Casual stripes

This past weekend I attended a French-themed dinner party hosted by a friend, who spent a full day in the kitchen preparing the most delicious beef bourguignon, slicing chesses, arranging wines, etc. It was truly something to behold. I only had about 10 minutes to pull together a theme-appropriate outfit, which later elicited a "This is a French party, not a hipster party.  And what's on your lips?" reaction from the significant other.  Le sigh.  Les hommes ne savent rien. These glasses are legit though, people. I'm a hazardous, clumsy ball of just-about-legally-blind without corrective lenses.

Top: H&M (recent) 

Scarf: Banana Republic (old)

Jeans: Gap 1969 skinnies

Shoes: Target (old) 

Bag: Nine West via Ross

Thank you for reading, and I won't subject you to this shirt again for a while! 

Peplum and Poppy

Top: ModCloth

Skirt: J.Crew Jardin skirt

Belt: WHBM

Shoes: BCBGirls

Clutch: gifted

Thanks to Skylette over at Sequins and Stilettos for inspiring this belt choice that I never would have thought of!

Merry Monday, everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  As I write this, I'm stuffed, sleep-deprived, lazy, and crowded by a Yorkie who loves to lounge on my keyboard, so please pardon the brevity - I hope you all have a great week and I'll see you soon!

Linking up with Still Being Molly for YOLO Mondays!

Neon, leopard and lace

I found an adorable pair of Simply Vera cap-toed neon flats at Kohl's last week. Confession: this entire outfit and post were compiled for the sole purpose of finding something to wear with them.  A little more neon, a little more animal print, and some lace thrown in for fun. Bam. I wore this just long enough to take pictures and eat an order of take-out wings, but I think this would make a fun & comfy drinks-on-the-patio outfit if one were inclined to leave the house.

Top: The Limited (old) 

Cardigan: Kohl's

Lace Shorts: No remember 

Necklace: Target

Shoes: Simply Vera (Kohl's - get online here and save 10% with the code BLOGIT10 through August 23rd)

On to the weekend. I plan on spending most of the time at home, because I've decided to tackle this:

Because this came in the mail a couple days ago, and I've got the selective DIY bug (bathrooms not included):

I'm sure my shortcomings as far as domesticity is concerned will become evident the second I open the box and either immediately put a needle through a finger, or alternately, can't figure out how to turn it on.

Wish me luck - I'll need plenty!  

What are you up to this weekend, and are you loving the neon trend, or hoping it will die a rapid death?

Thank you for reading, friends - I really appreciate it! 

Academically Inclined: SS from Little Flowers

Good morning, everyone!  I'm happy to introduce SS from Little Flowers who shares how she stays professional and stylish in and out of a lab at a research institution. 

Hi, I’m SS from Little Flowers (http://ss-littleflowers.blogspot.com/). I’m so honored to be a part of Bonnie's "Academically Inclined" series today. I work as a researcher in a research institute. I plan, do experiments, do analysis, and write papers (and sometimes make presentations). My work place has no official dress code. Everybody dresses up in their own way. Some people show up with flip flops & shorts on a hot summer day while some are entirely in suits. One thing I care about is that as a junior person and an experimental person, I can go to the Lab whenever I need to, which means I need to dress up in a certain way. Safe shoes and full length pants are required. Since I’ve been an experimental girl for years and I work in a research institute not like in university (at least in my field, the university requires a bit more formal attire), my outfits are still pretty casual. I try to wear something professional but comfortable. I’m looking for my new style.  

My typical outfits consist of jeans and blouses/shirts. I like wearing jeans so no problem. Shirts and blouses are a bit new to me since I was a T-shirts girl all year. I do wear sandals/pumps sometimes but keep sneakers in my office just in case I enter the Lab. I used to wear more accessories but found myself losing them everywhere since I could not wear them when I did experiments for safety and now I stop wearing a lot. It is sad since I like wearing them, but for me they're for the weekends. I still wear one simple necklace and one pair of simple earrings and sometimes scarf but that’s it. Since I have some limitations what to wear for work, I choose the ones I really like each day. Every piece for work is one of my favorites. Sometimes I pay more than I should for those pieces but I want myself to be happy every day.

