OOTDs: Silky Vintage and Made by Me.

Hey, all!  Happy Thursday!  :-)  Just a quick reminder before I start that the 30% off dresses promotion ends tomorrow night over at Boden.  (At least that is what I believe will happen since the sale started last Saturday morning.  I would be more than fine if Boden made me a liar by continuing it into the weekend.)

Okay, in honor of May and the "Me-Made May" phenomena that happens all over the sewing blog world, I thought I would parade out five recent outfits that feature one item that was made by me, in conjunction with a bunch of non-made by me items, of course, since I have only been doing this sewing thing for so long.  I expect that maybe in a few years I could actually feature entire ensembles made by me, but I ain't there yet.

Day: Sunday, May 25, 2014.

Where: Angus's friend's birthday party.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The Silky Vintage Top (currently at 25% off here) is very comfortable and I am stoked I bought the size 6 since it was fitted enough in the upper bodice while being nice and swingy at the hip portion, where I need it the most.  I like this one so much that I decided to purchase the multi-colored yellow floral version to make up for the fact that the Selina dress didn't work at all for me in either size I tried (see the original review of it here at this BWRR). 

The shorts (see original post on them here), though, are the reason for the fallen ease score.  I am okay with *why* it fell since the shorts are now so big on me in the waist that it is somewhat laughable how close they came to falling off of me by the end of the day.  See even though they look fine in the original shots (the last three), you can see that I had to untuck the top in the first photo to cover up how loose they had become.  (The fabric is a loosely woven linen/rayon blend and while it is very nice to sew and feels pretty soft, it is very stretchy and very wrinkle-prone.)

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I think this is a solid effort.  Feels very vintage inspired, of course.  LOVE the buttons on the back, adds to the retro feel.

Anecdote from the Day:  Angus's friend loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as much as Angus does so he was THRILLED to see all the Mickey/Minnie decorations at the party.  He was also one of the only boys and so he felt like he was the littlest king at the party.  Oh dear.

Day: Monday, May 26, 2014.

Where: Hanging out with friends and their kids.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This pretty little skirt that I made last year (see here) will always be one of my favorites since it fits my shape so nicely, and is a mini without being too mini.  I realized after wearing it that I have nearly a yard of this gorgeous tana lawn left, and I can make a top from part of that (still plan on making some hair ties for some blog friends from the rest of that, cough cough, I know I am late).

The sandals are great and went well with the outfit, but do feel a bit tight upon first wearing them.  They do stretch out, though, so there's that.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I have had this tee for a while, having bought it back in 2010.  I never thought of pairing it with something more "upscale," and have always worn it with shorts or pants, but after realizing the colors worked exactly right together, I knew I had to wear it with this skirt. 

Anecdote from the Day:  I spent half the night holding our friends' littlest boy, who fell asleep on my lap in a monkey position.  He's only seven months, so I was in heaven.  I love little tiny babies.  So cuddly and squeezable and huggable!

Day: Wednesday, May 28, 2014.

Where: Volunteering at the school, Winesday, and Rex's batting practice.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I felt good, but bear in mind that it was stupid hot and humid yesterday, I had a migraine in the morning, and the only way we could get to Winesday this week was to drag all three kids with us.  Since bringing all three to the world's most uppity Whole Foods is insane, I decided to put Angus in my carrier on my back so I would at least have one kid away from all the goodies in the aisles.  Yeah, my poor top was a bit soaked after that.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) This top is made from a beautiful tana lawn from Liberty of London (see the original post on it here), so that ups the cool factor a bit.  The combo of the slim denim shorts and darling tied striped sandals with the top make it look very 50s/60s, so I would say I felt pretty cool, even if my poor tired soul was anything but...

Anecdote from the Day:  So even though I felt crazy for dragging the three kids to Winesday, it turned out that this week's theme was "for the kids."  Well, hot damn, I chose the right day to do the impossible.  The foods were all things kids love, and of course my three went crazy for the yumminess (food only, of course).  Their favorite was the tomato soup, which was pretty darn tasty.

Day: Thursday, May 29, 2014.

Where: Bowling, G Street Fabrics, Barnes & Noble, and School Pickup.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Yesterday was H-O-T, and today was cool and rainy.  Ugh.  I prefer hot to this, honestly.  I felt weird dragging out my boucle sweater (post on that one here) in late May, but the temp barely reached 65.  Sigh.  At least I had it all washed and ready to go.  And I am glad I had a cool-weather top to wear for part of my Made by Me outfits quest.

