Wearing Today...

Last night I had one of those nights where I woke up and had a hard time going back to sleep. I am on a search committee for a position at the university, so I wanted something that looked put together but required minimal effort. The cardigan+button down+statement necklace combination never fails...

Wearing Today...

Wednesday deserves some hot pink shoes, doesn't she?

Wearing Today...

For some reason, I tend to shy away from red clothing, but I do appreciate some pink! I did a different take on primary colors - I kept the blue, but instead of red, I chose a magenta bag and instead of true yellow, I went with citrus lime.

Wearing Today...

When my alarm went off this morning, I felt like a freight train had just hit me. To combat my sluggishness I decided to go with some soft yet refreshing pastels.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

The Uniform: I've Figured Out the Formula

I've finally figured out the formula to my personal perfect uniform.  I used to think that having a uniform meant recycling the same ol' things that are in the same color palette.  And while having a color palette is a good rule of thumb, I found that it just wasn't working for me.  I (and I'm sure I'm not alone in this) need a mix and match wardrobe that can be worn to work or for play (thankfully I work in a business-casual environment, so as long as I'm not showing any skin or wearing jeans on a non-Friday-day, I can wear whatever I want).

Have you ever noticed how the thing that you think won't go with anything actually goes with everything?  That's how I feel about my J.Crew Viv Striped Flats. They're not available on the site right now, but eeeeevery now and then you'll see a pop-back or you can sometimes find them on eBay.  Anyway, I mix them with stripes and plaids and solids and brights and it's always somehow perfect.

I am a huge fan of cropped pants.  J.Crew's Cafe Capris are more cropped pants than capris and they hit me on a pretty flattering place just above my ankle bone.  I rarely wear full length pants; I wear skirts moderately during the summer and capri pants pretty much the rest of the year.  I have seven pair of this style and an orange pair of the FactoryWinnies (I'm just dying for the Minnies in the bright berry color), so I've just about got a complete rainbow of colors.  I actually prefer the Winnie to the Minnie, so I may pick up a pair in navy (especially since the whole site is 30% off right now - holla!).

Okay, so I take a collared shirt, and depending on if it's a neutral (navy or black, in my case) or a bright, I pair it with a contrasting bottom.  I add a sweater vest (the Jackie shell or Factory version) or 3/4 sleeve cardigan (Jackie again or Factory) for a little dimension and to keep from freezing in my office or the grocery store.  I pick one of my three pairs of pointy bow flats - my favorite silhouette right now.  For jewelry, I have a rather embarrassingly large number of bubble necklaces so I pick out one of those.  (Styling tip: I put on my monogram necklace and layer the bubble necklace over my collared shirt.) I try to take it easy on my wrist - I've seen some arm parties where too many bracelets have been invited.  I do a sensible stack of one or two bracelets and a watch.  I feel so naked without earrings so I make sure I've got on either my pearl studs or my starfish studs.

And that's it.  This might not work for you.  Sharing my uniform with you isn't a way of telling you that you should be doing the same thing.  But try it, it might work.  But it might not.  The whole point really is to try lots of stuff and go with what you know works.

I know I mentioned that the J.Crew Factory site is on sale for 30% off, but J.Crew's site is also doing an additional 30% off of sale items (yesterday I bought the Scout Chino in neon rose - which for some reason is showing as the sale price is the original price; I called customer service about it and they were able to do them for 30% off when I ordered over the phone - and the Jackie shell in sea glass).  Shop to it.

This Week In Review

Scroll through to see how I've made the most of my simple wardrobe this week.

This Week In Review

Scroll through to see how I've made the most of my simple wardrobe this week.

I Just Can't Seem To Say Goodbye To Summer

When it's constantly humid and the temperature is in the mid-80s, I find it difficult to say goodbye to summer.  I still want to wear vibrant colors and extend summer into fall.   I have tried anchoring my outfits with fall-ish colors like navy and black (although I wear those colors year-round!).

Luckily, it's started to cool off now, bit by bit.  When I look through Pinterest of Polyvore I see that folks have started pulling out the sweaters and boots and I'm ridiculously jealous.  Usually at the change of a season I go on a "style diet".  I go through and edit my wardrobe down to its bare bones - basically I just go back to my minimalist wardrobe.  It's like I need to clean my style palate, so to speak.  So now I'm sporting a sock bun, my black Cece flats and other items from my minimalist wardrobe.   I do make changes to my minimalist wardrobe from time to time to make sure it's updated, but I like to keep it classic and neutral.

I wonder if I will change anything when I come off my "diet".

What I Wore: Texture Test

Today's post is a wee bit late, I know.  Instead of being able to go to the beach, I was at home nursing a migraine.  I was all excited... getting ready to go... and then BAM!  Migraine aura.  It was one of the big ones, too.  No lie, I ate entire bag of Ruffles cheddar and sour cream chips over the course of the day.  At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but now I'm paying the price in sluggish bloat.  Now I feel like I what I like to call a migraine "hangover" where I still feel some throbbing, but it's manageable.

