Five Outfits Take a Vacation in North Carolina...

Compared to my last post on outfits in the Bahamas, I feel like these outfits, while I like them, don't really represent me as well as summer or beach outfits do.

But my winter clothing serves me well, so I decided to take some of them on a little vacation to the hills of North Carolina. (Well, I really didn't...Mr. Dina had a conference there...but still, it counts.)

This was the same vacation that I was able to go to the AWESOME J. Crew Clearance Center in Arden, NC. (BTW, there are some great tips in the comments section...check them out before you make a trek to this store.)

North Carolina in the Fall! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore of this vacation wardrobe. I have no in real life photos from this trip of the berry trim Astrid jacket (which is really the outlet version), but I wore it last night to go shopping, so it will be on this blog soon enough! The herringbone ecole in pumpkin is another outlet find. (But it looks EXACTLY like the one from J. Crew last fall.)


Day One--Drive from NOVA to NC in five hours in awful weather. Kinda wet, kinda warm, kinda blah. The yellow in my v-neck brightened the world for hours. I think you can read in the dark from the illumination.

Anyhow, we are at my FAVORITE fast food joint ever, Steak and Shake. This place has the best fast food...hands down. It even beats my other fave (and local business gone good) Five Guys. Why? Because Steak and Shake has more variety. If Five Guys had Steak and Shake's variety, it would be no contest, my neighborhood burger joint would win, of course. But since Five Guys business model is to stick to the basics (which they do REALLY well), I think Steak and Shake will always reign supreme. BTW, I always get the Frisco Melt with a side of cheese fries and either cottage cheese or chili. I eat clean the rest of the time...Steak and Shake is for me to INDULGE.

Here is the sadness...there are NO Steak and Shakes anywhere in the Virginia, DC, or Maryland area. I have to drive 5 hours to where Elon College is located to get to our nearest one.


Still Day One--Halloween night. My kids were both their favorite characters from the hit children's tv program, Yo Gabba Gabba, for Halloween, so I decided to be their DJ Lance. Rex was Brobee, and CW was Foofa. I know...a bit ridiculous, but all in fun. Plus, and this is just perfection, when can you ever pull out J. Crew and wear it for Halloween??? I love that this Candace sweater jacket just fit the bill.


Day Two--Drive from Winston-Salem (we stayed at the same hotel as we did when I had the INCIDENT but on the other side AWAY from hilarity and festivity) to Asheville. This top is not represented in the polyvore. It is from Boden probably three years ago? This was when Boden was still making their tops fairly short, which doesn't really bother me, Miss Short Torso, but I remember seeing people complaining about how Boden doesn't really give enough length in their tops on their website. Anyhow, I love the floral detail with the stripes. Plus the colors are pretty and all autumnal.


Day Two--Evening at dinner with the kids at some fancy restaurant at the resort. THE KIDS WERE PERFECT. :) YAY! Anyhow, IGNORE my makeup. I have no idea if the flash did that or if I really am that ghostly, but I definitely didn't look like that in real, actual light.

I love this top...it is very comfortable, but when the bow is tied and you wear it with a pencil skirt, tights, and heels, it gets notched up to "dressy casual." (Which is my favorite type of outfit...) Also, look at it! Not an ounce of actual color. This may be a dinagideon first!


Last Day (Day Four)--Skipped right over Day Three because that was the day I went to the clearance center and none of the outfit pics turned out. Sigh.

This top is the abstract rose victoria cami from the outlet and the jacket is the herringbone ecole (with a button instead of a clasp) from the outlet. The pants are the charcoal minnies, and the shoes are my lovely Alessias in grey. This was the ONLY shot that turned out okay. I think the room had bad lighting. This outfit was actually VERY comfortable. This was the outfit I wore when we ate at Tupelo Honey (which has FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC southern food). If this outfit was still comfortable after that meal (which it was), then those Minnies are God-sends.

I still have more posts upcoming. Later on today, I will be doing my next Mid-Century Mom post (I did some cooking, you all). The next couple from My Superfluities will include one on the ruffles and rosette top in black, a recreation of a catalog look from November, some Boden pieces from this fall, and a whole long post with me wearing a bunch of dresses.

Have a nice Sunday!

Fun Time on a Saturday!!! (From April 11th, 2009...)

I'm BACK!!! I have FINALLY organized my trip photos and actually managed to get four seconds of free time to think of what posts I need to do...right now I have 8 posts scheduled (including this one) and those don't even include the Paris catalog OR pics of kids OR review of the many theme parks we went to over the past month. Whew...I have a lot of catching up to do!

Here is the outfit I wore from the day before Easter...yes, that's right...over two weeks ago. Man...

I am not going to write a whole lot about it...(I have a lot of post to do)...but here is a basic description...

Cardigan: Citron Merino V-Neck Cardigan from J. Crew Holiday 2007.

