How fab or frumpy are you at home? What do you wear?

Just curious...what do you guys wear at home? Are you still fab at home or do you just hang out in loungewear? I must confess my at home wardrobe is sadly lacking in comparison to my newly fab work/MOTG wardrobe. When I get home I pretty much immediately change into PJs or the equivalent--baggy sweatshirts, T shirts from our former dive vacations, PJ bottoms or an old pair of sweat pants with my school logo...I don't even wear a bra at home. I don't even wear jeans that much--the bootcuts are too long to wear without heels (I usually just wear socks--we take off our shoes inside) and I don't want to squeeze into skinnies at home (my apple belly needs to breathe!). Even my PJs are old and schlumpy. DH is even more casual than me--he usually strips down to T shirt and boxers. Comfort trumps fashion around here!

So what do you guys wear at home--anything goes or do you still look nice? Is there a way to upgrade my lounging at home clothes? I've never stepped foot into Lululemon and Athleta and the like...should I get some yoga pants and workout wear even though I never do yoga or work out? LOL!

Needless to say, there won't be a WIW attached to this post...;-)

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WIW: Plum and Cognac

Here is WIW to work today. Sorry for the funny lighting. I think the color is closer to 1 & 3 indoors and 2 in bright light/outdoors. This plum sweater is from Nordstrom from the HYS. Does this purple look OK on me? I'm still trying to figure out how to wear purple because there are a lot of shades and I'm not sure which one goes best with me, but I think deeper saturated plum and eggplant shades are probably my colors. By the way, Andrea offered to buy that purple Anthro dress that I got on eBay off me and it's on its way to her as we speak! I'm so glad because the purple is more muted and lighter than I thought and I think it will look much better on her coloring. I can't wait to see it.

I love obi belts--I got one in cognac as well as the black. These wide obi belts are great for us apples! I also have the cognac Timberland boots to match the belt. And my magic pattern mixing floral bag. The Ann Taylor floral skirt is a wardrobe orphan from the 90's and it has some plum flowers to match the sweater as well as cream, brown, and beige. Previously I only wore it with brown tops. Is it too dated or have I rescued it? Normally I would wear a camel coat on top but since I don't have one anymore, I tried the brown puffer. I kept the tags on and wore it only in the car though because I'm still deciding whether to keep it.

Feedback welcome as usual! Thanks!

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WIW: Double dose of animal print (funny update with DH's reaction)

WIW to work today. Speaking of Halogen pencil skirts, here's mine in red! I wore it with a Vince Camuto leopard print pussy bow sleeveless blouse that I picked up at the Rack online (thanks for the rec Rita!) that I tucked into the skirt for a "bombshell secretary" vibe.

Here are three choices for the black top layer (since it's too cold for sleeveless)--which do you like best? I picked the sweater cardigan since it's cold but I also brought the leather jacket and Anne Fontaine shirt in my car in case you like those better. And my leopard print pumps with the strap and the red trim ties it all together. Plus I'm carrying the red Fossil tote. Is this too much animal print? I brought some black kitten heels in case my feet get tired of the heels but I'm in a matchy matchy mood right now!

1. Just the top & skirt
2. Gap thin black sweater cardigan on top
3. Tahari black leather jacket on top
4. Black Anne Fontaine shirt on top
5. Black kitten heels in case of foot fatigue

Comments and suggestions welcome! Thanks!

ETA: Funny update below with DH's reaction!

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WIW: Sweater dress

Hi guys, I know it's only been a week, but I missed you a lot! I'm trying to find a balance of how much time to spend. So just a short post this time. Here's a black and white sweater dress--first time wearing one since the 80's! It's a Calvin Klein and I found it on sale for $63 at Nordstrom online. What do you think? I know it's very somber and monochromatic compared to my usual style, but combined with my black obi belt and herringbone tights and black boots and black ruffle trench I feel pretty kick-@$$ in it! ;-)

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WIW: Me Too Iguana (Lemmingwear GP-style)

I am loving seeing everyone's version of IronKurtin's "uniform" of skinnies, boots, and jacket! Here's my take (named after my favorite Sweet Pickles book). I looked around today and yes there were a lot of people wearing skinnies with boots, but most of them had pretty drab grey sweater tunics or cardigans on top, so I think I still stood out. :-)

Oh by the way, DH approved of today's outfit and I got lots of compliments from him on the leather jacket and boots. That went over so much better than last night when I modeled the holiday dresses for him and he hated my faux fur jacket. I guess he prefers real leather to fake fur. ;-)

Cognac leather jacket: Lafayette 148 from Nordstrom Rack
Long brown graphic T-shirt: H&M
Dark wash skinny jeans: Gap Always Skinny
Cognac leather boots: Timberland Stratham Heights (thanks for the help deciding!)
Rust orange pendant necklace: Alexis Bittar from Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale
Velvet floral satchel: Fossil Vintage Re-Issue
Sunglasses: Coach

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WIW: Peacock skinnies and orange peacoat

I went to Nordstrom to try out some stuff from the Half-Yearly Sale. I found these peacock (or teal, can anyone tell me what the difference is between teal and peacock?) colored skinny jeans at Nordstrom called Blue Essence. For some reason the exact color is not on the website (here's a link to the cobalt color), but the color was listed on the tag as Bermuda blue.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/bl.....sultback=0
They weren't on sale, but they are $98 so less than premium denim jeans. The rise was high enough to control muffin top and they were super soft and comfortable! I liked them so much I bought a pair of black skinnies as well.

