OOTDs: Pencil Skirts in Summer. T'Pau!

(You should be pronouncing T'Pau like this: Tuh-Pow!)  LOL.  I was driving back from the grocery store today and was trying to think of a good title for my pencil skirt in summer post and since I already have used some version of "pencil it in" or "skirting the issue," I kind of figured I was at a dead end.  But then "Heart and Soul" came on Sirius's 80s on 8, and I had my title.  'Cause that is what I feel like when I wear a pencil skirt, like saying "Tuh Pow!"

Okay it's a stretch, but whatever, I know some of you are probably stoked that I brought up T'Pau.  ;)

Alrighty.  Let's get on with it.  I am going with the most recent first heading to the least recent last.

I make this face.  For you.

Info on the pieces in the next photo, but I wanted to remind you that I have done a review of this top before in this post.

I also wanted to make a special note on this skirt, the No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Circle Eyelet.  I usually wear a size 6 or 8 in J. Crew pencil skirts, but I had read at AJC's blog that this particular skirt ran really narrow through the hips, so I decided to size up to a 10.  It does fit well in the 10, bit big through the waist, but I am very happy that there is no excess shadowing between the liner and the eyelet outer fabric, which I think would have happened in the 8.

The shoes are still available from Boden, these are the Uptown Heels, and I did a review of them here.  If you are interested in a clearance item, remember you can use my sidebar coupon for free shipping and returns (even if you can't get an extra % off clearance stuff).

I wore this outfit to go with my hubby and Angus to dinner on Sunday night.  :)  I felt good, and it was nice to just have the three of us (even though I obviously love the older two, they are tiring).

Citron...Eyelet and Stripes. by dinagideon featuring j crew handbags

Above is the polyvore of this outfit.  The polyvore actually happened first, not the outfit.

Okay, technically this isn't a pencil skirt, but I wanted this outfit to see the light of day, and I kind of know that if I don't throw it into this post, I won't publish it at all.

I was heading to somewhere, most likely a class for the kids, but honestly, this is from a long time ago, so I am not 100% sure where I was going.  All I know is Mr. Dina wasn't home because where I am posing is where he parks his car, so it was likely during the day.

I had found these yummy pieces in Sears the day before, when I spied a bunch of Lands End Canvas on sale.  I knew I couldn't get much, but the sweatshirt and the skirt were definitely affordable, so I brought them home and wore them the very next day (that I do remember).

The pops of red are great against the grey.  Technically the Marci wedges are orange but read red in these photos.

I even decided to make my lips a darker red than I normally would.

Continuing with the grey theme, this is an outfit I wore to my son's graduation from preschool.

Top: Anthropologie.
Skirt: J. Crew Factory.
Shoes: Anthropologie.
Earrings: Eiffel Tower earrings from Paris.

I will likely do this outfit in a polyvore, but probably not until tomorrow.

Here the outfit is in action.  The kids all have matching bits in the seersucker.  Angus is in a romper/onesie, CW has seersucker in the bib portion of her dress, and Rex is wearing seersucker shorts.

Mr. Dina is not wearing white tennis shoes.  ;)

I may have worn this outfit, comprised of lots of oldies but goodies, to a preschool run, but again, this was taken in May, so I can't remember.  But hey!  No Mr. Dina car, so I could take photos where his car usually is...

The only new thing is the shoes, which are by The Webster for Target.  These are well made and run true to size, and are still not on sale, even though most of the clothing is.

If you open the photo, you can see the information on the pieces.

Okay, that's all.  Now go rock out to some Heart and Soul, you all.  :)

P.S. I just did a sneak peek of some fall Boden items over at my FB page.  Click here to go right to the images.  :)

Boden: Alfresco Top Styled and a Review.

Hey, all! I am so glad that I found a moment or two to write a post tonight.

