Amazon OOTD

From the title where you expecting tropical themed clothing?

Nope! Just a dress I ordered from amazon.com. I found this dress while looking for a new wool coat. Since Amazon is now offering free shipping and free returns on many of their clothing items, I decided to take the plunge to find a new coat there. Well, the coat I ordered didn't fit, and in case you're wondering, it was a slight hassle returning the coat. When I first went through their online return process, they were going to charge me for return shipping. But after emailing customer service I was provided with a link to a free shipping label. Has anyone else taken advantage of Amazon's free return policy with clothing? And has it gone through without a hitch? I'm hoping this was just a fluke.

Anyway, while looking for a coat, I found this strapless nautical dress on sale for $15 (down from $58). The one review said it ran super small, and it was in juniors sizing, so I ordered a large.



The waist was a bit big, so of course, I belted it! :) I bought the dress with the intention of layering tees underneath it. But, I'm still not sure about it. What do y'all think?



Of course I layered on a jean jacket to keep out the chill from our foggy Seattle morning


OOTD Specs
Have & Have Nautical Tailored Fitted Banded Waist Pencil Dress Navy Sz L ($15)
West & Vine white tuxedo shirt sz M ($20)
dark grey tights ($7)
H&M blue elastic belt ($12?)
Merona Madalena Suede Ballet Flats - Mustard (NWT at Goodwill $7.50)


In other amazon-related news.... AmazonFresh (Amazon's local grocery delivery service) contacted me to use my yelp review in an ad campaign. Of course!! I love AmazonFresh! However, I didn't originally realize they were going to use my yelp profile pic. As you might guess, I'm acting pretty silly in my profile pic. But ya know, I often look pretty silly here on the blog too, so I guess what's the difference? see, I was silly this morning:



btw, as luck would have it, my current yelp profile pic has me wearing an Anthropologie shirt! (I'm not sure the name of this shirt):



The full picture is of me with my best friend, Clara. Right before this photo was taken, I had the teensiest bit of a mojito... hence the slight Asian glow :)

Autopilot & first day of school OOTD

You know how you have a routine? Maybe it's driving home, and you always take the same streets. It becomes so automatic that you no longer have to think about making each turn, and you might zone out only to realize that you just drove 10 blocks and you don't even remember doing it? Yeah, that's what this morning's shower was like for me. I've been in the midst of writing, so I completely zoned out thinking about my writing when I stepped into the shower. And I have absolutely no idea if I washed my hair this morning. I think I would have washed it immediately after getting in the shower, because that's my routine. But, I have no memory of it. So, um. If my hair looks dirtier today in these pictures, please excuse me. :)

Today was the first day of school. My friend asked me earlier this week what I was planning on wearing today. And, I was pretty much like, "Seriously? Um, you realize that we're grad students." As grad students, we always work. Today is pretty much like any other day since I'm not teaching this quarter. It's a research day. It's a writing day. It's a dissertation day. It's everyday.

So here's today's outfit (I also apologize because I had a fight with my camera this morning. But I was in a rush to get out the door, so the camera won)



In my fight with my camera, I briefly tried a different camera mode. It made it look like it was night time. wieeeerd.


Okay, seriously, the last time I put on this dress was in the beginning of this year. It fit better back then. In fact, it was a little tight. I put it on this morning, and I was so unhappy that it grew. Somehow, in my closet, this dress that I had been planning on wearing through Fall, grew larger. Thank goodness for belts - especially sexy equestrian leather belts like Anthro's Three Beacons Belt (two days in a row!!!)


Since I gave up on my camera this morning, I took photos of my accessories at work. I added a owl sweater clip to my outfit (also reminds me of Glee... AGAIN!). The vintage clip was from my friend Jeanny. I picked up the owl part at a garage sale, but didn't know what to do with it until Jeanny gave me the clip. The clip screeeaaamed for owl decoration. Add a little hypo cement and voila! Owl sweater clip!



By the way, I sit on a big pink pilates ball at work... in case you're wondering what the large pink thing between my legs is...ewwww get your mind out of the gutter!

