Winter Wardrobe: Day Four and Day Five.

Hi, everyone!  :)  I hope everyone is having a fab weekend.  I am recovering from my week of teaching the girls.  It is ridiculous that I need to recover, but by Friday I could tell my pregnant body was not taking the constant up and down and running around as well as I had hoped.  I think it would have been easier had I, upon returning home, not had young kids to take care of, but I know that is what I signed up for.  LOL.  Mr. Dina has been great, though, letting me sleep more and in general just allowing me to take my time and relax.  (Yay!)

Okay, so I totally am smooshing day four and five together, but for a good reason.  One, I don't want to bother with two posts and two, I sort of was disappointed by day four's look, so I want to start with a more positive note, which is my look for day five.

My day four look appears okay in the photos, but trust me when I say it wasn't exactly pregnancy friendly.  By the end of the day I was actually in pain.  I suffered for fashion.  Chortle.

Day five was far more pregnant friendly AND it was high fashion enough and comfortable enough to allow me to make it through the crazy that runway day entails.

So we will start there, okay?

I totally love this look.  It isn't necessarily "me," but the elements came together to become a definite "me" look.  The dress is the stunning Stella Dress, which I did a review of here (and if you use in conjunction with my current sidebar coupon you can get sent to you with free ship--no 15% off sale items, but free ship and returns nonetheless).  I was super glad that I had this dress in the house because the dress I had intended to wear, the Anthropologie Flickering Slip Dress did not do up at the bustline.  Turns out Gus riding so high has messed up the measurement of my underbust, so instead of that being my smallest measurement, it is now an inch bigger and means that the baby doll frocks won't work until he decides to "drop."  I am stoked that it fit over the belly, but if I can't do the zipper all the way up, it ain't happening for school.  ;)  Next year, though, you had better believe I am going to wear it.

The boots are the Charley Shearling Wedge boots.  Really, these are sort of insane for me to own, but the unusual look combined with wedge heels and the added warmth of shearling drew me in.  The 30% off deal I got when purchasing them also helped, to be honest.  Worth it at the 30% off, not so much at the full price.  Those of you who read this blog post know that I had initial issues doing up the back of the boot (where the zipper is).  I am glad to report that after wearing them multiple hours on Friday, they do up perfectly, and have stretched exactly to the right size.

The necklace is a Diana P. original.  I reviewed the handmade piece in this blog post.  The colors worked exactly right with the dress.

Dress is a size 8, one up from my typical Boden "stretchy" dresses sizing.  This is a Limited Edition piece and I have noticed that vanity sizing is non-existent in this line.

The boots are a size 9.5, which is my exact size in J. Crew shoes.  Remember if you need extended calves on your boots, these will probably not work for you unless you take them to a cobbler and have him or her stretch the calves for you.

Closer look at the boots.  The bit of ankle wrinkling only happened here.  When I wear them with leggings or skinny jeans or tights, this doesn't happen.  Weird, right?  It doesn't look bad to me, it almost seems intentionally worn that way. 

I rarely wear boots with dresses, but I am glad I did that day.  The boots held up well, looked chic, and were pretty darn comfortable.  I also loved being able to pet the suede of the boot.  Super soft.

Winter Wardrobe: Day Five. by dinagideon featuring wedge heels

Above is the polyvore of this outfit.

Now onto the fashion folly of the fertile.

At this point of the day, the outfit felt okay.  The pieces fit okay (not great, but bear in mind this is non-maternity, just like the stella dress)...but by the end of the day I was feeling every inch of this outfit.  It was wearing this outfit that convinced me that unless it is a non-maternity piece that is flowy (like the Stella dress), I need to shelve it and just bring on all the maternity pieces I own.  (I am 28 weeks, not a bad idea at this point.  LOL.)

