TBMD

Today's feminine twist on a military inspired outfit is thanks to Maje via The Outnet. Remember how I was recently talking about not having worn my floral lace dress in awhile? Well, turns out it was more than just a fleeting thought because I knew the dress would be the perfect finishing piece for my outfit recreation.

This marks the 3rd year in a row that I've ventured into DC for the sole purpose of admiring the pretty cherry blossoms. That's quite a feat for me, I tell ya, to which I have my visiting out-of-town cousins to thank for.

We went on the Saturday during peak bloom weekend. It also happened to be the day of the parade and street festival. Oh my gosh, the crowds! Note to self: the years when the National Park Service predicts the peak bloom dates correctly are when the locals should visit on weekdays to avoid being packed like sardines.

[photo above] Expanse of cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin. Can't help it, this area is so picturesque that I take pretty much the same set of photos every year, haha.

Perhaps my favorite pattern from Ann Taylor/LOFT over the years is their floral lace. I own the dress version from a few years ago, wore it to death, but have stopped reaching for it as of late. My aging self now finds the length to be too short and do not want to deal with the skirt hiking up every time I sit down.

I was excited to see this year's floral lace pattern in a pencil skirt. The skirt's lace detailing is less intricate compared to my dress' from a few season's ago -- less chances for random snags? It also uses a white lining instead of gray from my dress, so the pattern doesn't stand out as much. The material on this year's version is just as heavy as prior seasons', which is nice.

Here I am trying on the LOFT floral lace pencil skirt ($47.70 w/code SHAREIT) in 3 sizes, all regular length:
Sz 00: My usual AT/LOFT size. I felt this size looked the best in photos, but fit much tighter across the hips than it comes across. There was no way I could sit down, and keeping a standing up-only skirt is just silly.

Sz 0: The size I ended up keeping. It had enough extra room to accommodate my hips without too much of a waist gap increase. I could also sit down and stand up without exerting myself.

Sz 00 Curvy: LOFT doesn't offer a curvy version on all their items, but after seeing the option for this skirt, I was curious to see what the fit was like. The waist fits a tad smaller than sz 00's and the hip area is roomier than sz 0's. Comfort-wise, it's on par with (if not slightly better fitting than) sz 0. I just did not like the way the skirt made my hips look wider but tapers down more narrowly towards the knees. I prefer more of a straighter up-and-down silhouette.

The skirt runs small, so size up. The curvy version is worth considering for larger-hipped ladies.
I took these photos after a regular work day at the office, so lots of sitting and standing over the duration. There were noticeable creases across the front of the skirt by the end of the day, though not as bad as what I've experienced with other skirts/pants. I did run my hand over the front a few times right before posing for photos and that seemed to help smooth out some of the more shallow creases.

Other picks from LOFT's 40% off F&F event through 4/21 with code SHAREIT:
$70.80 floral lace dress, $20.70 mosaic lace hem tank, $47.70 blouson sleeveless maxi dress, $53.70 henley sleeveless shirtdress.

I've become quite accustomed to (and thus spoiled with) customer reviews on retailers' websites. Though googling for reviews/sizing info on a particular item isn't a hardship, I'm all for convenience when browsing through my favorite retailers' sites. J.Crew Factory, please get with the times!

A recent favorite purchase of mine is the J.Crew Factory long-sleeve stripe boatneck tee (on sale for $29.50). Thank you to both Fran and Jess for their reviews and sizing tips! I ended up keeping the tee in two colors. I know... duplicates, really? And stripes, again? *sheepish grin* I was originally drawn to the Forever 21 heathered striped top for the bright blue color, but the material was thin (doesn't feel like it would hold up in the wash) and the fit was off (sz S was too tight in the torso, sz M too loose everywhere).

Back to the J.Crew Factory tee. I love the thicker material, bright color, spacing between the stripes, and most of all, the looser (but not baggy) fit and longer (but not too long) length. For reference, I'm wearing size XS which measures: 15" shoulder-to-shoulder, 23.5" length, 24" sleeve length. I'd say the tee is TTS, or go up if in-between sizes. If I were to nitpick, the sleeves are tighter than usual around the forearms. It was slightly bothersome at first, but now I'm fine with because the sleeves stay in place when I wear it at three-quarter length.

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.

Spring is in the air! Blooming flowers mean it's once again that time of the year where I step out from my mostly-secluded photo taking spots to wide open spaces. I give it... about a week before the flowers (and hopefully pollen) are all washed away. Until then, a change of scenery can never be a bad thing.

You know those days where you look out the window and mutter to yourself, "Crap. It's raining." Then you remember, "But wait, I have cute rain boots to wear!" A few hours later, the rain stops, the ground dries up, and slivers of sunlight peeks through the clouds. That was me when I wore this outfit last week -- appropriately dressed at the start of the day, then became that person wearing rain boots when it's sunny out.