OOTD/Review/Made by Me File: Pretty in Pink Rainbow/Roses.

Hi!  Happy Saturday night.  Yes, I know it is Valentine's Day.  I only ever celebrate it by dressing up in festive outfits.  With the boys of this family having their birthdays in February (well, March for Angus), Valentine's Day is WAY down on our "must do" list.  Mardi Gras gets way more attention than it, too. 

But I still have a big crush on the pretty pinks/reds/ivories of the day, so here are two outfits featuring those gorgeous hues.

Outfit one first, then (as promised in this post) the review of the Rainbow Knit sweater, and third, the outfit that also features a very recent made by me.

Day: Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Where:  Rex's Birthday Party!

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I really really love these Turner pants from J. Crew.  My husband made fun of them the first time I wore them and said no words today.  Success!  He has grown used to the pale pink elastic cuffed wonders.

The sweater was more than adequate to keep me warm, but I did make sure to layer it with this pretty tulip-printed Liberty shirt from J. Crew from a few years ago.  The Eliza coat was actually plenty cover for this morning, it is only recently that the winds have picked up and the snow has begun (it looks frightening out there, I have never seen snow blow sideways!).

Cool Factor: (3.75 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I don't know, it is an all pink ensemble.  Granted, it is appropriate for the day, and I was at my kid's birthday party, but yeah, I don't know if I can't rate it any higher.

The heeled loafers are a fun neutral, not quite silver/not quite pewter, they helped ground the all pink ensemble.  So that helped.  Plus the coat is getting quite a bit of airtime from Boden over at their facebook page (they celebrate *other* bloggers, lol, example one, and example two). 

Anecdote of the Day:  Wheelchair bound, we weren't sure if Rex's birthday party at the laser tag place could still go on, but yep, they were all ADA compliant, so we were able to wheel him around in the actual games.  I sucked, though, because the loafers have a slippy bottom, and he DESPERATELY wanted me to push him up the steep ramp in the game.  He weighs a lot, as does the wheelchair, and I was slipping.  I don't even know where my brain was when I dressed this morning, hello!  I have actually played laser tag before and have worn tennis shoes, but not today.  He blames me for his poor ranking (8th out of 20?).  His daddy propelled him to a much better ranking (3rd of 20).  We now have the one example of Mr. Dina's white tennis shoes being the better option.  :-D

Rainbow Knit Sweater.  Size 6.  It features a curved hem, contrast hem, and very long sleeves (they are long on me, and I have really long arms).  The fit does get looser as you wear it, I changed out of the button-up upon returning home, and it has stretched out so that the back and front are a bit looser so the sweater is hanging a bit lower.  But is an all cotton knit sweater, so no surprise there.

Back View.  I don't have the usual horizontal lines at my mid-back the way I usually have on almost all of my tops.  That is a small feat, and I am thrilled at this fit.  And it is great the length of the sweater hits at my upper hip, which means I don't have to worry about it being too tight at my tush.

Close-up. I know there are no greens in the sweater, but I really like the tulip print with the stripes.  It just worked, somehow.

I wrote up a written review yesterday of the Rainbow Knit Sweater and I have more photos of the beautiful Eliza coat here.



Eliza Coat and Rainbow Knit Sweater.  Neither is close to selling out, but the Eliza coat can be worn now, whereas unless you will wear the Rainbow Knit sweater *now* and later, you can wait for a better price on that one.

Day: Thursday, February 12, 2015.

Where:  Rex's Valentine's Party at school and his birthday dinner.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) It is a made by me dress, Simplicity 2246, which is a Lisette pattern for shirtdresses.  I chose to make the more fitted silhouette (view a), because darn it, I can make adjustments to suit both my smaller upper body and larger lower half, so I don't have to go for the more full-skirted version.  Yes!  So on the fit side, it wears well.  I do wish I had a better time with the hem, and if it could be just an inch longer, I think I would be more comfortable with it.  My main issue with this outfit is because that night the winds came and the temps dropped to 20 F, OMG, and with the wind chill, it felt like 4 F?  I don't know, it was B-A-D.  And yeah, the Eliza, so pretty, and the rose print rayon challis, lovely, but not the right outfit for those temperatures.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) This look had its fans.  I like it on me, but it may be too twee or feminine for some.

