What I Wore {post 79} June 2015 Style Challenge - week 3

Hey there!  It's Friday again!  Time for weekend! Time for fun! Time for a recap of my third week of the Style Challenge.  This week was tricky for a couple of reasons: (1) I had to move things around because I had court one day and a big meeting another; and (2) I was out of the office on Thursday and Friday with my kids (it's that weird time of year when they're done school but camps don't start, so we cobble together their care).  I fully intended to do the challenge, but at the end of the day, my outfits were not blog post worthy - I was home with them on a rainy day on Thursday (read: I wore yoga pants, an old cotton tee and hair in a bun) and took them to Hershey Park on Friday (read: shorts, tank top, and sweat).  All this to say, only three outfits this week.  

June 15:  Put a bow on it (moved from June 16)

June 16:  Daydream vacation (moved from June 17)
June 17:  Long Necklace (moved from June 20)

June 15:  Put a Bow on It

I had court this day, so I had to wear a suit. There's only so much creativity and leeway you get with a suit.  And, of course, in keeping with the weather that we've seen this Spring so far, it was insanely hot this day.  I wore my black skirt suit (from 2003 - seriously.  From Petite Sophisticate, which doesn't even exist anymore) and a blouse from Loft from 2006.  The blouse is a halter top with a bow that ties at the neck.  I rarely wear the blouse and I'm not sure why.  It's very flowy, but I tucked it in and it was fine.  I wore the outfit without the jacket all day except when I was in front of the judge.  

June 16: Daydream Vacation

Another crazy hot day.  I took my cues from a dress I bought with Jamie a few weeks ago at the j.crew factory - a lovely crisp, light little linen sundress with an A-line cut.  This is a dress I would love to wear on a beachy vacation because it's so light and breezy.  And it was so hot at work that I didn't care how casual it was.  I wore with my gold & brown leather wedges.   I think this photo has a filter on it.

June 17:  Long Necklace

This was the day of my big meeting at work.  Actually, meetings (plural).  It was a busy day and I had to step it up a bit in terms of formality.  A bunch of my colleagues wear suits to these meetings, but I cannot bring myself to do that especially since I wore one earlier that week. So I wore my go-to: a wrap dress.  I bought this dress (again) with Jamie at the outlets. This was the Ann Taylor outlet and was on crazy clearance. I think it was $25.  I wore my pink quilted sling-backs and my long necklace from j.crew.  

Just a couple more posts left!  Have a wonderful weekend!  I have my annual family reunion this weekend and then a business trip.  And then it's July.  

What I Wore {post 78} June 2015 Style Challenge - week 2

Week 2 of the Style Challenge wasn't as good as the first.  I wasn't thrilled with the things I put together.  But I still got it done.  I moved things around a bit this week.

June 8:  Swish your Skirt

It was *hot* on this day.  I wore a new skirt that I found at the Gap on major clearance and realized, unfortunately well into the day, that it is just too big.  It was a size Small and I think I need an Extra Small.  That said, I like it, so I'm going to take it to the tailor to see if she can work some magic with it.  I wore an aqua top and my nude peep toe pumps with my favorite bubble necklace.

June 9:  Channeling Audrey

Channeling Audrey Hepburn!  Oh I love her.  I've even blogged about her style a few years ago.  This was my favorite look of the week, and it was easy. A simple black sheath dress, nude pump and lots and lots of pearls.  I wore my hair in a low bun and opted to leave the tiara at home.  I went with a Breakfast at Tiffany's look, which is apropos, as it's my favorite movie.

Toya went more casual with an Audrey inspiration and rocked a headscarf.  I love it! 

June 10:  Retro Moment

Having just gone full-on Audrey Hepburn the day before, I felt a little limited in my choices.  I decided to go with another sort of Audrey look but less memorable: ankle pants, a sleeveless collared top and flats.  I really wanted to wear a scarf in my hair tied like a headband but I couldn't get it to work.  I am not crazy about this outfit. 

June 11: Dots & Circles

I don't have many polka dots for warm weather!  It was really hot this day, so I wore a new polka dotted shell from Banana Republic outlet.  I wore it with my colorblock skirt and black cardigan to the office.  

June 12:  Mixing patterns

FRIDAY! I will tell you - this week was a freaking battle to get to Friday. I remember thinking on Wednesday that it felt like it should be Friday. Oof.  It was, again, super hot. So I wore my seersucker skirt with a fun cobalt top with crochet detailing.  I thought the pattern mix in the crochet and the skirt worked well together.  

