Friday, April 28, 2017

Captain's Dress

Yesterday I spent the day in meetings for our charity event later this summer and then my son wanted to go visit a kid's museum to pick up some items from their gift shop.  We usually walk all the way to the bay and had walked past the museum before, but since I was still dressed from my meetings, I didn't want to walk in wedges.  So we drove up there instead.  Imagine my surprise when we ended up parking right by the Captain's House at our local park. It was sooooo cute!  I went ahead and asked him to indulge me in some outfit photos.  I will be traveling back to South Texas to visit my family and see my little sister's college theater production this weekend.  I haven't been back in a couple of years! so I am really excited to see several of my high school friends and my siblings! Happy Friday, y'all!

I Am Wearing:

Dress:  Brooks Brothers Black Fleece (Splurge | Steal)

Necklace: c/o Dogeared Jewelry (2013)

Clutch: Tory Burch

Wedges: Diane VonFurstenberg (similar)

Everyday Jewelry: Cartier Trinity Ring | Tiffany & Co bracelet | Apple Watch


**This is a scheduled post. I will be traveling for the weekend and will respond to comments upon my return.**

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Nothing Haunts Us Like Regret

I always tell my friends, "You know that nothing haunts us like the regret of what we didn't buy." It's true.  I can tell you of the time I went to a bridal sample sale with a friend who was getting married and I found the PERFECT Vera Wang dress in my size for $350. And I passed on it because I wasn't engaged. I eventually found a wedding dress that was similar by Enzoani when I finally got engaged, but I cried for a little bit when I took my non-Vera Wang dress in for alterations. Or when I found a Chanel cropped jacket at a resale shop when they were just getting started for $86! and it was labeled "Tweed Jacket" because this was in the late 90's before everyone had a Designer Resale shop. And I passed on it thinking it would be there when I came back from sleeping on it.  Or a pair of metallic, pleated, leather booties from Christian Louboutin during a Neiman Marcus Last Call sale for $300 that I passed on because I was sure they would be reduced further.  They sold out before they could be marked down any more.  So imagine my surprise when I found these metallic, pleated, Louboutin booties on The Real Real earlier this year.  I went ahead and scooped them up and was so thrilled that I did.  I only wish I hadn't had to wait years for them.  I wore them with my silky Victoria Beckham blouse from Target and a pair of distressed jeans to drop off some items at a local charity and meet a friend for Happy Hour afterward. This is one regret that won't be haunting me anymore.

I Am Wearing:

Top: Victoria Beckham x Target

Necklace: c/o Jane Basch Jewelry

Sunglasses: Burberry

Jeans: J. Crew c/o Nordstrom (current on sale)

Tote: Banana Republic (Splurge | Steal)

Booties: Christian Louboutin via The Real Real (Open Toe Splurge | Steal)

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Off A Shoulder

This was the second top I got from the Who What Wear line at Target at the start of the month.  I really liked the unique design.  At least it seemed unique to me in that it wasn't entirely off both shoulders like most of my new favorite shirts and it was made of this really cute shirting stripe material.  I tried on both the medium and the large and opted for the medium because the large was HUGE, but looking at these pictures, I wonder if I could have gotten away with even a small? This shirt doesn't seem like a good candidate for alterations (to add darts or anything like that) because of the pullover style. I think while it might give it a more fitted shape, I likely wouldn't be able to get my chest inside!  On the other hand, it does have buttons along the side that is off the shoulder and I could use a bit of a sleeve slimming, too. I wore this out to go on several doctor visits one day last week and as you can see I didn't take the photos BEFORE I started driving all around the bay so the bottom of the shirt is pretty wrinkled.  I did get a lot of compliments on it and multiple women told me they had never seen a shirt like this one.  I might have to go back and see if I can fit into a smaller size because I don't like the bunching around the arms.

I Am Wearing:

Top: Who What Wear x Target

Sunglasses: Burberry

Skirt: Banana Republic (mine is old, this is such a cute update!)

Clutch: c/o D'Andrea Handbags (similar)

Wedges: BCBGeneration (Splurge | Steal)

Everyday Jewelry: Apple Watch | Cartier Trinity Ring

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Gingham

During my trek to Target for the Victoria Beckham collaboration, I mentioned that the big winner in my closet was the Who What Wear Collection. This shirt is one of my Spring favorites. I know many of you are over the off-the-shoulder trend, but I am decidedly not. I am always self-concious about my arms because I think they could always be in better shape and these off-the-shoulder tops and dresses are perfect because they still give a peek of skin without showing all my arms.  This top was no exception. I really like the bell sleeves and the straight cut of the bodice.  I paired it with my favorite pair of skinny trousers and patent wedges and added red lipstick and a red clutch for a bit of color.  I will definitely have this top in heavy rotation this Spring.

