OOTDs: Aqualiscious.

Good Monday morning.  I would typically be running (what seems like) a thousand errands on most Mondays, but since this week is clearly atypical, I am sitting here in my PJs in northwestern Georgia working on my blog. 

Reading the Washington Post, I see that the hurricane is truly striking the region between southern Virginia upwards to Maine pretty hard.  I normally veer towards sticking things out, but am very glad we made the decision to drive here to be with Mr. Dina's relatives instead.  And in some ways, more work can get done here than there, especially for Mr. Dina, who can do his writing as long as there is power and my laptop with a strong Wifi connection.

Going to keep this post short and sweet, though, because I do want to at least make dinner for our relatives as a way of saying thank you, and because it is "Cheesy Shrimp, Grits, and Sausage," I need to make a grocery run to get all the ingredients.

Onto the "aqualiscious:"

Speaking of making yummy food, I was wearing this outfit last week when I made Shrimp Po'Boys for Mr. Dina.  (He love shrimp, can you tell?)

I had been meaning to wear this abstract floral scarf again, but wanted it to be with an outfit that was tonally similar (unlike the first time I wore it), so I brought out a sweater I scored on super sale from Anthro last winter.

I did notice the pants (that's the jakarta print, btw, same as one of my favorite J. Crew dresses) have the same brown color as the scarf, so I decided the prints could work well enough together.

I am so not a food blogger, but looking at this sandwich makes me want to make it again.  Sadly the remoulade would likely be too spicy for the kids here, so I will hold off and make something a bit more kid-friendly.

Yes, this is a slightly boring outfit, but it is all aqua.  ;)  I wore this around the house.  I don't even think we left the house that day (it was a Sunday and I had gone to church the night before). 

The shirt is a Liberty print, though, from J. Crew's Spring 2008 collection.

Okay, that's all. 

If you are in the path of the storm, stay safe, stay warm, and hopefully if you lose power, it will come back on quickly. 

Spring Into Style: Monday, April 4, 2011.

Surprise, surprise...I am back to teaching my fashion class to local 3rd- through 5th-graders who want to go to school during their "intersession" time.  There are only a few year round schools, and the ones that are year round always have these extra few weeks of the year sandwiched near major holidays to have fun classes (like mine, called enrichment) or remedial classes (called remediation).  I am always stunned how many kids sign up for extra learning, but I bet part of it has to be because their parents don't know what to do with them during non-traditional time off (during the summer these same kids would be at camp, etc.).

Anyhow, I am around, but if you e-mail me at my aim.com account (for Boden reviews, basic blog stuff, or etc.) or at myarbonne.com account (for Arbonne info, etc.) it may be a bit before I can get back to you (but I WILL get back to you, promise).  Also expect that my blog post won't be as wordy or talky (woo-hoo, I am sure some of you are exclaiming, lol).

Spring Into Style: Day One 2011. by dinagideon featuring a cotton coat

So above is the polyvore of the outfit I wore today.  I had wanted to wear this one, but in the end the heels would have been too much. My long shins would have looked too long for a school day.  Kids don't need to be seeing that much of my legs.  :)

See what I mean? Had I worn the heels it would have thrown the proportion off, that said, for a date the heels could be cute.

I had to wear a trench as this morning it was a tad cool, probably mid-50s. By the time I left school, well, I almost had to just wear the dress it was that warm, mid-80s!

You'll note that I buttoned up the Floral Creek Cardigan as I needed the coverage.  Although the lyric/drift dress (why change the name, weirdness) isn't super low cut, the cami's neckline I was wearing was above the knot in the dress, and it threw the look off, so in the end I just buttoned up and put a silver belt on with it.

I bought both pieces in an extra-small.  The cardigan is FINE in this size, and even stretched out a bit.  I could have gone with a small in the dress, but then the neckline would have been too low and I actually wonder if the skirt would have been too full.  I do wish it was one inch longer, but que sera...you know???

