Airport outfit

I'm in Maryland for Easter weekend and this is what I wore to the airport. I couldn't wait to wear my new jacket, and I figured the 40-50 degree temperatures in Maryland was the perfect weather to wear this light jacket. I saw a teenage girl at the airport and thought to myself, "I really like her jacket," and when I got closer I realized it was the exact. same. one. as. me. I guess it's a good thing when I'm liking my jacket on other people - it means it was a good purchase for myself! I'm going to see some of my sorority sisters this weekend and I CANT WAIT. It's been over a year since I've seen a lot of them. Living in Miami will do that to you :( Does anyone else have a 3-day weekend? What are you doing for it? Also, completely off topic but if I was in Miami I would be driving to the outlets this weekend - J. Crew Factory is having an extra 50% off everything sale (you need to show your coupon that you got through email) and I BET they will honor the student discount too. God I wish I could go to that sale! 

Jacket: J. Crew

Shirt: J. Crew (similar)

Jeans: Forever 21

Boots: Steve Madden

Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

Watch: Michael Kors

Camel & Trouser Jeans

I wore these pants today because as I was browsing my closet I realized I hadn't worn them in over a year. Wearing them reminded me why I haven't worn them in over a year... Trouser jeans are kind of an oxymoron. Where are they really appropriate to wear?!? You can't wear them in most business casual and business formal settings because they look like jeans, and they are not as comfortable as jeans so why would I wear them on the weekend? Really the only situation to wear them is like today, where I still had to go to work but I could get away with jean material. They certainly look "nicer" than jeans, but whatever. Ugh. Don't like these pants lol. 

Jacket: J. Crew (similar)

Blouse: Florence Adams (similar)

Pants: Loft

Shoes: Forever 21 (similar)

Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

Earrings: Ebay

Watch: Michael Kors

Bag: B. Makowsky

Saturday Shopping

I went shopping today with the intention of going to J. Crew to see if I could pick up the jacket on my wish list during the 25% off $150 or more promotion that's currently going on. I knew that my jacket was only $148, so I was hoping to find something in the sale section that was a good price and could get me over the $150 mark. My store had a lot of cute things on sale, but everything that I liked was a pant or skirt, and the regular sized bottoms (as opposed to petite sizes) just don't fit me right at J. Crew. I hate buying things that I'm not 100% in love with just to get a sale, but I ended up wandering the store for a while and found this gold and pearl necklace that I'm wearing below that I liked enough to buy and get me the promotion discount. I was also able to finally use my gift card that I won from Bri's giveaway! That certainly helped me feel better about this purchase :) See below for a simple outfit featuring my new J. Crew jacket and necklace, and some things I tried on around the mall that just didn't make the cut.

Jacket: J. Crew Downtown Field Jacket

Tee: Old Navy

Jeans: Forever 21

Shoes: Miss Me Mooz

Necklaces: Barneys (similar) & J. Crew (similar)

Bracelet: unknown vintage

Bag: Longchamp

Other items I tried on at J. Crew:

I was very close to buying the Boy Shirt in Dots, but the price just wasn't good enough for me. I don't own ANY polka dots and I thought this was a cute shirt that I could wear both casually and to work. I hope I can get it on further sale.

I immediately spotted this Origami Sheath dress in navy, and the material was exactly what I am looking for in a navy suit. This is me wearing the 00... its way too big. Below is me holding back some of the material, I think the skirt looks better with my makeshift tailoring. If I can find this in 00P I'll definitely try it, but at $198 full price it's way too expensive right now.

This Daisy Lace Skirt was the only other thing that I really liked. It had a pretty good fit, but could be tighter in the waist. If they had this in petite sizing it would be perfect. It's a bit too short for work and a bit too long for what I wear casually so it didn't come home with me. Oh and it was too expensive at $98. Are you sensing a trend with my J. Crew items, lol?

LOFT was having a 40% off everything sale, so I decided to look around. However, this Piped Tweed Jacket was the only thing that stood out to me. I really liked the fit, but I already have too many shrunken blazers. Also, even with the 40% off I thought it was too expensive for what it felt like. It is a very thin material. It has texture but is not a typical tweed material. This was also $98 full price. 

I then went to Banana Republic. They were having 40% off all full-priced items (excluding the Mad Men collection), and an extra 30% off sale items. I found a bunch of cute things to try but there were problems with everything. 

The Carrie Printed Sheath Dress (left) is still full-price online but was marked down to $94 in store + 30% off. The pattern is cute, and the material is like a thicker jacquard. The hips in the dress were too wide/loose on me but the top fit well. However, the arm holes kind of go inward?? I can't explain this well - but basically if you wear a normal bra your straps will probably show because of how the top of the dress is cut. 

