Aida ~

Hello ladies! This week I wanted to wear a few of my wintery items before putting them away, while still keeping a light and springy feel. My fail-safe solution to that? Incorporate white or cream into each outfit! I think I also managed to wear new-for-the-season items in each one, which also helps. All work outfits, though today's is certainly more casual than what I usually wear to work (not that it matters in my field nor workplace).

#1 (Tuesday) - Wintery thing: tall black boots. A riff on the rust/white/black equestrian outfit I wore last week. Just as happy in this version! While we'll long have the weather for them, after one more white jeans outfit next week I'll be putting these boots away until fall and switching to mid-calf heights.

#2 (Wednesday) - Wintery thing: sweater dress. I didn't wear my sweater dresses very much this year, though I still love them. This is my heaviest one, so I wanted to give it one last semi-springy look before putting it away. I've had the base of this outfit in mind for months, just waiting for warm enough weather for the light hosiery. In my head I'd planned on the blush moto in #1, but the cream moto vest felt fresher and springier so I went with that instead; it makes this rather body-con dress much boxier. I clearly have no issues mixing white and cream ;)

#3 (Thursday) - Wintery thing: cashmere sweater. This is actually a rather lightweight sweater, and it'll probably stay in my wardrobe until May when I'll swap it with my bright turquoise cotton sweater for summer. I had this combo in mind during winter too, but with my white winter trousers that I never got around to hemming (which will definitely happen before next fall!).

#4 (Friday) - Wintery things: none! You guys it's SUNNY here today, legitimately bright and everything :D Today I thought it'd be a fun challenge to try Angie's recent Combat Pants Ensemble. I'd mentioned in the comments there that I'm currently off combat/military stuff for myself, except in a couple rare cases where the item is clearly a very very loose interpretation (like my silky long cargo shorts). So instead I chose my olive skinnies, and while I liked the outfit better with the sweater untucked, I ended up semi-tucking because it kept catching on the zippers! For the red I pulled out my slouchy red purse and these little tennies which I haven't worn in a loooong time; they're preppier than what I'd want in a sassy sneak, but as I'm still mulling this trend over for myself they're more than fine for now. And of course, matching bright red lipstick ^^

If anyone is curious about what the new-for-the-season items are: #1-clutch, belt; #2-clutch, moto vest; #3-clutch; #4-sweater. All the rest is older!

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

This past weekend hubby and I flew down for a rather last-minute trip to catch some baseball! At the start of the year my husband and I had really wanted to plan a trip to Peoria to catch a couple Mariners games during Spring Training. Ultimately we weren't able to book the trip, and were quite bummed. Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, when I decided to take some of my spring/summer wardrobe budget (my spring/summer wardrobe is in a good place, really) and put it towards a short weekend trip. We had a great time: got to watch 2 baseball games (1 loss for the Ms, and 1 win for the Padres) at the Peoria Sports Complex, explore a little of the surrounding area, and soaked up some much needed sun.

Photos 1-4 (Saturday) - Airport/flight there, Mariner's game, dinner at The Salty Senorita.
#1: I actually wore the outfit in #10 to the airport, and then changed into this for the rest of the day. Finally a chance to sport an xmas gift from my sweet sister: a custom made women's jersey of my favorite player (the Ms brilliant shortstop).
#2: Forgot to set the white balance for the first pitch, but the effect turned out kind of fun ;)
#3: What the field really looked like. Gorgeous day!
#4: Hubby and me and the field after the game (top row), yummy food at The Salty Senorita (bottom row) which is a fun outdoor bar and certainly not something we get to experience in Seattle. Swapped from bright orange lipstick to plum in the evening.

Photos 5-9 (Sunday) - Padre's game, exploring, BBQ dinner, scotch at an Irish pub.
#5: My outfit for the day. I spent most of the day with the sweater on, and changed back into pants before we headed to dinner. More plum lipstick because it has sun protection.
#6: The view of the field from out on the burm; we enjoyed sitting on the grass for the game, also something we don't get to do out here.
#7: Took a short drive on the 101 loop and stopped at a park, though at first we weren't sure if that's what it was. We enjoyed walking around and looking at the cactuses and wild flowers.
#8: The greenest hill we saw all weekend!
#9: I have a seriously irrational love for fried pickle chips! I ate waaaay too many at dinner and didn't regret it one bit. Finished the night off with some Glenlivet scotch (21 year for hubby, 12 year for me).