I love the colors of teal, aqua, peacock, and silver together.  Very very calming.  The kids in my Spring Into Style class loved the outfit, for what it's worth.  :)

Have a great afternoon.  Up tonight I will do a very brief post on how I apply my makeup, the eyeshadow and lip polish edition.

Short Sleeve Cashmere Tee for Summer!!!

Sorry about not posting or talking to anyone at all yesterday. I barely managed to talk with my kids. Yep, I got a killer migraine and basically laid on the couch while the kids watched hours of TV. They loved it. I felt bad. Oh, well, I guess that is what you do when you are their only "daycare." LOL. Thank goodness Mr. Dina came home a little early.

BTW, they are getting worse. I used to get 4-5 migraines a month but the medicine would stop them. Now I get two max a month but they are miserable beyond belief and the medication barely dents the pain. Sigh. Any thoughts, doctors? :)

Short Sleeve Cashmere for Summer! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Above is the polyvore of TODAY's outfit. Yep, today (I got an actual IRL outfit on the day I am wearing it--woohoo). I wore the short-sleeve cashmere tee because there was some talk over at JCA yesterday about whether short-sleeve cashmere was even a viable choice as it would be too hot in summer and too light in winter. Umm, guess what? It is perfect for today. :) This is a featherweight blend and I feel quite comfortable, and I tend to run "hot." The high, btw? 85 degrees!!!


Sizes:
Top: Size small. I bought this Cashmere stripe scoopneck tee on sale a little while ago and I love it all, the texture, the color, and the bit of silver sparkly edging at the neckline.
Shorts: Size 10. From the Loft, last summer.
Shoes: Size 10.

Once again I am wearing the crystal coletto necklace. I think I wear these necklaces the most out of my whole collection. They just seem to go with everything!

Have a great day!

Shorts, Shorts, and a Pair of Dina Sandals (Because It is Fridays are for Feet, Of Course)...

Hi!!! How is everyone this fab Friday? I am substituting for the first time in ages. The kids have been a bit nuts, but it is May, they are in middle school, and it is Friday. I have seen it all before...and I can handle it, so all is good.

Onto the post...

There are two outfits, one mini-review of the Bling Button cardigan in Warm Peacock and one review of the "Dina" sandals. That's right, there are a pair of sandals with my name "written all over it." Well, woo hoo! ;)


You see this outfit? I wore this to the JCA get together at the Friendship Heights store on Saturday. Always such a good time hanging with the ladies. Summerilla and Slastena both did write-ups, so I will let their write-ups stay as the go-to source for the day...but do please look at the photo of all of us at Summer's blog. In it you will see that CW is kissing me. MELT! (What a perfect thing to see right before Mother's Day. I didn't even realize that it had been captured on film--or SD card--whatever!)

Sizes:
Cardigan: Size small. This is the Bling Button Cardigan in Warm Peacock. Umm, yummy color!!! And yummy fit. Just the right thing for covering up when it is warm outside but there is lots of AC in the buildings. (We have entered that time of year here in the DC area.) I saw this cardigan most recently on Ema and she looks great. Definitely give this one a try if you want a summer cardigan in cotton. The warm peacock is selling fast at the stores, supposedly, so bear that in mind.
Top: Size small. This is the giraffe print Hayworth cami that was hugely popular in the spring of 2009. The outlets did a version over the holiday season and I definitely did right by buying it. I see very little difference from the original (this one also ties in a bow in the back). Also in silk!
Shorts: Size 10. These are from J. Crew, spring 2006?
Shoes: Size 10. Aerosoles from last summer and super comfy!!!