I was planning on creating the Boden Weekly Review Roundup, which had I published it tonight, it would have only been one day late, but based on how tired I am (family commitments are wonderful, but definitely wearing me out), I doubt it would happen tonight, so I will say instead, "tomorrow?" :)

Anyhow, if you are a big Boden fan, and you ordered from the Summer Preview, you should have started receiving the items in the mail in the past week or so. Most of what I ordered was for the kids (and they love it all, even Angus gave a "coo"), but there are a few Momma items interspersed. I received the Alfresco top on Monday and immediately tried it on. Like the plait trim top (reviewed here and here), it was love. I knew I would wear it right away, and had my chance yesterday (we had CW's dance class, with me bringing all 3 kids, I needed super comfy, flexible pieces).

Alfresco Top.  Size 6 Petite.  I decided to keep my comments brief, but I added some info about the fit in the photo.

I also added info about the rest of the outfit.

All in all, I felt good, comfortable, and the top's print was pretty enough for me to feel like I had "tried."

From the side...I see the empire waistband hits where it should, and the cap sleeve hits at a decent place on my arm.

I love the fabric, just thick enough and stretchy enough to make my post-baby belly a little smaller looking.  The print helps with that, too.

Had I been super concerned over my belly (which I am not, I don't mind if people know this comes from having just had a little one), I could have gone one size up, but five months from now I may have regretted that decision (I overbought larger sized tops with CW and couldn't wear them a year later).

From the back.  The petite hits me at the low hip, I think it is your call on which you would prefer...do you want a regular top (and have a fairly short torso)?  Buy the petite.  If you are interested in a tunic (or have a fairly long torso), order the regular.  If you are a petite woman (say under 5'3") and you have a short torso, you could buy the regular version and possibly even wear it as a minidress.

The print, although a hotchpotch, is not as in your face as previous hotchpotch items from Boden.  I adore the mix of citron yellow, grey, white, and charcoal.

It was just chilly enough for me to throw on a cardigan.  I also needed my Thierry Lasry sunglasses for the brightness (not complaining, LOVE the sun!).



Alfresco Top.  The color I chose is on backorder in many sizes, but the other colors are proving less popular.

Alfresco Top Styled. by dinagideon featuring knit pants

Above is the polyvore.  I am slowly getting back into that other passion of mine.  :)

BTW, if you are interested in the Alfresco top (or any other items from Boden), you can use the below link, along with the code WCM1 (on the shopping bag page) for 15% off and free ship and returns.


Okay, that's it! If you have been kind enough to leave me a comment lately, I have read them, and do plan to comment back. Soon! :)

Paris: Day Four Outfit of the Day,

It seems beyond appropriate that I do this post today, as Rex's behavior today has only really been matched by the behavior her recently exhibited in the beautiful small French city of Chartres. Ugh. :)

He is getting more "mature" every day, but for all his advancements socially, his fits have also matured to their own fine and ripe age. They will soon be so ripe they will be spoiled. Oh, dear. He will be five in February. Someone out there tell me it gets better when they turn five. Please. LOL.

So yeah, I am not one to focus on negativity (well at least not here on my happy place, aka my respite from my crazy, rugrat filled life), so I am choosing to continue my sartorial journey in France for the rest of the post. Remember, you can also see the other days here, day one, day two, and day three.

Anyone who LOVES the Paris Catalog from Fall 2007 will immediately know what this outfit is referencing.  :)

I also included the image in the polyvore set, so all you polyvore addicts, clip away. 

I had the Bridget shirtdress in plaid from the original season, had bought it in a size 10 to fit my newly postpartum body (post-Rex, yes, five years ago, lol), and when I lost all that weight a couple of years ago, the 10 was getting too big, so I hunted ebay for a replacement in a size 6, and finally one day, I found it.   (And a fellow JCA got my size 10 from the exchange, you know share the love...it really is a great dress.)

I was actually really worried it wouldn't fit, but with Gus hanging out and growing but not really, the dress did up just fine.  Phew.  (Can't wear it today, though.  I have officially lost my waist--woo!)

The boots are the Britten Tall Flat boots, and I am so glad I decided to bring them to France, they were super comfy AND stylish, which I appreciated.

This is just outside the cathedral at Chartres, in the courtyard.  It was pretty sunny that day, so the sunglasses were more than just "fashionable."

