Loop Looks

Blazer – The Limited  (similar under $35) | Shell – The Limited (similar under $30) | Skirt – The Limited (similar under $25) | Bracelet – House of Gemmes | Shoes – Tahari via TJ Maxx (similar)

Back in March I promised you photos of the zoo.  Well, today I finally had a chance to take some outfit photos while at an event at the Lincoln Park Zoo. And what a day to take photos! I’m so glad I waited because, wow. This weather is what makes people love living in Chicago.

Today was the perfect day to wear this ruffled lavender shell I’ve had hanging in my closet for over a year but have only worn a handful of times. I was inspired to wear it because of the link-up going on at Literately Stylish where we’re encouraged to wear Pantone’s colors of the year. Today’s submission is “African violet.”  I typically think of African violets as a deeper purple but apparently this year it means a lighter, paler shade of purple.

I was at a professional event so I paired it with my black blazer and my houndstooth printed pencil skirt for a bit of fun without looking too stodgy.  At least, I hope that’s how I looked!

I also have a bit of “African violet” on one of my toes post-marathon. For those of you who are not runners, the occasional “black” (technically bruised) toenail is a badge of honor.  I wore my open-toed shoes proudly sans toenail polish and owned that bruised nail.

And, yes, these photos were taken at the zoo. It’s really more of a park with a zoo in the middle and on a gorgeous day like today I wanted to stay there all day. The zoo’s free, by the way, so if you’re ever in Chicago I highly suggest you stop by.

0

  

Sweater – Forever 21 (similar in more sizes) | Shirt – The Limited (similar) | Skirt – J. Crew Factory (similar under $25) | Shoes – Bandolino (similar) | Necklace – JF&A Show (similar)

First things first: the outfit.  Inspired by ShopGirl DC and worn on one of our first bare legs days this year (apologies for the starkness of my gams!) I am in love with this outfit. I love the pop of pink. I love that it consists of my favorite color of the moment (navy), and I love that it gives me a way to wear this shirt that I’d never thought of before.

You know what you love about it? You can recreate it with the pieces linked above for under $100.  Yes, I’m serious. And even though the Target website says that polka dot skirt isn’t sold in stores, I know I saw it at my local Target recently.  So there.

Anyway, Lauren over at Lauren Runs to Tri tagged me for one of those Liebster Awards where you list 11 random things about you and then answer 11 questions.  You all seemed to enjoy learning some random facts about me last week so why not have a few more?

11 Random Facts About Me

1. I was on the dance team as a senior in high school and also graduated with a perfect GPA. I was an odd mix of cheerleader, outcast, and nerd.

2. My undergraduate honors thesis was on the differences between male and female serial killers. Yep.

3. I’m married to the guy I started dating the summer before my senior year of high school. We had to date long-distance for four years while I was away at college but we made it! Our 10 year wedding anniversary is in May.

4. I used to hate all pies made with fruit. Now I enjoy apple pie and some berry pies but blueberry, cherry or peach pie are still on the no list.

5. I will try most foods at least twice before I make a determination about whether or not I like them.

6. I have two tattoos.  The one on my foot that you’ve probably seen in outfit photos and one on my back above my left hip.

7. I would rather read a book than watch a movie.

8. I got my first email address in 1996. I had a dial-up modem and AOL.

9. There is a birthmark on my left leg in the shape of a paw print but it has significantly faded as I’ve gotten older.

10. I’m terrified of snakes.

11. I’ve never worked in retail.  Food service, yes, but never retail.

Lauren’s Questions

1.  What time did you go to bed last night?

11:30 PM. I usually try to be in bed by 11:00 but lately it’s been 11:30.

2. How do you feel about public speaking?

I don’t mind it at all.  I’m technically an introvert but one who loves public speaking. Seems contradictory, but it’s really not. I like being in control of when I talk and public speaking is one way to do that! Good thing I don’t mind it, too. Part of my job involves leading training courses for other staff members!

3. If you were invisible, where would you go?

Skinny dipping in an infinity pool overlooking some gorgeous view somewhere

4. What do you want to do for your next birthday?

My birthday is in January so I always have to think of indoor things to do. I had a really good time doing a wine and painting class for my birthday this year, though, so I’m actually thinking of making it an annual event!

5. Where would you like to live when you retire?

It would be great if I could have a place in Chicago and a place somewhere warmer.  Just so that when I get tired of cold I could escape for a week. Now that I live in an apartment building and don’t have to shovel, I don’t care about the snow but sometimes the cold and the gray just gets to me.

6. What’s your favorite strength move that is quick to do?

I hope straight-legged deadlifts count because those are my favorite.

7. What is your favorite pair of shoes?

Either my nude heels or my brown riding boots.

8. What type of art do you like best?

Not knowing enough about art to be able to describe it, I guess I’d have to say in terms of paintings or photography I like geometric designs, urban landscapes, and colors.

9. Sweet or salty?

Both?  Although I more often crave sweet than salty. And if I eat too much salt I DEFINITELY want something sweet afterward.