So I often have pics that I don't publish because they are silly or over the top...but this one, I couldn't resist. You see what is in baby's hands (also in the prior photo)? Well, those are Rex's 3D spiderman "glasses." And you bet your bottom dollar that Rex was NONE to happy about it! That's him there in the back FREAKING out and running over to get them back. And that is me rolling my eyes. The next photo would have baby crying, except we stopped the camera at that point. Sigh. Little children. :)


Okay, this is the outfit with the Dina Gladiator Wedge sandals. :)

I was off to Rex's preschool yesterday and it was warm and yet because it was "Mother's Day" at school, I wanted to wear something special, yet comfortable, but nothing that would cause me to overheat. (Tall order!)

Sizes:
Top: Size 6. I reviewed the Thicket Floral Perfect Shirt here. It appears to be selling fast on-line.
Shorts: Size 10. Same as the above shorts (which is how I justified putting these two outfits together).
Shoes: Size 10. Thanks to the wonderful AudreyBella, I discovered that there were a pair of sandals at Banana Republic with my name. Thank goodness I love the gladiator styling. (You already know that I LOVE wedge sandals--see last outfit for another example of that!) These are a bit edgy, and since most of my clothing veers towards sweet, there was an actual need for these. (Which is why I got the Alecias!) These fit TTS, in other words, they are what my size used to be (size 10). I could have gone with a 9.5, but I knew they could be adjusted, and since feet tend to swell in the summer, I knew that the 10 would make more sense overall. They also come in Brown, but I feel like I have enough brown sandals (again, going with need and not "want").

P.S. I am wearing the Colletto necklace, again. LOVE. Gigiofca did a great post on this necklace today.

P.P.S. Yes, baby is wearing a thicket bubble top, just like me. Yes, we were kind of a hit. I love doing this...and I am going to be sad when she stops wanting to do this. :(


Remember how I mentioned it was Mother's Day at preschool? It was so cute--they sang songs for us, they gave us yummy treats, and they even gave us a flower made with their cut-out hand print and decorated it with their fingerprints. So sweet!

This is a pic of me and Rex taken by his teacher. I LOVE IT! (I also love my tiara, even if it barely fit!)


And here is baby enjoying the treats. :) She even managed to keep her top clean! Awesome.

You all have a great Friday, and we will talk soon!

Tweed Dauphine and Alecia Suede Heels Review plus Zebra and Teal Sparkle!

Hi! I am back! Yay! Travelling was great, but it really limits my ability to keep up with my blogs. Pretty much the whole month of April we were off places, so it is nice to be back and in my (somewhat) relaxed SAHM mode. :)

Up today...two reviews and two outfits of the day.


This is both an outfit of the day and the reviews.

Sizes:
Jacket: Tweed Dauphine Jacket, Size 2 (!!!). Wow. This J. Crew Collection jacket runs large. I even checked with the sales assistant and she says that the jacket fits me exactly like it fit the model in the catalog, so that made me feel both good and outraged, all at the same time. Admittedly I am smaller on top than bottom, but wowza, you really petite women are probably completely sized out of this jacket. It is a beauty, too. (See next photo for a close-up.)
Top: Size small. This is the linen-cotton tiered tank that came in one moment and the next was out (probably because it went on 20% off and is a really nice tank). I bought it in the light purple which goes very nicely with the jacket and the pants.
Pants: Size 8. These are the infamous silk-linen pants from the holiday season that it seems very few of us liked. Even I was unsure UNTIL I wore them. Golly they are comfy...and shiny...which makes me feel like the are sweats but a little dressier, and really what could a SAHM want more? :)
Shoes: Alecia Suede Platform Peep-Toes, Size 9.5. A bit tight, these, but I am glad I got this size as I KNOW they are going to stretch out. I love these...and feel that they are worth the price WITH a discount of some sort. I got them in the February 30% off your whole purchase promo, which is way more reasonable of a price to me. (Speaking of, when is the next one???) I love the zipper detail at the back, plus the whole "I am now nearly 6 feet tall" thing.