I Am Wearing:

Top: Who What Wear Target (similar)

Earrings: Blue Nile

Sunglasses: Burberry

Trousers: Balenciaga (current)

Clutch: Proenza Schouler (current)

Wedges: Christian Louboutin (similar)

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Hop To It

Happy Easter! We are spending a quiet weekend at home after being on the go for a while.  This is my last outfit post from our trip to Seattle earlier this month.  Our second day in Seattle, we escaped an hour north to Woodinville to spend the day wine-tasting up there.  I had done some research and I thought we would go on a few tours and tastings, have lunch, and come back to Seattle.  It turned out that it wasn't quite a Napa experience.  The wineries we visited were right next to each other and don't necessarily do tours as most of them are tasting rooms and not vineyards or wineries. We realized this at the first tasting which had really great wine and we ended up skipping to the last vineyard, Chateau St. Michelle, which does have a tour and a tasting at the end of the tour.  Then we had lunch at Hollywood Tavern and walked over to the Woodinville Whiskey Co. for a whiskey tasting to finish our day in Woodinville.  However, someone at the tavern told us that the Skagit Tulips were in bloom and were a must see if we were already in the area. So we went an additional 45 minutes north only to discover the tulips were NOT in bloom yet.  So we finally made our way back to Seattle and took a walk on the waterfront and found a cute Thai place for dinner after all that.  I wish I had decided to check out the Seattle Art Museum instead of doing all that driving.  I hope you are having a wonderful Easter as well.

I Am Wearing:

Dress: J. Crew (on sale!)

Cape-Scarf: J. Crew

Sunglasses: Balenciaga (current)

Necklace: Rosa De La Cruz

Clutch: Tory Burch

Sneakers: SeaVees

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Victoria Beckham x Target: Ya Win Some, Ya Lose Some

I went ahead and dragged myself to my local Target early in the morning on Sunday to check out Victoria Beckham's collaboration.  I had already seen some crazy price gauging on eBay since the night before, so I figured I would go and see if I liked anything enough to buy it.  It turned out really well for me, because I was one of the first people in and I was able to very quickly snatch up my sizes and head to the fitting room.  I was really surprised by the pricing for the collection.  Most items I grabbed were under $40!
First, the bad:  the sizing was very inconsistent throughout.  I grabbed two sizes in most garments and I discovered that the gingham crop pants in a size 12 were HUGE, but I couldn't get the 10 zipped.  However, in the black twill pants, the 10 zipped right up, but I will need at least 8 inches hemmed. In the black dress with the bunny collar, it was the same, the large looked like I was wearing a potato sack, but the medium pulled tightly across my hips. It was especially heartbreaking in the striped shirtdress I really wanted. The medium buttoned, but looked very snug across the bust, but the large looked like it was going to drown me.  So I didn't buy any of the dresses.
Now the good: I was really not expecting to fall in love with this white blouse. I have bought several white button downs in the last year and couldn't figure out why I don't love them as much I want to and I rarely ever wear them. Now I know why. Those other shirts don't drape as nicely as this one does! It is not silk or any other fabric of the sort, but the weight and cut of this blouse makes it feel so luxurious. I love it.  The black pants were also unexpectedly flattering. I think I like the higher waist on dress pants.  Since these really feel much nicer than their price tag, I don't mind shelling out for alterations.  In the end,  I came home with this blouse, the black pants, and the gingham crop pants, but those were returned when I noticed a sticky zipper on them at the tailor. I left the black pants with my tailor and took the gingham crop pants and returned them since I didn't want to have to replace the zipper on top of the regular alterations.
The other big winner in my closet was the Who What Wear collection at Target.  While I was browsing around looking for the fitting rooms, I found some really cute clothes on a nearby rack and was surprised when I read the label. I brought these two tops home with me and will show those in a post later.  All in all, I am glad that I made the trek because while every one else looks super cute in all the clothes they scored, I probably would have overspent and I am happy that I was able to try on everything and didn't have to pay the reselling prices.
On a different note, I am still struggling to style these wide legged trousers. I think I might have to simply admit that wide-legged pants are not for me and my short legs.  I really liked the way this shirt looked tucked into these pants and I liked the way I looked when I went to work, but somehow, the crisp lines were wrinkled and not so sleek by the end of the day when we walked to take these pictures before dinner.  I've been working on a "Less is More" project for Lent this year and have been cleaning out not only my closet, but our entire house.  I didn't feel bad buying any of these items because I have made so much space in my closet, but I also had zero qualms about returning the pants that weren't perfect for me even if I do suffer from a horrible case of Fear Of Missing Out.  I think I will have to decide if I am going to let these trousers go this week or try to make them work one more time.

