Saying Farewell To the Dress

This is another shift dress I picked up solely because of the pattern. It's also one of those dresses that I bought to wear to a couple of  fall and winter events, but have recently incorporated into my work wear rotation. The banded boat neck collar and pops of navy make it easy to pair with a blazer. Like many of JCrew's pretty patterned dresses, it did not come in Tall and was too short off the rack, so I did let the hem entirely out which gave me another two plus inches (a ribbon on inside of the dress allows for the finished hemline).

I've had this dress a year and a half or maybe a little more. And I've gotten some good use out of it;  it's by no means on heavy rotation. But, its days as a dress are over. 

The first time I ever wore this dress was to a friend's bridal shower and I ended up ripping the right sleeve with my engagement ring. Go figure. Fortunately, it tore along the seem so I had a tailor repair it (and take in the other sleeve because I didn't want one fat arm and one skinny arm - these are the things I worry about and I always thought the arms were a little wide). 

Well, I wore this dress yesterday to work. In the late afternoon, I realized I had a huge rip in the back, just below my butt. Thank goodness it's lined with a grey slip. I'm not sure what I would have done if it wasn't. It would have been quite the show. I have no idea how it happened, but it's ripped. Badly. So, I think I'll be taking this one to the tailor (for the third time now) to be made into a shirt. I'm sad to see the dress go, but I'm happy I'll be able to hold onto the print. For a little bit longer anyways. 

Dress: old, similar here | Blazer: here | Necklace: here | Shoes: old, similar here

Mixed Feelings

I have to say, my hair in the above picture made me laugh out loud, so I thought I'd share it with you. I figured you could use a good laugh on a Monday morning. Bloopers happen. And I like to keep things real, so there you have it! The windblown look is not my thing. #shorthair

I have mixed feelings about fall. I've said it before. So please excuse me while I say it again: I love fall, but I hate that it brings winter. 

When dressing for fall, I tend to wear my mixed emotions. Sometimes I can't help but pull on the layers and jewel toned colors. Other days, I'm holding onto summer with everything I've got. This outfit reflects my attempt to hold onto summer. Who says you can't wear bright colors in cooler temperatures?

I love that it allows me to bring color to dreary or cool days. It reminds me of summer. But, it's very practical for fall (and yes, winter) because of its thicker fabric. It's a Target blazer, and every year they seem to offer different colors and patterns, so it's definitely something to keep your eye out for. It's not the cotton twill I've worn a few times before, it's more of a wool fabric. See it in camel here.

I love peplum. Well, that might be an understatement. I'm kind of obsessed with it. I would own more. A lot more. But for some reason, finding peplum is hard, really hard when you're tall. I don't know what the peplum fashion gods have against tall people. So, when I found this peplum in Tall from The Limited, I had to get it. I find that it runs a little big, so I took my smaller size. It's still available in black (linked below) and it's on sale. Pictures of the back are compliments of my husband, he really appreciated the varying fabrics (suiting-like material for font and peplum with a knit back).

Blazer: old, similar here, here, and here | Shirt: here | Pants: here | Necklace: old, similar here and here | Shoes: old, similar here

Fall Favorites

New arrivals at The Limited and Loft are on sale, so I've rounded up some of my favorites. If you don't catch these on promotion this go round, I'm sure there will be another opportunity. 

Floral dresses in fall colors are calling my name. As you know, I'm a sucker for dresses. And these are just too good!

This one is available in Tall from The Limited.

Dresses with sleeves are hard to come by and I'm loving the pattern, colors, and keyhole detail.

Or, this more casual one from Loft.

Throw on a cardigan or blazer and it will work for your work day and weekend. 

I'm also really excited about these floral joggers. I haven't jumped on the jogger bandwagon as of yet because I haven't found a pair in a pattern I like that didn't have the elastic sweat pant like ankle openings. But, this pattern is just too pretty to pass up. And they're cuffed. Cuffed pants are my jam.

And while we're on the subject of pants, I tried these on in store the other day, but I didn't pull the trigger because they were full priced. I found they run a little small in the legs, but they are stretchy and super soft. Unbelievably soft. They're a great casual Friday option for work if your office doesn't do jeans day on Friday, or if you have to pay to wear jeans and you'd prefer not to do that. 

I usually buy regular length skinny pants because I like for them to fall above my ankle (like pictured below), especially I plan on pairing them with booties.

I'm sure you've heard, flare jeans are back. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the plus side, they're easier to wear with booties in the depth of winter when thick socks are mandatory and bare ankles aren't an option. I'm looking forward to giving these a try. I'll let you what I think.