Dress: J. Crew Factory Madeline Dress in hot pink.  This was a wonderful dress in fall 2008 that the factory stores replicated in 2009.  I was super-excited to find it at Mint Condition, our local consignment shop.  I also am psyched because if it fits at 7 months pregnant in a size 8, it will for sure fit at not pregnant.  ;)

Shoes: J. Crew Coralie Patterned Heels.  Um, ow.  Ow.  By the end of the day not only did the dress feel wrong, but these shoes WERE KILLING me.  They are a 9.5 and fit, but the toe box is not especially pliant, so I have a feeling others probably have the same experience.  Misery loves company.  ;)

Turtleneck: J. Crew Tissue Turtleneck, Size Medium (few years old version).  Best part of the outfit, hands down.

Tights: Assets, Size 3.  Also fairly comfortable.

Front view.  I look forward to trying this look next winter.  It is really pretty on, especially with the heels...just not right now, ya know?

The ruffles on this dress are awesome.  The factory recently re-issued this and called it the Emeline dress.  I own that in the heather elm color, but in the size 6.  The size 6 fit in early pregnancy, but honestly, I look forward to wearing this with a much smaller waistline.  The last time I wore the Emeline, I did the same thing, black turtleneck and black tights, but with black heels.  I didn't grab photos that day.

Winter Wardrobe: Day Four. by dinagideon featuring mini handbags

The polyvore is above.

Okay, all that's it for my week as a fashion teacher.  It was a lot of fun, and recovery has been fantastic.  ;)

Later today or tonight I will publish a post with my picks from Boden's spring line that I hadn't noticed the first time Boden sent out their spring preview.  Lots to love!

Talk soon!

Winter Wardrobe: Day Three. (Plus J. Crew/Madewell Reviews!)

Everyone!  Hi!  Thank you all so much for helping me through my semi-mini fit last night.  Ugh, blogger.  I have only had one other post disappear, and that was super early on in my blogging history, so I guess I thought it just couldn't happen again. 

So in that vein, I am gonna keep this short and sweet, so any effort I put into tonight's post isn't gonna to give me angst if it goes away.  ;)

I wore an outfit today that I had been planning for ages.  I created the polyvore a while ago after I ordered the bubble necklace in papaya, and saw the gorg image of the model on the website wearing it.  (That photo is at the bottom of the post, btw.)

Well, the polyvore sort of panned out.  My calves were the issue this morning.  Yeah, my calves.  Not because they have grown, oh, no, but rather that the boots that I had intended to wear with my outfit wouldn't zip up past the 3/4 point.  Huh.  (I have fairly thin calves, so I was a bit surprised to say the least.)

In the end it worked out as I re-wore my Alpine Boots that I wore yesterday, and had planned to do a review on, but didn't after the fiasco with blogger, so guess who is doing the review tonight?  Yep!

Top: Alexa Chung for Madewell Amelia Tee, Size small.  I ordered this when Madewell was offering 30% off all sale items.  I really don't need another striped top, but I love how this one seemed substantial (the cotton is very thick and heavy, btw, in real life), and I loved how the stripes are not solid but rather thin and wispy looking.  I was pretty sure it could be a go to piece for me as a stay at home mom.  I would say this runs a bit small, as I ordered it in my "size up" from Madewell (I wear an extra small with them normally), but I am not not saying that because of Gus belly.  In fact I am saying it because I feel like the shoulders, arms, and bust are just fine in the small (and would have likely been too tight in the extra small).  Since I have had no weight gain there, so trust me when I say size up.  The body is clearly a bit loose if it can accommodate a 7 months pregnant belly, but I believe the look is meant to be a bit loose there under normal circumstances.

Leggings: J. Crew Signature Leggings, Size Medium.  They have changed the overall feel of the leggings from last year, but not in any substantial way...you know?  It just feels different, and not in a bad way.  Hard to describe really...

Boots: J. Crew Alpine Boots, Size 9.  These boots were described in the copy as "shearling lined throughout."  Well, yeah, technically, but if you are genuine shearling fan, these are only lined through the cuff in true shearling.  The rest of the boot is lined in faux shearling, which lacks the plush feel of the real stuff.  I would have been p-oed if I had paid anywhere near full price for these thinking they would be true sheepskin boots.  The price I bought them at?  I can deal with the faux stuff, but I want to send that warning out to you all.  I would say these run true to size for the J. Crew "whole sized" items, which I always size down to wear (I am a 9.5 in J. Crew normal shoe sizing).

