Outfit of the Day-Sweatin' So Pretty

I walked out of the house feeling nice and cute and by the time I made it to work, it looked like I had spent time in the gym working on my fitness, sweat city. Ms. Mother Nature, I know it is ridiculous to complain about it being hot in the summer time, but could a slight cold front head this way. My silky shirts will thank you.

The haziness of this photo is a demonstration of how hazy and hot the weather has been.

The boyfriend thinks this looks like a briefcase. I say it's just a working girl's handbag, fit for everyday junk and files. Maybe some snacks or two!!!

Just wanted to show off my new to me ring. Someone commented that it looks like a class ring, which is true, but I bought it because it is as close to a David Yurman ring as I'll get.

I had to get the super bright yellow truck in the background. Everybody sees him coming!!

Outfit Details:

Lilac tank (underneath)- ???

Blue silk top- Rory Beca

Khaki skirt- Zara

Tan woven belt- H&M

Burgundy Mary Janes- Steve Madden

Purple ring- Secondhand

Blue faux Mulberry bag- Forever 21

Outfit of the Day- Three Tiers of the Day

I spent an hour and a half of my life yesterday watching a movie that shouldn't have gotten any money at all. Thanks to the boyfriend's pick, we decided to head out and watch The Expendables with Sylvester Stallone and friends. It was a typical blow everything up kind of testosterone filled movie and I think Sly and Mickey Rourke have been seeing the same plastic surgeon. The bf apologized for the awfulness and I revoke his movie picking privileges for this year. We will be going to see Eat, Pray, Love three times before the month is over. :)

All is forgiven because I got to wear my new top, enjoy some popcorn and a cocktail. Sounds like a pretty good day to me.

Me being goofy

I attempted to balance the sweetness of the top with the ruggedness of the shorts and shoes. Did it work? Yes, no, maybe so?

I'm in love with my new to me bracelet

Enjoying a yummy watermelon margarita, can't you tell?

Outfit Details:

Black top- Anthropologie High Tide Tee (available here)

Ripped denim shorts- I "Heart" Ronson (available here at JCPenney)

Black peep-toe lace up wedges- Yesstyle.com

Black, lime, white bracelet- ??? Secondhand (my co-worker and I thought for sure this was a J Crew piece, but there's no label. I still love it)

Black handbag- Foley + Corinna city tote

Gold watch- Nixon

Lime braided bracelet- Hollywood Intuition for Target

Gold Initial necklace- Leila via Revolve Clothing

Purple open cardigan- Forever 21

Notes from the Dressing Room- J Crew Fall Edition

Although I usually get caught up in all of the back-to-school excitement (for clothing purposes at this non-school age of my life) and the wonderful new season arrivals, I have been keeping out of the stores. I've been perfectly content with browsing the September issue magazines and online images, but the catalogs I've received in the mail have me wanting to check out the racks. I decided to head out to J. Crew after work one day last week and try on a few things.

Glen Plaid Ruffle Skirt, Black, $98

Beaded Stamp Tee, White, $39.50

I had such high hopes for this skirt because I cannot resist a ruffle, but this was not the skirt for me. I have to know who this skirt is designed for? If I, at 5'4, am a wardrobe malfunction away from flashing the world if I choose to put on some scandalous (or even no) underwear, then I can't imagine what the situation would be for a taller gal. Maybe the super shorties can get away with this.

On another note, the fabric is substantial for the fall weather and I love the plaid print. I think it looks great from the front and doesn't add too much width, but there is poof in the back that says another story. Sigh, we could have had some good times skirt, but I'll have to pass.

Cascading Always Cardigan, Black, $49.50

Glen Plaid Minnie Pant, Black, $118

Umm, I can't resist a cropped pant although I probably should go for regular length pants. I continued my plaid theme with these babies and although I love the print, they weren't special enough to say I'll take them.

I'm generally opposed to open cardigans. Comfy and flowy is good, bulky and baggy is not and that's what most open cardigans do to my figure. Until relatively recent, I haven't been much of a belt person. But with a good number of belts in my wardrobe now, I can make an open cardigan work better. This one was soft, feminine and would be a perfect throw on piece in any wardrobe. However, it won't be in mine only because I would prefer that top ruffle to start a bit lower.