And no fall wardrobe is complete without the perfect pair of booties. I bought a black pair of Toms desert booties in black several years ago, and I've gotten a lot of wear out of them. A LOT. And last year I started the search of a pair of tan or lighter color. It's been quite the search. I started it again this year during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. And three pairs in this year, I finally found the perfect neutral bootie. I find Sam Edelman generally runs narrow which is perfect for me because I have very narrow feet.

I got them in "putty suede" pictured above. But they also come in black, navy, grey, and leopard and black calf hair.

What's on you wishlist? Is your online shopping cart full. Please say so, because mine is!

Motivation

Comfort is always a priority for me, but it's the most important factor for me when it comes to activewear. I'm always on the look out for affordable, comfortable work out clothes that perform well both in cycle class and the yoga studio. I prefer for my gear to do double duty which means I ask a lot of my tops. 

When selecting a work out top, I go for a tank top, especially for yoga (no matter the season) because I find them less restricting. I want a top that's long, fitted but not tight, and doesn't end up drenched by the time class is over. A fun pattern that goes with several colors is a bonus! Work out clothes that are cute, comfortable, and practical help motivate me.

As for my pants, I prefer capris for both yoga and cycle. And I mean true capris, not the pants that come down just below my knee (either because they're designed to or because their not tall friendly). In the winter, I  do transition to ankle length workout leggings. 

This top comes in many different colors and prints, so it's practical and fun for my early morning workout routine. It's long and fitted enough that it's appropriate in yoga during donward facing dog. It also does well in spin class - and I don't leave pealing it off my skin.  

I own these pants in three different colors, and they are my go to capri. They are thick (read: not see-through), plenty stretchy, and come to just below my belly button which is a new requirement for me since lower sitting leggings create a muffin top. Not fair. 

Tank top: here | Pants: here

A Splash of Olive

Fall made a brief appearance here in DC last week, but summer has since returned. I have to admit, I enjoyed breaking out a few of my fall favorites. As we begin the transition, I find it difficult to dress for the office. Fall makes wearing dresses a little trickier - at some point the temperatures dip low enough that bare legs aren't an option, but it's still too warm for tights. 

One of my favorite ways to transition my work dresses it to pair them with a mid-weight scarf with fall colors. 

I picked this scarf up last year because of the hints of olive and mustard, which are some of my favorite fall colors. Lucky for me, olive is going to be one of this season's premiere colors. 

I hope everyone had great weekend; we really enjoyed the long weekend. We even got in a hike with the in-laws which finally convinced me to do an activewear post, so stay tuned this week.

Dress: old, similar here and here | Scarf: old, similar here and here | Shoes: old, similar here

Pearls + Sneakers

I've shared my obsession with pearls here before and how I wear this necklace regularly. I don't do super casual very well, but since moving to DC, I've been forced to make some practical footwear decisions. Normally, I'd be inclined to wear flats or sandals with this dress, but those don't offer long term comfort for lots of walking. So, I've integrated these Converse slip on tennis shoes into my more casual weekend outfits. And, I have to say I love the look and comfort.

Although pearls and tennis shoes may not be the most obvious combination, I think it allows me to stay in my comfort zone while dressing for the reality that I often do a lot of walking on the weekends. They're also super easy to slip on when walking the dog which is a plus. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful, long weekend!

Dress: here | Jacket: Here | Shoes: here | Necklace: here

All About This Shirt

 

This is hands down my favorite shirt. And, it wasn't meant to be a shirt. It was a drop waist dress from JCrew Factory that I bought on super sale and had made into a shirt. Like I did here. In fact, this was my first go at turning dresses into shirts and it got me hooked on the idea because it turned out so well!

I've worn it during the work week with these and with jeans on casual Friday. I normally pair the shirt with leopard print shoes -- wedges or flats -- but, on Friday night I went with jeans and nude d'Orsay pumps. There's a reason why this blog features work-wear. My casual wear has taken a backseat since I started working and my weekend attire usually consists of gym clothes. So, when I put this outfit together, I was rather pleased with myself and I had to share it. It will be on repeat every weekend through the fall. And that makes me very happy.

Also, since I decided to forgo leopard print shoes, I had to incorporate it in some other way, so I pulled out this leopard cuff bracelet I picked up years ago at Banana Republic. 

Shirt: similar here, here, and here | Jeans: Joe's from Marshall's | Shoes: old, similar here | Bracelet: old, but almost identical here (and great for stacking since it's thinner) | Necklace: here.