Fall colors

I love the browns, creams, camel, and burgundy of fall.  It has finally cooled down enough here that it feels like fall, so I'm making the most of it.  (It looks like my pictures aren't very good today though - my camera lens must have been dirty.  Sorry about that.)

I love these shoes.  The heel is a little on the high side and they are not very well balanced.  But the extra ankle-muscle-use is totally worth it to be able to wear plaid booties.  :)  The exposed zip on the back of this skirt is also a really nice touch.  The skirt is a little big for me now, but I think I can still get away with it.  And this top - I'm showing my shoulders!  I don't normally do that at work, but I was looking for a top this color for so long that I finally gave in when I found this one.  It is otherwise perfectly work appropriate, given the thickness of the knit, the turtleneck, and the nice fitted-but-not-tight fit for me, so I think I can get away with it.  I'd wear the blazer to any meetings to cover those shoulders.

(Top: Louben brand, from Nordstroms, Skirt: Express, Blazer: Jcrew factory, Shoes: super cheapo and bought a long time ago in Boston, Earrings (silver and three colors of amber): a little shop in Hawaii (you can tell I shop a lot when I travel - but it's *so* easy and I find such interesting things.))

Patterned pants

(Pants: a store in Quebec that I think is a Canadian chain, sweater: banana republic, blazer: yank, from filene's basement a while back, shoes: Sears!)

I always find the best clothes in other countries.  These pants are a nice warm wool with a soft lining.  I got them ages ago, but they are back in fashion.  And it has finally cooled down enough here for me to wear fall clothes like these.  

I also love these booties - stylish but comfy, and versatile.  They are really well designed.  It's funny, but I never intend to shoe shop at Sears. I just walk through sears on my way in or out of the mall.  But I've bought several pairs of shoes there that way, and I've liked almost all of them.  I wore two pairs out!  That doesn't happen very often with me given how many pairs I own.

New black blazer

I am really excited about my new black blazer.  I think a stylish blazer can make so many outfits look better.  I'm hoping to get a lot of use out of this one.

I totally lucked out on finding this.  It sold out at most stores even at its crazy high full price (about $2500).  But I got it at Saks off 5th, my favorite of the department store outlets, for just $200.  I'm guessing it was a late return, or something like that.  And I got a little mid-week shopping in (the best time to find good deals before they get snatched up) thanks to jury duty ending half an hour early - early enough to do a little shopping, but not early enough to go to work.  :)

(Blazer: Zac Posen, from Saks off 5th.  The rest you've seen before.  :) )

New jeans, old top, old old shoes

(Jeans: frame denim, forever karlie style, from shop bop, top: high school, shoes: from the 70's!  Yay for "vintage" hand me downs from my mom!)

What accessories will a 3 year old boy pick?

Apparently if it's my 3 year old boy, he'll pick perfectly coordinating ones.  He even had me try a black earring on one ear to compare before picking this pair.  And I didn't give him a reduced set of choices or anything.  I showed him my entire 30-odd item set of work jewelry, including red, turquoise, silver, ...  (He also had me wear lipstick, but this photo is post breakfast and pre-reapplication. So blame the bare lips on me, not him.  :) )

I have a much better sweater to wear with this dress but couldn't find it so I just threw this one in my bag for when I'm sitting at my desk.  I just wanted to be comfortable today.  It's one of those days.

The best-laid plans

Some mornings I wake up and I know exactly what I'm going to wear.  This was one of those mornings: blue pinstripe wide-leg pants, brown chunk-heel oxfords, a white blouse, and a tan blazer.  ... 

 

Notice anything different?  :)

It's been about 5 years since I wore those navy pinstripe pants.  As expected, they fit me perfectly.  But I forgot that the in-fashion "break" in pants has changed over the last 5-10 years.  Based on current fashions, they look *way* too long!  I have to re-hem them!  The second pair of pants I put on, grey wide-legs, had the same problem.  The third pair of pants I put on, black wide-legs, were just a tad too tight.  So I ended up in these.  Yup, these are the fourth pair of pants I put on this morning.  But at least I was already wearing a white blouse when I was doing all this, and that goes with everything.

This outfit did give me a chance to wear my new black-and-white leather pumps, which really pull the outfit together I think.  The stripes are strips of folded leather which is white on one side and black on the other - it's a super-cool look, and I can't believe the level of detail for this price of a shoe.  (Ralph Lauren had a similar shoe last year which cost 10x the amount.)

(Blouse: White house black market, silk, bought on super sale (like $15 or something I think - for a 100% silk blouse), pants: Express, Shoes: White house black market, bought on sale but not super sale :), earrings: white house black market super sale.  BTW, another shopping tip: If you log on super early in the morning, a lot of stores (WHBM, jcrew, jcrew factory, dsw, at least) restock their websites over night, and so you can get stuff on super crazy sale that they just had 1 return of or something.  Usually by 6 or 7am they will have sold out.  So yes, some of these deals are due to nursing a baby at 4:30/5 am, and others are thanks to insomnia.)

A classic polo

I buy a lot of clothes for hubby and son from Ralph Lauren.  A lot.  I finally decided to try a classic polo for myself and I really like it!  Since I buy a lot of the brand I always try to shop their semi-annual sales.  Ralph Lauren full price is a little high even for me.

(Shirt: Ralph Lauren, shorts: jcrew factory, bracelet: Nordstrom rack, shoes: puma, watch: seiko, baby/toddler carrier: boba, from a fabulous online baby carrier store that provides custom fit advice... I don't remember the name but I can look it up if anyone's interested.)