10. Who is the last person you talked with on the phone?

Um….does leaving a voicemail count? No? Then I guess it was Kim. On Sunday. No, wait, I made a hair appointment yesterday over the phone. Yes, seriously, I can go entire days without talking to someone on the phone even at work.

11. What is your mousepad like?

At work it’s a plain purple pad. At home it’s a random mouse pad I stole from my husband YEARS ago. It’s an underwater photo of a dolphin. Told you it was random.

I’m not going to tag anyone, but feel free to answer those questions above in the comments or on your own blog. Or just tell me something random about yourself!

0

  

Did you know that I actually wear contacts? Ever wonder why I never wear my eyeglasses? Well, I’ve worn them once before on the blog back before I actually had any readers! So, for all intents and purposes, you guys have never seen them before. In fact, the reason I very rarely wear them outside of the house is because for years I had trouble finding any that fit my small face and head and I think have some form of Post-High School Stress Disorder about looking ridiculous in photos while wearing my ridiculously huge glasses.

As I mentioned, I have a very small head and face.  So small, in fact, that past hairdressers have even commented on how tiny my head is! Which makes it difficult to order glasses without trying them on.  Thankfully I also wear contacts so I can at least see myself when I’m trying on glasses.  But for years the style in the glasses’ world seemed to be that they were huge. In fact, my last pair of glasses before my current ones were Nintendo brand! Yes, they were kid’s glasses.

Thankfully glasses have gotten smaller over the years and now I can finally buy my glasses in the adult section of the store.  Still, it also means I’ve never tried to order glasses online since I’m terrified they’ll still be huge on my face.

Which is why I think the Virtual Mirror from GlassesUSA.com is a great idea!  It lets you upload a picture of yourself and then “try on” different pairs of glasses.

What to try it out yourself? You can even save your favorites and then send the pictures to your friends for their opinion right from the website!

So, the next time you need prescription eyeglasses or just want to see what you think you’d look like in certain frames (or just need to kill some time at work) why not check out this website.  You can also get  15% off + get free shipping on any order over $50 using code FS15 or 10% off any order of prescription glasses using code Blog10.  The prices are actually reasonable and I love that you can share the photos with friends to get their opinions!

Do you wear glasses?

This post was sponsored by GlassesUSA.com but any and all opinions are my own.

0

  

Cardigan – The Limited | Shirt – The Limited (similar) | Skirt – The Limited (similar)| Necklace – Overstock.com (similar) | Shoes – Gabriella Rocha via 6pm.com (similar)

So, today is Valentine’s Day.  Are you celebrating it in any way?  My big plan for the day is to go to work, come home, go to the gym, and then make Italian Wedding Soup for dinner.  However, on Friday evening my husband and I are going to a trapeze class!

As you can probably tell, we’re not big into a romantic, mushy Valentine’s Day display over here.  I still like to wear a little something to acknowledge the holiday, though.  Last year I wore pink.  This year I decided on red.  But by pairing it with navy and gray it keeps it from screaming “I’m dressed up for the holiday!”

This could be a very blah outfit.  Just a cardigan, a pencil skirt, and a blouse.  But the pattern on the blouse amps it up a little bit.  Keep that mind when you’re shopping or getting dressed.  A little bit of pattern can go a long way.

You know what else goes a long way?  Wind.  It was SO WINDY when I was taking these photos.  My husband caught my frustration with the wind on camera.

0

  

Turtleneck – H&M (really old)| Skirt – The Limited (similar)| Tights – Walmart (really, really old) | Shoes – Gabriella Rocha via 6pm.com (similar) | Necklace – JF&A Show (similar)

Remember when I posted about wearing a sequined skirt to the office…but then it didn’t happen?  Well, today’s the day!  I actually swapped out the cardigan for this turtleneck sweater even though the weather is abnormally warm today.  I just wanted to wear gray and blush and I don’t own a gray cardigan.  Wearing the sequined skirt with something other than black takes the sparkle down a notch and makes it less New Year’s Eve and more day at the office.

My husband told me this outfit was “boring”.  Um, it has sequins!  And sparkle!  And shine!  How could it be boring?  What do you think?  Boring or no?  Would you wear sequins like this to work?

P.S.  I apologize if the title of this post got that horrible Rhiana song stuck in your head.  I can never change the radio station fast enough and I always get the worst earworm when it comes on.  Ugh.

P.P.S Don’t forget to enter the giveaways over at Frills for Thrills!  We could be jewelry rack twinsies!

0

  

Shirt – J. Crew (similar) | Tank – The Limited (similar) | Skirt – The Limited (similar) | Shoes – Via Spiga (similar) | Long necklace – The Limited (similar) | Short necklace – gift

Get excited!  You’re going to be treated to some indoor shots this week!  Yes, I took all my outfit photos on one day and that day happened to be cold and rainy.  On the plus side, I think we’ve figured out some new indoor photo spots.

