AWOL

Apologies for the unexpected absence... the stomach flu hit our house with full force last weekend, and then no sooner was it over than I dove right into a lovely laryngitis/cold combo. There has been only dressing for survival around here, is what I'm trying to say.

Back soon!

It's Friday and I'm in love

A two-outfit Friday! Woohoo!

This first outfit was worn to go to a doctor's appointment, take down Christmas decorations, and then play outside (driveway hockey! woot!) with my little guy. I like the colors together, although I'm still undecided about the jauntiness of the flight-attendant-style scarf. I got this scarf a few years ago when I lost my hair, but never ended up wearing it on my head... although I still like it! And pink kind of forces you to be cheerful.

I coveted these boots for a year or two before I finally got them about a month ago. They're bulky, but I still love them. Anything with faux fur trim has that affect on me. And they keep my ankles dry in the winter, which around here is a big plus.

Scarf: Vera Bradley

Pink-and-tan striped sweater: Old Navy

Brown vest: TJMaxx

Jeans: Calvin Klein lean bootcut

Boots: Sorel Joan of Arctic

Where: Doctor's appointment, home, driveway hockey.

Friday night was date night! Nothing fancy, which honestly suits us just fine. Mexican food and Tom Cruise... really, can you ask for anything more?

Camel flyaway cardigan: Target

Red ruched sleeveless sweater: Gap

Skinny jeans: Lauren Conrad

Brown boots: Target

Brown studded belt: "vintage" Gap, thrifted

Circle necklace: Kohls

Where: date night!

Top secret

I only got to shoot one frame of my outfit this morning before we were out the door. We were playing hooky, you see, and we had to get off on our adventure! My husband, son, and I took the day off from all of our various obligations and headed off for a great day together. I can't tell you where, unfortunately; that's classified. But it was well worth it.

Brown turtleneck tunic: CAbi

Grey fleece vest: Old Navy

Grey skinny jeans: Old Navy

Brown boots: Target

Where: Playing hooky, and then a continuing ed class in the evening.

Improbable

It's going to be hard to make this out because it's all black, but this is a shift sweaterdress with a ballerina wrap cardigan over the top. And this is one of the least likely outfits I could ever see myself wearing, much less liking...

I thrifted this sweaterdress with Frumptastic when she was here last week. I barely wanted to try it on - it's all black, and a weird length. Plus I don't usually like things that are clingy and/or unshaped. But the fabric was nice and heavy, and the price was superlow, so I tried it on. And, huh. It looked pretty decent. It actually wasn't as shapeless as it looked on the hanger, and it was WARM, and I figured I could work around the weird length by wearing boots. So it came home with me, and I couldn't be happier about it. Especially since this is the coldest day of the year so far, and my legs are wrapped in leggings AND wearing a sweater. Happy.

Black sweaterdress: thrifted

Wrap cardigan: boutique in Providence (see it better here)

Black harness boots: Target

Silver link necklace: Kohls

Where: Preschool pickup/dropoff, tons of work at home, lunch with my grandmother, gymnastics class, errands.

Cocoa, again

Monday's outfit! Only a semi-holiday here; things seemed like a pretty normal Monday actually.

I do seem to be having an infatuation with brown lately. Brown and purple. There really isn't much more to say about this outfit except: I don't think I can think of a more comfy, soothing color palette out there. And it makes me want hot chocolate.

Brown wool sweater vest: TJMaxx?

Purple long-sleeve shirt: Old Navy

Brown jeans: CAbi

Brown harness boots: White Mountain

Bird-charm link bracelet: Baked Beads

Where: Work at home, swim lessons, cooking/cleaning, committee meeting.

Flimsy

I saw a photo of a light-orange-and-grey striped cardigan somewhere not too long ago, and put it in my "inspirations" folder. Then, on a trip to TJMaxx a few days later, I found this tunic version, and bought it immediately. But it's a bit on the flimsy side. I've only gotten to wear it twice, and both times it's snagged and pulled. I think this might be a short-lived love affair, no matter how much I like the color palette...

Orange and grey striped tunic: TJMaxx

Grey boatneck shirt: Old Navy

Skinny jeans: Gap

Black boots: Target

Grey swirl pendant: Baked Beads

Where: Aquarium, swim lessons. Not at the same time, that would be weird.

