family date night

I wore this outfit for a "family date night" to see the movie The Secret Life of Pets and go out to dinner at Lazy Dog--our favorite.  I feel compelled to point out that the green wall totally distorts the green of the pants.  In real life my pants are a crisp clear army green (or a bright clear olive??), not the brown-green that shows in the photos.  Nonetheless, here you go--a quick outfit post.  These new clogs are wildly comfortable for a clog.

By the way, I'm starting out on a one-year journey of no clothes or shoes buying.  It's not really a spending freeze, but more of a much needed break from the addictive cycle of buying more and more clothes whenever I see anything that strikes my fancy.  I'll be blogging more about it here, so stay tuned.

Outfit details:
top:  Emmerson Fry
pants:  Banana Republic (here --now on sale)
jacket:  new!  J. Crew
clogs:  new!  Uggs
bag:  Madewell

Thanks so much to all of you who have visited and commented!!  I'm thrilled whenever anyone clicks through to say hi.

stripes and pants

Just a quick post tonight to show you my new work pants!  I had become distressed at the number of times per week I was wearing jeans to work, and I wanted to dress things up a bit.  So I picked these up at the Gap on my trip.  However, now that I look at these photos the pants look suspiciously like these old Talbot's pants!  (I don't have them any more.  I was hoping these were a little slimmer in the cut, but I see now that they are not really.  Oh well!  It's nice to mix things up a bit.)

Outfit details:
pants:  Gap "perfect trousers"
striped top:  Forever 21
leather jacket:  LL Bean Signature
shoes:  Clarks

happy friday

I was feeling very "Pinterest inspired" in this outfit today. Inspired by my various pins, I'd been looking for a jacket like this for awhile.  I found it at Loft in the final hours of my trip to Kansas last week.  Ripped the tags off and wore it on the plane home.  Yay!

Outfit details:
jacket:  Loft
top:  Emmerson Fry
necklace:  Madewell
pants:  Jen 7 jeans via Nordstrom
shoes:  Clarks (old)

so cal rainy day

We had a So Cal "rainy day" today, and by that I mean it rained for an hour and then stopped. Oh, but what a glorious hour it was!

This outfit is a perfect demonstration of a "high-low" mix, which I love.  The trench coat and striped top are from Forever 21 and they are just perfect for me.  The wooly sweater is from Peruvian Connection (I think it is actually alpaca, so soft and light and non-itchy).  It was definitely on the expensive side but I wear it constantly and I love it.  It's my go-to at every opportunity in winter.  The more I try to figure out shopping the more I realize the value in just going with what works for you.  These pieces are all very "me" and I'm super comfortable in them.  What is your current favorite go-to piece?

trench:  Forever 21
striped top:  Forever 21
alpaca pullover:  Peruvian Connection
grey corduroy pants:  Kut from the Kloth (via Nordstrom)
boots:  Clarks

burgundy

I bought burgundy pants!  I picked these up at J. Crew over the weekend (I had to return a different pair--the boys were with me--they were so good while I tried these on!).  I love this color.  This is their "matchstick" fit.  It's is a straight fit.  What do you think?  I have to say, I'm surprisied, but I'm beginning to think a skinny fit is more flattering!  I'm coming around to the skinny pant--oh so gradually.  Nonetheless, I really like these and will get a lot of wear out of them in fall and winter. 

As always, feel free to weigh in on pant fits!  I find the topic endlessly fascinating!

scarf + stripes

Happy Tuesday!  I am always so happy to make it through Tuesday of a normal week.  It is all downhill from here, right?  Sort of. 

I threw on this scarf as an afterthought while running out the door, but I ended up really liking it.  I aspire to be able to effortlessly wear scarves.  I love adding color and pattern but usually I'm not sure what to do with them.  Scarf + stripes inspiration here.

Regular scarf inspiration here, here, and here.

Outfit details:
pants:  Talbot's
top:  local boutique
scarf: Gap
shoes:  Clark's

sleeves!

