Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Wow. Why am I wearing all black in September? Well, one of my colleagues had her 60th birthday, and the office staff thought it would be fun to have the whole school dress in black to commemorate. I am not an all-black wearer as a general rule, so I felt like the Wicked Witch of 800 West in this outfit.
The necklace I'm wearing is from Chico's, and it is cute as heck. It's also made of real stone, or something that approximates real stone, and is equally heavy. Because of this, I don't wear it all that often. I was actually contemplating snipping out two of the five strands but decided to wait and think about it.
As I get older, I'm getting much pickier about how heavy a necklace I'll wear (and I'm forced to be picky about earrings because my ears are pierced rather low). I'm actually selling two blingy Chico's necklaces on eBay right now for ridiculously cheap prices just for that reason.
Ponte Pencil Skirt in Black, Chicos; Ponte Back-Zip Top, Talbots; Jewelry, Chicos.

Monday, September 24, 2012

  Today I went with this Calvin Klein chambray shirt and the J Crew Pastiche Floral Pencil Skirt. I pulled out the brown in this funky skirt by wearing the Floral Stone Bib Necklace from Talbots. This is a drop dead gorgeous necklace that originally sold for a lot (more than $100, I think), but I picked it up for about $15.00. I decided to go totally crazy and fierce by adding some animal pumps that match the topaz of the skirt and necklace.
One of my students told me today that the best part of her day was seeing what Mrs. Tyler was going to wear today. So, Hah!
This was a rather eclectic outfit, but I felt good in it...except that I really, really wish that this skirt were lined. Lined skirts just seem to hold their shape better over the course of the day. I may have to take the plunge and retroactively line my four unlined pencil skirts this summer.
On another note, I know that jewelry doesn't have to be matchy-matchy, but I like my earrings to kind of match my necklace. I found some today at Target, of all places, that match this necklace perfectly. Best thing--as they are from Target, they are light as a feather.
Watercolor Floral Pastiche Pencil Skirt, J Crew; Chambray Button-Up Shirt, Calvin Klein at Macy's; Floral Stone Bib Necklace, Talbots; Double Buckle Belt, Talbots.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

This is what I wore to the temple dedication services today. This sweater is actually pink flambe -- a very hot pink. It looks a little coral-y here, but it is not. When I first pulled this skirt out of the eBay shipping package, I was underwhelmed, but I like it very much on.
Sunshine Peonies Skirt, J Crew via eBay; Baby Cable Cardigan in Pink Flambe, Talbots; Microfiber Striped Tank in Pink and White, Chicos; Belt, Talbots; Jewelry, J Crew via China.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Imagine this top on the right with these pants on the left. That's what I wore today. We had our Crucible Socratic Seminar out on the grass and this made for comfortable sitting. Turquoise Skimmers, Chicos; Flower Garden Cardi, Talbots; Tank, Chicos; Jewelry, Talbots and Macy's.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Today was a pink and white day. What else can I say?
Abstract Floral Cardi in Pink Flambe/June Floral, Talbots; Patent Belt in Pink Flambe, Talbots; Fuchsia Flannel Skirt, Talbots; Microfiber Contemporary Tank in Hot Pink (a perfect match for the Pink Flambe), Jewelry, Talbots;

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Today was my first day to wear my new regal paisley skirt. Gosh what a cute skirt it is! I love the velvety feel of the fabric. I wore it with this purple shirt that is about eight years old, but still looks good, and some major Talbots bling via eBay. I just got the longer necklace, and it looks very nice with my trusty Michelle Obama necklace.
In all honesty, no one at school noticed my outfit because they were all too busy looking at my hair. I had it dyed, but, even more shocking, I had the stylist round brush it so it was straight. It was a real shock for everyone, especially my own kids.
J Crew Regal Paisley Skirt in Purple Colorway; Purple Button-Up Shirt, Macy's; Jewelry, Talbots via eBay.

Let Me Brooch the Subject...

A friend posted this video on Facebook.

I knew there was a reason I was saving all of these!
My collection is a lot more eclectic than the lady in the video, though. I gravitate to little critters. I think I have a few more of these around, but they are probably stuck to something somewhere...

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

I adore blue with green, so I added some blue (and polka dots) to this outfit with the scarf. One other nice thing about the scarf is that it hides the rather wide neckline, so I don't have to worry about it.
Shoreline Stripe Skirt in Green, Talbots; Ruffle Shirt in Green, Talbots; Dotted Scarf, Talbots; Jewelry, Chicos.

