Standing By

orange cardi by Jones New York, brown skirt from LOFT, brown long-sleeve t-shirt by Michael Stars, brown boots by V Italia, OPI Romeo and Joliet nail polish

For the last outfit post of 2010, here is my old standby: orange and brown. I am trying to decide if the too-long sleeves are cozy or annoying. Usually I get sleeves hemmed, but this is one of my favorite long sleeve t-shirts and I don't want to mess with it. Splendid and Michael Stars are my favorites for t-shirts, they are really amazing high-quality! Click for larger photos.

An Ode to Nail Polish

I really love nail polish. I have less than 30 bottles, so I am no great collector or expert, but I have just enough to have variety and my favorite colors. I love them all. How can I explain it? Let me count the top 6 reasons I’ve gotten geeked about polish in the last three years:

6. I love the polish blogs, with their swatches, comparisons, and reviews. Really, these women have inspired and taught me almost everything I know today.

5. I feel like I can do them myself and have the same quality and speed of a manicurist. Usually they look good for three days, and if they last five then I’m really excited!

4. I love that I can wear a trend for less than $10. I don’t do all the nail trends, but I do rock the ones I like!

3. I love the colors. And I do try to match my polish to my outfit.

2. Though my husband teases me about always doing my nails, it’s that little extra something I do that makes me be my prettiest. And he notices.

And the number one reason I love nail polish is:

1. I look and feel polished. And by that I mean finished. When I am sitting in a meeting, when I am in the grocery store, when I am eating dinner, or at the gym, it gives me a little boost to see that my hands are looking their best.

Fashion for Christmas

On Collins Ave., Bring on the Bling, Romeo and Joliet

Here’s my mini haul from my wonderful family!
My sneaky husband found and replaced my beloved Joe’s Jeans rocker, in the exact same wash! He gets bonus points. My manicure-loving mom got me three OPI nail polishes. She also got me my new favorite perfume, Dior’s Escale à Pondichéry. Also hidden in there is some Clinique mascara. What did you get, my friends, I would love to hear!

Pre-Snow Outfit

black cowlneck sweater from LOFT, paper bag pants by Madewell, Calvin Klein suede booties

As I prepare my Christmas Haul post, here's an outfit from last week, before the snow hit, featuring my favorite pants. You may notice the different perspective; this photo was taken by my tall husband, so my head looks big and my feet look small.

Merry Christmas!

blouse by BCBGMaxAzria, skirt by Paul & Joe, Circa Joan & David patent brown heels, necklaces and brooch unknown

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

--John 1: 9-14

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, my friends!

Black on Black on Black

high-neck sweater by 411, skirt from LOFT, Via Spiga patent heels, onyx heart necklace by Tiffany & Co.

I put together some different black textures for this outfit. The sweater is marbled with white and grey, and the skirt has a very small houndstooth pattern. I wish the shoe photo turned out better, they have menswear-oxford details to them. Click for larger photos!

Camel and Olive

long camel sweater cardi by Rampage, olive green turtleneck by Vince, camel pants from LOFT, Rosegold olive suede booties, TruVert belt

I love this long cardi, it is so slimming, and a little dressy, but I dared wear it to work. I've had it for at least five years, but wear it sparingly, so it's in great shape. I'm really excited for Christmas, but am very behind on gifts and cards! Click for larger photos.

Chococat Librarian

sweater dress by Calvin Klein, striped button-up shirt from Banana Republic, Fitzwell shoes, celtic cross necklace unknown, Chococat watch from McDonalds

These are my night-time driving glasses that I only wear a couple times a year. But I used them as props, along with the ELLEments of Style book from the library, to achieve a kind of dressy librarian look. And just in case I looked too serious, I wore my Happy Meal prize: this cute Sanrio Chococat watch! Click for larger photos.

My New Paper Bag Pants

paper bag pants by Madewell, orange sweater from LOFT, Rosegold olive suede booties, belt unknown

I haven’t been this excited about a pair of pants in a while! Wearing pleated, cuffed, paper bag-waisted pants goes against everything Stacy and Clinton taught me about being a shortie. But behold, the amazing burnt sienna color, the modern shape, the comfortable fit. Oh yes, I hope you like them too, my friends, because these are going into weekly rotation from now until May.

Christmas Sweater

snowflake sweater from Talbots, high-waisted grey corduroy pants from Victoria's Secret, Calvin Klein black suede booties, OPI Rudolph Red nail polish

This is my only Christmas sweater, and my Mom got it for me for Christmas last year. I have LOTS of Christmas socks, but only one sweater. Here it's making its office debut for our holiday party. Click for larger photos.

