New black suit by Ann Taylor

Tropical wool Rosmonde jacket in black (size 6):   Ann Taylor, here
Tropical wool Clairette pencil skirt in black (size 6 Tall):  Ann Taylor, here
Non-iron fitted shirt (size 6): Banana Republic

Apologies for the unexpected lack of posts this week.  My husband is out of town and I've had an incredibly busy week at work and absolutely no time for anything else except taking care of the kids.  My mom has been a huge help but still...to all the single moms out there, you have my utmost respect.  It is VERY difficult to parent alone.  I'm completely exhausted and it's only Wednesday.

I had a very important day at work so I wore my new suit that I bought for a steal at Ann Taylor.  The jacket and skirt were a total of about $95, which I think is fantastic for a tropical weight wool suit I can wear for all but the hottest of seasons.  The jacket has the slightest peplum flair in the back, a little detail that I love.

I find that as much as I love color, when I'm wearing a full-on suit it has to be black, gray or navy...any other color and I'm feeling more Golden Girl than Working Girl.  Is that just me? 

Sorry for the blurry picture.  It was taken at 6:30 AM by my 7 year old son.   Now we're all off to bed.  Thanks for reading!

Striped tippi + bubble in pink

Striped tippi (size small): J.Crew, fall 2012
Silk peter pan collar top (size 4):  J.Crew, 2010
Skinny jeans (size 6 Long) Banana Republic, 2009
Boots:  Coach, 2009
Bubble necklace & earrings in neon azalea:  J.Crew, summer 2012

Sunday evening once again!  The weekends just fly by around here.  We had a birthday party for my middle son who is turning 6 today, and here is what I wore.  We went to one of those places with a bunch of huge bouncy castles where the kids ran around like maniacs for 2 hours, and I felt way overdressed.  Apparently 90% of the general population believes that putting on clothing other than huge hoodies and sweatpants is too much work. Why I ask you?   It can't be good for one's state of mind to dress like that and be seen in public.  I witnessed firsthand today what Stacy and Clinton call the "pajamafication of America."  Anyway, don't worry... I didn't feel bad or out of place, even though I was overdressed.  What would make me feel bad?  Schlepping around in  sweats and gym shoes all the time.

What are your thoughts on the pamajafication of America?

J.Crew Factory banded shift dress in viridian green

Banded shift dress in viridian green (size 6):  J.Crew Factory, fall 2012
Intyce boots in black leather:  Steve Madden
Necklace:  Anthropologie, fall 2012

Happy Friday!  It's freezing and gloomy here but this pretty dress kept me warm and colorful today.  I bought this on a totally impulsive whim a couple weeks ago when the Factory website was offering an additional 40% off.  It looks a little rumpled now because this picture was taken at the end of the day, but it really is a nice piece.  I've been really happy with my Factory purchases lately, and with the additional percentage off I paid around $45 for it.  It is a wool blend but that's ok...the material still feels nice. I love the thick band around the waist...very flattering.  Also see Blondie, Esquire looking very cute in it here!

Hope everyone has a healthy and fun weekend!

Giant bow sweater + festival blue + metro coat

Giant bow sweater (size small):  J.Crew, fall 2012
Wool No. 2 pencil skirt in festival blue (size 6):  J.Crew, fall 2012
Heels:  Jones New York (DSW)

I wore this sweater casually with jeans here and loved it.  Today I wanted to give it a try with a pencil skirt for work.  A simple sweater and skirt combo is really kicked up a knotch with the fun bow and leopard shoes, which are low enough to run around painlessly all day.  Sadly most people didn't see my cute bow sweater though, as most of my day was spent in my coat: 

Double cloth metro coat with Thinsulate in vintage berry (size 6 Tall) : 
J.Crew, limited sizes here
Wool plaid scarf in fuschia/green:  J.Crew, fall 2012

I was on the fence about this coat when I first purchased it, and now I can't believe I ever questioned it.  I love it!  The color, shape, length...love it all.  I do wish it had functional pockets though.  J.Crew, what's up with these useless flaps?  Fortunately I loved the coat enough to overlook this feature...but I know pockets or lack thereof can be a deal breaker for some girls.

