I Miss Isaac

I don’t recall the last time I got SO MANY compliments on my dress. Which is funny because it sort of photographs “blah”.



Both the dress and shoes are Isaac Mizrahi for Target. I really miss his stuff. Sure, a lot of it was more "ladies who lunch" than is typically my style but some of it was greatness. I got this dress last year for my brother’s Rehearsal Dinner and I thought it was perfect. The cotton is SO light and the fit is very flattering.



I’m not typically a pink girl, but the pattern on this dress is really spectacular and I love the way the colors all go together.



It’s basically the same cut in the front and the back, which seems odd, but works for the dress.





These sandals were one of my best buys last summer.



The bronze color is perfect for both gold and silver accessories, it’s not over the top. I also love the texture of them. AND they are super comfortable. Target.com called them gladiators but I think they are more of a plain old sandal. Regardless, beautiful and function. (And Alannah, it's gun metal grey polish! It's Essie, but I forgot to see what color. What makes it look strange is that I start with a DEEP purple by L'Oreal that is one of those "one coat" things with the giant wide brush, because I am lazy and that makes for fewer coats of grey.)



Yay!~ I made the key necklace of course, but I found all of the chains at a thrift store for less than 3 bucks each. Some of them were only 99 cents!~ As soon as I saw them I was reminded of Sal’s tutorial video which I don’t remember in full, but I do remember coming away with the idea that I could get a statement necklace look by buying at the thrift store. It really stuck with me and I never would have even thought to look I don’t think, so THANKS Sal.

Dress, Isaac Mizrahi for Target
Sandals, Isaac Mizrahi for Target
Key necklace, http://www.etsy.loveerindesigns.com/
Chains, Thifted

Shark Vertebrae

I love this dress. I want to start by linking the last time I featured it, because Nathan took the pictures (I take 98% of my own pictures, but sometimes I need a little help) and they crack me up, the way he managed to make me look like I have a Jlo behind is priceless.

Dancing Machine

Love it.

No booty shots today!~



I may not wear this to the office again. No one said anything, but I felt like the low cut + the short length were a little much for the office. What can I say? I woke up late and it seemed like a great idea at the time!



I’ll give it this, it’s super flattering. I love the cut and the pockets. I’m a sucker for pockets, and I know a lot of you are too.



That’s one of the new bags I got thrifting Saturday. I wish you could feel the leather. It is SO STURDY. The bag was like 3 bucks. 3 DOLLAS, Yall!~ I was so excited and I just love the bag. The strap is perfect because I can wear it on my shoulder or cross body. Look at the pleating on the corners, so nice.



And the grey is so pretty. Love it.



(That’s not a stain, just a piece of tree that I didn’t see when I was taking the picture.) I love these, and I think they look so much pricier than they were. They suede is nice and the details are just adorable. Plus they are comfortable.

OK, so I know I’ve let things go with the Etsy shop. I have several new designs I’d like to get up there but I just have not had the time. This necklace however, is just about awesome enough to get me motivated.



It’s fish bones. Fish bones!~ The Etsy listing said “shark vertebrae” so it must have been a tiny shark. I just think it looks so organic and fresh.



I know it’s not for everyone (vegetarians and vegans will not be ordering any I suppose) but I just really like it. It’s delicate and pretty and has JUST the right amount of creepy. What do you think?

Parting shot…





Dress, Old Navy
Bag, thrifted
Shoes, Target
Necklace, http://www.loveerindesigns.etsy.com/

Torn Up About It.

So Saturday I went thrifting with my husband and some friends. I’ll be honest, my husband tends to have all of the thrifting luck in our family. I have found a few really nice things, but overall he tends to have the patience to find the really awesome stuff, and I just don’t. But Saturday I had some pretty amazing luck. I found a couple things I’ve been looking for for a while now, a knee length black leather skirt, and some chains for Sal’s layered necklace look. I also got a couple of really great bags. A vintage slouchy grey cross body leather bag that Erin says looks very Marc Jacobs and a vintage black leather bag with bamboo handle and toggle. Plus a great dress.

I wore the dress, chains and grey bag yesterday and was SO excited to take pics and show you my finds. But I stopped to get groceries on the way home and somewhere in there I snagged the dress on something and it got a huge tear all down the middle of the back. I didn’t even notice until I was on my way out the door with the tripod and Nathan asked what had happened. I was devastated and decided not to take pictures. Honestly I wasn’t even going to tell you about it, because I don’t particularly care for discussing the negative online, but I decided to tell you anyway, because I felt like if anyone would understand how sad I was, it was my fellow fashion bloggers. And I am still kinda sad about it. (Not too sad for a punny title though)

And with that, I’ll move on to pics I do have, which are from last Friday.



I love this top. I know a lot of people might think it’s too over the top costume-y, but I love it’s bright colors and forgiving cut.





I got it, and one like it for my BFF Alannah when I was on vacation in Cabo last year. And I love the shirt not only for the way it looks, but also for the memories.

Some details…






Blouse, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – little shop
Denim Leggings, Target
Slingbacks, Old Navy
Bee Earrings, Love Erin Designs (see Etsy widget)

Back for More

(I have been tagged a few times in the past couple weeks and I plan on getting to that as soon as I can but for now, just a quick outfit post! And I am warning you ahead of time, this was one of those days I just happen to like a bunch of shots, and I’m using most of them ;D )




The weather here has been really nice. Warm, but not hot (not by Dallas, TX standards anyway) and sunny. I am always struck by how much harder it becomes to dress for the office in nice, warm weather. In the Winter, you can layer and if the office is hot, lose a sweater or pair of socks. But in the Spring and Summer, it’s often sweltering outside and freezing inside. Most days, I end up wearing a cardigan at some point, which I kind of hate. I don’t want to cover up cute Spring outfits! I want to wear dresses and skirts and short sleeve blouses! I want bare legs and sandals! And I don’t want to be cold. Is it like that everywhere or does your office manage a happy medium between out door and indoors temps?



