Spring Transition

Texas doesn't really have distinct seasons.  We pretty much just have summer and not summer.  Even so, I still try to be mindful of seasons when choosing an outfit even when the temperature doesn't require it.  Yes, it is probably just an excuse to have more clothes and shoes, but it keeps me from getting bored with my outfits. I did give up shopping for Lent though, so I won't have any new clothes or shoes to show you until after Easter!

As we transition into spring I'm trying to lighten things up both with colors and fabrics without pulling out white linen jackets and colorful sandals just yet.  I think this is a great transition outfit for early spring, and it would also work well in early fall.  The dark red skirt and suede cage heels lean towards cool weather while the oatmeal crop jacket and silk dot shell are more warm weather pieces.  It's this balance that makes great transitional looks.

  

Red Moto Jacket

I wore my polka-dot blouse from my latest Stitch Fix box today.  You can see everything that came in Stich Fix #5 in my last post.  I paired the top with my red ponte knit moto jacket from White House Black Market (previously styled here).  My black pencil skirt is from WHBM also. 

 

My collection of moto jackets keeps growing.  I think I have four or five now! I'm going to have to do a post just on moto jackets at some point!  I love how this jacket is still knit so it is comfortable like a cardigan.  The crop sleeves, studded moto lapels, and zipper pockets are all fun details. 

 

The high contrast polka dot tunic is so cheerful while still work appropriate.  The jacket and top can easily be dressed down with jeans for after work errands, I love it when clothes are versatile.  With such a bold pattern on my blouse I kept my shoes and purse simple and classic. 

 

 

Recreate the look for yourself:

Jacket - exact WHBM jacket, similar, this one from Chico's has a cute chevron pattern,

Blouse - similar sleeveless version, similar with beige dots

Skirt - similar, similar at Nordstrom and available in petites

Shoes - exact Louboutin from Nordstrom

Purse - similar Prada hobo

 

I use affiliate links in this blog. That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything. I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun. All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Many thanks!

Houndstooth for Fall

 

The Houndstooth pattern originated in the Scottish Lowlands in the 1800's.  During the 1930's it became the design aristocrats used in for casual wear.  By the 1960's Christian Dior and others brought it main stream and it can now be found on all types of clothes and accessories.  My first item in houndstooth was a scarf I bought while in college that I still have. The pattern seems to be reinvented every few decades, as with most fashion trends.  The size of the pattern changes as does the color combination, but the small size in black and white is always classic.  Here are two outfits with my houndstooth skirt. 

 

I'm wearing it with this pumpkin blouse again (see how I last styled it here). This time I paired the blouse with this collarless J. Crew blazer in the same color (see previously styled here). I like this outfit formula of a matching blouse and blazer with contrasting skirt.  I tried it for the first time only a few months ago, after seeing it on Pinterst over and over.  I use this formula often now. 

 

 

Houndstooth skirt - Albert Nippon (similar)
Orange silk blouse - Joie (similar)
Orange blazer - J. Crew (similar)
Black pumps - Ralph Lauren (similar)
Handbag - Celine Nano (similar)
Belt - Hermes (exact, pre-owned)


For my second outfit I paired my houdstooth skirt with a cobalt blue blouse and a black blazer.  Until I saw these pictures together I didn't realize that I always wear my Hermes belt with this skirt! The skirt doesn't have belt loops, but it does have a defined waistband, so I guess in my eye that needs a belt.  My blazer has a subtle snakeskin print.  A bolder print would have been too much paired with the houndstooth, but this is subtle enough that it's not overpowering.  I finished the look off with my awesome suede cobalt heels.

Houndstooth skirt - Albert Nippon (similar)
Cobalt blouse - The Limited (similar from Target)
Black blazer - Tahari (love this similar one)
Cobalt pumps - French Connection (similar and cute)
Belt - Hermes (exact, pre-owned)

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!


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Bootie Trends

There are some trends that I never adopt.  Off the shoulder tops have been big this year. I think they are pretty, but who wants to wear a strapless bra? No, thank you! I'm not a big fan of cold shoulder tops either, they just don't look right to my eye.  And don't get me started on distressed denim! I know people think it looks edgy, but I think it just looks sloppy.

One trend that I'm all for though is booties! Although, I just realized booties might be more of a staple than a trend at this point; I just saw this post reviewing 3 years of booties and it was posted in 2012!  Anyway, I just started wearing booties last year so they are new to me!  Recently I've figured out how to wear booties with skirts too. 

