Blushed Tweed Pencil Skirt and a Frances on a Friday!!!

First, before I go into my tale of debauchery (not really, but it felt like that to me), I want to remind you that I have a list of links on my sidebar to "Help Haiti." I have received extra links to add, so keep looking, and if you can help in any way possible, I thank you!

Second, I have one of my Polyvore sets in a contest over at the very fab blog "What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?" Emma Pillsbury is the guidance counselor over at the show Glee who is very likely to show up for work in pencil skirts and frilly blouses, i.e. the very epitome of lady-like. Since Emma is a character who reminds me a bit of my alter-ego (very much neglected of late...sigh) Mid-Century Mom, it was obvious that I needed to send a few of my polyvores over to this other blog to be in the game of "What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?" Well, sadly for my polyvore set, it is against a set with a skirt that has a bow. And if you know Emma Pillsbury you know she loves herself a good bow!!! So head on over and vote in this fun contest, better yet, become a follower of that blog so you can join in future frivolity (including the time in the future when my set won't go down in flames...it's actually okay, I think the other set is REALLY EMMA)!!!

Blushed Tweed and a Frances on a Friday! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Onto my outfit (and debauchery) from last night. In this post I said I would wear the blushed tweed pencil skirt for Chanel Fashionista and the Frances Cami for Debye on Friday. And that is exactly what I did. I had a ladies night out, so I wanted to splash out, even though all I would be doing is chilling with some of Mr. Dina's co-workers and wives of Mr. Dina's co-workers (who are all amazing ladies, and when told of this blog, and of all the other awesome JCA/Boden centered blogs, were very,very intrigued). Regardless, I was insanely excited to go out in this outfit. And what made this outfit even more fun? Wearing it while drinking really great red wine. Thank you, Megan, awesome tasting South African wine. (And thank you, Miss Leigh, for providing us a perfect place to drink said wine!) (And by now you have guessed why I didn't post this last night, right??? I was definitely a bit "drunk" Dina. Mr. Dina was kind enough to drive me there and back...)

The polyvore is accurate. I even will do a tiny, itsy-bitsy review of the tangled treasure bracelet (which is in final sale and is the reason I bought it).


Sizes:
Cardigan: Size Medium.
Top: Size Petite 8.
Skirt: Size 6.
Belt: Size Small-Medium.
Shoes: Size 10.

I like the play on proportion...with the tight pencil skirt, the shorter ruffly cami, and the l-o-n-g forever cardigan. It feels feminine, but not too over the top. I think heels would have been too much, as well. The flats feel better for a ladies night out at a house. :)


Here is my little lady. She did not have a ladies night out, but her shoes are very cute, no?

The tangled treasure bracelet is not nearly as scary in real life as you would imagine it would be. Based on the photos on jcrew.com (which I can't find because it appears sold-out; if the pics come back, I will update this post). I was a bit nervous, but figured I could work it somehow. The dangly bits are definitely "dangly," but I love the beads and mix of chains and pearls. I have also ordered the tangled treasure necklace (hello 30% off final sale--awesome), and have a feeling I will love it, but I imagine that will be a harder sell than the bracelet. I love a great statement necklace, but the tangled treasure necklace may be too much for 98% of JCAs out there.


My action shot. HeidiG. mentioned to me that it is hard to pose with an open cardigan, and she is right, so I looked on-line and saw that in all the photos of models wearing an open cardigan, they had one hand on their hip holding back part of the placket on one side of the cardigan. I think this flatters a woman's shape nicely. I may have to do more of these "action shots" in the future.

Ta-Ta, all. Tomorrow is the Campo dress (equals success--black looked GREAT under it) and maybe some Boden try-ons??? We'll see!!!

It Truly is an Icon...the Icon Trench (Khaki).

My kids are being especially needy this morning, so I have to make this a fairly quick review, but that is okay because the very lovely Slastena did a review on this way back in February of last year (it has been out that long and for the very same price--wow).

J. Crew Collection Icon Trench is available here.

I just wanted to make sure that you guys could see it on a different body, height, size, etc.

Every lady should own a classic trench coat. For years, I have owned trench coats, but they have always been single-breasted or if double-breasted, they are in a short length. I had been pining for a classic trench coat for years...but could never justify the higher price tag on the classic ones.