Hogwarts

My outfit yesterday was built around this striped infinity scarf - a Christmas gift from my sister, which I adore. I love the red and blue stripes together... I know it's totally not the same as the Hogwarts scarves, but it makes me feel a little like a wizard anyhow. I have to figure out how to wear it though - so far this outfit is the only one I have come up with. But I love the scarf, so it's worth some imagination.

I wore this for a busy Wednesday and it was perfect. I had planned to change into a dress before going out to dinner, but it was so blustery and cold that this outfit just stayed right on through the end of the day.

Red/blue striped infinity scarf - Etsy, a Christmas gift from my sister

Sueded brown vest: LL Bean

Maroon t-shirt: Old Navy

Skinny jeans: Gap

Brown boots: Target

Silver maroon-and-brown beaded bracelet: neighborhood gift exchange

Where: Playdate at our house, lunch out with my grandmother, afternoon visiting with my aunt and cousin, dinner out with Frumptastic and D. Yay!

Ski bunny safari

I've been wanting to try a "winter shorts" look for a while now; this was my first attempt. I think it turned out okay, even if my legs were a little cold. Thicker tights next time!

I bought this white vest a few years ago, but I'd never worn it until now. I'm not in love with it... I think it's too puffy and swishy for everyday use. But maybe I'll give it another chance.

Puffy white vest: Kenneth Cole Reaction

Tan sweater top: Old Navy

Scarf: discount store

Brown/olive linen shorts: Gap (seen before here and here)

Animal-print stockings: Betsey Johnson

Brown boots: Target

Where: lunch and thrifting with Frumptastic, who's in town for the holidays. I just might kidnap her and keep her here.

Fake it 'til you make it

A neighbor once gave me this advice: If you are running late and/or unprepared for an event, just put on a sparkly top and go anyhow. It has been surprisingly helpful advice. It's amazing what a bit of sparkle will do. It's sort of a fake-it-til-you-make-it thing.

Today, I was in yoga pants and fleece most of the day, and hadn't washed my hair. Just doing laundry and post-holiday cleaning, etc. The time snuck away from me until it was literally five minutes until our traditional December 26th ladies tea. (I know, I know. But it's sweet.) So I ran upstairs, put on some jeans and sparkly items, and somehow, it worked.

Metallic silver cowlneck top: Ann Taylor, thrifted

Jeans: Calvin Klein lean bootcut

Skinny silver belt: can't remember

Checkered sequin flats: Keds

Beaded "snowman" earrings: discount store

Black beaded headband (not shown): TJ Maxx

Where: Post-Christmas tea at my house.

Christmas at home

We had a great Christmas at home this year, lazing around and taking all day to open our presents - stopping only for a brunch feast and a walk in the snow. It was perfect.

I actually hadn't thought beforehand about what I was going to wear today - but I knew I wanted to wear red. This outfit is kind of a land-of-misfit-toys combination: lots of pieces that I rarely wear, but I think they work together. I started with the necklace, then the tank, then the cardigan, and last the scarf. The color combination was inspired by the tomato-and-olive posts from earlier this wear at What I Wore 2Day... I like how it turned out, although I don't think it photographed all that well (and I wish I'd noticed the lopsided scarf at the time! Oh well).

I hope you all had a great holiday as well!

Gold cardigan: Old Navy

Red satiny tank: Kohls

Olive-and-gold silk scarf: can't remember

Red pendant: Baked Beads

Jeans: Calvin Klein lean bootcut

Gold flats: Nine West

My gold flats:

Although in the interest of honesty, this is how my feet looked most of the day.

A Christmas Eve two-fer

This may be one of my favorite outfits of the year so far. I don't know why I don't do this more often: just put on a bunch of my favorite things all at once, and see what happens... I wore this for a raucous family breakfast at a local diner to celebrate some Christmas Eve birthdays. I loved the outfit, even if one family member (who shall remain nameless) asked about the "raccoon hanging around my neck."

Fur-trimmed sweater vest: Macy's

Long-sleeved brown v-neck shirt: Kohls

Skinny jeans: Lauren Conrad

Brown boots: Target

Rhinestone star-drop necklace: vintage

Where: family breakfast out, lots of cooking.

I swear, this outfit looked a lot better in person. What a terrible photo! Anyhow, I was going for something out of White Christmas. Full skirt, tightish (although mine is getting a little baggy) fur-trimmed sweater... I wore this to a Christmas Eve/birthday dinner at my parents' house. But I had to leave right after dinner (and before cake!) to get my son home for bed... there was a serious over-tired meltdown brewing! Ah, a mother's social life...

