WIW 3/16 & 3/24 Ebony and Ivory x2: Morse Code and Japanese Floral Lace

I keep coming back to high contrast black and white looks. With all the pattern mixing and matching that I like to do, having a monochrome palette helps make it less ALGO and easier to do matchy matchy.

Morse code theme: dots and dashes (stripes). The shoes and purse look like they were part of a set with the polka dots and ivory snakeskin on both! How fun is that?!

Target zip shirt (CPW must be pennies by now!)
Halogen striped skirt
Michael Michael Kors "Dotty" satchel
All Black fish bow pumps

Japanese Floral Lace. I usually pair this purse and laptop sleeve with the exact match Kate Spade dress, but this DVF lace sweater and lace skirt seem to go quite nicely with the Japanese floral print too! The sweater reminds me of a Rorschach ink blot.

DVF lace sweater
DVF lace pencil skirt
Ugg black lace up ballet flats
Kate Spade Japanese floral purse and laptop sleeve

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WIW 3/25-26: H&M & Hermes

Remember the H&M floral pants? I remember when I first got it a few years ago Angie suggested I shorten them to capris, but I'm glad I was too lazy to do it...now ankle crop pants are in style! DH calls them my "clown pants", but he and I were both working today (in different places), so I didn't have to worry about hurting his eyes, LOL! Love the matchy matchy of the orange loafers with my new orange Hermes bag. And the triangle necklace with the V neck.

Karen Kane white blouse
H&M floral ankle crop pants
Banana Republic outlet necklace
Banana Republic Trina Turk bracelet
Michael Kors orange loafers
Hermes Jypsiere orange bag

Another outfit with an old H&M pink cardigan. And an old skirt I bought at the hospital gift shop. The necklace and bag both go with the black and white filigree pattern of the skirt. Maybe not the greatest fitting outfit (cardigan is too tight because of weight gain), but it was comfy enough for work.

H&M cardigan
Black Tommy Bahama tank
Soybu skirt
Kate Spade floral bag
Ugg black lace up ballet flats
Alexis Bittar necklace, WHBM bracelet

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WIW 3/23 Pajama Party: Put A Bird On It (hypermatchy)

This is pajama party lite (sorry, no slip dresses or piped pajamas) but this dress did kind of remind me of a nightgown with the silky fabrication and bird print. I used to wear a pair of blue and white floral elastic waist palazzo pants all the time in the 90's and this print kind of reminds me of my favorite pants.

True to pajama party style with waking up with bedhead w/ cowlicks and going to bed with my slippers. I also tried the fit and flare version of this print, but that one was in a stiffer fabric and I couldn't even get it over my head. So I went with this silky sack dress instead. But added the belt to make it more work appropriate and flattering.

Pretty much dressed head to to in Kate Spade, all on sale. And doing my usual hypermatchy with the bird dress, bird belt, bird necklace, bird earrings and bird bracelet. Lots of compliments from staff/patients and even one patient who was seeing one of the other doctors called me over and asked me where I got my dress because she wanted one. Yesterday I went to Kate Spade and returned a bunch of stuff (I went way overboard when I ordered online!). Today I went back because I had returned the mint green ice cream truck clutch, but regretted it and went back to get it back. The SA remembered me from yesterday (bag over head!) but loved my entirely Kate Spade outfit.

The white pumps are an Angie pick and I have several Sam Edelman pumps in the same style and it matches my Kate Spade perforated floral purse and I love the thick ankle straps. However, after wearing it today, realized it's not that comfortable (the edges dig into the side of my big and little toes). Wondering if this is a stiffer fabric than the others. So I switched into white Vans for most of the day including after work for MOTG. Those white sneakers are so dirty though, not sure how best to clean them. So bummed that the white pumps aren't very comfortable. Wondering if maybe I should return them, but I love the style.