But then J. Crew had a sale in December on all coats...30% off. All coats? Including the object that I had been desirous of since last winter??? Yep! I checked it, and lo and behold, the Icon Trench WAS on sale, from 298 dollars to a little bit more than 200. It was definitely still a lot of money, but I knew the price would be worth it for a classic.

I eventually received it a little before Christmas...and it was exactly what I wanted...the right length, the right color, double-breasted, a belt that can be tied for the right sort of "jaunty" look, etc. In other words, I had bought a classic.

My normal shopping pattern is to buy pieces that are "special," but not necessarily classic...for instance, most of my J. Crew items are the pieces that are immediately recognizable as J. Crew, the prints like the Campo, the Fresco, the Liberty prints, the brightly-hued cashmere, the cardigans with unusual animal prints, etc. This coat? It is J. Crew (supposedly J. Crew Collection--mine does not have a black label, though), but you wouldn't know it until you looked at the tag. For me, this may be a first. A J. Crew item that doesn't look J. Crew from far away...amazing!


Sizes:
Coat: Size 8. Could have gotten away with a 6, but I am honest with myself, I want to keep this for as long as possible, and if I am wearing this pretty into my 50s, will I be a size 6? Probably not.

I wore this last weekend when we were experiencing torrential rains in VA. This is not "weather-proof," but did a fine job of keeping me warm and dry.

I know I can wear it in the fall and spring without a layer underneath (just the outfit itself), and in the winter, this has enough room that I can wear it with a thick sweater underneath. It is always FAR too warm here in the summer to ever consider it for that season. :)


Another view, whole body. It reaches just above my knee. Even though I have it buttoned up for both photos, I can definitely say it looks nice opened as well.

Hope this helps any of you on the fence. At full price, it is worth it, but if this coat ever goes on sale again, GO FOR IT.

Anyone else review it? Could you leave a link in the comments? Thank you!

Have a great morning. Should be back later with more (I hope)!

Fresco Tunic Thursday for Debye!!!

Update: I had originally posted this at 11:21 am, but stupid, idiotic Blogger was not publishing it to the Reader feed (I follow my own blog anonymously so that I can make sure posts publish). So I am re-publishing. I love you Blogger, BUT I also really hate you sometimes. GRRRR.

Thank you all for your votes yesterday on which Campo outfit I should wear on Saturday. I think the black turtleneck, black tights, and ankle boots combo is the winner by a landslide. Quick question...what should I do to prevent the black from showing through the sweaterdress? Or should I not stress about it?

I feel a million times better today than I did yesterday. Usually if I have a migraine, Mr. Dina will stay home and take care of the kids while I recover for an hour or so, but because Mr. Dina has had to be at home the past week to deal with the malfunctioning water heater, he HAD to go to work yesterday. Therefore, my migraine and I got to chill with each other all day long. :P

Fresco Tunic Thursday by dinagideon featuring J Crew

I promised Debye that I would wear the Fresco tunic today and I have. It is a great all-year tunic top. It was in-store only, but I have seen them on ebay. If you pay 75 dollars, it is still a great deal (I think it was over a hundred in store originally). Because it is silk, I stay warm in the winter, and in the summer, it breathes, keeping me cool. (BTW, if you own the tunic and use polyvore, you are welcome to save the item to your items, it is me wearing the top, but you obviously can cut it to have just the tunic showing, as I have done in this set.)


Sizes:
Tunic: Size 8. Don't remember the last time I wore it. I have worn it quite a bit...very versatile. Also, I should have sized down, but it doesn't look bad this loose, so thank goodness! :)
Pants: Size 8. Very, very comfy.
Shoes: Size 9.

CW is wearing baby cowboy boots. She had on skinny cords yesterday. Fashion has caught up to the under-3 set. Crazy, but oh, so cute.


Sizes:
Coat: Size 8. I have definitely worn this a lot, perfect length and fabric for most of our winter days, which usually top out at about 45 degrees.

Later on today, I will comment back on the last three posts and I will also post a review of the Icon trench (which I bought during December's 30% off coats sale). I HIGHLY recommend that if it goes on sale again, BUY IT! It is truly a classic coat. ;)

Cate, You Get Five Votes for the Campo You Prefer...

