Sequins + garment dyed twill toothpick jeans

Sequin colorblock tank:  J.Crew, summer 2012
Toothpick jean in garment dyed twill:  J.Crew, other colors for a steal here!
Nude pumps:  Max Studio

Before I get started, anyone know what I'm doing wrong with our silly little point and shoot camera that I always come out so blurry in night shots?  So highly annoying.  If you know what I can do differently please leave a comment.  I'm in such desperate need for a decent camera, but I just haven't gotten around to researching and finding the best one for my money just yet.

Anyway, we had a great night out last night.   My husband and I started the night with a nice sushi date, just he and I, which was lovely.  Then we met some friends at this dive bar where a few pals were playing live music.  So fun!  I wanted to keep it casual but still girly, and what better to do that with than sequins?  I've had this top for several months and this is the first time I wore it.  Now I wish I would have bought it in the ivory/navy combo too, because I LOVE it.  And who would have ever known how pretty mint and red look together? 

These jeans are a steal right now, at $49.99 + an additional 30% off.  They are so soft and more comfy than regular denim.  I have them in green, blue and red now...highly recommend! 

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend too!  I can't believe Thanksgiving is on Thursday...so much to do!

Flair skirt in floating rose: A J.Crew favorite

Silk pintuck blouse in charcoal:  J.Crew, other colors here
Flair skirt in floating rose:  J.Crew, fall 2011
Double-strand seahorse necklace:  J.Crew, summer 2012
Black boots:  Ann Taylor

It's Friday, and I feel like I started my weekend out right already.  Somehow, some way, I found myself with an extra 30 minutes to myself this afternoon.  I parked myself at Starbucks with a salted caramel mocha, and even though I was going over work information, it still felt like a relaxing luxury.  Afterward, I felt totally recharged for the remainder of my work day, and ready for the weekend!  Maybe it was the caffeine talking...but still.  It was awesome. 

I adore the flair skirt in floating rose from last year, but I have a really hard time styling it for some reason.  I settled on a charcoal top today but thought the result was just so-so.  I'll keep working at it through, because this skirt is too pretty to sit in the closet, especially around the holidays!  I did find some great styling ideas on one of my fave blogs, Shopping with M, I think I will try her chambray look with it next time.

Thanks for reading!

Adding more polka dots to my collection, and healthy habits

Collection cashmere polka dot in caramel/dusk:  J.Crew, other colors here
Double serge wool No. 2 pencil skirt in vivid jade:  J.Crew, here
Boots:  Coach, fall 2010

YES.  I am insane.  I cannot resist polka dots or cashmere, so when you put them together it's futile for me to resist.  I caved and purchased ANOTHER collection polka dot sweater, this time in the caramel color. (See me in the green version here).  But...but...but...I have a good reason!  I do not have many neutral tops or sweaters at all, and I have a lot of bright skirts...so I thought this would pair nicely with many skirts I own.  (Do you reason away excessive purchasing like I do?  This is a problem.)   As far as sizing goes, I again purchased this in a small.  You can see I have extra room in the torso.  That's OK by me, because I hate when sweater arms are sausage tight, and that's what an extra-small would do to me.  ANYWAY...you can just be sure that I fully, 100% endorse this sweater in every color, so if you see it in-store or it pops back online, and you're considering it...I say go for it!  It's very nicely made and well worth the sale price. 

As far as the skirt goes, I originally ordered this color in the Tall 6.  I figured I'd try it out, I was really curious about how it would compare to the regular 6.  Turns out the Tall size was frumptastic on me.  I took it to my local J.Crew to get a second opinion, and all of the wonderful sales associates and the personal shopper there agreed.  The Tall length was just too long for me.  So I exchanged it for a regular 6.  (I'm 5'10".)  Just wanted to share my experience in case you're a tall girl like me.

