Mint Chocolate Chip

The chilly New England spring has me turning to cozy pieces in brights and pastels. This sweater was an awesome find for less than $10 at H&M!

Did I mention that up close it looks like mint chocolate chip ice cream? 

Maybe with the mint flats, mint heart earrings, and gingham it's a little too 1950s ice cream parlor?

I'll take two scoops of mint chocolate chip, please! 

Outfit: Sweater- H&M; Shirt- Old Navy; Pants- Torrid; Flats- Lucky Brand via Marshall's; Earrings- F21 

 What colors are you attracted to this spring?

Emerald and Teal for Spring

Teal has long been one of my favorite colors to wear. It's appropriate for every season and it pairs well with all the neutrals- navy, black, brown, white, and leopard. Plus it looks good with most skin tones and hair colors. When I found this scarf for $5 at H&M a few months ago, I was stocked. Not only did it have teal in it, but two shades of the "color of the year" emerald.

From the lack of greenery in these pictures, you'd probably guess they were taken a few weeks ago right? Wrong! I took these photos yesterday. 

We're slowly getting some buds on the tress and some green sprigs poking through the dead leaves, but for the most part it's still pretty gray in Boston. 

Today it warmed up to a balmy 65 degrees, and tomorrow it's supposed to be even warmer!

Outfit: Pants- Seven Jeans via Marshall's; Cardi- Gap Outlet; Tank and Scarf- H&M; Flats- Target

Here's hoping that spring is here to stay! I'm looking forward to sunshine, tulips, daffodils, iced coffee, and farmer's markets.

What are you looking forward to as the weather warms up?

Buttons and Cameras

This outfit is pretty representative of what I've been wearing to work lately. With temperatures mostly below freezing I've been choosing warmth over style. 

I've really discovered the beauty of button down shirts this winter. In the past I've had trouble with fit on button downs. It's hard to find one that fits over my hips and boobs, but isn't too baggy in the shoulders or waist. Thankfully, I've  found two flannel shirts and this chambray shirt that fit pretty well, and I've been wearing them constantly.

Outfit:  Pants- Forever 21; Shirt- Old Navy similar at Macy's; Boots- Me too; Cardigan- Target  similar at Old Navy

I've about had it with my camera. I've been thinking about/ lusting after a DSLR. However, I really don't want to invest a ridiculous amount of money in a camera right now and I don't actually know very much about photography. I'm leaning towards skipping the DSLR for now and upgrading to a nicer point and shoot.

Before I make the purchase, I wanted to reach out to y'all for suggestions. What type of camera do you use? Any suggestions for a user friendly camera that takes beautiful pictures?

Breaking all the Rules

I have always been a fan of makeovers. Clueless was one of my favorite movies growing up, and I loved TV shows like "What not to Wear". As much as I believe that how you look on the outside can affect your mood. I have become quite disenchanted with makeover shows. They always pose a stupid list of rules, especially for curvy women! No horizontal stripes, wear dark straight, but not skinny legged pants or an A-line skirt and heels to slim and elongate the leg, etc, etc, etc. 

I acknowledge that here are cuts, styles, colors and prints of clothing that are more "flattering" to my figure, but I think abiding by a list of rules when you get dressed in the morning is a ridiculous notion. If you aren't having fun with your wardrobe and taking some risks then what's the point? So here I am, wearing flat shoes, horizontal stripes and bold skinny leg pants. 

Look at me breaking all those rules. Where are Stacy and Clinton? 

Outfit: Corduroy skinnies-  F21+ last year; Sweater- Old Navy; Flats- Target

Allie over at Wardrobe Oxygen wrote a great post earlier this week on the subject of taking clothes a little too seriously. The post really resonated with me. In getting caught up in the rules, we jeopardize our personal style. We lose the things that make us unique! We should all take Allie's advice and lighten up a little! 

What  fashion faux pas did you commit this week? 

How I Layer

Fall is the time for layers. While I wear cardigans year round, I also love layering sweaters, scarves, and jackets and you just can't do that during the summer. Monday was one of those days were I would have been happy to go to work in leggings or jeans and a sweatshirt, but sadly that just isn't an option. Next best thing? Stretchy black pants and a comfy shirt.

But it was chilly out Monday morning. I knew it would also be chilly in my office, so I added a red blazer...

... and a scarf

Outfit: Blouse- Old Navy; Pants- Torrid; Blazer- vintage, thrifted; Scarf- H&M; Flats- Marshall's

Yep. That'll do. 

