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.

  

Striped Dress for Valentines

Dresses can be tricky if you're not the same size on your top and bottom halves. I was skeptical about this one and them pleasantly surprised. It fits really well all over. The dress is a super soft stretch knit, so it feels like wearing my favorite night shirt! It has light and dark pink stripes, and the top part is white. The black vertical stripes down each side are very slenderizing and keep the horizontal stripes from overwhelming my frame.

I paired the dress with a berry pink jacket and black pumps. I love this jacket that I've been wearing at least once a week. I'll post more combinations with it soon. I'll definitely wear it on Valentine's Day next week.

The dress and jacket are both still available at White House Black Market in regular and petites.

 

 

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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Pumpkin Spice

I'm starting to see pumpkin flavored everything in the grocery store, and this morning when I went outside it was almost cool. Fall will be here soon!

This pumpkin colored blouse will likely be in heavy rotation for the season. I just purchased it and it's made of a beautiful silky fabric that drapes nicely. With short sleeves it will be easy to wear with a jacket for work, or on its own on weekends. And, bonus, since orange is opposite of blue on the color wheel, if you have blue eyes the orange will really bring attention to them!

This crop tweed jacket is also a recent purchase from White House Black Market. It's light weight so I'll be able to wear it year round.  I've always loved military inspired details like these Epaulettes. I'm so excited to see military details trending. The neutral color is so versatile, and matches my suede sandals and belt.

I wore my favorite denim skirt for a more casual look, but my navy skirt or black skirt would have worked too. I chose the denim because it has belt loops, which gave me the opportunity to wear my reversible Hermes belt, that I usually only wear on the black side.

My Celine Nano inspired the whole outfit, and ties everything together by repeating the color palette. 

 

 

Crop jacket: White House Black Market, similar, similar 

Top: Joie available in several colors

Belt: Hermes

Denim Skirt: White House Black Market, similar, similar, and this similar on that's under $40

Purse: Celine Nano black and white version

Shoes: Audrey Brooke/DSW similar, similar under $50, similar

 

Over to you, what's your favorite pumpkin flavored food, or pumpkin colored item in your closet?

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!

Running Through the Airport

Last week I had a short business trip to Dallas. I usually schedule my flights so that I can drop my daughter off at school and then drive to the airport. This time my flight was cutting it a little close, so of course everything went wrong! The entrance ramp to the freeway was closed so I had to detour through downtown, then once I got to the airport and parked the parking shuttle took forever to arrive, then my terminal was the last one on the route, my bag had to be screened twice....you get the picture. As I'm going through security I here the final boarding call for my flight. I made my flight, but not before I ran all the way down the concourse to get to my gate...in my Louboutins!

The next time someone asks me if my shoes are comfortable I'm going to say, "Yes! I can even run in them!"

This is what I was wearing. The print on this jacket gives it a lot of versatility. I paired it with pink and yellow today, but it works with lots of different combinations. I've been seeing bell sleeves a lot this fall already. I prefer flared sleeves at 3/4 length like they are here so that they don't fall into my food, knock over papers, or get caught on door knobs. 

I paired the jacket with a yellow shell from Ann Taylor, and this dusty rose A-line skirt from Theory. I like to carry this Louis Vuitton purse when I travel because my iPad fits in it, yet it is still fairly compact. My nude Louboutin's with the rubber sole savers (see post) ended up being a great choice!

Jacket: Lafayette 148

Shell: Ann Taylor similar

Skirt: Theory Similar, Similar

Shoes: Christian Louboutin exact

Bag: Louis Vuitton Monogram Looping GM  No longer available, but here's a used version

 

After my meetings were over I swapped my skirt and pumps for jeans and mules and I was ready for dinner.

Jeans: WHBM very similar

Shoes: WHBM Similar and on sale

Shell: Ann Taylor similar

Bag: Louis Vuitton Monogram Looping GM  No longer available, but here's a used version

 

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!

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!

Embroidered Skirt Two Ways

I've enjoyed this skirt all summer. It is white with a subtle beige geometric embroidered pattern on it. I usually wear it with my tan blazer and nude shoes. I like to change up my blouse and jewelry though for more variety. Here I'm wearing it with a sky blue wrap blouse, and below with a simple white shell.

 

Embroidered skirt - White House Black Market

Blue wrap shell - Lafayette 148

Nude Heels - Christian Louboutin

Tan Blazer - Brooks Brothers

Blue chalcedony necklace - Sri Lanka

 

Embroidered skirt - White House Black Market

White shell - White House Black Market

Nude Heels - Christian Louboutin

Tan Blazer - Brooks Brothers

 

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)

Little White Dress

Every one is familiar with the "little black dress."  It's a wardrobe staple that is appropriate for just about any occasion.  Lately though, the little white dress has become just as popular. 

Hallie over at Corals + Cognac just did a great post on how to wear a little white dress five ways. Her post just happened to coincide with my latest Trunk Club delivery that included none other than a little white dress.  Hallie's post made me decide to keep it, so here's my first attempt at the now ubiquitous little white dress.

This dress is that wonderful ponte knit that looks professional, but stretches like a t-shirt and doesn't loose its shape.  Lucky for me it comes in comes in petites too, so it hits at mid-knee without alterations (I'm 5'3" for reference).  It's from Nordstrom via Trunk Club available here. (Read about my fun with Trunk Club here and here).

My coral blazer is a linen blend, so it's cool enough to wear all summer, but doesn't wrinkle like linen.  I got it last year at White House Black Market along with these shoes and belt.

Here are a couple of other go anywhere white dresses:
Jackie O Dress  - I've read lot's of good reviews about this dress and it comes in several colors

Tahari Dress - One of my "go to" brands

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.

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! 

 

Outfit Formula: Formal Suit Made Casual

The matching skirt and blazer tends to be the most formal and traditional outfit formula, but when done in Searsucker, it's emidiately a bit more casual while still professional, and perfect for a Houston summer.  This seersucker suit is from Tahari, and the white shell is White House Black Market. Paired with an orange Michael Kors purse and these brown embossed Prada peep-toe heels, you have a great summer work outfit.

 

Prada shoes are often the most comfortable shoes I own. These brown embossed leather ones were a little loose in the heel and sometimes I would walk out of them. I added some heel cushions and now they fit great.

Outfit of the Day

This jacket and navy skirt are both JCrew and I bought them both on Ebay.  I've had great luck buying JCrew staples on Ebay.  This jacket and skirt were both practically new.  JCrew is pretty good about having standard sizing, so I know what size I wear in the brand and when I order that size it fits.  This has been a fun jacket to own; the 60's vibe is fun without being over the top.  I've worn it to work and to evening work events.  Here I paired it with my Celine Micro Luggage bag, which works perfectly!  I'm also wearing Manolo Blahnik's that I bought at a high end resale store here in Houston called The Little Bird.

 

 

Outfit of the Day

Today I wore this black jersey knit T Tahari wrap dress, J Crew camel blazer, and these black and camel t-strap Ivanka Trump pumps. Do you like black and camel together?

I'm still working through my closet using my Stylebook Closet App (see my post about it here ). My list of items "never logged to calendar" is still pretty long, but I'm on a mission!