Necklace: J. Crew Bubble Necklace, Papaya.  I will do the review after the next photo.

Close-up of the top and necklace.

I was not a bubble necklace fan when they first came out, but after countless other bloggers showed how they wore theirs, I was a definite convert.  However, I wanted to jump on the bandwagon way after ebay started selling fakes, so I knew I didn't want to take a chance on getting one that may not be made super well.

When J. Crew re-issued this one (and the double strand Palm Springs Necklace, which I reviewed here), I was in "old school J. Crew" heaven.  :)

The bubble necklace is awesome if you are a statement necklace kind of gal.  It is big, well-made, and definitely not for the shy.  The papaya is an especially "large" statement to make as the top beads are a lighter orange color and the smaller bottom beads are a traditional orange color.  Very much the first thing you see on the outfit.  I adjusted the chain so it would fall higher on my neckline, but you can clip it where it is meant to be clipped and have it sit a bit lower, as well.

I was lucky enough to pre-order it during the 30% off promo, so this was just at $100.  I don't know if it is worth the whole $150, but I like it enough at the $100 to tear off the tags.

Side shot of the belly and boots. 

Yeah, this image started me on my quest of recreation.  :)  LOVELY image and J. Crew needs to keep this up...

Winter Wardrobe: Day Three. by dinagideon featuring wide waistband pants

Above is the polyvore of the outfit I had intended to wear. FWIW, the Charley Shearling Wedge Boots did zip up tonight, but (and you all are gonna love this), I had to lay on my bed, put my leg up in the air, pull on the boot, carefully zip up the back, adjust, and then repeat with the other leg. LOL. They look really fun and are super-warm and definitely different than any other boots I own, so thank goodness I made them work. :) I believe that they will stretch a bit more in the calf area eventually so that I won't have to do the "bed trick" (yeah, I know that sounds bad) very much longer.

I got the Charley boots on 30% off, and I think they are a decent price at that amount (they are real shearling and have super-soft suede), but full price, nuh uhn.  No way.  Oh, and calves that need extended calf boots?  Don't even bother applying.  Ridiculous.

You all have a great night. Me--sleep is calling my name.

Winter Wardrobe: Day Two.

Hi, all!  I made it through another day of hanging with my elementary school homies...grade 3-5! 

Anyhow, I actually planned today's outfit as opposed to yesterday's, but what I didn't think about is that I am going to make these girls think I LOVE stripes.  Yesterday's outfit was pink with silver stripes, today's is black with silver stripes, and tomorrow's is white with navy stripes.  I think Thursday I have a solid dress, so that is in the clear.

*****

Well, I just give the bleep up.  I literally wrote a fairly involved blog post and the darn thing was just eaten up by the computer (except the intro paragraphs above).  I HATE not having my computer.  I absolutely loathe this teeny-tiny, "let's eat all of dinagideon's hard work up," dumb, *@###-ing computer.  I am just about to cry.  There was a review of the Alpine boots in it, and a rather extensive look at this new necklace I wore today, plus some info on my next post on the Boden Weekly Review Roundup, AND. it. is. all. gone.

I am going to bed.  I will show the pics, I will show the polyvore and I will fill in the blanks on this post when I get over my anger.  (I get angry, you all, it just. takes. a. lot. to get me there.  GRRRRRR.)

You all have a great night.  My Aspire One ACER computer?  I hope you have nightmares, you beast.

Dress: J. Crew Alex Sweater Dress, Size Medium.

Leggings: Madewell Convertible, Size Medium.

Boots: J. Crew Alpine Boots, Size 9.  I will do a review, I promise.  Just not now.  Sob.

Side shot of Gus riding high.  Any of you mommas out there have a belly ride this high?  Seems a bit ridiculous, in my opinion.