For what its worth, my hubby hated this outfit. I have enough confidence now to laugh at him. He was wearing white tennis shoes, an oversized tee, and light-wash loose fit jeans when he said this to me. I just pointed to his shoes and said, "you are giving me fashion advice wearing those???" ;)


Here is the Dauphine close-up. The price on-line is EXCELLENT, with the current extra 20% off sale items. At 160 dollars, I thought I GOT a steal...turns out, no, those of you who waited until now got the BEST deal, so BRAVO!



Zebra and Teal Sparkle! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Up next is today's outfit. I felt a bit iffy about the combo of zebra stripes and teal sparkles, but, eh, you only live once.

By the way, I visited the Lynchburg Clearance Center in Wyndhurst (the second of two clearance centers in Lynchburg, VA) on Tuesday and found these pants for $30! Down from $170, these may be my FAVORITE pants ever. They are the Collection Minnies, in the grey stretch wool and I just about died when I put them on, they were that comfy and sleek. Yay!!! (Oh, and my 15% educator discount was applied, which made it more like $27. It made the sewing of the ripped seam--tiny, by the way--feel like nothing!)


And here it is on me. Yes, my hubby had a hey-day with this one, too. He said I was a "dancing queen." Haha, real funny. But, then he said, "no, that's okay, I actually really love this outfit." And then he winked, all rico suave-like. Hmm, okay.

Then the coffee guy was all, "ooh, sparkly!" I guess guys like sparkle. Good to know. :)

Sizes:
Cardigan: Size small. Love me some zebra-print. Yum!
Top: Size Medium.
Pants: Size 6. YAY!
Shoes: Size 10.

You all have a great, sparkly day!

Liberty of London for Target in Real Life...

#1 Rule for these In Real Life Reviews: I did NOT do anything special when putting these items on...heck, even my new pretty hairdo was all back and away from my face. No makeup, no special shoes, etc. Some of the items I tried on and then tried to take photos of turned out SO blurry I had to exclude them from this post. :(

#2 Rule for these In Real Life Reviews: First is size, then material, then price (as best as I can remember--they are BURIED in my closet now).

Go back to this post to see them for yourself, or head on over to Only for Polyvore, Peeps to see the entire selection of items.

One thing, would you all mind commenting on which Targets near you have or DO NOT have these items? I ask because Sweet Tea in Seattle *had* seen and tried on items from this line but when she went back they were no longer out. They had been pulled and put back in the back! I would very much appreciate it and I am sure others would, too!


MY FAVE!
Size: Medium (Runs small--go up one size larger than your J. Crew tee-shirt size).
Material: As with most of these, it is poly, but it is a nice feel, and it is lined. Plus that print! GORGEOUS!
Price: $19.99.


Size: Medium.
Material: Poly. Look at those pretty pink, white, and black florals. Swoon. The lady checking me out (not that way, you pervs) thought this was the prettiest!
Price: $19.99


I know you all are gonna want this for yourselves, and I think you would be right. I really want the shift dress, too, but not to wear together, that would look terrible (but maybe better than the way I styled it here...haha).
Size: Small. Nice flair in the hips...so no need to size up if you have a maximus posterior.
Material: Sateen-y type cotton. Very soft. Looks very expensive.
Price: $49.99.


I like the fluffy ruffles and the colorful print, but I have feeling some of you all will not like it. That's cool, but remember, I have feelings, too. ;)
Size: Small. TTS.
Material: Poly. For those of you NOT in love with the print, it also comes in a ditsy (smaller and more subdued) floral.
Price: $29.99. I hope that's right. Be pleasantly surprised if it costs less, okay? :)


I have no idea why I love this tunic top so much, but I do. Cute!
Size: Small. Almost went with an extra-small, but the shoulders were a wee bit tight, so I stayed with the small.
Material: Poly. I love this print. Subtle peacock feathers.
Price: $29.99, maybe? But definitely no more than that.


