to reminisce.

The first outfit of my "lost & forgotten" challenge is with this adorable blazer I bought from J.Crew when I lived in San Francisco. Let me just tell you how much I LOVED the mall in SF- it was so quiet and nice and it smelled good and it had a movie theater on the top floor (I really liked going to movies there, particularly before I had any friends/social life). Best of all, the J.Crew was awesome! It wasn't huge, but it always had the best sale section. I bought some of favorite wardrobe items from that store and wearing one of them always reminds me of strolling about the serene mall, hunting for deals. Memories, memories.

Anyway, this blazer is super cute and I don't know why it's been playing hide and seek from me.

dress: Kate Spade. blazer: J.Crew. belt: Kate Spade. necklace: Kate Spade. shoes that you can't see: Cole Haan. bracelets: DY.

to present the top contenders.

The lucky 5 were pulled from the depths of my closet last night, and I'm so excited to introduce them to daylight! All of them are either brand-new or haven't been worn in a year...I even took the jeans to the tailor and still never wore them! For shame. Stay tuned for 10 different outfits featuring these guys:

dress: More of Me (Yes, it's a maternity dress. No, I don't have something to tell you). top: Target. jeans: J.Brand. tube dress: Susana Monaco. blazer: J.Crew.

to bore you with MORE animal print.

Are you sick of me and my animal print obsession yet?? I'm obviously in the "animal print is the best pattern in the world and I will wear it until I die" camp, and the fences are rather high so I can't see out. I'm counting on you guys for an intervention, if need be. Expect a very long recovery period with copious relapses, though, if it comes to that.

Did I really just say copious? Interesting.

Anyway, here's the night outfit for the animal print pencil skirt I got from J.Crew, with another daytime look. I'm loving the pop of color the teal shoes add, and I felt very sassy with the sky-high black pumps and edgy purse (yes, that is my sassy face).

day: oh it's all effing J.Crew.  

night: tank: BR. skirt: J.Crew. shoes: Calvin Klein c/o Bloomingdale's. bag: Topshop. necklace: BR. bracelets: David Yurman.

and sings a little Leslie Gore.

Leslie Gore is one of my dad's favorite singers, so I grew up singing and dancing to her music (don't ask him about the time he was directed to the "easy listening" section of the music store to find her CD, he's still traumatized). The animal print Zara dress I bought for my day and night challenge screams Leslie Gore to me- it's the ultimate "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to" dress. I loved wearing it with classic black pumps and pearls for day, but I was super excited to put on some sparkly gold heels and jewelry and hit the town. My sister and I had a lot of fun (and a lot of wine) taking these pictures, and I can't wait to wear this adorable number again and again.

 dress: Zara. shoes: Kate Spade. necklace: Kate Spade. bracelets: David Yurman.

for the lost and forgotten.

This blog project has done me a lot of good so far. If you can believe it, I actually haven't been shopping as much as usual and I've worn the things I've bought many more times than I normally would. That being said, my shopping levels still might not be considered "normal" or "acceptable" to people I choose not to associate with for that very reason, so I'm going to try something different this month. Instead of going shopping in a store, I'm going shopping in my closet (ahem, I mean my dressing room. We moved and I have a whole room for my clothes and accessories now. Happy, indulged girl). I'm going to choose 5 different items that I either haven't worn in 3+ months or haven't worn EVER, and make myself wear each thing at least twice in the next two weeks, starting Monday, August 29. I am allowed to pair them with anything else from my closet, must be somewhat reasonable about these things.

Pictures of the chosen ones to come in the next post.

P.S. My blog shopping budget that I'm "saving" this month will end up in J.Crew's bank. I know it will. I'm just putting it out there so I don't feel so bad about it when it happens.

and is forgetful.

Remember my mixing patterns project? Turns out I totally forgot to post the other outfit I bought for this challenge...old age hits fast, and it hits hard.

I've actually worn this outfit quite a few times in the past couple of months- both pieces are so comfortable, easy to pull on and easy to pack (a must for all of the weekend trips I've been taking). It was a no-brainer to throw this in my suitcase for my visit to NYC to see my lovely sister (seester!!!!) this past weekend.

Photos are compliments of said lovely sister, taken on the rooftop of her Brooklyn apartment building. Thanks and love you Erins!

 

 shirt: J.Crew outlet. skirt: J.Crew outlet. sandals: Steve Madden c/o Nordstrom. bracelets: David Yurman.

for dinner & a movie.

The hubs and I went to see "Crazy, Stupid, Love" on Friday night, which was hilarious and highly entertaining. Also Ryan Gosling takes his shirt off, and ladies, you won't be disappointed.

I always get chilly in movie theaters, so I decided to wear the 3/4 sleeve leopard print top from Loft with my J.Brand cargo skinnies (night outfit for this top). The pictures aren't the best quality, I'm sorry! And I posed next to the Glee 3-D poster for a reason...so.freaking.excited.

Yes, I put my feet up on the chair in front of me. Sue me.

top: Ann Taylor Loft. pants: J.Brand c/o Anthropologie. earrings: F21. clutch: Lulu Guinness. shoes: Calvin Klein c/o Piperlime. nail polish: OPI cuckoo for this color.

and trots in her spots & dots.

Rhyming is fun.

I wore this outfit to work last Friday, in celebration (ahem, mourning) of my dear co-worker's last day in the office. I absolutely love this skirt, it's a little longer than my usual look and feels very glam. The polka dots on the shirt are understated, and mixing prints is my new favorite thing. To think, just a few months ago the thought of print and print made me sweat. I topped the look off with some fun jewelry, a red lip and a trusty pair of heels.

P.S. This is my "day" outfit for the skirt, bought for my I-am-obsessed-with-animal-print project. 

top: J.Crew. skirt: J.Crew. necklace: Kate Spade. watch: Marc by Marc Jacobs. bracelets: David Yurman & F21. shoes: J.Crew.

and acts like a lady.

Here's my day outfit for that adorable animal print dress from Zara. The girly shape was something different for me, and I can't wait to transition this number to fall (tights and booties anyone??)

dress: Zara. belt: taken from a Kate Spade dress. necklace: F21. earrings: J.Crew. headband: J.Crew. shoes: Cole Haan.

in her traveling shirt.

The last time I wore this shirt, I was en route to Napa for three days of perfect weather, amazing food and all the wine I could drink with that husband of mine. This time I'm in a parking garage. Hmph, life is cruel.

top: Lilly Pulitzer. necklace: H&M. jeans: Seven. sandals: Steve Madden. bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Thanks to JJ for snapping my picture! Check out her foodie blog here.

in the jungle.

There's one trend that has come back in the past year that has made me a very happy girl...animal print. I fear I'm becoming a little obsessed, but I just couldn't resist doing my next blog project around my favorite print (stripes- you are a very close second, don't worry).

I took a little "mental health day" from work last Thursday, and improving my mental health naturally involves shopping. I found an adorable dress from Zara, a blouse from Loft and a pencil skirt from J.Crew- all fabulous and all in animal print. I decided I should do a day and night outfit for each piece, so get ready for six jungle friendly ensembles!

My budget was $270 this month, and I spent a little over $300 ($175 for the dress, $100 for the skirt and $40 on the shirt). Rounding error.