It cooled off a bit this week--it was cool enough for sleeves! I was so happy to wear this top for the first time since I bought it several weeks ago. 

I'm still liking these linen pants for a work look.  They don't photograph all that well, but they have cute pocket flaps on the back, and I do think there is something to be said for a work-y pant.  I feel put together and more professional in something like this, as opposed to jeans. 

I'm still very much embracing simple looks at the moment, with just a statement jewelery piece or two.  So easy!

top:  J. Crew
pants:  Talbots
heels:  Clark's
watch:  Michael Kors
necklace:  Laura Lombardi

a few palm springs looks

Here are some of the looks I wore in Palm Springs last week. It was such a fun trip, you guys. I think we had perfect summer Palm Springs weather. The days were about 100 degrees and at night it dropped down into the 80's. Last year it was much hotter, more in the 105s, which makes a big difference.

I have found that Palm Springs calls for a very casual vibe and flat sandals and flip flops.  I wanted to get a pedicure before I left--I highly recommend it--but alas the timing did not work out.  Also recommended--bring a jean jacket for ice cold movie theaters and restaurants.

Look 1:  this black Gap dress is proving to be a summer staple.  I have it in grey too, but I find I'm wearing the black much more.  Sandals:  Gap; Bag: J. Crew; Belt: Anthro

Look 2:  dress and sandals:  Gap; bag:  J. Crew; necklace:  Garnet Hill

Look 2:  maxi skirt:  J. Crew; tank:  Target; cuff:  Etsy (Young Frankk); flip flops:  Rainbow, via J. Crew (on major sale last year).

summer is here!

Yay! Summer is finally here. It takes awhile for it to sink in, but it's here! Today we ran around and started getting ready for Father's Day. The boys and I went to the Verizon store and bought Ken his first ever cell phone (so exciting)!

I'm loving these fun, printed pants. They feel so much fresher than jeans. I wonder if they are a fad that will quickly seem dated, or if I'll be wearing them just as enthusiastically two years from now. I doubt it, but who knows.

Outfit details:
pants and sweater: Gap
cream top: Anthro
clogs: LL Bean Signature
necklace: Etsy

what to wear to a gem and mineral party

We hosted a "gem and mineral" party today at our house. We like to do these themed, family-oriented parties as an alternative to children's birthday parties. Family parties are so much more relaxed than a birthday. Having no presents is a huge plus.

One of the activities was making necklaces by wrapping copper wire around tumbled rocks and bending the wire in decorative ways.  The kids loved it and made so many necklaces!  I'm wearing one in the photo.  I don't know how to do any jewelry making, but our good friend brought the wires and all the tools and spent the whole party making necklaces with the kids.  Pretty cool, huh?  Other activities were panning for gold and sifting for tourmaline.

This might be an outfit that is a bit too young for me, but hopefully in the context of a backyard summer party I can pull it off.  The sweater is on older Garnet Hill sweater that I cut and adapted to make it a wrap.  The seems don't line up and it doesn't entirely work, but I like it much better this way (it used to be a large cowl).

I'm linking up with Visible Monday today.  Click over for much more style inspiration!

Outfit details:
dress:  Old Navy
sweater:  Garnet Hill (modified)
sandals:  Gap
necklace:  homemade
bracelet:  Young Frankk

good for spinning

You guys, this skirt is so fun to wear. It makes me feel like spinning. All day, it gives me an extra spring in my step. It's that sort of skirt.

Here's what I do about wearing heels--I've found it's best for me to wear flats for my commute. Once I get to school, I have to walk to the maintenance barn (to pick up a golf cart--sounds weird, I know. It's for my use during the school day), so I wear my flats to get the golf cart and then change into heels in my office. For the commute back home, I change back into flats. I've found not driving in heels really saves my feet. But I LOVE the look of them. So these little accommodations are totally worth it.

Outfit details:
striped top and skirt:  J. Crew
heels:  Clark's
necklace:  Francesca's
bracelet:  Etsy

I'm linking up today for What I Wore Wednesday at The Pleated Poppy.  Click through for more style inspiration.