It took me a while to get the combination right. The first few times I tried booties with a skirt my legs looked short and stumpy.  If you have average calves (14" around) it seems effortless! Erin from Living in Yellow recently posted about booties in every combination and she looks great! If you have bigger calves like me (16 inches) it takes a little more effort, but I have found two combinations that work.You can either (1) wear any style booties with matching opaque tights, or (2) you can pair bare legs with a skirt that hits the top of your knee (or shorter) with booties that have a deep "V" in the front to help elongate your leg as seen here.

Gray suede booties - exact they come in black and red too, similar, and I love these too

Jacket - White House Black Market similar, similar

Blouse - White House Black Market similar,  similar in lace 

Skirt - White House Black Market similar from JCrew 

Purse - Via Spiga similar  similar

 

What about you? Do you like off the shoulder or cold shoulder tops?  What about distressed denim: yay or nay? Have you tried your booties with skirts?

 

 

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!

I Love Jackets

I love jackets. I know cardigans are a more popular outer layer, but nothing beats the crisp lines of a structured jacket to add polish to an outfit.

 

This red jacket is from White House Black Market (so is my shell and skirt.) I love the motorcycle inspired details that I started seeing last year and are now everywhere this fall. The 3/4 sleeves and little bit of spandex make this it comfortable and easy to wear. In addition to pairing it with a skirt as I did here it would also look great with a white or black t-shirt and jeans.

My black pencil skirt has an exposed zipper in the back which may be too edgy in some work places, but I think it pairs well with the edginess of the moto jacket.

 

My shell has black polka dots on top that fade to beige polka dots toward the bottom. It's a great piece that is still basic enough to go with everything, without being boring.

I'm in my Louboutin patent leather pumps today, and my carrying my black Prada hobo. When I'm in a bright jacket I like to keep my shoes and purse neutral.

 

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!

 
 


Red Moto Jacket White House Black Market exact, similar
Polka Dot Shell - White House Black Market similar
Black Pencil Skirt - White House Black Market similar
Shoes - Christian Louboutin similar
Purse - Prada similar

Style Statistics

What I love most about the Stylebook Closet app is the statistics it gives me on my wardrobe (see previous app reviews here and here). When I first started using the app 5 months ago I worked on my "Never Worn" list. It took a couple of months to wear everything in my closet once...and actually there are still 143 items on that list. Those last remaining items are sweaters, corduroy pants, boots and jackets, so once the weather gets cooler I'll clear out my "never worn" list.

In the meantime I've been working my "Worst Cost per Wear" list. This list takes the price you paid for an item and divides it by the number of times you've worn it, and then ranks the top 25 items. There's also a "Best Cost per Wear" list. Most of the items on that list tend to be my less expensive pieces like shorts and tee-shirts, but my top item on that list is a black pencil skirt that is currently $1.11 per wear! I've obviously gotten my money's worth out of it! Which is exactly what this app is helping me do. I want to get my money's worth out of my clothes. I don't mind spending a little more on an item if I know I'm going to wear it many times, but I hate to see high end items languishing on the "Worst Cost per Wear" list.

My outfit today includes three items on my "Worst Cost per Wear" list: the blouse, purse, and necklace.

I bought my necklace at the Gold and Diamond Mall in Dubai. It was pricey, but I wear it often, and will continue to for decades, so it may one day be $1.11 per wear too!

I also love my Celine Nano Tote. It was a little pricey too, so even though I've carried it 10 times since April it is still on the list. I carry it much more in the fall and winter, so it will be in heavy rotation soon, and will work it's way off the list in no time.

My blouse on the other hand is a reasonably priced item but prior to today I had only worn it twice. This black wrap top is from M M Lafleur, and it is one of the most comfortable, yet polished business tops I own (see previously styled here), so I don't know why I don't wear every week! I love the 3/4 length sleeves, and the front draping. Another plus is that the wrap part it fully sewn so I'm not fussing with it all day to insure I'm not flashing any cleavage.  It looks polished enough to wear on its own as I did here, but it also looks great under a blazer, and it pairs well with jeans too.

M.M. LaFleur is an interesting company (read their story here), started by a woman in finance who wanted a more inspired wardrobe. They design and manufacturing professional women's wear, and pay a lot of attention comfort, quality, and ease of care.  On top of that their customer service is excellent.

If you want to give them a try I recommend ordering a Bento Box. A stylist will curate and send you some items. You get to try everything on and keep what you like. My first box wasn't quite me and I ended up sending everything back. Then I got a sweet email from their marketing director, apologizing for missing the mark and asked if she could send out another box. I of course accepted their gracious offer and ended up with this lovely blouse. It currently comes in wine and ivory as well as black, and both are on my wish list.

