Casual Fridays: Bright-style OOTD

Yesterday, I had an office mate apologize to me because she was wearing bright colors even though it was already Fall. I told her she should wear color whenever she feels like it. Poop on fashion's seasonal do's and don'ts. Honestly, sometimes bright colors are the BEST in Fall and Winter because they brighten up the grey here in Seattle! People should wear what makes them happy!

Today, you can really tell I take my own advice to heart, lol. Fridays we have our area-wide Brown Bag lunches. It's a time when graduate students and faculty get together to hear someone talk about their research. I try to dress down on these occasions (see AcademicChic discussion on disapproval of fashion in academia). Typically that means pants (usually jeans, but I chose to go with my grey cords) and maybe a sweater and a scarf. Well, I figured if I'm dressing down to basics, I might as well go bright to make it fun and interesting for me! Of course, does that make it not basic? I think this outfit ended up getting the most attention and comments out of all my week's outfits.



Btw, the cords are JCrew Vintage Stretch Cords in Favorite Fit (see similar here)


And without the scarf and belt (for when it got warmer later in the day)!


Also, I tried out taking photos in a different corner of the room (gasp!), but I had a hard time with the lighting. But, you can see my sheepy socks better! These socks are a nod to my knitting and yarn spinning selves!


I also got my new 'nerd' glasses in the mail. They were less than $4 (including shipping) from Amazon, so I figured I could give them a shot since they're just for funsies. I took them for a spin at dinner this evening (even though the rest of me wasn't outfitted nerdly-style).




I discovered Clara has the whitest teeth EVER! I think she was trying to beat me at the open-mouth jaw-drop pose. Pretty good for a first timer! lol. It's so good to be back together with my bestie after she was gone all summer!


Have a great weekend everyone! I'm going to announce my first giveaway either Sunday or Monday! Exciting (for me at least)!

OOTD Specs
Clear Wayfarer Nerd Glasses ($3.59)
H&M blue vintage floral scarf ($15)
H&M mustard yellow cardigan sz 6 ($20)
Pink Climbing Cowlneck tank Anthropologie sz XS ($30 sale)
Grey J Crew Favorite-fit stretch vintage bootcut cord sz 4S (thrifted $6)
Merona Madalena Suede Ballet Flats - Grey (NWT at Goodwill $7.50)
Grey sheep socks ($5?)
Adidas black skinny belt (thrifted 99 cents)

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!)

OOTD x 2! On the little things...

Do you ever put on an outfit and think... something is just off? But, you have no clue what it is? That's how I felt this morning:



Something about this just didn't work for me. I couldn't put my finger on whether it was the belt, the shoes, etc.

Luckily, my friend Oliver was chatting me up online about a jacket he wanted to purchase on Gilt. His verdict after seeing the above outfit?

Oliver: "I like it. If I had a criticism it just looks kind of wrinkled, but I don't know if that's just the material or whatever"

I think he hit the nail on the head! I felt frumpy because the dress wasn't ironed! Honestly, unless the wrinkles are pretty in your face, I rarely think about ironing. It just does not enter my thoughts as being a component of the outfit. But it's these little details - the crispness of the material - that can make all the difference between looking like a million bucks or like you just crawled out of bed.

What do y'all think? Was it the wrinkles or something else? Do y'all iron your clothes? I have a steamer that can take out some wrinkles, but it would never get the fabric as crisp as an iron would.

With no time to iron before my meetings, I made a quick switch to jeans (ah the old standby). I'll try to return to the old outfit another time (after ironing) as I like it's old timey army gal vibe.



OOTD specs
AByer nude lace top sz S (had since high school)
Lisa Skinny Jeans by Fire Jeans sz 5 (thrifted $7)
Xhilaration raspberry pumps (thrifted NWT $7)