Photos 10-11 (Monday) - Breakfast at a mushroom bar, airport/flight home.
#11: My flight outfit, and a very comfy and easy formula: boxy button-up, slim pants with stretch, and fun loafers. Windy!
#12: We had a delicious breakfast at a mushroom bar, which had a fabulous selection of stuffed mushrooms (what a great idea!). Then it was off to the airport and back home.

#13: Bonus photo of our brand new scorebook (too bad our team lost, the next day they won 16-0!), which we thought would be fun to christen during Spring Training. Totals not done ;)

Overall I was really happy with my (very) light packing. Everything you see here is what I took. I also got to refresh my memory on some summer formulas that I like to wear, and am feeling great about my summer wardrobe even though I won't get to use any of it until July. This was such a fun trip that we've decided to try and find a way to go at least every other year (and next time I'm going to plan it so that I can meet up with Claire since she's just a short drive away).

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

I'm still working on my backlogged outfits for Jan/Feb, but in the meantime here is what I wore this week! Dressing in February and early March is definitely toughest for me, as this is about when it starts to sink in that we still have more gloomy, cold, grizzly, and rainy weather until May (which started in October). February is especially rough, but at least by March I am able to start incorporating one or two spring items to lighten up my look (and lightness always makes me feel better). This week I thought it'd be fun to pull inspiration from a few wintery outfits on my Pinterest board that I'd never gotten to, and to go ahead and start working in some of my new spring pieces. After all, spring started this week but someone sure didn't tell our weather about it ;) Feeling chatty, feel free to skip down to the photos!

#1 [Inspiration] - Olive+black has been a favorite combo of mine for a very long time, but I have to say.. after wearing this outfit I think I am over it for the foreseeable future. It felt very heavy and I wasn't in the right mood for it. I added the lariat-imitating-a-tie to try and add some shine without changing the moody colors, but I think I should've just gone with a non-turtleneck top along with pumps so that more skin is exposed (thus more lightness); I did feel a lot better once I added the clutch because of the bright yellow. Although the outfit is fine, for those who think I don't have misses here's an outfit I consider one. But at least I learned a good lesson. Trying out a new plum-colored lip tint.

#2 [Inspiration, bottom right] - A fairly straightforward copycat, since I had the perfect pieces for it. I almost always tie this bow-blouse in a simple knot because it feels more me than a bow :) The creamy-taupe boots don't quite match the cool tones in the rest of the outfit, but I feel like they still worked well. Popped on some neon coral earrings (new) and matching lipstick for some additional brightness (plus it picks up on the orange in the blouse).

#3 [Inspiration] - Happy first day of spring! It was RIDICULOUSLY windy all day; it started at 55F (and sunny, here's photo proof!), then later we had strong hail, and finally ended up with snow and 34F by the time I was headed home from work. Yay spring -_- Anyway! In honor, I wore the key spring colors I'm into for the season: white (tank), gold (flats), and light midtones (new earrings). After wearing this new sequined tank I can't imagine why I ever thought that the larger size was even an option, this one is more than loose enough! I don't think I wore this camel blazer at all this season, though I still love it so it's not going anywhere; it's a fall/winter weight so I wanted to give it at least a little sunlight before putting it away for the season.

#4 [Inspiration] - I had a ton of outfit ideas this winter that used this jean+boot pairing, but didn't try any of them; these slouchy skinnies are more like straights and the boots very slim, so I simply assumed they wouldn't work together. What a mistake to not even try before now, because they totally do work together! *sigh* Well at least I got to do one of the outfits, and I can probably sneak in another couple. I know these proportions won't be everyone's cuppa, but I was super duper happy in this ^^ New clutch (from the GAP, I also got the turquoise), neon orange makes me happy :D Also a new belt; you can't really tell but it's white spotted in black which picks up on the dark boots. And again, matching bright orange lipstick.

