Boring Business

 Skirt - JC Penny; Shirt - Gift; Shoes - Clarks; Jewelry - Premiere

Shirt - Steinmart; Skirt - Anne Klein (thifted); Shoes - Stuart Weitzman (thifted); Bracelet - Premiere; Necklace and Earrings - Me

We had some major league big wigs coming into the office this week for a client interview to win a HUGE project.  When I have meetings with clients, I tend to dress up a little more, usually breaking out a dress or donning a pencil skirt.  I do not, however tone down my color or pattern choices for clients.  Its a bit different when corporate big wigs are in town.  I always get a little nervous that they may see my color choices as frivolous and make a snap judgement about my work performance.  I may be worrying for nothing, but in this economy, with the threat of layoffs always looming, I don't want to do anything to jeopardize even the perceptions made about me. 

So, that being said, this is my twist on boring business. Yes, I'm all in gray, but I mixed plaid and polka dots.  And Stuart was able to give me a pop of color while still being muted and understated.  One of the female higher ups even complimented my shoes :-)

Farewell Old Friends

Shirt - Gap; Skirt - Old Navy; Shoes - Payless; Belt and Ring - Steinmart; Necklace - Premiere; Earrings - Macy's
Shirt - Gap; Cardi - Kohls; Skirt - JC Penny; Belt - NY & Co; Shoes - Thrifted; Necklace - Me

I couldn't decide in or out today. While my silhouette looked better head on with the skirt inside the high waisted skirt, the pleats on the skirt cause it to pooch out a bit in the area where I actually do have a pooch. So, my profile looked better when the shirt was untucked. I never did manage to decide, switching between the two looks every time I went to the bathroom. Ah, indecision.

Skirt - NY & Co; Shirt - Gap (thrifted); Jacket - Steinmart; Shoes - Payless; Belt - Thrifted

I retired two of the shoes pictured in this post after this week. The snakeskin sandals, while super hot, were a bit too big and the constant rubbing and shifting of my feet inside them was so very painful. The teal lovelies, I actually shed a bit of a tear for. I have loved these shoes for so long and have put up with the excruciating pain that I felt at the base of my big toes because the peep toe scraped the nail beds at just the perfectly horrible spot. I had to finally give up the ghost. I promised Hubs no shoes that couldn't make it through a day at the office, so bye-bye small instruments of podiatral torture. You will be missed. By me, not my feet.

33

Shirt - Style & Co (Free); Skirt - Talbots (thrifted); Boots - Thrifted; Belt - JC Penny; Necklace and Earrings - Premiere
Dress - Gap (thrifted); Jacket - Gap (circa 1999); Shoes - Payless; Jewelry - Mostly Premiere, with a little thrifted

I got a little bit of money from mileage expense reports which was totally bonus, so I took $40 to my local payless for their BOGO sale to buy myself some birthday presents. Too bad the shoes above broke on the second wearing. I'll be trying to recoup the cost of those if I can ever get around to taking them back.

Skirt - Talbots (thrifted); Shirt - JC Penny; Cardi - Old Navy; Shoes - Payless; Jewelry - Premiere

This was my birthday outfit. And the shoes are my new faves, and the ones from Payless that didn't fall apart. Thanks to Kendi for showing them to me for the first time. Olive and tomato and the kids coming to have lunch with me at the office... 33 is starting off AOK.

Sexy, Sassy Secretary

Shirt - Thrifted; Skirt - JC Penny; Vest - Thrifted; Shoes - Madden (Thrifted); Earrings - Steinmart; Bracelets - Premiere

This is what happens when Husby trys to play Austin Powers with the camera. Loved this retro shirt - Found it at St. Vincent DePaul for I think $2.00. It really is from the 60's, Polyester and all. The sleeves would most likely fit Sophie, however, so I just pretended that they are 3/4 length cause I loved the rest of the shirt so much. And I can't believe I never paired this vest with this skirt before. I felt like perfect Mad Men secretary. Minus the voluptuous boobies.

Let the Sunshine In

Dress - Lands End (gift from MIL); Belt - Thrifted; Shoes - Jessica Simpson (thrifted); Necklace - ME; Earrings - Steinmart

This dress was so comfy, it was like wearing jammies to work. I see myself wearing this dress a lot. For my first attempt, went with the red and blue, but I'm excited about adding some yellow, or lime to it for this spring. Thought I'd try safe and toned down for the first wearing. I'm finding that my favorite gifts lately are gift cards. Used to hate them, cause I thought they were the cop out gift for those that lack imagination. Now I love them, cause they let me shop guilt free. Hint, hint Hubs.