Anecdote of the Day:  Rex is not back at school, and won't be for a couple of weeks, but we were able to arrange for him to come that day so he could see his friends, get his cast signed, exchange Valentine's cards, etc.  I was so grateful for the school for getting the classroom set up so he didn't even have to go down the stairs (the other 2nd grade teacher is on the same level as the ramp so she gave us her classroom for an hour).  It really meant the world to him, he was in such great spirits after leaving the party.

For those of you interested, you can check out more on how I made the dress (there is a lot of information for sewers there) at the Fabric Mart blog.  This was my make for the month of February, and let's just say I was pretty excited to make a festive Valentine's look for my blog post this month. 

Hope all of you have a very happy Valentine's Day!

Sophisticated Red, White, and Blue!

Sophisticated Red, White, and Blue! by dinagideon featuring crew bags

Paisley Pencil Skirt--Thank you, J. Crew for doing it in red, white, and blue! You know you all want to call me MC dinagideon after I laid down that sick rhyme. ;)

Happy Independence Day!

I have a whole lot of festive looks to show off from this weekend, but most likely won't even be able to begin publishing all those looks until tomorrow! :) Turns out that if your birthday (and Canada Day--Happy 144!) falls on a Friday before a holiday weekend, and your Saturday and Sunday are full of pool runs and church, and your Independence Day Monday is full of restaurant going (yum, Cajun) and fireworks, blogging takes a big old backseat. LOL. At least it has been a blast.

So until then, enjoy yourselves, and be safe!

P.S. Boden babes, they introduced some extra stuff to the sale, including the Retro Shift (Happy Birthday from Mr. Johnnie himself...I like to think so!), so check out the sale selection if something you wanted wasn't there on Tuesday last week. :)

Does it Count if All I Did Was Wear a Scarf?

Well, Happy Wedding day to the new Duchess Catherine and Prince William. (BTW, I totally forgot that he is Prince William, not just Wills--how very American of me, we have a county just to the south of us called Prince William...I wonder how many poor VA souls think it was named after him and not this guy? LOL.)

Wow. Kate looked beyond beautiful this morning. I mean I literally felt my breath catch when I spied her in her dress. I am wondering how close Prince William was to losing it when he saw her for the first time this morning???

Anyhow, even though I am an Anglophile, I do have toddlers and an insanely busy life, so I did not have the energy to get up at 5 am to view the ceremony live. I was more than fine with catching re-caps and still photos after the fact...this is why 2011 is easier on us moms than 1981 must have been. :)

I am simply celebrating (emphasis on simple here) by wearing my Boden Union Jack Scarf that I received this week. I love that I have a tiny bit of Britannia with me today as I do regular mom things like chores, playing outside, and in my strange world, blogging. LOL.

Above is my outfit which I am calling "the easy, breezy Anglophile SAHM."  Scarf is made from a lightweight wool that is not itchy and the colors are super-saturated.  I can see why this scarf costs $58 (although I purchased it with a promo).  The tee is a striped tee from J. Crew a few years ago that sort of reminds me of Dennis the Menace and a sailor, except made for me!  The jeans are a pair by "Seven" not 7FAM...and the shoes are my Japanese sandals that just happen to match the tee.  :)

Close up of the scarf.  I knotted it in the front, swung the knot round the back of my neck and then knotted again to create this scarf tying technique.  I like this technique, allows the full impact of the scarf to be felt without being too bulky.

If you open the pic up, you will see the detailing in the print...it is very pretty and I adore the colors.

Although this is a red, white, and blue scarf, the jingoistic patriot inside of me will not allow me to wear this on Independence day.  Ha.

I need this photo for polyvore.  Seriously, how are people clipping items to polyvore from Boden???

So I did this SAHM outfit all in honor of this woman's wedding.  Hurrah!  And that dress, gobsmacked am I!

Oh, what the heck.  Here I am in my bridal attire.  Not quite Kate Middleton, but for 80 degrees on a Washington October day back in 2001, seemed perfect.  ;)

You all enjoy your day. Cheers!

A Milly Valentine/Valentina...

dress, not an actual paper card sent to me from the ever lovely Michelle Smith.  :)

A few months ago, I spied the Valentina Dress over at millyny.com and fell in love.  I had *just* enough money to cover the dress and decided the beauty of the piped seamed sweater dress was worth it.

I eventually received it and as soon as I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for my trip to NYC (back in December).  I brought it with me and though I only wore it for a scant few hours to dinner, it felt really great to be in something super-soft, well-tailored, and exceedingly feminine.