Fur-trimmed cardigan: H&M

Beige sweater shell underneath: Liz Claiborne

Wool skirt: thrifted

Grey ruffled wedge boots: Kohls (see them better here)

Rhinestone star-drop necklace: vintage

Where: Christmas Eve/birthday dinner at my parents' house.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

In which I come perilously close to breaking my own rules

So, I have very few rules for myself when it comes to clothing. The white-after-Labor-Day rule? Nah. Open-toed shoes in the winter? Nope. Mixing black with brown or navy? Sure, why not.

But there is one rule I have. And it is this: Leggings are not pants. I don't care how awesome your butt looks or how thin your thighs are. Please, for the love of all that is good in the world, please don't put on a pair of leggings and a short shirt and call it a day.

It's true, I love leggings. So comfortable and so versatile... and they make dresses so much more wearable when you spend your days chasing children, as I do. But I always, always wear something long over them. Like this sweater. Which - as I'm looking at the photo above - seems to have gotten shorter and shorter in the time that I've owned it. We're now hovering precariously atop that mid-thigh cutoff area, above which it is quite likely I am flashing everyone in town, each time I buckle my son into his carseat...

Sweaterdress: Old Navy

Blue t-shirt: Old Navy

Dark grey leggings: Kohls

Black boots: Target

Studded watch: Mudd

Studded bracelet: Baked Beads

Where: Preschool, shopping mall, photo store, craft store, liquor store, preschool again, tons of work at home.

Re-entry

Action Tuesday. It's safe to say that re-entry from a vacation is no fun — especially when you are re-entering during the week before Christmas. Thankfully I got the bulk of my Christmas prep done before we left - cards mailed, gifts purchased if not wrapped. So this week is primarily spent batting cleanup on my Christmas list. Oh, and the wrapping. So very much wrapping yet to come...

Grey metallic "inside-out" sweater: DKNY

White v-neck t-shirt: Kohls

Jeans: Lauren Conrad bootcut in "huckleberry"

Black harness boots: Target

Snowflake necklace: gift from my mom, rechained

Where: Preschool dropoff, eye doctor, then staggering around half-blind with my eyes dilated. Work at home, preschool pickup, gymnastics class, tons of errands.

In which I give next to no thought to clothes

Hello! I'm back. We spent a week in that east-coast mecca of kid paradise, Disneyworld. It was pretty awesome. And while I was there, I wore pretty much the same outfit every day: long shorts, tevas, v-neck t-shirt, cardigan. Just in different colors. It was the most functional, appropriate outfit possible, if not very fashion-forward. But perfect for tons of walking, going on safari, a few rollercoasters and meeting Mickey. Needless to say, I was not dressed as well as Kasmira on her trips there.

I did manage to take a few photos during the week. This (despite the unfortunate angle) was my traveling outfit. Pretty basic, tee and jeans with a light wool cardigan for the plane. I wore pretty much the same thing on the way back, just with a purple tee and animal-print scarf.

Ruffled wool cardigan: Marshalls

Yellow v-neck t-shirt: Kohls

Jeans: Calvin Klein lean bootcut

Brown harness boots: White Mountain

Sunflower yellow scarf: F21

Brown studded belt: Gap, thrifted

Yellow rubber watch: swag from my husband's old job

I did manage to get semi-gussied up for dinner one night, to get roared at by dinosaurs. This is a slight modification on the outfit I wore last summer that got so much love here. It worked out well until my son wiped his mouth on my jacket sleeve.

Striped top: French Connection

Coral linen shorts: Gap

White short-sleeve denim jacket: CAbi

Silver and brown wedge sandals: Target

Short Sleeves...in the Winter...in the Northeast...

I work in an old building with the worst temperature regulating capabilities in the whole entire world. Yes, really. I checked. I am either so cold that a wrap myself in a blanket and hat or I pull out my bathing suit that I keep in my file cabinet when the heater does not realize that I really do mean 68 on the thermostat and not 90. Okay not really. A hat is overkill. Today's outfit is a compromise. At least I think it is.

The Wear:

Sweater: Banana Republic

Dress: Calvin Klein

Tights: Merona

Boots: White Mountain (I almost wrote White Castle which is awesome.)

The Where:

Work, the young one's holiday party where they will attempt to get a bunch of toddlers and preschoolers to sing songs in unison (oy vey), and home.

HAPPY FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US!