Skirt - Spiegel; Sweater - Style & Co (Macy's); Shirt, Necklace and Belt - JC Penny; Shoes - Rampage (Macy's); Earrings - Chicos

This was the first wearing of my long-searched for yellow pencil skirt, but the last wearing of one of my favorite memory pieces. These pumps were purchased when I got engaged to wear to my bridal showers. I was in a very classic black & white phase at the time (with a lot of polka dots) and I wore these shoes to nearly every event for the wedding outside from the actual ceremony. Problem is, they kill my feet. They are a bit too big, not being available in half sizes, and the cut of the shoes is a bit to wide for my average width feet. I spend so much time fighting with them to stay on that they hurt my arches. By lunch time at the office, I was barefoot under my desk, only walking when absolutely necessary, cause the thought of putting them back on made me cringe. Not the kind of shoes to wear when you're trying to get your step count up. I recently gave these shoes to the Lovely LaraTelena. Hopefully she can make them fulfill their shoe destiny. I'll post any pics she sends me. Hint, hint, Lara.

Cloth Memory

Shirt - Style & Co (Macy's); Skirt - TJ Maxx; Shoes - Payless; Belt - JC Penney; Necklace - Premiere; Earrings and Ring - Steinmart.

Do you ever haer a song or smell a scent that instantly takes you somewhere or time? The smell of Drakar instantly takes me back to my first date with my Husband; the smell of coconut takes me to my sister's pool; and this outfit takes me to the day that I met with the dean of my college and he agreed to waive the equivalent of $10,000 and 1 year's worth of classes for me. I will graduate in the summer of 2013. YAY!!

Shirt - JC Penny; Skirt - thrifted; Earrings and Ring - Premiere; Shoes - Gift; Belt - Thrifted

This outfit, on the other hand, takes me back to one of the most embarrassing days of my adult life. I was walking through my office production room, and my heal caught the linoleum floor just the wrong way and I wiped out. With all of my bags and books on my shoulders, so I made an even bigger crash. In front of all my coworkers. I was mortified. And I don't embarrass easily. I didn't cry in front of them though. I waited until I was limped back to my desk and my incredibly, instantaneously swollen knees were propped and iced by my ever-so-sweet cubie neighbor to start crying. And I had the bruise for 3 WEEKS. A large horrible purple bruise, which meant I had to wear pants or longer skirts and was reminded daily of my shame. It's gone now, but I may just have to get rid of the shoes so I can forget about it a bit. On the other hand, this was another red-white-black attempt that I succeeded in doing my own way, so YAY to ME!

Double Duty

Skirt and Shirt- Old Navy; Cardi - Gap; Belt and Shoes - Thrifted; Jewelry - Premiere

I'm so far behind in my blogging that I thought I should start doubling up outfits in my posts. This first outfit was quite a gem, inspired by Christmas Wrapping paper. I found a swatch of wrapping paper when I was looking for tissue paper for a baby shower gift and was taken aback by the striking contrast of the gray and tan/gold. I found the closest thing I could in my closet, and I love the color contrast. The skirt, however has had better days because the next immediate washing contained a blue crayon and the skirt is no longer. I do have some gray pants, though....

Sweater - Gap; Skirt and Shoes - Thrifted; Belt - NY & CO; Necklace - JC Penney

I LOVE these shoes. I kinda felt like a 70's streetwalker in them at work this day. Not it a bad way, though...in a good Jodi Foster Taxi Driver kinda way. The shoes are one of the few open toed shoes I have that don't hurt the nail beds of my big toe, so that was a plus. And the colors are so on trend right now, I'ts easy to find things that go with them. They'll be making many appearances once the weather decides to stay consistently warm. And I've decided to eliminate the ratings....lately everything has been two thumbs up, which is great, but not very informational and just seems like I'm tooting my own horn. I'll still use the ratings when Husby does not like my outfit, or if I dislike it myself, but for outfits we both like, I'll just refrain.