I also would like to introduce my ‘professional’ outfits, which I wear for conferences or meetings. My field is full of men and only a few females, so it is important to dress a bit feminine but not too much as a young female researcher. I want my research to stand out more than my outfit. I had a light beige simple dress on while all the men were in black/grey suits. My friend made fun of me saying ‘everybody knows where you are all the time’. So I need to look professional (black/grey/navy), but I don’t want to look too formal. So I usually pick one simple piece and one a bit fun piece. For example, a simple navy skirt and soft striped shirt or simple black dress and blue skinny belt- importantly always with black pumps.

I hope this post will be interesting for you, please visit my blog Little Flowers 

(http://ss-littleflowers.blogspot.com/). I would like to say thank you to Bonnie for this wonderful occasion.

Thank you SS for these tips and adorable outfits, thank you all for reading, and have a fantastic day!

Sequin shorts, stripes and a blazer

When Molly over at Still Being Molly posted this to-die-for outfit a couple weeks ago, I may have freaked out a little quite a bit. I may have also cancelled my plans for the afternoon and spent the next few hours fiendishly stalking all the Expresses in town trying to find those pale pink sequin shorts. I wasn't able to find the exact pair, but did come home with a fun, bronze version that I think I'll actually get a lot of use out of.  Starting by copying Molly's outfit.  Because with bloggers like her around, who needs originality?! (The correct answer is not me, obviously.)

Blazer: H&M

Shirt: thrifted

Shorts: Express

Shoes: BCBGirls

Necklace: ni idea

Linking up with the Pleated Poppy and The Transatlantic Blonde for WIWW!

Would you wear sequin shorts, and if so, how would you style them? 


This is a scheduled post and it may take me a few days to respond, but thank you for reading and all your comments! 

Skylette from Sequins and Stilettos

Skylette is filling in for me today as I'm taking some time off this week, and I'm so excited to introduce her to you!  She is super mom/career woman extraodinaire and does it looking fabulous. 

Hey everyone!  I don't know about you, but I just love Bonnie and her awesome sauce style so I'm thrilled to be stopping by today for a guest post.  My name is Skylette and I have a little blog called Sequins & Stilettos.  I blog about life with three kiddos, working full time and my fashion finds... or whatever else comes to mind.

Lately I have been crushing on colorblocking... AND the tippi sweater from J. Crew so why not work it into the trend, right??

As a girl that used to have way too much black and white in her closet, I've been branching out playing with color in my outfits and having a little too much fun with it.

Outfit Details:  j crew tippi sweater / asos belt

anthropologie san pedro skirt

j crew necklace and bracelets / zara heels

How do you feel about bright colors, especially to the office?  I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Thank you Bonnie for letting me drop by!

Thank you for reading, and have a great week! 

Floral and Stripes

Happy Friday, everyone!  Today I am shamelessly copying something that Blaire at Atlantic-Pacific wore, to the best of my wardrobe's ability. I figure this pattern mixing business won't last forever, so I'd better drive my Mr. as crazy with it as I possibly can while I can.  I'm motivated like that.

Dress worn as skirt: Modcloth

Top: H&M

Belt: The Limited (old) 

Shoes: Nine West via Ross (old)

Linking up with Two Thirty-Five Designs Casual Friday Link-up, and with Still Being Molly for YOLO Mondays!

In your experience, do men love or hate trendiness? 

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for reading!

Academically Inclined: Jennifer from Librarian for Style

Hi everyone!  I'm excited to introduce Jennifer from Librarian for Style for this week's Academically Inclined Series. 

