Friday, September 30, 2016

Lazy Mornings

Yesterday was a very cool day considering it has been warm for several weeks. My husband had a meeting close to our house in the middle of the morning, so I woke up earlier than my usual time and we walked into town for breakfast tacos and coffee before he had to leave. I am still loving this flannel shirt that I got earlier this month and I love the warmth even more during these cold mornings. Mostly, I love how easy it was to get dressed and out the door with my guy for a quick, unexpected breakfast. We are so lucky to live in a place that has so much within walking distance. I love our little town.

I Am Wearing:

Tank Top: Gap (comes in petites and talls!)

Shirt: J. Crew c/o Nordstrom

Leggings: Lou & Grey for LOFT

Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren (current)
Handbag: Chloe (similar)
Socks: Hue

Boots: Frye (on sale!)


Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Not So Mellow Yellow

The last couple of days have been very hot by Bay Area standards. As much as I've been wanting to curl up in my new cape scarf or indulge in any of the basic fall shenanigans, 90+ degree days call for shorts, sandals, and the thinnest of tank tops.  I found this cute yellow top at Nordstrom Rack recently and my husband said, "Wow, that is NOT a mellow yellow. It's a little in your face, no?" Well, yes, it kinda is and I love it.  I also noticed that since I took a "break" from running for the last few weeks, I've started to get chunky again so I am more than likely going to start at my local running store again soon.

I Am Wearing:

Top: 14th & Union

Earrings: Blue Nile

Necklace: KEST Jewelry via Etsy (gift from a girlfriend this past summer)
Shorts: LOFT (current)
Clutch: Vintage (old) (similar)
Sandals: Cole Haan (current)

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Current Obsession: J.Crew Cape Scarf

I'm just going to leave this here. Madewell has had a cape scarf for several seasons now, but this one by J.Crew is just the best.  I am obsessed with the tartan plaid and the fact that it feels like cashmere. I cannot wait for it to get cold enough for me to wear it every where.  The best thing? It comes in two other colors and I am still deciding if I need it in every single color or just the plaid.  I might even order a few extra ones to give as presents this upcoming season.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Fall(Ish) Layers

I picked up this white tunic at Anthropologie when I was in a few weeks back and I really liked that the front is a silky cowl neck and the back is jersey modal knit because it makes it work appropriate, but comfortable at the same time. I wore it with my new Texas necklace that was a gift from one of my brothers to remind me of home and I am loving it. My Hummingbird Necklace from Dogeared Jewelry is one of my favorite pieces and I was happy to add another delicate pendant to my collection.
September is when it gets really WARM in the Bay Area, or so it seems.  It's tough to get into Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Fall rollouts when the temperatures are in the 80's.  So it was a nice surprise to have a gusty winds and a cool dip in the weather today.  It was great to get back into layers and not just after sunset. I got home from work and was cold so I quickly threw on jeans to run errands and go get dinner. Plus, I am really liking this golden yellow hue for the fall palette this coming season.  Is anyone else looking forward to the first official day of Fall tomorrow?

I Am Wearing:

Top: Bordeaux at Anthrolpologie (similar)
Cardigan: BCBG Max Azria (option)
Earrings: Blue Nile

Necklace: Dogeared Jewelry

Denim: 7FAM (similar)
Handbag: Sam Edelman (Splurge | Steal)
Flats: Renvy (option)

Sunday, September 18, 2016

I Can't Change My Stripes

Our plans with friends fell through yesterday and my husband and I found ourselves with half a day to ourselves for the first time in weeks.  We ended up relaxing and doing almost nothing with the exception of getting dressed to go have brunch by ourselves.  I just wanted to wear something super easy and there was really nothing easier than this striped dress with boots and not much else.  I promised my sister I would buy no more stripes and then I bought this dress...so I am not doing so good on that.  It seems that I really can't change my stripes at this point. :)

I Am Wearing:

Dress: J. Crew
Earrings: Blue Nile
Necklace: Solitaire gift from my dad (option)
Bracelet: Tiffany & Co.
Bag: Chloe
Socks: J. Crew 

Boots: J. Crew

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Birthday Dinner

Our youngest turned 16! earlier this month.  His big brother is back home in Texas for school and so is all our family. His birthday fell in the middle of the week, so we celebrated quietly with a burger nearby.  He had asked me to wear this flowered dress for his birthday and I decided to make him happy.  It cools down significantly once the sunsets and I pulled on this tissue thin cashmere sweater for warmth and spent most of my time making sure our kid had great gifts and a great day.