I only get to show off this dress because the other one I had was VERY blurry. Oh, well. I love this shape, fitted bodice with the fluffly ruffles. This was another one that seemed very luxurious for the price.
Size: Small.
Material: Poly.
Price: Either $29.99 or $34.99.

Hope this helped some of you. Maybe I can retake some of the photos tomorrow. :)

A Knitted Boatneck from Boden is All I Need to Brighten Up!!!

Nanny and Pops, aka Mr. Dina's parents, are in town, so I am limited in how much time I can spend on my blog, but I will attempt to publish every day, even if I only say a few words overall (well, compared to what I normally do, anyhow).

So I woke up feeling like CRUD...I think I might have had a small virus, you know the type with headaches, aches, general malaise, ick, ick, ick.

Was totally NOT feeling the whole "dress up and look awesome for everyone," but honestly, I now feel like I HAVE to try, at least. Thanks a lot, blog.

Easiest SAHM Outfit, Ever. by dinagideon featuring J Crew shoes

And this is why Johnnie Boden should be crowned the king of fashion for all stay at home mommas. His spring line is FULL of bright colors, stripes, florals, and overall prettiness. I literally spent three seconds deciding on my outfit. It consists of three pieces...Boden's beautiful striped knitted boatneck, the pixie pants in black from J. Crew, and the Rivington kitten heels from J. Crew. Done. My outfit is done...just that quickly and easily.

And even better, my spirits (even if my health wasn't quite there) were LIFTED. I felt good. :) And that is priceless. SO SWAK, Johnnie. SWAK.


Knitted Boatneck from Boden. This is a cotton, wool, cashmere mix and is a nice weight for all seasons outside of summer. This is the turquoise melange stripe, and as you can tell the stripe is a citron color.

I am wearing not a stitch of makeup (well, an eensy bit of gloss), and considering how bad I felt overall, I could look a lot worse. I think this color would make a drowned rat look like a pretty little princess. Heehee. :)

I am wearing a size 10 (UK) or size 6 (US). Yes, this is a loose fit. The size 12 (UK) or size 8 (US) would have been too loose...so I am glad I went with the smaller of my two Boden sizes. Only bummer is that this means a lot of you more petite ladies might have a problem. Boden's smallest US size is 2, and that is not all that small. I guess you could get it, wash it, and then dry it in the dryer...maybe then it would be a 0?

Minor pilling by the end of the day...but I wore it ALL day. And I picked up my kids multiple times, I wore backpacks, lugged boxes, hung up clothes, nursed, etc., etc. The pilling is probably more my fault than Johnnie's. And really, this pilling is only a tiny amount if I compare it to a dream sweater from J. Crew I bought two years ago...now that is some amazing pilling. :P


Yes, next time I will untuck the pixies and wear them over the boots. If the boots had been taller, I would have been (once again), Miss Horse Hunt Country Virginia. :) (I did untuck them after I saw this pic--not about to re-photograph, I do have a life...seriously, I do!)

Sizes:
Pants: Size 6.
Boots: Size 10.


Okay, I fibbed. I wore a perfect fit tee in citron under the sweater, but that is because I am obsessed with making sure NO underarm antiperspirant gets on my sweaters (am I the only one who worries about this?).

Oh, and can I just SQUEAL, just a tiny little bit? Okay, here goes...

SQUUUUUUUEEEEEEEAAAAAALLLL!!!

I have a beautiful pic of me, baby CW, and Rex. Ah! Nanny, you are a good photographer. ;)

Have a nice night all.

A Tale of 4 Dresses--3 Boden and 1 J. Crew.