11 Degrees

red coat by Jones New York, orange velour jacket by Jones New York, brown skirt from LOFT,
brown boots by V Italia

This is what 11 degrees looks like. A coat is required. I've had this one for about four years, and I love it because it is stylish, long, warm, and has a hood, which I prefer over a hat so my hair doesn't get smashed. I get called Little Red Riding Hood, but I don't mind. Click for larger photos!

Wintry Mix

burgandy Free People Far Away cardigan, leopard lace top by I.N.C., camel pants from LOFT, Rosegold olive suede booties

A cold winter's day calls for a big cozy cardi! Pairing dark reds and camel is always a win-win for me.

I Love Corduroy!

corduroy jacket by XCVI, unphotogenic brown corduroy pants by Jones New York Signature, Circa Joan & David brown patent low heels

I love corduroy. It's soft, flattering, thick, and warm. It rarely wrinkles and hangs just right. I have many pieces of corduroy and always want more, especially pants. Sorry about the photography, these brown pants don't take pictures well. They're a nice thick wale cord. Click for larger photos!

The Cliffs of Insanity!

orange cardigan by Jones New York, purple ruffle shirt by Sandra Ingrish (Nordstroms), cream studded belt from Dillards, cream pants by Kenneth Cole, orange Delman Mona flats

I didn’t feel like wearing brown, black or grey, my winter standbys, and threw together this crazy combo. I’m still not sure about the flats, I think boots or heels would have looked better. But what’s the point of fashion if you can’t take risks once in a while? Can someone out there please design orange, purple and cream work-appropriate boots? Thanks.

I am happy to report that these once too-small patent flats are very comfortable now.

Shades of Black

cowlneck sweater from LOFT, corduroy skirt by XCVI, Circa Joan & David riding boots

I know there are many bloggers who are learning new ways to mix-and-match their outfits this month by only wearing and re-working 30 pieces. But I think my whole life is a 30-for-30 challenge! You've seen this skirt and boots before, with different tops. I wanted something to wear with my nail polish, and dark colors seemed to be the solution. I will have a more colorful outfit post tomorrow, my friends!

(I'm trying not to let the fact that there are different shades of black in this outfit bother me.)

Blue Glitter Nail Polish at Work?

Ah, now I get it. The hype over glitter nail polish. I never understood until now. And now I love it so much I am willing to wear it to the office.

This is OPI's Who Are You Wearing? -- a flat dark purple -- underneath my new glitter polish, Sally Hansen's Shooting Star. As you can see, Shooting Star looks blue in the bottle, but it's really just a slightly blue base filled with colorful, holographic glitter. And now I can't stop looking at my nails.

How do I wear it to work? With an all-black outfit, of course! More on that tomorrow. For now, just click on the photos for larger ones and be amazed at the prettiness.

Back to Basics

black cardigan with rhinestone buttons from J. Crew, scoopneck burnout ruffle shirt from J. Crew, black pants from LOFT, Katie & Kelly leopard flats, onyx heart necklace from Tiffany & Co.

I love wearing basic outfits. Who needs sky-high heels, leather shorts, and an oversized top to look chic? I’ll take an easy black-and-white ensemble that I can really move in.

A Touch of Plaid

black jacket by Calvin Klein, pink-and-grey cotton shirt from Victoria’s Secret, high-waisted corduroy pants from Victoria’s Secret, grey croc rainboots by Aquatalia

Sometimes there’s A Story behind The Clothes. Last year, I fell in love with these high-waisted corduroy pants and ordered them from Victoria’s Secret. They are kind of a purplish grey. I didn’t have a lot to wear with them, so I tried finding a top on the same site. Ah, there it was, a perfect lightweight plaid with that same grey running through it. But it was sold out in my size. This is where the amazing eBay comes in. Found the shirt there, new, for around $11. I love it when a plan comes together.

Dressing Until I'm Black and Blue

blue cashmere cardigan from J. Crew, skirt from Ann Taylor, white shirt by Splendid, Circa Joan & David black patent low heels

I don't have much blue in my fall/winter wardrobe. Need to change that! Click for larger photos.

Warm Layering

snap-neck cardigan from Guess, long-sleeve tee by Michael Stars, corduroy pants by Jones New York Signature, Circa Joan & David patent brown heels

Plenty of warm layers on a winter's day, especially with these thick corduroy pants. I wore this to work, but with the cardi zipped up. Another brown-on-brown-on-brown outfit in my closet arsenal!