Insane clown party of one

Umm.... this is my first attempt at pattern-mixing. I have to say I am not overly impressed with the results. Perhaps I need to take a tutorial.

However, the resulting aura of is-she-or-isn't-she-crazy aptly fits my mental state today, which has included crazy amounts of rushing around town, and a few temper tantrums (not all mine). Which brings me to my next point: I'll be taking a short break from posting. We are going on a VAY-CAY-SHI-OWN. I will try to dress cute while I'm gone, and take pictures to post when I'm back, but I can't promise anything. I may be either asleep or drunk the entire time. (Oh, who am I kidding. We all know it'll be sleep.)

See you in a week!

Striped top: Kohls

Polka-dotted top: JCPenney

Jeans: Calvin Klein lean bootcut

Black harness boots: Target

Yellow scarf: F21

Yellow rubber watch: swag from my husband's old job

Where: Cleaning, storytime, bookstore, drycleaners, FedEx, dropping off treats to a friend who is having a new baby today! Then packing, organizing, bringing the dog for boarding, and more packing.

Two-fer

The last time I posted this top, here, it came off kind of drab and lacking in color. This time it's much better! I guess the blue jeans go better than the grey did.

I wore this Thursday, which was a crazy busy day, and man did this blouse get abused. You don't want to know the strange substances I was splattered with throughout the course of the day... But it held up well. At least, we'll see if that's true after it comes out of the wash.

Indigo blouse: Target

Skinny jeans: Gap

Brown boots: Target

Purple infinity scarf: J.Crew

Where: Preschool dropoff, parent-teacher conference, blooddraw, post office, appliance store, shopping for wrapping supplies, three sporting goods stores, grocery shopping, preschool pickup, packaging cookies and massive amounts of cooking.

Last night was our neighborhood cookie swap (really a cover for drinking wine with the ladies of the neighborhood). And there are some pretty fancy ladies in our neighborhood. There were sequins galore! I think I may have been the only one not in black.

Blue-and-metallic-silver striped top: TJMaxx?

Tan suede pants: Target Mizrahi

Nude pumps: Franco Sarto

Where: Neighborhood cookie swap/wine-drinking.

Rusty

Today's outfit accomplishes two goals:

1. Wear the "forgotten" items from my closet... the ones I hang onto for years but for some reason always pass over. This skirt qualifies. I bought it at JCrew so long ago that I can't remember what state I was living in at the time. But it's perfectly fine, and I still love the rust color. My recent acquisition of these brown boots may have brought the skirt back into play - I haven't had knee-high brown boots in ages, and the skirt is long enough that it skews frumpy without boots.

2. Wear things that "go" together even if they don't quite match. The scarf is technically orange-and-black instead of rust-and-brown, but you know what? I still like them together. So there.

Brown cardigan: Target

Rust-colored corduroy skirt: JCrew

Brown leggings (unseen but necessary): Old Navy

Brown boots: Target

Where: Gymnastics class, work at home, preschool holiday party, meeting the chimney sweep, playdate, baking nine dozen cookies for a cookie swap, continuing ed class.

Earthy

I'm catching up! This is Tuesday's outfit. And while I wish I'd figured out a way to incorporate more color, I have to say that this outfit was perfect for Action Tuesday.

Also, my friend D says that these types of cuffs (see them better here) are called "hobo mitts." Which made me laugh all day. I love them, even though I curse them every time I have to wash my hands, eat, or do dishes. Which - let's face it - is pretty much every five minutes around here.

Brown turtleneck tunic: CAbi

Grey skinny jeans: Old Navy

Brown boots: Target

Where: Preschool dropoff, vacuum cleaner dissection (don't ask), boatloads of work at home, preschool pickup, voting, gymnastics class, drycleaner, grocery store, cooking, eight kabillion Christmas cards.

Day late, dollar short

Hello! So this is actually Monday's outfit. Impressive, I know! I took the photo late in the day, and I hope I wasn't quite this wrinkled and rumpled all day...

I don't have much to say about this actually... I just wanted to wear the plum-colored jeans again, and I like how the grey works with it. I had some issues with the tank underneath, though. Do I tuck it in? Let it hang out? First world problems, for sure.

Heathered charcoal cowlneck sweater: Target

Grey tank (underneath): Old Navy

Jeans: Lauren Conrad bootcut in "honeysuckle"

Black harness boots: Target

Where: Carwash, drycleaner, lunch with my grandmother, work at home.