What are your favorite layering pieces?

Come Sail Away

Coming into the fall and winter shopping season I decided to focus on two things- basics and interesting accessories. When I saw this scarf at Old Navy about two months ago I knew I had to have it. But since I never pay full price at Old Navy, I also knew I had to wait. Eventually I had some extra cash coupons and the scarf came home with me.

                             

I don't sail, and I get motion sickness on boats, but I love sailboats. I went to a top sailing school for undergrad and have lived in several places where sailing was one of the primary recreational activities. I've been planning a tattoo of a sailboat for years, but I keep chickening out because I pass out when I get shots or blood drawn. 

Outfit: pants- Target (old); shirt and cami- H&M; denim jacket- JCrew thrifted; flats- Target;  scarf: Old Navy

I am not loving these pants any more. I've had them for over a year, but they just don't fit that great and the fabric doesn't maintain it's shape very well. If I could just find some charcoal colored, straight legged slacks to replace them, I would gladly let them go. Any suggestions?

Mustard Shoes

I managed to take some outfit photos in the morning on Monday! Okay, okay I cheated a little. I took these in the alley area behind my building because I didn't have time to walk down to the park.

Although I cheated, I actually really like these photos. I think the simple gray background and natural light help the colors of my clothing to stand out. Cobalt and mustard might be my favorite color combination for fall. I keep buying mustard colored items. I should probably stop.

Outfit: cardigan- Target; shirt- Old Navy; pants- Macy's; shoes- trade from Buffalo Exchange

Aren't these shoes awesome? They're a little hard to see under the wide-leg pants, but they are a mustard colored loafer with a wedge heel. I know I'm going to get a ton of wear out of them this fall and winter. 

Image via heels.com

I found these wedges in very good condition at Buffalo Exchange and purchased them with store credit I had from trading in some clothes. If you have a Buffalo Exchange in your city I definitely recommend checking them out! You can bring in your new or gently used clothing, shoes and accessories to sell and then choose to receive a percent of the sale price in cash or a higher percentage in store credit. They can be pretty picky about what they take, but it's worth a shot! 

If you're in Boston I recommend the Davis Square location in Somerville over the Allston location. It has a better selection of sizes. I got the chambray shirt dress I wore in yesterday's post is from Buffalo Exchange too! 

Glimpses of Autumn

I have said on this blog before that I am really not a morning person. I've been trying, but I still just can't bring myself to get up in time to do more than shower, get dressed, pack my lunch and pack or grab a coffee. As a result, I've been taking a lot of my outfit photos in the evening.

I'm dreading the day when it will be too dark after work for photos and I'll have to get my butt out of bed to take pictures in the cold!

Outfit: sweater- Old Navy; Pants- H&M+; Jacket- thrifted JCrew; flats- Old Navy; sunnies- thrifted

I'm afraid that day may not be as far off as I'd like. It was 50 degrees outside when I got up for work on Tuesday! I wore a sweater, a jacket, and got a pumpkin spice latte on my way to work. I still refuse to wear socks that require shoes, and I'm not ready to pull my tights out of storage, but I'll acknowledge that Autumn is starting to show herself here in New England.

Plaid and Stripes

Gotta admit I was not super stoked at this month's Everybody, Everywear theme of  "back to school". I don't really get that much into preppy styles. I'm not a student or a teacher, and it's been feeling more like June than September lately. We had our first crisp, cool day on Monday so I decided to wear the flannel shirt I thrifted back in March and have been dying to wear.

Plaid and stripes are totally back to school, right?

Outfit: flannel shirt- thrifted; tank- H&M; black skinnies- Old Navy; shoes- Marshall's

I wish I still had my Doc Martens to wear with this outfit. Then it would be totally 90s! I just need a Lisa Frank trapper keeper, a Giga-pet, some gel pens and a scrunchi and I'm all set to go back to 6th grade!

Teaching Pants

As part of my job I serve as a CPR and First Aid instructor. When I'm teaching I demonstrate a lot of the skills, so I like to wear pants. I've mentioned many times before that I have trouble being creative with pants, so I rarely post the outfits I wear on teaching days. Due to a lack of outfit pictures in the latter part of last week and no pictures from the weekend, here is a boring pants, blouse and cardigan combo!

I don't love this outfit, but I do love this blouse. I need to find more ways to style it. Any suggestions?

