October Purchases

I basically knocked myself out preparing a presentation for the 2013 Alpine School District Content Day, so I spent the money I earned on a little splurge. Before the splurge, I was at a very reasonable $105.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

So I tentatively felt around at work yesterday to get a feel for whether or not the faculty generally dresses up for Halloween. I definitely did not get the dress-up vibe, so for the first time in seven years, I'm just going as myself today. That said, when I got to school, I would guess that about a third of the faculty had made some effort to wear something. Anyway, I went with a floral on stripe look, and I added in a coral sweater, just for kicks. I'll have to wear my Star Trek costume next year, I guess.
Summer Floral Pencil Skirt; Talbots; Long Sleeve Stripe Tee in Blue, Banana Republic; Cardigan in Vermillion, Banana Republic; Hue Tights in Navy, Macy's; Jewelry, J. Crew and Macy's.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

This is the second day in a row that I've take a singularly awful picture. Sometimes the settings on my camera get messed up; sometimes I just take the worst pictures in the history of the world. I'm not sure what was happening today, but I really liked the combination of Talbots Vixen cords from two years ago with this cashmere sweater from this year. I added some major bling bling just for the fun of it and also to give me a pop of color by my face (hey, a woman's gotta do what a woman's gotta do to keep from looking a little washed out at my age).
Heritage Corduroys in Vixen, Talbots; Cashmere Shell in Green, Talbots; Garden Floral Cashmere Cardigan, Talbots; Jewelry, Talbots and Imperial Tombs of China.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Today we had a noticeable change in our fall weather. It was rainy and the temps were down in the 50s. It felt like the perfect time to wear this sweater and tweed skirt combination. I would like to try to wear more scarves this year, so I added a scarf rather than a necklace here. Some lovely saffron tights made a nice transition between the sweater and the skirt and shoes.
Fringe Tweed Skirt, J. Crew Factory; Cable Crew Neck Sweater in English Mustard, Talbots; Scarf, Christopher and Banks; Earrings, Shopko; Saffron Hue Tights; Macy's.

Monday, October 28, 2013

I feel a little nostalgic looking at this OOTD. This was the first item I ever purchased from Talbots way back when they still had a store in the Provo Riverwoods. This silk blend sweater still looks like new after all these years. I'm wearing it with hunter green cords that look brown for some reason here.
Hunter Green Cords; Shopko; Silk Stripe V-Neck Sweater, Talbots; Jewelry, Talbots.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Today was a very busy day, what with me leading the music for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program and DD #2 having her 21st birthday.
I went with this Fringe Tweed Skirt and a lovely Talbots cashmere sweater in a pumpkin shade. I added the velveteen jacket in an even darker rust tone, and finished the look with tights -- yes, the first wear of the year -- and matching suede pumps. This color combination always gets a million compliments -- it's just soooo rich.
Fringe Tweed Skirt, J. Crew Factory; Audrey Cashmere Sweater in Pumpkin, Talbots; Velveteen Jacket in Vixen, Talbots; Hue Tights in Rust, Macy's; Jewelry, Coldwater Creek.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

I don't normally dress up quite this much on a Saturday, but today was the practice for the Primary Program, so Sunday best was in order. I went with a snuggly set of blackwatch plaid and cashmere.
Black Watch Plaid Wool Skirt; J. Crew Factory; V-Neck Cashmere Sweater in Blue, Talbots; Jewelry, Talbots and eBay.