Untitled by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Hi, all! I have to make this a quick post, but some of you may really want to see these dresses ON someone before you purchase them. All of the dresses can be found in the polyvore above. Only the J. Crew one is sold-out, but always, always watch for popbacks with J. Crew. :)


Size:
Dress: Size UK 12R, US 8R. Boden is now using both sizes on their tags. Hollah for the good ole USA. Thank you, Johnnie, for keeping us in mind. (Although I had just figured out the UK size I was and now they have switched it...) :)

This dress is called the Pretty Cotton Dress, and it is so very pretty. It has a cotton sateen quality that I adore (and appears to be of a high quality--i.e. no wrinkling like some J. Crew cotton sateen). It is very fitted in the bodice, so go with the measurements over at Boden. Trust me. The only thing not perfect on this dress for me? The shoulders are a bit big, but that is always my issue, and I have gotten used to loose shoulders.

This may be my favorite of the bunch, although the next one is certainly up there...


Sizes:
Dress: UK Size 12R, US Size 8R.

This dress is the Textured Cotton Shift Dress and the texture is there. It is hard to see in this photo, but the cotton has a nubby texture. The print is darling, very special, and I can see this dress being at home on an evening of al fresco dining. The buttons at the waist also make it seem extra-special. This is fitted, but even though it is a shift, there is wiggle room in the hips for those of us with a pear shape (God bless you, Johnnie).

I also can see wearing this with the Parisienne Jacket in the frog green color...the dress has that tone in it...perfect for some of the nippier April days we have here in VA.

Baby CW wants a version of this for herself. Sadly, no such animal exists. :)


Sizes:
Dress: UK Size 10R, US Size 6R.

I bought this Smart Knitted Dress in a smaller size than the above dresses because I have knitted dresses from Boden and they are always pretty loose. Size down one size...the knitted material will accomodate you, I promise. :)

I love this print...isn't the floral very mod and the colors so very happy? I do not suggest this print if you are a bit petite as the florals are rather large, but if you are a taller lady, you should be able to pull this print off.

CW still wants to be in the photo, but she is done hamming it up for you all. ;)


Sizes:
Dress: Size 8.

I am making this face and posture because I am laughing at my hubby's reaction to the ruffled collar. Men do NOT get ruffles. The Silk Ruffle Confetto Dress is a bit much, but take it from me...you can make it work, if you try...


Add a long linen cardigan, and a belt. Ah, much, much better. :) Still a lot of print and dress, so if you are bit more demure than me, this may not be the right dress for you...but to me the combo of silk, pink florals, and ruffles are so much fun. I have to say, Mr. Dina is right, though, this dress needs an anchor, and that is what the cardi provides.


One more view.

I cannot wait till I can actually wear these outside all styled and ready to go. Please bear in mind when making comments that I am NOT wearing makeup and I did very little to prep for my photo shoot!

I hope this helped some of you out!

We'll talk soon. More coming later...

Campo De Fiore Sweaterdress on a Saturday and a (Twinned) Striped Sunday!!!

I promised Cate all the way in last week that I would wear my Campo de Fiore Sweaterdress for her on Wednesday, this blog-o-versary week. Well, I couldn't because of a MISERABLE migraine, so I decided I would extend the blog-o-versary celebrations into this weekend, and wear the sweaterdress yesterday, January 23, 2010. I also put a poll out there...which outfit of the sweaterdress did you prefer, the lighter, white and grey based outfit, or the darker, black-centered outfit? Well, in a MAJOR landslide (worse than the landslide that the OTHER Emma outfit won by in the polyvore contest that I sent a set into) the black outfit won. And so it was to be...black under the sweaterdress on a Saturday. :)

Untitled by dinagideon featuring J Crew

And here is the polyvore of what I wore. I did not wear the Metropolitan Ankle Boots, because, well, you all know I am not crazy, right? We were going to take the kids to the National Mall to go to the Natural History Museum and honestly, after and hour, my feet would have been killing me had I not worn my pretty (almost as nice) Naturalizer boots instead.


Sizes:
Dress: Size Medium.
Top: Size Medium.
Tights: Size Medium-Tall.
Shoes: Size 9.
Necklace: Scattered Glass Necklace. I LOVE this necklace. I find a reason to wear it at least three times a month. J. Crew should bring it back.