I haven't worn it since, but I would love to wear it again.  Had we actually gone out on Valentine's Day, I would have absolutely worn it.  :)  (Because if you can't live your life like one big bad pun, is life really worth living???)

Maybe I will wear it this weekend?  Hmmm...

Merino Wool, Size Medium.  Worn with J. Crew Zee Zee Tights and Boden Calf Hair Pumps from last year (Winter 2009).  Here is a similar pair of pumps (albeit a peep toe and in smooth leather) from Boden that you can still get: Chic Peep Toes.

I love the bow, especially, really nice for defining a waist.  The piping is a neat element and adds some cool visual interest.  It had also come in a cream version with black piping, but that one sold out INSANELY fast.  The black version can still be found at Neiman Marcus in a size small.  MillyNYC sold out pretty early of both colors.

From the side.  I normally would prefer my sweater dresses be less clingy, but this one hits its clingy at the right spots and just feels good.  

So a sweater dress addiction was semi-born.  I had a 20% off coupon from Milly, and I knew that I could (again) *just* afford one dress from Milly.  So I went with the Gondolier Stripe Sweater Dress, which is one of the more inexpensive options that is available from the line's resort/spring collection:

I actually wore the dress TODAY!!! LOL.  I was leading parents around at Rex's preschool so they could hear all about how fab a place it is for toddlers and I knew I didn't want to just show up in jeans (any excuse to dress up--holla!).  This dress is a silk/cotton/cashmere blend and it is a wonderful transition type dress, great in winter with a coat and tights, and wonderful for spring and summer with flats or sandals.  I chose to buy a small because the skirt is very full and I didn't want there to be a HUGE contrast between my very small upper-body and my much larger lower-half.  The flats are from J. Crew and are called the Lacey ballet flats and lucky me, I got them on some ridiculous super-sale or another.  ;)  (Original price was crazy, no matter how beautiful and all leather they may be.)

You can still find the dress, btw, at millyny...and in pink/navy at Saks Fifth Avenue.

There is more Milly to come, by the way, but not for a few weeks yet.  I saved again so I could get a Milly Mini (for CW) and for me, a matching sheath dress.  We will most likely wear those on Easter, but I am more than willing to give you all a sneak peek.  ;)

Have a great night, you all. 

P.S. If you have a Boden review, please e-mail me soon, I am planning on doing the Weekly Roundup tomorrow!

Marseilles Floral Cami and the Liberty Tulip Mania Perfect Shirt...IRL with Shorts.

CALLING all Stylish Moms or anyone that knows a Stylish Mom! Nominees, please!!! :)

Pretty Marseilles! by dinagideon featuring j crew shoes

Above is the polyvore of the summer outfit I created for the Marseilles Floral Cami. I fell in LOVE with the print and as difficult as I found it to fit (as others did, I believe, including gigiofca who tried on the other version), the print was worth making it work (Tim Gunn, you are rubbing off on me!). I wore this when one of my fave blogggie pals, drewablank, and her sis came over to my house for a playdate (drewablank's sis has kids the. same. exact. age. as mine...awesome). It was humid and muggy that day, so the light silk of the cami was perfection!


I think this pose might draft me into the army if I am not careful. Recruiters, stay away. I am not really interested.

Sizes:
Top: Size 4. The 6 was far too big everywhere but the hips, but in the end, I wanted a slimmer silhouette and went with the 4. I am not going to lie...the cami bugs when you are trying to figure out how to get the bottom hem to lay right, but in the end if it is close enough, it is more than okay (for all you OCD people out there--I know what it's like!). P.S. I always wanted to name one of my daughters Chloe Marseilles. One of my awful ex-boyfriends made so much fun of me, I quickly lost that drive and desire. Jerk.
Shorts: Size 8. You know, the 5 inch inseam chino shorts they ALWAYS have at J. Crew...good thing they keep some of the basics around.
Shoes: Size 10. These are from Summer 2009, and I LOVE them. So pretty and sparkly.


Yes, our family has bought into the pillowpets craze. CW and Rex love their pillow pets. Really.

