New shoes on a teaching day

I did something a bit risky today - I wore a new pair of shoes on a teaching day.  But they felt really comfortable in the store, and they have a slightly wider heel to make them more stable, and a leather sole so they wouldn't slip on the classroom carpet, so I decided to go for it.  Luckily they worked out, but between the fairly high heel and my morning workout (1st in ages), I did end up with some seriously tired calves by the end of the night. I had leg muscles which I didn't know existed that were aching.

I've never paired this shirt with this suit before, but I thought it worked really well.  I love how the tiny camel-colored stripe between the black and white stripes helps tie the colors together.  And the black helps pull in the black in the shoes.  Every time I wear this suit I love it more.  It just feels so current, totally shows off shoes, but is still pretty professional. 

(New shoes!: Franco Sarto from DSW (on sale for $40 now), Suit: J-crew factory (on clearance on their website now, for anyone who happens to be shaped like me.  Search for "Hthr caramel" and it'll come up), Blouse: 100% silk from White House Black Market, Cami: Spanx from Nordstroms (it isn't super tight but the fabric is just so great - thin and smooth), Earrings: Ann Taylor Loft, Belt (hard to see in pics - it's a camel-colored skinny belt in ostritch-embossed leather): J-crew factory)

Rainy day brights

There's something about a rainy day that makes me want to wear bright colors!  If the sun isn't shining, I should add a little color myself!  :) 

I haven't worn these slacks in a while, but they are so amazing.  They are high-quality wool, and there is just something about how high-quality wool drapes and looks that can't be matched by cheaper fabrics.

(Pants: J-crew (Yes, it's more expensive than j-crew factory, but the fabrics and stitching are better. Sometimes I'm willing to splurge, or I get lucky in stalking the website for sales, or I get *really* lucky with a perfectly-timed recent-markdown store visit (this happens like once every 5 years, but I buy a lot when it does!). :) ), Shirt: Martin and Osa (oh how I miss them), Blazer: Ann taylor, Boots: Banana Republic, Earrings: White house black market)

Workout wear

This post is about my workout wear, but it also serves as a "before" picture!  I just joined a 21 day online "challenge group" to get fit.  There isn't really any set workout, diet, or anything, but it's a group of women who all want to get fit who are reporting in to each other each day online.  We'll see if this helps me to get myself to work out again.

I "grew up" in the age of yoga pants, but today's high-tech fabrics and fitted workout pants are so much better!  The fabrics are really good for wicking away moisture, and breathability.  They also provide great compression, which research has shown increases workout effectiveness and efficiency.  Nike is famous for theirs.  But I tried on the Nike ones, and nothing seemed quite right for me.  These Champion brand pants are almost as good, and definitely good enough for me, for a fraction of the price.  I love the black in back and grey in front, and how the line between the two is designed so that it's super leg-slimming.  What can I say - if I'm going to wear skin-tight pants, I like for them to be flatteringly skin-tight.

My sports bra is also Champion - from back in the day when they had 32 band bras.  They make bra-sized sport bras, which is excellent for someone like me.  Their bands run a bit tight, so even though I'm a 30 I can get away with the 32s.

Finally, shoes are key.  I went to the New Balance store and tried on a bunch.  Running stores are great too.  You want a place where they'll watch you walk and run and really help you find the perfect shoe.  Mine are expensive, and have special insoles in addition, but they are so supportive and comfortable that it's completely worth it to me.  And if you happen to live in Boston, go to the New Balance outlet!!!  Oh how I miss that place.

The rest of my outfit is pretty low tech: a cheap stretchy tank, and an old Gap zip-front hoodie.

(Pants: Champion brand from Target, Bra: Champion brand from their website, Shoes: New Balance from the New Balance store, Hoodie: Gap, tank - can't remember.)

Why I call it my too-big suit

The last couple of times I posted about trying to make my black suit work despite being too big, you, my wonderful readers, said that it looked good!  I was pleasantly surprised, and decided those outfits must be pretty good for "making it work."  I'm wearing one of those same outfits today.  But I decided to post this picture to help you understand why I call it my "too big" suit.  It's not like you could fit 2 of me in it or anything (or even 1 1/4), but it is definitely a size or two too big.  Without a belt it almost falls off, since I don't have much by the way of hips.  And with a belt, it looks a bit baggy and sort-of gathered at the waist.  But I have at least one top that works well with it, and for now that's still super useful.  It is also incredibly comfortable for these long days of teaching nights.  So for now, my too-big suit is staying!  Maybe I'll look for a replacement next fall.  Or maybe I'll just look for one or two more tops that cover the waistline to wear with it!  :)