The black under the dress worked so well. What a great outfit. I was hesitant, but as HeidiG. pointed out, this would be a catsuit like effect under the dress, so it wouldn't look weird. And it didn't. Some sweet old man said that I was very colorful, and I think he meant it as a compliment. He also said that CW was colorful and you don't usually run around mocking people you don't know, right, especially babies???


And here is the fam at the museum. Although this pic looks serene and sweet, it is deceptive. I only broke down two or three times over my kids' behavior, but in my opinion, once is more than enough. Plus, the people. SO MANY PEOPLE. For an anthropology major, I sure am a dedicated misanthrope. :P

Stripes for a Sunday! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

And today...I twinned it up with CW. And this time it wasn't even on purpose, really! Mr. Dina bought CW a whole bunch of clothes at Target last week, and one of the items, her top today, matches one of my tops almost exactly. A top I bought over a year ago. Great minds and all, I suppose.

Oh, and in the annals of Polyvore, I have never had such an easy time finding items on-line to clip. Every item I was wearing today was ridiculously easy to find on the Internet, including the year old short turtleneck AND the Lofli jeans from TWO years ago. I wish it was always this easy!!! :)


Sizes:
Top: Junior's Size Large.
Jeans: Size 30 Long.
Shoes: Size 10.

Oh, my goodness, the pic is too sweet. Just matchy enough, but not enough to make anyone (except the most jaded of you--and if this is the case--why are you even looking at my blog?) puke. ;)


And one more. BTW, I got these jeans for a SONG at Anthro about two years ago...something like $40. From what I understand, that is a pretty good price.

My Long Lost Desire... by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

Oh, and because I do so enjoy beating a dead horse with a stick...and will continue to do so until my quest is complete...if any of you in my world have a size 8, 10, or 12 of this wonderful Liberty top from J. Crew, would you please consider selling it to me??? I SO LOVE THIS BLOUSE. And persistence does pay off, supposedly.

P.S. I have commented back on the last few posts, so please do look if you have left me a comment lately!

Ocelot Cardigan Two Ways!!!

So this is my 250th POST! Woo hoo! I would have done a giveaway, but I am running around like crazy this week so I probably won't do a giveaway until the 300th post, but I am just super-stoked to even make it this far...

I would love to take a moment and thank everyone who follows my blog, whether as a "follower" or just someone who comes on over and visits me...I love having you all around, and not only have I learned more about what cool people there are in the world, I have also learned a lot more about me through this process...which was completely unexpected!!!

I know how popular the Ocelot cardigan was this fall...in fact so popular that it is sold out at jcrew.com. I decided that since most of my posts on my superfluities are about clothing, my 250th post best b-r-i-n-g it. So I decided to have this momentous post highlight the ocelot cardigan two different ways.



One Way to Style the Ocelot Cardigan! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore of the first outfit. The second outfit has no polyvore, but if you have questions about particular items, go ahead and ask in the comments. I am going to be REALLY busy this next week, but there may be a chance I can answer them, so ask away...if I can't get to them, well you know what I will say, "I promise I will get to them, as soon as I can..."


I wore this subbing, and because I was walking home that day, I knew that I needed to wear comfy shoes. These sandals would not normally be what I choose, but they worked well enough. Ignoring the shoes, I absolutely LOVE this outfit. The teal is a color I wouldn't have normally paired with the cardigan, but I think it turned out well. HeidiG. will be impressed on how neutral I kept the rest of it...I really REALLY wanted the cardigan to be the centerpiece, and by using neutrals properly, I was able to let this beautiful piece really shine!

I received a ton of compliments on this outfit, so if you are interested in pleasing a 13-year old girl, wear this outfit. ;)


The second outfit appears to be making CW mad, but in reality she was just mad because I dared to put her down for a minute (CW=Clingy and Whiny)...don't worry you all, I picked her up about one nanosecond after I took the photo.