I Am Wearing:

Dress: LOFT (similar)
Cashmere Sweater: J. Crew (mine is last year's, here is the current one)
Necklace: c/o Julie Vos
Clutch: Tory Burch
Shoes: J. Crew on sale

Monday, September 12, 2016

J. Crew Now at Nordstrom

Starting this week, you can now buy J.Crew at Nordstrom! As you all know, my J.Crew wardrobe has only grown since our move to the Bay Area.  This is mostly due to our nearest J. Crew store being just blocks away and easily accessible on my way to and from work.  The biggest drawback for me has been that the petite and tall lines are only available online and I have to guess what my (and my husband's!) size are based on the items in store.  Furthermore, ordering from J.Crew usually involves an amount of patience that doesn't come naturally to me as I wait 6-8 days for my order or cave and pay a premium for shipping or increase my order with items I may not necessarily want and have to return.  Enter Nordstrom: they now carry a number of your J. Crew classic favorites in both regular and petite sizing and they offer free standard shipping of 3-6 days.

This collaboration feels very organic as Nordstrom has sold the Madewell line for several years and in the last year their subsidiary flash sale site, Haute Look, has carried J. Crew Factory a few times. Adding the classic J. Crew line feels like the natural next step in the ongoing relationship and I, for one, am very excited about being able to use my Nordstrom card to buy J. Crew basics!

While the in-store product is currently limited to a few Nordstrom stores nationwide, the J.Crew line is available at Nordstrom online starting this week.  So head over and check out my (and your) favorite items online! These were some of my favorite picks and I love that I was finally able to add pieces that my wardrobe had been missing.  I usually can't wear distressed denim because my legs are too short and the distressing winds up closer to my chins instead of my knees.  I'd been eyeing these Pamona wash toothpick jeans for a while and jumped at the opportunity to finally add a pair in petite sizing to my closet.  The boyfriend shirt is another item that I thought would be fun to add some pattern for the coming fall and holiday season and the flannel fabric makes it so comfy!  Finally, I've been wanting a safari jacket since Nina Garcia published her 100 List.  It even made my Targeted Purchase List in 2013, but it wasn't until now that I was able to bring one home with me in the shape of this Field Mechanic Jacket.  What are the pieces you are ordering?

I Am Wearing:

Boyfriend Shirt in Plaid: J. Crew
Field Mechanic Jacket: J. Crew
Distressed Toothpick Jeans in Pamona Wash: J. Crew
Boots: J. Crew

**Thank you to Nordstrom for partnering on this post.**

Friday, September 9, 2016

Everything Old (Fits Better) Than New Again

When I got my job in town a few months ago, I had to dig into our storage unit for my work clothes and I realized that it had been a long while since I had done an edit of my work wardrobe.  Then a few weeks ago, I decided to go through my bin and pull out anything that didn't fit so I could donate it.  It seems that I have lost a bit of weight and a number of items that I had packed away because of fit, finally fit again! So nothing in this outfit is new, but it all fits better than new again and my budget (and my husband) are thrilled to bits that I don't have to run out to buy new work clothes. :)

I Am Wearing:

Top: Alice + Olivia (current in white)
Costume Pearl Earrings: Gift from my grandmother (option)
Costume Pearl Strand: (Splurge | Steal)
Skirt: Vivienne Tam (similar)
Bag: Calvin Klein (similar)
Pumps: Manolo Blahnik (two-tone option)

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Pretty in Pink

I usually walk over to work in the mornings and all around town. I never would have thought my collection of flats would outgrow my heels, but I am slowly starting to realize this is becoming true in my case. Now that we are moving closer to Fall, these velvet flats are prefect to bring my outfits together. My collection of button down shirts is also becoming impressive, but this Z-Spoke one with its ruffled collar and silky fabric is one of my favorites. You can't beat the pretty pink hue and I always feel girly when I wear it. It keeps me cool in the still warm, sunny days, but keeps me covered in the too cold A/C at work.

I Am Wearing:

Button Down: Z Spoke by Zac Posen (similar)
Earrings: Blue Nile

Necklace: c/o Dogeared Jewelry

Trousers: Balenciaga

Handbag: Rebecca Minkoff (similar)
Flats: Theysken's Theory (option)

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Cool September

Can you believe it's September?!? It feels like this year is just flying by.  Although, I am excited about the temperatures starting to cool and I could hardly wait to start wearing sweaters and boots again. I found these JCrew booties from several seasons ago on eBay and I quickly scooped them up. I haven't seen a plain, chestnut bootie during the last couple of years so I jumped on these when I saw them available.  We are teaching our teen how to ride the train so he can visit my husband after school a couple of days a week, especially on the days when both of us will work late, so he isn't stuck at home by himself for hours.  So I met him at the train station after school and let him buy his own ticket and pick the train.  Then we met my husband at his office and took him away for dinner before dragging him back home with us.

I Am Wearing:

Sweater: The Podolls (I want to splurge on this one!)
Earrings: Blue Nile

Necklace: c/o Dogeared Jewelry

Wallet on Chain: Tory Burch

Denim: Pilcro & The Letterpress

Booties: JCrew (Splurge | Steal)