WIW 2/23 & 2/25: Orangina

Another one of my very favorite purses: Kate Spade orange slice. Makes me smile every time I use it. I liked it so much I cheated and used it twice. I like the first outfit, but I didn't think it was very matchy matchy or creative, so for the second outfit I took inspiration from a poster of one of my other favorite drinks, Orangina. I used the blue, white, orange and yellow colors in my outfit. Also wore lemon slice earrings since I don't have orange ones. And a circle necklace (round like an orange) and bracelet with "orange slice" like crescents on it. And tangerine loafers too. Do you like the citrus theme?

WHBM shirt and bracelet
Kut from the Kloth white jeans
Clarks sandals
Kate Spade orange slice purse

Karen Kane white asymmetric hem blouse
Vince Camuto blue tube skirt
Banana Republic Trina Turk bracelet
Michael Kors tangerine loafers
Kate Spade orange slice purse and lemon slice earrings

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WIW 2/22 & 2/24: Double shot of lime seltzer

Hi all! I had to take a break from handbag month last week, because I was out of town. We went skiing, ice skating and tubing with the kids. They loved it. DS2 loved tubing and kept saying "Whee!" all the way down. DS1 learned how to ice skate for the first time. And 8 year old DD and 5 year old DS1 are skiing black diamonds already--they are way better than their parents! They were even going down full tilt down the ski jumps.  DS2 can't wait to start skiing when he turns 3 next month.

So back to my challenge of trying to wear all of my handbags...These two dresses are very similar, with blue and green and white bubbles. They remind me of my favorite drink...lime seltzer water. Both also have keyhole necklines. I like them both though, so they're both staying. The first one I got at TJ Maxx for 20 bucks...I get compliments on it every time I wear it. The second one is a Mad Men Banana Republic dress...people like that one a lot too. I bought a matching BR clutch and bracelet to go with the dress. However, clutches are nearly useless for me...I can never fit everything I need in it. So I bought a green and blue satchel from Kate Spade on eBay that works nicely. I can't seem to get rid of the clutch though...it matches the dress exactly and I'm a total sucker for matching accessories.

When I picked DD up from school she had a pretty "ribbon" in her ponytail. Upon closer inspection I discovered she had placed a Kleenex tissue in her hair to look like a ribbon. Very cute and creative!

WHBM blue cardigan
TJ Maxx dress
Clarks pumps
BR bracelet
Kate Spade satchel

BR Mad Men dress, clutch & bracelet
Ugg sandals

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WIW 2/9 Orange bag upgrade: MZ Wallace to Hermes

Guilty confession: I told you I was a very bad girl and splurged on a few handbags, which is why I'm not planning to buy any more clothes this year if I can help it, since I've blown my yearly fashion budget. Here is one of them (the most expensive one!). I went to Hermes looking for a Collier de Chien bracelet a couple weeks ago. I met a nice SA and ended up with not one but two bracelets (which you've seen now in my WIWs) and then she also showed me some handbags. Well, I fell in love with an orange one that is just gorgeous. It's called the Jypsiere and is a messenger bag designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. It has elements of both the Birkin and Kelly bags (both of which you can't get unless you're a VIP customer and spend lots of $$ there before they'll even offer you one). After I went home, I started wondering if I should bring it back, because I already have an orange MZ Wallace. I've used the heck out of it as a diaper bag, and I was worried it was an unnecessary duplication. But I didn't realize how dirty and beat up it's gotten till I pulled it out to take a comparison pic. I brought the Hermes bag back to the store to see if there were any alternative bags I liked better (unfortunately no returns allowed, only exchanges!). I tried a bunch of other bags, but in the end this one was the best fit for me both style and color wise. So I decided to keep it. Hopefully these two orange bags are different enough that I can justify keeping both? Since I've used my old orange bag a ton, I'm sure I'll get lots of use out of this new one too! I'll still keep the old one for excursions with the kids (it fits a lot more and has lots of compartments), but use the new one for work and fancier events. Oh, and when I went back to do the possible return, my SA surprised me with a wallet that she saved for me because she thought it would be perfect for me. It's a gorgeous blue Kelly wallet. And I also ended up with a scarf that matches both the bag and wallet. This store is super dangerous for my wallet...I need to stop visiting there! Hope you all don't think I was foolish to buy such an expensive bag...I'll keep it forever and my daughter is already asking if she can inherit it!

I'll do a proper WIW with my new bag later this month! Super excited!