Sizes:
Top: Size 4. I am such a fan of the Liberty Print fabric, are any of you really surprised that I bit on this button-down? I love tulips, and this particular print is just the right size, not too big and not too little. I have tried layering this with a jackie shell (even though the jackie shell I bought is too big) and it works nicely. Will look great in the fall with the shell, a pair of jeans, cute ballet flats, and a bright lady day coat. P.S. Anyone have a charcoal jackie in a size small that they want to swap for a charcoal jackie in a size medium? Merci!
Shorts: Size 8. SO GLAD I bought the store out of all colors of the stretch summerweight bermuda shorts last year. Even though they are all a bit large on me now, I don't give a hoot. This year's bermuda shorts are a JOKE. I am *this* close to returning the orchid shadow, even though the color is sublime. They are pretty bad, no stretch, wrinkly, wonky waistband. Ugh.
Shoes: Size 9. Yummy neon flip-flops. :)

Baby CW is proof that cuteness reigns supreme. Love her version of my outfit...crewcuts elephant print top and a pair of Target bright pink shorts. She is even putting her hand on her hip. Work it!

You all have a great night. Thank you for all of your time, I am glad that I have so many awesome followers (225! Thanks, Tabitha!).

Watercolor Garden Pencil Skirt SAHM Styled!

Good day to you all!

Not much to say except that it has been pretty nice 'round these parts, been enjoying the lazy days of summer doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and sometimes a whole lot of nothing. And that is just fine by me. :)

Purple Florals are Heavenly! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Yesterday, one of my best bloggie friends, HeidiG.,and I got our kids together for a little outing across the Potomac (I must adore Heidi to have DRIVEN across to Maryland on the Beltway--you know me and driving, right...). We simply met at Montgomery Mall, went around to the various stores and had lunch at Nordstrom's. Above is what I wore to go out...I figure most of my summer has been super-casual, so it felt kind of good to "dress-up" a bit. I felt very lady-like in this get-up and honestly, it was pretty comfy. And even though it was hot and humid, the cotton pieces kept me pretty cool. Thumbs up from me!


Sizes:
Blouse: Ann Taylor Loft, Size 6. I honestly couldn't tell you when I purchased this. All I know is that the simple, white blouse, while ubiquitous, is an absolute ESSENTIAL in any wardrobe...even one as colorful as mine.
Skirt: J. Crew, Size 6. This is the Watercolor Garden Pencil Skirt that I got for a song at the local store last spring. I can't believe it took me this long to pull it out. Look for it on a pop-back. I say size down one size (although size 6 could be my *new* J. Crew skirt size...vanity sizing and all).
Shoes: Cole Haan, Size 10. Yummy, comfy, pretty sandals. SWAK Cole Haan, love you!


Ooh, what a difference this hand position makes. LOL.


Can't leave you without showing you something insanely precious. Why should I be the only lady in the house with a fedora? (Old Navy Fedora for toddlers, only $9 for its "OMG, that is SOOOOOOO CUTE" cuteness, bought yesterday, CW wore it the entire day and people actually stopped me to comment on how adorable my little girl is, I happen to agree.)

All, have a great afternoon. I will continue to be lazy. I can get back to work tomorrow. ;)

Fourth Festive Wear!

PLEASE PLEASE ENTER MY GIVEAWAY! ENDS TOMORROW NIGHT AT 11:59 PM!

Okay, so I always have a blast over the Independence Day holiday. Obviously, I get to be all loved and treated well because it is right near my birthday, so by the end of the holiday, I have been wined and dined to the point where I have to be rolled out of restaurants. LOL. Fortunately this year I have two small toddlers who keep me moving, so that helped alleviate some of the inevitable weight gain...turns out that even if you eat fairly well, like salads and such, well, it doesn't really matter as home-made salad equals 350 calories and restaurant-made salad equals (and this is my approximation here) 125,678,301.1 calories. Oh, well.

And then you add on the 5,012 calories that I consume in red wine and you just know that I will have a bit of detox to make up for my indiscretions. :P

Onto the outfits I chose this year to celebrate my dear country's birth...


Wore this on July 5th to go to a local Alexandria community's fair. They had bike decorating contests, beautiful baby contests (baby CW--prettiest brown eyes), and lots of fun in the (hot, overbearing, OMG we are all going to melt) sun. I think it was 103 degrees with full-on humidity, so by the end all of us were dirty, sweaty, and tired. You know I looked fab--ha--not!

