing something great for my outfit.

And no sweater jacket here.  It was a warm-ish day, but I knew that buildings can still run cold-ish, and I would prefer to be nice and warm no matter what.

BTW, I did own the dress, but now KDot does, and I think she rocks it way better than I ever did.  :)

Missoni for Target Girls. by dinagideon featuring j crew pants

Above is the polyvore of the next outfit.  You will notice that the top is actually a Missoni for Target GIRLS dress, which I bought in a size extra large (thank you non-gouging ebay seller for only marking it up $5) so I could use it as a tunic.

My hubby bought us tickets to an Elbow concert at the 9:30 club here in town and I knew I wanted to be comfy, but still kind of cool, hence the outfit.

BTW, you know how I know I am verging on old?  I have been going to the 9:30 club for EIGHTEEN years.  One of the first bands I saw there?  The Crash Test Dummies.  Yes, I loved all things Canada even back then.

What makes me feel even older?  I saw Blur at the Capitol Ballroom back when no one in the US knew who they were and there were {maybe} 100 people there?  Yes, that old.  Cripey.  And although the Capitol Ballroom was HUGE, they couldn't fill the space.  Definitely wouldn't happen today if Blur came back (although the Capitol Ballroom became Nation and then became an office building, sigh...).

Elbow was amazing.  Haven't heard of them?  Check this song out then...

Missoni for Target Girls Zig-Zag Sweater Dress (worn as a tunic).  It is definitely short.  Ladies over 5'1" have to wear this as a tunic.  It fits beautifully though, not too tight, with armholes that are more than wide enough for my arms.  Probably better to be a B cup or smaller if you want to wear it, but try it on to be sure.

J. Crew Painter Tee Boatneck Top.

J. Crew Signature Leggings.

Frye Ada Heels in Black.  Mint Condition was selling these for $22.  I think that is more than a fair price for these...all you Anthro ladies who love Frye?  I get it now.

Bloomingdale's Aqua Brand Multi-Strand Gold Necklace.

Bit dark this photo, but gives a good view of how all the pieces worked together.

Okay, that's it for tonight.  :)  I have a really neat outfit to show off tomorrow (yes, the one from the "let's go and gorge-a-thon" night).  I got inventive with the "top."  And no, it didn't have elastic, either.