I also found an orange peacoat on sale for $58. It's by Tulle, just like my raspberry blazer. It was in the juniors section. It has a detachable hood. It's a rust color which is my favorite shade of orange.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/tu.....tback=4429

I loved the colors and naturally just had to pair the two of them together. When I tried the orange coat and peacock jeans together in the fitting room, the SA said "Well I can see that you are bold with your colors!" LOL! The colors make me happy. I wore them yesterday to go out to the Cal Academy with the family. I paired them with my turquoise Forever 21 top and my favorite Fossil bag that matched the orange and teal colors as well. Also you can't see it, but I have on a bronze and orange Forever 21 cuff as well. I wanted to wear my matching rust colored Chie Mihara sandals (as in #3/4), but at the last minute I changed to bronze ballet flats (#2) which was a much better choice for MOTG. The kids are dressed in my favorite Tea Collection kids' clothes. Oh, and DS's shirt is orange and teal to match me!

Comments and suggestions welcome as usual!

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WIW this week: Less is More

Angie's post on simple and classic not being the same thing as boring was very timely. This week I have been trying to dress a little more simply and more subdued, either by sticking mainly with neutrals/subdued color, or less patterns/pattern mixing, or fewer layers. Suz's comment struck a nerve with me too when she said that those of us who come to fashion late sometimes go haywire for ALGO to try to compensate for our previous lack of style. I am totally busted on that count. Since joining YLF I found that really like bright colors, patterns and pattern mixing. And I have the tendency to feel that a simple outfit in plain solid neutrals is a little too boring to deserve a WIW. Also, before I never used to wear jewelry, accessories or belts, so throw that in the mix with the bright colors and patterns and it can get pretty ALGO pretty quick! Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's nice to change things up a little too!

So this week I've been trying to tone it down a bit. I was on call this week so I was working every day at the hospital. I had to stick to comfortable heels and I didn't want to dress too loud since I was working in the hospital. But the surprising thing was I was still getting compliments from both coworkers and patients, maybe even more so than when I wear my crazy colorful outfits. Maybe the restrained outfits have a broader appeal. So I'm still trying to find my balance and trying to figure out how to create outfits that look nice but won't bore the "new" me.

1. This kicked off my LIM week--Black long sleeved Anne Fontaine shirt, Classiques Entier grey pants, red Clark pumps and red Fossil tote, and a strand of fake pearls. I tried adding a belt, but in the end left it simple. I thought it was a little boring but I wanted to try something totally different. But someone at work told me I look "stunning" so I guess it's not all bad, right?
2. Subdued ALGO. Most of these clothes are pretty old and I was happy I could remix my old clothes in my new style. The brown/cream/light blue floral skirt is one of my old Ann Taylors. Cream H&M top. Cream snake print Michael Kors belt from Bluefly--first time wearing it. The brown top is super old (it even has shoulder pads) and I don't know why it keeps surviving all these closet purges. In the past I've worn it buttoned up as a fitted top, but this time I tried using it as a blazer. Another closet orphan rescue! Old Banana Republic brown extreme pointy kitten heels. And my Fossil floral bag. This outfit felt very subdued to me, even though I now realize that it's actually a triple pattern mix (skirt, belt and purse)!
3-4."Banker look"...ivory tie neck blouse and navy pinstripe midi pencil skirt. Very very conservative and I almost didn't wear it because it was afraid it was a little staid, esp compared to my new bright colors and patterns. But the blouse has tiny little bees and crowns on it if you look closely, and I wore red pumps and my red tote to bring in a bit of color. So I feel like it's "simple and strong" but not boring--it has just enough interesting detail and color to keep the "new" me happy!
5. Black Anne Fontaine shirt. Classiques Entier Apollonia grey blazer with lace detail at the waist and skirt with black lace at the bottom. Red Clark pumps and red Fossil tote. One of the nurses came up to me and said, "I thought your slip was showing but I guess it's part of the skirt." LOL!
6-7. I posted this WIW earlier in my K/R leather jacket thread. Banana Republic black wrap dress with silver/bronze chain pattern detail. This wrap dress is old too and as Rita and DressLover pointed out, it looks better on me than the DVF and other wrap dresses I was trying. I guess I already had a great wrap dress in my closet! Worn with my old black Nine West boots and old Jack Georges brown briefcase satchel. And a small (fake) gold and diamond V-shaped Calvin Klein necklace. First time wearing my hair up in a clip! Another outfit made up entirely of my old clothes! This outfit is very simple but as Rae pointed out, the pattern keeps it from being entirely Minimal.
8. I loved this cognac Lafayette 148 leather jacket so much, I ripped the tags off and wore it the next day! I guess that's a sign! I think I'm going to get so much use out of this jacket. Especially happy with how well it goes with my floral Fossil satchel. Wore it with a Banana Republic cowl tee, Lafayette 148 tweed skirt with leather waistband, and brown suede La Canadienne Galaxy boots.
9-11. I decided to keep the black Tahari leather jacket with the suede panel details because I agreed the other one was too aggressive and this one would be more versatile and work appropriate. So I wore that the day after the cognac jacket! I'm definitely Team Wear! I ordered this Halogen red and black houndstooth pencil skirt online, but when it came it looked much darker than on the website...it's actually a purplish wine color. I had a Splendid cranberry cowl neck top that I bought on sale...I was going to return it because it's so low cut that it's not wearable by itself. But it matches the skirt, and I put a black H&M tank top under it, so it was saved. Black Nine west boots. I wore an old black and silver necklace...thought about using a bigger necklace with more color, but then remembered my "theme" for the week and went with a more subdued dainty and neutral necklace. I like this outfit because it feels rather bombshell without the jacket, and then the black leather jacket toughens it up a bit. But it's still polished and I actually wore the whole outfit to work, leather jacket and all! I am excited that I can use my two new leather jackets as "blazers" for work...I love non-suit suits!

So there you have it...a week of Team Minimal, done by a Team Maximal player! Comments and suggestions welcomed!

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