Disclaimer: Like America Ferrara knows, real women have curves and I would be one of them. I am not a small chick with washboard abs and you can definitely see that in these pictures I'm about to show. And that is not to say women with straighter figures and smaller lady humps aren't real. Variety is the spice of life and that makes us all great.

Haya Pullover Hoodie, Marled Charcoal, $65

Femme Camo Delancey Pant, Fatigue, $79.50

My boyfriend saw that first pic of me in the hoodie and immediately said "boobs", lol. Yes, this makes me look boobtacular and not in a found the world's best wonderbra kind of way. As much as I look for comfortable pieces that can be worn without the aide of an iron, I can't justify the purchase of this hoodie. It brings me back to my days of dressing as a high-school and college girl and that wasn't always the prettiest sight. I have the pictures of me in a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt to prove it.

J. Crew, what were you thinking with these pants??? I thought they might be something different to add to my wardrobe and different they were. I get that opposites can work in certain instances, but a ribbon trim around the elastic waistband was not the way to go. I thought it looked silly and didn't add the right amount of specialness to these pants. I also had an issue with the fit. It was true-to-size, but the loose fit didn't make it look contemporary. I was feeling kind of mom-ish even. I don't think I'm at the age where elastic waistbands and loose pants need to take up residence in my closet yet. These probably would have looked better in a skinny silhouette, minus the ribbon because a belt would have been a more fitting waist accoutrement.

P.S. I do not have an alien coming out of my belly, that is the belt poking out. In case you were wondering.

Stripe Pocket Tee, Warm Taupe, $39.50

Double-Serge Pencil Skirt, Bronzed Ochre, $118

Waxed Utility Jacket, Dark Elm, $148

Double Studded Belt, Vintage Black, $58

I've had my eye on this wool skirt since it rolled out as a new arrival and I mainly went to the store to test-drive how it would work for me. As the first picture shows, I'm not wearing the right size and this skirt falls below my knee. I would say this is something I need to size up in or wear a body-shaper with if I did go for this size (a bigger size gave more room, but not only in the waistband, but also in the hip and back area where it wasn't needed). I'm also looking for a new striped tee (currently own just one) and although I like this tee, I'm not feeling the pocket placed over an area that doesn't need extra attention. Would probably work better with a smaller-chested woman.

I decided to J. Crew style it up with this jacket and belt. I like this look, I might be a bit more adventurous in wearing things kind of how they show in the catalog. With the military trend all the rage these days, I feel like a green jacket is a must. I actually purchase one from Forever 21 weeks ago that I was so excited to wear this fall and then proceeded to lose it on my first day of vacation. I don't think I'll replace it with this one though only because I have an aversion to clothing that swish like track pants and I would prefer a deeper shade of army green. This would be a great fall jacket for someone else.

If you've made it to the end of my review, I appreciate your time and now I ask a big favor of you. The one item that I want to make an appearance in my closet is the double-serge pencil skirt. Although I love the bronzed ochre color, I have my eye on something different as I already have a skirt similar to that color. I'll have to order a petite size, so online ordering will have to be my method of purchase for this. Which color should I go for in this skirt?

Vintage Wisteria

or

Nordic Blue

Outfit of the Day- Rowr, Rowr

With the temperatures going back up close to the hotness of hell, all I could think of was wearing a light t-shirt. To take care of the business part of our work dress code, I added this skirt, but after looking at these pictures I realized I should have worn something darker on bottom. Oh well, I'm just happy to have had some time with my spotty new tee. Thanks Oprah!!! (This top was featured in her last magazine issue)

No, that isn't a tombstone (if you were wondering) and no, I'm not trying to show off my butt and wrinkles. Focus on the back seam details instead.

I was really amused by the confused look going on in this pic.

