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Day 9 :: black and white part cinq - casual friday

I never thought I'd be happier to see the end of the week!  Who knew that following a set routine would be so exhausting?  At the very beginning of this adventure, I thought my life would be made simpler, and perhaps with a different theme, this would be so.

Unfortunately, Black and White ended being my not-so-fave thing.  I guess I've become accustomed to color and pattern - a recent but potent fashion paradigm shift, thanks to my blogger ladies - and so I ended up feeling thoroughly...well, bored.

I didn't even have the energy to find an inspiration photo for this look.  I just grabbed the most comfy-looking black and white things I owned and crossed my fingers.  The top is an old one from New York and Co. back when their sizes still made sense. (Recently, they've taken vanity sizing to an extreme because, really? In what universe am I a size 0?)  I love it because I have the freedom to ingest an entire double double meal complete with animal-style fries and a vanilla shake and still feel svelte.  Must be that banded waist coupled with batwing sleeves.  My friends, I think I've found my holiday eating silhouette!

The faux leather moto jacket is my homage to Sons of Anarchy, my newest obsession. 
Scroll to the end for a more detailed photo of it.

As they say, the devil is in the details. Because of the exaggerated bootcut - almost flare - of the jeans, I had some trouble with shoes.  Normally, I wear wedges with these jeans but none of the ones I have were working with the top and the minimalist look that was emerging from this hastily thrown together ensemble.  Here are the initial choices:

 But of course I obviously settled with these Franco Sarto silver snakeskin pumps.  I think they're in keeping with the clean, classy flavor and they play nicely with my accessories.  Plus, they're surprisingly comfortable. (I say "surprising" because, as is the case with most of the items in my closet, this pair of pumps hasn't seen much action since I bought them in gods I can't remember, that's how old they are.)

Speaking of accessories: there's a story behind this necklace.

[Scroll down to the next paragraph to skip the random, if brief, story and to see the pics.]

[begin story] I used to be an obsessive Tobi shopper and their models always seemed to wear this necklace but when it finally dawned on me to buy it, they'd sold out.  I searched high and low for something similar on etsy, eBay and my usual suspects of retailers.  At one point, I shelled out $30 for the Express version but KS#1 and #2 convinced me that it just wasn't worth it so I returned it.  Months passed, during which time I cancelled my email subscription to Tobi because they were just getting too much of my paycheck.  On a whim last month, though, I thought I needed a sheer chiffon polka dot top, and since Tobi is known for their sheer tops, I visited the site and voila!  The necklace for $12.  My precious... [end story]

The earrings are a glass green and deviate from the B&W theme but they're the only delicate ones I own.

:: Just the facts, ma'am ::

Top - New York and Co.

Jeans - Old Navy

Pumps - Franco Sarto

Jacket - H&M

Necklace - Tobi

Day 8 :: black and white part quatre - the Emma Watson

Upon perusing this week's entries, I realized I've not entirely stuck to a stark black and white look. Oh, sure I've tried to obey the theme to the letter (re: my internal struggle on Day 2), but I've been using patterns and, although they did strictly follow the rule, they didn't really provide much of a visual black and white impact.

I needed to rectify this situation.

Stat.

Enter Emma Watson and the above Pinterest look I've been dying to dupe for a while now. Of course I am not as gamine and adorable and young as Ms. Watson, and of course I'd mis-remembered and monochromed the outer rather than the inner layer, but I'm pleased with my end result anyhow.

I love the subtle sparkle of this lace top. It allows me to minimize the accessorizing without looking incomplete or bare. At the last minute, I threw on this snakeskin bangle which totally gets in the way of typing.  How do people function with arm candy?

My Jessica Simpson heels are not the most comfortable (I had to don my commuter shoes just to get from the parking lot to my room) but they help the leanness of my silhouette, a definite must when wearing potentially enlarging white.

Never be afraid of white, people. The worst that can happen is you spill spaghetti sauce on your lap and you walk around for the rest of the day looking like a mob hit.

:: Just the facts, ma'am ::

Blazer - Apostrophe from Sears

Top - F21

Cropped jeans - Rewind from Kohl's

Pumps - Jessica Simpson

Arm bangle - gift from student

Day 7 :: black and white part trois - the patterned dress

It seems it's either feast or famine these days.

Yesterday's outfit was a challenge but today's is like shooting fish in a barrel.  All I had to do was type in "white dress black blazer" and a plethora of choices came up, ready for Collage-ing.

Me without glasses.  I think I like it. 

I toyed with the idea of wearing a cardigan but the fabric of the dress is really stiff and a soft cardi just didn't lay right over it. I also toyed with the idea of my Jessica Simpson stilettos because the length of this dress made me feel like I needed to elongate my leg, but opted for the boot because I knew I was going to do a lot of walking today. 

As far as accessories, I kept things simple because I find that the color contrast of black and white loses its power with too much stuff.  See yesterday's outfit for an example.  I'm not saying it was bad, just not my fave.  I think all the bling I wore, coupled with the striped top, diminished the oomph of the look. Plus, I felt fussy all day.  So today, I chose a statement necklace that complements rather than contrasts.  The headband was a freebie from a recent Modcloth purchase and is my only nod to going beyond simplicity.

As the week progresses and I continue to create outfits, I'm realizing that I like having to follow a particular theme.  It simplifies things and provides order and cohesion to my wardrobe.  Maybe it's the English major in me or perhaps it's my closet OCD coming out.  Whatever the case, I think I'm going to follow suit for the next few weeks and I already have a couple of ideas for themes.  I'm always open to suggestions, though, so if you have any ideas, I'd be happy to entertain them.  Perhaps challenge me with something to see if my closet can take it?

