Ladies Day Out

Shirt - Macy's (FREE); Skirt - Dots; Pumps - Thrifted; Bracelets - Macy's; Necklace and Earrings - Premiere; Glasses - Banana Republic via Giovanetti Eye Care

I saw this shirt online a while ago and thought little of it. I don't know if the model was too skinny or if it was the way she was standing, but it just looked bleh. When my mom convinced me to try it on during a recent ladies day out, I was floored at how adorable it looked. I love the lacey feminine details and the muted floral pallette. Thanks MOM! And Macy's rewards bucks making it free made it even cuter!

And the skirt....I've tried several times to look at Dots because of the inexpensive cost, but was not impressed. Fabrics seemed cheap; Clothes poorly slapped together. I gave them another try this spring when I was looking for shorts. I was struggling because every regular store, like Old Navy and Target, made shorts that were the equivalent of but-moo-moos when you passed size 12. They lacked shape and just hung like bags. So I tried Dots, remembering they had a plus sized section. What I found was surprisingly good quality, excellent fit and a good variety of stylish options for the plus sized. True, the plus sections was super small and much more expensive than the skinny side, but it was choc full of gems and reasonable priced. I found 3 pairs of shorts and a brown pencil skirt with adorable ruching down the sides.

Maybe I've figured out their plan. Skinny women can shop anywhere, so cut corners where you can and make em cheap.... But plus sized women want fit and fashion and will pay a bit more...within reason, that is.

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.

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.

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.

Photo Inspiration

Cardi - Old Navy; Pants - Steinmart; Shirt - Kohls;

Necklaces, Earrings and Bracelets- Premiere; Shoes - Payless

This outfit was inspired by J Crew. I was surfing their site, checking out their new looks and there were peach gloves and a teal scarf together and I loved it. This was the closest I could come to the colors - different saturations, but the idea is the same. I felt simultaneously springy and weather appropriate. I wouldn't say that this is even in my top 10 outfits, but I was proud of myself for attempting this color combo after seeing it online.

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Rating - Two Thumbs Up