Hi y'all! I'm Jennifer from Librarian for Life Style, a style spin-off from my personal blog Librarian for Life, and I am thrilled to participate in Bonnie's "Academically Inclined" series today! I work as an academic librarian at a community college, and my style blog features a mix of work and casual outfits. And hopefully, along with Juliet the Tiny Librarian, I can help contribute to the diversity of stylish librarians out there. It's not all buns and shushing. ;)

 It's important to be aware of a dress code (if any) where you work, like Whitney mentioned in the previous "Academically Inclined" entry. There's not an official dress code at my college, but the vibe is pretty casual in general. Jeans, khakis, athletic shoes, open-toed shoes, pretty much anything is ok. But I do like to feel put together -- it's my Southern roots, y'all! -- especially when teaching students or presenting to colleagues. Currently working part-time, I will transition into a full-time faculty librarian position in the fall. So, like Simply Sarah, I can relate to the concept of dressing for the job you want, not just for the job you have.

And after several recent rounds of job interviews, I have (re)discovered the importance of the suit, even during spring and summer. A suit -- in a classic and flattering cut that will last -- is essential year round in any academic professional's wardrobe. But a suit doesn't have to be stuffy! You can get so much variety out of one, especially when you break out the pieces individually. So here are some ideas for getting the most out of your suit during the warmer months. :)

The Suit

I have two suits in my wardrobe, including this summer-weight suit purchased almost a year ago at The Limited. Over the years, I've learned that I prefer a pantsuit; I feel more comfortable in trousers, because then I don't have to think about pantyhose or showing too much leg, etc. My height (5'9") and body shape (the classic pear) also look better in longer jackets. But go with what looks good on you, and what you feel comfortable in. Whatever the style, I suggest investing in a suit in a lightweight fabric (mine here is a blend of cotton and linen) and a lighter hue or pattern. To make a suit more bearable in the summer heat, I recommend rolling up the sleeves (this one has a fun striped lining) and pairing it with a sleeveless top to help your upper half breathe a little. Also, if open-toed shoes are acceptable in your workplace, then take advantage of that opportunity. :)

Bottoms Up!

I love wearing suit trousers with layered tops. For me, this is a perfect summer casual look for work: the silhouette, trousers, and button-down shirt all say professional, while the mix of patterns, colors, and striped espadrille wedges provide a fun, casual edge.

It's cooler in general during the summer up here in the Pacific Northwest, but layers are essential wherever you live -- even during the summer -- so you don't get frozen out by air conditioning! Your summer layers might not include long-sleeved tops, but try layering a tank top over a short-sleeved camp shirt, or throwing a cardigan or denim jacket over a t-shirt (as I did above). This t-shirt, from this spring's Jason Wu Target collection, has an attached scarf -- an easy way to accessorize and dress up a simple t-shirt.

Top It Off

As I learned from Stacy and Clinton of What Not to Wear, blazers are essential. And you get more mileage out of your suit by wearing the pieces separately, so try wearing just the top half of the suit with different bottoms. If you work in a more casual workplace, try out a denim skirt (as I did above) or colored skinny jeans. After putting this post together, I realized that I am obviously a big fan of the blue-and-tan color combination. But you can see lots more color variety (promise!) and work outfit ideas over at my style blog, Librarian for Life Style, so please stop by and say hi. :) I hope this helps inspire you to get some more use out of a suit during the warmer months, and thanks again, Bonnie, for including me in this series

Thank you for these great tips, Jennifer, and thanks to everyone for reading! 
!

Retro Polka Dots

Happy Hump Day!  I had half-heartedly put myself on a buy ban for the rest of the month, but after spotting this dress during a masochistic stroll through H&M, I caved.  I also may have overdone the hairspray in these photos. Do forgive me.

Dress: H&M (recent) 

Necklace: H&M (recent) 

Shoes: Zara (old) 

Bracelets: Charming Charlie

Linking up with the Pleated Poppy, Watch out for the Woestmans, The Transatlantic Blonde, and A Little Bit of Lacquer!

 

Have you added any retro-inspired elements to your wardrobe lately?  I'm off to spend the afternoon drinking beer and browsing the internet in my underwear like a proper 50's housewife. See you soon!