Friday, October 25, 2013

I've worn this combination before, and it's a favorite. I added some fun bling to dress up the slightly dressed down outfit.
I've been wearing these navy loafers from Talbots to death lately with my new pledge to only wear extremely comfortable shoes to school. I actually came very close to donating these to the DI a while back (loafers felt out of style), but now that they are back in a big way, I'm so glad I didn't. These are some of the most comfortable shoes I have right now.
Caribbean Tweed Skirt, J. Crew; St. James Galathee T-Shirt in Green Navy, J. Crew; Jewelry, J. Crew Factory, Banana Republic, and Macy's.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Today I wore this favorite black floral Talbots skirt with a little different look -- a black stripe top. I added the soft pink necklace to tie everything together. This was a good look for me.
Brushstroke Rose Pencil Skirt, Talbots; Long Sleeve Stripe Tee in Ivory/Black, Banana Republic; Jewelry, Ily Couture and Talbots.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Wednesday is a bit of an insane day. To begin with, it is hump day, and to end it, I have a three hour endorsement class to attend. This was a comfortable enough outfit to get me through a long day with style (even the part where I had to send a student to the office for yelling the F- word in class). This is only the second time I've worn this sweater since picking it up on eBay for a pittance. The first time I wore it I was unimpressed, but I liked it a lot more this time around. I went with the boho chicness of handcrafted South American jewelry. I don't know if you can see it or not, but my shoes have a funky houndstooth pattern on the top, so I am really mixing it up here.
Patterned Tie-Neck Sweater, Talbots; Camel Wool Flannel Skirt; Talbots; Jewelry, Gifts from Mis Padres.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Today I'm using this picture to the left from J. Crew's Fall catalog for inspiration, although I'm going with a sweatshirt rather than cashmere, and I chose to go with some fun bling rather than the I've-got-strep-throat-rag look. (This is what our mom's used to do to us when we had sore throats as children -- tie an old rag around and send us off to school. It was uphill BOTH ways, too.) It's not everyday you can basically wear jeans and a sweatshirt to school and get away with it. I may try to wash this sweatshirt in hot water to shrink it a bit -- I'm not so much a fan of the slouchy look as far as professionalism goes. Rather than paying out a pretty penny for some embellished or necklace sweatshirt, I'm making my own here with two different J. Crew Factory Necklaces combined.
Skinny Denim Jeans in Emerald Green,
Talbots; Legend Wash Sweatshirt in Seabreeze, Eddie Bauer; Jewelry, J. Crew Factory and Banana Republic.

Monday, October 21, 2013

One of the best things about taking a picture of yourself every few days is that you can really see when your hair is in need of some SOS. I think I need to get a haircut this weekend, before I get too bushy. Anyway, I am wearing stripes and florals here. This shirt is so blingy that I'm not wearing a necklace, instead opting for this cute teal pin to dress up my denim jacket.
Shoreline Stripe Skirt in Tropical, Talbots; Peacock T-Shirt; Chicos; Denim Jacket; Coldwater Creek; Flower Pin, Chicos; Jewelry, Harry Mason.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

I thought I would try this papaya paisley shirt with purple (this skirt is really purple--my camera just thinks it is blue). I added a grey flannel jacket to ward off the chill in the chapel. It might have been better if I'd brought a full on blanket -- it was cold in there today!! I should have also gone with a different kind of necklace, but, ah well.
Papaya Paisley Perfect Shirt, J. Crew; Pencil Skirt in Super-120s in Royal Violet, J. Crew; Flannel Jacket in Gray, Talbots; Jewelry, Coldwater Creek.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

This is what I wore to go to the temple with the BHW this morning. My hair looks a little rough as I just got out of bed and went. I do love this little ruffle skirt and ought to wear it more often, I guess. (As a side note, I seem to always wear red on days that BYU plays teams that wear red -- hmmm....)
Ruffle Cheetah Skirt, Talbots; Audrey Cashmere Sweater in Red, Talbots; Jewelry, Chicos and Designed by Denee.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Today I am wearing a very old sweater with a skirt I've had for a few years and some older jewelry. The last time I wore this sweater, I wore a pink patent belt with it to define my waist, and maybe I should have done that again. It's sometimes hard to make these important decisions when you have to leave the house at 7:25 AM, and it's basically still pitch dark. I wore some very comfortable Sketcher Mary Janes with this -- it's practically like wearing tennis shoes.
Flannel Pencil Skirt in Fuchsia, Talbots; Stripe Cotton Sweater, Christopher and Banks; Jewelry, Coldwater Creek and Chicos.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Hmmm...this is what happens when you take a nap in the middle of the day and then try to get a good picture. I look a little bleary here.
Today I went with my sunflower toothpick jeans and a stripe merino sweater. I didn't actually wear the leopard loafers with this -- I just got them from Amazon, and I was trying them on for fit.
Toothpick Jeans in Golden Sunflower, J. Crew; Tippi Sweater in Multistripe, J. Crew; Jewelry, Talbots and Banana Republic.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Do you ever feel like you are having a purple day? Today just felt purple to me -- it might have been the frost this morning. Anyway, this was the first time I combined all these particular pieces together, and it felt like it worked rather well.
Royal Paisley Skirt, J Crew; Secret Silk Button-Up Shirt in Daffodil, Chicos; Purple Jacquard Jacket, Coldwater Creek; Jewelry, Ily Couture.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

