Descent In To Plaid-ness

I continue to go plaid!

Today was the eve of Christmas Eve and 85% of it was me sitting in traffic and standing in line while I got the last of the grocery shopping done. It was painful. I decided to reward myself at dinner by cracking open a bottle of Blue Christmas Pinot Noir I found at World Market. Anything Elvis is legit in my book and this wine's cork made my day!

Plaid shirt: Modcloth
Tank: Old Navy
Pants: New York & Company
Boots: Lane Bryant
Necklace: Etsy shop I Adorn U
Bracelets: Claire's Boutique
Sunglasses: Old Navy
Beanie: Target

 

Incognito PJs

Every once in awhile you find that outfit that is so comfy, you feel as if you are wearing pajamas. But it is your little secret because you look relatively pulled together. This is that outfit for me. The centerpiece is this cardigan/vest thing-a-ma-jig I bought at Humanité during our girls' weekend in Bryson City. I am not sure how to describe it but I love it. I have layered it over dresses and belted it over jeans but my favorite easy combo is worn over a long sleeved shirt with leggings.

Cardigan/vest thingie: Humanité but I found the green version here on Modcloth
Long sleeved shirt: Kirna Zabete for Target on mad clearance
Leggings: American Eagle
Socks: Target
Boots: American Eagle

The One That Almost Got Away

I saw this dress online on both Modcloth and Ruche. I kind of stalked it. It even made its way in to my cart but I never managed to pull the trigger. Then it sold out. And I was sad.

Luckily, I stumbled across it again, this time in person, while Leather Peacock and I were in Bryson City, NC at the Humanité boutique. The dress was now stalking me. So I succumbed. Gladly. It is the perfect little corporate dress but with a funky print that I really dig.

Dress: Humanité
Shoes: Merona at Target (Not to brag but only $7 on the clearance rack!)
Cardigan: Forever 21

Guys Don't Make Passes At Girls Who Wear Glasses

Sweater: Missoni for Target
T-shirt: American Eagle
Skirt: Modcloth
Shoes: Mudd

I hate wearing glasses. My husband has some weird librarian fetish and thinks they are cute but I can't stand them. One of my contacts was bothering me the other day and I threw it out while driving (and drove with one eye closed all the way home. Like a pirate. Arrrr!) I thought I had another set at home but no such luck. So I am stuck wearing glasses until I can get to the optometrist. This morning's photo shoot (sorry for the indoors shoot but it was still dark when I left) began with me wearing my specs but then vanity quickly took over.

Needing a boost from my four-eyed despair, I dug in to my closet for my favorite piece: my Missoni for Target sweater! This is my "if my house is on fire, this is what I would save first" item. During last year's Missoni craze, I heard how Target stores in the big cities were selling out within minutes. I decided to dedicate my lunch break to a quick Target run. Lucky me: Nobody in my podunk town even knew what Missoni is so there was a decent selection left and I manage to score several items. This sweater takes the cake though. It paired quite nicely with my Clover The Moon skirt from Modcloth. A match made in heaven!

Summer to Fall

As someone who never used to wear dresses, I have, over the past two years or so really gotten into dresses and will use any excuse to wear them. I've acquired several dresses this summer from Francesca's Collections but still want to wear them this fall. For dinner with friends the other night, I paired my new turtleneck with one of my summer dresses for a perfect transition outfit!

Dress: Francescas's Collection
Turtleneck: Victoria's Secret
Belt: Target
Boots: So old, I have no idea where I got them!

An outfit like this makes me ever more giddy for the fall season.

As a complete bonus, while I was out, I found a Choose-Your-Own Adventure Jane Austen novel!!! Can't wait to read it. I LOVED choose your own adventure books growing up!

Showing My Plumage

Lately. I have been spending my weekends caravan-ting between North Carolina, Virginia, and the greater metropolitan Louisville area. I had been dying to give my new peacock feather dress from the Esty shop Sealmaiden a whirl. I've given it two goes in the past two weeks with slight variations and so far am loving it!

First I tried it while out to dinner with friends:

Three quarter pleather jacket, Target.
teal tights, Target.

with these boots from Aldo (see Southern Helle, I own foreskin boots!).

While on a very quick trip home I tried the dress with my go-to leather jacket from Wilson's Leather, gray tights from Target and boots from Payless:

Unfortunately, my mom's cat Gibbs decided he wanted to be in every picture.
Without the jacket:

Doing my best Zoolander pose.
Not sure which style I like better, but I definitely love the dress!