Tee: DINO-MITE bejeweled tee from T. Rex restaurant (bought while in Florida).

Jeans: I forget, but probably my Levis or Eddie Bauer. Love my jeans but they sort of all look the same even if they don't feel the same (I know a lot of men don't understand this but every woman I know gets what I just said).

Shoes: Dusty Rose Juliet Patent Heels from J. Crew Spring 2009.

Look forward to more from me later today! :)

What I wore on my trip to West Virginia (THREE OUTFITS)!!!

Here is the polyvore of many of the items I wore on my trip to West Virginia. I don't have the time or inclination to discuss each item, so I will just tell you what items I do not have from that set. I have a different dress, bought from Kohl's. I have a different striped shirt, bought from J. Crew last spring (2008). The Lady Day is actually a Sybil coat in the same color, bought from J. Crew last winter (2007). The necklace is different, but looks very close to the one in the polyvore.

I really do have that Andie Bag, I did bring my camera, I did tote my laptop, and I drank copious amounts of red wine. YUM!

You can find my set here: http://www.polyvore.com/trip_to_west_virginia_in/set?id=7195152


This is what I wore to drive to WV. Or I should say, what I wore to be driven to WV in our VW (heehee). I have a fear and hatred of driving, so usually Jim drives me...I know, very, very sweet.

The turtleneck is so comfy and cashmere and J. Crew, this winter (2009). The pants are from Athleta and are super-stretchy, perfect for long drives. The shoes are from that brand Earth (not Wal-Mart but the walking shoes) and I bought them last summer. The necklace is a Macy's find, very inexpensive, but a great piece for layering. It reminds me of the cheaper version of the stone necklace J. Crew has now.


Here the outfit is with the Sybil Coat. I LOVE THIS COAT. I actually can tolerate winter in this coat...so cheery and sunny! I usually receive many compliments wearing it...I think because people need the dash of yellow in their lives.

This is the dress I wore out to dinner with Jim. We didn't go anywhere fancy, but I just had to dress up. The dress is from Kohls, and I have no idea who made it. I believe it is a juniors dress. I love the empire waist and fuller skirt--perfect for us pears. The shoes are the Jane suede flats in brown. The necklace I have discussed already, but the clear necklace is the Target find I wrote about on Saturday night (3/14/09). This necklace is Erickson Beamon for Target and I think it worked well with the other necklace and with this dress. I really, truly think I will get a lot of use out of it!

This is a close-up of the Andie Bag in flame. It is GORGEOUS in real life. I could never have spent what it originally cost, but I got it at a significant savings (THANK YOU EMILY)...and it is just so much fun. I will not go on much more because My Delightful Obsessions did an amazing review of it here: http://mydelightfulobsessions.blogspot.com/2008/10/fabulous-andie-bag.html. Suffice it to say, if you like it and you can find it, I would recommend buying it. It was sold last summer (2008).

Here I am holding the bag...nice size for lugging a lot of stuff around. It does get heavy being leather and all, but I have my vera bradley when I need lighter stuff. If I am just going around to show off, I am bringing my Andie Bag. You also see the Sophie sweater peacoat in this pic. This is the only red I can wear this close to my face (I have mentioned this before). I like the way the reds and browns all work together in this outfit. I felt very stylish...I know we were just hanging out in a simple Italian restaurant, but it was so nice to feel pretty!

No Andie Bag, but you get a nicer view of the Erickson Beamon necklace.

This is what I wore to hang out on Sunday (the day I received the best facial ever--seriously, I have never felt that relaxed). The cardigan is the Lea from this winter (2008), the pants are some Levi's that I have recently started to be able to wear again. I have already discussed the shoes, necklace, and tee. This is a very comfy outfit, and I think it manages to be a sleek casual, as opposed to messy casual! ;)

It's been awhile since CW has posed with me...so here you go. She makes the outfit SING!

You all have a great day. As you can tell, my weekend was pretty awesome...definitely making Monday way more tolerable than it normally is!!!

Early Spring Outfit PLUS Review of the Tissue Spring Flower Tee...

Okay, lovely readers, today is a two for one! With grades due (done, thank goodness), I didn't have a lot of time to devote to blog writing.

Above is the polyvore of the outfit I wore to school today. I wore the black privo by clarks shoes on the walk to school (which I did in 30 minutes--2 miles--down from my usual 35--woohoo). The flip-flops I wore in the house as this is more casual and fun. The jeans are levis, the tee is the tissue spring flower tee (and today's review), the long tee is a perfect fit v-neck in citron, the jackets is kenneth cole reaction (not the j. crew one pictured), and the necklace is a starfish/sea glass pendant I bought from uncommon goods (not the pretty tiffany's one).

I own Paris by YSL. I love the mix of roses and other florals. So spring-like. Although I am not wearing it today, this day seems like a "Paris" kind of day, so I highly recommend it to you!

