One of my favorite daily routines – taking Scooter and Georgie for a walk 🙂
Sweater: Alfred Sung {from the now-defunct Zellers – similar here, here and here}
Scarf: Zara
Tee: J.Crew Factory
Pants: Gap {circa 2011 – similar here}
Boots: Hunter Original Tall Rain Boot {also available here and here} {fun fact – I won these as part of a charity “wellie tossing” contest – I had the furthest throw in the adult female category!}
Sunglasses: Armani Exchange
Blouse: J.Crew Blythe blouse {3 or 4 years old… similar here and here and here}
Skirt: Joe Fresh {similar here and here}
Clutch: Le Chateau {purchased about 2003 maybe?}
Shoes: Charles David Katya {Also available here. Loving the shape & surprisingly comfortable for the price and heel height! Will be on the lookout for more colors}
Bracelets: Gorjana chain; thrifted bangles
Midi/Knuckle rings: Ardene {just meant to be cheapies to test out the look… After wearing between one and three knuckle rings for about a week, I have to admit, I am quite liking the trend! Similar rings here here and here}
Necklace: Gorjana Ifinity II Necklace
Sunglasses: Armani Exchange
I bought this skirt during a brave moment a few weeks back, and I am surprised how much I actually like it. It’s a little outside my comfort zone, but also surprisingly wearable.
Dress: ABS Allen Schwartz {with some fairly significant alterations by yours truly – more about that below)
Bracelets: Amrita Singh bangles, J.Crew Factory
Sunglasses: Armani Exchange
Purse: Le Chateau
Shoes: Sam Edelman ‘Portney’
I came across this dress on Hautelook & instantly fell in love with the lace neckline. Unfortunately, the rest of the dress had some major fit problems – the seams didn’t sit flat, the chest was too bid, armholes too large, and length to short {but the shoulders and hips fit perfectly – weird}. It took some serious seam ripping and re-sewing {plus the addition of a bottom segment} to get it into a wearable state.
I normally have a rule about how much time I will put into alterations. I won’t alter cheap pieces {if they need altering, they get left at the store}, and I will only preform minor alterations on expensive items {because if I am forking out lots of $$$, it better be almost perfect!}. Mid-range items are a grey area. Had I been browsing in-store, this item would have been left on the rack due to the sheer number of fixes required, but since it was final sale from Hautelook {amazing deal, but no returns}, I fortunately had no choice but to spend the time on alterations… And I am quite happy with the result!
SHOP THE LOOK
Dress: Rebecca Taylor {almost ideantical}
Coat: Jacob {similar here and here. This is over 10 years old. I bought this when I was still in high school – I remember being really unsure about spending $50 for this deeply discounted coat. Fortunately, it has definitely proven to be a good purchase!}
Sunglasses: Armani Exchange
Bracelets: J.Crew Factory (similar), Gorjana leather wrap
Purse: Le Chateau
Shoes: Jean-Michel Cazabat
September was a busy wedding month for me. Fortunately this meant a few new dresses. This is the first of at least two “wedding guest attire posts” I will have up in the next few weeks.
See what I wore to a June wedding here.
And…see my singular 2012 wedding guest look here
SHOP THE DRESS
Top: Max Studio {found at Winners – similar}
Pants: J.Crew Paley Pants {30% off J.Crew sale styles – last day!}
Sunglasses: Armani Exchange
Bracelets: Amrita Singh bangles
Purse: Le Chateau
Shoes: Sam Edelman ‘Portney’ {similar SE style}
SHOP THE LOOK
Instead of jumping to an all-fall look as soon as September rolls around, incorporate one or two “fall items” into an otherwise summery look. This ensures you get more mileage from your summer wardrobe, while remaining true to the season.
For this look, I am wearing a new fall top with a summery pair of royal blue ankle pants. My accessories (shoes, purse) also have a more summer feel. By slowly introducing fall items into my rotation, I actually extend my wardrobe possibilities (as opposed to going “full-fall/winter” as soon as September rolls around). Besides, there are plenty of fall/winter months to rock the “full-fall/winter” looks, so why not take advantage of the transitional months as an opportunity to mix and match?
Top: J.Crew Silk Ruffle Blouse (similar and similar)
Pants: Joe Fresh
Sunglasses: Armani Exchange
Bracelets: Amrita Singh bangles, J.Crew Factory
Purse: Vintage
Shoes: Jessica Simpson
Tip #1 – To transition summer pieces to fall, pair them with darker accessories.
The look is still summery because of the airy top and bright blue color scheme, but the black accessories (purse, shoes) give an edgier fall feel. So even if you’re not ready to give up your summer wardrobe (I know I’m not!), you can make you look fall-appropriate with a few darker accessories. And while black is an easy go-to option, you can also use deep blues, purples, reds, etc. to give more of a fall feel
Blouse: Babaton ‘Ainsley’ blouse {bought at Aritzia – currently on sale! I have this same style in beige – they have been making it for a few years now – seen here}
Skirt: J.Crew Factory pencil skirt in wool {I dropped the hem down to get a little extra length}
Sunglasses: Armani Exchange
Bracelet: Cassis {no longer in business…really too bad – they had some beautiful clothes}
Purse: Erica Anenberg ‘Anaconda’ tote
Shoes: Sam Edelman Portney <
Today’s thoughts:
1. Have you heard Lana Del Ray’s ‘Young and Beautiful’ – I am obsessed with the haunting tune.
2. That being said, my music library needs an update. Any suggestions?
3. I have committed to playing in a softball tournament this weekend despite still wearing a finger splint. Probably not the best decision ever, but realistically I am probably going to require surgery anyways (go figure…), so one last tournament can’t be that bad…hopefully…
SHOP THE LOOK
Shirt: Jacob {old}
Skirt: J.Crew Factory long pencil skirt in double serge cotton
Necklace: Osolee ‘Marilyn’
Sunglasses: Armani Exchange
Purse: Thrifted
Shoes: Jean-Michel Cazabat
Top: J.Crew {also seen here and here}
Shirt: eShakti {gifted in the spring – see how I wore it here}
Sunglasses: Armani Exchange
Bracelet: Cassis
Purse: Le Chateau {bought during my second year of university – I distinctly remember standing in Le Chateau trying to justify purchasing this clutch for an upcoming formal}
Shoes: Jean Michel Cazabat Ozara {summer 2012 purchase}
SHOP THE LOOK
I normally go to yoga class about once a week. Even though I silently curse throughout the class, I really like how my body feels afterwards. Unfortunately, with all the hustle and bustle of summer, I haven’t been making time to regularly attend classes at my local yoga studio {bad!}. Tonight, while looking for a quick core flow videos online {because I was feeling yoga-motivated}, I stumbled across a number of fitness video subscription websites. I had no idea this was a “thing”. After very minimal research {which is not like me}, I signed up for GaiamTV. Does anyone else have a subscription to a fitness video website? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Part of me is a little worried that this whole experience may go the way of Luminosity – intriguing at the beginning, but eventually I lost interest…
On a completely unrelated note – I am selling my first item ever on eBay {a pair of shoes}. I ended up ordering the wrong size from Shopbop & instead of paying the $30.00 return fee, I figured I would try selling them instead. Unfortunately the item only has 13 views to-date…
Dress: Aritzia {I originally bought this to wear to a wedding, but it has turned into an occasional work dress. The top is a little sheer, so a full length ship is a must!} {Similar here}
Belt: Winners
Sunglasses: Armani Exchange
Bracelets: Amrita Singh
Purse: Le Chateau {old}
Shoes: Jean-Michel Cazabat Ozara
SHOP THE LOOK