Another week down! And just like that, June is marching toward July.  This happens every single year.  Come on Summer ... slow down a little.  Have a wonderful weekend!

What I Wore {post 77} June 2015 Style Challenge - week 1

Week 1 of my June Style Challenge is complete!  I love these challenges because they make me look at my wardrobe in a new way and challenge me to find something that works.  I grabbed an old challenge from the blog Dean Street Society and went to work.  This one was from July, but it didn't matter.  I figured seasonally, it would work well.  

Each week, I will list the dates and challenges that I did.  I had to mix things up a bit, and I only do the challenges on weekdays.  My friend Toya played along too, so I will post her picture, when I can, to show you how she interpreted the challenge herself!

Onto week 1! 

Week 1 worked! I was able to keep all of the original challenges.  They are: 

June 1:  Rainbow Bright

June 2:  Belt it Up

June 3:  Keeping cool trick

June 4:  Patriotic

June 5:  A bright pucker

And now for my takes:

June 1: Rainbow Bright

Well this was an easy one.  I bought a new dress, in rainbow colors, at the Gap Outlet with Jamie.  It's perfect for Summer ... maybe a little bare for the office.  So I wore it with a pink cardigan (j.crew factory, a few years ago).  But I snapped a pic sans sweater as well. 

June 2: Belt it Up

This was an unseasonably (as in it felt like March) cool day  I begrudgingly wore a pair of black fitted pants (Limited - part of their suit collection), a white blouse with black polka dots (Ann Taylor), my patent Mary Janes and the important piece: my Dalmatian printed belt.  I was pleased with this outfit.

And here is Toya's take!  So funny that we both went with black and white, but had very different styles.  

June 3: Keeping Cool Trick

So, it was really cool this day.  "Keeping cool" was kind of a joke.  I decided to go with a trick that I use a lot when it's hot out: I wore layers.  I wore my black cami with a black fitted cardigan, and my brand new pink skirt.  Can I talk about this skirt for a moment?  Back in early Spring, I spied a gorgeous stop-dead-in-your-tracks pink wispy skirt in the Nordstrom window.  It was definitely designer and it was definitely not cheap.  I wanted it.  But I didn't buy.  Then a few weekends ago, Jamie and I were in Lancaster at the Gap outlet and I found this sucker on clearance for $13.  And then an additional 40% off. It was very similar to the Nordstrom number.  But this was a glorious $7.  

June 4: Patriotic

Red white and blue.  I wore my new linen shirtdress (Ann Taylor outlet) with white belt (Ann Taylor outlet) and red pumps (Ann Taylor outlet).  I've had the red pumps for a few years, but the dress and belt were new pick ups.

June 5: Pucker Up

I am a big fan of soft, neutral lipsticks.  I'm just not a big "bright lip" kind of girl. But I rose to the challenge and wore a bright pinkish red with my nothing special, easy Friday outfit.

Week one is in the books!  I hope you have a terrific weekend.  

I AM GOING TO SEE BARRY MANILOW WITH FOUR OF MY BESTEST FRIENDS.  All caps.  ! 

What I Wore {post 76}

Happy Friday!  Summer weekends are the best.  Although, this weekend isn't technically Summer, and my kids aren't on Summer vacation yet ... but it's still a Summer weekend!  I hope you have some great plans lined up.  The kids and I will have lots of fun. I promised them an exploratory hike along the creek.  

This will be the last normal "What I Wore" for a little while.  I've decided to do a Style Challenge in June!  More on that below.  But first, here are a few recent outfits.

Coral Dress & Cayenne Sash

If not already obvious, I love me a bargain.  This dress was $15 a few years ago at Old Navy.  It's a really pretty, delicate, easy dress.  It also wrinkles like crazy, but that can't be helped.  I usually wear a belt with it, because otherwise the waist looks a little boring.  Today I wore a very old "cayenne" colored sash from j.crew.  

Navy Tunic & Tan Pants

This was one of those oddly cool days in May.  I love these tan pants - they're from the Ann Taylor outlet a few years ago.  The navy tunic was a buy from Loft at one of the big sales a few months ago.  It's a navy linen.  I wore it with a long necklace from j.crew factory.  

Tee, White Denim Jacket, Boyfriend Jeans & Booties

Another date night outfit here.  This was a casual night out, so I didn't need to get too dressed up.  I wore this fun new tee that I got at TJ Maxx for $10.  I'm always looking for tees that are cute enough to wear out.  The jeans are boyfriend-style jeans from the Gap.  Jamie and I each got a pair of these at the Gap outlet. I wore my leather booties (since it was a cooler night) and my white denim jacket.  My jacket, I confess, is from Wal-Mart.  A few years ago I needed a sweater or jacket for a party and was already out, so I stopped quickly into Wal-Mart just to find something - anything - and found this jacket.  I wear it *all the time* and love it.  