On another note, we leave for Florida in 5 weeks for our annual Christmas vacation.  I start to panic around this time every year, knowing I have to be in a bathing suit, on the beach, during the fat season.  So I'm trying to cut back and adopt a few more healthy habits between now and then.  I think my current healthiest habits, besides exercising daily, include drinking 80 ounces of water per day, and a cup of green tea every afternoon.  What is your healthy habit, and can you share it with me?  I'd love some new inspiration.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Shifting into neutral with a black suit

Victoria silk blouse: J.Crew, 2008.  Factory version here - why oh why polyester?
Black suit:  Ann Taylor, 2007
Leopard heels:  Banana Republic Mad Men Collection, fall 2011

As much as I love color, once in a while I like to shift it into neutral gear with an outfit.  However I think I startled some of my customers today with my black suit, as they're used to seeing me in brights.  But I needed to look extra corporate-y today so a suit it was.  Today during work, someone I had a meeting with kept lamenting about my youth.  He must have mentioned three times how young I was.  The whole time I was thinking, either he thinks I'm way younger than I really am, or age is all relative.  Mid-thirties isn't that young.  But perhaps to someone in his fifties, it is?  I remember when I was in my mid-twenties I thought I had all the answers.  Now I realize how young and naive I was back then, and now I know I'll never have all the answers.   But I feel like I know a whole lot more about how the world works at this point, than I did back then.  That's probably the only thing I like about getting older:  the wisdom that comes with it.  One fashion blogger  that I read on a regular basis mentioned the other day that at age 27, she was almost officially old.  My thought was:  Seriously?? Oh honey, you have no idea. 

How do you feel about getting older? 

Sometimes (fashion) dreams come true: J.Crew Collection Crepe Shawl Blazer

Collection crepe shawl blazer:  J.Crew, fall 2012
Black lace top:  Banana Republic, holiday 2011
Gray pinstripe pants:  Banana Republic, fall 2011
Leopard heels:  Banana Republic Mad Men Collection, fall 2011

My friends, sometimes fashion dreams come true.  When I first reviewed this blazer of pink awesomeness, here, I never thought I would be lucky enough to own it.  The price, $350, is way out of my price range for a blazer.  Plus, my local J.Crew didn't have my size, a 6, and it sold out online in size 6 very quickly.  It popped back now and then, and even got marked to $249.99, but that was still too much for me to pay.  Imagine my delight when I was stalking my local J.Crew (a bi-weekly occurance), and I found one shawl blazer, on the sale rack, size 6, marked to $199.99 plus the addional 25% off.  I literally gasped out loud.  I even had several returns to make, so really this blazer was all mine for only an addional $39 to what I was already returning.  Happy day!  I kept the rest of my outfit simple (and conservative) because I wanted to let it shine today, but I will definitely mix it up next time. 

I know I will love this blazer for years to come.  Some things are just meant to be.  Thanks for stopping by!

I heart the Heart-Me Tippi

Heart-me Tippi in peacock/pink:  J.Crew, fall 2012
Jeans:  Juicy Couture, 2007
Wedges:  Coach, 2010
Necklace:  Anthropologie, fall 2012

I've got the Sunday evening blues, what about you?  Such a great weekend with friends and family, I don't want it to end! Back to reality tomorrow.  By the way,  my 7 year old took this picture of me.  I think he did a fine job, don't you? 

I'm not gonna lie, I love my Heart-Me tippi soooo much.  Even after wondering if it was too young for me... (And you awesome ladies reassuring me that NO, it was not too young looking...THANK you for that).  I'm so glad I bought it, as I've worn it several times now and I just think it's darling.  With critter sweaters and heart sweaters being all the rage right now, it's also on-trend, and it's fun to take part in that trend.

Speaking of trends, it's so weird to see myself in flare jeans!  Rarely do I wear jeans, and when I do they are skinny jeans.  I guess I wanted to A.) Make sure these old Juicy Couture jeans still fit me and B.)  Try something different tonight, for a cookout at a friend's house.  They do still fit but they defnitely felt tighter...time to jump back on the low-carb bandwagon I guess.

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! 

Striped tippi + Double strand giraffe necklace

Tippi sweater in burgundy/pink stripe:  J.Crew, here
Double serge wool No. 2 pencil skirt in berry pink:  J.Crew, here
Password pumps:  Seychelles
Double-strand enamel giraffe necklace:  J.Crew, fall 2012

Friday turned out to be such a busy day I didn't even have time to post.  I had work, volunteering, and dinner with the family, so I wanted something relatively simple but still fun.  I swapped out my heels for metallic flats for my volunteer hours, so this outfit was pretty comfortable throughout the day.  This tippi was marked so low in-store, I think I paid $29.99 for it.  Who else grabbed it at that price?  Online it's still $59.99...go figure! 

Any new arrivals catch you eye at J.Crew?  There are a few things I am wanting to see in person... I'm drawn to shiny, sparkly things like a moth to a flame when the holidays approach. 

Have a fantastic weekend!  It's gorgeous weather here...hope it's nice where you are too.  Get out and do something fun!