I added the Icon trench to keep the wind from whipping me too much.  It was warm-ish that day, but it was good to have the topper that evening, when the temps dipped quickly.

Just like the previous photo, many of you have already seen this image, but now you know more about the outfit under the trench.  Plus the cobblestone plus French folks plus CW equals really cool photo.

Paris: Day Four Outfit of the Day. by dinagideon featuring a tee shirt dress

Above is the polyvore. Eventually I will get around to publishing my packing list (which I did about two months ago), but I will wait until all the ootd posts are done (two more to go!).

Boden ladies...remember I did a post on the Boden Spring Preview in this post yesterday. I bit the bullet today, so I feel poorer, but at least I have a few weeks to save up for the January bill. :)

Also, if you have a Boden review and would like it to be included in tomorrow's Boden Weekly Review Roundup, you can e-mail me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com or comment in the post (although if you recently commented, I have seen it, and will include your review--thanks!).

Alright, have a great night!!!

P.S.  Can I just say how sweet and caring all of you are?  I love (and read) ALL of the comments left here, and omg, I have the nicest, most darling blog friends.  I want to let everyone know that although I have been unable to spend a ton on other friends blogs, or comment back to everyone's comments here, I at least want to express my gratitude!  So many of your comments (especially on the "Gus is here" post) have really made me smile big, and often laugh out loud, literally!

Paris: Day Three Outfit of the Day.

I cannot believe I have waited this long to do a new post.  I don't even have a good excuse, like actually being in Paris.  LOL.  Ah, well.

Better late than never, I suppose.  :)

On the third day in Paris, my true love said to me...

wear the green jacket and teal top and jeans, and Thierry Lasry sunglasses, and double strand frog necklace,

you get the drift...

Why start with the boring shot when I can start with arty?

Anyhow, this was taken at sunset in the Jardin des Tuileries, which is right next door to the Lourve, which is where we spent the majority of our day (outside of a very long walk looking for a very specific shop in the Saint Germain neighborhood).

Yes, I put CW in a shirt that has the Eiffel Tower and says "a la mode a paris."  Mr. Dina said to put her in that the day we go to the Eiffel Tower, but I just scoffed at how cliche that would be.  Snort.

On me, we have the Parisienne Jacket from Boden Fall 2009 (not cliche, lol), a top that I bought at TJ Maxx by Willi Smith, some Docker's Denim (that got really stretched out by the end of the day), the Lula Snakeskin Ballet Flats from J. Crew (yeah, these only are comfortable the first five miles of walking, btw), and of course the double strand frog necklace from J. Crew Fall 2007 (which also appeared in the Paris catalog).

You can buy CW's a la mode top here (and the 14 fits me, for what it's worth).  I was able to find a fairly similar jacket at Boden called the Milan Jacket, which comes in a very similar green shade (and is on "secret" sale).

No jacket.  I really like the Willi Smith top, all pretty silk and a lovely teal color.  I wore teal with green for a reason, and you will see that when you get to the Polyvore set.

At the Lourve with the kids.  We were all beaten down.  The kids LOVED the museum, though.  My favorite part were the sixty million Japanese tourists who wanted to take photos with Rex and/or CW.  It was adorable.  I guess my kids are cute to others, as they are to me, but honestly, at the end of that day I was all, "are they really that adorable?"

Paris: Day Three Outfit of the Day. by dinagideon featuring j crew jeans

Above is the polyvore set.  In it you will see the catalog image from Boden that inspired the whole look.  I would have never paired teal and green together, but it worked here.  :)

You all have a great Sunday.  :)  Talk with all of you soon!

Bonjour to Hello!

As of two days ago I was saying the five words I know in French in superfluity (bonjour, merci, pardon, au revoir, and garcon--guess why I said that last one so much, lol). As of today between attempting to keep my eyes open (guess who is REALLY REALLY tired) and shuttling the kids everywhere, I am taking the many English words I do know and hoping to eventually get my patooty in gear and spark some fire to get the many posts I have in my head actually here on my blog.

Pigs don't fly, but if I get these posts actually done with any real speed, I will be looking to the sky (where I might see this).