In addition to having to negotiate where to take today’s pictures, I also had to think long and hard about what to actually wear.  See, this is today’s Inspiration Monday photo:

Drew Barrymore

Well, it certainly is interesting.  And I do have both a plaid flannel shirt (obviously) and several maxi dresses.  But I just couldn’t figure out how to make my maxi dresses work appropriate.  Or maybe I wasn’t in the mood to try very hard.  So I went with the easy option: a pencil skirt.  However, I did incorporate some pattern mixing with the plaid flannel shirt and the pinstripes on the skirt.

Would you wear a maxi dress to work?  I’ve done it in the past but that was during the summer when our dress code is a little bit more relaxed.

0

  

Shirt – J. Crew (similar)| Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack (similar) | Skirt – J. Crew Factory | Tights – Banana Republic (similar)| Shoes – Anne Klein | Necklace – Groopdealz (similar and on sale!)

I only have about a 15 to 20 minute commute door to doo via a combination of walking and train.  I am supposed to be at work at 9:00 AM.    Normally I set my alarm for 7:00 AM and drag myself out of bed any time before 7:30 (I am NOT a morning person).  Anyone want to guess what time I woke up today?  Try 8:26 AM.  Uh, yeah.  Not sure what happened there.

Thankfully my boss is rarely in at 9:00 so I have some leeway.  Also, I had my outfit all planned out for today.  Except, when I put on the black blazer I was originally going to wear I didn’t like the way it looked.  Thank heavens for also having a black cardigan!  Also, this shirt is like wearing comfy pajamas so it’s perfect for a day when obviously my body didn’t want to get out of bed.

I also had grand plans to create a post about all my earrings and tell you all about how I used to only wear one pair.  That was it.  And then show you how my collection has grown over the past year.  But, I ran out of time so all you get is this sentence.

On the plus side, I think this post is a testament to the benefit of planning out your outfits in advance.  Sure helps when you have to go from pajamas to plaid in less than 30 minutes!

0

  

Sweater – The Limited (similar)| Skirt – The Limited (similar) | Booties – Liz Claiborne via DSW (similar) | Necklace – The Limited (similar) | Scarf – H&M via Poshmark (similar) | Jacket – ZARA

Today’s Inspiration Monday is adorable and one I could have recreated much more faithfully by wearing my skinny black pants and a different scarf.  But, I’ve had this houndstooth pencil skirt in my closet for a month or so and thought it was the perfect time to wear it.  Why?

Blake Lively

The pattern on Blake’s scarf isn’t houndstooth but the fact that she has on an all-black outfit with a touch of pattern in one piece just screamed out for me to wear my houndstooth skirt.  And pair it with my new ZARA moto jacket.

Also, I’m loving the juxtaposition of the preppy houndstooth pattern with the rockstar look of the moto jacket.  Wearing it with my black skinny pants would have been just a bit too expected, I think.  Not bad.  I love Blake’s look. Just, you know, I wanted to bring a bit of my preppy side into the equation!

Do you like Blake’s outfit?  How would you interpret it?

0

  

Turtleneck – Express (similar) | Skirt – The Limited | Tights – Walmart (similar)| Shoes – Gabriella Rocha via 6pm.com (similar) | Necklace – JC Penney

Funny story about these tights.  Last week a reader (Hi, Aparna!) asked me where I got these tights.  “Target!  Merona brand!” I answered confidently.

When I got home and changed I quick looked at the tag.

Does anyone remember Kathie Lee Gifford?   Yeah, she kind of dropped off the radar in the late 1990s.  Before that she had a line of clothes at Walmart.

Which means that these tights are at least 10 years old, if not older.  In fact, I’m pretty sure there are photos of me wearing them in high school if I think about it hard enough.

Say what you will about Kathie Lee and her Walmart line, but these tights have certainly held up.

Thanks again to my guest photographer, Molly from A Foreign Land!

0

  

Peplum top – The Limited (similar)| Blouse – The Limited | Skirt – Banana Republic Outlet | Shoes – Via Spiga via Loehman’s | Necklace – JF&A Trade Show | Earrings – c/o Anjolee

Today’s Inspiration Monday from Two Birds is yet another “celebrity” that I’ve never heard of.

Ashley Madekwe

I’m not a huge fan of her peplum top with the jeans.  It’s making her look disproportionate.  Which is why I tend to pair my peplum top with a pencil skirt.  It just seems to flow better to my eye.

I did, however, continue to incorporate the sparkle of her top with my jewelry.  I just purchased this necklace and it turns out that it goes perfectly with the earrings that I recently received from Anjolee.

You may have heard of whoever Ashley Madekwe is, but have you heard of Anjolee?  They sell custom made diamond jewelry.  You can choose what type of jewelry you want, whether it’s a bracelet or an engagement ring.  From there you choose what metal you want (yellow, white gold or platinum), the diamond size and quality, and, if applicable, the size of the piece.

Even if you’re not in the market for some new bling, it’s still fun to play around on their website or use their free iPhone app to design your dream item.

Note #1: Anjolee provided me with these sample earrings free of charge in exchange for a post.  Me wearing them and loving them is of my own accord.

Note #2: I apologize for the photo quality for the next few weeks.  My camera took another header onto the concrete and I can’t justify spending another $145 on a new one less than 5 weeks after the last one. 

0