zebra monday

This weekend went by too quickly! Of course, spending half of Friday and most of Saturday feeling like I was going to die probably didn’t help. Maybe that’s why I’m on a bright color kick today:

top: Gibson (found at Nordstrom Rack); skirt: J.Crew; shoes: Moda Spana; necklace: BCBG; watch: Nixon; nails: OPI Black Shatter over Alpine Snow (matte)

I threw my trusty denim jacket over the outfit in case it gets cold (or in case our rehearsal room has the air conditioning set to Arctic Blast like last week. Don’t get me wrong though: I much prefer that to Eighth Circle of Hell, like the week before…)

I love the zebra pattern of these shoes and the peep toe, but I must say that the heel is too low for my taste, and I wish the lining wasn’t made out of synthetic material because it’s only about 70 degrees out and my feet are sweating. Not sexy.

This is also my first foray into the crackle topcoat (I know, next I’ll be writing about this new-fangled invention called the Internet) but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull this off at court, and seeing it on my nails, I’m honestly *still* not sure. Thoughts?

Have a happy start of the work week! Or just a happy Monday if you’re not a M-F worker bee

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piplette

Check out this sweet little dress I got on super-clearance at Urban Outfitters:

dress: Piplette by Alice Ritter at Urban Outfitters; shoes: Charlotte Russe; toes: OPI Mermaid’s Tears; bracelet: J.Crew; watch: Nixon

This dress has all of my favorite things: detailing at the neckline, pockets, and enough room for me to eat <3

The shoes are a slightly different story, though. They’re man-made material (nothing wrong with that, except it tends not to breathe as well), and they’re a half-size too big. Fail. The last time I wore these was in Las Vegas for my birthday, and A and I walked SO far to dinner that my feet were 1) sweating and 2) sliding around, which equaled 3) incredible amounts of pain. I put them on and immediately remembered the long walk from the Flamingo to Mandalay Bay, but I figure the best way to get over a bad association is to create a good one, right? (Right….)

Ooh! It was a liddlebit chilly when I woke up this morning, so I added a sweater (which ended up almost being longer than the dress – oops!)

cardigan: Express

Happy end of weekend!

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in progress

I’m working on a new hair look. Step one: trim up the dead ends and add a few more layers:

Step two is (hopefully) happening next weekend–will keep you posted!

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maxi

Quick look before my zumba class starts! This is obviously not what I’m wearing to work out:

Dress: Collective Concepts; Wedges: Steve Madden

Love a simple dress. Totally put together with no effort!

Happy Sunday!

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green

I had date night with the lovely Blondie, Esq., last night. We were supposed to go to a concert, but I managed to be so fashionably late that by the time we got to the venue, the concert was about to start and there was a line out the door, so we bailed and went to dinner* instead. Punctuality fail. I think my outfit translated well regardless (please excuse the cameo from the cats – they just love inappropriateness and attention). As always, please mind the crappy iPhone photography!

silk blazer: Collective Concepts (at Mimi & Red); tank/jeans: Gap; shoes: BCBG; clutch (shown without detachable cross-body chain): Mimi & Red; necklaces: J.Crew

I cannot say enough good things about these jeans. They are super soft and really stretchy, but totally held their shape through what ended up being like a 4-hour dinner. Plus, I adore the bright color and wish I would have bought the pink and the electric blue at the store too! The pink is the only color left on Gap’s website, but hopefully you all have luck at the physical brick and mortar stores.