The shoes are too loose, should have bought the 40.  They work, but the toe area is very wide, and the 40 would have likely been more narrow there.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I don't know that I love the whole look together, but I am glad I wore the pieces together, and popped some crazy neon color in the sandals.  Otherwise my grey outfit would have blended into the cloudy background.

I really like how my makeup turned out, though.  Very simple, but I felt like it worked.  Now if only I could get my eyebrows freshened up, and a good ninety hour nap, I could take care of all of my cosmetic wants.

Anecdote from the Day:  I got a 139 in bowling.  Whoop!  Now why can't I get that score every time I bowl?

Day: Sunday, May 11, 2014.

Where: Mother's Day Mass, Zaytinya, and 9:30 Club to see Elbow.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This dress may be one of my favorites I have ever made for me (see more on that here).  I find getting shift dresses to properly work on my slimmer upper body and larger lower half very challenging, but hey, you make your own, you can make it fit you just right.  Aw, yeah.  Go comfort!

So you all know, I am not dumb, and did not wear those darling J. Crew strappy wedge sandals to watch Elbow in the concert.  I changed into a pair of black sparkly flip-flops for that.

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I think it is pretty darn cool, and since neon tropical prints and shift dresses are "in" (see this Just Cavalli one), I would say yeah, I looked cool.  (And was still "modest" enough for mass.  So yay for that, too.)

Anecdote from the Day:  Zaytinya is great, and I love almost everything Jose Andres does, but I still prefer Oyamel, and its tasty fried grasshopper tacos.

At the Elbow concert, there were about ten percent of the crowd who must have only been at the concert to *go and do something, anything* that night, because they kept TALKING LOUDLY while the wonderful Guy Garvey of Elbow sang his sweet tunes all romantic like to us.  I kind of wished that Guy would have come down to them and gone, "whatcha you all doing?"  But he didn't.  Instead this kind of nerdy fifty-year old guy walked up to them and said "SHUT UP."  LOL.  Go, you!  I loved that!

Okay, that's all for now.  I hope everyone is ready for a nice weekend.  :-)

OOTEs: Dots and Sequins. 90s and 80s.

Happy Monday, everyone!

I am still in a major state of recovery after having all my wisdom teeth extracted on Friday, so I only have a few minutes before I go back down for *another* rest and eventually more baby food (yum!), but I thought looking at pictures of me before the oral surgery in really pretty clothing would make me feel a tiny bit better.

Anyhow, without further talky-talk...dots and sequins!

Day: Saturday, November 30, 2013.

Where: My high school reunion.  If you follow this blog with any regularity, you know which one, but I am not gonna actually write which one it is, 'cause ouch.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear) You take away those darn glitter Mona heels (as fab as they look), and this would easily have scored a 4.5.  The Tulip Party Dress in the right size (8 regular) made all the difference in the world.  (I had originally purchased the 6 long and when I do the review in the next Boden Weekly Review Roundup, you'll see that it was really smart for me to buy the next size up).

It was chilly that night, but the Lady Day coat was more than adequate for keeping me warm.  Bonus points for nearly matching the jacquard dots on the dress.

Cool Factor: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Aw, hell, if I can't give myself a 5 out of 5 after putting as much effort into this look as I did, then when can I?

Anecdote from the Day:  Aren't reunions weird?  I found that I really just didn't want to talk to some people, even though it had been *** years and I should be over the fact that these people didn't like me in high school because I wasn't cool enough.  I did talk to some people that I barely even saw in high school, and one girl and I commiserated over having three young kids and being utterly spent most days.  That was really nice to know that one of the cool girls is just like me, you know, normal, and not sprinkled with fairy dust, like I always assumed the cool ones were.

I also decided that since I am getting older, I might as well embrace my inner hog and cut it up on the dance floor, even if I really am not very good at dancing.  But with the assistance of a lot of wine, my friend Michelle, her "friend," and my other friend Leyla, I "jumped" just like Kris Kross told me to.  LOL.

Day: Friday, November 22, 2013.

Where: Went to see the "Legwarmers" perform at the State Theater in Falls Church.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear)  Dang it, J. Crew.  Your stinking ruffled silk blouse felt weird on the bottom half.  Eventually I cut out a tag I had never noticed before and cut off part of the lower zipper (it doesn't affect the zip since the zip's stopper was above where I cut).  It helped, but the stupid top still fits awkwardly.  I may just have to give this one up to the consignment gods, as much as I like the way it looks.

Amazingly, the showstopping knitted jacket held up really well.  You go, Boden!  Years after purchasing it, the pretty sequined cardigan still looks pretty and brand spanking new. 

