TBMD

A couple closeups of my recent jewelry acquisitions from the last few months. It's funny because I wasn't ever a rings girl... until recently. Thank you to all the bloggers I read that inspire me to purchase a couple statement rings of my own :)

1) J.Crew Layered pearl necklace in pearl (might still be in stores; similar) - The necklace is multi-layered and pretty hefty in weight. I like to wear them underneath shirt collars, otherwise on a bare neck, I feel like I'm about to be guillotined (gruesome image, sorry!) See it worn here and here.

2) Amrita Singh Sag Harbor Necklace in turquoise (currently sold here) - I bought this necklace during one of Hautelook's recently sales at a pretty good discount. I love how big it is -- such a statement maker! The turquoise color is absolutely gorgeous. I already own one of her Nello necklaces, and the richness of the color gets me every time. See it worn here.

3) H&M filigree ring in gold, size S (might still be in stores) - I had a hard time figuring out my size in this ring. The packaging didn't allow you to try them on, so I had to try on ones that others had already opened, and then eyeball the size against a new one. Turns out this method was a big fail. I really should have sized up because this only fits on my ring finger. I'd estimate size S to be a 6; size M is probably a 7. No complaints other than buying the wrong size, which is entirely my fault. See it worn here, here, here, and here.

4) Spotted Moth Busy Bee Ring via Kendi's giveaway (product info) - After the H&M debacle, I'm glad that this ring had adjustable sizing. It has a whimsical quality that I love and would be great paired with other plain rings.

5) Amrita Singh Deauville Ring in green turquoise/light coral, size 7 (currently sold here) - This was another purchase from the recent Hautelook sale. From what I remember of the product image, I thought I would receive a ring with two light turquoise stones? The two-colored stones turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I can now wear it with both my coral and turquoise jewelry. There are no complaints about sizing here; the 7 fits my middle finger perfectly. See it worn here.

Hosted by Jessy @ The Little Dust Princess, Petite Fashion Challenge #7: The Little Black Dress has us adding a pop of color to our little black dress to change up the look.

I own one LBD, one I bought ages ago. My tastes have somewhat changed, so the dress has been sitting in my closet collecting dust. It's on on the casual side, so instead of forcing it to be something it's not (dressy), I styled it as if I'm on an island getaway. One that I wish I'm at now, instead of on a rooftop parking lot. At least the breeze felt nice?

(I have a feeling a lot of other participants will be wearing their Amrita Singh jewelry from the recent sales, so hopefully I changed it up enough!)

I haven't done an inspired by feature in awhile, so here's one by J.Crew. I fell in love with the model's outfit almost immediately but couldn't duplicate because I own exactly... one sweater. A cowl-neck, long sleeved sweater that wouldn't do. After I picked up this Ann Taylor tank, I knew it would be perfect to double as a sweater/vest. In fact, I sized up on purpose just so I can layer. I still like J.Crew's styling better (currently drooling over her shoes as I type); she made business appropriate look fun.

*J.Crew image courtesy of J.Crew

I know I'm wearing this jacket again. But I love it to death, so apologies in advance! Even when it doesn't go with the outfit, I find myself reaching for it in the mornings. Comfy and casual, I love pairing it with feminine items. Same goes with these bracelets + ring combo. Alright, so that makes it three items I have on repeat. Often times all together :)

Is there an item you'd like to see me wear more? Let me know and I'll try my best.

I love clutches, but it's always been more of a spring/summer accessory to me. So... as soon as the nice weather rolled around, I've been trying to use it as often as possible. Take this Jenny Yuen clutch for example. I've carried it every day this week. Every day! Usually the fickleness in me changes bags every day or two. I blame it on my love for spring.

How do you feel about clutches?

With all the chambray madness going around, I'm feeling inspired. Talk about a versatile clothing item! I already have a blue oxford-type shirt in my closet, so I can't bring myself to justify the added expense for something so similar. But perhaps one in a different color* if/when it goes on sale :)

*A male coworker complimented my outfit today. I was about to respond with the standard "thank you" did I then realize he was wearing the same colors -- blue oxford shirt with black pants. Duh, of course he liked my outfit.

Warmer weather means it's time to bring my useless dresses out of hibernation. I'm determined to wear skirts and dresses as much as possible this spring/summer. Today's dress isn't vintage, it's just old ("vintage florals" had a better ring to it than "old florals"). Old as in, the first dress I bought for myself almost a decade ago. Yeah, I didn't learn to dress myself until college. Super embarrassing to admit, but funny to think about now.

I had high hopes for H&M's new Conscious Collection, but on release day, only about half the collection was out on the floor.

The item on the top of my wishlist, the Recycled Fabric Blazer (#24) was nowhere to be found! I was beyond bummed when the SA told me they're expecting more shipments over the weekend. I still need to make another trip back out.

I did find and tried on the Organic Cotton Skirt (#36), but no matter how many times I rolled up the waist, it was still much too long on me. The fabric was also so sheer, it was see-through. I passed.

The last item on my wishlist is this pair of Tencel Shorts (#33). A size 2 on me fit just right, in fact maybe a tiny bit snug. Instead of an elastic waist, there is a side button to hold the shorts up. I don't know why I was drawn to them because they're not my usual style. I own mostly cotton clothing and with the thicker fabric, I can't see them going well with these shorts. The flowy and pleated fabric called for something loose and drapey on top and I had just the perfect one in mind. I still need to find more ways to wear the shorts though -- otherwise it's a bit silly to keep them only to wear this exact outfit over and over. How would you style these shorts?