Easter Sunday, and the 5-minute manicure

This dress is so light and airy, and it is nice and forgiving to post-Easter-lunch tummy.  :) This was my first time wearing it.  The kids both enjoyed the sparkle of the studs and beads at the neckline, and my earrings.  The 3 year old said I was beautiful!  :)

I also wanted to photograph my nails, because I think a lot of us probably end up in the situation where our nails are unpainted or have some uggly chipped polish on them, but we only have about 5 minutes to make them look any better.  This is the solution I've learned over the years, and I think the results are pretty good:

1. After your shower or bath, push back your cuticles with one of your nails from the other hand.  You really don't need an orange stick or anything like that.  And as long as you don't trim your cuticles often, they don't need to be trimmed.  Apparently it's one of those circular things.
2. Have Acetone and cotton balls to remove any polish.  Pure acetone is so much faster and more effective than any other nail polish remover, and cotton balls are rough enough to pick up the polish and wipe it off without much rubbing.
3. After washing your hands to remove any cotton bits or acetone residue, use a high-quality metallic polish, and wipe on a single reasonably thin coat.  Blow on your nails for half a minute to help them dry, and you're done!

If I'm doing my nails properly, I would re-file to fine-tune the shaping and I would put on base coat and two coats of polish.  But a single coat actually works perfectly fine if it's a metallic, as those tend to be more forgiving and dry quickly as long as the coat is thin, and no one will notice if one nail is slightly more square and another is slightly more oval. 

(Dress: White house black market, on sale for $29.99 right now!, shoes: Aerosoles, Polish: OPI. And the other key to this outfit: a good strapless bra. The real trick is going to get fitted. I like the strapless bras at Victoria's Secret if they have your size (they use an interesting lining fabric that helps hold the bra up).  Otherwise a place like Nordstrom's or Lady Grace is good. Mine is Calvin Klein from Nordstroms.)

Another Easter egg hunt

Another comfy summery dress with flats for running around on the grass.  I think this is going to become a spring/summer staple for me.  I'm so excited that my kids are old enough that I can realistically wear dresses again - yes I'm still on the ground with my toddlers, but it's not quite the same as having an infant plus toddler - that was not skirt friendly.  (This dress has sewn-in cups, so combined with the halter neckline I can get away with no bra again.)

I also kept promising to photograph my watch, and since it's one of my only accessories with this outfit, other than my usual simple silver-tone and diamond-looking earrings, I figured today was a good day to do it.  When white watches with big faces came in style, I loved the idea of a watch where I could actually read the time, and I've always loved white as a wear-with-anything year-round neutral (my favorite purse for years was a white leather bag).  But I wanted a slightly more polished and grown-up version than some of the more plastic-looking ones.  And yes, some of those were super high-end designer watches, but they still looked a little juvenile to me.  This was my answer.  Mother of pearl face, white leather band.  I could have done without the crystals around the edge, but I don't mind them.  And Seiko is a nice in-between brand with high quality and nice style, but a reasonable price-tag. 

(Dress: Juniors department somewhere long ago, flats: Walmart (I'm getting so much use out of these I might go back there to buy more in other colors!), watch: Seiko, from hubby)

Floral pump Friday

This is my take on the floral pump trend.  I was really excited when I found these shoes.  They are just a little bit floral - really more watercolor than floral - and have perfectly bright but spring-like colors for me.  I also like the white base so much better for this style than the black or navy bases some of the floral pumps have.  I also loved the pointed dorsay styling.  The heel is just a tiny bit higher than I would like for super-practical wear - I won't be walking a mile or two in these any time soon - but they are not bad at all.  I will probably be wearing these a lot this spring and summer, and already have a few ideas for how I want to wear them.  Today's outfit is a nice Casual Friday work outfit for early spring - it is clearly spring, but not super warm yet, so pants and long sleeves were in order.

I couldn't resist photographing one of those tiny details that no one would ever notice in person - my earrings perfectly match my shoes.  :)

These pants are new too.  I love my black Express Columnist pants - they are so flattering on me.  So when I saw that Express had made them in grey, I jumped on them and ordered them in the same size.  This pair fits me just a bit tighter through the thighs, and the grey is less forgiving, but I figured with the flowy blouse it is okay.  I'm hoping they stretch out a bit over the first few wears so that they won't look quite as tight.  I'm also debating whether to hem them - I figure I'll try wearing them as is a couple of times, and washing them once to see if they shrink, before I decide.   


(blouse: 100% silk from White house black market, pants: Express columnist pants (long length - these come in regular, short, and long), cami: forever 21 from a while back, shoes: Vince Camuto from DSW, a super recent purchase.  I cannot find these shoes online *anywhere* including the DSW website!  I'm super excited that I got them when I did.  I spent a bit more than I usually would on something so trendy, but that will just push me to make sure to wear them a lot.  :) earrings: from a street market in India)