goldenpig

Today was crazy. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I was up with DS2 and the kids starting at 6:30 am, fed them breakfast and was starting to get the kids ready. I thought we just had to take DD to ballet at 11:30--then I suddenly remembered at 9:50 that also she had chess class at 10. (She is on the chess team, so the instructor has asked that they attend Sat morning classes this fall, but it conflicts with her ballet class, which she likes because her friends are there, so we are only doing one hour instead of two). DH drove her there--she was 15 min late and the instructor was calling me asking where she was because they were waiting for her. Oops. Came back and we all drove out to pick her up and take her to ballet. Then I got a call from work--where are you, we are all interviewing a new candidate? Oh no, I forgot! Cr@p, I am not dressed for work or to meet a new candidate! Quickly dropped DD off at ballet, then DH drove me to the office, I stayed there for 1/2 hour while he got gas and stayed with the boys in the car. Had to leave early to go pick up DD, then we went to a birthday party...I had forgotten about it until after we left, so I didn't bring the present or dairy-free food for DS (he is allergic). So I just peeled the cheese off the pizza and let him have a doughnut (they had doughnuts instead of cake). I think he is starting to outgrow his allergy so I am letting have a bit of baked-in milk once in a while. DS2 did not really get fed all morning and the boys were in the car for almost 2 hours with all that driving around. Gah! Thank goodness DH let me nap this afternoon while he cooked dinner. I needed it after today!

I was not really happy with my outfit today, for several reasons. Top one being that I would not have chosen it if I knew I was going to work. I just plain forgot. Everyone else was dressed casually too (except the interviewee), but I would have liked to dress a little nicer. Second, DH did not like it. He told me that he really doesn't like it when I wear camo. I didn't realize he had a poison eye for it and asked why. He said it looks cheap and makes me look low-class. Great, now what? I just bought these camo jeans and have worn them twice. But I bought it for MOTG and if he hates it, when would I really wear it? If it was something I really loved, I would fight for it even if he didn't like it and tolerate the teasing (like the H&M floral pants). But I am not so sure these are really my style. Maybe it's too aggressive and tomboy for my style. The denim moto jacket I'm not sure about either--now that I wore it and look at the pics, I feel like it's a little too boxy and strong-shouldered and boyish. It doesn't look as feminine as the white DP jacket or Halogen knit moto. Dang it though...it's too late to return either of them since the tags are off (I did return the rest of the Gap stuff I posted earlier). And I bought this camo Diaper Dude diaper bag several months ago so that DH and I could share it, but since he doesn't like camo he won't use it. I just did not feel super fab today in this outfit--analysis/suggestions welcome!

What should I do? I am not having much luck lately with my recent purchases!
Yay=keep the camo skinnies and wear when DH is not around
Nay=get rid of them, they don't fit with your style and DH hates them

As you know, I've been searching for a replacement for my ink blue snakeskin Mary Jane pumps that I got at White House Black Market. I love them, but they are too high and spiky for me to wear comfortably all day at work. Plus I'm kind of a klutz, so I'm afraid I'm going to trip and twist my ankle while wearing these. I've been searching and searching for a flat or low heeled pair, but struck out with the Jimmy Choo blue snakeskin kitten heels because they were too pointy.

So I kept searching and then found what I thought was the perfect replacement pair of blue snakeskin pumps, from Chie Mihara. The heel is lower and chunkier so the shoes are more stable than the stiletto heel on the WHBM. And they have a double strap to keep the foot in place. The heel is about an inch shorter than the 4 inch WHBM--it's 3 inches, with a 1/2 inch platform, so the equivalent of about a 2.6 inch heel. Plus it is blue with green straps, which is a perfect match my for blue and green outfits! (You know how much I love matchy matchy). I have two pairs of CM's and they have a reputation for comfortable heels. My other Chies are 3 inch heels but relatively comfortable for their heel height, I've worn them all day at work before. So I took a chance and ordered them (this pair was only available at her website and shipped from Spain). I was so excited and couldn't wait to get these!

I am a 7.5, so I wasn't sure whether to get 37.5 or 38. They didn't have a 37.5 so I went with 38. The closed toe MJ pumps I have from Chie are also size 38 (the CM sandals are 37.5). I know it looks like the foot is too small for the shoe because of the gap at the back of the heel, but all my pumps do that. My ankle is skinny compared to my heel. If I size down then it is too tight in the toe box. And by the afternoon even the 38 was getting tight, I guess my feet were getting swollen. At first when I tried them at home, I was like "Great! These are really comfy for heels!" but then as the work day wore on, my feet started hurting--they were rubbing against the sides of shoe at the base of the big toe and pinky. I am so disappointed! I thought these were going to be the perfect pair, but instead they seem like they are also going to be mostly sitting shoes. :( I can't return these, since they were shipped overseas and I've already worn them. But there was no way for me to tell--they seemed comfortable enough at first when I wore them at home. They're still better than the WHBM, so I'm keeping them until I can find a better replacement. I don't understand why they didn't work out--maybe my feet are just getting fussier.