For now, I hope you all don't mind if I say both "bonjour" and "hello" and pretty much leave it at that (well, and a few photos, of course).

At the end I have a couple of requests but let's have the dessert first, photos of yummy France. :) (And two of the outfits, of course...)

Whole outfit is J. Crew.  More on that later.  What you don't see?  The dude to the right of me who was clearly confused by why I was taking my picture right here.  Yeah, okay.  I don't know how to say "whatever" in French, but maybe I should learn.  ;)

This was taken near somewhere in Paris near the Seine.  It was taken the first day I was there, and at this point had been existing on no sleep (the plane shook the. entire. time. we. were. flying...agh.) for nearly twenty hours.  I am surprised I managed a smile.  I am glad I went out as the weather was beautiful and I captured this shot on the Seine looking towards Ile de Cite:

Yeah, this isn't even all photoshopped or anything.  It literally looked exactly like this.  Made the sleeplessness worth it.

Taken at Chartres, which is a small, beautifully preserved city southwest of Paris.  With the toddlers we knew that we would be certifiable if we attempted to go much further, but the distance here was definitely doable. 

However, that said, within thirty minutes of this photo being taken, Rex had a meltdown in the courtyard of the Chartres cathedral.  Yeah, lucky me.  And lucky French folks.  (Who, btw, in general, seemed to actually like my kids--granted when they were smiling, etc.)

Whole outfit J. Crew.  More on that later.  :)  Sunglasses are from Anthro.

Taken in Chartes as the sun was setting.  Living in Alexandria, I am used to cobblestone streets, but that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate it again and again.  Cobblestone is cool.

Yeah, Rex had another breakdown thirty minutes after this photo was taken.  I began to suspect that Rex just didn't like Chartres.  He preferred the cosmopolitan air of Paris (ha, yeah, that was it, I am so sure).

And a tee-shirt!  No, this is for polyvore.  I bought a Vogue Paris mag from September 2011 (they still had them for sale at the store), and if you paid an additional eight euro you could get this tee.  I was all, "ooh, yes, s'il vous plait."  I wore this tee today.  Hence the need for a polyvore photo.

BTW, I have already published one photo from France, but since it was in a Boden-centered post, some of you all may have missed it. (And gigiofca, that bag is the Leopard Tote and it is awesome...review to come, promise, hand on heart.)

Now onto bizness.  Boden friends, I have not done a roundup in SO long.  And my internet crashed a bagizillion times in Paris, so I lost all the tabs of reviews that were to be published.  Would you all mind e-mailing me at dinagideon@aim.com if you have recently (two weeks or less from today) published a Boden review?  I would be VERY appreciative if you could.  Also, if you have any non-published reviews, I would love to have those, as well!

Also, speaking of Boden, one of my fave Boden centered blogs has disappeared.  Polly and Fiona, where are you?  Miss you much!

Okay, you all, have a GREAT night!  Bonsoir.  ;)

Dot to Dot.

A funk has settled over the DC area in the form of constant drizzle, cold temps, and grey skies. Blegh. Double freaking blegh. It is only October 2! 48 degrees is wrong.

Anyhow, whining over. Just had to get that out.

Okay, so I am going to show off two outfits back from when sunny and 80s was the norm, which also happen to feature polka dotted skirts. I actually never owned any polka dotted skirts until this summer, but they are so cute that I am glad that I have these now. I definitely will not be getting any more dotted skirts, that would be superfluous (lol, two is probably superfluous).

Top: Anthropologie Strewn Leaves Top.
Skirt: J. Crew Factory Navy Blue Polka Dot A-Line Skirt.  It came as part of a three part lot that also was selling the ischia skirt that I wore here.  I thought I might consign this one, but after trying it on, I knew it was a keeper.
Belt: Two Tone Soft Leather Obi Belt, Warehouse (a UK shop).  I bought this on a complete whim to work with this skirt (I actually haven't worn it that way yet, but plan to this winter for some party or another).
Shoes: Japanese Wooden Sandals with Striped Straps.  I love these and typically wear them only in the house (yes, they are my "house" shoes), but for certain outfits, I let them come out and play.