I wanted to take advantage of Ann Taylor/Ann Taylor Factory/LOFT's 40% off sale this weekend, but didn't know when I would have the time. I had today off from work and just so happened to wake up super early (for me), so I took that as a sign that today's the day for outlet shopping. Traffic is horrendous in my area; morning rush hour ends late and afternoon rush hour starts early, so timing is crucial. It was meant to be.

When Jean tweeted this Ann Taylor Factory Vintage Floral Lace Dress, size 00P, I remembered it looked awfully similar to the regular store's version that sold out almost immediately last year. It was big on her, so I had high hopes that the dress would fit me. I felt the dress fit me pretty well overall, but the waist seems like it's cut a bit too high? I also wish the dress was longer on me, but unfortunately the outlets do not carry 00 sizes. This dress retails for $198, but with 40% off, the total came out to $118.80. I decided to take this home with me and think about it some more.

The dress above also came in a skirt version. I'm wearing size 0P and it felt just a little bit big. I think 00P would've been perfect but I couldn't find the size. I'm also wearing the Ann Taylor Factory Georgette Petal Top, size XXS P, which is also a copy of the regular store's version from about a year ago. I passed on both.

See the dress and skirt on Extra Petite and the top on Fast Food & Fast Fashion.

Lastly, I literally gasped out loud when I saw this Ann Taylor Factory Flower Animal Print Sheath Dress, size 00P. I've been looking for the regular store's version for the longest time, so I was ecstatic to see this dress in stores. Again, I wish the outlets carried 00 because I would like the length to be longer. It fit me well everywhere except the bust. That area was super roomy -- I swear I can stick a loaf of bread underneath. It's probably not worth the alterations for me as a padded bra would probably fix that issue. The dress has a back zipper instead of one on the side, but I had no problems putting it on. The dress retails for $119.99, so with 40% off, it came out to $71.99. I ended up purchasing this dress as well.

What are your throughts? Are there any I should return or alter?

Raise your hand if you're like me and hate doing taxes. I'm such a goody-two shoes when it comes to doing everything else early... except this. Tax season is the worst. I always wait until the last possible minute. My excuse? I end up paying the government every. single. year. Not chump change either, so no extra shopping cash for me. Time to get married? Buy a house? Have kids? Take a pay cut? All of the above?! But now I can happily say... this year's are finally DONE. I can now enjoy an entire year full of tax-free thoughts. Yay!

PS - I added a FAQs section above. What else do you want to know? Ask away and I'll try to answer.

Black and white reminds me of the last time boyfriend wore a white top with black pants. We were at a friend's wedding where he half wondered if guests would mistaken him for one of the waitstaff. I was tempted to ask a random guest to come up and inquire when hor d'oeuvres would be served, just to see his reaction. Alas, the compassionate side of me decided against it.

Ok you got me, I was looking out for myself. It could've been a longgg ride home.

Hi bandwagon? I'm Cee. And I'm your #1 fan. Military + gingham + bling is all the rage right now (or at least that's what my eyes are noticing). So when I found the perfect military jacket, hippity-hop onto the bandwagon I go. How do you feel about the military trend?

According to J.Crew, their Minnie pants is one of their best selling styles due to the flattering fit. I've been noticing a lot of slim, ankle length trousers lately, so I figured I would give these J.Crew Minnie pant in stretch twill in coal, size 00P and 00 (currently sold here) a shot.

Some fun things I noticed: The pants come with a side zip, which I imagine would be costly to alter (if needed). There is a hot-pink piping along the inside of the waistband, which the girly side of me loved. The material is quite stretchy, but I wonder if it will have the same stretched-out problem after a few hours of wear similar to Gap's premium pants.

The regular size felt big all around. There's not much I need to say about it -- pictures are worth a thousand words.

The petite inseam is about 2" shorter, but the fit is noticeably tighter everywhere else. I look like I'm wearing cropped leggings heading off to yoga class! Not attractive to say the least. The waist is the roomiest, but even that is probably doable. I briefly considered getting tall booties so I can wear them with these pants a la BEE @ Atlantic-Pacific (seriously love her style, one of my favorite style bloggers ever), but I don't think I can pull it off.

I think the perfect fit would be somewhere in between these two sizes, both in length and overall fit. What are your thoughts? Have you tried on these pants?

See the pants on Extra Petite.

Be honest. Do you see any Anthro vibe at all from today's outfit (the background can count too)? If not... it's too late because this is my submission to Lisa's Respect the Outfits series this week, featuring... you guessed it, Anthropologie-inspired outfits.

I can't be the only one who conjures up images of frolicking in the woods when I think of Anthro, right? But beyond that, the extent of my Anthro knowledge I gained from Lisa and Lisa (the only two Anthro bloggers I follow), plus... stepping foot into the store a couple of times. I tried to channel my femininity with the flared skirt and pearls. The rest? I had to keep it "me" somehow.

What do you think, yay or nay? What would you swap out or change?

The blurry photos today are what it's like seen through my watery eyes. For the last twenty odd years, I've felt invincible. Then bam! Seemingly out of nowhere, my immune system crashes. Allergy season is kicking. my. butt! So this must be what it feels like to be human; I just want to curl up in a ball and sleep.

I must've unknowingly changed some setting on my crapola of a camera, so bear with me while I work out the kinks. Yes, look at me blaming the camera instead of owning up to my terrible self-timer skills =D

I've stayed away from the leopard print trend that's all the rage lately because I didn't think it was me. That is, until I fell in love with this Ann Taylor scarf a few months back. I liked the blue hue, even though it's white. But while waiting for a sale, I was gifted a black and white one. D'oh! Since it's non-returnable, I better make it work into my wardrobe, right? So here it is, the debut of my wild side.