I had spent two or three paragraphs explaining how I discovered this jewelry designer in Paris, and how my hunt took on epic proportions once I got back home to find his necklaces here, but alas, it must have not been meant to be.  For what it's worth, it is designed by Tzuri Gueta, and he truly is an artist.  The beads are silicone (!!!) and the cording is silk.  Very unusual, and definitely a statement, especially in this lovely blue/red combo.

Winter Wardrobe: Day Two. by dinagideon featuring stirrup pants

Above is the polyvore, where you can find more info on the individual pieces, including the necklace.

Reminder, Boden did some second cuts on their items in their winter sale.  I explained it more in depth at this post.

;)  I will be back in a better mood tomorrow.  Promise.

Winter Wardrobe: Day One.

Hi, everyone!

Don't have a ton of time tonight, not because I don't want to actually write a blog post but because I am back to teaching my elementary school fashion class again, which means a really early rise (must be at school well before 8 am) and a very early to bed.  :)

Winter Wardrobe was a blast today, but oh, my, I guess starting the class on a federal holiday means my numbers (and all the other classes numbers) were teeny-tiny.  I had 7 girls in my first class (of a total of 10, woah) and 11 girls in my second glass (of a total of 15).  In the past I have never had a class with less than 18 kids, so I was a bit stunned.  But (and those of you who are teachers totally get this) those lower numbers made for a lot of one on one time and fairly easy transitions and the world's best set of kids and ZERO discipline problems.

Anyhow, I am not sure I will be able to do much more than these posts this week (and the Boden Weekly Review Roundup), but if I find I am high on energy and time (not likely, lol), I will add more posts.

I call this my "OMG I have no idea what to wear on 2 hours of sleep and whilst pregnant getting ready for a fashion class that I teach...yawn" outfit.  Surprisingly, after hubby saw it, and confirmed that he liked it (did I add that Mr. Dina is sick on top of all of the prep work I have been doing?) , I felt a lot better about my sartorial skills.  Not my best outfit ever, but it worked for today.

Top: Old Navy Maternity, Size Small.  LOVE this stretchy 80s inspired top that I bought during CW's pregnancy.  Great color, too.
Jeans: Duo Maternity, Size Small Tall.  Still have to wear these with a support belt to keep them up (belly is more up and down than out which means the built in panel is too big), but I love the fact that J.C. Penny's maternity brand has tall jeans, which means I can wear heels.
Shoes: Merona Collection, Size 10.  These mod heels are lovely, and I definitely don't pull them out enough...but worked wonderfully with the top.
Scarf: Old Navy.

I would like to point out the whole outfit probably cost less than $100 total.  It felt good to have a head to toe pregnancy look that wasn't an extravagance.  So much maternity wear is insanely pricey.

Hands on hips.  This outfit was plenty warm enough for school, but wow, even with the down jacket I wore with it, I was freezing at recess.  (Aw, darn it, I guess the December of 60s had to give way to normal January temperatures eventually.)

I think Mr. Dina was up to no good when he captured me in my side belly pose next to the referee doing the same exact pose on the TV.  I get it...my belly is larger than a football official's.

My Favorites (From a Really LONG List)! by dinagideon featuring a leopard print tote bag

Before I go, I do want to show off my favorite pieces from 2011.  I created this Polyvore the other night...I am so glad I purchased these pieces, I anticipate they will be in my wardrobe for a long time...

I would eventually like to show off my favorite outfits from 2011, but it probably won't be for a bit...

Do you have any favorites from 2011 you would like to share???

Night, night, everyone!

Two Anthro Blazers and a Pregnant Belly. Chortle.

Before I begin this showcase of how adaptable jackets really are, I want to say a few things!

1. You all are too sweet. I had such a rough day when I wrote my last post and all the comments were wonderfully uplifting. I know that the road to Rex's success is a long one, but at least I know I am not alone in my journey--that others have also had similar challenges and came out in the end. :) Whew.

