An interesting skirt with a basic top

The pairing of an interesting skirt and basic top is one of my go-tos for work, in various forms.

The zigzag on this skirt is actually made of perfectly joined bias-cut strips of a fine wool fabric.  It's really amazing in person.

I paired it with a simple cream sweater.  This is one of those items that I try to always have, like a nice white button down.  When one starts to wear out, I start shopping for a replacement.

(Skirt: LAMB, by Gwen stefani, bought heavily discounted from filene's basement, sweater: banana republic, blazer: ?? I'll check next time I wear it, and get a better picture of it because this one does not do it justice!  :), booties: Sears)

Making the too-big suit work

I've decided this suit isn't too bad.  It is a size too big, but given the current wide-leg trend, I think it works.  I wore this banded-bottom blouse over the pants today instead of tucking something in, and that hid the too-loose waistband and the belt holding my pants up.  :). I also found if I button 1 button it pulls the waist in enough to make the jacket look more shapely.

I finally went to the store to try a size or two down in the pants and they just fit wrong for me, so I decided to wear this suit as is for now.

(Suit: halogen brand, from nordstroms, top: express, shoes: Enzo angiolini from nordstroms)

Spring has sprung

Between warmer weather and the time change, it really feels like spring.  And one of my favorite spring color combinations is dusty pink and light grey.  I'm not a fan of most lace, but this is my kind of lace - basically a graphic instead of a floral. 

(Suit and top: jcrew factory, shoes: target)

Another toddler birthday party

I remember shopping with my sister-in-law four or five years ago, and she was looking for "kid's birthday party" clothes and shoes.  I didn't quite understand at the time why special clothes were required for kids' birthday parties.  Now I understand.  At least once a month, and often more frequently than that, we all attend a toddler's birthday party as a family.  I need to wear clothes that allow me to sit on the floor, climb, run and play, but at the same time that show that I do think of the birthday party as a special event (i.e., I didn't just wear what I'd wear sitting around the house or going to the park).  This is one of the outfits I came up with, worn to a b-day party at "Pretend City" this weekend.

Remember when puff-sleeves were in a few years ago?  I got rid of most of the tops I bought during that trend, but this one was a bit more subtle on the "puff," and super cute otherwise, so I kept it.

(crop pants: White house black market - I liked these so much that I bought 2 pairs of black and 1 pair of navy as soon as I found them - they work well with flats for casual wear or with heels for evening, sweater: Kensie, from a few years ago (a "Young Contemporary" brand, it's often available in nicer juniors sections, like Macy's or Nordstrom's), shoes: Nicole Miller.  And of course, I carried my 5-zip, since I can wear it cross-body and thus hands-free when chasing after a child)

Shorts and a t-shirt, middle-age style

(Color is off on the first pic - baby turned some sort if filter on.)

As you can probably guess from this post's title, I'm not sure how I feel about this outfit.  The t is a little dressier than a plain t, and I like that it looks polished.  The shorts have a 5" inseam and cuffs which make them seem grown-up and modest.  But at the same time, I feel like both pieces age me.  I am middle aged, but should I dress it?

What do you think of this outfit?

(Top and shorts: White House black market, bracelet: Saks off fifth, a present from my little boy.  :) )

Girls' night out (aka, book club)

When in doubt, I wear a wrap dress.  :)

(Dress: Diane Von furstenburg, mini, shoes: bcbg darron pump from dsw, purse: Rebecca minkoff 5-zip, watch: movado)

Black and white stripes

To me, a black and white stripe dress is such a classic item.  When I think of black and white dresses, I always think of simple 70's shift dresses - think Twiggy:

There were a lot of great striped dresses long before the 70's, but this is what comes to my mind.  Plus, with black and white photos, it's not clear if the dresses from earlier eras were black-and-white striped, or just dark-and-light striped.  Still, a couple more fun pictures:

And of course, who could ever forget the black and white striped trim on this dress:

My dress is from New York and Company, and isn't super high quality (for example, it is not lined), but I still paid full price for it - NYandCo is one of those stores where you barely ever have to pay full price because they have big sales and big coupons.  But I saw this dress on the mannequin and loved it.  They were sold out of my size in the store, so I made them strip the mannequin, and it fit perfectly.  (I do this surprisingly often - it is convenient to be mannequin sized.)  But then I got pregnant, and I didn't wear the dress once!  I finally fit back into it now, and am looking forward to wearing it more going forward.

I wore this particular outfit to a prayer service plus birthday party at my mom's house.
Oh, and I dressed baby girl in a black and white dress, with red tights and red turtle-neck underneath.  I couldn't resist.

(Dress: New York and Company, boots: Banana Republic, purse: Jimmy Choo, bought via Lollipuff.com, Nylons (yes, nylons, not tights): Target.)