The perfect white sweater and my red blazer

I tend to wear this blazer a bit more buttoned up. Literally. But today I wore it open and casual, and the weather was such that I had it on about half the time and off half the time.  I'm also loving this sweater every time I wear it. I hope whbm makes more of these. I will even pay almost full prices for them. 

I've been making a concerted effort to gain a little weight lately, but in a healthy way. It's a slow process, but I think it's starting to show - check out my butt!  Lol.

(Pants - banana republic, sweater - White House black market, blazer - Ann Taylor, shoes - Payless shoe source)

Casual workwear

I'm wearing actual flats - pointy toe so as to be more professional, but they're still flats!  And these pants have jeans styling, though they are made of a nice trouser fabric. This is my version of casual-but-professional. 

(Whole outfit: White House black market, but banana republic Sloan pants are very similar (I have both))

Another new pair of comfy work shoes

 

Near the beginning of summer last year, I went to Payless Shoe Source to get a cheap pair of quasi-disposable sandals or flip-flops.  I happened upon a pair of nude fake-suede wedge pumps with a 2-2.5" heel.  I like the idea of a comfortable neutral summer-friendly shoe, and they were super cheap, so I bought them.

 

As my running has ramped up, I've found myself going to that pair of shoes more and more often.  The low wedge heel is comfortable, but the shoes look so much better with dresses, pencil skirts, and ankle pants, than flats do.  So I decided to get more!  After searching for comfortable practical but cute shoes at various other stores for a few months, and staring at the pair of low-heeled Ferragamo's that I bought in the fall and haven't worn once, I made another trip to Payless Shoe Source.  And sure enough, I found two pairs.  Plus a bonus pair of flats.  Not only are these comfortable so far (on day 1 - I can't imagine how much better they'll be once they break in) - but they were on clearance for $10!  The burgundy fake-patent pair I wore last week for my birthday are a little taller and a little less comfy, but still much better than most of my skinny-4"-heels.  And they were also on clearance for $10. 

 

The nude ones I've had for over a year are "deflex comfort" brand, as are these black ones.  The burgundy ones were different, but also nicely padded on the inside.  Payless shoe sources' heels are awful.  I tried a few on just for fun while I was there, and they are not well balanced, forcing the wearer to use their own muscles to do all the balancing.  But the chunky heels and wedges were pretty impressive.  The flats have no support whatsoever, and seem like they will wear out quickly, but for running quick errands, I think they'll be great.

 

SO, if you were curious about payless shoe source, this is my impression.  I've been incredibly impressed by how well those nude wedges have lasted, and I liked them so much that I ended up going back to buy these additional pairs.  That says a lot.

 

Oh, and you know Christian Siriano from project runway?  He has a Payless shoe source line!  SO CUTE!  The shoes are way too expensive at full price, given that they are still payless shoe source quality (but amazing design).  But on sale or clearance, they're really reasonable.  The flats I bought are from his line.  I'll wear them soon and post pics.  :)

 

(Sweater and pants: White house black market, Shoes: Payless shoe source.)

Culottes for summer

Culottes are undeniably comfortable. And are very much on trend. So the question is  whether they can actually look good on a normal woman in a normal setting. 

The current blogger fasion trend is generally to pair high-waisted culottes with a slightly cropped top to allow a couple of inches of stomach to show. I would not consider that a normal-setting outfit. This version created a similar proportion with the boxy tucked-in top, but is still work- church- or family-function friendly. 

I think culottes look best on long torsos or on women who look good in a-line skirts. I'm neither of those, but I think I can pull them off anyway. Hubby even liked them, complimenting me this morning, which took me by surprise. Also, if you're at all self conscious about your thighs - culottes will camouflage them completely. 

(Top: jcrew factory, culottes: White House black market, shoes: Payless shoe source)

A denim dress

 

When I was a kid, my mom would get me a new outfit for my birthday every year.  It was usually a cute girly dress.  All these years later, I still love the idea of a birthday outfit.  I bought this dress a couple months ago, but I've saved it for my birthday.  And the shoes are brand new too. 

 

Denim is a huge trend right now.  Denim everything.  I'm not a chambray shirt girl, and denim jackets just don't work on me.  But this denim dress is just my style.  It's an unusual take on denim.  The fabric is sleek, thin, and has just the right stretch, and the dress is amazingly well tailored.  I'm not that curvy, but it makes me look like I am! 

 

This dress could be a little low cut for work if you have much of a chest.  In that case I would have worn a cami underneath.  But I decided that given my current physique, it doesn't really look low-cut at all, and the dress is so well cut and the fabric is substantial enough that I don't feel like I need the smoothing of a spanx cami, so I went without. 

   

Oh, and with blazer:

(Dress and earrings: White house black market, probably on sale now.  Shoes: Payless shoe source!  I'm going to do a whole post on these and a couple other payless shoe source purchases I think.  Not a store you probably expect me to frequent.)