All that Glitters is not Gold

Sweater - NY & Co; Shirt - Steinmart (FREE); Belt - Trhifted;

Skirt - NY & Co; Tights - Motherhood Maternity; Shoes -Payless

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My little sister turned 25 and developed the family figure. No, she didn't get prego. It's just that our mother is an apple, and all 4 of us girls started out skinny minnie's, but when we reached maturity (and developed thyroid disease), our bodies evolved into the apple shape. Lil' Sis was lucky enough to have it happen to her before she had children, and was able to adopt an aggressive workhout schedule in a bootcamp and get back nearly to her fighting weight. I'm so proud of her, but jealous at the same time because I do not have the hours to devote to working out that she does. My journey is much longer than hers. The good thing for me, though, is that she gave me all of her fat clothes. You'll see quite a few items indicated as FREE from Steinmart in the next couple of months that came from her.

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This particular day I was returning to work after a week off with a stomach bug and bronchitis, so I wanted to look sparkly, even if I didn't quite feel it. I never thought to put these colors together in this way before, but I'm glad I did. Compliments abounded this day and I ended up feeling almost back to normal by the end of the day. I think the skirt definitely helped.

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My hair was also kind of feathered when I woke up, so I went with it and did my impression of Kardashian hair. I'll be leaving this hairstyle to the professionals from now on.

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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!

Wrapped Up in Cheetah

Skirt - Liz Claiborne (thrifted); Sweater - Thrifted; Belt - Baby Phat - Thrifted;

Shirt - FREE (from Mom); Bangles and Ring - Steinmart; Shoes - Thrifted

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The skirt here is the one hit wonder. Every time I've tried to wear it, I've paired it with a black shirt, which just bored me. Then, my mom gave me this gold number and an idea sparked. I was happy with this outfit when I left, but there were some issues. First, the skirt is a wrap skirt, so it's got extra fabric in the front which makes me look bigger. Not a problem if I wear a more form fitting shirt on the top, but this blousy number only accentuated the problem. Can't see it in the pic above, but if you took a side view, whoa Nelly. I'm not giving up on the skirt, though. Next time, I think I'll try using the black wrap shirt I always want to pull, but adding lots of color with accessories and see how that goes.

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Rating - Two Thumbs Sideways

My Evil Twin Donna

Shirt - NY & Co (thrifted); Pants - Steinmart; Vest - August Silk (TJ Maxx);

Shoes - Jessica Simpson Ballet Flats (thrifted); Belt - Baby Phat (thrifted)

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This outfit is not at all in the theme of the month, having not a singe One Hit Wonder involved, but it was an outfit from a few weeks back that I realized I hadn't posted. In the spirit of the blog, I'm including it now.

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I was raised in a very strict catholic home, and lived in both the fear of God and my mother, so I was always a good little girl that followed the rules and didn't do anything bad. But there were times when I wanted to (especially when I got into high school), and while I'd like to say I was too resolved, I was really too chicken shit to stray from the straight and narrow. I imagined that I had an evil twin named Donna who would drink and smoke and make out with boys, shop lift, swear...all of the things that I could never bring myself to try. Probably explains a lot of my rebelling when I moved out on my own...not the brightest period of my life, but I digress.

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When I got to work wearing this outfit, more than one person told me I looked like Donna from That 70's Show. I couldn't help but snicker thinking of my evil twin and all of the naughty things I imagined she'd do.

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Rating - One Thumb Sideways (husby); One Thumb Up (me)

GI Goose

Tank - INC (Macy's); Pants - Macy's (gift); Shoes - Nine West (Thrifted);

Cardi and Belt- NY & Co.; Jewelry - Premiere

I loved how this outfit came together. The glitter of the cardi and belt, mixed with the camo tank....just a bit of edgy with the very feminine. This was a fabulous ad fitting way to end 2010, as this was my last outfit of the year.

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Rating - Two Thumbs Up.

Lauren Conrad

Tank - Lauren Conrad (thrifted); Cardi - Old Navy; Pants - TJ Maxx;

Shoes - Payless; Jewelry - Premiere

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I've never seen an episode of The Hills. I hate Heidi and Spencer, though, from other things I've seen them on and read. So I'll admit, they sucked any curiosity I had about The Hills which might lead me to check out an episode or two right out of my system. I know that Lauren Conrad was on this show, and that she's done some commercials (and is a HORRIBLE actress), but had no clue she had a clothing line. When I found this adorable tank (and another one that I'm sure will be making an appearance soon) I had to buy it. The color matches my eyes, and I love the pale purple/pink flowers throughtout which happen to match the cardi which I already owned. It's very feminine and delicate and ruffley and I love it. And it helped that they were on clearance at Plato's closet and I got both for less than $5. I'm doing my good deal dance over here.

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Rating - Two Thumbs Up

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And I won't be around much this next week. I'm on vacation and that involves tons of time with my littles and very little time on my computer. No offense. They are cuter.

Frumpy Skirt

Shirt - Macy's; Skirt - Steinmart; Shoes - Payless;

Necklace and Bracelet - Premiere

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This skirt hasn't been worn in 3 years because a) I couldn't zip it up and b) I thought it was too frumpy. While it's still not my favorite skirt, I found that if I added a funky hip top and fun shoes and accessorized it right, the frump could be minimized. It is a bit long, which I think makes me look a bit old, but overall a nice, clean, conservative with a bit of sass work outfit.

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And I did do my happy dance a bit when I zipped it up :-)

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Husby instituted a new rating system this morning. When I expressed my frustrations with statements like 'You look very Teal today' or 'You look like a teacher', we agreed that a better system would be a Thumb Rating. Thumbs up for good, down for bad, and sideways for indifference.

