goldenpig

I'm a sucker for fun animal prints, but is that blinding me to keep something that isn't right for me? Love the print but am unsure if this seahorse shirt looks good or not on me. Give it to me straight! And the white boyfriend shorts too. I wanted something that doesn't fall down every time I wear it, I'm not really into the slouchy look. But is it too tight? Size 6 which is a tad roomy for me in the Kut Dianas when it stretches out between washes. I tried rolling the sleeves and doing a half tuck, did not have time to pull out a belt.
Thanks for the advice! Sorry to post and run--got a work meeting to go to tonight!

Sorry for the deluge of K/R's. I was super busy, but finally have a day off and can post stuff! What do you think of these Munro booties--they're an Angie pick. They do seem to be very comfy and low-heeled. I do wear burgundy a lot. I'm just unsure if ankle booties in general look good on me? This is totally unstyled (I'm going to post a K/R on the shirt and shorts). I would plan to wear these with both jeans and skirts/dresses so I think I would get a lot of use out of them

I do have a pair of burgundy ballet flats, but it would be nice to have a more covered option for fall/winter. I could get by with my black and brown booties though if these don't cut it (I have black & brown Rieker booties with low heels and lace up Mia Nanette booties with a little higher heel and shaft).

Thanks for the advice!

Oh, and I ordered some Anyi Lu pumps after reading Inge's story about her. Unfortunately I think these might be a little too big (size 38, I'm normally a 37.5 but there wasn't one available--I bought it at a discount from Amazon), too pointy and heel still a bit too high for all-day comfort. Pretty shoe, but I think I'm going to have to return. I'll still keep an eye out for other Anyi Lu shoes though!

OK, since the Spiegel jacket is a no go, here's another K/R. I don't really have a black blazer except one from Ann Taylor that was part of my interview suit from about 15 years ago. I never wear it. I usually wear my leather jacket as a blazer, but sometimes I might want to wear a non-leather blazer. But I wanted to get something with a little twist or interesting detail rather than just a basic black blazer, that's just my style preference (classics with a twist). So I saw this Amber Sun ponte moto jacket. What do you think? This is styled--in fact I wore it to work like this, but kept the tags on and took it off once I got to work so I can still return it if you don't like it. It felt OK but I was wondering if this is too oversized on me? I think the XS would be too small though, because the sleeve length seems OK on the S. I think it's just I'm not used to relaxed fit. It does feel a touch heavier than a regular blazer, more like a jacket, but I could still wear it inside. I'm showing this completely zipped, partially zipped and open--which looks best? Should I keep or return? Thanks!
1-10. Ponte Moto jacket--K/R
11-12. My current Tahari black leather jacket for comparison.

13. Oh yeah, I also have a black wool plaid moto zip jacket.

I originally bought this when Rae first posted about this Spiegel jacket, so I bought it at the $60 price. My size (4) was not available when the jacket went to $29 so I didn't re-order it then. (I also have a 6, but the 4 feels pretty huge as it is). I'm thinking that I am going to return them both though--I am just not sure about the wide lapels and whether this looks too tomboy on me. I'm showing it open, partially snapped and fully snapped (there are 3 snaps). I thought this might help those of you who are considering or ordered this jacket, to see it on me. Please excuse the loungewear, this is not styled at all.

However, I already have a black leather jacket from Tahari (7-8) that seems more consistent with my ladylike style. I don't know what craziness came over me that I felt like I needed to get another jacket. Lemming sale goggles, I guess. Moral of the story is if you're already happy with what you've got, do not duplicate, despite how good of a deal it seems. What do you think? Do you agree with my assessment?

1-6. Spiegel black leather jacket
7-8. Tahari black leather jacket (already own)

ETA: I did post on Style Exchange a while back on MNSara's thread that I have a 4 and 6 available--nobody seemed interested but I thought I'd do a last call before I ship them back. I got them for $60 though, so they weren't the screaming $29 deal.