For those of you that read me on a regular basis, thanks for your patience. This quarter is exceptionally rough, with me taking classes 5 days a week and working full time. I can barely remember my keys, let alone to blog. But we take pictures every morning, and I'll keep plugging on when I can grab a few minutes.

St. Patrick's Day in May??

Shirt and Skirt - Steinmart; Belt - JC Penny; Shoes - Madden (thrifted); Cardi - TJ Maxx; Necklaces - Premiere; Ring - Steinmart

Looking at this outfit makes me realize that I am super behind in my blogging (as I wore this outfit on St. Patty's Day) but that I also look really good in green. There was something so glamorous and Madmen-eske about this outfit. I also have this tank in blue...I think I'll be trying out a variation of it shortly.

Rating - Two Thumbs Up

Dirty Martini, Extra Olive

Cardi and Tank - Gap; Skirt - JC Penny; Shoes - Madden (thrifted); Belt - Thrifted; Bracelet - Steinmart; Earrings - Chico's; Necklace - Premiere

I found this tank and cardi on the clearance rack at the Gap when I took my bestie there for her birthday. I love the dark green background and the earth-toned floral print of the tank, and I've been wanting a sweater this color FOREVER, so it was like I struck gold.

The second gold was the olive green heels. I love all things olive, since my eyes are that color, but it's been surprisingly hard to find. Military green - Easy. Lime - all over the place. But a good olive has been elusive. These pumps were sitting, ever so elegantly, on a shelf in my fave thrift store for $10, almost like they were waiting for me. I won't say that they are super comfy, but they have made it through a few full days at the office without me resorting to my emergency flats, so they rate pretty high on the comfort scale.

This outfit was a winner all around. I felt feminine, fashionable, and in my autumn element.

Rating - Two Thumbs Up

Disappointing

Cardi - Steinmart; Shirt - NY & Co; Skirt - JC Penny; Shoes - TJ Maxx;

Necklace - JC Penny; Earrings - Chico's; Ring - Macy's

This shirt is one of the most disappointing items in my closet. I had such hopes for it. I loved the ruffles, the dusty rose color, the interesting collar. But I wore it ONCE and the seams started fraying and by the end of the day, there was a huge, shredded, gaping hole under my left armpit. I had to throw it away when I got home. So very, very disappointing. If only I had worn it closer to purchasing it, I might have had warrant to take it back to NY & Co and get my money back. But I bought this shirt during their clearance sale at Christmas time so hopes of restitution are dashed. At least it was on clearance.

Rating - Two Thumbs Up

Bumble Bee Tuna

Shirt - Steinmart (FREE); Skirt - JC Penny; Cardi - Steinmart; Shoes - Payless; Tights - Old Navy;

Ring and Short Necklace- Premiere; Earring and Long Necklace - Me

I love this shirt and the uneven seams and 'shredded' appearance. It is so different. I had to do a little convincing of my sister to try in on in the first place. She bought it, but didn't ever wear it before she lost the weight. This is the inaugaral weariing of this shirt, which is quite a nice addition to my spring wardrobe. If only Spring will decide to get here!!!

Ahhh the shoes. Being a Shoeie (like a foodie), I'd have a hard time choosing my favorite pair. These, however would be on my sort list. They are super cute, the ruffles are adorable, they are comfy, and my nostalgia for the style of yesteryear keeps a warm place for any T-strap shoes.

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Rating - Two Thumbs Up

Striking

Shirt - Liz Claiborne (thrifted); Scarf used as belt- thrifted; Skirt- JC Penny;

Necklace and Bangles - Steinmart; Shoes - Madden (thrifted)

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My boss sprung on me the desire for me to attend a community meeting as the face of my company and our client at about 3:00 at work. What I loved most about this outfit was that I felt no need to change between work and the meeting. I felt confident, classy, and just the right amount of sexy. I shone at the event, being one of the more outgoing 'working' the event and ended up making positive contact with many of the concerned members of the community. I guess the bartender in me will always make me approachable. I was told by a random stranger that I was striking. This is my new power suit. And with all of the clearance and thrifted items that it incorporates, I was clothed head to toe for under $30. YAY!!

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Rating - Two Thumbs Up.