Halogen floral sweater, Jolt navy peacoat
Kut from the Kloth white bootcut jeans
WHBM silver bracelet
Clarks sandals
MZ Wallace Tribeca
Hermes Jyspiere 31 Orange Poppy
Hermes Kelly wallet Colvert

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WIW 2/12: Valentine's hearts and a big surprise

If there's something I love almost as much as matchy matchy it's theme dressing. I was volunteering for DD's Valentine's Day party in her class. So I had to use my burgundy patent heart satchel and my heart necklace! And wore my burgundy patent boots to match. I wore a Missoni scarf...do you remember the Missoni turquoise poncho? I loved it so much I got the purple Missoni poncho too, but then I realized it would be too much to have two Missoni ponchos so I exchanged the purple poncho for the purple scarf instead. I brought mugs for the kids to paint as the party craft. It turned out super cute!

OK and now for the big surprise...I went to get my hair cut and my stylist wanted to do something new and lighter with my hair for spring...she convinced me to let her cut my hair short! What do you think? I'm kind of in shock! DH always likes my hair long. I can always grow it out, but it's kind of fun to change things up once in a while!

Leith burgundy cardigan
Missoni scarf
Vince purple tee
AG jeans
Aquatalia burgundy patent boots
Betsey Johnson burgundy patent satchel
H&M triple heart necklace
Gold bracelet from Mom

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WIW 2/10-2/11: Chevron and Circus stripes

More outfit-bag matchy matchy fun! Now you know why I have so many handbags! I love it when my bag matches my outfit exactly, especially when I got them all at separate places/times!

Chevron (love the black/neutral stripe mix in the outfit and bag)
Classiques Entier chevron striped dress
Vince oatmeal cardigan
Hermes Kelly double tour bracelet
Christian Dior chevron necklace (super old!)
Fossil chevron satchel
Missoni for Target pumps--these are so matchy matchy to this dress that I can't get rid of them, but they killed my feet, so after a few hours I swapped into my Ugg black lace up flats. Which still echo the chevron pattern so I'm happy. My tolerance for heels is much lower now that I have edgy but comfy flats.

Circus stripes:
Target zip shirt
Halogen striped skirt (got so many compliments on this!)
Brahmin striped satchel
Munro Abby striped black sandals
Kate Spade black and white striped bracelet

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WIW 2/8: Ms. Scarlet and Mr. Milo for Lunar New Year

Happy New Year of the Monkey! I wore red for the occasion which means Ms. Scarlet had a turn to come and play. I was volunteering in DS1's classroom for their Lunar New Year party so I wore my koi blouse and DS1 wore a dragon shirt. I wore red pumps for work but swapped into ballet flats for the classroom. Later I changed for MOTG into a casual red cardigan with jeans and Target T shirt. Couldn't resist the matchy matchy Jason Wu for Target Milo T shirt and tote bag. Mixing high and low with my new red Hermes Collier de Chien ("dog collar") bracelet for a fun "cat and dog" theme! 

Zara koi blouse, Vince Camuto red tube skirt, DSW pumps, Stuart Weitzmann red ballet flats, WHBM red necklace and bracelet, Chanel French Riviera bag.

Macy's INC red cardigan, Jason Wu for Target Milo T shirt and tote bag, AG jeans, red Converse, Hermes CDC bracelet

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WIW 2/7: Totoro and Tokidoki

Sorry I've been busy this week, so I'm trying to catch up on my WIW photos! Continuing on with Handbag Month, with a different handbag each day. This is just loungewear and exercise gear, but it still can be fun! I bought this Totoro sweatshirt and backpack from Hot Topic (at the same time as the R2D2 purse), but when DD saw the backpack she claimed it for herself, so I didn't really get to use this. Hence I used my Tokidoki diaper bag as my purse instead. DH hates these baggy pajama jeans (he thinks I should wear something more form-fitting), but I love them, they're so comfortable. Slightly more fashion forward than sweats. Bonus outfit with my workout gear and matching purple Nike gym bag. DS2 wanted to hold my hand so he gets a cameo.