And Now for Something Completely Different...

This is the inaugural year of the Utah Valley Renaissance Faire. I'm pretty excited to go to it. I decided to use the last of my PayPal money to buy this renaissance costume. I figure it will be fun to wear to the faire, and, as a school teacher, I'm sure I will find other uses for it. I just hope it fits me when it gets here.
I've offered my students extra credit if they attend the Shakespeare play-let that's being performed on Friday night. We shall see if any of them end up there or not.

Monday, September 17, 2012

It appears that I have added another Michelle Obama item to my closet. Michelle wore this embroidered linen skirt on Good Morning America and in a recent campaign stop. Since I'm not 5'11", it looks a little different on me, but I still like it a lot. The color is not as dark as it appeared in the catalog picture. I cut out my head because my hair is still wet in this picture and looks really, really bad.

Embroidered Linen Skirt in Aqua, Talbots; Smocked Tee in Aqua, Talbots; Belt, Talbots; Jewelry, Talbots.

Fixer-Upper on eBay

Last year I bought these cute earrings on eBay to go with my Michelle Obama necklace. After I bought them, I saw that there was a necklace that matched the earrings, but it was rather pricy. It just so happens that someone listed a broken one the other day, so I snapped it up. If you click on the small picture above, you will see that the pearl part had separated from the flower, and there was a good inch or so of string hanging off of it. Luckily, this was enough string to run through a crimping bead, through the flower eye, and back. Five minutes of work and a bit of clear nail polish later, here is the fixed as good-as-new necklace with the earrings. This necklace reminds me of the giraffe necklace that J Crew makes, but with flowers and jewels.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Talbots has practically been giving their clothes away lately, so I thought I would try this Flower-Garden Cardi. I got the petite medium, and it fit very well--not too long and not too loose around the waist. Even the sleeves weren't too tight. I think there are a lot of matching possibilities with the green and pink, but I gravitated to the blue today.
I liked it more than I thought I would, so I wore it to the regional conference broadcast today.

Flower-Garden Cardi in Pink Hyacinth, Talbots; Halogen Pencil Skirt in Aqua, Nordstroms; White Tank, Mod Bod, Jewelry, Vintage Talbots and Harry Mason, Gift from the BHW.

Talbots Stalking

I love and adore the Talbots Daisy Necklace. I bought three of them (two to give as gifts). Of course I needed matching earrings, and I managed to find three pair. I didn't think I needed the bracelet, but then I tried on the orange one and . . . I did. So, I began stalking the bracelet. I ordered it six (yes, SIX) times, but I got the dreaded out of stock email each time. I posted on Facebook for the Wizard's help, and even that didn't help. I was about to give up when someone posted that they had seen one at their local store. So, I persevered, called, and finally got one (alas, only one). It arrived on Saturday, and it is cute as can be. I can't wait to wear it.

Friday, September 14, 2012

I'm a little surprised there isn't more love out there for this Paisley-Swirl Pencil Skirt from Talbots. I think it's the bomb. I got tons of compliments on this look today (a lot of people noticed how well my necklace matched the rest of me).
I did NOT wear the coral shoes; I was just trying them on and was too lazy to change for the picture. Instead I went with my ever trusty green shoes of death, which I can now get a good three hours out of before I have to kick them off screaming.
Paisley Swirl Pencil Skirt, Talbots; 3/4 Sleeve Wrinkle Resistant Shirt in Parrot, Talbots, Cabochon Drop Necklace in Lime and Blue, Talbots; Gold Belt; Talbots; Earrings, Harry Mason Gift from the BHW.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

When I saw this grenadine color in the recent Talbots offering, I knew I had to get something in it to wear with this cascading floral skirt--the grenadine is a perfect match.
I couldn't resist adding this little scorpion because we are finishing Act III of The Crucible, and if Abigail isn't scorpion-like, who is?
This was definitely a winning outfit for me, even if I had a button hanging by a thread by the end of the day. Darn Talbots and their quality issues!
Flower Embellished Silk Tank in Peach, Talbots; Baby Cable Cardigan Sweater in Grenadine, Talbots; Cascading Floral Pencil Skirt, Talbots; Jewelry, Talbots and Chicos.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