Spooktakular Saturday

We went to a Halloween fair today.

(Shirt: White House black market, shorts: Calvin Klein from the ck outlet store, shoes: puma, with pedag stick in arch supports added, skeleton earrings from fourth grade :), hat: jcrew factory store website)

I have a great black and white wide-brimmed hat, but this isn't really a wide-brimmed hat sort of occasion. 

Jeans and a t-shirt

This purse is my favorite super-practical purse for when I will be running after kids, carrying lots of stuff, etc.  It's not as cute as some of my others, but I still like it a lot.  It has the short strap and long adjustable cross-body strap.  It has multiple inside and outside pockets for organizing, but one easy to see in main compartment.  And the metallic bronze color is just a little interesting while being neutral enough to go with everything. And of course it's real leather, which is a thing with me.  The best part: I got it pretty cheap, so I don't mind if it gets dirty or sandy or wet or random other stuff that happens to it.  (Purse: Franco Sarto, ordered off of Amazon!  It was also at Nordstrom Rack but sold out before I had time to go in.  I think the Amazon prices are better anyway. *Anyway,* this one is sold out, but the general point is that Amazon can be a good place to find stuff, and I never knew that until last year when I was trying to do *all* my shopping from home. And Franco Sarto apparently makes purses!  :) )

I also love this t-shirt.  I feel cute even though I'm just wearing jeans and a t-shirt.  

(Shirt: Target, Jeans: Joe's jeans, bought from Marshall's (I do love designer denim, but *most* of the time I don't pay full price for it.), flats: my favorite Ferragamo's from Filene's basement.  I'm seriously thinking about paying regular retail prices for a second pair of Ferragamo's given how much I've used this first pair...  but I still dream of finding a pair on super-discount somewhere. Purse: Franco Sarto, from Amazon.)

Still my favorite suit

This is an old j-crew suit from back in the day when they lined their pants.  The wool drapes so well, the lining is softer than my pj's, and the brown pinstripe is unique but still subtle and professional.  I need to get the pants relined, but while that was a standard thing in Boston, the two tailors I've asked about it here looked really confused, and I'm not going to trust this suit with someone who looks confused.

My shirt is also jcrew, and is what I think is the ideal cut for hiding a mommy tummy.  And my belt is from an outdoor market in Florence!  I will wear this outfit again, and I'll try it get better pics next time.

Camel colored pants

I've been on the lookout for camel colored pants recently, and I found these on the J-crew Factory website.  They are wool, and look really nice in person (you get a feel for the fabric in the shoe pics), and there's a matching jacket so I can wear them as a suit.  BUT, they are unlined!  Today is a bit of an experiment - will they be itchy, or okay?  It's 9:45, so I've been in them for about 3 hours, and so far so good, even though they felt a tad itchy when I first put them on.  (I know they need an iron - I was lazy.  They are straight out of the box.)  

I like the cut of these pants.  I feel like this is a very modern cut and work well with flats or heels.

The rest of the outfit is sort-of really basic, but also has some fun details.  I like the studs on the cardigan.  And my new heels are fun - notice the length/texture of the pony hair?  I think cheap pony-hair shoes/purses often cut the hair too short.  This is my first time wearing them though, so I brought flats just in case, especially for the walk to/from the car and daycare dropoff/pickup.  But even these flats are favorites of mine. It already turns out I should have put heel grips in one of the heels, so I may switch to the flats for the office too - we'll see how it goes.

(Cardigan: New york and company, pants: j-crew factory purchased online, tank: super old... I think from forever 21, flats: Tahari from Macy's, heels: Banana republic purchased on clearance) 
If you're thinking about shopping j-crew factory, sign up for their emails and watch for 40% or 50% off sales.  I don't think you ever really have to pay full price on their website.  (I did once but now I've learned my lesson.)

Old reliable

Grey or black pants, brightly colored shirt, black or grey blazer, grey belt, and grey or black shoes: It's an easy default outfit that I've been wearing one form or another of since high school.

(Some of my shirts are a little big now that I've lost a lot of the baby weight.  The bagginess shows a lot in the pics... More than in person I think.  But I do have to go through and figure out what fits.)

(Shirt: express.  Still one of the best for brightly colored tailored shirts.  Pants: macys juniors department, belt: jcrew factory, shoes: ankle boots by reaction Kenneth Cole I think (and so so so comfy).  They are synthetic, which I actually like for boots because I can wear them in the rain without worry, but they are starting to die now in their 4th winter.  I think real leather would last longer.  But this way I get to buy a new pair soon and I didn't pay as much so I'm happy with the use I got out of them...  I have a mix of super-cheap, mid-range, and pretty expensive shoes.  These are probably lower-mid-range.)

Jury duty

I really should have worn more comfortable shoes for jury duty, but I was hoping to get out early and go to work after.  The blazer was vital for the overly air conditioned courthouse.

(Pants and top: express, blazer: dkny from a fancy macys (one of the ones that carries higher-end lines than most macys), shoes: bandolino from dsw, necklace: glass pendant from Venice but you can find similar stuff at craft fairs or at Kiosks at the mall.  The key to making it look good was finding the cool thick flat necklace to hang it off of.  That's from express.)

Work dress

Work dresses make getting ready so easy.  

(Dress: White House black market, belt: from one of my motherhood maternity tops!  I donated the top post-baby but kept the belt,  shoes: target)