Sizes:
Dress: Size Medium. I bought this Mossimo (Target) dress about two years ago and I finally am wearing it. Yes, I wore a poly-blend dress on one of the hottest days of the year. So you know, this pic was taken BEFORE we left for the day. :) You would not want to see the after shot. (And come on--you see the fireworks--how perfect, right? Right??? Worth the poly-blend fainting spell I nearly had???)
Shoes: Size 10. These are the Cole Haan Air Lunetta sandals. They had a slide version, but I found those were a weird fit, but these have a toe hold making them stay on my foot better.
Necklace: Twirled Metal and Crystal Necklace. Umm, still full price at jcrew.com (of course). I bought this at 19.99 plus 20% off at the G'town store. Yes, I am insisting you do not buy it from the website. Please. But that said, isn't it a beautiful necklace???


And now for the sweet shot. Isn't this precious??? Sunglasses are Boden from last summer. BTW, I bought the A.R. Trapp Troubadour sunglasses and received them yesterday. I am in love, and look forward to showing them to you on Monday (hint for Monday's Mommy Style post--using inspiration boards to choose your pieces for your wardrobe).


And now let's reverse to Saturday, July 3rd. (Don't worry, I didn't forget the 4th!)

HOT HOT DAY which means summer sundress time for all female members of dinagideon's household.

Sizes:
Dress: Size 4. Large Ikat print sundress from the J. Crew outlet. For what it's worth, Mr. Dina really liked this dress on me, so I was glad that I purchased it. I still worry the print is too large, but I guess it works. I love the navy blue and white, had no red, but I was trying to be festive. :)
Shoes: Size 10. Old, old, old Born navy sandals. Good on Born for making a shoe that I have literally worn for years that still have plenty of life in them.
CW's dress: Size 2 from mini-Boden. I actually bought this dress when she was 5 months old as I loved it that much. She looks so freaking cute. Those are her Miss Trish of Capri pink/green daisy sandals.


And lookie there--POCKETS!!! :)

Untitled by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Above is the final look, the July 4th, red, white, and blue outfit.


Sizes:
Top: Size Petite 8. This is from last fall, and I am so glad I ordered this color. I have so little red in my wardrobe that I spend every July 4th wondering what the heck I am going to wear that has red in it. This, btw, is one of the very few reds I can wear, a rosy, pinky red, so I am not even sure it counts, but you all DO. NOT. WANT. to see me in a real red. That would make you run away in disgust, trust me.
Shorts: Size 8. These are the fun starfish shorts that are linen (yes, by the end of the evening, they had the horizontal lines on the front of them). I would say that J. Crew could have done an extra inch or two, but at least these shorts weren't of the 3-inch inseam length. :)
Shoes: Size 10. These are the starfish capri sandals from last summer. Quick question: Shortly after posing for this picture, the band on one of them broke where the band enters the footbed...I am assuming the shoe-guy can glue it back in or what...but what should I do re: telling J. Crew? I wore them twice last summer, this would have been my third wear. Do I have ANY reason to expect J. Crew to reimburse me for the repair?

Thank you for coming on by. :) I know I have been a bit absent lately and I 100% appreciate you all sticking around. I want to be more active, and I ESPECIALLY want to be more active on other's blogs, but I have been around my computer less and less...which means less and less can be given to my beloved blog friends. So thank you, again!

Casual Sequins Times Two!!!

Hey, you all. Glad you enjoyed yesterday's preview of today's J. Crew roll-out of May 2010 items. :) I woke up all ready to go and may have spied a few items I just love...including the Liberty Floral Daze Cardigan (how pretty and I think even though it is similar to the Target print, the colors pop more on this one) and the pants and shorts in the orchid shadow color. That color is divine!

I have for you tonight two very recent outfits that are me to the core. Very sparkly, very fun, somewhat dressy, but still has a very distinct casual edge to it.


The first outfit was worn by me on Tuesday for a day with Rex. I knew it would be a busy, crazy day, but I still felt like dressing up a tiny bit, but I knew the day's activities meant I had to be comfy. Enter my newest purchases (actually one is REALLY OLD, but was on a waitlist forever), plus my standby black resin wash toothpick ankle jeans by J. Crew from this last winter.

