Up for Grabs

I'm selling these two amazing pieces on Market Publique. 

The first is a simply stunning and pristine sheer Victorian summer "suit".  It's an unstructured sheer plaid cotton jacket and long skirt.   So breezy and romantic.  Perfect for combining with modern pieces for a unique outfit

These pieces look unworn and pristine and are really loose, so they can be worn by Small, Medium or Large.

Victorian Jacket and Skirt - starting at $85

The second piece is also a stunner.  Deep smoke grey velvet and sheer wrap with tons of beading and tassels.

The beadwork throughout is just gorgeous. This could be worn to a formal event or a unique piece in a casual outfit.   Never used.

Smoke grey velvet beaded wrap - starting at $25

These are both so special, I want them to go to good homes.  Check out the links for info and to order.

Saturday Shopping and Wardrobe Changes

I'll admit it, sometimes I forget the stuff I have, especially if I've never worn it or if it's tucked way back in the closet (or if it is in one of the secondary closets out of necessity).

I had to do a few errands (including going a bit crazy at Old Navy - more about that later...) today and remembered that I had this silk bustier top from the Proenza Schouler Go International line. After wearing the dress from the line, I thought this might be safer as a weekend item. Probably not so much for work. I love the top but it's a bit too loose and a bit too busty for the office.

Anyhow, I decided to pair it with my denim skirt and, for modesty's sake, I wore my white cropped cardigan with it.



To tie the colors together a bit, I decided to wear these little kitten heeled white slides from Hype. These are more of the girly little slides that I like so much and used to wear so often.



My fa-vor-ite part of these adorable little shoes are the two buttons on the strap. Super cute.



Then, tonight we had a neighbor's party to go to. I was a bit tired but knew it would be fun, so I pulled it together. I wanted to be cool and comfortable as the party was an outside BBQ/potluck. I ended up wearing a dress I bought today from Old Navy which I had bought because it just looked so fresh and felt so comfy.

Yeah, I know, who is stupid enough to wear white to a BBQ? That would be me.

Actually, I felt the risk was minimal because we had had a late lunch so knew I probably would not be eating a lot. The dress is an adorable white cotton with red smocking and needlepoint stitching.



For some reason this isn't on the Old Navy site yet. Maybe it's too new.



Cute detail, huh?



It was warm out, but a bit buggy. I covered up from the late day sun with a straw hat and the same white cardigan from earlier today. I had a Chinese paper fan to keep cool and wore my favorite classic Keds sneakers. No fancy shoes when you are traipsing across the street, walking in gravel and standing in the grass.

It was a lovely night. My neighbors are all so great. We're lucky to be where we are.

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
Friday was a pretty low-kew day. I was getting back my energy from working on a proposal so I just kind of grabbed something simple from my closet. Just a pleated denim-y skirt and a short-sleeved top with a knotted neckline. I didn't even really wear any jewelry.




The Focal Point
I'm still reorganizing my closet and I get caught up trying on shoes that I haven't worn in a while. A part of my haul from when I had my Nine West outlet store shoe luck, I decided to wear these Nine West black and white fabric flats edged in pink.





They're not anything overly fancy or special but, as I don't have a huge amount of flats I like having a cute pair in basic black and white.





The heels are cute. Kitten heels but they're kind of rounded so they have a little piggy snout shape. So Babe-like.

Ensemble du Jour

I'm in a much better mood today, thank you. I went home, had a pedicure last night (chipped polish is such a downer) and ate some yummy chicken pot-pie and salad for dinner. It's a still cold but sunny day so I awoke much improved in mood.

The Outfit
Did I wear black all week or did it just seem that way? I wanted to finally wear some color. But it's still cold out so, yes, I'm actually wearing leggings. I know, I know but I'm not wearing them as pants (a la Lohan) and that's okay, right? Brown v-neck sweater, denim skirt, brown leggings with bright teal/aqua accents. I'm wearing a vintage bubblegum necklace, a fringe-y wrap and then my funky argyle shoes.