Blouse - M.M. LaFleur Deneuve Blouse

Skirt - White House Black Market

Spectator Pumps - Lauren by Ralph Lauren

Bag - Celine Nano

 

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!

Denim Skirt

It's the last days of August.  I wanted to wear these Guess Heels one more time before they get pushed aside for fall and winter.  With lots of colors in them they are fun to wear, and go with lots of things in my closet.  I like to wear them with my lavender pants too. They are still available and true to size.

 

I pulled out my denim skirt today, but I've worn this outfit with a white skirt and a khaki skirt also.  My blouse is a silk knit top in a lime yellow.  It's a hard color for a lot of people to wear, but I've loved it since I was in high school. I think it works if your skin has blue undertones, not yellow.

My white jacket with a mandarin collar and zip front completes the look.  The sleeves on this jacket are too long on me so I always roll them up, I should just get them hemmed to this 3/4 length, it would look so much more polished!

 

 

 

 

Denim skirt - White House Black Market

Blouse - White House Black Market

Jacket - Alfani

Shoes - Guess

Purse - Chanel

 

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Guess Heels

 

 After work I ran some errands.  I took my jacket off and and changed into these shoes and was good to go.  These wedges are by Vionic and they feel like athletic shoes.  They have a super-duper orthopedic foot bed just like my Nike's. I used to wear flats when running errands, but these days they make my feet hurt; I need a little bit of heel.  I replaced my leopard flats (that needed to be retired!) with these leopard wedges and I can go all day.

 

 

            

 

Vionic Wedges

 

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!

Black and White and Bold All Over

I love how black and white is effortlessly chic in any situation.  Here, I'm in my the little white dress I just got from Nordstrom via Trunk Club  (styled before here). This time I topped it with a black pin stripe blazer with short sleeves. I just buttoned the middle button and added a belt over the blazer. I've found that while models can pull off the belted blazer look effortlessly, I can only manage it with fitted blazers that are intended to be belted like this one!

The blazer is the top half of a two piece suit. I used to hang my suits in sets in my closet.  I always kept the blazer with the skirt or pants it came with.  About a year ago I tried separating my suits so I have just the blazers with all of my blazers and the skirt with my other skirts, etc.  I found that by doing that I found other ways to wear the pieces separately; giving me more unique outfits and more mileage out of my existing wardrobe.  It's been a great trick.

 

 

White Dress - Classiques Entier, available here it comes in four colors, regular and petite

Blazer - Tahari ASL (old)

Booties - Tahari (old)

 

I've had these black and white booties for many years; long before booties were all the rage and became trendy to wear with skirts and dresses. I still think they look better with Capri pants, trousers, or jeans, but I figured I'd give the trend a go.  I think booties with skirts work better on women with super skinny calves or really long legs.  I need that extra couple inches of skin to help elongate my legs!

 

 

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!

Tropical Print Skirt

Several bloggers I follow are already talking about transitioning to fall clothes. We still have two months of summer weather left here in Houston, so wardrobe adjustments haven't even crossed my mind yet! On the flip side, I tend to start thinking about spring outfits while others are still wearing their Uggs.

Even though I won't be able to pull out my knee high boots until November. There are some things that I put away in mid September. My seersucker suit doesn't feel correct after Labor Day, even when the temps are still pushing 100. Tropical prints, linen garments, and sun dresses will all be relegated to the back of my closet in a month too.  With that in mind I'm putting my overtly summery pieces in high rotation until then since I won't have a chance to wear them again until next year.

I'm not usually a fan of floral prints, but lately a few have crept into my closet. They are all bold and tropical like this skirt, so I guess I just don't like grandmothery florals! 

 

Skirt - Ann Taylor current season

Blouse - Vince 

Blazer - Brooks Brothers 

Suede sandals - Audrey Brooke (one of DSW's in house brands)

Blush Two Ways

Yesterday, my delightful colleague, Kelsey, wore a fabulous blush blazer to work.  I happened to be wearing a blush dress. As we joked about getting the "pink" memo and confided how we hope blush continues to be on trend in the business professional wardrobe for many more seasons, she kindly let me take a picture of her awesome outfit to share with you. 

 

Doesn't she look fantastic and professional! Her lovely lace skirt and blouse are from Ann Taylor.  I first started seeing lace skirts last fall, but this was the first time I had seen someone wearing one in a business setting, and it is lovely.  When they first came out I was concerned that lace might be too feminine for a business setting, but after seeing Kelsey's outfit, I realized how wrong I was.  She looked beautiful and feminine but completely professional at the same time. Nailed it!