I also ordered a navy and green Kate Spade purse from eBay--I had been
eyeing it previously, but had bought the BR clutch on eBay that matched
my Banana Republic Mad Men dress (it even has the dress print as the
lining of the clutch). However, I always carry too much to fit in a
clutch, so I thought maybe this satchel would be a better size.
Unfortunately when I got it, I realized that the green color is very
bright, almost neon. It totally does not go with my dress or my emerald
blouse. So disappointing! I think I am going to have to re-list on eBay.

Ugh, I am so frustrated! I thought I had it all figured out, but instead I am stuck with two expensive mistakes! And the funny thing is, I got lots of compliments on the dress, but nobody said anything about my shoes. I guess they are just too subtle to notice. I do like how the outfit came out in 1-2, but is it too much to hope that these shoes will soften up and break in?

Thanks for your comments/commiseration!

As I was saying in this thread, I really struggle with capsules. I just can't seem to limit myself to choosing from a small number of pieces and I'm not very good at remixing--I like to work on creating the perfect version of an outfit with just the right accessories and lots of matchy matchy details and themes. But I'm never one to turn down a challenge, especially when Angie nudges me. As she said in my thread, "No one said creating capsules was easy. It takes elbow grease. But worthwhile after you have developed the knack for it...At the end of the day, you have to think about how your wardrobe items relate to each other in order for your wardrobe to function. Wardrobe capsuling is one form of wardrobe discipline - and I believe in wardrobe discipline." So, I decided to take on the challenge and create a capsule out of my closet. I really wanted to make a true capsule where everything could be remixed. I chose to do a casual MOTG capsule, as a lot of my work pieces are dresses and dresses don't really work in remixing capsules. This was tough, because I wanted to keep my love of color and prints, which makes remixing very hard. I think I came up with a decent capsule, although now I realize it looks almost identical to Angie's Fall MOTG capsule (16)...I guess I should have saved myself the trouble! :)

Here are the pieces:
2 jackets--Spiegel draped black leather, Dorothy Perkins white moto
3 shirts--Bobeau jaguar tee, Jason Wu for Target yellow blouse, Banana Republic chambray shirt
3 bottoms--Gap camo Always Skinny, AG red snakeskin skinnies, and Vince Camuto grey lace midi tube skirt
3 sweaters--Trouve black corrugated sweater, Only Mine teal cashmere V neck sweater, and J Crew burgundy ribbed cashmere sweater
2 shoes--OTBT gold booties and Skechers grey wedge sneakers
2 necklaces--Alexis Bittar orange leopard pendant and Tasha silver chunky chain
2 bracelets--WHBM red snakeskin bracelet and Spring Street silver cuff
2 bags--Betsey Johnson burgundy hearts satchel and Michael Kors silver Astor studded satchel

My capsule wearing attempts:
2-3. I swapped out the shirt for this Gama Go Ninja Kitty T shirt because I was wearing it for the Autumn Harvest Moon festival and I wanted to wear the shirt with the moon on it.
4-13. Stuck with the capsule on this one--I brought the leather jacket, but it
was too hot to wear it. I had fun matching DS1 this time--we both wore camo pants! And DS1 and DS2 were in matching shirts. (DD would have had a matching shirt too, but it wouldn't fit over her cast). We were watching the America's Cup races. The US
has totally come from behind--it was 8-1 and New Zealand only needed
one more to win. The US won the next seven races and now it's tied 8-8
and tomorrow is the finish! Here's some pics he took of the boats and a
dolphin in the water.
DH has been going out to the races whenever he has a day off. Tomorrow
he has a day off and is going to watch the final, how exciting!
14. (Pics 13-14 by DS1). I swapped out the necklace because I thought the capsule one was too short for this sweater, and wore black booties instead of the wedge sneakers because my toes were sore.
15. Stuck with the capsule with this one--again too hot to wear the leather jacket.

So, what do you think? This was a lot tougher than I thought! It looks nice when you look at it all together like the first picture, but when I tried to start wearing it, I was immediately chafing at the limitations of the capsule! I found myself wanting to swap out shirts or accessories, and not wanting to wear some of the shirts like the chambray and yellow blouse. I've done four days worth from the capsule and I'm already getting bored! I think doing one of those Vivienne file capsules or 30 day challenges would make me absolutely stir crazy! So, I think it was a good mental exercise and proved that I could actually come up with a capsule, but I think I'll stick to my usual random mood-based methods of outfit selection/perfection and save capsule dressing for when I have to travel and am forced to pack light!

Thanks for your comments!

I got this hot pink and neon orange Muse shift dress from Zulily (final sale so no K/R). I wore it today and I realized that I have turned into my mother! This dress reminds me of the bright and boldly patterned mini shift dresses that my mom used to wear when I was a baby (see 4-5). And now, 40 years later, I'm wearing the same dress! What do you think--groovy or garish? Is it au courant, or avocado refrigerator/harvest gold sofa/orange shag carpet (all of which we had back in the day!)? Fun to be a part of history repeating! I wonder what my daughter will be wearing when she is my age?