The Belted Ponte Sheath (right) is made out of a jersey type material and showed the outline of my bra too much. Also the yellow color made me look sickly. I don't remember the in-store price but online it is marked to $64-$89 depending on the color. 

The Black Lightweight Wool Pleat-Neck Dress (left) was the most promising of the bunch. It was marked to $109 in-store. It fit me really well at the top and the hips, and it was the kind of material that would work really well as a dress for work but also as a LBD for a dressier date night or wedding. The only problem was that the neckline reminds me of this dress that I already have, and I know how difficult it is to get out the wrinkles. The online reviews also mention the problems with the wrinkles in the neckline. 

Finally, I brought the Silk Pleat Front Blouse (right) in the periwinkle color into the dressing room, but when I saw how sheer it was, I didn't bother to try it on. You could always put a tank top underneath but I just don't want to deal with that. 

Did you go shopping this weekend? Score any great deals?

Dreaming of Blazers

Does anyone else have dreams about what they are going to wear the next day? I might be crazy. Anyway, last night, I had a dream about this blazer, and it reminded me that I hadn't worn it in many months. This is mostly because it doesn't have a matching bottom, and I've been wearing a lot of suits lately. Luckily for me, today was Friday, so I felt like I could get away with wearing a mismatched set of blazer and bottom to court today. I decided to wear this blazer with my lone navy skirt from H&M. I've also been having thoughts about adding a good quality navy suit to my collection. This skirt just isn't cutting it. It's kind of a coarse cotton material and shows wrinkles terribly. It just doesn't look as nice as a wool skirt would look. Any suggestions on where to buy a navy suit? I'm thinking Theory per usual but am open to other brands!

Just casually checking the time as I pose for outfit photos. You know. 

Blazer: Theory (similar, and the light blue intrigues me)

Blouse: Loft (similar color, not so similar cut)

Skirt: H&M (similar)

Shoes: Mix No. 9 via DSW (similar)

Earrings: Lord & Taylor

Watch: Michael Kors

Casual Friday

I wore this to work today. It was the first time in what seems like forever that I was able to wear jeans on a Friday! I wore this shirt/jacket combo once before during my 30x30, and I wanted to try it again for a more casual look with jeans. I took pictures right after work so excuse the overstuffed bag and slight lean, I'm probably going to have back problems from how heavy this thing is :) I can't wait to RELAX this weekend! I am so looking forward to taking my time to clean my apartment and run some errands that I haven't had time to do in the last few weekends. What are you going to do this weekend?

Jacket: J. Crew

Shirt: J. Crew

Jeans: Rock & Republic

Shoes: Mix No. 9 via DSW (similar)

Necklace: Nordstrom Rack (similar)

Earrings: Ebay (pearls) (similar)

Bag: Michael Kors

Belt: Forever 21 (similar)

In other news, I had a major regression this week with my nail progress - I bit off 2 of them and now the rest of the long ones look stupid! I don't know whether to file down the other ones so they are all short or what. UGH!

Camel, Tortoise, White

I had a bunch of "firsts" this week at work, including, among other things, doing most of a competency hearing with my boss. It was the first time I've cross-examined doctors, and the 2nd time I've done cross-examination in a courtroom, so that was fun. I wore this outfit on a day I didn't have to go to court because I just felt the camel color and brown pants combo was too casual for court at this point. Maybe I'll change my mind in a few months. I haven't worn this shirt in forever - This shirt is one of the first "work shirts" I bought when I was in college in 2008. It's survived the Goodwill pile a few times, mostly because at the end of the day it's just a semi-dressy plain white shirt. I absolutely hate the ruffles though - I have to use a flat iron to iron them out because it's the only thing small enough to maneuver on the ruffles. I also haven't worn these pants in forever. It's a shame I don't wear them more often because they are pretty flattering on and can be worn with a few colors (I'm already planning for my burgundy blazer in the future). Any thoughts on how you'd wear brown striped pants for work?

Blazer: J. Crew Hacking Jacket (similar)

Blouse: Banana Republic (similar)

Pants: BCBG (similar)

Shoes: Vince Camuto (similar)

Bag: B. Makowsky

Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

Five Things (Tag)

Sam, from Sam Ipsa Loquitur, tagged me in the "Five Things" post which has been going around blogworld! I think the concept is to share five random facts about yourself, and then tag 5 more bloggers who you'd like to learn more random things about. So here goes:

1. I get into TV shows once they're already over. The only shows I'm watching in their current seasons are Parks & Rec and Vampire Diaries (it's my guilty pleasure). Everything else I watch is a series on Netflix that's already donezo. I think I do this because I get SO into shows I just wish I could watch MORE MORE MORE, and when the show is already over I can get obsessed and sit down and watch all of Nip Tuck in 7 days without leaving the house. This really helps my social life.

