TBMD

Today's pink stripes and camo inspiration is thanks to Lisa. I don't own many silver accessories, so ended up choosing boring brown shades to round out my outfit instead. It started with the taupe colored scarf on a chillier than normal day. The pants, shoes, and bag simply followed suit.

DH said I looked like a "celebrity supporting a worthy cause" in this graphic tee. Yeah, if that cause is all about me, a reminder to live, laugh, and love my life, lol.

I wore this outfit earlier in the week when the forecast called for a 30% chance of snow mid-morning. Pshhh, that's pretty much nonexistent, so off I went to work in suede ankle boots and a nice coat. Umm... that 30% turned into 100% pretty quickly. Crap! I resigned myself to having to clean off my car for the afternoon commute home in my "nice" clothes. Somehow, some way, those few inches of snow completely melted by the time I got off work. Dressing appropriately lesson not learned.

Consecutive days of nice weather meant busting out thinner layers and documenting said outfits. So for the next few posts, outfits on the blog will appear more spring-like than usual.

Happy Monday!

I've found that accessorizing for cold weather outfits is a bit easier than their warm weather counterparts. Once temperatures dropped, I've hardly reached for my ever-growing jewelry stash because nobody would see them once I'm all bundled up. Instead, I pick and pair from my less extensive scarf collection and three pairs of gloves. My grouchy self sure appreciates the less is more decision making process in the mornings.

Update #2 on the cowlneck sweater: My black version seemed to have shrunk and pilled after I got it back from the dry cleaners. However, the gray one (worn below) seemed to have remained unchanged -- fits the same as pre-dry cleaners with no noticeable pilling. I'm still scratching my head over this one. Was it not cleaned? Was the gray material somehow not susceptible to chemicals? Whatever it is, I'll take it!

PS - Today's outfit, right down to the first pose is inspired by an image found on one of my favorite Tubmlr sites, Prepfection.

Both outfits in today's post are inspired by fall foliage. Browns, reds, yellows, greens... all beautiful colors that are currently everywhere. I can't get enough of this time of year <3

Fall is officially upon us (as of one week ago). As much as I'm looking forward to wearing layers, it's hard to completely let go of summer. To compromise, I've been experimenting with wearing fall-like colors of burgundy and dark green as the weather fluctuates between slightly cool and slightly warm.

Photos for outfit #2 thanks to DH!

When putting together today's outfit, I had the niggling suspicion in the back of my mind that I was copying the look from somewhere. A few clicks later confirmed my thoughts. Over a year ago, I had seen Alexandra in a green blouse with a lace skirt. Even though I was drawn to her snakeskin clutch at the time (which I happily bought thanks to her), I must've made a mental note to try her outfit if I ever find myself with similar pieces. Today's outfit is the result, a casual spin with flats and a camo belt.

The "color" side of my closet is mainly composed of reds, blues, and some greens. There's an occasional yellow and purple thrown in the mix, which is the complementary color pairing I've chosen for today. Like most of my outfits, I feel a bit odd only wearing mainly colors (stands out too much? too bright?), so I almost always balance it out with neutrals.

It's New Year's Eve and I have no plans tonight. I'll probably be sitting on the couch watching the ball drop on TV. That might be wishful thinking because there's a good chance I won't even make it to midnight, lol. Oh, the signs of getting old.

Whatever your plans are tonight, have a great rest of 2012 and I'll see you next year!

I wore this layered look last week on a dreary and windy day. I thought about finishing the outfit with an Aerie knit trapper hat, but decided against it. Though the hat works with the ripped jeans, it looked too casual with the jacket and heels. I'll have to try again after I find the right balance between casual but not sloppy.

Hope you had a good Monday!

In my best Chandler Bing impression, "Could I BE any more of a cliché?" Black, leather, cargos, camo. They're pretty much all the badass items I own, lol.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Now that fall is in the air, I'm looking forward to... the heat being turned on at work, gaining an hour of sleep when daylight savings time ends, a new season of TV shows, and getting a haircut (doesn't really have anything to do with fall, just I'm long overdue). But most of all, watching the leaves change color is the best part about fall.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

I've been watching Olympics coverage non-stop over the past week. And boy, do I have the bags under my eyes to show for it. So for today's outfit, here's a nod to Team USA. Red, white, and blue? Check. Stripes? Check. All I'm missing are some stars. Let's just pretend I've got that covered with the polka dotted necklace... from afar :)

I have a slight obsession with poppies, both in real life and in prints. When J.Crew first released their poppy print in only an iPhone case, I actually considered getting a smartphone, just so I have a reason to buy the cover. That's how ridiculous I am. Thank goodness it didn't come to that when other items in this poppy print slowly trickled in.

A quick search on J.Crew's site on "poppy" yielded a couple items from the women's collection: one-piece swimsuit and a bikini. Kids were luckier this time around, with choices between capris and shorts. Of the four items, I knew the capris would be too short on me and the swimsuits wouldn't get enough wear, so shorts it is!

The crewcuts Girls' chino short in pretty poppies in bright red, size 14 (sold here) are currently $49.50, but since I love the print so much, I figured it's worth buying to try on. If I can't justify the price, at least I'll know my kids' size if it makes it to sale.

There's a bit of a waist gap but the nifty adjustable waistband solved that issue. I'm so used to wearing short shorts that the length of these make me feel old, lol. But really, it's not a bad thing and will just take a little getting used to. The only part I didn't love is the creasing down the front. They felt fine when worn, but photos don't lie. Because the creases look particularly visible, I've decided to return the shorts.

When I was at the store returning the shorts today, I spotted the same poppy print on a silk blended scarf. Woohoo! Not that I need any more scarves, but I couldn't resist. I can finally quit obsessing over this print now. It's lightweight, colorful, and a great addition to any summer and fall wardrobe.

I couldn't find the scarf online, but for those interested, the style # is 85138 and it is marked down to $34.99 in stores with an additional 30% off right now, for a total of $24.49. Please keep in mind that it's final sale.

J.Crew's heart throb print is part of last winter's collection. I remembered seeing a SA wearing a blouse in this print and loved it on her. Of course, said blouse sold out rather quickly. Unlike the poppy print from above, I didn't stalk their website to see what other items were released in the same print. So I was pleasantly surprised to see this J.Crew Pleated jardin skirt in heart throb in red, size 00 (check sale section in stores) pop up online.

The full skirt with its longer length is a deviation from what I normally wear. However, I was attracted to the combination of feminine silhouette with the heart print. I feel like with this type of skirt, it needs to be worn higher-waisted, so to achieve that look, I had to use a belt to keep the skirt in place. I briefly considered having tailors take in the waist, but it's probably going to cost more than I'm willing to spend since the side pockets would make it a candidate for complicated alterations. This skirt was also a return.

Have you bought anything from J.Crew lately?

My last pair of cargo pants was a boot-cut style that I bought back in college. I must have worn and washed it hundreds of times until one day I noticed a big ol' rip down the backside. I'd like to think that I was the first to discover the tear, but for all I know, a picture could've been snapped and uploaded without me realizing. Let's just say I've been more careful about inspecting my clothes since.

I was happy to find a skinny pair from Zara during their recent holiday sale. The fit isn't great but I love the style, so it's a keeper for me. Crossing my fingers that this pair has just as long of a lifespan as the last... without the same outcome.