Shop Till You Drink, Part Dos...Equis

Southern Helle and I do spend a good deal of time together shopping and/or drinking. I tend to be very black and white with my opinions about things and need someone to make me take another look at things. My outfit for the pre-stomp shopping trip and the stomp itelf:

About as casual as I get

My peacock bracelet from Modcloth
For the stomp itself, I changed to flats (mark this date in your diary) due to all of the uneven ground and wine imbibing.

At Target I did snag a dress from the new line. I initially didn't like it but took another look at it thanks to Southern Helle and actually really liked it with my hair down.

I can't wait to try it out with my black boots and black leather jacket!

I also grabbed a blazer. I may have to go back and get the teal one as well. I am going to try to put together a look for this with a t shirt, shorts, and high heels.

thank you Southern Helle for an awesome visit. Can't wait to wreak havoc with you (or just wreak havoc on our credit cards) again!

Misc: gray shirt: Victoria's Secret
navy blue shorts: American Eagle
bracelet: Modcloth
sunglasses: Franchesca's Collection
wedges: Jessica Simpson, Dillards.

I Exist (and survived the Tarheel)

As Southern Helle previously mentioned, I recently visited the quaint little Marine macho hamlet of Jacksonville, NC. My first stop? The Tarheel (I first typed Tarhell, i am not sure which is more appropriate) my introduction into country bars. I knew going in that it was a country bar but my stubborn hipster self refused to dress the part of the local species:

Yeah, you could say, I stood out. Not exactly the attire of choice for personas countrias Jacksonvillus.

Headwrap from Three Bird Shop on Etsy. Earrings from Target.

My newly reshod Candies from Kohl's. One of my most favorite, and smallest heels.

Misc: Tanks: Target
Jeans: London Jeans @Victoria's Secret

Yeah, I may not have fit in but I had a great time. Southern Helle is great at getting me out of my comfort zone and showing me a great time. And he may have been in junior high when I joined the Navy, but Mr 21 showed me I still got it.

Shop 'Til You... Drink?

No doubt about it: Leather Peacock and I spend a huge portion of our time together shopping. She is a great sounding board for me and I know that I can count on her (usually brutal) honesty.This last weekend was no exception. Saturday pre-Grape Stomp, we ventured out to find fabric for my latest DIY project. I was having no luck but Leather Peacock suggested checking out the website Spoonflower. Originally I had planned to use a standard toile but, after perusing her suggested website, I settled on a toile that (if you look closely) contains trailer park scenes vice the standard French countryside. See why I keep this girl around? Mission accomplished so we decided to celebrate with some brew and grub at Carolina Ale House. Any excuse for a good beer.

Pre-shopping

My gangsta pose with my bling. Notice my stepdaughter viewing this spectacle from a safe distance on the porch.

Cute little fella, huh? We match!

Tank: Body Central
Shorts: Forever 21
Flip flops: New York & Company
Necklace: Forever 21
Sunglasses: Mudd at Kohl's

Sunday morning rolled around and I badgered Leather Peacock awake (via text and Twitter) so I could drag her to Target. The Shops at Target were debuting four new lines and I had my eye on the women's fashions from Kirna Zabete. But it was not meant to be for me. Oddly enough, Leather Peacock was the one who snatched up a Kirna Zabete dress. Not that I left empty handed...

My only Shops at Target buy of the day. A retro cappuccino mug with Mount Rushmore emblazoned on it from the Curiosity Shoppe. George Washington's bubble says, "What's Up?"

Tweed pants in the color of the moment.

Peplum dress. Thought I would hate this silhouette since I am pretty hippy but turns out to be pretty flattering.

 

Chambray shirt: Aerie for American Eagle

Tank: Mossimo from Target

Boyfriend Chinos: New York & Company

Shoes: Sanuks 












Pop Art Redux

Andy Warhol must be doing a jig in his grave because his 15 minutes of fame keep rolling on. I was trolling the aisles of Target when I stopped with a gleeful yelp and whipped out my phone to take a picture of this:

Commemorative Pop Art Campbell Soup Cans!!!

So, of course, I bought them. All four of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 Now I just need to convince the members of my household that these are art (dammit!) and therefore not meant to be consumed. It isn't looking so good for ol' Andy. Upon the cans' unveiling, I was met with blank stares and the question "Who's Andy Warhol?"