So these domino eyelet cafe capris... it's just the coolest texture.  Nubby, but soft - children's toys should be made of this stuff.  I will say that they run a tiny bit on the small side.  The wonderful texture of these pants can add some visual bulk, so you'll want to pair them with a slim-fitting button down or tee.

What I Wore: Classy Reunion

Last weekend was Andy's 10-year high school reunion.  I had known about it several months in advance and as soon as I found out about it, I started looking for THE perfect dress.  I had wanted to purchase a multi-occasion black dress for a while, but never had an event in mind for which it would be worn.  Now I had my chance.  I had had my eye on the J. Crew Origami Sheath Dress.  Luckily, this one was of the small percentage of petites offered on the site.  I waited for it to go on sale.  When it went on sale, I decided to hold out for a an additional 30% off sale, but no such luck.  It was taken off the sale section when the next 30% off promo became available.  I told myself the next time it went on sale that I would buy it.  It stayed in the regular price section for quite a while.  Because of my faithful jcrew.com stalking, I caught it on sale again the second it was available.  I pulled the trigger.  I decided on the charcoal because it's a softer than black, yet neutral and flattering on me.  So now I've got an LGD (little grey dress).

Next, shoes.  Ugh, shoes.  I hate shoe shopping in person because my size (5.5-6) is usually sold out.  Online shoe shopping can be disconcerting because you can never be sure of how they'll fit despite reading customer reviews.  I took a leap of faith and ordered the Naturalizer Lennox in taupe patent.  The color is great for me.  Nude pumps can be tricky; what melts into your skin can be too pink or too light or too dark for me.  I got lucky... super lucky with these guys.  

Neither of these items was cheap, but I got a reasonable deal on the dress and can wear it to multiple occasions.  I paid full price for the shoes, but I can wear them in all seasons and with 95% of what I have in my closet.  While they were both investment pieces, I can now call off my searches for these wardrobe workhorses that will serve me for years to come.

What I Wore: Navy + Coral

Whew... I am runnin' on fumes right now.  It's that point in the summer where I need a break.  Like a check-into-a-fancy-hotel-and-order-room-service-and-watch-bad-tv break.  It's been quite a summer - orientation, heat, evolving/devolving relationships, heat, *insert big surprise here*, heat, increase in work responsibilities... did I mention the heat?

This week is the last week of orientations and I'm really looking forward to being able to spend more mental energy on the blog and its accoutrements, playing the clarinet, going to the gym, preparing for *insert big surprise here* (<-- not a baby, thank goodness), and... well whatever the heck I choose to do.  Spending my time focused on one thing has made me realize how much of my free time I squander.  Sometimes I think, hey I could be doing so-and-so, but in reality I'd probably be reading crap on the internet (what I like to call "research") or watching stupid tv.  But now (or for at least the next couple of weeks after this one), I'll get to do all that stuff I wished I was doing before.   And then I'll run out of steam and get lazy and complain about how I never have enough time for stuff.

What I Wore: Patterns: Decoded

So... I'm really into mixing patterns and textures and colors right now (*gasp* no, really?).   I'm not the biggest fan of color blocking, though.  Somehow I guess the diffusion of colors that you get when you mix patterns is within my color comfort zone.  Two totally different colors on separate parts of my body?  Not so much.   I do have to practice some restraint because I've tried to put together some straaaange things while shopping my closet.

The Polly Popover in rambling rose is great.  Although no petite option was available, I found that the XXS was the next best thing for me.  While the sleeves are too long, I like where they hit me on the forearm after two turns of the cuff.  The Cafe Capri (cannot get enough right now!) in morse code is actually a true navy that matches the blue in the top and not lighter, as it displays in the Polyvore set above.  The texture gives an air of luxe that can dress up a more casual or solid top.  I'd say these fit slighter smaller the regular Cafe Capri.  I can wear a 0P in the regular, but these 2Ps could be snug on a bloated day.

So the J. Crew Fall catalog has dropped.  While I can always find something I like, I rarely find a sweater during the fall and winter that I can actually wear.  Wool, alpaca, angora, and cashmere cause me to break out in red spots and I can't stop itching and scratching.  Come on, J. Crew, give those of us who are allergic to these fibers more options than Jackie.

What I Wore: Nautical By Nature

(More like Nerd-ical By Nature... amiright?)

What I Wore: Minty Fresh

What I Wore: It's Summer Time - Is The Living Easy?

What I Wore: Scheduled Maintenance

What I Wore: Workhorses and Show Ponies

What I Wore: Moonrise Kingdom

What I Wore: Comin' Down On Friday

What I Wore: The Life Aqua-tic