Muse psychedelic floral shift dress, White House Black Market pointy black flats, Ralph Lauren black doctor satchel (TJ Maxx), Banana Republic Trina Turk pink bracelet.

Q: What's black and white and red all over?
A1: A newspaper!
A2: GP!

Wore the Okala pony print pumps twice in the last two weeks. They are attention-getters for sure...always lots of comments and compliments on them. I'm finding them a bit hard to style though...I think it's because my outfits are already so pattern-filled and ALGO. Not sure if they were the best choice for these two outfits--what do you think? Do you prefer the Okala or non-Okala version?
1-2. Banana Republic ribbon wrap dress--in #2 I like how the chain necklace and the ribbon strap on the brown Clark pumps echo the pattern on the dress. The Okala is a good color match for the dress, but the pattern isn't as good of a match.
3-4. Waving to Shannon, who wore hot pink and leopard. I had to join in on the Pink Ladies fun! It was triple animal print with the leopard skirt and pendant and pony print Okalas. But is that too much going on? Should I have stuck with plain black flats instead (4)?
5. I liked the Okalas with this urban cowgirl outfit much better, because it fit the theme and matched the pony print shirt. But I can't expect to only wear the shoes when it fits the theme!

I went to return stuff at Nordstrom, and ended up spending almost as much at Gap, LOL! Everything was on sale in store for 30% off (I included prices I paid, in case that sways the decision). I am trying to round out my casual wardrobe. Please let me know what you think of these pieces--thanks in advance!
1-5. Gap camo Always Skinny jeans, $49. These are size 28 (size 6), which is up one size from my blue denim Always Skinny from pre-pregnancy. It's fairly snug, but I think it will loosen up as I wear it. It has three zippers on the front instead of pockets. They are cropped ankle length on me, but I'd mostly wear this with my high top wedge sneakers or booties anyways. If you don't like this one, Banana Republic makes another camo jean that I could try, but it's almost twice as much on the website ($90).
1-5. Ribbed circle-hem T in grey, $24. Hmm, guess this is looking a bit sloppy on me? The overhead lights are casting all kinds of shadows which makes it look worse. I wanted a grey sweatshirt-like top, but maybe this is too thin and loungey.
6-10. Textural raw-edge T, $19. This is a little thicker so it feels like it would work as a stand-alone top, but also thin enough to layer under jackets.
11-15. Blue camo shirtdress, $22. It's pretty baggy and shapeless on its own (15), but a belt creates more waist definition. This is a S, the XS was too tight around the arms. It's a bit short so I'd probably wear it with black capri leggings underneath for MOTG.
16-22. Denim moto jacket, $63. I am really loving this silhouette--now I own the Spiegel leather jacket, black Halogen knit moto, white Dorothy Perkins, and this one all in the draped moto style. Plus, I love the polka dot lining! I do have a cropped AE denim jacket, but that one is shorter and lighter in color.

Thanks a lot for helping me decide!

Just trying to catch up, the last few weeks were really busy. Two casual outfits with a fluid, drapey feel. And DS2 really likes my shoes!

Just a couple of fun pics with my mini-me! Whenever she sees me taking WIW's she wants to jump in the pic with me!
1. Me in stripes, she in dots
2. Me in ocean theme with seahorse necklace and starfish bracelet, sea glass purse, watery print skirt, and aqua shirt and shoes. She happened to be a little mermaid which was perfect!
4. Bonus matchy matchy matchy pic of the kids. I had initially dressed the two boys in a different set of matching clothes and DD cried and said it wasn't fair that she didn't get to match her brothers. So I put them all in matching Tea outfits! DS1 and DS2 will wear the next size up in a couple years, so they'll still be able to match.

Working from home today so I get to be casual! I went with DS1 to his preschool this morning. I'm wearing the Dorothy Perkins white floral jacquard moto that Angie featured in her casual dark MOTG capsule. I'm in the size 6--I ordered a 4 as well and that's on its way to Mo as we speak. I ordered this plum butterfly sweater (it's kind of like a fitted sweatshirt) in 4 and 6 as well--this is the 6 (I probably could have sized up a little if I had known how fitted it was). It's got a pretty butterfly bow detail at the back too. Anyone interested in the size 4? It was 25% off $29, so I'd send it to you for $21.75 plus shipping. Otherwise I'm returning it.

These boyfriend jeans and grey wedge sneakers have become my casual MOTG workhorses!

Dorothy Perkins white jacquard moto jacket
Dorothy Perkins plum butterfly sweater
Kut from the Kloth slim Catherine boyfriend jeans
White House Black Market silver studded belt
Skechers grey wedge sneakers
Michael Kors silver studded Astor satchel (DSW)