Sizes:
Top: Jaspé sequined slouchy sweatshirt, Size small. I waited for this for over four months. I bought this on a super promo back in December and waited and waited and waited... The wait was worth it. This has a lovely combo of both cozy and special. BTW, you know I have sequin OCD and if sequins even look like they will come off, I freak out, right? These sequins are applied in a random pattern and in such a way that they are all stitched in a continuous line (if you look on the inside of the sweatshirt you can see this). The workmanship is there, and definitely deserves Collection status, in my opinion. I also love the scoop neckline, so flattering.
Pants: Size 31. These are good workhorse denim pants.
Shoes: Lux shimmerveil ballet flats, Size 9.5. I would NEVER have bought these at full price, or even the current sale price. They had been on promo for $198, and then came along the awesome 30% off sale items, and yep, these guys went down to a much more reasonable $130. These are all leather, and well made. The do run a bit tight, but I know since it is all leather, the shoes will kind of become one with my foot. By the end of the day, these felt way better to me than at the beginning. I personally love the shimmerveil leather, just a hint of shine, and a very soft feel. I have the shimmerveill charmed mini-bag and it is the same exact leather. I think they are Collection worthy (came in a silver box--woo!), but even still, the original price was CRAZY!

I guess CW was shy that morning. ;)


I wore the above outfit on my RUNWAY show day of my Spring Into Style class. I figured if the kids were going to be dressed very swank and pretty and strut confidently, then so must I.

Sizes:
Cardigan: Size small. This is the slub cotton v-neck long cardigan from January 2010's rollout? Anyhow, I remember this cardigan selling out pretty quick, I think if J. Crew prices things well and they are well-made, they will sell out.
Top: Size Petite Medium, which in Ann Taylor Loft world means a regular size small. Huh. Great top. I know a lot of you out there own it and love it...consider me a member of your club. No sequin OCD, btw, this top, like the jaspe above, has very secure sequins. Phew.
Pants: Size 30 Tall. I love LOVE these stretch toothpick ankle jeans in the twilight wash.
Shoes: Size 9.5. Love how the spearmint pops against the neutrals of the rest of the outfit.

The kids and staff at the school loved the outfit, but at first many, many people were all, "what is she wearing?" Then, seeing me on stage as the MC for the fashion show, little light bulbs went off. :)

Baby matches, too, all pretty in peacock.

Have a great night. Talk soon!

Cleo and Dani Make an Appearance on Fridays Are for Feet!

Oh, I feel so timely writing this post. I think if it weren't for the fact that I have seen NO reviews of these shoes, I wouldn't even bother writing these up. :)

Yesterday was fab. I loved it! Hung out with my kids for the first time during the workweek since I started my awesome Spring Into Style class (which is now over--and yes, the runway show was amazing, and yes, my outfit for the show will be presented to you all at some point). Since it was just the perfect temperature to hang outside with the kids yesterday (high in the 70s and very sunny), I took them to a park near us called Huntley Meadows, which if you live in the NOVA region and have not been to...you must go and stat. It is a protected preserve with both abundant forests AND a wetland (complete with a boardwalk). Sadly, we didn't make it all the way to the wetland (the kids were a bit tired by the time we got there), but we did take a quick jaunt through the forest. :) Baby CW was really mad when we left...I guess I know who I have to take there more often.


Above is me and Rex after the walk. He ACTUALLY wanted to pose for a pic with me. Yay, Rex!


Above is the outfit I wore...all oldies but goodies, except of course for the Cleo Platform Shoes.

Sizes and info (no time for a polyvore):
Cardigan: The infamous Coccodrillo printed cardigan from last summer. Compared to what J. Crew is churning out now, this print almost looks sort of tame. :) Size Medium.
Tee: I forget the name, but I find this shade of caspian blue very flattering, and I love the black silk floral applique on the front. Proof that you can and should wear navy and black together. Size small.
Pants: Scout Chinos (in regular length). I own these in the tall length, and it adds about three inches to the inseam, making them the perfect ankle length pants. These are just regular capris in the shorter, normal inseam. Size 8.
Shoes: Size 10. And they are a bit too short in length. SHOCK! I actually have a pair of shoes from J. Crew that fits me in a size 10...just like old times.


Close up of the Cleo Platform Sandals. 1. Get your normal, pre-vanity foot size J. Crew size. For me this is a ten. I have been wearing 9s and 9.5s recently...in 2005 I almost exclusively wore 10s or 11s in J. Crew shoes. Admittedly my feet have shrunk a bit, but not enough for me to be wearing 9s, for crying out loud. 2. These are just wonderful shoes. I love the comfort, I love the color, and I love how they are pretty on the feet. 3. I was 6 feet tall in these. YAY. Eye to eye with Mr. Dina. (And Jenna Lyons, in flats. Heehee.) 4. I walked all over God's green earth yesterday and did not feel it. They are perfection for a mom on the go!