And now for the Style Challenge! I've decided to do one just like I did last year.  Only, I couldn't find a challenge for this June, or even last June, so I am using the Style Me July challenge from Dean Street Society.    And to make it more fun, my friend Toya is doing it too!  We had to tweak some of the days a little given my work schedule, but we are mostly following the below.  I'm only doing weekdays.   

I'll post the first week's outfits next Friday and keep doing weekly recaps until the end of June.  This will be fun!  

Stay tuned! And have a great weekend.

What I Wore {post 75}

Happy Friday!  Happy almost June!  It has been crazy hot this week (actually, it's been crazy hot for weeks), so looking at some of these earlier Spring outfits makes me a sweat a little.  

I'm thinking of doing another style challenge, like I did last May.  That was a lot of fun and would force me to use clothes from my closet in a new way.  I'll see if there is one available (last time I did the challenge posed by Dean Street Society ... my friend Toya told me about it).  In any event, here are today's outfits:

Chambray Blouse, White Pants & Pearls

This was a pretty fun outfit and comprised of a bunch of new pieces.  Let's start from the bottom up.  The shoes are new.  You can't see them very well, but I have been wanting/needing a pair of medium brown leather pumps and found these, the Sophia pump by Ivanka Trump, at Nordstrom.  They're great shoes, but run a little on the big side.  I need to get some sort of shoe insert so that my heels don't slip (there's no way a half size down would fit me ...).  The pants are old and from the Gap.  Belt is also old - I think it was from the NY & Co. outlet.  The top is from Banana Republic, which I got on sale and paid for with rewards.  I liked the wash of the denim.  The necklace was a buy from the j.crew factory.  I really liked all the strands of pearls.  

Black and White Dress, Belt & Black Cardigan

If not already obvious, dresses are my wardrobe stable.  When I am feeling uninspired or lazy, I just grab a dress and either wear it solo or pair it with a cardigan.  Done.  It is the easiest way to appear pulled together when short on time.  This dress is a great buy from a few years ago from TJ Maxx.  It is sleeveless, so I can wear it in all seasons. The cardigan is from Forever 21.  It's a very delicate looking knit and looks much more expensive than it was. The belt was a buy from Anthropologie (on sale 100 years ago).  

Blushy-Nude Dress

I've been wanting a dress this color forever.  I finally found exactly what I was looking for at Ann Taylor.  They were having a great sale, and I picked this up for about 50% off its normal price.  The color is perfect - not too pink, not too brown and just "nude" enough.  It's a nice sturdy knit, so the dress has a beautiful shape.  It made me feel good.  I wore my nude patent pumps with it.  Easy.  

Have a terrific weekend!

What I Wore {post 73}

Friday!  Mother's Day weekend!  And the weather on tap is looking beautiful.  I'm so looking forward to a fun weekend with the kiddos.  They always "take me" out to my favorite pub for Mother's Day lunch - they know Mommy loves her burgers and Hop Devil beers :)  I'm going to do my best to get back into a more regular blogging schedule.  I have so many house projects to share.  But now for some outfits to round out the week.

Blush Blouse & White Skirt

I have had this skirt for 13 years!  It's a Banana Republic skirt.  I keep going back and forth on whether to bring the hemline up a little or whether it's fine as is.  Still undecided.  Anyway, I wore it with a kind of new blush blouse from H&M that I bought with Jamie awhile back.  It's so feminine and pretty.  Nude patent pumps round out the look.

Coral Blouse & Tan Pencil Skirt

This was a pretty easy outfit to throw together.  I got this coral blouse from TJ Maxx a few years ago for something like $11.  I wore it with my old standby - the tan pencil skirt and my coral necklace from j.crew factory.  

Teal Top & Skinny Jeans

I'm not sure where I wore this outfit ... it was probably a casual Friday in the office.  I found the top at Anthropologie after Christmas.  I love it.  The top has a sort of scallopy lace and it's very delicate.  I wore it with my favorite skinny jeans ("jeggings" from American Eagle -- don't judge.  AE is one of the few places where I can find jeans that are short enough for me) and my cowboy boots that I bought in Texas.  

Have a great weekend! And happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there ... especially mine!

What I Wore {post 72}

Wow another week in the books.  And next week is May.  Time flies.  Here are a few more outfits.