Outfit:

Blouse: Old Navy

Cardigan: Target

Pants: Target

Sandals: Payless

Necklace: flea market

Striped Shoes!

I found these flats at Marshall's  on the same day I had to return an adorable pair of too narrow hot pink flats to Aldo. They definitely softened the blow. I look forward to wearing them with black tights in the fall, but summer can take her sweet time and stick around for a while. 

Outfit:

Shirt: Old Navy
Pants: Target
Flats: Marshall's
Bracelet: So Good!
Earrings: Gift  

I still love these pants (also seen here and here and here). I've thought about ordering them in additional colors to the extent that I've added them to my cart on Target.com. If they weren't crops I would have ordered a black pair and a green pair a long time ago, but since it's too chilly for crops about 5 months out of the year here, I just can't justify it. The search for similar straight leg, but full length pants continues. If you have any suggestions let me know!

Pants that Pass

I hope all my U.S. readers had a Happy Independence Day. I had a fairly uneventful/ low key day. My guy and I watched the Patriot and some History Channel specials, got a delicious dinner (I also had a watermelon beer, and a raspberry summer shandy!), and watched some fireworks from a beach in East Boston. I managed to leave my camera at home, so I didn't get any pictures of my patriotic ensemble. Instead here is an outfit I wore last week while my internet was down!

This is an example of an outfit I wear on a more dressy day at work. Last week I had a lot of interviews and trainings, so I dressed up a bit more than I typicaly do. I'm going to tell you a secret. These pants are technically black denim, but I still  wear them to work outside of casual Friday, and I get away with it! I think it's because the denim is a uniform wash that comes across more like a black twill, either way I love them!

Outfit:
Linen Blazer: Forever 21
Black Skinnies: Old Navy
Blouse: TJMaxx last year
Shoes: Payless

Wild

Tuesday night I headed to a Spitfire event hosted by BostonGLOW. The event was focused on navigating the professional world, and I found it really helpful! I know that there are a lot of things I need to work on professionally to build up my confidence and make sure I'm not selling myself short. 

I absolutely love the Spitfire events. They're a great way to connect with other women, and to talk about issues that are important to me. Being involved with GLOW gives me the same sense of a strong community of women that I had through the various clubs and activities I was involved in in college. I'm taking on a little more of a leadership role in the organization this year. One of the potential Spitfires we're planning is going to be focused on balancing fashion, beauty, and being feminine with feminist/ egalitarian ideals. It would be great to get some Boston area bloggers involved, so I'll keep you posted!

I've worn this necklace about a dozen times since I bought it at the beginning of the month. The colors match a lot of my summer clothes and it is the perfect piece to spice up neutral outfits. I picked up this leopard print tank at goodwill a few weeks ago. It's super 80s, and about an inch away from being a crop top, but I love it! 

Outfit:

Tank: thrifted

Cardigan: Old Navy

Necklace: H&M

Pants: Target

Reluctant Pants

After checking the weather I reluctantly put on pants Monday morning. Rainy, chilly, windy, yuck! Bad weather means I can't wear sundresses and skirts, and that makes me sad. I spent the whole day counting down the hours until I could go home and snuggle under the covers with my kitty. 

Speaking of my cat.This was one of those mornings where he really wanted to photo bomb me.

I think it's because I had black pants on. I swear he has a radar for dark colored pants.

Outfit:
Blouse: Old Navy
Pants: Target
Flats: Payless
Necklace: thrifted
Earrings: Old Navy

Strike a Pose

I am so happy it is Friday. I thought this week would never end. Does anyone else feel like the short weeks are the longest ones?  I feel like I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to veg out, so I am making it a point to veg out this weekend. I'm also making it a point to do laundry, because I'm nearing the bottom of my very deep barrel of clothing, hence this very lackluster look.

I was looking back at my outfit posts for the last month or two and I've noticed that I'm posed the same way in most of my outfit photos. I assure you it's not for lack of trying different positions! I am just really bad/ awkward at posing.

I took a break from the dresses and skirts to wear some pants. In my head this outfit looked a little more nautical and a little less frumpy. I think I need to invest in some higher quality straight leg pants for work since I'm no longer interested in wearing my collection of semi-expensive wide leg trousers.

Outfit:
Shirt: Old Navy
Pants: Target
Flats: Old Navy
Earrings: Gift
Belt: thrifted

What are your plans for the weekend?