:: Just the facts, ma'am ::

Dress - I.N.C. via eBay

Blazer - New York and Co.

Boots - Cathy Jean

Necklace - Francesca's Collections

Headband - Modcloth

Day 6 :: black and white part deux - the striped blazer

Late last season, this blazer exploded on the blogosphere and you really couldn't escape it.  Every fashion blogger I followed styled it in every conceivable way - casual, work appropriate, girls' night out - and with every conceivable color combo.  Wendy even featured it in a daring pattern mixing ensemble which I tried to dupe and was promptly shut down by very well-meaning friends who said I looked like a crazy cat lady.

Of course, now that I want to do my own spin for Black and White week, I'm hard-pressed trying to find an appropriate photo for duping purposes.  Blargh.  I mean, come on, people!  Black and white!  Really?!  Nothing?!

I could've just thrown in the towel, copied the above photo and done the look sans black slacks, but I refused to surrender my B&W Week theme so easily.  After good ol' Google let me down, I had to resort to Polyvore for inspiration pics and this is the closest I came to what I had in mind.

Apologies for the fuzzy pic.  I guess I do need to take photos in natural light.  :(

Black slacks, white shirt, striped jacket.  A very easy, go-to uniform that spans, I think, all professions.  I've been accused in the past of coming to work too dressed up/trendy/office-esque but I say always err on the side of professional over casual.  I could've done this with dark wash jeans but I was feeling trouser-y today.

You can't really see my shoes under the slacks because I follow the Stacy/Clinton "pants must skim floor" rule, so here's a better shot.  They're my fave pumps - Madden Girl T-strap and comfy as sin and a much-needed break from yesterday's pump which killed my feetsies.  I love these shoes so much that I actually got them cobbled for more than I paid for when they were falling apart. 

I've also included close ups of my accessories - an attempt at bling beyond my usual watch and Vivienne Westwood armor ring.  I think the necklace and arm candy together is too much?  What say you?  If so, which should I keep and which should I edit out?

:: Just the facts, ma'am ::

Shirt - Tobi

Blazer - Daily Look

Trousers - New York and Co.

Pumps - Madden Girl

Arm bling - F21/handmade

Necklace - eBay

Day 5 :: black and white part un - the striped skirt

This week, rather than my random dart-throwing at Pinterest boards, I decided to challenge myself with a theme.  And since my closet is primarily made up of the two ends of the spectrum, I present to you, my friends, Black & White Week.

 inspiration photo from Wendy's Lookbook

Today is Monday and it's predicted to be the coldest day of the week.  A dreadful So.Cal. weather change with 80-degree temps is looming in the horizon so my cashmere turtleneck ensemble needed to happen now.

I'm not as cute and tiny as Wendy and my skirt doesn't have the coveted pockets but I think my version comes pretty darned close to the original. I did add the neck bling but only because turtlenecks give me uniboob so I needed a visual break against that vast expanse.  It takes the place of the belt from the inspiration photo.
 

Here is the shoe I wore.  It's a relatively new purchase (read: two weeks ago) from Target and I'm particularly proud of it because I'd been on the hunt for a comfortable yet cute nude pumps since forever.  There's an actual saga attached to that hunt but that's a story for another day.  Suffice to say, this shoe will probably feature often in numerous outfits to come.

 

Oh, and just for kicks, here's a photo of my faboo faux fur coat from F21.  (How's that for alliteration?)  It was originally $60 but I bought it after season and marked down to an unheard of $11.  Yep, it does pay to wait, doesn't it?

:: Just the facts, ma'am ::

Turtleneck - Isaac Mizrahi for Target

Skirt - a-thread

Pumps - Merona at Target

Necklace - F21

Coat - F21

What's in my cart :: Forever 21

As we all know, I am a rabid online shopper.  I put myself to bed by the light of my laptop and several browser windows open side by side to compare similar items from various stores.

I know.  I'm in deep.

But my one tried and true, my one guilty pleasure, my one constant is Forever 21.  You just can't beat this retail behemoth.  They're always on trend and super affordable, but best of all, F21 has the most obscenely accessible window shopping environment ever.  I'm talking multiple views of every item, exact measurement and clothing care instructions info, intuitive search functions and the all-important "sort by: low price" option.

Can you tell I'm in love?  (And I don't even care when my 7-year-old daughter tells me I'm too old for this store;  I mean it's called "forever 21" for a reason, right?!)

Anyhoo, not a day goes by that I'm not on the F21 site, browsing their daily deals and new arrivals.  It doesn't hurt that I'm on their mailing list for said new arrival updates.  So, since I do not get all gussied up on the weekends because I'm either sleeping in/hiking/knitting/marathon watching Downton Abbey or Project Runway - none of which activities require me to do anything beyond sweats and a messy ponytail - I've decided to fill the weekend blog void with a segment called "What's in my cart" and who better to start with than F21?

So, without further ado...

I've been jonesing for a mint top since it hit the fashion blogosphere in time for spring season.  It's number one on my spring splurge list but I just can't seem to make up my mind.  I like the shape of the one on the left but I like the color of the one on the right.  Blargh.

Totally obsessed with floral.  Totally.  Obsessed.  But I've already purchased this Lauren Conrad number which made me go over my February budget so I guess I'm left to longingly look at these.  Or should I return the LC pants and get these two - it'd be the same price...

And finally, this jacket.  I didn't even realize I wanted/needed an oxblood moto jacket but then KS#1 bought this ASOS version and raved about it and then Sally sported the same one in a recent post so of course, being the fashion lemming that I am, I had to have one.  This is much more affordable but it's not exactly season appropriate and I'm wondering if it'll go on sale later down the road.  Fingers crossed that they'll still have my size then.