Monday, April 18, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
What I Wore Today!
Break out the pink! It's like a small army has attacked my closet with pink! I love this dress- it totally reminds me of Japanese Origami paper, with it's cherry blossoms, gold and silver strands of jacquard. Talk about a dress that's well made, sturdy and lovely, all at once.
I paired this dress with some J.Crew Metallic Crackle Heels and a really hot pink cardigan from J.Crew. It needs only minimal jewelry, the dress is just so ornate.
I'm planning on wearing this to work next week. Spring is in the air, which means Summer is right around the corner!
Happy Weekending!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
What I Wore Today!
Sometimes I feel like I should have lived in the 1950's. It was a time of glamour, a time when women looked like women, and something "borrowed from the boys" was a cigarette. Ok, I don't smoke, I absolutely have never tried it, but you get the point.
Kate Spade does a wonderful job of bringing us back to a time when things were simple. I'm not a jewelry girl, so I appreciate her not loading up the outfits with a ton of pieces that take away from the outfit itself.
This piece that I'm wearing today is the Kate Spade Lucinda Dress, along with the KS Michaeline Cardigan. The Lucinda has a lovely bow up front, and has a slight opening, the back has a two button neck closure with a back zip. Falls to the knee. The cardigan is a wool/cashmere blend, with polished scalloped buttons and a really darling bow at the neckline. I've tried to collect most of their cardigans! I'd rather have a few that are just near and dear to my heart, rather than a pile of garbage.
If you're my size, you're in luck! You can buy the outfit here (I buy multiples of things I have already, because people are always asking me where I get my items):
Just a heads up. I purchase all my items from retail stores. A lot of sellers of KS will have items that LOOK like the real thing (i.e., from China, Los Angeles, Colorado), and I've purchased from them. Pretty good knock off, but pretty bad when you compare it to the real thing. Example, I purchased the Josie Floral Dress and the silk isn't even comparable to the real thing. The ebay dress's silk is lightweight with runs, and the real thing at Neiman's was a thick silk. Once dress I picked up from China was a cotton/silk blend, the real deal? Real silk, fluid to the touch. Fool me once, shame on me...fool me twice...always buy new with tags or ask for proof of purchase!
Happy Thursday, Kids! :)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
What I Wore Today!
This dress, without a doubt, is gorgeous. I never hesitate to dress up, even if I don't have to be in meetings, etc. Sometimes it's nice just to look nice!
If you're a size 2, I have one NWT. Bought 2, kept one:
Happy Hump Day!
Monday, April 4, 2011
What I Wore Today!
Happy Monday!
Recycling some of my oldies but goodies. This silk is really something special- the colors are a lot more vibrant that in the pictures and it's silky soft. A really good pick me up for someone who has a case of the Mondays.
Paired with a warm dream tie cardigan in gray and some jeans, heels and the standard minimal jewelry, and off to work I went!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
What I Wore Today!
I love color. Lots of color. One of my favorite things about Kate Spade is their undying love for color. "Live Colorfully" is printed in all of their items, on the garment tag. And why not? Color makes us happy, color signifies that we are healthy, color is a gift.
This is the Elyse Dress by Kate Spade. It has a lot of roses sketched onto it, front and back, and it's easy, breezy styling keeps my wardrobe simple when I'm just in the mood to not plan the outfit of the day. I find that a simple black, yellow, pink or red cardigan will be all I need. Of course, I bedeck myself with some J.Crew Opera Pearls! (A must have). I have one XS in this dress, and it's good for anyone that is 0-2 size. It's roomy, and it's forgiving and promises to make you look and feel polished!
This year, my plan is to live simply. Of course, this means saying good bye to a lot of good buys. Pun intended. :P If you're my size: XS, 0-2 in tops, small in cardigans, 0-2 in skirts, 2 in jackets, and 5.5-6 in shoes, you're in luck. Find most of my 1-3 times worn items here :
I'm a practical shopper and now it's time to scale back. I make it a rule, and it's a good rule to live with. If you buy one thing (even if it's from me), get rid of 3 things. Fill your closet and life with only important things you can't live without! :)
Here's to a colorful Sunday!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Why More is Less....
Why More is Less...
Here's a quick escape from outfit combinations, style, J.Crew, Kate Spade, what I'm wearing today...I love Ted Talks. Check out this link and find out why more is less, why we're unhappier with more stuff. Make a positive change in the right direction. If you've just had a birthday, you're only going to be this age for 365 days. The choice is yours, the decision is yours. Scale down and realize true freedom from stuff.
Monday, February 21, 2011
What I Wore Today!
I love this skirt- it's the J.Crew Paintbrush Floral Belle Skirt (I think, I'm losing my touch at this point in remembering everything about j.crew).
It goes with so much. It's a fun and feminine skirt without too much of the flair. Goes really well with the Jackie and the Joy Tee. This tee is one of my favorites- I find myself grabbing it when I'm in a rush- that's the perfect test of loving something that much!
I love easy sets, makes dressing that much more fun when you know what you're in the mood to wear :)
Friday, February 18, 2011
The funniest thing I ever bought...
So, it turns out Anthropologie has some pretty darn funny things for sale. I saw this on Glee, and found it, bought it, and wore it right away. It does provide some comedic relief in passing, and everyone who sees it just cracks up. "Oh, only you, Audrey....". I love this. I think it's the funniest thing I have ever purchased, and it just knocks all the sensibility out of someone who is always buttoned up, polished and properly dressed. I have a few more, but they're selling out fast!