I Am Wearing:

Top: Victoria Beckham x Target (similar)

Earrings: Macy's

Clutch: Vintage (Splurge | Steal)

Trousers: Céline 

Shoes: Zara (option)

Monday, April 10, 2017

Seattle Days

We took advantage of our son's Spring Break to getaway for a few days by ourselves.  We've talked about taking a big international vacation, but the timing hasn't been right and all we can do right now is just a few days when we can sneak off.  Seattle was just the thing.  We had gorgeous weather the first two days and then it rained on us on our last day when we took an underground tour with a friend of mine that lives in the area.  She directed us to Bainbridge Island for a last minute detour before we headed back home.  We had a wonderful time and I fully plan to make up a Weekend in Seattle guide.
As I mentioned before, I basically lived in jeans a sweater and my trusty cape scarf.  One of my friends laughed because she used to live in the area and she said we hit up everything in three days that it took her months to visit when she lived here.  These pictures are from Day 1 and 3.  We took a day trip to Woodinville and Skagit on Day 2 and I will publish those photos in a few days.  On Day 1, we arrived from Texas really early in the morning and we drove directly to the Snoqualmie Falls because I heard the hiking was wonderful and the falls are beautiful.  Unfortunately, our vacation also started with a few conference calls for my husband and we ended up skipping the hike as he worked longer than he thought he would. We walked out to the falls and took it all in before his phone rang again and we made our way to Salish Lodge to use their wifi for a little bit.
After Snoqualmie Falls, we went in search of food and Kurt Cobain's house.  We found some yummy food and were sadly disappointed that the new owners put up a fence and you can't really see the house.  My husband has a friend that is OBSESSED with Nirvana and we had wanted to send him pics.  After lunch, we headed to the Chihuly Glass & Garden and finished the day at the Space Needle. We grabbed a drink near the Space Needle and then found some Indian food that we picked up and took back to our hotel.
Our last day, we woke up early, headed to the Pike Place Market and got coffee at the Original Starbucks before we checked out and packed our luggage into our rental so we could meet up with a friend for the Underground Seattle Tour.  The tour was great and funny, I'm convinced the guides are comedians.  We ate lunch in Pioneer Square and then my friend suggested we take the ferry to Bainbridge Island before we headed home.  We had done a whiskey tasting in Woodinville on Day 2 and mentioned it to her and she thought we would like the tasting at the Bainbridge Organic Distillery.  It was a great suggestion and not only did we enjoy a tour of the Bainbridge Organic Distillery, we really liked the tasting which included Vodka, Gin and Whiskey and took some spirit-filled chocolates home with us.  We walked across to the Bainbridge Brewery & Tap Room for some craft beer before we made our way back towards the airport.  Does it seem to anyone else that it always rains when I am on a ferry?

I Am Wearing:

One: Gap Pullover (option) | Joe's Jeans | Balenciaga Sunglasses
Two: Banana Republic Top | Zara Knit Cardigan | Pilcro Jeans
Both: J. Crew Cape Scarf | SeaVees | Tory Burch Purse | Rosa De La Cruz Necklace
Every Day Jewelry: Apple Watch | Cartier Ring | Custom Garnet Ring  

Friday, April 7, 2017

Groundbreaking

The Devil Wears Prada is one of my all time favorite movies. I quote it on a very regular basis and the groundbreaking florals for spring scene never fails to crack me up.  I don't care if florals are cliché, most clichés are around because they work. I love this LOFT dress and have worn in all year round for several years now.  I often wear it when I travel because it packs so well. Wrinkles don't show easily and it always fits no matter how much my weight fluctuates.  Although I have worn it with these same slides and a different pink handbag in this post, I love this color combination and I will likely continue to wear this in the years to come.  In any case, it was the perfect dress to meet up with friends for dinner and then go drinking at a nearby watering hole while we were still in Texas.  I was just thrilled that my blow out lasted longer than 2 days, but this was day 3 and that was the end of my run. I get that many women manage to make their blow outs last for even up to a week, but I am NOT that person. I can rarely even skip a day without washing my hair!
One good thing about our trip to Texas was that we stayed at my in-laws house and as soon as my husband mentioned the trip to the Pacific Northwest, I quickly washed my jeans and sweater that I wore on the way down and basically lived in them for the days we were in Seattle.  We are back in California now and I am debating if I will get up early or not for the Victoria Beckham collaboration at Target this Sunday.  I've never worn her clothing, even though the pieces are always gorgeous.  The two reasons for that are that 1) most of her garments aren't carried widely in the states and the retailers that carry them don't usually mark them down enough to make them affordable to me; and 2) when I DO find items in retailers or online, they rarely make them in my bigger sizes.  I am excited that Target is releasing a coordinating plus size line and this might be the only opportunity I have to pick up a few pieces in my price range.  I really like the oversized, pin-striped, shirtdress and the gingham crop pants as well as some of the more classic pieces like the silky, white, bibbed shirt and the tailored slacks in pink or black.