Kate Spade winter print shirtdress
Kate Spade kissing birds belt light blue
Kate Spade small Hayden purse light blue and navy
Kate Spade Cold Comforts bird studs, necklace and bracelet.
Sam Edelman Odynna pointy toe pump in white
Vans white sneakers
Spiegel black leather jacket

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WIW 3/9-10 Beetlemania! Maximal matchy matchy

Angie really had my number when she posted about maxmal matchy matchy at Banana Republic. I couldn't resist the floral and insect theme and had to check it out! Couldn't find the daisy print items in store, but came home with a watercolor floral print skirt. This reminds me of the bias cut floral printed skirts from Ann Taylor and Banana Republic that I used to wear all the time in the late 1990's/early 2000's and only finally got rid of after I joined YLF 5 years ago (see 17-20 for the evidence). And now I'm right back where I started, pastels and florals, LOL. Hello Banana Republic floral skirt, nice seeing you again! How do you like the 2016 version? 

I knew the beetle earrings and brooch would be perfect with my beetle print shirt. It's a swarm of insects, between the butterflies, beetles and dragonflies throughout these two outfits. Yes, weird and over the top, but you know me, I can't resist a theme! Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess!

1-8. White House Black Market ink blue jacket
Everlane blush pink sweater
Banana Republic floral skirt
Banana Republic silver lace up flats (could not resist these--perfect for spring!)
Stella and Dot How Does She Do It blue ikat bag (doing a little pattern mixing with the skirt!)
Kate Spade butterfly necklace
Tildon dragonfly cuff (silver)

9-16. WHBM ink blue jacket
Tory Burch beetle blouse
Tory Burch skirt
Tory Burch dragonfly pumps
Alexis Bittar dragonfly necklace
Banana Republic beetle brooch & earrings
Tildon dragonfly cuff (gold)
Kate Spade High Line Leica clutch (yes I used this already this month but I'm running out of purses and it went best with this outfit)

17-20. 90's flashback! YLF newbie WIWs, circa 2011. Hopefully my style has evolved somewhat, but I still haven't changed my love of prints and delicate floral skirts!

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WIW 3/7-8: Kate Spade trench and Burberry bag, two versions

Remember that Burberry bag you all liked? Here it is! Breaking my different bag each day rule for handbag month to show two outfit versions, one dressed up for work and one dressed down for MOTG. (I dropped DD off at her first trip away from home...she's staying two nights at an outdoor ranch with her 3rd grade class! Sniff sniff...my baby is growing up!) Pairing it with my Kate Spade trench coat that I got a few years ago on sale at 50% off. I hardly ever wear this, because I'm worried that beige is not my color. Brown/camel/beige is so tricky for me! I almost always reach for my black Kate Spade or my red corset trench instead. Also I've gained a few pounds in the last couple years, so I just realized I can't really button it up comfortably anymore. Ugh! I guess I'll just wear it open then...

Also wearing an uncharacteristic pastel pink sweater. I always felt like I couldn't wear pastels either, but I really wanted a blush pink sweater so I bought this last year. The lighting is pretty uneven in my bathroom shots, so I'm including some dressing room pics too. Do you think the beige and pink colors look OK with my skin tone? Hoping that mixing it with my usual burgundy and black makes it better. The second outfit is very simple and classic, but somehow it felt more me than the classic pinstripe shirt outfit that felt rather conservative. DH loved that one, and he also complimented me on this trench coat when I wore this second outfit. I guess he loves simple and classic! And then I realized I don't have to go over the top matchy/ALGO all the time to still feel like me...I can do the more minimal "a little less going on" looks too. Simplicity is refreshing!

1-5. Kate Spade Topliner trench
Everlane blush pink cashmere sweater
H&M rose and plum plaid skirt
Aquatalia Vavoom burgundy patent boots
White House Black Market burgundy/cream bracelet
Burberry mahogany red medium Banner tote

6-12. Kate Spade Topliner trench
Karen Kane black blouse
AG jeans
TImberland Glastonbury sneakers
Halston necklace
White House Black Market silver bracelet
Burberry tote

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WIW 3/2-6: Bumblebee, Pumpkin, Lemon, Turtle

I've worn these outfits before, but still working through my handbag collection, so going with the tried and true! If it's not broke don't fix it!