ETAA: I also ordered several tops from Spiegel and they're all going back--100% polyester and they feel really cheap with terrible handfeel. I am normally totally unaware of fabrication issues (I will happily wear poly) but just wanted to let you know that even I didn't like the way these felt. The jacket feels OK, definitely not as soft as my Tahari or my new L148 leather jackets which are both buttery soft, but I would have been OK with it if the style fit me more.

Shamelessly stealing one of the terms Rae came up with in this thread about new style monikers. This is a variation on an outfit I wore when I was pregnant that made me feel like a Russian Spy (7) or Anna Karenina (8). I substituted my new sleek oxblood leather jacket from NAS for the burgundy fur-trimmed cardigan, and swapped in my burgundy patent quilted hearts satchel for the purse. I may look like I'm on call at the hospital, but it's all a cover for my secret agent work. And the ballerina daughter and cat? Decoys. Watch out--I'm onto you....

Lafayette 148 NAS burgundy leather jacket and black shell. Feeling a little guilty that this jacket cost as much as my wedding dress! On the other hand, I only wore the wedding dress once. I think CPW will be a lot better on this jacket!
Halogen burgundy tweed skirt--from last year's Half Yearly Sale. I actually bought two-a size 8 to wear while pregnant and a size 6 for afterward (they were $45). This is the debut of the 6. Cheaper than altering! This actually goes with the jacket better than the office doormat/loincloth skirt (another great DH-ism) that he hated (9).
Clarks brown pumps--really old
Ann Taylor burgundy and gold necklace--also really old
Forever 21 bracelet--this cost $10 so the CPW must be pennies by now!
Betsey Johnson burgundy quilted hearts satchel from DSW

You all know how much I love handbags and that I have a huge collection of colorful purses. I love matching my handbag to my outfit precisely and switching it up every day. So when I got my Chanel purse for my 40th birthday, I was a little worried about limiting myself to wearing a lot of black and white and whether I would get enough use out of the purse to justify CPW. Well, I'm happy to report that red is indeed a neutral and Ms. Scarlet goes with everything!

I decided to try to become a one-bag lady for two weeks, and it was a lot easier than I thought! She went well with work outfits and MOTG outfits, black and white outfits (1, 4, 12, 16) and colorful outfits (5,8, 10, 13, 18), tougher outfits (7) and soft outfits (6), monochromatic (10) and tonal (13) and triad of color (18) outfits. Equally at home with H&M (2, 7, 8) and Target (11, 19) as she is with Ralph Lauren (10) and Kate Spade (12). She does UWP (7), demure bombshell (10) or boho (14). Works as crossbody, shoulder bag (one or two chains), or even a clutch (15). It's the perfect size for me. I could wear her for day or evening. She even works well as a diaper bag in a pinch--I just throw in a pair of diapers and wipes. DS2 loves to grab the chain to teethe on it. I bet Ms. Scarlet never thought a Chanel purse would have to work so hard! She's a dream though, and always goes with the flow!

Which outfit(s) are your favorites? My absolute favorite was the matchy matchy striped peplum/floral jeans outfit with my mini me and her Forever 21 matching purse (16)! Thanks for looking and commenting!

Since Inge posted her wonderful article about Anyi Lu, I thought I'd pull out my rust suede sandals from Chie Mihara, another designer who makes beautiful shoes that are designed to be comfortable. These heels are 3.5 inches with about 1/2 inch platform. Can you believe I wore these to the hospital on call? I usually wear flats or very low pumps, but I actually made it through the day just fine. They weren't as comfy as flats of course, but for heels they were great. Any other pair of heels this high I'd be hobbling in pain by the end of the day. One of the nurses was asking me who made those shoes, and another (male) nurse said he had heard of the brand before (!). I wore these sandals with bare feet. Wore it with my Tory Burch rust and cobalt skirt, another old favorite. I tried to lighten it up a bit by wearing a white shirt and ink blue jacket (another fave!). Got lots of compliments on my $10 Forever 21 bracelet (another fave) as well!