2. A parent from the class (she is also pregnant), saw the whole "Rex" incident and was MORTIFIED over what happened to me as a parent (the teacher basically took Rex out of the holiday sing-a-thon in front of all the kids and other parents and loudly announced that he needed to be with me) and was so very sad for us. She said I handled it well and she understands how embarrassed I felt. She actually said she would have been livid if it had happened to her daughter and her and would have had words with the teacher. She was surprised at my patience. Huh! I thought I handled it poorly, I am glad to know that an outsider felt I held my own...

3. I am reading a book, though, regardless of all incidents, that I picked up because I felt like Rex needed some extra parenting on my part. It is called "The Explosive Child," and OMG, it is wonderful. The advice is spot on AND it also makes me realize that I had some explosive tendencies of my own as a child. (Albeit differently...I was the type to explode exclusively at home when there was a change in my daily routine. I never ever exploded or acted out in public or at school which made my anger and sensitivities a bit easier for my dad to bear.) I have such a clear understanding of why and what is occurring now that I feel so much better...it is like experiencing thick fog and then suddenly seeing blue skies and trees, enlightening and uplifting. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with their own explosive child.

4. Onto (somewhat) less pressing matters...my darling brother has ordered the part for my computer and he will fix it himself. :) Cross fingers that this means in the next week or so!!! I miss having access to disqus or facebook or etc. SO FRUSTRATING.

5. Speaking of computer issues, mine means no disqus, which means NO access to awesome giveaways like Molly's of My Closet Travels.  Just 'cause I can't enter doesn't mean you all can't!  Anyone want to win a $50 gift card to J. Crew?  If you win, spend it on something glittery and fun, so I can live vicariously through you!

Okay, now onto true frivolity--CLOTHES! Just kidding...clothes are only slightly frivolous.

CW's pose is cracking me up.  She looks like a nutcracker.

We were headed to see Santa that night and I figured since I made both of my kids dress up, I should be festive, too, which in my world means sequins and ruffles.  Of course it does.

Jacket: Anthropologie Elevenses Boucle de Souffle Jacket, Size 6.  It does not button up.  It still can be worn as my shoulders haven't grown, so yay for jackets working in pregnancy!  YAY!

Top: J. Crew Collection Glimmer Mist Tissue Tee, Size small.  I am finding as long as it is stretchy material, most tees still fit fine.  Especially J. Crew ones as they run really long, which is ideal for me during pregnancy (not so much when I am not pregnant, they look really long normally, hence my adoration of crewcuts tops).

Pants: I can't remember.  Maybe my Mimi Maternity Black Bootcut ones?  Hmm.  Doesn't matter, Mimi Maternity is gone now, which kind of bums me out...was a great company.

Shoes: Galaxy Leather Ballet Flats.  From a long time ago...still love them, even though one of the gems fell out (sad face).

Bracelet: J. Crew Stone Mosaic Cuff.  Ooh, I got this one this summer.  Found it on ebay for a decent enough price.  I took a close-up pic of it for you all...you will see it a bit later in the post.

Couldn't resist.  CW looks so darling.  LOVE!  :)

Close-up of cuff bracelet.  The color and stones were a nice match to the cream and light blue of the outfit.  The cuff is a tad big on me, but I have wrists that are small enough to wear children's watches, so I think if you have average wrists, you would be fine to buy this and not have it be too big.

I am teaching Winter Wardrobe again...that fashion class for elementary kids that I teach every few months.  I had to skip out on Fall into Fashion as I was feeling really bad in October (and I was going to France, so it would have been CRAZY to do both) and I will skip out on Spring into Style (might not be a good idea to leave a week old newborn in the care of someone besides momma, lol), so Winter Wardrobe is it this year.  I had a meeting last Monday, so I wanted to make sure that I got dressed up, but I don't have a ton of "business casual" looks for pregnancy, so I made due with what I had in my closet (except the dress, which is new).

Jacket: Anthropologie Cloaked in Roses Jacket, Size Small.  Yum.  This felty wool jacket is warm, pretty, unusual, and has the distinct advantage of sort of doing up even though my waist is pretty ginormous compared to what it normally looks like.
Dress: Liz Lange for Target Cowlneck Jersey Dress with Pockets, size medium.  This dress is really large through the top, but since the top has a cowlneck, it sort of looks "on purpose" and not because of my specific lacking in the "lady" department.  Ha.
Tights: Ralph Lauren Grey tights I have had forever, like four years going.  I have good luck with tights.  Fortunately, because I fall in love with tights and how comfortable they are and would be super sad if they ran after one wear.
Shoes: Clarks Artisan.  I wear these all the time.  Definite best buy of my 2011.