I have let you all down...sadly. I woke up with a terrible migraine, and although I took my medicine, oftentimes, and today was definitely an example of this, the side effects from the medicine were ALMOST as bad as the migraine itself. Ergh. Suffice it to say that I didn't get to wear the Campo de Fiore dress today, as promised. Yoga pants, a tee, and a lightweight coaching jacket were my wardrobe for the day (one side effect--I was freezing the whole day).

So here is the deal...please vote for your favorite of the two outfits (both options are in the same polyvore). Do you like the lighter, Option 1 version, with the lighter-colored tights, white scarf, and pewter flats? Or do you prefer the second, darker option, which includes black tights, the black tissue turtleneck, and the metropolitan ankle boots?

Every one's vote counts as one vote. If you voted over at polyvore, and then again here, you still only get one vote (sneaky, sneaky...). The only person who gets more than one vote is Cate, the person who originally voted for the Campo dress. She gets five votes. (No, you don't have to say which one you prefer five times, just once.) :)

Thank you all for understanding. I am feeling better, and anticipate that I will wear the Fresco tunic tomorrow, and the Frances cami and blush tweed skirt on Friday.

Re-do of the Campo!!! by dinagideon featuring J Crew accessories

Above is the polyvore.

P.S. Thank you all for your wonderful comments about my ball gown outfit. I really felt very special. Also, isn't it a trip that the band Amaretto found my blog?

P.P.S. I don't think I have any events where I personally could hire Amaretto to play for me, but I will vouch for their awesomeness (they are really very good) if any of you all have a need for a band!!! ;)

The Ball Gown...

Date: January 16, 2010.
Who: dinagideon and Mr. Dina, plus Bob McDonnell, our good friend, the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia (heehee...I am sure he knows us by name and everything).
When: Evening time...past the babies' bedtime. Grandpa and Grandma babysat...Sweet!!! :)
Where: Convention Center, corner of Broad and 6th in Richmond, VA.
Why: It was time to celebrate the inauguration of the above "good friend," and dance the night away with the bands America (yes, the actual band America), and Amaretto (whose singers are really REALLY scarily good at doing covers of Beyonce and such).
Worn: Not J. Crew!!! (You'll see...J. Crew wasn't forgotten...they are a Virginia company, after all, but why would I buy a J. Crew gown when I could wear the one I chose instead?)


Story on the gown: I was invited to some gala or another that was basically a fundraising event for some health non-profit or another, maybe the American Heart Association? I was 23 at the time and I was like every 23-year old...pretty much poor (seriously, as "glamorous" as working on Capitol Hill is and was, it does NOT PAY WELL). I had to get a gown, so my erstwhile friend Lara and I went to a store in Pentagon City that is now a Baby Gap (funny how the stores work for me in all stages of my life). I spied this, the gown, the first time I walked in. I was smitten. The color, the embroidery, the life because of the multiple layers of fabric, the fact that the skirt would work for me and not against my hips (even at my thinnest, and trust me, it was borderline scary, ribs showing and all, my hips were always very full). The best part? This gown was not *that* expensive. Maybe 200 dollars? At the time that was a serious chunk of change, but one that I was okay with as I figured it would stay in my wardrobe. (I did wear it again a couple of years later to another event.)

Fast forward: Two babies later, I was getting stressed that the dress wouldn't fit. I had about a month to go before the event, and I figured I should just bite the bullet and try it. This gown is not vanity-sized, so I figured it may not work. I slip it over my head around the middle of December, find it easily slides over my hips (yay!) and then do up the zipper in the back...and, it FITS!!! I knew I would have to use the wonder power of Spanx just for my own "comfort" that evening (the dress did up without spanx, but I am not a crazy woman living in crazy town who thinks that miracle will include a meal and dancing).

And what you see above is the front view of the ball gown...isn't the embroidery scrumptious? BTW, this is not a silk gown, or anything fancy like that, probably poly blend of some sort, but I don't care...this made me feel special, and the best part? It is so unique...I have never seen a gown like it!


From the back...even a bit of embroidery on the upper back. I love this shot, it feels very mid-century glam. :) Good on Mr. Dina for trying to January Jones me.


And here it is with the gold Coach shoes peeking out, and the sequin scarf cardigan that I last wore here. This is a FANTASTIC cardigan, and works so well, dressed down, or dressed WAY UP!