This pic and the next were me having fun with posing and/or playing with picnik.  Really fluffy stuff, but you can see how the patterns work well together here, and...

how the skirt is truly a great shape, for any body.

Dot, Leaves, Love. by dinagideon featuring a silk skirt

Above is the polyvore.  I couldn't find my shoes in the polyvore items, they're there, but the slight sheen from the constant rain is making me lazy and full of ennui.  It doesn't matter, the Boden sandals would look cute with this outfit, too!

Skirt: J. Crew Bright Green with Contrast Navy Blue Ribbon Hem.  I saw this is a catalog and since it was so old school J. Crew, I knew I would have to search ebay.  Sadly a really great priced one got away from me because I waited far too long to buy it now, but a month or so later, this one came up for around $20, and I definitely didn't hesitate.  It was smoky smelling (ergh, please smokers, WASH your clothes before you mail them, can't believe I have to make that PSA), but after one wash it was fine.
Top:  boden Merino V-Neck Sweater in Navy Blue.  I bought this on a whim years ago and find I wear it more than I ever expected to.  Boden does merino wool well, always thick, soft, and in wonderful colors.
Shoes: J. Crew Phoebe Peep Toe Flats in Denim with a cute beaded tassel. 
Sunglasses: Thierry Lasry Sexxxy.  I still shudder every time I write that name down here in this blog (come on, the word sexy with three x's, yeah okay...).  I am bringing these to France with me.  They tend to slip on my face when I get hot (they don't have nose grips).  My hope is that by the time we go to France, the weather will be cool enough that I don't have to look uncool constantly pushing them up...unless someone has another idea for me?  Any thoughts on this sunglasses mission of mine?

Above is the catalog image that helped me fall in LUURRRVVVE with this skirt. 

Okay, that is all.  I am sub swim coaching tonight.  Yes, I realize that this is not the night to go out and dip my toes in the H2O.  You all better believe I am really not looking forward to it.

P.S. Sunny Pollyanna Dina should be in the house tomorrow.  I make no promises if the weather stays like this any longer, though...

Continued: My Long-Lasting Liberty Love.

Hi!  Before I begin a very photo-heavy post of my love affair with Liberty of London's fabrics, I wanted to let you all know that running around for two weeks after 7-9 years olds took its toll and I pretty much slept the entire weekend.  I *almost* fell asleep at church, which lol, I am sure many of you do without being really tired, but for me is almost unheard of.  :)  So I just didn't have the energy to update my blog.

Regarding Boden, I have taken a look at the winter preview site and I think I will pre-order maybe two pieces.  It's not that I am not inspired, no, much of it is very pretty, but honestly, only a couple of things will fill a need in my life, especially considering that I have a major closet overhaul to do before I can truly justify much more in the dress department, at least.  I do have "picks," though, and definitely will publish those fairly soon.  Also, the maternity coupon expired, which bums me out, but maybe that means a really good offer is coming soon?  (We can hope?  I will let you know if a good one comes along.)  For now, there is a 10% off with free ship/returns running in my sidebar, if you need a coupon.

Onto Liberty!

Ah, the Liberty Bouquet Shirtdress.  I have now worn this multiple times this spring and summer, including twice on my trip to GA/NC/VA.  This time was when we were heading to the Chattanooga Childrens Museum, and I knew I couldn't get super dressed up, but wanted to look decent.  :)

I did a review of it back at this post if you ever see it popback on J. Crew or you find one on ebay that you want. 

The shoes are the Antiqued Stone Flip Flops, and are currently on clearance at jcrew.com.  I took a size 9 (I usually wear a size 9.5).  I quite like them, again, kind of dressy casual, you know?

CW's outfit is all girly a la the way the deep south likes 'em, big ole bow in her hair, gingham, and lots of ric-rac and ruffling.  ;)  Her shoes are the Surf and Sand Salt-water sandals that J. Crew sells.  Since we get to our neighborhood pool by crossing a stream, we actually have a need for good water shoes for all members of our family.  Rex even has toddler sized Tevas.  ;)

Outside the museum, after the visit.  HIGHLY recommended.  I love childrens museums, I wish DC had a better one that was closer to us.  I often will just go to the Richmond one instead because it is big, clean, easy to park at, and fairly inexpensive.