I actually dressed down for work today, compared to what I wore to present yesterday. I went with my trusty pink jeans and the embroidered tile merino sweater I picked up for free using my J. Crew rewards. For some reason, I remembered this sweater, which is actually navy, not black, as a little thicker than it actually is. Maybe the stitching on the shoulders gives it that illusion? Hmmm... Anyway, for much of the morning I kept my navy suede jacket on because I was a little cold in my room, even with the sweater.
Embroidered Tile Sweater, J. Crew; NYDJ Alisha Skinny Jeans in Pink, Nordstroms; Jewelry, Chicos.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Today was technically still Fall break for me, but because I am a certifiably insane professional development junkie (and because I've always wanted to work for the district so I would have access to all of this PD), I spent the whole day at a Content Day Session for ELA. It was refreshing to use my brain in an ELA way for at least one day. For some reason, even though I am a somewhat lost newbie, I was also asked to present at the content day with a group of other ESL teachers. Talk about nerves!!!
Anyway, it came off rather well, and I'm glad I did it even though it was a long day for me.
I wanted to look good but not too stuffy as a presenter (many attendees were in jeans). I went with this much loved Talbots paisley skirt, a blue oxford top, and a lime green jacket.
Note to self: Even with the jacket, I was freezing the whole time. The next time I'm at a school over a weekend, I'll wear more layers and tights.
Paisley-Swirl Pencil Skirt, Talbots; French Cuffed Button-Up in Oxford Blue; Talbots; Pleated Jacket in Caterpillar Green, Talbots; Jewelry, Talbots (Hey, even the shoes are Talbots. It was a Talbots day.)

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Today was a rainy day, but rather warm, really, a typical beautiful Fall day. It's still not really cold enough to need tights, but I added this Talbots cardigan/sweater to keep me toasty while at church.
Floral Pastiche Skirt; J. Crew via eBay; Silk Sweater in Geranium; Talbots; Merino Double Breasted Cardigan Sweater in Heather Brown; Talbots; Jewelry, Macy's.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Today was the wedding of my nephew, Jeremy. This is what I wore to the ceremony and to the wedding lunch. I added the velvet topper here at the left, only I wore it open as seen on the model below. I also added my new poppy Ceces. This turned out rather well (weddings in our culture are rather less ostentatious than in some cultures, so this was a perfectly fine outfit as far as dressiness goes).
Floral Skirt; Talbots; Stretch Belt in Navy Talbots; Jewelry, Ily Couture and Shopko; Polka Dot Popover in Naples Blue; J. Crew; Grace Fit Double Breasted Velveteen Jacket in Blue; Talbots.

I lost the skirt and added this sweater to the right with jeans to attend the BYU/Georgia Tech Football game this evening. This sweater, which is actually a mustard yellow, comes from Eddie Bauer. It looked very nice with the polka dot popover. Overall, I looked like a hybrid GT/BYU fan, as BYU's color is blue and Georgia Tech's fans were all wearing golden yellow (and green).

Friday, October 11, 2013

Today I went with the DD and the BHW to see Gravity at the Imax theater. Wow. What an intense movie. I liked it but wouldn't want to see it again.
NYDJ Alisha Skinny Jeans in Pink, Nordstroms; Ikat Cardigan in Navy, Talbots; Jewelry, J. Crew and eBay.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

This is Fall Break for me, so no school for the rest of the week. This is what I wore for a quick trip to the J. Crew Factory. At the factory I picked up the Hothouse Floral print twin and
some printed corduroys. I also ordered the houndstooth skimmers. I still haven't completely decided whether or not I'm going to keep the shirt or the pants -- what do you think?
Platinum Denim in Sand, Chicos; Jewelry, Ily Couture; Polka Dot Sweater, J. Crew Factory.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Today I went with some vintage items I've had around for a while. I know that some fashion advisors suggest sticking with just black and white for the current trend to give it more impact, but I prefer to add some color. I love this purply pink with blue, so I added this jacket for the trip to school. At work itself, it was just a blue t-shirt day, with the J. Crew Necklace to liven up the look. I got a lot of compliments on this ensemble.
Snow Leopard Skirt, Talbots; Long Sleeve Tee in Cobalt, Talbots; Woven Jacket, Talbots; Flower Pin, Chicos; Jewelry, J. Crew Factory and Macy's.