Please note the amazing cuff bracelet given to me by the spectacular drewablank. The color is perfect with the floral design. Thank you, again!!!


Makeup: I went much heavier than I normally do...including a bunch of eyeshadow and illuminating lotion, etc. Stuck to my true self, though, and wore a whole bunch of lip gloss (mixed together), rather than a lipstick. The earrings are the free Flora earrings given to some JCAs back in October, and the headband is a J. Crew (in-store only) braided job.


I love this photo. I do wish to know why Mr. Dina and CW found the Saints game more interesting than our family photo? Hmm???

So there you go...my ball gown...I hope it didn't disappoint. I did see a few ladies with their J. Crew gowns, and they looked AWESOME, but for the most part it was very "Miss America Pageant." A LOT of sequins and rhinestones and bright blue pleated jobs. Which is cool...but definitely not my cup of tea! ;)

Accessories for a Ball!!! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

And because some of you may like the accessories, above are the pieces together in a polyvore.

Have a great night, all!!!

Tuesday is for Tiffany Rose...and My Winnie Coat!!!

Tuesday is Tiffany Rose's Day, so I pulled out my Winnie coat and worked it into an outfit. Turns out she wanted me to wear it with the Tutu top I wore last night, but c'est la vie. I actually am glad I wore it today...

Winnie on a Tuesday! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore of the outfit I created. I knew it would be winter warm (here in VA we routinely get temps in the 50s and 60s in the winter...just not lately...but I had heard it would be winter warm today), so I suspected that if I wore anything heavier than a cami I would swelter for sure (I run hot). I had not worn this gorgeous Serengeti top (which I purchased at Mint Condition for 16 dollars--you read that right) yet, and knew I wanted to, plus I had just gotten the Boden vintage inspired necklace back from the jeweler (it had a broken tie bit) so the outfit came together organically, you know, I want to wear a, b, and c, and look, a, b, and c equals an outfit!!!

Pants are different in the polyvore. I am actually wearing J. Crew chinos (surplus) from 2005...they have the button-fly.


Outfit with the opened Winnie...

Sizes:
Coat: Size 4.
Top: Size 6.
Pants: Size 10.
Boots: Size 9.

I received multiple compliments today on this outfit, which always feels nice, but I never expect. In fact, the first one came from the lady at the post office who was all, "I LOVE YOUR COAT!" I thought she was talking about CW, so I was like, "I know, aren't the dots precious???" She just laughed and said, yes, she loves the baby's outfit, but really likes Mommy's coat, too. :)

Then the necklace and the tank received a few "ooh, I really like that" at the coffee shop! J. Crew and Boden, these are some fine pieces that a lot of people like!!! Good on you...


Without the Winnie. I so am planning on rocking this look with a pair of sandals this summer.


Winnie all done up.

Have a great afternoon...later on, Ball Gown pics (but none of the ball, didn't bring my camera).

Thank You, Janiece...How I Wore the Anthropologie Tutu Top Last Night...

As I promised in this post, I would pick 5 winners (or 2nd through 6th place) to choose my "wardrobe" this week. My second place winner (responsible for Monday's choice) was Janiece, and she said she wanted me to wear the Anthropologie Tutu Top I wore last on New Year's Eve.

Anthropologie Tutu Top Monday by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is how I styled it this time...note, I used the Anthropologie catalog image to help inspire me.
I liked how it turned out...I think I need to continue to play with this top because it is a lot of fun and a great versatile "non-boring" basic.


On me. Let me tell you...this was the best shot by far. I couldn't seem to make the right pose last night. Any other bloggers find that happens sometimes?

Sizes:
Cardigan: Size Medium.
Top: Size Small.
Jeans: Size 31R.
Boots: Size 9.5. These were KILLING my feet by the end of the night...but I did go back and forth something like 4 times at the mall, probably equals a mile, I am sure! No wonder!!!


BTW, I won a giveaway myself two weeks ago, over at Chanel Fashionista's blog for her blog-o-versary. :) These Mark lip glosses and eye shadows are great, and since I am a big lip gloss fan (only make-up I were every. single. day.) this was the PERFECT giveaway for me to win. So thank you, Chanel Fashionista!!! I love them.

I will post pics of today's outfit (Winnie coat) when I get home, and soon thereafter, create the post on the ball gown (it has a lot of pics, so it will take me some time to do). Talk soon!