 

She perfectly paired the neutral lace skirt with nude shoes and a blush blazer. She purchased her blazer at TJMaxx.  I love shawl collars on blazers, and they can be hard to find.  I've been on the hunt for a blush blazer like this for some time, but still haven't found a keeper yet.  I do have a blush skirt, though.  I might barrow Kelsey's color pallet, but switch the skirt and blazer.  I could combine my blush skirt with a white blouse and a neutral blazer...stay tuned!

 

 

My blush pink outfit was this Tahari dress that my Trunk Club stylist sent me (previously worn without blazer).  I paired it with a navy blazer with a stand up collar and ruffled lapel from White House Black Market.  I could have worn my nude heels like Kelsey, but chose my Ivanka Trump blush pink heels instead.

 

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!

Black and White with Bright Shoes

Black and white is so easy to wear and always looks professional.  I love to pair bright shoes with my black and white outfits to make them more interesting. 

 

The wrap blouse is the Deneuve from MM La Fleur (exact.) I love it because it is sewn all the way up in the front, so I'm not adjusting it all day, and I can lean over without worrying about flashing anyone.  I love the bracelet length sleeves, it drapes beautifully, and it is wash and wear, so worth the higher price tag if you ask me.  It comes in 3 colors, they sell out often but also restock often.

 

This pencil skirt from White House Black Market. It's from last season, but I'm still wearing it.  The black horizontal stripes on the sides are so slimming, and its made a super soft knit so it is comfy all day long.

 

 

Shoes are Christian Louboutin that I actually scored on one of those Facebook swap pages!

 

I don't often wear these shoes to work.  I think of them as more of a "date night" shoe, but it's summer and there's hardly anyone in the office these days so I can get away with it. Besides I'm meeting a girlfriend for dinner tonight in the new swanky River Oaks District, so they're perfect for that.

 

***Update: This ended up being the perfect girls night out outfit.  I stopped in the Dior store on the way to the restaurant and the ladies in the store swooned over my shoes!  My friend told me I looked fabulous too. :)

 

Gray and Pastels

Last week I blogged about a lilac and gray outfit I was wearing.  It got me thinking about how gray looks great with all pastel colors. So, I used the same  gray and pastels formula for today's outfit of gray and sky blue.

This is a sky blue leather skirt from White House Black Market that I got last season.
The gray zipper eyelet jacket is Armani Collezioni that I got at Neiman's Last Call, also last year.

 

I paired it with gray and navy pearls, and a wrist-full of silver bangles.  I learned how to stack bangles from growing up in the Middle East...looking at these pictures I'm not sure if that projects the successful business woman image I'm going for, but I am in very cosmopolitan Houston, so maybe it works!

 

 

Here are the shoes I'm wearing.  The are still available at DSW, and are on sale. The gray tied in with my jacket and it's not obvious in this picture, but there are shades of blue throughout the gray, so these are just the perfect shoe for this outfit!

 

 

I don't use affiliate posts, so I'm not making any money when you click on these links.

Red, White, and Oops! I Forgot the Blue!

Happy Fourth of July Weekend!  We usually go to Austin for the 4th, but this year we'll be on our way to Europe, so I haven't really gotten into the spirit.  When I got to work today everyone was in red, white, and blue outfits.  Just by chance I'm in red and white, I could have put on some navy shoes and I would have been set!

 

As it is, I'm still working through my "never worn" list from my Stylebook Closet App (you can read more about my adventures with the app here  and here), and this skirt and top were both on there.  I've never paired this top with this jacket, but I think it works, even if it is bright.  The skirt, top, jacket, and even the necklace are all from White House Black Market.

 

 

I was really trying to put together a great outfit for my new shoes.  I love, love, love these new shoes.  My last look-book from Keaton Row included them. I wasn't going to buy them, but I kept dreaming about them. I kept looking them up online and smiling at them, so I went ahead and ordered them.  They arrived last night.  I was worried that all that leather crisscrossing might be uncomfortable, but they are remarkably comfortable. I decided they were keepers. If you're as dreamy-eyed as me you can still get them on Amazon.

 

 

 

Dolce Vita Harper Sandals

 

 

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!

Minimalist Shinimalist!

There's been a real trend towards minimalism in the last few years. Fashion blogs and Pinterest are littered with how to create a Causal Wardrobe, or as some like to claim, how to dress like a French woman.