Totoro sweatshirt and backpack (Hot Topic)
Rag & Bone pajama jeans
Jujube Tokidoki bag
Zella jacket and capri pants
Asics sneakers x2

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WIW 2/6 All out Equestrian: Plaid, Cape, Riding Boots, Leather Bracelet & Map Bag

I love it when Angie posts ensembles because it makes it so fun to shop my closet and come up with a new combination I hadn't even thought of before! I haven't ever tried this black plaid shirt with white jeans before because I thought it would be too high contrast, but it seems to work! I went all out for the equestrian theme, since I love themed details...my motto (coined by Mary) is "Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess"!). So to go with the plaid shirt (which has pink stripes) I pulled out my burgundy cape. At the time I bought it, I had just bought a purple cocoon coat from AllSaints (see finds below), and I wasn't sure if I should keep both since they were pretty much the same color. I decided they both would work since they had totally different vibes and I thought they would go well with the two sides of my personality (one more conventionally pretty, one a bit edgier). I'm glad I kept the cape though. A riding cape is the perfect topper for this outfit. Initially I was going to wear the burgundy patent boots and satchel with this outfit, but I think these touches of brown work better with the outfit and with the theme. I used my Frye lace up boots, and the lovely map bag given to me by the lovely Rae...one of my luckiest Style Exchange prizes ever. I treasure it as much as my Chanel...thanks Rae! It feels very Pony Express. Every equestrienne needs a map to see where she wants to roam next, right? Finally, the debut of a new treasure...a Hermes black leather bracelet with rose gold turnlock. Since Hermes is known for their leather goods and initially made saddles, I thought this would work well for the theme. I paired it with a rose gold necklace to complete the outfit. I love the double wrap of the bracelet and the fun lock. It feels super luxurious to wear this and I think this (unfortunately for my wallet) may not be the last of my purchases there...

Hope you like the outfit, and thanks as always Angie for the inspiration!

Helene Berman burgundy cape
Equipment plaid shirt
Kut from the Kloth Diana skinny jeans
Frye Melissa brown lace up boots
Map Bag c/o Rae
Hermes Kelly Double Tour black Epsom leather bracelet with Rose Gold
Stella and Dot rose gold necklace

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WIW 2/4-5 Handbag Month: Warm drapey casual x2 and workhorse tote

A couple more casual looks, one for preschool class Mom's night out and the other to work today. When it's cold I just want to wear soft and warm drapey stuff.

I am starting to miss the handbags I already used for this challenge, since I said I would use a new one each day! I was already having withdrawals from my black studded satchel. I used this plainer Ralph Lauren black satchel that I originally bought at TJ Maxx instead. It hasn't been used in a long time because I usually prefer the edginess of the studded satchel. I don't want to get rid of it because I love the classic style and it reminds me of a doctor's bag. But I would almost never choose it over the studded satchel. Hmmm...

I also use this metallic gold tote a lot and I'm going to miss it the rest of the month! I'll just have to get more creative with my outfits! Funny how I have so many handbags, yet some of them like the black Michael Kors and this Longchamp gold tote are real workhorses I use over and over (the tote even has tiny horses all over it, LOL!).

1-3. Vince oatmeal cardigan, Vince space blue T, Halogen infinity scarf, Vigoss destroyed jeans, OTBT gold booties, Longchamp gold tote, Stella and Dot gold bracelet.

4-5. Eileen Fisher poncho, Vince Camuto moto leggings, Ugg black boots, Ralph Lauren black bag.

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WIW 2/3-4 Handbag Month: Origami sheath & clutch x2 (cobalt/peacock & poppy/turquoise)

Here is another pair of outfits from Handbag Month...I am trying to use a different handbag each day this month.

My love of matchy matchy extends to creating an outfit and then wearing an exact replication of the formula in different colors. Patterned handbags are kind of hard for me to wear because most of the time my clothes already have patterns. I have a cool peacock clutch I would love to use more, but iif I want to use this clutch it works better to wear a solid color. I have two very similar dresses. One is the J Crew "Origami" sheath dress in orange poppy, and the other is a Cynthia Steffe cobalt sheath with a very similar asymmetric neckline. I got lots of compliments on both dresses on the color and style. No necklace to compete with the interesting neckline, so wore a bracelet instead. And started out in pumps, but quickly swapped to flats for comfort. I am so used to having comfortable feet that I want to stay in flats all day, even though I love the way that the heels look with the outfit!

1-4. Cynthia Steffe cobalt dress, Aldo peacock clutch, WHBM blue gem bracelet, Chie Mihara blue/green snakeskin pumps, Ugg Izabel blue snake lace up ballet flats.

5-10. J Crew origami dress in orange poppy, Kate Spade High Line Leica turquoise jewel clutch, Tommy Bahama turquoise bracelet (kind of echoes the purse), Kate Spade turquoise pumps, Tory Burch turquoise ballet flats.

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