OOTD Specs
Yellow silk Forever 21 blouse sz S(thrifted $3)
Grey dress (thrifted $8)
Navy Blooming Lattice Cardigan Anthropologie sz M (Ebay $40)
Anthropologie Three Beacons Belt ($34)
Seychelles brown pumps (thrifted $6)
Blue knee sock things (3 for $2 so only 67 cents!)
Owl sweater clip (gifted + 50 cents for the owl)

OOTD, a summer outfit revisited

Yesterday Seattle got warm and MUGGY! So today I thought I'd revisit an outfit from this summer inspired by a look from the Anthropologie catalog. This look:



I loved this look because it was this relaxed and laid-back summer vibe. This is also the look that sold me on Anthro's Three Beacons Belt (my favorite belt ever!)




This morning I quickly altered the top and skirt to fit me. I had lunch today with my best friend, back from Brazil. And, she always gets on my case about wearing clothes that are too big for me :/ Luckily, since my sewing machine is always at the ready, it only took ten minutes for this quick fix!






This necklace is the second one I ordered from Forever 21. I have been impressed with both necklaces I purchased from F21. The eyeglasses were more substantial and weighty than I expected and the sparrow necklace was nice an delicate.

Yesterday's eyeglasses necklace didn't give me a rash! But, the chain was fairly light and the glasses were acrylic so there wasn't a lot of metal in contact with my skin. So today I thought I'd try out this swallow necklace today. I wore it all day. I haven't broken out in a rash yet. I can't tell if I'm slightly itchy (it could be psychological at this point). At least at this price point, I wasn't too concerned about trying necklaces to see if I'm allergic to them. I've been curious about some of Anthro's jewelry, but the SAs at the store didn't know whether the jewelry was nickel-free. And, I'm less willing to allergy test jewelry at Anthro prices. :( Has anyone else with nickel allergies tried Anthro jewelry with success?

OOTD specs
New York & Company button-up tank sz M altered to fit ($15?)
Anthropologie Three Beacons Belt in brown sz S ($34)
H&M purple ikat skirt sz 6 altered to fit ($15?)
Forever 21 sparrow necklace ($6.50)
Colin Stuart pink sandals (thrifted $6)

In other news, I wanted to post a picture of this little fella:



I came across this post on Marirob's blog, and thought these stuffed fatkittys were so cute that I wanted to make a quick one for my friends' son (who I just met in Cali). I actually made this a couple weeks ago, but I couldn't post it since I hadn't brought it to them yet! I free-handed him, but I'm still happy with how he turned out!

Last set of reviews from dressing room marathon: skirts and dresses!

Marston Sweater Skirt by Edme & Estylite
Size S
Impressions: I wish they had this in an XS! I have been very skeptical of this skirt because the pockets in front don't look like they'd be very flattering. They seem like they'd add extra bulk and are a bit functionally silly. But, Traci, the personal shopper, pulled this out for me, and I was pleasantly surprised. Turns out, I actually found the pockets didn't make my hips look that much wider, and they were kinda cute. Also, I love the mustard yellow color. I recently reorganized all my clothes by color, and it made it easier to identify what colors I need want to add to my wardrobe. More yellow was one conclusion. The small was too loose on me, and would have sat about an inch below my true waist and shifted around too much when I moved. Wishlisted! Traci paired this with the Eze Sur Mer top too, and I thought the yellow and navy were quite nice together.



Easy Keeper Skirt by Tracy Reese
Size 2
Impressions: Tracy Reese and I totally have a love affair going. And it turns out that unlike Eva Franco (who spurns my advances at almost every turn), Tracy Reese's clothes generally fit me! This skirt fit my hips well, and was only slightly loose at waist. But even with the slightly large waist, I likely wouldn't notice too much shifting since the skirt fit my hips pretty much exactly. I like the bold plaid and the ruffled front. Wishlisted for sale!




Lorene Dress by Bordeaux
Size XS
Impressions: Aiyah! Traci pulled this one out, but it was a NO GO! Garbage Bag dress. horrifying. i was horrified. photos speak for themselves here.





Learning Curves Dress by Eva Franco
Size 2
Impressions: Oh Eva! Of course you would make this dress like your skirts...too small in hips but too large at waist. The Eva Franco war wages on. Tears were shed. I've been wanting to try this forever, but I couldn't zip it all the way (and I had to belt it past the pre-drilled belt holes for these shots since the waist was so large. Also, the dress was disappointingly not as bright as in catalog shot. And, the bow didn't lay right. And, the zipper felt cheap and difficult to move. Dress fail Eva. Dress Fail.


