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Sunday, April 8, 2012

The Navy & Orange Love Affair Continues

What I wore to a friend's birthday lunch last Sunday.  Orange and navy is my current obsession.   My husband suggested I spin around in a circle slowly while he snapped photos to help me relax in front of the camera. 



Another Navy & Orange Outfit
Love By Design polka-dots cardigan, navy/cream - BP. dept Nordstrom
Caslon boyfriend button-down shirt, white - Point of View dept
 - nordstrom.com
Halogen® Two Tone Skinny Belt, Azure/Navy - nordstrom.com
Vince Skinny Crop Jeans - Coral, Via C dept nordstrom.com
kate spade 'Keswick Caning' bracelet, navy/gold - Nordstrom
Lauren by Ralph Lauren 'Lake Tahoe' Double Drop Earrings, gold/silver - nordstrom.com
MICHAEL Michael Kors 'Addison' straw tote, Mocha - Nordstrom
Cole Haan 'Air Carma' OT pump, Sandalwood - zappos.com

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Animal + Color

Animal print + bold color + neutral + good lighting + good background = very happy blogger.  This I think is my favorite outfit post on this blog so far!  Animal print AND bold color.  A riiiiiiiiiisky move.  Now I know really it's not a risk. 


Animal + Color Outfit

Elie Tahari 'Miley' silk blouse, Zinnia Orange - Nordstrom Rack
Nanette Lepore 'Star Bright' jacket, grey - bloomingdales.com
7 For All Mankind® Mid Rise Bootcut Stretch Jeans, Rinse Wash - 7forallmankind.com
kate spade 'bixby' framed leather handbag, black - katespade.com
Cole Haan 'Air Talia' pump, leopard haircalf - colehaan.com
Nadri 'Hammered Pavé' Circle Pendant Necklace, rose gold - nordstrom.com
kate spade 'keswick caning' leverback earrings, white & gold - kate spade

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Breakfast With Style Underdog


Today I met up with Style Underdog and another dear friend for breakfast.  She graciously agreed to allow me to post this photo of us together.  I miss her blog so much.  When I know I'm going to be in her presence, I am not so shy with my outfits.  I've had these orange pants for months now, but the moment just hasn't been right to wear them until today.  Funny, at school drop-off today people kept staring at my pants.  I bet they were in shock that a 40+ mom would wear orange denim.  There is something about orange that makes me feel so good.  Of course my sweater is navy striped.  Navy is orange's best friend.


Breakfast with Style Underdog Outfit
Vince Crop Skinny Stretch Jeans, Coral - nordstrom.com
Hinge® Chunky Knit Striped Slouchy Sweater, Navy- Eclispe/ Cream- Egret - nordstrom.com
Natasha Couture drop hoop earrings - Nordstrom Trend Accessories Dept.
Cole Haan 'Carma Air' OT pump, Sandalwood - zappos.com
MICHAEL Michael Kors 'Addison' Straw Tote, Mocha - Nordstrom

Monday, March 5, 2012

Trying To Make This Outfit Interesting

I spent the weekend obsessing over Kendi's blog.  I read all of her 2009, 2010 and half of 2011 posts in three days.  No wonder I have zero comments on my posts.  I've been thinking about the reasons why my blog is so bleh and comments are rare.

A.  I'm 43.  (And not 27 and gorgeous like Kendi.)
B.  My outfits are downright boring (and not like the Anthropologie outfits that Kendi pulls off so well.)
C.  The backgrounds of my photos are uninteresting and basically crappy (and not in beautiful open fields and on tops of parking structures and modern-looking brick walls.) 
D.  I'm not a witty writer (like Kendi is.)
E.  I'm so stiff in front of the camera and don't know how to pose naturally (like Kendi knows how to so well.)

I really should learn not to compare myself to a gorgeous 27 year old who has a husband that is a professional photographer to take her blog photos.  What I can do is amp up the color and accessories on my outfits.   My wish is to add another color to my outfits.  I usually just wear one color with the usual neutral.  I really like the look of two colors that go well together, but it's difficult for me to figure out if the two colors really do look right together.  I do know that navy and orange are BFFs, so I am confident wearing those two together.  I do know that yellow and purple are also BFFs, but when I tried wearing them together I looked like an Easter egg.  I also need to learn to loosen up in front of the camera and not look so much like a robot.

Earlier today I had my 6 year old son take photos outside in our front yard using my iPhone camera.  None were in focus and there was too much sun.  So I moved into the shade but the background was ugly due to kid toys being everywhere and chipped paint on the walls.  So we moved inside to our music room.  Too many instruments around which are a serious distraction to my outfit.  I decided I must go back to using our crappy point-and-shoot camera on the tripod because my 6 year old is not able to focus.  So, back to this lame background once again.  Sigh.

I hope I have some interest with this outfit.  The tee isn't just a plain tee.  It has some floral texture at the top neckline just on one side, making it somewhat asymmetrical.  My cardigan is named "Cardinal Red", but to me it looks like a dark coral.  My skinny belt is navy with a different shade of lighter, brighter blue to add contrast at the beltloop and layer underneath the beltloop and flap part.  My bracelet is full of gold and navy baubles to bring in more navy to compliment the coral cardigan and add some shininess of gold.  My favorite part of this outfit is the clutch, I do love the texture and patten in brings to this outfit.  I scaled back on the size of my earrings since  I didn't want to wear too much gold, so I went with these medium-sized dark wood earrings which has a small gold hoop.  I questioned whether I should wear these metallic copper croc pumps since I already have a metallic with the bracelet.  I could have worn nude pumps, but I thought those might be too boring.  Hopefully because of the bold pattern and texture of the clutch along with the croc pattern on my pumps this outfit is somewhat interesting.  I'm really trying here.