#5 [Inspiration] - Much looser interpretation for this outfit for a hectic morning. Today I was woken up several hours earlier than normal because of a surprise snowfall and needing to immediately drive both hubby and sis to work and school respectively since my car is AWD; unfortunately my husband's AWD SUV broke earlier this week and I didn't want him on a motorcycle although he is capable of riding in the snow. Initially I'd planned to wear a charcoal long sleeve tee and pumps with this moto vest (new) and pants, but it was tooooo cold for that so I substituted in a cashmere sweater and tall boots; can't tell you all how happy I was to already have a basic outfit planned for today with such a rushed morning! Added my new minty earrings for a semi-tonal effect, and plum lip gloss to go with the jewel tones. I had my sister take my outfit photos today at work, she did a good job ^^

#6 - Bonus photo of my front yard in the morning, still heavily snowing; most of the snow is probably gone by now, and it was only 3-4" so not a big deal. Just a big surprise! You can't see them, but I'd just planted a whole bunch of pretty violas there on the right -_-

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

One of my goals this year is to try and focus my style more sharply, and be stricter about achieving a more cohesive urban/punk/70s look. I know I haven't posted any recent WIWs (working on that) but I think I've been doing OK with what I've already got in my closet (not all of what's in there jives with this for one reason or another). So the prime area of focus for this idea has been on new items I bring in, coupled with how I put them together each morning.

However as a somewhat eclectic dresser, it is sometimes difficult for me to figure out when a purchase that steps outside of my desired style vibe is worth getting and whether I can successfully work the piece into my style. I have been trying my best not to use the "I don't really wear cardigans and I don't have any other purple, buuuut I should really keep this no-longer-worn flyaway cardigan in case I ever want to wear purple" idea both while shopping and while closet editing. Very hard for me, but I'm improving!

So, along with some very Aida-like spring purchases (e.g. cream moto vest, boxy light-wash denim shirt, white slouchy clutch...), I also recently purchased two dark horse items: A sleeveless button-up blouse with a teacup blue floral print (#1), and a baby-blue-bordering-periwinkle kitty-print boxy button-up (#2). I had been waffling on whether to keep these and determine if they are in-line with my style goals. Ultimately I decided that while they aren't exactly an obvious choice for my urban/punk/70s style, I will be keeping both items because:

1. Even though these aren't colors I normally go for, these mid-tones actually work quite well with the rest of my wardrobe, and soft blue is my current color crush
2. I can already think of so many ways I would wear them
3. And most importantly: they just make me so happy to wear!!

Using the happiness factor concept for these items has, much to my surprise, helped keep me more focused on the rest of my purchases: by making the oddball item decisions easier I find I'm spending a LOT less time worrying about whether or not to keep those types of items and can instead focus more of my energy on the things that are more in line with my overall style goals. What a revelation!

And yes, I do need those few oddball items :)

Last one! See, I wasn't kidding that I'm having size issues ;)

The smaller size is fitted on the shoulders and through the arms (not as useful for layering, but the knit makes it possible), and somewhat fitted through the body. The larger size has extra room on the shoulders (the shoulder seam drops past the edge of my arms) as well as through the arms, and is loose through the body. Both sizes can be comfortably zipped up, and both sizes are comfortable since they're a soft knit. I like the pattern placement on the smaller size a LOT better (more white in the front!). Shown here over a fine-gauge turtleneck sweater; since it's not lined I probably would wear more in spring/summer over lighter tops, and this is about as thick as I'd go.

Photos #1, 2: smaller size
Photos #3-5: larger size

Which size looks better to you gals? Thanks in advance for the input!

Hi ladies, another sizing question for you all! These are the Leith track pants that Angie posted, in two sizes. Again the photos look rather similar :\

The smaller size is loose, and the larger size is very loose (feels 90s legit loose, did anyone else see tons of giant track pants back then?). The smaller size has about a 1.5" dropped crotch worn as in #1, and about 2.25" for #2; the larger size is about 3" and adds an additional inch of fabric all around. I would be wearing them lower as in #2 and #3, but posted #1 so you could get a sense of how much smaller the smaller size is. The larger size is borderline falling off of me, by the way; a swift tug could drop them right off! The smaller _feels_ more fab on (since it's so much less baggy) but I have a hunch it's too slim for this type of pant.