Something this simple does seem to have the brightening effect on others, so don't be afraid to cross over and find some humor in yourself. Relax, it's ok to laugh and not take yourself so seriously!!!
No foxes were harmed in the production of these scarves, although they just about killed a few balls of yarn!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Could it be, I've finally turned over a new leaf?
Once upon a time, back in 2000, I graduated from UCI and 2 weeks afterwards, I became a financial advisor. I wore the prettiest suits, Anne Klein, Ellen Tracey, and anything that had the classical style to it. I bought all these fine goods at the nearest outlet, of course, as a kid on a peanut (seriously, peanut, not beer) budget could not afford much!
Fast forward 3 years later, I was recruited to work in a bank. Of course, this was a considerable move up in the totem pole, and being in a bank, one would be required to wear conservative banker’s clothes. I wore the likes of Brooks Brother’s finest. I got giddy every time a new suit came out, a new shirt with a different pattern, French cuffs, sweater sets, etc. What a great time this was! I looked polished, ready to conquer the world at 24 years old. Choosing my attire each morning was simple, I had my rounds of what went to the dry cleaners, what stayed in cycle.
At 27, I started my own company. What a great time that was, 5 years ago, and my lifestyle and wardrobe took a field trip as well. I rediscovered J.Crew, started reselling the goods, and all in all, I could justify buying, wearing once, reselling, only to start the cycle all over again. The clothes got trendier, sequins amassed and before you knew it, I had much more than I knew what to do with. It was great, I was a glutton.
A few interesting things happened over a year ago. I grew up. Now, I say that loosely, as I’ve always been mature, a saver and what not. But I started questioning my habits and my happiness. Not that I don’t have a great family, great in laws, a great husband, a great job, etc. But when I start examining my clothes, I realized I had a closet full of things I liked, but not loved. So here comes the great 2011 purge.
I pulled out 3 hefty bags. Filled them, cinched them. Scarves, I had more than the days of winter. Jackets, same thing. Cardigans, if I didn’t love them, they went in the bag. Tops, pants, accessories (thank goodness I don’t accessorize much) too. It felt great. Now they sit in the closet, awaiting to be jcrewround2. Keep your eyes peeled, you might be looking for that one thing I don’t need anymore.
So what now? I’m turning over a new leaf. Or leaves. Well, now that I’ve decided to scale down, yet scale up, I’m relooking at wardrobe from the outside in. You’ll find that I’ll be polyvore-ing much of the same items I’ve always coveted, and adding a few more key pieces that I love. Anthropologie will be here and there, but even in a store full of beautiful things, I can’t imagine another top to go with another cardigan, another skirt, etc.
This dress is nothing short of fabulous. It's silk, it's pretty in dots and cinches at the side, which says, I'm a lady. I can imagine pairing with many different cardigans and love that it's retro, which means I'll probably never tire of it. It's simply gorgeous, and for $168, I can't remember how many times I bought one thing from J.crew that cost $168 that I have no recollection of.
You’ll see more styling from my new love, Kate Spade. What I love about Kate Spade is the lack of choices. Sounds weird, doesn’t it? ( Well, in my near future post, I’ll discuss with you the Paradox of Choice, which was one of the books I read. I’ll post a clip soon, as the author is part of Ted Talks, a series of eye opening discussions that are really eye opening. ) With Kate Spade, I’m not spending an hour going from page to page and analyzing the styles. The styles are simple, the choices are small and the decisions are easier to make. And, being that it is so high priced, you tend to think harder about the want/need/must have/will spontaneously combust if I don’t get it feelings associated with buying. In a nutshell, I’m looking at saving time, money and space.
Enough about me. Have you turned over a new leaf lately?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
What I Wore Today!
What exactly is the focal point of this outfit? Is it the wonderfully constructed J.Crew Piazza Jacket in Orange? Clementine is such a fresh look. Maybe I'm nostalgic, maybe just getting more conservative.
The Emma Dress in brown corduroy is lovely. It's a shift dress, loose, and really rich in color. It's like a chestnut brown. I love the flow and the detail in the neckline, along with the buttons on the sleeves.
The shoes, to die for. I love the print, the fact that they are of the mary jane style. Just cute. Just preppy and just fun.
Do you have certain pieces you just stick to?
What I Wore Today!
Life has somewhat calmed down...so I'm back to blogging!
So I've had a pajama party for the past 5 days (down and out with the flu)! I've finally nursed myself back to health and crawled back into work, realizing that no matter where I was, I was going be sick, so I mind as well get some stuff done!
This was a really cute outfit I threw together at the last minute. The J.Crew Dotsalotsa Cami was thrown into the mix with a J.Crew Jackie cashmere cardigan. One thing about the cami- it's really a cool piece that I'm glad I got. Light khaki pants (I think they're called stone) with my usual mix of accessories, paired with a very bold scarf. Totally cute and very retro!
You'll be seeing a lot more "back from the days" outfits. I'm not really into buying more stuff that doesn't pass the "am I going to love that 5 years from now?" test, so I have enough in my closet to work with.
Hope you've been in good health, for the most part, everyone who has gotten the flu shot has gotten what I had or given to me, but all in all, my body probably needed that break. :)
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