I wore this palais floral skirt a lot with blue last summer, but I hadn't tried it with gray. I saw an inspiration shot on Polyvore recently, and so I decided to imitate it with this Chicos cardigan. The cardigan is made of bamboo and it is super comfortable, but it also stretches out so much that I have to wash it after every wearing. Hmmm....
Today was also my "cough, cough" 48th birthday, so I wore this blingy little necklace to add some party to the outfit. We went out to eat as a family with the DD and SIL to Red Lobster. It was not my best Red Lobster outing, as watching everyone eat endless shrimp made me a little sick to my stomach.
Palais Floral Pencil Skirt in Gray, Talbots; Bamboo Cardigan/Tank Twinset in Light Gray, Chicos; Jewelry, Chicos.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

 Today I wore the daisy lace skirt with a simple blue tee (well, simple except for the corsage embellishment). This made for a nice and easy outfit of the day.
I didn't want to overpower the corsage, but I needed something in my neckline, so I went with this vintage Talbots necklace I got on eBay a while back. I just happened to have a pair of earrings that matches it almost perfectly. My daisy necklace would have been fantastic with this, but I'd already worn it this week. The daisy necklace goes with almost everything I have--I am so glad I picked it up.
Daisy Lace Skirt in Ecru, Talbots; Corsage Tee in Blue, Talbots; Belt, Talbots, Jewelry, Talbots and Macy's.

Found it on eBay (Thanks, Weird Al)

Well, I have a big Paypal credit now that I sold that leather skirt, so I purchased two items recently. The first is a crochet top modeled by this scarily plastic looking Chinese model.

At only $8 shipped, I figured I could try it. 

The second purchase was this J Crew Sunshine Peonies Skirt. I saw it on a blog called What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear, and then I found that it had not one but two whole pages dedicated to it on Polyvore. I guess I couldn't resist. I used to be a huge Glee fan, and Emma is a cardigan and pencil skirt icon. 

Monday, September 10, 2012

Today seemed like a good day to break out the Talbots Foulard Tile Print Cardi. If you click on the second picture you can see an up-close view of the pattern. I like all the colors in it--I see a lot of companion possibilities.
I also have the scarf, which is in the third picture below, and I loved how it looked with the turquoise, so I tried it with this halogen skirt.
I really like Talbots' v-neck cardigans (the round neck ones--not so much, as a general rule), and this one is no exception. It has a very flattering fit even without a belt. I'm also wearing my new pointy-toed suede flats in Caribbean blue--just a pop your eyes out kind of day overall. I originally planned on wearing a different necklace, but the chrysanthemum was a little more subtle while still filling up my neckline nicely. Have I mentioned how much I love Talbot's Mitzi line of flats? It's the only flat I can stand to wear because it has a one inch heel. I got these when they went on super sale. They are 8 narrows (and I don't exactly have a narrow foot), but it seems that I only need the 8 for length -- these fit fine. I think I'd best put a haircut on my to-do list, though.
Foulard Tile Print Cardi in Blue Glass; Talbots, Mitzy Pointy-Toe Suede Flat in Caribbean Blue, Talbots; Rib Knit Tank in White, Talbots; Chrysanthemum Necklace, Talbots; Earrings, Harry Mason, Gift from the BHW.

Friday, September 7, 2012 and Sunday, September 9, 2012

I wore this Summer Floral Skirt from Talbots twice in the last three days. The first time I wore it with a flame colored tee from Chicos and cobalt blue jewelry. The second time I wore it with a geranium Audrey sweater from last summer and the daisy necklace (note to self--this daisy necklace is a sweater-shredder!!!)
The flame colored tee was probably my favorite combination, but I thought they both looked good.
I'm rather glad I decided to pick this up even though it's a rather different color combination than anything else I have right now. Of course it would go well with white and blue and navy, but I think you could also wear it with fuchsia as there is a little of that in the flowers (it's hard to see).
I wore this to work, church, and also incidentally out to eat dinner at La Jolla Grove with the BHW and the in-laws. It's a winner in my book!
Summer Floral Skirt in Corsica Blue, Talbots; Flame Tee, Chicos; Audrey Sweater in Geranium, Talbots; Jewelry, Talbots.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

I wore this Jackie Pencil Skirt today. I really would like to love it, but it kind of fits weird on my behind. I love the material and the color (and the price was very, very right), so I may try to take it in a bit so it has a tighter fit. I wore the jacket to disguise the odd fit a bit.
Jackie Pencil Skirt in Orangeade, Talbots; Crochet Stripe Shirt in Orangeade, Talbots; Eyelet Mix Diane Jacket in White, Chicos, Jewelry, Chicos.