first wear

I got this Vera Wang skirt at Goodwill a few months ago, but never got around to wearing it.  It still had the tags attached, and originally retailed for $55 (I paid $3.79).

I think the horizontal pattern might not be flattering on a lot of bodies, but as a girl with small hips, I like that it makes me look more hourglassy without using a belt (let's face it some days I am just not feeling a belt).

overcast and rainy

I am using the overcast, cold and rainy weather as an excuse to get in some last wears of wintery dark clothing.  This was my Wednesday outfit:

Yup, that is the same black cardigan from Tuesday.......I'm not afraid to wear it 2 days in a row.

love at first sight

This past weekend, a canceled date resulted in a little retail therapy (bad I know!).  But at least I only went to the Goodwill and Salvation Army.  This dress was love at first sight.....zebra print and a wrap dress with a collar.....what's not to love?  And it was my size too!  The brand is Eva Franco, who I am not familiar with, but after googling the designer, I am pretty sure my $4.99 dress is a bargain.   On-line it looks like most of her dresses are in the $200 range.  The fabric is a medium weight jersey with a decent amount of stretch. 

I was originally going to wear it with a red cardigan, but my new cashmere cardigan from the Talbot's Outlet was begging to be worn (got it with giftcards for $21, originally $169), after all it has pockets.  Then I felt too black and white, so I switched the black tights out for some red tights.  But then it was too much red with my shoes, so I switched the heels for the black boots.  A lot of changes considering I had *decided* what to wear last night!  The dress is a true wrap, so it definitely needs a slip in case it gets windy outside.  It also has fun french cuffs that I will show off next time I wear this dress.

solution to a rainy day

I had originally planned to wear a new wrap dress today with a cardigan and boots, but I just wasn't feeling anything but pants on this grey overcast day.  These slacks are from one of my suits and are super comfy.  I self-hemmed them a long time ago, but I am wondering if I shouldn't let the hem down a little.  I picked up this 100% cashmere sweater at Goodwill on Saturday ($3.79).  It is perfect for this time of year and weather.....a hint at spring colors, but warm and snuggly cashmere.

I felt really skinny in this outfit in the mirror.....not sure that is true in the pictures.  Oh well, how I feel and look in a mirror is more important than a picture.   

Spring? or not

It is in the 60s today, so I want to make use of what may be one of my last days of turtleneck sweater weather.  But after a few days in the 80s it feels hard to go back entirely to a winter outfit.  This is a summer weight skirt, but it is fall colors and a floral print.  So really this skirt could be year round.

This turtleneck sweater was a Talbots outlet find at $7.50.  The skirt is from the Salvation Army, previously worn here.  I will have to keep this outfit in mind when fall rolls around.

serious pattern mixing

I am typically not very adventuresome with pattern mixing.  But I happened to have this cardigan and dress both lying out on my bed last week, and knew they were meant for each other.  I got this dress in Fall 2009 at the Talbots outlet, and loved the 70s vibe to it.  But i struggled with what cardigan to wear with it so it didn't look too harsh or too 70s costume like.  I picked up this merino wool cardigan at the Talbot's outlet last week.  I think they work well together, and somehow don't seem like pattern overload. 

The sweater was $12.50, and I think the dress was between $10-20.  Gotta love the Talbot's outlet.  I had been admiring the cardigan for a while, but felt like it wasn't my color palette.  But it actually does some wicked cool things to my eyes.  This dress had been designated a fall/winter dress, but with this cardigan it now has a new spring life. 

changing style

I bought this dress in the Fall of 2009 on clearance at Ann Taylor Loft thinking it was stretching my normal style.  Now it feels like it is completely my style.  Funny how our style is always evolving.

Can I just say how much I love pockets in a dress?

abandoned dress

I got this dress at Goodwill a long time ago.  But this is the first wear of it.  I just couldn't ever quite seem to get it right, but today I finally found the right style combo.

The neck is rather scooped, so I needed the right shirt underneath.  And the waist was slightly big, so it took me a while to figure out the right belt.  But I really like the end result.

sunday sushi

I am meeting 2 good friends for sushi tonight.  This weekend has been beautiful weather, and I thought to continue the spring feel through dinner even though it has started to cool down.

These sandals are new (Ross for $12.99).  They are so cute and comfy that I predict they will become go-to sandals this summer.

2 week recap

I am catching up on life.  Not this past week, but the week before, I was in Colorado with 6 undergraduate students living in a cloud physics lab on top of a mountain.  It was spring break, and we were there for them to conduct individual research projects as part of a course I am teaching.  A week with 6 men, and no showers (except for a mid-week trip to a hot springs) was not conducive to fashion blogging.  The lab was literally on top of a mountain, and could only be reached by snowmobile or ski chair lift.  Here is a view from the lab.

Here is the lab itself:

And here is a picture of me in the bottom of the giant snow pit my students dug for some of their research projects.

Last week was crazy busy after being away for a week.  I did manage to snap 4 outfit pictures.  I just didn't have time to post them.

Note that the first one is the skirt that I ripped and had my tailor try and fix with a shortening.  A little short, but wearable.

talbots galore

Since I didn't get to wear one of my new Talbots skirts yesterday due the tragic rip, I decided to wear the other new one today.  And I paired it with a Talbots cardigan.

I love this skirt, but it is a true pencil skirt, no wiggle room what-so-ever.