Perthshire Dress by Edme & Estylite
Size 0 & 2
Impressions: I tried on both a 0 and a 2 in this dress. The 2 was a tad loose in the armpits for me. The 0 provided the best fit overall. Unfortunately, I thought the fabric felt cheap. The fabric also seemed like it would snag on things (like my nails). Also, even though Traci liked it on me, I thought it made me look dowdy. It could have been the length, or it could have been that it was too dark on me? I dunno. On the other hand, Kay looked great in this. It just wasn't for me.


Tweedy Leaves Dress by Tabitha
Size 2
Impressions: This was actually a beautiful fit for me. Perfect both on top and bottom. But is it versatile? Jen mentioned in her review of this dress that dresses that look like separate tops and skirts bother her. They irk me too! I feel like if I like the look, I should just find a skirt and blouse that can achieve the same look. The pieces would then be more functional in other outfits. The personal shopper suggested said I could make this more versatile by layering a longsleeve shirt underneath. I'm not sure. Do y'all think that layering idea would work for this dress? Anyway, I actually really do like this dress. But I have a hard time grappling with it's two-pieced look at full price. Wishlisted for sale.

A little bookish, a little Glee OOTD

In preparation for tomorrow night's new Glee episode I decided to dress in Glee inspired clothing. Ok, ok that's not true. I just looked in my closet and thought, I haven't worn that shirt before, let's wear it! It just happened that Lea Michelle wore the Blue Book Blouse last season on Glee and Kurt wore this awesome eyeglasses necklace on this season's premiere of Glee.

[total digression about to ensue]
btw, for those of you who saw the premiere, wasn't Charice GREAT??!! I've been following her singing for awhile now. I know this is so weird, but I feel this huge sense of group pride when I see Asians excelling in areas where we previously were held back. For example, I have been THRILLED with the uptake in hot Asian men on TV (e.g., Daniel Dae Kim on Lost and Hawaii-50, Harry Shum Jr on Glee, Tim Kang on the Mentalist, John Park on American Idol last year that got Shania all hot and bothered...). These fellas are showing America that Asian men are sexy too! Anyway, Charice makes me happy not only because she is a mind-blowing singer, but also because I've been waiting for an Asian pop singer to do well! In the past on American Idol and in the NY Times, they've discussed the fact that 'the American public' wasn't ready to get behind an Asian pop singer. So, anyway... Go Charice!!
< /end digression >


Ok so this blouse isn't actually the Anthro version. It's a Forever 21 rip-off that I found at Goodwill. But since I didn't have the Anthro version, I figured I could add it to my wardrobe!


I never really thought about how narrow this hallway is. I think I can touch the walls with both my elbows!


My new necklace from Forever 21. When Chloe posted about free shipping from F21 last weekend I thought it would be a good time to test whether I was allergic to F21 jewelry (I seem to have an allergy to metal with nickel in it - I break out in hives!). This cute necklace was only $3.50! Then on Tuesday I saw the Kurt on Glee had an eyeglass necklace too!! So fab! Let's just see if I break out in hives today, hm? As an aside, F21 customer service was pretty lame when I emailed them to ask if their jewelry had nickel in it. Their response:

Dear Lori,

Thank you for emailing us with your concern.

All our jewelry is made of metal and plastic.

Thank you for choosing Forever 21.

Sincerely,
Vanessa
Forever 21 - Customer Service

:/

OOTD Specs
Forever 21 Blue Book Blouse rip-off sz M (thrifted $3)
Black skirt by The Limited sz 2 (thrifted $4)
Xhilaration raspberry pumps (thrifted NWT $7)
Forever 21 eyeglasses necklace ($3.50)
Adidas black skinny belt (thrifted 99 cents)

Lea Michelle wearing Anthropologie's Blue Book Blouse on Glee last season:


Unfortunately, I couldn't find a pic with Kurt in his eyeglass necklace :(

Charice singing Telephone with Lea Michelle on Glee. Awesomest ever! You go Charice! Btw, I totally want some glasses like this so I can go all nerd chic!

Back from the (HOT) land of Californ-I-A!!! Weekend outfits and exploits!

