TBMD

Sale alert at Gap: Use code GAPSHOP for 30% off today 4/12 or 25% off tomorrow 4/13.

Two old, but much loved items from my closet are:
- Broken-in straight khakis (retail $54.95): I'm wearing size 00 - outfits: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
- Pure longline tunic (retail $32.00): I'm wearing size XS - outfits: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight

I placed an order for a few items to try: printed crossover maxi dress in yellow print, luxlight crew cardigan in extremely green, and moss stitch striped cardigan in true indigo.

Continuing my love affair with all things romantic, I wanted to add an eyelet/voile skirt to my wardrobe. I was looking for one that hits around the knees, with a handkerchief hem, and isn't too poofy. I came across many that were on the shorter side, too poofy, and/or had an even hem.

When I saw this Old Navy eyelet tube dress, my creative side went into overdrive, imagining all the potential it held. The strapless top worked in my favor because I figured I could tuck it down and inward. Converting the dress into a skirt meant the bottom portion of the bust area would sit at my waist, therefore giving me the longer length I desired. The skirt works for the time being, but I'm considering slimming the sides and/or shortening the length just a tad. For today's look, I balanced out the longer skirt with a cropped top and jacket.

Every time the weather warms, I realize how complacent I've been throughout the colder days because I can randomly choose a public spot for photos and there would hardly be anyone milling about. I usually have to ease my way back into thick-skinned mode come spring, but this time around I dove in head first. Well, I had a little push. I figured I only had a few days' window before the rain washed all the pretty flowers away, so there I was, taking photos with my tripod next to an intersection with fairly heavy traffic. Well worth the few minutes of awkwardness, I'd say.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

For today's look, I took inspiration from two of my daily reads, Pink Peonies and Atlantic-Pacific. I thought about wearing my lace dress over the oxford shirt because the lace's thicker material will do a better job at hiding random shirt bulges. But I ended up going with this ruffled dress mainly because the shirt's sleeves can only be rolled up so high, so that worked better with the dress' short sleeves. My curiosity's been piqued, so you bet I'll be trying this look again with the lace dress.

This dress is an old item that I've come to love eve more over time, most notably for its length. As is, the hem falls below my knees. With a belt, anything from knee-length to mini is a possibility. For today's outfit, I kept the hem hovering around the knees for a demure look with the bow flats. Please do excuse the wrinkle sleeves and messy knot on the shirt. My goodness, photos certainly don't lie.

Happy Tuesday!

Hosted by Amber, Petite Fashion Challenge #18: Impress Your Date has us creating an outfit to impress our date. Generally, we wear what makes us feel good, regardless of what other people think. But what is your secret for making your outfit a little more memorable? Bonus points for pics taken with your dates or on a girls' night out!

Sorry I didn't try for bonus points this time, so instead I'll take a trip down memory lane...

DH isn't going to let me forget this, but I believe for our first date, we ate lunch at Silver Diner and then played a round of mini-golf afterwards. I'm positive I remember lunch correctly because I thought it was a splurge for two broke college kids. The ironic thing is, as we started to make money in our careers, our dates progressively became cheaper, lol. My memory's fuzzy on the mini golf portion because I don't remember why I dressed casually. I'm pretty sure I wore my typical teenaged summer uniform of a polo, denim skirt, and flats. I either said to myself 1) this is me, so take it or leave it, or 2) my competitive nature rears its ugly head when I mini-golf (every millimeter counts if I want to make that hole-in-one! So dressy clothes and teeter-tottering in heels simply won't do).

Fast forward a few years, I can confidently say that my secret for making outfits more memorable is playing up my best feature, my legs. I could argue that I subconsciously knew it back then too, but truth is, I was easily influenced (A&F ads, anyone?) and just wore the shortest skirt possible.

For mile-long legs, I pair short shorts with heels (preferably nude, not too tall but enough to achieve better posture, hence illusion of slimmer legs). My skirts nowadays are longer and somewhat (?) more age-appropriate. Typically I wear shorter skirts with flats and longer ones with heels. But for a night out, anything goes. In general, skirts won't make my legs look as long, but they're a great alternative for when I want to feel more feminine.

For this challenge, I went the skirt route and started with a blank white slate. I like wearing white because of the contrast against my naturally darker skin tone. Bright lip color and lots of jewelry later, I'm all set for a semi-casual night out.

Be sure to check out all the other participants' entries!

For today's look, I accidentally discovered "suspenders" from the ties of my blouse. I love little bits of masculine touches in my outfits, but at the same time, finding ways to also add in feminine elements for a better balance. A couple girly jewelry pieces later and I'm out the door.

PS - Do excuse that unsightly right sleeve peeking out underneath my blouse. I didn't catch it until it was too late.