Paris: Day Two Outfits of the (Sick) Day.

So how many of you have ever traveled and ended up being sick in the hotel room one of the days you are on vacation?  With the Paris trip, this will make twice for me.  LOL.  (Not laughing at the time, but I do see the humor now.)

As I described in this post, I may have slightly overdone it the first day of our visit to Paris.  Whoopsy doodle.

So even though I think I am super-woman, I am merely human with a bit of a delusion that I can (and should) do. it. all.  :)

Day two was like this...

Wake up at 2 am with a throbbing head and aching all over my body.  Go to the bathroom and want to keel over.  Take some nyquil (after the first trip where I got sick--London 2003, btw--and discovering that England HAS NO NYQUIL, I have since traveled with it, TSA be damned).  Fall back into bed and only barely sleep.  The next morning I wake and unfortunately have to visit the porcelain king (still porcelain in France, if memory serves). 

Yes, so my hubby wasn't going to torture me, so he got me some breakfast in bed from room service, which had 4 (!!!) pain au chocolats, cereal, milk, juice, coffee, fresh fruit, and yogurt.  Amazingly, that worked to help me feel a bit better.  (I didn't eat it all, but I tried, however there were a few toddlers who helped.)

Then my hubby told me NOT to go walking all over Paris, and insisted that after our visit to the train station for a quick lunch that I should immediately go back and nap the afternoon away.  Which I did.  Happily.

I could have gone out, but I think he was right.  That said I did get dressed to go the train station (can't go in my jammies, after all, no matter how avant garde Paris is).  I also managed enough sleep to get really dressed up to go to dinner out with the fam that night.

So let's name this day what it was...a day of sick, leopard, and a lot of food.

I want to start with my favorite outfit of the day, so I am going to show off the dressy dinner outfit first and then the going to the train station to grab a quick bite to eat food outfit.

I was feeling way more refreshed by this point.  Mr. Dina could have told me we were going to have more room service and I would have still wanted to dress up, I felt that good.  I guess rest did the trick.

Dress: J. Crew Teddie Dress in Red, Size 6.  Did a fairly exhaustive review here.  I am definitely a fan, but it has detractors.  I think if you want a dressy night out dress, this is your gal.
Tights: Who knows?  Maybe Assets, a Target brand.  They were comfy and had a control top (which I insist upon, cannot stand loosey-goosey tights).
Shoes: Clarks.  Found these at Rugged Wearhouse (a TJ Maxx kind of re-seller) for $25.  I guess that is a good deal, as on Nordstroms these go for far more.  They were also super comfy, and I could wear them for a while whilst walking in Paris and was fine.
Necklace: Fiona Paxton Sylvie.  Love this necklace, definitely a statement, but this was the night (and the place) to make one.

Ah, yes, the Leopard Tote.  I had pre-ordered this bag WAY back in June and it finally arrived one week before we left.  I was so concerned that it wouldn't come on time that I actually contacted Boden's customer service.  They assured me that this fab bag would be on my person in the City of Lights.

The bag is a great size, just big enough, but not so big that I was going to dislocate my shoulder.  The bag is calf-hair with a leopard print, and has a dark brown leather trim (on the handles and bottom).  The lining is a very pretty contrast aqua cotton sateen fabric.  I had no problem slipping the handles over my shoulders, either, making it the perfect size for carrying up high (even though I am holding it in the pic above).

See, the lights?  Get it?  City of...

I have shown this pic before, but you all didn't know I was hiding the Teddie Dress underneath.  Let's just pretend it has never been shown.

BTW, CW had on a Boden dress, too.  She loves her Funky Print Dress and has now worn it five times since we got it for her. :)

Paris: Day Two Dinner Out. by dinagideon featuring j crew dresses

Above is the polyvore of the dressy dinner outfit.

This was right before we were to go to Gare de Lyon for our quick lunch.  I was feeling more lively here, but I can tell I was tired (love the darling baggage I was carrying under my eyes--oh dear).

Sweater: J. Crew Leopard Print Tippi Sweater.  So this sold out really fast, and I fortunately grabbed it before it went away.  I bought it in a size small (rather than my usual x-small) and it fits great.  I think this sweater, if it comes back, can easily be bought up a size larger than you normally wear and you will be fine.  Just my two cents.
Pants: Some random pair of black pants I have had forever.  Not leggings, p.s.  :)
Shoes: Clarks (see above for more info).

Hands on hips.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  :)  BTW, the reason I didn't do a Boden Spring Preview 2012 post is because half of the darn photos have not been (Boden's words, not mine) "picked up at the chemists," or some such nonsense.  LOL.  I will wait till they have filled out their coffers a bit.

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Two Outfits of the Day (Featuring Boden's Velvet Coat, Giraffe Print Shoes, J. Crew's Tuxedo Scout Chinos, and a Microsequin Cardigan)!!!

Going to do some reviews later today (which will include pics of how I plan on styling the Carly dress), so I don't want to spend a ton of time on this post, but I do like both of these outfits. I finally am wearing something more interesting than yoga pants (I have been sick--turns out the migraine was actually a virus--blegh).

Tuxedo Chinos and a Bit of Peacock Blue by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore of what I wore last night. The velvet coat is substantial enough to keep the chill out. It was still REALLY cold. People around here are not used to temps in the teens. BRRRRR.

If you like any of these items, you should be able to click through the polyvore to the place where you can buy them/find out more about them.