Being that a rather large percentage of my closet is from Nordstrom shouldn't they be sponsoring my blog??  LOL. 

Trying to be a wee bit more playful with my poses.  I need serious posing/modeling lessons from Kendi.


Trying To Make My Blog More Interesting Outfit

Anthropologie 'Gathering Tank', white - ebay.com
Halogen 3/4 sleeve cardigan, Cardinal Red - nordstrom.com
Halogen® Two Tone Skinny Belt, Azure/Navy - nordstrom.com
7 For All Mankind Mid-Rise Bootcut Jean, Rinse Wash - Macy's
Cole Haan 'Air Carma' OT copper croc, Cole Haan Outlet
kate spade 'Keswick Caning' bracelet, navy & gold - Nordstrom
French Connection 'Zig Zag' clutch, Dark Wood - Nordstrom (my special treat from the amazing Michigan Avenue store in Chicago)


Evaluation
Bigger earrings maybe are needed for this outfit.  There is something missing.   I don't know, wouldn't bigger earrings overpower the bracelet?  Am I being too shy?  How can this outfit be more interesting?

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Grand Canyon

Back during the winter break my family took a Route 66 trip and one of the places we visited was the Grand Canyon.  This photo is just outside our room at Yavapai Lodge.  I loved that place, I highly recommend staying there.

I am not usually brave enough to mix prints, but this is the only warm scarf I own.  I wore it daily no matter what else I was wearing.  This scarf definitely doesn't match my sweater, but I'm not looking to match.  I guess since the scarf is mostly neutral it "goes" with my sweater even though the pattern is different than my sweater.  It's not what I'd choose normally, but that's okay, I needed to be warm!!



Yavapai Lodge Outfit
Vince Horizontal Stripe Crewneck Sweater, charcoal/cream - Nordstrom
Blue Essence 'Eliot' skinny jeans, Indigo Mood Wash - nordstrom.com
(I forgot the brand) Cashmere scarf, chocolate brown, grey, powder blue - Costco
Cole Haan 'Air Lyric' Tall Boot 1", black - nordstrom.com
M60 Miss Sixty Quilted Anorak with Faux Fur Trim, white - nordstrom.com

The only thing different about my outfit below is my Caslon powder blue long-sleeved tee peeking out under my coat.  All of us at the Grand Canyon:

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Bar Mitzvah Saturday Morning Outfit

I have so many photos of outfits to post.  This one is from early January at my nephew's Bar Mitzvah.  This is what I wore to the Saturday morning service.  I'm so glad I went back and bought the matching jacket to this skirt.  I remember the salesgirl trying to sell me the jacket, but at the time I was thinking I did not really need a suit.  A few weeks later I realized I could wear a suit to the Bar Mitzvah,  I was very lucky I could get this jacket after so much time had passed since I bought the skirt.  These photos were taken on the balcony of our hotel in Pasadena.




I don't particularly like the expression on my face above, but of all the photos taken this one showed the best detail of the blouse.


Skirt pleating details.

Bar Mitzvah Saturday Morning Outfit

Nanette Lepore 'Star Bright' jacket, grey - bloomingdales.com
Nanette Lepore 'North Star' top, cream - revolveclothing.com
Nanette Lepore 'Shining' skirt, grey - bloomingdales.com
Nordstrom Opaque Heather Control Top Tights, Charcoal Heather - nordstrom.com
Cole Haan 'Air Violet' pump, Dark Gull Grey/Greige - nordstrom.com
Calvin Klein framed clutch, coral - zappos.com
Nordstrom Crystal Collection Bezel Chandelier Earrings, clear silver - nordstrom.com

Note about the outfit:  I copied the jacket, skirt, and top from this link
I keep forgetting about my "evaluation" for my outfits. This outfit would look so much better without the tights. There's just too much charcoal gray in this outfit. I had to wear tights though - I needed to keep warm! I guess there was no other option. Well, I guess I could have tried black tights, but then I'd have to wear black pumps. I'm not sure how black tights would look with the grey/greige pumps. 

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Mannequin

The funniest thing happened yesterday at Nordstrom.  I was there returning something (what else is new?) and the girl helping me asked if she could take a photo of me and share with her department manager!  She said she liked my outfit so much and that they would want to create a mannequin based on my outfit!  I could not believe it.  What a great compliment.  She asked me what brand each piece was and where I bought.  She also said she rarely sees anyone come in that is well-put together, and that she gets excited when she does! 

When the weather gets warmer I'll have to wear this tank without the cardi, it has such cute ties at the shoulders.  I should have asked her to take another photo of me without it.  

This new straw tote is so awesome.  It's difficult to find a bag that has decent structure.  This one has really good structure!  There are six side pockets inside so I can organize my stuff easily.  I know exactly what goes in where so I don't have to dig around.  It stands up nicely since it has feet on the bottom.  I've never worn cross-body before, and I really like it.  If I don't want to use the cross-body strap it just tucks right back into the bag.  It looks good carrying it either way.


Mannequin Outfit

Anthropologie Tied-Shoulder Tank, orange, cream, light blue, navy stripe (site says red, but it's definitely not red) - anthropologie.com
Halogen 3/4 sleeve cardigan, heather grey - nordstrom.com
Vince Camuto 'Logo Crest' Color Piping Leather Belt, coral - nordstrom.com
Cole Haan Air Talia OT Bow Slingback 60, Maple Sugar Patent/Palomino - zappos.com
MICHAEL Michael Kors 'Addison' Straw Tote, Mocha - Nordstrom