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.

saturday walk downtown

Hello!  I wore this outfit when the boys and I walked downtown last Sunday.  It was still chilly last weekend (thus the light jacket) but next weekend it is supposed to be 99!!  So I guess we should have enjoyed the cooler weather while it lasted (secretly I don't like the overcast "May gray" weather we get every year).

After our little excursion downtown we stopped at the gas station and bought M&Ms and when we got home we mixed them with popcorn and watched Despicable Me.  Very fun mom and sons time.

jeans:  high-waisted Levis via Zappos (style 721)
top:  white tee from the Gap
jacket:  old, from the Gap
sandals:  random white Bass sandals from Zappos (last year; now I can't find Bass on Zappos anymore :(
bag: Madewell

fall re-style

Just thought I'd share how I re-styled this dress for fall.  Last seen here.

Outfit details:
dress and belt:  Garnett Hill
tights:  Target
scarf:  gift from my mom
shoes:  Clark's

weekend style 2

We went to the Santa Barbara Zoo and Crushcakes today, and here is what I wore.   I've been wearing these shorts a ton since I got them in the summer because they are loose and super comfortable. 

outfit details:
grey tee:  Target
denim shorts:  Lucky Brand
shoes:  Tom's
bracelet:  Mercedes Salazar
necklace:  Lisa Leonard Designs
jacket:  Gap

with orange pants

I haven't been wearing these orange pants all that often, mostly because what do you wear with bright orange? Certainly not black (although maybe on Halloween I will).  I paired them with this blue tuxedo style blouse did a half-tuck.  Too sloppy?  I'm okay with it.  Also:  I liked clicking around in these heels all day.

Outfit details:
blouse:  Lands' End Canvas (a couple years ago)
pants:  Lands' End Canvas (last year)
belt:  Gap (I think), old
shoes:  Clark's

weekend style

 Here is my "weekend style" from last Sunday.  To me, weekend style is helped immensely by the opportunity to layer.  Any style is, come to think of it.  We had a blast of fall weather over the weekend, and it was fun to wear a jacket to Sunday morning breakfast.

Outfit details:
jacket:  Gap
top:  J. Crew
jeans:  J. Crew
flats:  Frye
bracelet:  Mercedes Salazar
watch:  Michael Kors
necklace:  vintage, gift from Carrie
bag:  J. Crew

back to work, school, life

I'm back at work for the school year. It feels normal, ya know? After so many years of following the school calendar, the transition back to school in the fall is not as hard as I sometimes expect it to be.

I love dressing for work.  This outfit is simple and it's just the direction I seem to be headed with my wardrobe right now.  The top is a silk top from J. Crew.  The pants are off-white linen from Talbot's (a couple years ago).  This is perfect for right now because my office is hot hot hot!  I really need to get a fan, but either way sleeveless is the only way to survive.

What's new in my wardrobe:  I'm transitioning (sort of) to a capsule wardrobe concept.  I've been so inspired by Jennifer L. Scott of the Daily Connoisseur.  She explains the advantages of a capsule wardrobe and why it is so freeing.  I was so intrigued by this concept that I took most of my wardrobe out of my closet and bagged it up and stored it elsewhere.  You guys--having fewer clothing items feels amazing.  If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it--even as just an experiment.  And be sure to jump over to Jennifer's site and watch her videos about her capsule wardrobe.  So inspiring!

Wardrobe details:
top:  J. Crew
Pants:  Talbot's
Heels:  Clark's
Watch:  Michael Kors (a birthday gift from Ken!)

summer now, for real

It's starting to feel like summer now for real. It's heating up and I haven't dreamed about school in awhile (a good thing--I'm starting to relax).  Today I went out to lunch and shopping with my mom and my older kids.  Fun! 

Outfit details:
dress and belt:  Garnet Hill
wedges:  Clarkk's
bracelet:  Young Frankk, via Etsy
necklace:  Anthro

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).

green dress

I wanted to wear something bright and pretty for father's day. This morning we gave Ken his gifts and made him breakfast with homemade blueberry muffins.  Awesome dad that he is, he is now taking the boys to a birthday party, even though the invitation came through at the last minute and even though it is father's day.  That is just the way he is.  Of course I'll make him the dinner of his choice tonight.

This dress is one of those "seven way" dresses*.  I usually wear it like this or with the ties just wrapped several times around my waist.  I do enjoy the bright color!  I have it in black, too.  It's a few years old.

Outfit details:
dress:  Soma
necklace:  Anthro
sandals:  Gap

*I wish I wore it as well as the model in that link!  Geez!

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

outfit on repeat

Do you guys repeat outfits?  I totally do.  I like to mix and match, of course (aka "remixing" these days), but on the other hand, if I find a combination I like, I definitely want to get multiple wearings out of the deal.

I love this simple outfit with red heels, and this is probably my last chance to wear it this school year.  This is a work look for me.  In the summer it will be all maxi skirts and shorts and dresses (yay!).  And when we return in late August it will be way too hot to wear this outfit for quite some weeks.  So it's now or a long time from now.

Outfit details:
striped top:  Gap
jacket:  Gap
black skinny jeans:  Levis
red heels:  Clark's
necklace:  purchased from Joslyn back when she was making and selling some jewelery
bracelet:  Etsy

PS--I am linking up with Pleated Poppy today for What I Wore Wednesday!