Take a look at my major wrist piece! I wanted a new silver/gold watch and ordered this inexpensive one from the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. My eyes grew quite big when I saw this in the box. They weren't kidding about the boyfriend size!! I think it is too big, but I kind of like the statement it makes, plus it attracts the old men compliments!! Some old guy said he really liked my watch on the train and my boss likes it too.

Outfit Details:

Leopard tee- Rebecca Taylor

Gray skirt- Monica Ricci (secondhand)

Black flat sandals- Zara

Black studded bracelet- Hollywood Intuition for Target

Mixed metal twisted bracelet- gift

Boyfriend watch- Nordstrom B.P. (available here)

Notes from the Dressing Room- Ready for Fall in Madewell

Although I don't shop there very often, I have affection for J Crew's little sister, Madewell. The casual vibe is totally up my alley and I still get all of the fun color and pieces that will beg to be worn all the time from them. Since they now have online shopping (finally), I thought I would share some of their current fall pieces. I went to try on a pair of shorts that were on sale, but sadly they weren't available, but plenty of fall items were out on the floor. I'm getting ready!!

Borealis tee in Plum, $38, Shorts no longer available :(

Excuse the grandpa move with tucking this shirt in the shorts.

I came in the store to try on these silk shorts in a hot pink color. Sadly, they didn't have the color I wanted so I tried it on in this blue. They are comfy, slouchy silk shorts that I'm just not sure how I feel about them. I love the casual feel of the style, but I'm not crazy about the exposed zipper front and the non-practicality of silk shorts. I can only imagine the ickiness that would happen if it was seriously hot and sticky outside.

The tee on the other hand is so silky soft, I wanted to keep rubbing it, lol. I would have snatched this up if it wasn't the same color as a J Crew tee I have, but it does come in several other colors. I would definitely recommend this tee. It fits slightly big, so sizing down my work depending on how fitted you want your tee.

Twin-button cardigan in Carmine, $68

I love, love, love this cardigan. I have a slight sickness for buying cardigans, but I think they can be the perfect topper to an outfit. Madewell cardigans are usually on the thin side (as you can see my tee outlined underneath), but they do hold up pretty well and they come in a nice range of colors. The double-breasted style adds a unique touch and the color is nice and vibrant (this red is a bit on the orangey side, but only a little). It is a fitted style and runs true to size.

Silk Bromley Blouse in White Wash, $98

Back Zip Suede Leggings in True Black, $150

This silk shirt was featured in a Madewell e-mail and I love me a silk shirt so I definitely tried it on. The leggings on the other hand were an impulse pick up just to try on with the shirt.

The blouse is designed to be oversized and the bf thought it had an older lady vibe to it. I love the simplicity and feel of this blouse and think it would work with a cute pencil skirt or thrown on with some shorts like in the e-mail outfit. Although this blouse would make a great wardrobe piece for its versatility, I honestly feel like I could find something similar in a thrift store, especially with the 80's working woman blouse image I had in my head when trying this on.

The leggings are definitely not something that I would normally go for and given the panels on this pair, they seem to be designed for wearing as pants. I just can't wrap my head around leggings as pants, so this would not be making an appearance in my wardrobe. The knit is much more substantial than most leggings and I like the way they looked with a dressy shirt. The back zipper however, did not want to stay all the way at the top and has the potential for annoyance. They seem to fit true to size, but since I have some hips and butt, this is a teeny bit snug. It would probably work better on a slim modely type who likes to not wear pants outside. :)

Midnight Blazer in Heather Blacktop, $168

The next best thing to a cardi is a blazer and I grabbed this to try on in the hopes of building up my blazer selection. I love the shape and heather gray color of this blazer, but it is not without its issues. It runs big, the fabric is itchy even with a long-sleeve shirt underneath, and there is no lining so I can only imagine the wrinkles that will pop up on this. It made me feel like a college professor and I wished it would have worked, but it just wasn't love.

I didn't buy anything on this visit because I'm trying to hold off on new fall purchases until I clear out some of my wardrobe, but the first thing on my list is that cardigan. I'm still thinking about a few days later and that's always a sign of something special for me.

Have you made any fall purchases yet?