The blazer is fantastic, too! Mimi & Red is my absolute favorite boutique in San Diego – the staff is so nice, and everything is super-cute. I love how they post the new shipments on Facebook and Twitter so I can pre-shop before I go in! Although I will say that I’ve been heartbroken a few times when something sells out before I can make it to the store. They’re really good about holding things if you’re about to drop in, though! Here’s an alternate (hopefully better) view of the outfit:

...aaaaand somehow this is gigantic. Lo siento.

bracelets: Charlotte Russe; J.Crew; gift from my grandma

*We went to Whisknladle, and had some amazing food/drinks and caught up on some much-needed gossip time. We had flatbread with tomato sauce, mozzarella, broccoli rabe, and bacon; a super-rich steak tartare; and chorizo-stuffed date fritters (which were AMAZING). I also had a Parasol (tequila, grapefruit, and ….something?) and tried some of B.E.’s London Burning cocktail (jalapeno, gin, avocado) and it was delicious. I don’t like gin *or* avocado (especially not in pureed form) but this drink was fantastically spicy. Seriously, if you go you need to try it!

And to top off a great Friday and busy Saturday, my alma mater finally scored their first win! Here’s to not being 0-3!

1-2 whooooooo

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polka dots + tweed

Quick post, as I’m technically still working:

blouse: Express; tank: Victoria’s Secret; pants: J.Crew; shoes: Kate Spade

Here’s a better shot of the bracelets:

green bracelets: H&M; gold bracelets: gifted from my grandma

I’ve been super-busy with work this week, thankfully it’s all been extremely productive time, but I feel like the days are just flying by!

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shopping hiatus: aftermath

So my shopping hiatus is officially over (and retail’s national nightmare is over – just kidding) and I celebrated with a trip to North County Fair in Escondido, after a rehearsal in Poway. The mall there has its pros and cons. Pros: completely indoor and air conditioned (a blessing when it’s hot out); the H&M there is much less crowded than the one at Fashion Valley; and it’s near my church (good way to kill time when I don’t have enough time to drive home between services/concerts). Cons: not a great store selection (save for the H&M); and within the stores themselves, the selection is much smaller. Ah, the prices I pay for comfort.

The excitement of lifting my shopping hiatus (and the hopes of getting some of the items off of my must have list -here) clouded my judgment a little, I think. Hence, only actually liking one of the three purchases I made from Charlotte Russe. Try to guess which one!

All from Charlotte Russe

Despite not really liking Missoni (including their short-run line for Target), I’m keeping the top on the far left! It’s a dolman-style top, which I love, and the print, while referential, isn’t as harsh to my eyes as the genuine Missoni stuff. And it’s about 1/10 of the price, so I guess in this case, I’m glad my taste trends cheap!

As for the other two items, I really wanted the lace blazer to work, but I didn’t really love it in the dressing room (see the tacky jeweled button) but was hoping I could replace the button and make it work when I got home. Sadly, such was not the case. The length is not right for my body type – the ruffles hit at the widest part of my waist, when any aspiring fashionista worth her stilettos knows that you want to accentuate the good parts, not the bad. Similar problem with the black crocheted top. It’s supposed to be a crop top (I know, I should have just stopped there) so I brought home a large and crossed my fingers. Fail again.

I wasn’t about to drive back to North County, so I headed to Fashion Valley today to return my stuff, and hit the jackpot!

Tank/Bracelets/Sweater: H&M; Jeans: Gap; Top: Pink by Victoria’s Secret

For some reason, Gap’s website only has the pink available, but my local store had plenty in electric blue and this wonderful green color too! Better yet, everything in the store was 35% off today, so these were less than $50.

The tank is not only fantastic, but it’s my new life motto: high heels high hopes! Amazing. And the green ribbon bracelet was marked down to $1. Que fantastico!

I guess Fatman sensed my exhaustion because when I came home, he had made himself a new bed:

not an advertisment for coke zero

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blackout

I’m pretty sure I’d die in post-apocalyptic times. In case you didn’t know, there was a massive power outage affecting huge parts of southern California, Baja, and Arizona. While I was fortunate enough to have my power restored shortly before 10:00 pm, the experience made me realize just how utterly unprepared I am for a disaster. I had one scented candle (this one, from Anthropologie in Volcano smells amazing), half a loaf of bread, some peanut butter, and a fresh jar of strawberry jam. I also had three bottles of water, some matches, and my faithful cats. Although partway through the outage, I could have sworn they were looking at me like I was a food source, and not their loving human companion. Worst of all, I had no cell phone service! Thankfully I had a half-charged Kindle, and tiny book light, and comfy chairs on my balcony, as it had been 80-100 degrees out the preceding three days. Needless to say, I was one of the people cheering when my ceiling fan slowly began rotating around 10:00.