I haven't worn this outfit out yet, but I was so pleased with the cardigan that the moment I brought it home, I created an outfit.

The cami is one of my Lady Hathaway camis, in a charcoal grey. The jeans are the overdyed denim in dusty blossom (size 30, I think) from this last spring (2009). The flip-flops are Ann Taylor Loft from this summer.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I styled this cardi...I plan on wearing this a lot this winter, and adding a pop of color with it...yellow, for sure...do you ladies (and maybe men) have any other suggestions for color combos???

P.S. If you really loved my shimmer paisley lawn dress seen in this post, there is one for sale over at "crewsing thru my 50's." I highly recommend that if this is your size and you have been dying to buy it, do so!!! It is definitely sold out and there are none to be had anywhere on ebay or the weekly exchange!!!

Take care, you all...Have a nice start to your weekend!!!

J. Crew (In-Store Only) Lovelies...

So, I know you all are looking the next picture and asking yourself, "dinagideon, I have seen that great looking puffer vest before, here at jcrew.com, but I don't recall seeing that color...tell me where did you ever find it?" To which I respond, "In-store only!"

I recalled seeing the puffer vest in the catalog and being smitten with it...I love it for its sheer practicality...especially in a climate like ours where you can get by with a heavy down vest with a sweater for 50% of the winter. But then I saw the clincher...not available in the olive color. Well, color me sad. :(

Then, I, along with three other beautiful JCAs of the DC area, HeidiG., Summerilla, and Drewablank, went to Tysons yesterday to scope out the goodies there. And within mere seconds of entering the store, I saw it...the OLIVE green puffer vest. (YAY!) And even better, it looked so nice on me, and, the very best part...instead of being $118, it was on special for $98. :) Yes, it came home with me...as did these other (in-store) only beauties.

(By the way, am I the only one who didn't realize just how much stuff is sold in-store only at J. Crew? I thought there might be a piece or two, here or there, but no...there are totally different styles...different colors...)


By the way, you will see this outfit again...probably not for a week or two (man, it takes me FOREVER to get these posts up), but I wore it out today sans puffer vest (tried that on only so you all could see it in real life). The outfit I wore out included the pumpkin fiona jacket. (Yes, I know, very fall-like...)

I Like This Look for Fall, Part Two... by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is a polyvore of the outfit above (yep, the puffer vest I clipped to polyvore from this post, plus the other three items (tissue turtleneck, striped tissue tee, and the men's cardigan), so they are under my items if you are a polyvore addict).


This is the tissue turtleneck in peacock blue (or teal or whatever)...it is NOT available on-line in this shade. Such a shame, this is a BEAUTIFUL color in real life. Purchased a small, my normal size.


Both Summerilla and I came home with this gem. The scoopneck is insanely flattering. I bought a small, which is my usual size.

The above puffer vest, close up. The vest is lined in sherpa and is so cozy, I want to wear it to bed one night. I bet I would sleep well. ;) I purchased this in a small, which is great, because I typically have to wear a medium in cardigans at J. Crew.


Now, this is a MEN'S cardigan, but we went a little nuts and discovered that the men's section (especially the sale section) holds some goodies of its own...HeidiG. purchased a men's sweater in a rich red/orange, Summerilla purchased a cardigan (I believe), Drewablank purchased a cardigan and a button-down. I, of course, got this one...it is fleece lined, and also extremely cozy. The closest I could find to it on-line is this, and it looks like they are close to selling out. I also did not pay as much as it costs on-line. I do not anticipate wearing this except in the most casual of situations (it is a tad big on me in a men's small), but this morning, when there was a nip in the air and all I was doing was trying to stay warm in my pjs, this FIT the BILL perfectly.

******************************************************
I hope you enjoyed seeing what your local store can offer you...

I wanted to also mention that I am so behind in commenting that when I do comment back it will have to be a group response, which I hate to do, but I want to get back on track...thanks for your understanding, everyone!