Then there's Marie Kondo's New York Times best seller that espouses that if you get rid of everything that doesn't spark joy in your life you will free yourself and only greatness will follow.

I've read numerous flow charts to help you decide what to keep and what to ditch. I've tried the system of turning all of your hangers backwards, the hang them back up normally after you wear something and after 6 month you'll be able easily identify what you haven't worn and get rid of it.

I've tried all of these ideas. In January after reading Kondo's book I did a big purge and took six bags to Good Will.  But I still have so many clothes.  When I started using my Stylebook Closet App, and it gave me an actual count of everything in my closet and the combined value...holy cow! 

I really started to weigh on me. The volume of my possessions was making me a little depressed. I started obsessing a little bit about it. Am I too materialistic? Am I a shopaholic? Am I hoarder? 

What is a reasonable amount of clothes to have anyway? Looking at my statistics in my closet app I have 502 items logged. And that's not everything, but it does include bags, shoes, necklaces, belts, and scarves. 

I've been using the app for 2 months. I haven't repeated a work outfit once, and I've only repeated a casual outfit once. Out of my 502 items, I still haven't worn 204 items after 2 months. About 65 of that 204 are winter items, so that doesn't really count. So, I have about 150 items still to wear.  That will probably still take me at least 2 more months to wear everything in season in my closet.

With those 502 items I've created 665 outfits so far, without much effort. If I really tried I could probably get up to 1000 unique outfits. And I'm not splitting hairs here and counting an outfit with different shoes or a different necklace as a different outfit. These are distinctively different outfits.

There's only 365 days in the year, though. I could go over 2 years without ever wearing the same outfit! My mom would say that's obscene (that's also how she describes our Christmases with 100's of presents, hmm maybe my comfort with excess stems from that!)! 

Anyway, I was lamenting to my coworker today about how I need to get rid of half my wardrobe because I have too much and she said, "Who cares?" I thought about that for a moment, and you know what, she's right! Who cares? 

I have the space for my stuff. I don't go into debt buying things. I wear my stuff. Why does it matter that I have too much, and who's to say what too much is anyway? I'm sure it's less than any of the Kardashions!

When I got home I changed out of my work clothes and into errond clothes as I do everyday. I created a new outfit combination that utilized 2 items from my never worn list, and a great pair of wedges that I've owned for years, but have also gone years with never wearing. If I'd had followed all that minimalist advice I would have gotten rid of these shoes years ago. Instead they were the perfect shoes for my outfit today and that brought me joy! 

 

A Summer Dress

Today I wore this light pink dress by Tahari. It has pockets! I had no idea how fun it is to have pockets in work clothes until today! I usually keep my pants' pockets sewn up so they lay flat, so it was new for me.

This was such an easy outfit. I'll have to find more dresses that I can wear to work without a blazer. I probably would never have picked this dress out, but my stylist from Trunk Club sent it. Tahari is one of my favorite brands, so I kept it even though I wasn't sure at first. I've actually put it on in the morning a several times before, but always changed into something else. I kept trying to wear a blazer with it before, but now that it's well into summer I felt alright wearing it on its own, and I got a lot of compliments from my colleagues.

Another reason I kept it on today is I wanted to wear these new shoes! They match perfectly! I just got the shoes a few days ago from DSW. They are by Ivanka Trump. This is my 3rd pair of her shoes and they are all eye catching and comfortable.

When I got back to the office this afternoon I set my purse on my desk for some reason. I usually put it in a drawer. My collguege spotted it and started gushing over it. I've always thought that everyone needs at least one Chanel purse, so last year I finally splurged. It's never made it into heavy rotation because it's a purse that generally takes two hands to get anything into or out of. It is so elegant though, and goes with everything! 

Black, Gray, and Red

I'm still working my Style Book Closet App . I've been using it for about 6 weeks, and I still have about half of my total items that have never been worn. I'm enjoying the challenge of not just reaching for my tried and true outfits, and coming up with different combinations to wear those less worn pieces.

Each morning I look at my "Never Logged to Calendar" list. Once I select a piece of clothing I want to wear, I then look at all of the outfits it is in and pick one. The app is really becoming a valuable tool!

I've had this Venician glass bead necklace since I was 5 or 6 years old. My mom bought if for me on our first trip to Venice, Itlay while we were living overseas. Can you believe I still have it!?  My original necklace is actually only half of this. My mom found a second necklace, probably on eBay, with the same colors and restrung the two of them together so I could wrap it around 3 times. Thanks mom!