I compromised with boots this day, because I have already worn this dress several times with a cardigan and I just didn’t want to. I can get away with the boots for a bit more, but in the summer, they will be shelved until at least September, if not October.







I am also going to be resorting to putting my hair up a lot more now! It just gets so hot on my neck when the sun is out. And I always feel more free when it’s up anyway.

Some detail shots…:


I really must get a better shot of these earrings next time!


And I also did not realize I have never taken a detail shot of the brown bird necklace. How did that happen?

Dress, Target
Boots, Matisse
Necklace and earrings, Love Erin Designs

Be Back Soon

I'm just very busy at the moment!~







Dress, reworked vintage
Shoes, Old Navy
earrings, Love Erin Designs

Floral and Snakeskin

I decided to wear this dress unbelted this time because my friend Holly wore it that way on Record Store Day and I thought it looked very casual and comfortable that way.



Pretty much the only time all day I took the cardigan off was when I went for a quick walk in the sunshine on an afternoon break and when I took these pictures. My office is so cold I suspect I’ll be wearing cardigans all summer.





Some people were not on board with the pattern mixing today. I wish you could see the details of how the earrings and the shoes looked a little better in the full outfit pictures. I wasn’t sure at first but in the end I really liked it. I’m going to treat snakeskin as a neutral for a while and see if it works as often as I think it might.





I was worried when I ordered these shoes that the zipper at the heel would be irritating. But they put a little patch of suede in there to keep it from rubbing your foot. Genius!



One more shot of them, not in the grass so you can see them better. Even though the shots in the grass are prettier!




Love Love Love these earrings.



They are Goth enough to be fun, but not too over the top for the office (well, MY office) or my age. Lucinda would hate them. XOXO

Cardigan and dress, Target
Shoes, Victorias Secret
Earrings, http://www.persephoneplus.etsy.com/

A Good Run

I feel like I’ve had a really good run of outfits that made me happy lately. This was another.



It’s basically the same outfit I wore a few days before, but in different colors. Same leggings, same blouse.



The cream color of the blouse is something I would normally avoid, as I am an accident waiting to happen, but when the shape is so perfect, I can make an exception.





It’s not super easy to see, but I’ve got my watch pendant on, I’ve just tucked it in my blouse so that you can see just the chain. I like that for when the watch is overwhelming an outfit, but I don’t want to be without it. I’ve gotten used to having a watch on most days pretty quickly!

I got these shoes at least 2, maybe 3 years ago at Target. The leather still looks really fresh and they are comfortable. It is not always easy to find nice, comfortable leather shoes at discount stores, but it can be done!






I love this bag, the shape is so classic, the color is interesting, it’s a great size and it’s really well made. But on the downside, it’s not coated at all, which means it’s as hard to keep clean as suede. Which means I almost never caryy it, and that's not OK for what I paid. Can I have it treated somehow to keep the color but have it be more of that “sealed” leather I’m used to? Or if that can’t be done, can it be dyed a darker color? I’d love to carry it more.



Blouse, denim leggings and heels; Target
Bag; Hayden-Harnett
Small necklace, www.loveerindesigns.etsy.com
Copper chain, www.finkgifts.etsy.com

Boob Tube to the Rescue

This dress has been sitting in my closet for a while due to the unbelievable plunge in the neckline. I didn’t want to wear a tank because I wanted a clean line. I went to American Apparel to look for a body suit or something and found this boob tube. Worthless on it’s own (as far as I can tell) and not something I would normally feel a need for, it is a perfect summer substitute for a cami. It covers without adding bulk and it stays in place really well.



The dress is made of some sort of man made fabric that may or may not be comfortable when it gets really warm. It’s very silky and soft and has a lot of bounce.



I know a lot of people fear the empire waist, but personally I am a fan. It makes me feel skinny and well proportioned (by which I mean it makes my boobs look big, and I like for my boobs to look big because I grew up so flat chested and frankly, I am still excited just to HAVE my big-girl boobs). And the length on this one is perfect!



Have you noticed the adorable bag yet?



Nathan got it for me at a thrift store, and it really brings home Sal’s post about thrifting current trends.



The shape, color and style of this bag are all trendy right now. I’ve seen a similar bag in Target. And yet this one is vintage Stuart Weitzman, real leather and not fake, and the little gold detail is actual metal mesh, not just cheap fabric ribbon. It's current, classic, well made, and Nathan paid less for it than I would have paid for the cheap version at Target. It is so nice and cute that I admit that when he gave it to me yesterday I built this outfit around it.

These shoes came to me via the Urban Outfitters website. I watched them from the original price point of over $100 until they came down to $30, and then I snatched them up. The heels are solid wood, the footbed is padded leather and the straps are super soft leather. They have aged very gracefully and actually look nicer now than when I bought them!



To top it off, they are comfortable and they make my feet look tiny.


Dress, www.shopruche.com
Red bra tube, American Apparel
Shoes, MIA
Earrings, Target, modified by me
Bag, Stuart Weitzman vintage and thrifted