The dress has pockets!  And is pretty long!

Necklace: J. Crew Palm Springs Beaded Necklace.  My good blog friend, Marietta, let me know about this one, and OMG, she is so right...lovely, feminine, and very much old school J. Crew.  I won't say it is as awesome as my double strand frog necklace, but it is pretty darn decent for J. Crew 2011. It does not have the heft of the original double strand necklaces from 2006-2007, but it is glass beaded, and the brooch bit is well done.  Thumbs up if this type of necklace is your thang.  I have it double looped around my neck here, but below you will see it worn its "original" way.
 

Nice plain view of the dress and of the necklace.

Closer view of the necklace...and of my very pale face.  Guess I put a bit too much powder on that day.

Okay, all, remember, THANK you for all your sweet comments, even though I can't respond back (easily, that is, I can respond it just takes forever to do it through my e-mail), I am reading every single comment and appreciating all you have taken the time to say!  You all are the best!

Winter Wardrobe Day 5: Sosie Sparkle!

Winter Wardrobe Day 1 is here and Winter Wardrobe Days 2-4 are here.

On the very last day of Winter Wardrobe, we had our "runway shows," which is where the young ladies dress in the style of their inspiration boards (you know, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga!, even Andy Warhol) and to the tune of David Bowie's "Let's Dance," they catwalk like real models and get to show off for a few seconds of fame (sadly no 15 minutes of fame in our runway shows).

I am their MC, and as such, I kind of need to be all shiny, bling-y, and brilliant.  I wore this the last time (for Fall into Fashion), and this last spring (for Spring into Style).  This time I called on Sosie to help me.

I have a girl crush on Sosie.  To read her story, and how I acquired her, please read this post over at True Crew Love.

Sosie Sequin Tank: Size 4.
Long Boyfriend Blazer: Size 4 (Yay for popbacks at 2 am...no I am not kidding.  I know I should have been sleeping but look at how good Sosie looks with her boyfriend.)
Toothpick Ankle Jeans in Twilight Wash: Size 30 Tall.  This was back when J. Crew offered their ankle length denim in talls.  They need to bring that back.  The 31 inch inseam is great and the talls also seem to offer a longer rise, which I need.  These jeans also have a wicked high % of stretch material, so they fit like a glove.  Easily my favorite pair of jeans ever.  My bday pal, Gigiofca, also LOVES hers.
Alecia Suede Peep-Toes: Size 9.5.  Great until about 2:15.  Then my feet gave up.  LOL.

The necklace is the sea urchin necklace from last spring.  I shortened the length significantly.  It is meant to hang much lower.

From the side.  My feet look really big from the side.  :)

Hand on hip.  :)

So that's it for this week of fashion.  I think Day 5 was my favorite.

P.S. Little secret: I LOVE the band Rush.  Just thought I would tell you that.  We female Rush fans need to come out of the closet already.  After viewing their documentary last night, I was all, "Mr. Dina, the world needs to know that there are at least a few XXs out there that think that Geddy, Neil, and Alex can really rock it out."  (Even in their synthethizer heavy 80s period.)

P.P.S. Here is photographic proof...I am at a concert with Mr. Dina:

I was one of the only females there that day.  There was a lot of more of these kind of fellas:

Winter Wardrobe: Days 2, 3, and 4.

I started this post last week with Day One: Inspired by Michelle Obama. Today is Day 2, 3, and 4. I am feeling a bit better about having had an off week with fashion that week because as so many of the comments said, all of us are harder on ourselves than others are. Confidence is key and usually half the battle with fashion. If you feel good, then work it, baby (oh, austin, behave).

So without further discussion, here they are, the good, the bad, and the 70s. LOL.