I wore this outfit a few weeks ago, but since I did the review of the Dani Peep Toe Shoes in this outfit, I thought I would at least show you how I styled it.

Sizes and Info:
Shirt: Mushroom Printed Button-Down Nehru collared shirt from the outlet. I bought this off ebay. I love this print, but missed out on it when it was at the "real" J. Crew back in 2007. Now does anyone have a mushroom printed skirt in a size 10 that they want to sell me???
Pants: 7 For All Mankind Bootcut Jeans. Based on this pic, it appears these need to go into my postpartum closet. Size 32.
Shoes: Size 9.5. Perfect fit in my "new" J. Crew shoe size.


One shot of the Dani suede and leather heels in Irish Moss. Love the cone heel and I adore the stretchy bit there on the side...great for expanding feet (especially during pregnancy and if you are on your feet all day).


Another view from the other side. Very pretty and girly, eh?


And a front shot. I wish I had the time to get a pedicure. My toes are all bare and sad looking. :( Mother's day gift, anyone???

Some thoughts on this heel...love the color, love the retro details, and appreciate the cone heel, as that makes this a very comfy shoe. Here is an odd thing, though. I bought these about two months ago and on sale for...$105.00. It was on sale for $150 and J. Crew was running a 30% off all sale items promo, so there you go, $105.00. Now this heel is back to its original (and slightly insane) price of $215.00. Huh???

I also have the Dani neon leather heels in the neon pink color. I will be doing that review when I finally get around to showing my cherry blossom themed outfits (the pink in the strap was perfection with the ochre pencil skirt and bright pink silk top I wore that day). The Dani heels in neon have NEVER been on sale, so I had to grab (probably their last pair of 9.5s) those at full price. Yes, I know, it hurt me too. (But they are amazing!!!) Oh, and I provided that link at the beginning of the paragraph because they may popback one day, and you all should make grabby hands towards them...

Have a great day. Coming tomorrow? A new blog/business venture for My Superfluities (grand launch is happening between 4 and 7 pm Eastern time). Wish me luck!

Animal Print Fun Times...A Little Tortoise Here, A Little Zebra There...

Howdy, all!

Making this quick...

Have two outfits to show off, both from two separate days of teaching the "Spring Into Style" class. I know I could probably get away without "bringing it" every day, but I kind of feel like if you are going to say "I can teach this class on style," then the least I can do is put some effort into the outfits I wear.

Here are two attempts I made...even though both attempts were made in the morning when yours truly when bu##-tired, I think I did okay. Thank goodness for dresses...easy, peasy, and put together. :)

Tonal Paisley, Gold, and Brown... by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Above is the polyvore from today's outfit. Yes, that is the metallic beach cardigan in metallic camel. And, yes, that is the stone garden tote. (I have a real life photo of it in another post upcoming.)


Sizes:
Cardigan: Size small. A medium would have been massive on me. The small is a nice fit, I feel this cardigan looks better opened and with the sleeves scrunched up (see the next photo for why it should be 3/4 length, especially when worn with a dress).
Dress: Size 8. Now it is too big on me, but I still LOVE YOU, shimmer paisley print dress. Swoon.
Shoes: Size 9.5. Probably should have worn heels, but if you are a teacher, you 100% get why I didn't. ;)
Necklace: The Madewell Jigsaw necklace. Get this on popback if you can. (Fortunately jewelry suffers less from popback ickiness, unlike the clothing--used kleenex, anyone?)


With the sleeves at my wrist, the overall look is a bit schoolmarm-ish. Eek. Thank goodness for my preview function on my digital camera.

Baby CW loves her Fur*Real kitty cat. We have named him Chairman Me-ow. Haha. I am sure that name has never been done before.


And Thursday:

Yes, that is the Blakely dress in the Zebra print, which I guess sold as quickly as I am writing this sentence. One day I tried it on in a 6 in a store (too small through the ribcage) and then the next week, this puppy was gone almost everywhere (I decided to chance it at full price, and was glad I did).

Sizes:
Dress: Size 8. Bit big through the bust, but I just pin the bit there at the cleavage area, no one is wiser. I really like the look of this dress, very appealing in its forgiving shape, plus the zebra print is just too much fun. The kids REALLY liked this dress, plus the avocado colored accessories.
Belt: Size Small.
Shoes: Size 10.

Well, that's it. Two days left till the end of the style class. Wednesday, by the way, is our runway show. :) FUN! Wish me and them lots of luck...