The link to this polyvore is right here: http://www.polyvore.com/early_spring_teal_light_blade/set?id=7020362


Here I am wearing the outfit right before I left this morning. I will get into why I am wearing the long-sleeve tee underneath the tissue tee while I am writing the review, but I actually like the way this outfit came together. With the flip-flops, I look like I am ready to go to the beach for a nice long walk!


Here is the picture of the tee provided by jcrew.com. It can be found here: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/knitstees/tissuetees/PRDOVR~13856/13856.jsp


I know many of you are VERY interested in this tee, so I happily will review it for you. It costs 32.50 and comes in light blade (one I bought), sweet orange (very pretty--maybe I will get on sale), and dark charcoal.


I purchased this tee in a small, and I am very glad I did. I know from past experience that tissue tees are always large on me, so the mediums I own I can actually wear until I am 6 months pregant (they are that stretchy). Even in this pic you can see it is actually sort of big around my waist. This is not an issue for me because all I care about is if it fits my shoulders (which this one does). BUT--be warned--it has a VERY LOW Vee! Oh, my goodness...cannot show that off to my students...this is why there is a tee underneath it!

This tee is so comfortable and soft. I also think the graphic is quite stunning. It is not your typical floral, instead it strikes of something more modern. It reminds me of florals as interpreted by a '60s designer.

I have seen tees come and go quickly on J. Crew. I am taking a chance waiting for this tee to go on sale in the sweet orange. Some of my most favorite J. Crew tees sold out within days of my purchase. This may be another one of those tees.

For instance, I LOVE the painted tissue tank from January. I thought they would have plenty available, but NO, they are all gone. Sadness! I will have to either find one on the weekly exchange over at J. Crew Aficionada or go to ebay. Sigh!

I hope this review helps those on the fence...and remember--tissue tees can be quite large!

Yellow, Teal, and Khaki for Spring (or Spring-like) Weather!

So even though I feel like complete CRUD, I wanted to at least look presentable for school today. I have that ridiculous cold running wild here in NOVA and because I have NO days left in my sick/personal leave (yep, maternity leave), I have to go to work. LOVELY POLICY! (Not...)

I am glad it is Friday because I can wear jeans to work. AND guess what? I have lost another pound, so I am HALFWAY to my goal weight. I had 32 pounds to lose and I have lost 16 (I started at Thanksgiving, not right after CW was born in September). I am a mere 4 pounds away from what I weighed before I got pregnant with Rex. My ultimate goal is my old-skinny minnie self from 5 years ago.

So why do I mention weight and jeans? Because I am wearing some of my skinny jeans that I bought before I got pregnant with Rex. WOO! They are some Levis that are faded and skinny (kind of like the matchstick by J. Crew). The top is J. Crew Collection, the daisy-eyelet cotton top from summer 2008 (not on polyvore, sigh). The shoes are J. Crew, salina patent-leather in peacock (teal). The necklace is my "witch" necklace (or so says Jim) from J. Crew, January 2008 (not on polyvore, either). The trench is my beloved "keegan" or washed ruffle-collar trench from J. Crew.

Even though Polyvore only had a couple of the pieces, I managed to make a set that looked similar enough. Go here to see it: http://www.polyvore.com/yellow_teal_khaki_for_spring/set?id=6848543


So here it is on me, Ms. Sicky...I feel good in this outfit. I love this color top...so pretty! The eyelets are just gorgeous in real life. The headband is also J. Crew, from winter 2007.


Here I am holding darling Rex's hand (he wanted something from the fridge). The trench polished this outfit up a bit...I feel vaguely retro wearing this coat. The peek of color beneath the coat was enough so I didn't roll the sleeves of the coat up (the lining is this pretty pink/red color).

I look ghastly right now (it is the afternoon)...my makeup is almost all gone from the constant use of tissues and I look a bit feverish, too. Oh, well, at least my outfit has stood the test of time!

Mardis Gras Party Outfit!

So we have a Mardi Gras party every year (8 years now)...and I always try to be festive. Since the Mardi Gras colors are purple, yellow, and green, I wore this outfit to celebrate. It also had to be comfortable because I spend most of the day cooking gumbo (6 hour process, crazy, I know, but the result is YUMMY).

The shirt is INC (the brand at Macy's). It is a bit loud, but it works for the occasion. There is a close-up of the print in the next photo. The jeans are levis. Simple and easy to wear. The shoes are J. Crew...Savona suede flat in yellow and purple from Winter 2007. The headband is also J. Crew from Winter 2008.


I love this pic. Mr. Dina (my hubby) did such a nice job. You can see the print on the shirt, plus the headband, and all those Mardi Gras beads.

I didn't do a polyvore for this because most of the pieces aren't there, and if you read my blog on a regular basis, you know I don't have the time for the clipper tool.

Mardi Gras, by the way, is not until February 24th, but my hubby likes to combine the party with a celebration of his and Rex's bdays.