I Am Wearing:

Floral Maxi Dress: LOFT (similar)

Star Diamond Necklace: Rosa De La Cruz

Belt: Calvin Klein (from another dress) (option)

Bag: Banana Republic (Splurge | Steal)

Slides: J. Crew (similar and cute option)

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Yellow Rose in Texas

I could NOT figure out what to wear to this Texas wedding last weekend.  The invitation said semi formal and the venue was just stunning. All the pictures I found online showed a gorgeous courtyard and beautiful views of the sunset.  I wanted to wear a maxi dress, but didn't want to be overdressed.  This yellow pleated dress by Halston Heritage was perfect because the slip is above the knee, but the chiffon layer is long.  A few weeks ago, my husband had to travel overseas for work. While he tried to make the trip as fast as possible, the timing was really rough for us personally.  I really didn't want him to go and I may or may not have been a big baby about it.  When he returned, he gifted me a gorgeous pair of blue topaz and diamond earrings that matched the bracelet he gave me for our last anniversary.
I decided to wear them with this dress and I changed out the belt that came with the dress for a light blue one from BCBG to tie everything together. I pulled out my beloved silver Jimmy Choo sandals and chainmail clutch.  Although the pictures do not do justice to the beautiful skirt of this dress, I LOVED this look. I loved the colors, I loved how comfortable I was the entire day, and I loved that my husband liked it, too and kept telling me I was his yellow rose of Texas. Which is completely cheesy, but we ARE really cheesy, so it was great.  I thought we were heading home at the end of the weekend, but since our kid was staying with family for his Spring Break this week, my husband surprised me with a quick getaway for us two up to Seattle.  We are enjoying some amazing weather and I called up a friend that lives here for a meetup tomorrow.  Work, however, waits for no one, especially my husband, so I used this time to write up this post from the weekend. I hope I can stay on top of it for the next couple of days.

I Am Wearing:

Dress: Halston Heritage

Belt: BCBG Max Azria (similar style)

Clutch: Jimmy Choo (Splurge | Steal)

Sandals: Jimmy Choo (current)

Blue Topaz Bracelet: Blue Nile (similar)

Blue Topaz Earrings: Unsigned (Would LOVE these!)

Daily Jewelry: Tiffany & Co. Bracelet | Cartier Trinity Ring | Apple Watch

Saturday, April 1, 2017

My Denim Suit

I am always hesitant to wear denim on denim because it is so easy for it to go wrong and inevitably, I always manage to get it all wrong.  One way that I can usually get away with jeans and a denim jacket is if I pair my denim jacket with colored jeans, and even then it is a tight rope.  I really liked these photos even if you can see my rosacea in them.  We are traveling to Texas this weekend for our friends' wedding and I spent the last couple of days getting all pampered.  I got a mani/pedi earlier this week as well as a much needed facial. It is really hard for me to trust most aestheticians because even if I explain that I have rosacea, they always want to start me on a chemical peel of some type or worse, microdermabrasion! Fortunately, I read tons of reviews and felt really great about the new salon I found in town.  They advised me to get my eyebrows done first and then gave me a steam facial. Afterwards, the aesthetician set me up with a charcoal mask followed by extractions and finally a thick slather of moisturizer. My skin feels amazing even if it was still a tad red when I took these pictures.  I finished my prep with a blow-out at DryBar even if I think I will be trying to stay cool and will likely not wear my hair down.

I Am Wearing:

Top: Banana Republic (current)

Denim Jacket: Lauren Ralph Lauren (similar)

Jeans: J Brand

Necklace: c/o Ariel Gordon Jewelry

Purse: Tory Burch

Wedges: Tory Burch (option)


**This is a scheduled post. Response time may be delayed.**