Sizes:
Sweater: Size Small.
Pants: Size 8. (I so wanted these...and was STALKING the web until they popped back in my size and for 20 bucks--even got a % off...woohoo.) They are basically a scout chino, but with a fun grosgrain ribbon attached to the side of the pants, giving it a "tuxedo feel."
Shoes: Size 40. (Or a 9.) I was insanely in love with these shoes, but Boden's shoes RUN HUGE. I should wear a 42, or a 10, but I read they ran large, so I bought a 41 (or a 9.5). Those were TOO HUGE--especially width wise, so I ordered a 40. CRAZY. But the 40's fit is lovely, and these are all leather, including the soles. BTW, the 41 I bought was $100, but I had to return them, and by the time I bought the 40, the price had dropped to $60!!! YAY!
Bag: Large Patent Campo. Another item I have been stalking, love the mini campo in coconut, so I knew the large would be lovely, too, but COULD NOT and WOULD NOT pay full price. Well, it went on sale and had 20% off, so I bought the slate. This is a very large bag (see the next photo). I definitely think this bag is only for those of us that are tall and/or have a need for a bag this big (i.e. moms on the go). Just so happens I am both. :)


Sizes:
Coat: UK 12 (or US 8). There was some warning or another that this coat ran small, so I went ahead and got my "normal" size. It is fine, a bit loose, but I can wear a sweater under it. A UK 10 would have been more fitted. There are plenty of these left at Boden, I believe they are even on ridiculous sale now. Like "cheap cheap," if you will.



Pink and Brown for a SAHM by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Polyvore of today's outfit is above. I was SUPPOSED to go out to meet HeidiG. at Tysons, but NO...not only did my car have issues, but in this part of Fairfax County, that is the FORGOTTEN part of Fairfax County, we still have ice on our roads from the light snow we got last night. Guess I am house-bound again. Grrrrrr. :P

So now I get to be sparkly at home. Woo! SAHM sparkly!


Sizes:
Cardigan: Size Medium. I wanted the fit to be a bit loose, giving it a boyfriend look. You will see this crop up later today (this is one of the elements to my ruffled Carly dress outfit). I really like the microsequins. It isn't overly obnoxious, like a light dusting of sparkle. :) The color in the pic is accurate. Suzy reviewed it here.
Top: Size Small. I wore it here last.
Pants: Size 30S.
Shoes: Size 9.5.

Sorry the photo is a bit blurry...hard to take them of myself.

Talk to you all later today!

Boden + J. Crew=LOVE! (Oh, and a Special Bag Called the Lexi!!!)

I thought I would get these two outfits out together because we are almost at November, and barring a few places in the U.S.A. and Canada, it is full-on fall here. (Of course, as I type this, it is 71 degrees and gorgeous here...huh.)

So even though these outfits may not work for you...there are pieces in here that some of you may be on the fence about buying or you may really like the color combos I have done or you just really like looking at summer clothing when it is yucky outside...but for whatever reason you look today, enjoy.



Frances Cami and Striped Cardi Fun! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore of the first outfit.


This "favourite v-neck" cardigan is still for sale at Boden. I bought it when it was 20% off, and unlike the spring/summer version I wore here and here, this cardigan is not 100% cotton...it is a mix of wools and cotton. If you are an "itcher," this may be too wool-y for you. But Boden does allow free returns so if you are on the fence, get it...you can always send it back free of charge. For reference, this is a UK size 12, although a 10 would have fit great. I wear a medium in J. Crew cardigans, usually.

You have seen the Frances cami on me before, here, in sage. I really really like this deep rose color and think it is so pretty with this striped cardigan.

The shorts and sandals are all J. Crew, but from seasons past, so most likely unavailable except through every one's favorite capitalist site, Ebay.


Without the cardigan, the outfit is just okay. Very comfortable. (Surprisingly so...)



Boden Henley and Lexi Clutch!!! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore for outfit #2.


The top is a Boden henley from last spring. It is also now unavailable, but did languish for a really long time in their sale section.

The shorts are from Target, and because I am a sucker for a plaid bermuda short, and this pair had my very favorite colors, I had to get it.

The real reason I even bothered to take photos of this outfit wasn't for the clothing but rather the SUCCULENT spring daisy-colored metallic Lexi clutch. OMG. This is definitely not a bag for anyone looking to fade into the background, but look at it...I feel like butterflies and birds will come and perch on my shoulder because they will be attracted to the bag like they would a flower.

I can't say that this is the most practical bag ever, but it is a lot of fun. I am wearing it in this shot across my body, with the strap attached to the clutch part (the strap is very easily taken off, if need be).

If you love it, as I do, it is available here at jcrew.com for 99 dollars (I went ahead and got it when there was an extra 20% off, though, so I didn't pay that price).

Now, in all fairness, I should point out that the very lovely A Bigger Closet bought the light purple version of this bag and did not end up keeping it, and her reasons are very valid. So, please do take a look at her post on this bag.


Yes, at one time, I manage to look both stupid and pregnant. I have no idea why I am holding my hand like that, nor do I know why I made that face. Regardless...THE BAG...Look there...it is in clutch form. So pretty!!! Squee...

I would not recommend this for a party bag because it is too big, but I have been using it as a fun day bag...you know, going to lunch, hanging out at a friend's house, taking Rex to preschool kind of bag...

If you have any questions, go ahead and post them...

Have a great afternoon, all.