2.  I'm a nail biter, and I'm not proud of it. I think I started when I was around 6-7 years old because I do remember my mom painting my nails and trimming them when I was really little. I recently (like a month or so ago) tried to kick the habit by buying a Red Carpet Manicure at-home gel polish set, because gel polish is the ONLY THING that I can't physically bite through. It is slowly but surely working to make my nails long, but it isn't working to teach me to not bite my nails because I still TRY to bite them, I just physically can't bite them. If any psychologists are reading this, any suggestions on how to teach myself not to bite anymore?

3. Another Netflix fact. At least once a weekend I try to find a random independent movie on Netflix and watch the entire thing, no matter how weird or boring or bad I might think it is. Sometimes it's torture and other times I end up liking the movie. My favorite movie so far from this little experiment is called "Keith" starring teen singing sensation Jesse McCartney and that girl from the TV movie "My Date With the President's Daughter." I'm not joking, I loved this movie haha. The weirdest movie I've seen recently is called "Lars and the Real Girl" starring my fave Ryan Gosling, even though he looks like a child molester in the movie and is kinda fat (for him). I will say the movie was really good though - it is weird that I developed an emotional connection to a sex doll (you'll have to see the movie to understand!). The worst movie I've seen recently is called "Tiny Furniture" written by and starring Lena Dunham. I've heard great things about the show Girls so I wanted to give her a try, but I thought the storyline was nonexistent and booooringggg.

4. I'm 26 and I use under eye wrinkle cream every night. This is more of a preventive measure than anything else, and the only reason I'm doing this is because I won a giveaway with a ton of face products from Veronika's Blushing a few months ago so I feel like I should use them in case they go bad by the time I actually have wrinkles!

5. I don't take full advantage of my city. Miami has beaches, restaurants, museums, you name it.. I haven't been to the pool or beach in months if not a year. I have been to zero museums (I refuse to pay $20 or more to go to a museum for a few hours. I am spoiled from the free DC national museums and zoo). I do take advantage of restaurants, but I tend to stick to my neighborhood rather than venture out to other neighborhoods. Especially now that my BF is not living in the same city (or state) as me, I am not motivated to drive far just to eat well.

Thanks for listening to my random babble. Without further ado, I tag:

Biscuits&Navy

Bree

Bri

Christine

Lynette

Burgundy & Animal Print

Can you tell I'm loving my new thrifted shoes? I wore them twice in one week! I was able to wear some fun outfits this week thanks to not having many scheduled days in court. Today, however, I have to go to juvenile court and maybe because the courtrooms are much smaller and more intimate, or maybe because most of the attorneys are younger/newer, there's less evidence of "style" there than in regular criminal court, and I'm more wary of even mixing and matching suit separates. Juvenile court is a whole different ball game. Every time I go there I feel like such an idiot - there is a whole separate set of court rules, they use different terminology, have different ways to conduct trials and different sentences/sanctions for kids than adults. I feel like I'm getting the hang of the adult court and then BAM I gotta go feel like a fool again because I have no idea what I'm doing in juvie! Oh well, wish me luck :)

Blazer: Forever 21 (really similar)

Blouse: Old Navy

Skirt: Loft (similar)

Belt: Ann Taylor (similar)

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

Bracelet: thrifted/vintage

Watch: Michael Kors

Bag: B. Makowsky

Sunglasses: Versace

And a foundation primer update for anyone who cares! I've been using the Monistat Chafing Gel for about a week now. It literally feels like satin when you put it on your face, but I found that it seeped into my skin after a few hours rather than sits atop my skin like the Smashbox primer. Because the gel seeped into my skin, my makeup also seeped into my skin. Also, I found it not to be as hydrating as the Smashbox primer - I have extremely dry skin, and while nothing seems to control the dryness on my forehead no matter what i do, the Smashbox primer did control the dryness around my nose. The gel, however, did not control the dryness around my nose. I will continue to use the gel because I stupidly bought 3 bottles of the stuff because I'm stubborn about getting free shipping on Amazon, but I am in the market for a new primer! I still don't want to spend 40 dollars a tube on Smashbox though, so I will be taking some of the advice from the commenters on my previous post and I'll let you know the results once I get a chance to try another kind! But it will likely be a while before I try anything because now I've got 2.98 tubes of Monistat Chafing Gel to finish...
I'm linking up with Fleurani for "an old flame never dies" - My bag is 4 years old, my belt, sunglasses, and skirt are 2 years old!