Farewell, Old Friend

Pants - Jones New York (steinmart); Shirt - JC Penny; Belt - Steinmart; Sweater - TJ Maxx;

Shoes - Nine West (thirfted); Necklace - Thrifted; Earrings - Premiere

This outfit was thrown together totally last minute as I saw this shirt that I bought last summer when I was rearranging my closet and wanted to wear it. I love everything about how this outfit looked and felt. This shirt was such a pleasant surprise. I would never have paired red, magenta and brown before purchasing this, and was drawn to the ugliness of the pattern. It's really quite beautiful.

The old friend, however, is the pants. These pants are brown with gold sparkles are highwaisted, wide legged and all sorts of amazing. But they are also wool and very itchy, so after this picture was taken, I retired them into my winter clothes bin to be resurrected next October. I'll miss you, sweet pants.

. Rating - Two Thumbs Up Always love it when I follow up a crappy outfit with a faboo one!

Boudoir Chic

Skirt and belt - JC Penny; Lace Top - TJ Maxx; Shirt - Style & Co (Macy's);

Tights - Old Navy; Necklace and Ring - Steinmart; Earrings - Premiere; Shoes - Madden (thrifted)

When I got dressed this morning, I was a bit apprehensive that this outfit may be a bit to sexy for work. But, seeing as all of my naughty parts were sufficiently covered and I was in love with the outfit, I threw caution to the wind. And I'm so glad I did. I felt a bit more than the appropriate amount of sexy at work (which made me even more productive) and got tons of compliments on the outfit. Plus, this necklace, one of my favorite statement pieces, making an appearance always makes for a great day. AND, the proportions were just right, making me look long and lean(er).

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Rating - Two Emphatic Thumbs Up

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This outfit also got me thinking about my newly developed clothing worth theory (which is helping me curb my spending). Before I buy something, I always try it on and then try to put a monetary value on how much I like it. I liked this shirt $10 worth. THEN I look at the price tag. This shirt was $11. But its originality, both for my closet and in general, gave it an extra worth buck and I bought it. But how do I come up with this worth?

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Easy. I divide the amount I paid for the item by the amount of times I expect myself to wear it. If I can think of enough outfits off the bat to bring it's worth down to $2-$3 per wearing, I'll go ahead and purchase. Then, once it is in my closet, I try to wear it enough to bring that value down to $1. If I wear this $11.00 shirt 11 times, then I've suceeded in my challenge and adequatley valued it's worth at purchase. Currently, it's at $5.50. I've more than succeeded for the skirt, earrings, belt, necklace and shoes :-)

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I know, it borders on the ridiculous, but I am an engineer after all. Math is a part of nearly every thought I have.

Crazy Spoutings of a Shoe Addict

Cardi - Macy's (FREE); Skirt and Belt - JC Penny; Shirt - NY & Co (thrifted);

Tights - We Love Colors; Shoes - FREE (from my boss)

Close up of the cutie-pa-tootie shoes. My boss decided after getting pregnant with her third child that heels were no longer in the cards for her. Lucky for me, she has big honkin' feet like I do. She gives me first dibs before sending them to Goodwill. Even more lucky for me, cause I'd probably end up paying for them at Goodwill cause she had good shoe taste. However, when it comes to shoes I have a weird kind of mantra. While on one hand I feel that you can never have too many shoes, on the other hand, I feel that shoes have souls (haha I'm so clever) and must fulfill their shoe destiny. Therefore, I won't adopt or purchase a pair of shoes that are too similar to shoes that I have in my closet, so that all get worn. When I took these, I had no brown pumps. These shoes have been worn plenty and have smiling, happy, bright orange auras to match their cute little bows. It's all about Karma. Happy shoes won't break a heel or allow you to twist your ankle or give you blisters.

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Don't get me wrong. I couldn't have 50+ pairs of shoes and bee too narrow in my shoe sorting. Example: I have pewter flats and pumps;Red flats, pumps and Mary Janes; and black pointed toe mid heel, rounded toe low heel, rounded toe T-straps with ruffles and a high heel, flat boots with scrunchy calves, etc, etc....etc. Do you have good shoe Karma?? Am I just a Crazy shoe lady??

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And here is the Fugly sweater's second wearing. I'm not nearly as happy with this look as I was the last, but I've got at least 6 shirts of varying colors or styles to pair with this cardi before I make a definitive decision. C'mon people....free makes it even better!!