1-3. Lafayette 148 black silk tank
ASOS black and yellow chevron stripe skirt
Madewell chevron stripe necklace
Kate Spade black and white zigzag stripe bracelet
Dooney & Bourke yellow satchel
Ugg black lace up ballet flats (ankle straps echo the chevron pattern)

4-5. Free People pumpkin poncho
Vince tee
J Brand jeans
H&M bracelet
Frye cognac lace up boots
Fossil floral satchel

6-8. Kate Spade lemon silk sweatshirt
Kate Spade white pants
Kate Spade lemon earrings
Kate Spade lemon tote
Vans white sneakers

9-10. I know I already used this purse earlier this month, but DS2 was having his 3rd birthday party with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme so I wanted to dress in green. Wore a turtle necklace to match the theme. He had a blast and was running and bouncing around in his turtle costume the entire time!

Ann Taylor Loft floral shirt and green sweater, AG jeans, Kate Spade purse, Hawaiian turtle necklace, yellow Converse sneakers

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WIW 3/1: Northern Lights and Polar Bear

Which of these 4 purses do you like best with this outfit? Just curious! 

This necklace and bracelet are called Northern Lights, and the skirt also reminds me of Northern Lights. It's still a little cold in the morning so this short sleeve sweater seems perfect for Bay Area early spring. And what better bag to go with the Northern Lights theme than a cute fuzzy polar bear? I had several Kate Spade bags in my online shopping cart and I asked DD and DS which one they liked best and they both agreed this one was the best. I can tell it's going to be a fight between me and my kids who gets to carry this purse! It's so soft, I can't stop petting it. It's like carrying a stuffed animal around with me. So when it happened to go on sale, I jumped! So much cuteness. It even has a fish as the zipper pull and a furry tail on the back. And I bought the matching keychain, with a polar bear on an ice floe. But...true confession, this bag didn't arrive until after I got home. And it's a little small to be practical for work. So I still am going to wear this again another day. (There's another clutch in the finds that's totally adorable too--see through resin to look like ice, with a polar bear on top!)

I actually wore the tote in 5-7 to the hospital this morning...wasn't quite happy with the bag choice (wasn't sure if it went with the outfit), but I thought I had already used this silver satchel this month. Turns out I hadn't, so I took some pics with the silver satchel too. And a sneak peek of one of my new purses for this year. DH had said I could buy another Chanel this year (my first one was three years ago). I'm really excited about using this in outfits. But I can't carry this teeny Chanel around with me on rounds at the hospital, so this will have to wait for another day! I'll tell you more about it next time!

Classiques Entier teal sweater
Anthro skirt
Tory Burch ballet flats
Kate Spade polar bear cross body 
Chloe and Isabel Northern Lights necklace & bracelet

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WIW 2/26 & 2/28: Plain Pinstripes & Polka Dots

I thought this first outfit was a bit plain and maybe a little less "me" than usual, but my husband really liked it and kept complimenting me on it, especially the shirt. Go figure! Whenever I wear plain black fitted turtlenecks or a plain red or plain blue button down shirts he loves it! I think boring, he thinks classic and stylish. He hates a lot of bold or busy patterns and isn't into edgy stuff (he was an Eagle Scout, if that means anything) so we're somewhat at odds with our tastes--he's a lot more conservative and simple in his tastes compared to me.

I did manage to do matchy matchy with the glasses necklace and my glasses, and the leather strap on the bracelet matching the straps on the Ugg flats and the contrast trim on the Jason Wu for Target straw purse. But I felt like the second outfit was a lot more "me". I so love finding exactly matchy matchy pieces that aren't even from the same source. I bought the Vince Camuto big black polka dot skirt first, and when I saw the Kate Spade big black polka dot diaper bag I knew I had to have it! This Target black zippered shirt is one of my core workhorse pieces, just like my black studded purse and black Ugg moto boots. This is one of the few pieces in my large wardrobe that is probably down to pennies in CPW by now. So Helmut Lang-ish. I even bought the Helmut Lang Villous sweatshirt, but I end up reaching for this Target version way more often! I just change out the skirt and purse...my Target shirt plus random skirt plus moto boots and black satchel has become a FFBO for me. What do you think of these two outfits, and is one more "me" than the other, or are they just my regular and shadow style?

Banana Republic blue pinstripe shirt
Diane von Furstenberg navy lace pencil skirt
Ugg Izabel blue lace up ballet flats
Kate Spade eyeglass necklace
Hermes Kelly Double Tour bracelet
Jason Wu for Target purse

Target black zip shirt
Vince Camuto black polka dot skirt
Kate Spade black polka dot diaper bag

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