I actually saw these shoes through Polyvore when I was looking up argyle stuff the other day and the color was so bright and fun I thought I would get them. They are a brand I have never heard of, Not Rated, and they are pretty inexpensive. These are not high-end heels by any stretch but for a just-for-fun buy I didn't want to pay a lot. I actually got these through Endless and they were only $35 once they applied the $5 off, but they are also available on Zappos too, albeit for $46. But you can try and do the price matching policy Zappos has.



They're pretty cute, right?






I love the pattern and I really love the lacing on the front. It's one of my favorite details ad so cute on a round-toe pump. And I love love love the color. Such a cheery blue to help keep me in a good mood!

Ensemble du Jour

Even though the Candlelight event at Biltmore was less than our favorite thing during our trip, it did give me an opportunity to dress up a bit. Since it was kind of chilly I didn't get to wear any of my new open-toe heels. Also, we were going to be doing a bit of walking so I needed warmer and somewhat comfortable shoes.

The Outfit
I paired a long black skirt that I got a while back from Nordstroms. What I love about it is that it isn't just a plain long skirt. It has a very neat back design that gives it almost a train. I paired this with a v-neck top from Ann Taylor. The black top has sequins on the cuffs going up the arms and is v-neck front and back.

I paired this was low-heeled calf length boots from Bandolino. They're simple but comfortable and give a sleek look under the long skirt.




The Focal Point
The focal point was to be sleek in all black. It was quite chilly so I had to wear my heavy long cinnamon colored coat over my outfit. While we were looking at the shops at Biltmore, I found this beautiful huge silk flower pin.



I know big flowers are going to have a bit of a resurgence give the SATC movie but I would grab this anyways. The fabric has a beautiful lustre and it is about 6 inches wide. I pinned it to my coat but I can see wearing this on tops, with belts, in my hair, on a bag, really anywhere.

Lush!

Ensemble du Jour

So yesterday I had a bit of an outfit challenge. I had to go to a seminar out of town all day and then straight from there go to an office Holiday cocktail/dinner party. I needed to drive 2 hours each way, so I had to get up around 5 a.m. to get ready then drive to the seminar, sit around all day but look somewhat professional, drive back and look sort of festive for the party.

Not easy.

So, here is what I came up with:

The Outfit
The top was an Ann Taylor v-neck black top and I paired that with a Mossimo silky black skirt with a red border print. The bracelet was black acrylic with pearls and for shoes I wore my YSL Tribute sling backs.



I know that's a horrible view of the skirt. This is what it looks like, but instead of teal, it is a dark red. The skirt is very swishy and has a very expensive look that belies it's $25 price tag.



Here's some close-ups of the bracelet. I actually have this in 4 versions and wore the camel version with the teal skirt above a while back.



What I love the most is the mix of the edgier acrylic with very traditional pearls.



Etsy is the best!



The Focal Point
Everyone knows that killer shoes can elevate any outfit. I went with the YSL Tribute slingbacks because they are comfortable, graphic, and have a great shape. The white heel is really different and eye-catching.



I think these were one of the best shoe buys of the year.

Ensemble du Jour

I have to admit that I have been kind of slack lately. Work has been going crazy. I keep having these presentations to do - fitting them in among all of the regular work that I have to do. The hours of the day seem to just fly by. Regardless, I resolve to post a bunch over the weekend.

The Outfit

I was doing a mix of high and low today. I paired a dark green silk-screened tee from Etsy with a jeans skirt and then my very glam Hype heels.



What I like about these heels is that they are very ornate in a great color. But what I love about them is the mesh/tulle that is wrapped around the toe of the heel (the darker areas in the image). The jewels are a very bright topaz color with a bronze-y setting.

The Focal Point

The graphic on my shirt is my focal point today. I love the color and the muted glam image. The green is a great color for me. I tried to play against the juxtaposition of the casual tee and skirt by using the fancier shoe and I pulled out some more ornate jewelry. I wore a vintage bracelet that has a large garnet stones interspersed with intricate links that have embedded pearls. My right had ring is set in gold and is an opal surrounded by dark rubies.



Very 200 years ago paired with a modern casual silhouette.