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Rating - Two Thumbs Up

Green Giant

Sweater and Pants - Steinmart; Shirt - thrifted; Shoes - Payless; Jewlery - Premiere

This sweater is a OHW. It's a bit awkward in its shape. I feel really top heavy and shouldery in it. I thought that putting it over a button down with pants would tame it a little. Intead I just look like a linebacker.

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Rating - One Thumb Down (don't remember how Husby felt about this one)

Great Barrier Reef

Cardi, Dress and Tank - Old Navy; Tights - JC Penny; Belt - NY & Co;

Shoes - Madden (thrifted); Bracelet and Necklace - Premeire

When I bought these shoes, I thought that they were red. But upon closer inspection at home, they are a faded red-y, pink-y, orange-y kind of mix, which almost match perfectly to this coral sweater fom Old Navy. I loved this outfit, especially the uber feminine ruffles of the dress, and got tons of compliments. A closeup of the dress. I am still looking for the perfect red pump to replace the ones that my post baby feet won't fit into.

I actually fell in love with the dress last summer, but it was priced at nearly $40, way too much for me to spend on a sun dress. Imagine my amazement and surprise when I was looking for tights at ON and came across this on a clearance rack, in my size for $3.49. Sorry, Husby, but I had to splurge on myself. Maybe good things do come to those who wait :-)

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Husby, however, did not like this outfit nearly as much as I did. He said it was 'OK'. When I asked what was wrong, he said he didn't like the colors. That's okay with me. If he had said, 'You look really fat in it' or 'That belt doesn't give you a nice curve', or 'The shoes make your ankles look think', then I'd have probably changed. My color choices....as long as I'm happy with them, that's all that matters to me.
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Rating - One Thumb Up, One Thumb Sideways

Imitation is Flattery

Shirt and Bracelet - Steinmart; Cardi - Thrifted; Skirt and tights - Old Navy;

Boots - Marshall's; Belt - JC Penny

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First off, a round of applause to my first guest blogger, Lara Talena. It was so much fun playing dress up at your house. Thanks for letting me be bossy and pull you out of your comfort zone while forcing you into belts and jackets and skirts and prints and colors and....okay, I'm getting carried away. But honestly, she went from saying 'This shirt with that skirt?' to 'Yes Ma'am' by the end, so either she was getting into it, or I'm bossier than I think :-)
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Now, about this outfit. While I did not at all intend to imitate anyone, when I looked at the picture, I immediately thought of Kendi. While I'm not nearly as cute and skinny, this outfit had a color palette that I could picture Kendi in, and the pose and boots with a skirt and dark long hair all screamed Kendi to me. Kendi, if you read this, please be flattered and not offended :-) And in addition to looking good, I felt good all day..everything was warm, but not too heavy and super comfortable. I came home and took a nap in it after work even.

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Speaking of offended....I asked Husby if he'd take my picture this morning, he emphatically responded 'Now THIS outfit, you look great in' in a way which made me feel a little bit good about today and a whole lot bad and worried about everything else I've worn this year. I know every outfit can't be a home run, but pu-lease!! I love you anyway Husby.

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Rating - Two Thumbs Up

Black & White and Read All Over

Cardi - TJ Maxx; Skirt - JC Penny; Shirt - Steinmart; Necklace and Bracelet - Macy's;

Earrings - Premeire; Shoes - Thrifted

This outfit was prepared around my shoes. Normally I wake up in the morning and I have an idea of an item that I would like to wear, then I build an outfit around it. This is the first time I wore these shoes to work and I found that they are a bit too small for me. I can still wear them on work days, but found that I should carry a pair of backup flats for walking to & from the car and on campus for class. I love the wingtips and the classic black and white style. Next time, I'm going to pair them with some bright accents. I've got a pair of green tights which would look like a dream with them.....

I've found myself getting really bored with the conventional radio stations in my city, so I've been listening to an Oldies's station which has a 'One Hit Wonder' feature. I started to think about my closet. I have many, many items in my closet which have only been worn once. So, this month, I'm trying to feature these 'One Hit Wonders'. Today, it's the shirt. This black wrap shirt with ruffled neckline and sleeves was worn on Christmas Eve, 2009. Then I put it away because I thought it was boring. I was merely lacking imagination. I love this classic look which kinda makes me feel like a 1940's dynamo. I need to find me a gumshoe to do some investigating with.

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Rating - Two Thumbs Up