Does this work for summer, or does rust orange always seem like "autumn" to you? I used my brown leather briefcase to match the brown leather on the sandal. Ms. Scarlet has been working extra hard these last two weeks, but my other handbags are getting jealous, so it's time to give them a turn! Thanks for looking and commenting!

White House Black Market ink blue jacket
WHBM white ruffle shirt
Tory Burch cobalt and rust skirt
Chie Mihara Eloisa rust suede sandals
Alexis Bittar orange leopard pendant
Forever 21 bronze and orange bracelet
Jack Georges brown leather briefcase

These pics were taken at the end of the day so I'm looking a bit rumpled. Another newish color combo for me--red and teal. I started with the UWPish skirt (teal snake), because I was taking DS2 to the doctor's in the morning and I wanted easy access for nursing, so a shirt and skirt instead of a dress. I bought this stretchy ponte skirt when I was pregnant in a size up (M) and wore it even in third trimester! It's a bit loose on me now--I could probably fit into a S now. I normally wear this skirt with a black top, but this time decided a white shirt would be lighter and more appropriate for summer. Added the red necklace and bracelet and ballet flats to match the red purse. I didn't want the teal skirt to be lonely though, so I added the turquoise tile bracelet. I have matching red and turquoise ones, and linked them together to make a single big clinky clanky bangle. So, there you go--new outfit! (And bonus DS2 pics!)

Question--do you prefer the shirt untucked or tucked? Thanks for your comments and feedback!

White House Black Market white ruffle button down shirt
Target ponte teal snakeskin skirt
Stuart Weitzman red ballet flats
WHBM red necklace
Tommy Bahama red and turquoise tile bracelets
Chanel red purse

I know we had the discussion about ink blue, and per Angie and Sveta this blue is cobalt not ink blue, but I'm going to keep calling it that because that's the color it was called when I bought the whole ink blue capsule at White House Black Market a couple of years ago.

I've worn this green top and blue pleated skirt together before, but I'm adding another color into the mix with Miss Scarlet. I don't like having non-bookended colors. So I added a red bow belt to match the purse. And the blue dots match the blue skirt, the beige around the blue dots match the nude pumps, and the green and blue bracelet ties in the green top and blue skirt. (The shape of the bracelet beads also echo the polka dots on the blouse). Silver watch and silver purse chain match too, if you want to get technical. Makes my matchy matchy self very happy with the feng shui-ness of the bookending harmony--LOL! Got a lot of compliments on the outfit, especially the skirt, which is very flowy and swishy when I walk--it looks even better in motion. Fun to wear!

Thanks for your comments and feedback!

Anthro Dots Within emerald and blue dot pussy bow blouse
White House Black Market ink blue pleated skirt
Nordstrom red bow belt
Chanel red purse
Easy Spirit nude pumps
Banana Republic Mad Men green and blue bracelet

I've been dying to do a copycat of DD's outfit ever since I bought it for her at H&M: a navy and white striped peplum top, floral jeans, and navy cardigan. I finally found a pair of floral jeans and a striped peplum top that would work, although in a black and white version. And now that we have matching red quilted purses, it's a perfect match! We're both wearing red ballet flats too. So much fun dressing up in matching outfits with DD, my little mini-me. She really liked it too! And as a bonus, I dressed DS1 and DS2 in matching orange striped hoodies too. Even DH matched the boys a bit with his orange jacket! We went to swimming lessons and then to the mall. I went to Nordstrom to try on the Lafayette 148 tweed skirt (you can see it in #5) in a smaller size, but didn't end up getting it because DH called it a loincloth, and then said it looked like one of those office carpets or doormats that you wipe your feet on. He hated it so much I had to let it go. Haha, I concede his point, though!

Black WHBM cardigan, J Crew striped peplum top, WHBM floral pants, Chanel red purse, WHBM silver bracelet, Stuart Weitzman red ballet flats. DD in H&M clothes and Forever 21 red purse. DS1 & DS2 in Tea collection.