Thanks for reading!  For a fun post about dressing warm and stylish, check out one of my favorite bloggers, Tasia, over at Ruffles and Sequins.

Cashmere + tweed for a cold winter day

Shawl collar cashmere sweater (size small):  Ann Taylor, old
Ruffled silk cami (size 6):  J.Crew, 2010
No. 2 pencil skirt in multi-tweed (size 6):  J.Crew, fall 2012
Booties:  Steve Madden, 2010
Aviators:  Anthropologie, fall 2012

Southern Ohio typically has fairly mild winters.  We may have a few snow days, and a few days in freezing temperatures, but for the most part, winter days are between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit and without a huge amount of snow.  But this week a seriously freezing cold front is moving through, and the high tomorrow is only going to be about 16 degrees F!  Today wasn't much better, highs in the 20's and whipping wind and flurries in my face all day.  So the question becomes:  How do I dress functionally, as I am in and out of my car all day, and still look decent?  My solution in the past has been boring dress pants and my winter coat.  I didn't even worry about what top to wear, because if I don't have any set meetings or appointments during the day I won't even remove my coat during the work day!  So it makes sense that in winters past I've actually been quite unmotivated to dress cute.  Winter is my least favorite season for fashion AND weather!  But my little blog has definitely challenged me to step it up a notch this winter, and make more of an effort.  Today's tights and heavy tweed skirt kept me just as warm as pants, and the cashmere sweater under my winter coat felt nice and cozy. 

How do you continue to dress fashionably when it's freezing cold?  Thanks for stopping by!

Schoolboy blazer in heather coral + stripes

Schoolboy blazer in heather coral (size 6): J.Crew, 2009
Striped sweater by Moth (size medium): Anthropologie, fall 2011
Skinny jeans (size 29): Seven for all Mankind
Intyce boots in cognac leather:  Steve Madden here
Necklace:  Limited, gift from my mom
Aviators:  Anthropologie, fall 2012

 Hope everyone is having a great weekend!  I found this Anthro sweater stuffed away in my sweater chest feeling lonely and unloved.  I remembered that the ONE time I wore it when I bought it (ridiculous) I wore it under this schoolboy blazer.  Such a pretty combo, isn't it?  I love coral and tan together.  I can't believe I haven't worn it more, it will definitely be in my rotation now!

These boots were for sale over at Shop Colorful Corporate (which is in desperate need of updating, that is on my to-do list I promise) and I had many emails about them but no one bought them.  They've been sitting unworn in my closet forever.  I actually really love them, just don't need them.  I wear the black ones all the time though.  If you're interested, shoot me an email.  I'm asking $50 plus shipping.  They are really comfortable and look exactly the same as when I bought them...so any distressing you see is intentional and they came that way.  They're size 9 and TTS with thin socks. 

Thanks for visiting!

Blue Tippi & trench + plaid & pink

Double cloth slim trench in brilliant blue (size 6 Tall):  J.Crew, fall 2012
Tippi sweater in blue:  J.Crew (size small): fall 2012, other colors here
Wool No. 2 pencil skirt in vintage berry (size 6):  J.Crew, fall 2012 other colors here
Wool plaid scarf in fuschia/green: J.Crew, fall 2012
Boots:  Ann Taylor (old)

Today was the brighest, sunniest day we've had in quite a while.  I could barely open my eyes for the picture it was so bright!  Note to self: wear shades next time it's this bright for picture time. 

I wanted something easy for a Friday where the temperature wasn't going to get much above freezing, so I went with my slim trench and matching Tippi.  I am so happy I found this plaid scarf, it really pulls together an outfit and it's so warm and cozy. 

Any fun plans this weekend?  Our dinner plans with friends tomorrow night may be getting thwarted by the flu...not us but the couple we're supposed to go out with.  It's really knocking people over left and right, isn't it?  Hope you're all staying healthy! 

Have a great weekend, thanks for stopping by!