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I thought I was doing a good version of the 80s, but then I arrived at the theater with my friend, S., and we discovered there were a whole lot of twenty-somethings wearing honest-to-God vintage 80s clothing.  I *knew* I should have gone in the attic and found some of my 80s clothes.  Ha.  :-)  I mean they had it all...Members Only Jackets, scrunchies, weird jumpsuits, neon sweatshirts, etc., etc. 

My husband said I barely looked 80s, but I told him that at my age, I should dress as "inspired" by the 80s versus actual 80s since I could fall into "mutton dressed as lamb" real fast if I am not careful.

I still think the next time I go I am grabbing something from my vintage closet and going with it, my mutton status be damned. 

Anecdote from the Day:  Apparently I had some guy ask me if I wanted him to buy me a drink.  I didn't actually see or hear this exchange (it was LOUD in there), but S. swears up and down that it happened.  I will call it my own personal Brigadoon...did he really appear?

Okay, that's all for now.  Based on my own wussiness, I can't say I will be back with anything here for a day or two, but maybe I will miraculously feel better and I can get my normal schedule back on track!

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.

Concert Hall...

Title of the post is from this song (listen for it).  :)

Yes, I am {finally} publishing my outfit that I wore to the Rush concert last Friday.  It seemed fitting that exactly one week after I was at the concert, barely (and I mean BARELY) arriving on time, I would show off my sartorial choice. 

I don't know if I was the best dressed there, but I suspect I may have been in the top 10.  There were female fans there, but let's just put it into photographic proof how few of us there were.

This was the line to the men's room at intermission.  Yes...it is that long, from the door to WELL beyond my camera's angle.  Women's room?  No line, I was in and out in mere minutes, and well, you all know this, girls require much more "finagling" to go to the restroom.

And count how many women you actually see in the background...maybe one or two?  Exactly.

Also, most of the guys looked exactly like Mr. Dina.  You know, ancient Rush concert tee (the older proves what a HUGE fan of Rush you are--Snakes and Arrows concert tee isn't gonna cut it for proof of your fan status), pretty dank jeans, and more white tennis shoes than you can shake a stick at.  LOL.

The women, overall, fared much better.  Definitely tees, but women don't give two shakes about "proving" anything, so any Rush tee is fine.  In fact, just showing up at the darn concert is enough to prove how cool you are to a bunch of male Rush fans (including the women that were only there to prove how much they love their significant others--not my case, clearly, we both are BIG Rush fans, probably why we stay together).

Concert Hall... by dinagideon featuring straight leg stretch jeans

So I specifically chose NOT to wear a female version of the male Rush look.  I wore what is in the above polyvore.  ;)

I call it "edgy" chic with a twist of sequins.  The boots made me feel a bit bad-a@@.

No jacket.  It was really warm in the "concert hall" that night and I had to go without the jacket.  Love how the scarf works exactly right with the sequined Target tank.

I wasn't sitting anywhere close enough to have the lighting play with my sequins, but had I been in the right place (in other words, places were there were fans who actually STOOD during the concert and rocked out instead of mutely staring at the band and looking depressed--huh, say what?!?--but that is a gripe for another post) these sequins would have for sure caught the eye of Geddy.  Right?  LOL.  :)

With the Madewell jacket which I bought this last winter.

BTW, this Friday was the only day amongst ten or so days that the weather didn't go above 70 degrees.  In fact, it was almost like early March...yucky, clingy rain and temps in the 40s.  I guess "edgy" chic doesn't go well with 80 degrees and sunshine, but still...ugh.

We left our house in Alexandria at 3:45 and after a quick trip to drop the kids off to my dad, we were on our way.   S-L-O-W.  OMG, SO S-L-O-W.  Baltimore is 50 miles from DC.  It took US THREE HOURS to get to Baltimore.  It was maddening.  We literally sat in our seats as the concert was starting.  (THANK GOD!)  I felt we were blessed by the rock angels but also a bit cursed by the rock devils.  Very strange.

My head shot.  :)

All Arbonne makeup, taken up about 12-15 notches.  I actually used liquid eye liner!  I felt like the look needed more hardcore makeup.

BTW, my current Arbonne offer expires this evening at 11:59 pm Eastern time.  To find out more on the offer, click on over to my website.

The band rocked so hard they completely and utterly kept me on my feet. 

Me, by myself, I might add.  What was wrong with my section?

P.S. My Friday night plans this evening?  Umm, swim coaching.  Sigh.  I wish I was at another Rush concert.

Rush!

Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush. Rush.

Can you tell I am excited about my plans for this evening?  ;)