Power back on meant that our office was open today too, but no court meant that it’s time for another casual Friday outfit!

casual friday!

dress: Old Navy; cardigan: Urban Outfitter; sunnies: Chanel; flats: Poppy by Coach

Yes, another pair of flats! After an unfortunate salsa-dancing incident and an even more unfortunate kickboxing incident, my feet and calves were in desperate need of relief. I snagged these flats from DSW, and also had a $15 off coupon that day so they were even cheaper, which I love. Here’s a closeup:

happy feet

They are insanely comfortable, and I love the plaid + stripey bow combo. But never fear; I’ll be back in heels before you know it!

Here’s to a light-filled weekend!

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shopping hiatus, part ii

I hope everyone had a super-relaxing Labor Day! Mine was a whirlwind – I was in LA helping my friends A&M move into/renovate their new house, and resulted in me accidentally painting a white streak into my hair and getting stain all over a pair of sad yoga pants. However, true to my vow, there was NO shopping (for me)! My hiatus ends on Friday (not that I’m counting) and there are a handful of items I have my eye on. I definitely can’t afford them all, but a girl can dream (and try things on) right?

1. Bright skinny pants

J Brand

I am dying over these J Brand jeans in the bright royal, but I’m a little scared that I can’t pull them off, even in the more age-appropriate blue. I’m also in love with the hot pink and the red ones too, but we’ll see how they look in the dressing room! I also really love thse cafe capri pants from J Crew (as well as most of their fall collection!)

2. A comfy slouchy top

Stem at Nordstrom

I don’t know why this picture is so tiny, but I’m sorry! I just love wearing loose tops (probably because of my corollary love of eating carbs and cheese) and I’m a sucker for a good grey. Old Navy has a version too, and it’s only $22.50!

3. A serious bag with hardware

Botkier Venice Hobo

And now this image is gigantic. Great. Oh well, at least it’s an important one! I love this bag so much, and was kicking myself that it was on sale on Gilt Groupe (my referral link!) while I was on my hiatus. I love the zippers, tassels, and everything about it basically. I also fell in love with an aqua Kate Spade bag (top photo in the linked post here) and it was apparently on sale for about 20 seconds before it immediately sold out. Bummer.

4. Lots of sparkle!

Let’s talk about how much I love Tiffany’s blog, I am Style-ish. And now she and her sister have a jewelery line (website here). Every piece is amazing, but I’m particularly in love with this necklace. My fabulous friend (and fellow blogger) Blondie, Esq. incorporated a few pieces into a lookbook, and I’ve got some major jewelery envy

Happy shopping!

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end of summer

Labor Day is the official end of summer, right? I do adore my sundresses, but like I said in a previous post, my favorite clothing season is actually fall/winter. It’s not quite fall yet, though, so I broke out the stripes and stripes for my drive to LA:

cardigan/pants: Forever21; tank: Old Navy; necklace: J.crew; shoes: Toms; bag: Coach; rings: the usual

I love the crocheted detail on this tank, but one side of it is starting to fray! Sad face:

Lame, right? Thankfully it was super cheap and I’ve worn it several times already so it’s not a total wash. I really like this necklace, though! The green beads remind me of all the jade necklaces/bangles my grandma had when I was growing up. Apparently I begged and cried for a jade bracelet when I was a kid, got it, and promptly shattered it at the mall. This is why I can’t have nice things.

So I’m drowning my sorrows at happy hour.

Not really. I’m visiting friends in LA for the weekend, and I’m hanging out at the Cheesecake Factory waiting for A to finish her shift in the bar. I just got asked “whatever happened to girls flirting with the bartender instead of texting on their phones?” while I update this entry from my phone. Busted!

Happy Labor Day/start of college football season!

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