Black & Blue Fit & Flare Dress

I found this dress, which is a tank style, at a sale online at Loft.  They were giving an additional 40% off all sale too.  It was about $40 and unfortunately I don't see it online anymore.  I love it but the tank top won't do in March, so I wore my black cardigan and a skinny blue belt that I found at the NY & Co. outlet a few summers ago (which just happens to match the blue in the dress perfectly).  I wore black tights and black patent Mary Janes.  I liked this outfit a lot. 

Fair Isle Sweater & Gingham Blouse

Do I look annoyed in this picture? Well, more annoyed than usual?  I was.  This was a snow day on the very first day of Spring.  GRRR!!  I wore my coral gingham blouse under a fair isle print sweater from Target from last year.  Skinny jeans with my Hunter boots ... done.  And grump.  

Loft Black Knit Dress

Proof that every woman needs a great fitting black dress. I found this at Loft on sale (it was around $30) and it fits great.  I wore it with nude patent heels but it could easily be dressed up for a night out.  And it's knit, so it's forgiving and flattering and comfortable.  

Have a great weekend. I'll be back on Monday with a race recap from my first, and only!, marathon in 2015. 

What I Wore {post 71}

Friday!  Last Friday in March! Who can believe that?  I am ready for a good weekend and a great race on Sunday.  I'll be sure to report back on Monday or Tuesday with a full race report.  

Printed Shift Dress

I found this sweet dress at the j.crew factory on sale.  I really loved the modern print and the fun shift style.  I kept things simple and wore nude patent heels and a long gold necklace.  Hair was back because it was time for a haircut and that's how I roll. 

St. Patrick's Day! Green Top, Black Pants, Black & White Accessories

I wore this top last year on St. Paddie's Day too.  I love it.  I found it at the Banana Republic outlet a few years ago.  I wore it to work with black pants, black flats and my black & white pearl necklace and black & white Dalmatian printed belt.  Easy.  

Striped Top & Taupe Pencil Skirt

I've had this pencil skirt (from the Limited) for 3 years now.  I found the top at TJ Maxx for about $15.   It's funny because in real life, it reads more blue than red, and in this picture it seems a bit more red!  This was a very simple outfit.  And comfortable too.

Have a great weekend!  Spring is in the air! I know it. 

What I Wore {post 70}

70 What I Wore posts? With very little repeats?  Yes! And Yay.  

And yay for weekend.  Yes and yay.  I can't wait.  I have a long run and a visit from a dear friend for our favorite: steak, wine and chatter.  She does my soul good. But before I head out for my fun weekend of goodness, here's a round up of recent outfits.

Navy Dress, Tan Cardigan, Brown Boots, Wine Tights

I loved this outfit.  It was one of those throw together I think this will look good I'm not really sure oh wait yes it's good outfits.  I started with a navy dress from j.crew. It's strapless, but it's fine in all seasons under a sweater.  I paired it with a tan cardigan with ruffle trim from Target (years old) and wore my brown leather belt, which is sadly kind of hidden by my arms.  I wore wine colored tights and my brown boots.  It's a great end of Winter get the heck out of here Winter outfit. 

Fuchsia Sweater, Black & White Sheer Blouse, Black & White Pin-stripe Skirt

This was another throw-together and hope it works outfits.  I wore this on a day when I had a bunch of meetings but didn't want to wear a suit.  I was happy with how it turned out.  I tried to take a pic without my face and don't like the way that turned out at all.  Even with my morning mean face, I think that's better than a faceless shot.  

Grey Slouchy Top, Bootcut Jeans & Long Necklace

I *loved* this outfit! I had a party one night and the dress was casual but I didn't want to go too casual.  I bought these jeans at Old Navy.  In past years, I have sworn off Old Navy jeans as not flattering or comfortable but I decided to give them another try when I had a crazy promotion where I ended up paying about $17 for a pair.  I couldn't not buy them and try.  And I found that they've revamped their jeans. I went with the Flirt style in Crater Lake color (size 2 Short on me) and found that they are very flattering, with a higher rise and smaller back pockets than they used to be.  The bootcut is a very narrow boot as well, which makes for a modern fit.  Sold.   I found the slouchy top at Nordstrom  (Top Shop brand) and online it was about $30, which seemed a pretty good deal.  I wandered into the store and found that it was on sale for $16.  Um ... ok.  I ended up buying it and its blush pink twin.  I'm wearing a size XS, by the way.  I wore my cowgirl boots from Austin Texas but the outfit needed something.  I wore my long necklace from Talbot's (years ago on clearance) and think that made the outfit work.  

There you go!  Happy weekend! See you back here on Monday.