[edited to add some additional pics of my hubby so y'all can see how he dresses sometimes :)]

We made it back from Cali! I'm catching up on work, but I wanted to pop up for a little trip update!

California was AH-MAZING! We left a rainy Seattle, and got to... sun, heat (in the 90's!!), and friends! It was amazing to step outside Saturday morning in a tank and skirt and not feel the slightest bit chilled. Of course, then it got a little too toasty, but I still enjoyed it. It was a good piece of summer (I realize it's fall already) that Seattle missed out on this year.

Here's a few pics from our trip (and this will truly cement my spot as Queen of the open mouth jaw drop picture pose)! This trip was quick but oh-so-memorable. We celebrated our good friends' union (and caught up with college friends at the wedding). Also, some of our best friends had just had their baby, and we got to meet the little fella! Soooo cute!!


Saturday morning we headed out on the road and hubby shouted "ESTATE SALE." (It's like spotting treasure). We followed the signs, but instead of an actual estate sale it was a well-curated (and highly marked up $$$) vintage/antique yard sale. Really neat stuff, but no way we could take any of it home - especially at those prices.


OOTD (Sat morning)
Anthropologie Lale Skirt sz 4 (pinned smaller; $20 on sale)
Anthropologie raspberry Unveiled Tank by Deletta sz XS ($30 on sale)
Adidas black skinny belt (thrifted 99 cents)
Yellow Enzo Angiolini sandals (Nordstrom Rack sale $15)







personalized cake topper made by the groom's sisters :)

next three pics include the hubby!







with the proud new papa (also a groomsman at the wedding)

OOTD (wedding)
Oroya Dress by Eva Franco - Anthropologie sz 0 (sale $100)
Yellow Enzo Angiolini sandals (Nordstrom Rack sale $15)
Silverlake flap leather purse in teak by The Sak ($140)



At the airport for the trip home:

I probably should have taken a photo in front of a window so you could see the outer tank's transparency, but I was pretty beat!




OOTD (Sunday)
H&M striped transparent top ($5)
grey Lady Hathaway tank ($6)
Lisa Skinny Jeans by Fire Jeans sz 5 (thrifted $7)
Merona Madalena Suede Ballet Flats - Mustard (NWT at Goodwill $7.50)
DIY Lace necklace ($4)


Also, I finally caved and bought the hipstamatic app for my iphone. lol, as if you couldn't tell... ;)

Hope y'all had fabulous weekends!

ootd, On the road again... this time ironed :)

Hey friends! Remember this?



Well guess who broke out the ironing board?



Why the duffel? Because we're heading down to the Bay Area today! Of course, I needed to swap out the red pumps from before with travel ready shoes. So I swapped in my Toms which are freakishly comfortable to travel in, and they still give me some height!



I have to admit, I totally ragged on Toms shoes. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea behind the shoes: for every pair of shoes purchased Toms gives a pair of shoes to a child in need (of shoes). It was more about what the shoes became - a status symbol for celebrities to show their humanitarian and charitable nature. And then it no longer feels like it's about the charity anymore. It feels like it's about power, money, and a fashion statement. I also personally thought the shoes were pretty hideous. Then I stumbled upon this new pair at Goodwill (perhaps someone actually bought the shoes to be charitable and decided not to wear them). I tried them on, and oh my goodness. They are seriously the most comfortable shoes I own. More comfy than sneakers. I think this pair looks less ugly than the normal Toms and especially the Tom boots. But, now I could be completely engaged in motivated reasoning - they are just THAT comfy!





I thought my DIY lace necklace gave a softer edge to the dress. These are super easy to make btw. I just bought some lace applique off ebay for about $4 and attached a chain to it. Voila! Easy lace necklace (goes great with strapless evening dresses).



It's going to be in the mid 80's and sunny in CA (a far cry from the cold and drizzly here in Seattle). So I'll be bringing my Oroya dress and my Speckled Ink dress down to enjoy a little last note of heat! Have a great weekend everyone!

OOTD specs
Converse One Star Canvas Shirtdress sz S (thrifted $8)
Toms Shoes blue/white wedges (thrifted $6)
Lace DIY necklace ($4)
Adidas black skinny belt (thrifted 99 cents)
Travel duffel bag (graduation gift to my husband from his high school... free to me!)