Paint the Town Red

I actually wore this exact outfit minus the red coat for my Christmas lunch with my office, and it was one of my favorite outfits of 2012 despite the fact that I wasn't able to take pictures immediately. I felt a little out of place wearing red pants to court, but it was 1) Friday, 2) almost Christmas, and 3) otherwise professional minus the red, so I rationalized it in my mind. I've been dying to wear my red pants again, so I busted out this same ensemble and added the red coat for this blistery 50-60 degree week. I know I'm such a cry baby that I'm freezing cold in 50-60 degrees when everyone else in the country is thankful to hit 40 at this time of year, but it is REALLY out of character for Miami to be this cold! After 4 years living here, my blood has definitely thinned and I'm much more susceptible to feeling cold in not-cold weather. I'm linking up with Mix & Match Fashion for "What I Wore to Work" - I love seeing how everyone else dresses for work and I can't wait to get some new ideas.

Jacket: J. Crew

Blazer: Theory

Blouse: Ann Taylor

Pants: Express

Shoes: Ann Taylor

Earrings: gift (similar)

Necklace: Tiffany

Bag: Longchamp

work or weekend

This past weekend after having brunch with my BF, we were walking back to my car and walked by a consignment shop. We decided to pop in and I was pleasantly surprised by all the great stuff they had. For one, I was able to score these never-worn (in my size!) Sam Edelman booties for $35 after a 50% off sale. But the real point of my post is that I put on the first outfit, I liked it, but I wanted to wear a more neutral shirt because the last time I wore this skirt I did the bright on bright thing and didn't want to wear a similar outfit again. Then, when I changed my shirt, I realized that even though it was work appropriate with the blazer, without the blazer, it looked kinda casual/chic for a weekend, but certainly more dressed up than I normally am on my days off. Do you dress up on weekends or are you a jeans/tee shirt girl?

Blazer: J. Crew

Blue blouse: Ann Taylor (similar)

White blouse: Old Navy

Skirt: Banana Republic (similar)

Belt: Forever 21 (similar)

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

Watch: Michael Kors

Bag: The IT

Jewelry Organization

Today, I thought I'd share how I organize my jewelry. I want to start by saying that this is by no means groundbreaking, but it's how I do it and it works well for me. Sometime in college, my parents bought me a standing jewelry organizer like this one. 

I fell in love with its functionality and form - It was gorgeous to look at with the dark mahogany wood, but also very functional in that the outside was a full length mirror, it had a lock and key, and when it closed it hid away all the clutter. The inside was also perfect for storing a lot of jewelry - a ton of hanging space for necklaces and bracelets, a ring holder, and earring hooks. It had pouches and crevices and more space than almost anyone could need. However, it was a bulky and heavy piece of furniture, and I couldn't bring it with me to Miami when I moved here. I thought, "oh well, I'll just buy another one," but when I did my research, I realized these things cost hundreds of dollars - something I don't have! For the last 3.5 years I've been letting my jewelry get out of hand, and I finally did what I could to get it under control, despite me missing my jewelry stand at home. Here is what I bought:

1) A large, standing jewelry tree that can sit on any flat surface. I bought this particular one because it had the most hooks to hang necklaces and bracelets, as well as a ring tray at the bottom which I use for rings and earrings. It cost about $8 from Ross, and I'm sure if you have a Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or any other discount store near you, you can find a similar one for a similar price. 

2) A hanging fabric jewelry holder. This could be hung in your closet, over the door like I have it here, or anywhere else where you have a hook. There are pockets on both sides, but I put everything on one side so nothing is hidden as I have it hanging against the wall. This also cost about $8 from Ross. I put the items I don't wear as often here because, to me, it's harder to look in small pockets for something than to see it hanging on the jewelry tree. 

There are a ton of different options for jewelry solutions, and I'm sure you will find one that suits your needs. If you wear a lot of earrings, they sell trees that have small holes in them specially made for earrings, if you wear a lot of rings, you can buy a pretty bowl or tray to display them, and if you wear a lot of bracelets, you can get a jewelry stand with smaller spaces to accommodate bracelets. How do you organize your jewelry? 

tuxedo jacket, popover shirt

Wore this out to dinner Saturday night at China Grill in Ft. Lauderdale with my BF, his parents, and his parents friends. I've been eating pretty bland lately to try to save money so it was a nice treat to eat to my stomach's content and really indulge. I had the short ribs with goat cheese mashed potatoes. The ribs were great, but the mashed potatoes were AMAZING! It was literally like having a bite of goat cheese in every mouth full. If you like goat cheese I highlyyy recommend them! My BF is already back in Chicago after too-short of a weekend back in town :( I hope I can head out there and visit sometime this month!

Tuxedo Jacket: Gap (similar)

Blouse: Old Navy

Jeans: Forever 21 (similar)

Shoes: Ann Taylor

Bag: Longchamp

Necklace: Forever 21

Bracelets: Brace URself, gift