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Rating - One Thumb Sideways

Crystal Blue Persuasion

Pants and Tank - Steinmart; Cardi - TJ maxx; Necklace - Macy's; Bracelets and Earrings - Premiere; Floral Magnetic Pin - Steinmart; Shoes - Moda (Thrifted)
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Using the pumps from yesterday and a navy cardigan, day two of the Navy challenge turned out even better than expected. Despite Husby saying he didn't like my outfit. I loved it. Every part of it. And was so sad when I had to leave work after only 6 hours to go to school, cause this was the kind of outfit which could keep me going all day. Thanks Jessica of SS for the yellow-blue idea.

Protector of Sherwood Forest

Shirt, Belt and Vest - Steinmart; Pants - Macy's; Shoes - Jessica Simpson (thrifted); Earrinngs, Necklace and Bracelets - Premiere

You know that go-to shoe that is always comfy and makes you feel super fab? These are one of my two pairs. The other ones are silver and glittery all over. These babies are an awesome red plaid, with gold jinglies and a little red patent bow to match the trim. Got them for $4 at a thrift store and I couldn't figure out why they were not only thrifted, but clearance. Why would no one want these beautiful shoes? I finally figured it out.

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Despite Plato's Closets efforts to keep things organized, shoes never quite end up in the right places. While I am a size 9.5 - 10 (just call me Sasquatch) I look through all of the sizes until around 7, and I've found some gems put in the wrong places. I found these babies in the 8-9 section and despite saying 8.5, they looked awefully big so I tried them on and they fit. I can see how someone with size 8.5 feet would try these on and pass them by. Oh how I love manufacturer's defects that work in my favor!!

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I was very pleased with this color combo until I got to work and everyone was calling me Robin Hood. I'll still most likely try this combo again, just in a more feminine way. Oh, how I love being compared to a boy.

Sheer Power

Cardi - Steinmart; Shirt - Old Navy (thrifted); Pants - Steinmart;

Pink Ballet Flats - Old Navy; Belt - Steinmart; Bracelet,

Earrings and Necklace - Premiere

I left the house feeling cute and so happy about how I styled this odd colored blouse which has been staring at me in my closet for months. It is so very sheer that you can see my bra, the tank I was wearing and the Kyonna body shaper that I wear for my back pain that I am embarrased to wear it without a sweater. The color is an odd purpley pink and it has gold pinstripe lines through it. I bought it because it was unique, but I haven't worn it because it was so unique I couldn't figure out what to wear with it. As I said, I was pretty happy about the outfit, but as the day wore on, my glee diminished. I blame it on the pants. They were a size 14 and I was able to zip them up no problems. Yay, I am now a 14. But they kept rolling down my belly, which was even more obvious with the super sheer shirt over them. I felt like a cow by the time I made it to school. I have a few pounds to go before I pull these pants out again.

Pewter Suiter

Blazer - thrifted; Skirt and Belt - JC Penny; Shirt - Lane Bryant (thrifted); Shoes - Target; Necklace - Anne Klein (thrifted); Earrings - Steinmart; Bracelets - Premiere

Wow! That suit makes me look thin. Either that or it's the way I'm standing, but I like what I see. When I put on the jacket, I felt like my arms looked really beefy, but they aren't that bad. I was really apprehensive about the shirt/skirt/jewelry combination, too because the shirt is pewter and black up close, but when you look from far away, it's goldy looking. I think this looks great together. And I got quite a few compliments on my outfit today, from near strangers, so I think the world agrees with me. Why do my attempts at professional always end up looking like a 60's secretary? Damn that Zooey Deschanel!!

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And when I got dressed this morning, trying to find the perfect shoes to go with this unique shirt, I realized that I have 3 pairs of said shoes. The satin peep-toe flats in the picture were worn for the trek to and from work, while metallic pewter pumps (New York & Co - thrifted) were donned for the office. I LOVE MY SHOES!!

Metallica

Shirt - JC Penny; Jeggings - Macy's; Shoes - Shoe Carnival;

Bracelet - Premiere (gift from Husby); Necklace and Earrings - Baker's; Belt - Thirfted

In the mirror in my room, I thought the belt looked better lower on my hips, but once I saw the picture, I decided that up at my waist made my stomach look less rotund. This is how I wore it the rest of the day.
I had always wanted one of these cool printed T-s, but 'regular' sized T's (even XL) always were too tight in the belly and bust, but plus sized were always too roomy. I found a happy medium with this T and the belt. And Jeggings??? I'm in love!! Those sandals, however....no matter how many times I wear them, I still don't like them. Love the color, think the style is too old lady for me. I've been keeping them at my office as a backup pair of shoes to wear on campus if the heels I wear to work aren't practical for the long walk on campus for class.

Dirty Martini

Shirt - JC Penny; Pencil Skirt - JC Penny; Necklaces - Macy's and Premiere;

Bracelets - Premiere; Shoes - Charlotte Russe (thrifted)

I was told that you should never mix your metallic finishes, but I just love putting this matte 5 bangle interloced bracelet with these 5 glittery gold bangles. I can't help myself.

And I confess, these are what Husby affectionately refers to as 'Stupid Shoes' - Shoes that look good but you can't walk in em. I cannot part with them and continually wear them hoping that they'll get easier in time, you know, once they are broken in. I'm also realistic and pack a pair of flats in my laptop bag which inevitably get put on around lunch. This outfit has reinforced to me that

• a) JC Penny is pretty darn awesome and inexpensive for office attire (whole outfit was less than $20),
• b) I look great in pencil skirts. I think they are the most flattering on me, and will wear the heck out of the two I own,
• c) Olive green is a great color for me....I need to look for more of this to add to my wardrobe!