Inspired by on Day 2: the 70s, unintentionally.  In the end, I enjoyed wearing this outfit, but was about to change into a melon colored top (like the one I had worn on day one), but again, ran out of time.  So I just went with it and told the girls this was my TONAL 70s look.  It gave me an excuse to talk about color theory and to talk about fashion from other eras.

The cardigan is from Anthropologie, and is called the glassflower cardi.  I purchased it from an Effortless Anthropologie Exchange seller and I was excited to see how "effortless" the purchase was.  I need to stalk that board more often.  Maybe then I can find a Tria sweater skirt in a size small or medium for less than $99 (cough, cough ebay).  This is a size medium.  It stretched during the day.  That's okay, though, I liked the feel and can live with the stretching.

I like it better from the side.  Too bad I can't just stand like this all day long.

Alright, enough blinding your eyes with acid green.  Onto day 3 where I can blind your eyes with cinnamon, peach, and ivory!

I love the Boucle de Souffle Jacket (also by Anthropologie and reviewed here by me) and I actually really like it with the ruffles of the Victoria, but yes, I can see where this combo would really chafe at the vision of people who far prefer more subtle, modern, and clean lines.  I do look like I am ready to audition for Bram Stoker's Dracula, all I need is a silly little hat a la the one Winona Ryder wore in that movie (you gotta see that hat, Mr. Dina and I constantly make fun of it).  I did also throw on a cambridge cable knit v-neck sweater in cinnamon from J. Crew to tame at least one set of ruffles.

Again, another outfit I far prefer from the side.  Those pants are the Medallion Foulard Skimmer Pants from last spring, size 6.  The pants had all the tones in the sweater, Victoria cami, and the jacket.  The flats are the Lulu Ballet Flats.  The girls in my class LOVED the bows.  Girly girls and bows, imagine that.

Okay, this is a lot simpler and except when I was walking in the hallways and outside, I wore this instead of the full-on late 1800s look.  I have a feeling quite a few of you will prefer this simpler styling.  (It's okay, though, I know a few of you will love the silly frou-frou deliciousness of the Boucle.  We'll keep it our secret, though.  Would you wear Winona's hat, though?)

And the side.  Love the Victoria cami's just so ruffles.

Okay, let's visit modern times...

Day 4.  Yeah, my hair wasn't fully dry.  We'll live.

Have any of you realized just how perfect the Marled Thandie Blazer is?  It is just heavenly and I have only recently acquired it.  With that said, I have worn it quite a bit since Thandie came to live with me.  I think she may be gaining speed as one of my most favorite jackets made by J. Crew.  This is a size 4 and everything about it, the soft wool jersey fabric to the double breasted placket to the l-o-n-g sleeves (long arms and a short torso are HARD to fit) to the goes with everything color are perfection.  Anyone else part of the Thandie fan club?

The tee is a crewcuts tee and I purchased one for me in a size 14 and one for CW in a size 3.  She wore hers the same day as me, but sadness, she got the stomach flu the same day and the poor crewcuts tee only had a very limited outing.  Oops.  (Thank goodness it is machine washable.)  Oh, so you know, I left glitter everywhere that day.  I think when J. crew puts glitter on their items they pack it on!  I felt like some sort of pink and grey fairy spreading her special fashion fairy dust all day long.

Full outfit.  Includes the prized rose peep toes by Miss Albright (another Anthropologie purchase).

In the classroom with my Glen Plaid Sasha Peacoat and green wool scarf.  (I am showing you this pic for a reason.)  The peacoat is also double-breasted and pretty warm.  The scarf is from Scotland.

Scarf on with just the Thandie.  Did get cold throughout the day, but the scarf helped keep me toasty.

Lighting is HARSH in classrooms, btw.  HARSH.  ;)  You teachers know what I mean.

And finally my inspiration for Day 4...the ever lovely Blake Lively.  I saw this in one of the mags that I purchased for the kids' inspiration boards and I was all, "ooh, let me try that."  Of course I have no brightly colored skinny jeans (outside of the pink ones I am wearing above) but I tried.  The kids appreciated me showing them that if they have to do it, I can at least do it, too. 