Photo #1: smaller size, sitting above hips
Photo #2: smaller size, sitting on hips
Photo #3: larger size, sitting low on hips
Photo #4: Left-to-right - same order as photos 1-3.

Questions: 1) Which size looks better? 2) Are they too long for me?

Thanks in advance for the input!

I've been on the hunt for just the right sequined tank for a couple years now, and finally found one that I really like: cream with white semi-matte sequins (yummy white on white!). However, I just can't decide on which size to keep! Both sizes seem like they would work in my wardrobe ><

I promise that both of these are roomy. The smaller size has some semblance of shape (I'm IT/Hourglass) and feels roomier than it looks here. The larger size is waist (and a little bust) surrendering and while I am feeling a bit swamped in it, perhaps it would be more on-trend to have this top be more clearly oversized? I do wish the size difference showed as pronounced on camera as it looks in person. Sorry for the I-just-woke-up hair and face, they are accurate for when the photos were taken ;)

#1, 2 - Smaller size.
#3, 4 - Larger size.
#5 - Gaping armhole in both sizes (smaller left, larger right), but more pronounced in larger size. I am guessing I'd have to have the shoulder taken up to fix this? I've never had this issue before!

Shown with very basic styling. Which size looks best to you gals? Thanks for the input!

EDIT: Had to add what I mentioned in my reply to AJ below regarding movement: they actually both feel good. The smaller size feels "comfortably loose" and the bigger size feels "breezy", if that makes sense.

Hi ladies! I know most of you are sick to death of snow, but I was bummed that we didn't get any this season. So to make sure we got to play in snow at least once, for xmas my husband and I took a short weekend trip to Leavenworth, a cute little Bavarian town. Normally it's only about 1.5 hours away, BUT the northern mountain pass was closed for the weekend due to heavy snow and trees falling. Instead of just shooting straight east, we had to go around the looooong way and spent all day driving through snow to get there. On the plus side, there weren't a lot of people out because of the heavy snow (yay!) and we enjoyed some really beautiful scenery!

Packing-wise, we shared a small carry-on luggage for our clothing and then left all of our snow gear in the car. Since it was just three days, we didn't need too much. I wore the same pair of tall boots (chosen because they're waterproof) and black jeans, then formed the outfits from there. Day 1's priority was car comfort, so I chose a knit-on-knit top. Day 2's priority was warmth, so I chose my chunkiest warm sweater. Day 3's priority was part warmth part car comfort, so I layered a warm cashmere sweater over an oversized cozy flannel. Warm leggings and camisole layered under everything, and topped all outfits with my white puffer and red purse. Easy peasy!

12.25
#1 - What I wore for a day in the car. Later we wandered around town (which was almost entirely shut down) and had dinner at a small Italian restaurant followed by margaritas/sangria at the only other restaurant in town open, the Mexican place just upstairs from where we had dinner.
#2, 3 - Lovely snowscapes taken during the drive there! At the mountain pass, there was an incredibly long line of people putting on chains; it was over a mile of cars! I've never seen anything like it. We were very happy to be in an AWD car, and had no trouble at all.
#4, 5 - Leavenworth at night, filled with pretty lights.

12.26
#6 - What I wore. There were a billion little kids sledding in the city park behind me, very amusing to watch! Had a few almost take me out during these photos, too ;)
#7, 8 - Inner tubing at a fun little snow park just outside the city, which I'd never done before. They tow you up with a rope, then spin you around before you shoot down the track. Fun stuff! Donned my snowboarding gear for Serious Snow Play.
#9 - Hanging around town after the snow park. Stopped by Icicle Brewing (their kolsch is super!), then later tastings at a small winery, and lastly sushi for dinner.

12.27
#10 - What I wore, primarily for the drive home but also for a hearty breakfast beforehand. Happily the shorter pass was open by this time so the trip home was much shorter.
#11-13 - More pretty scenery photos on the way home. I love where I live :)

#14 - Bonus photo of my xmas manicure which I painted the first night of the trip.

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!