The bag is the Frankie bag (Borge Gavari).  I was lucky to be the only bidder on this on ebay a year ago.  I think I ended up paying just around $100.  It was in perfect condition, btw.  Great bag, nice size, the pink isn't too pink, and if you use it every day, it ages nicely, and looks loved, not used.

The sunglasses are my only real splurge (the Long Floral Swing Skirt would have been one, but the eventual super-discount I was able to get from my amazing Personal shopper brought that down out of the stratosphere) in the past six months.  They are Thierry Lasry and upon spying them at the stand alone Anthropologie accessories store in Friendship Heights, I knew that if the Anthro powers that be sent me a 15% birthday coupon, I would use it for these.  They have the incredibly ridiculous name "Sexxxy," but I do love them so.  :)

Close up of glasses in car ride.  I love how you can see CW smiling away back there in her car seat.  That is one plush car seat...no wonder she falls asleep so easily.

I wore the dress again when we were heading home...here we are at Natural Bridge, VA, and if you can, I highly suggest a stop here.  It is an arched stone natural formation that is really really tall, (can't see it in our photo) surrounded by the beauty of the Eastern woodland, and has a perfect little gurgling stream right next to it.  We try to stop here whenever we head to GA, or on the way home from GA....

And guess what is on the other side of the mountain from Natural Bridge (due east)?  Yee-ha!  Lynchburg, you all. :)  This time I stopped at the Millrace location which is were the actual shipping center is located.  I prefer the Wyndhurst location, which is pretty close to this one, but I still found a couple of goodies for some great prices.  (Quinn hobo from 2008--great price; Lula Snakeskin Ballet Flats--great price; Sevigne Capri Sandals--great price; and for Mr. Dina?  Converse Distressed Jack Purcell Sneakers for the especially great price of $10!) 

BTW, those of you wanting Mona heels or a Edie purse?  There were a lot of those, and it was barely into the fall season when I went.  I think you can either go and get them for yourself, OR know that some ebay reseller will have them up for sale, I promise. 

So you all know, the clearance centers sell really nice things.  Only the purse had a slight stain on it, but one that I knew I could get out with leather cleaner.  The other items were in wonderful shape.

This is a Liberty print in Tana Lawn fabric by Theory that I got from Saks on deep clearance a few years back.  Still love this dress, and try and find a reason to wear this at least once a summer.  The reason this time is that I was using the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" in my teaching last week, and wanted dresses and outfits with a floral theme.  (You will see the rest of those, plus the "fish" themed ones from the "Swimmy" week later on this week.)

Yes, I am wearing the frog clasp double strand necklace with this dress.  It has held up well all these years I have owned it.  Only thing, and this is important to note, this is the ONLY jewelry item from J. Crew that I own that does not have the "J. Crew" circle indicating it was made for J. Crew.  So if you get one from ebay, know that it will not have that circle, and that's okay.  Mine was bought from J. Crew, so it is an actual piece from them.

The sandals are the Reese Studded Snakeskin sandals.  Yet another ebay find.  I know these were from the clearance center because they have the tell-tale black mark, but other than that, nothing wrong from my vantage point.  And for $40 versus (I think) $400 (YIKES!), I will take a black mark, fine. with. me.

Finally, Liberty a la Target.  Still love and wear this top, even though it is poly.  We were just going to IKEA that night for dinner (yum, Swedish MEATBALLS!  with LINGONBERRY SAUCE!  and ROSE HIP DRINK!), but any chance to match CW?  Um, yeah!

The shorts are from the J. Crew outlet and the sandals are old school J. Crew circa Spring 2005. 

Alrighty, thanks for indulging my "have seen already" outfit choices.  I guess, if nothing else, it does prove that I do wear items again and again.  LOL. 

Have a great night.  Stay healthy!  And long live Liberty!