After trying this look, though, I realized I really, really want those boots and that scarf.  Sigh.

Have a fab day.  More later (hopefully a secret from Boden--get back to me, Johnnie) and Day 5 (which is BY FAR my fave outfit of the week).

Winter Wardrobe Day One: An Homage to Michelle Obama.

Hey, everyone! 

So is there a bout of intestinal flu running around where you live?  Baby CW had it first in this household on Thursday, and when I didn't get it by Friday morning (same with Rex and Mr. Dina), I felt I was in the clear.  Not so much.  By Friday night, I took a major turn for the worse and was sick for a good 24 hours.  I ended up losing 6 pounds of water weight.  (Here's how it works though it seems...I had recently put on 4 pounds because of my stringent "no activity" post-PFO closure.  I was becoming so sad that I had gained the weight that I was very excited to get back to exercise in late January.  Well, what do you know?  You are so funny, God.)  Rex got it last night (ooh, you should have seen the amount of laundry we had to do at 3 am).  Mr. Dina is still doing fine (lucky!).

Okay, so where the heck was I last week if I wasn't posting here?  Well, I was teaching my fashion class for the 3rd time.  As you know, I have taught "Spring Into Style" and "Fall Into Fashion" and now we can add "Winter Wardrobe" to my resume.  Instead of being two weeks as Spring Into Style and Fall Into Fashion are, Winter Wardrobe is one week.  Basically I keep the same curriculum as the other two classes, but I don't cover sewing, color coordination, and basic design.  I focus mainly on the inspiration boards, using the inspiration to create an outfit from their closets, and the runway show.

In order to facilitate this, I wore a few outfits this last week that were inspired by others, including Monday's look, which was directly inspired by our first lady, Michelle Obama.  Regardless of politics (fashion is bi-partisan, woo!), I love Mrs. Obama's style and I was super-excited to show the young ladies how she had inspired me.  I was also able to show them how to bring it in the winter, which is usually the time people (especially in the DC are) tend to become super-frumpy, all hidden under layers of down coats and uggs (both of which are great, but a lot of folks around here take these and become like honest to goodness snowmen).

Michelle O. Style! by dinagideon featuring crew tops

Above is the polyvore I first created when I bought the Factory Leopard Print Cardigan.  I knew that Michelle Obama had worn this years ago, and I knew that crewcuts had made a version (at over 150 dollars it was far too rich for me), but until this winter I had never seen a women's version.  Yay for J. Crew factory online!  :)  The skirt is the Palmilla lace pencil skirt.  The shoes are the amazing Prized Rose Peep Toes (which are the sister pair to the equally awesome Anticipation heels) from Anthropologie's Miss Albright.  The belt is also an Anthropologie item, the three beacons belt.

I was on the fence about this outfit.  I have been really hard on myself lately (I have been feeling this way for a while, really, which may explain a lot of my lack of posting).  Every outfit seems just a little off.  The more I look at this, the more I like it, but honestly, that morning, had I had more time, I might have taken the skirt off and worn pants instead.  Tuesday and Wednesday were equally tough for me.  By Thursday, and especially Friday (my fave of the week), I was feeling a lot better (kind of ironic, really, considering what ended up happening to me on Friday night--lol).

Sizes: Cardigan, Small.  Tee, Small. Skirt, Size 4.  Tights (herringbone tights by J. Crew), Medium-Tall.  Prized Rose Peep Toes, Size 9.5 (1/2 size bigger than the Anticipations).  Belt, Small.

From the side.

In my quest to make the outfit better, I tucked up the shirt, and it still kind of bugged.  In the end I just needed to get over my OCD tendencies.  No one at school said anything but nice things about the outfit.  Are any of you all really hard on yourselves?  It isn't just the blog, btw, I have always been like this.

Here is the cardi close up.  I am glad that J. Crew put out a version that all of us could afford (I believe I paid 30 and some change...).

Talk with you all soon.  Days 2-5 will be around soon enough!