Reverse 30x30: Navy Sweater & Casual Day

We try round two of the root canal today since six shots of novocaine proved useless last time. Wish me luck that he does not drill into my nerve and I still feel it this time around. 

I went to the ENT (ear, nose, and throat) doctor yesterday and came bearing CT films as a gift. 

You know you have super sinuses when the specialist's response to your x-rays is "WHOA. No wonder you've been in so much pain." You know me, I'm always here to impress.

Apparently, I have pan sinusitis. My teaching English to the common teenager informed me that pan means all, so I predicted that "pan" sinusitis fell into the not-so-fun category. Two of my sinus cavities are completely blocked, but ALL (where "pan" comes into play) of my sinuses are impacted in some way. Supposedly, he should have seen a wall in there. Nope, no wall. Just lots of gray. Speaking of gray, I like these gray pants. Thanks for designing them, J.Lo. 

The Look:

Sweater (reversed item): Apt 9 via Kohl's (it was surprisingly difficult to style! Very similar one from Old Navy)

Button up: Old Navy (it's surprisingly versatile. Similar gingham one from Forever 21)

Pants: J.Lo via Kohl's (similar from Old Navy)

Flats: via DSW (very similar from Zappos)

Necklace: New York & Co.  (similar from Stella & Dot) 

(Sometimes, my eyes disappear when I smile.)

Linking up with

Style Sessions

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Reversed 30x30 Update:

(Original Post in case you want pictures and a run down of this challenge)
Click on the link after each item to view the post that features it. 

1. coral and khaki skirt (look forward to this one this week!)

2. gray and yellow skirt 

3. white pencil skirt (officially waiting for spring--too cold for the outfits I have planned for it)

4. teal velvet pants (officially reversed)

5. polka dot tights (you'll see them tomorrow.)

6. khaki pants (officially returned)

7. brown boots (officially reversed)

8. black wedge booties (officially reversed)

9. red heels

10. tri-color wedges (officially reversed)

11. aztec scarf 

12. teal necklace

13. striped dress (officially reversed)

14. tan dress (officially rejected)

15. navy dress (probationally reversed)

16. polka dot shirt (officially reversed)

17. polka dot cardi (you'll see it this week.)

18. polka dot blouse (officially reversed) 

19. printed blazer (on probation, might be leaving the closet, LEAVING the closet)

20. chambray (officially reversed)

21. paisley blouse (officially rejected)

22. gray shirt (officially rejected)  

23. paisley blouse 2 (officially reversed)

24. emerald sleeveless sweater (too cold for it just yet)

25. navy sweater (officially reversed)

26. blush sweater with silver polka dots (next week)

27. silver sweater (officially rejected)

28. black sweater (next week...if I don't expatriate it)

29. white lace sweater (officially reversed)

30. orange sweater (officially reversed)

31. long-sleeve purple shirt (next week)

32. gray skinnies (these have REALLY been reversed)

33. light khakis (you'll see them later this week)

34. gold blazer (officially reversed) 

I'm almost finished! I've really started to wear some of these items (especially the brown boots and gray pants) a LOT. I'm quite glad I thought up and took on this challenge :) Anyone planning on trying it out sometime?

And it was all yellow...

Okay, it was not all yellow. There was some navy and white, too.  I just like that Coldplay song, so I thieved it for the purposes of my post's title.

Why, when a casual Friday stares me in the face and I'm given a free pass to wear blue jeans, do I opt for a less-than-casual outfit? Now, some of you might be thinking, "Ummm, Wo, that's casual, girlfran." I assure you that, in comparison to my colleagues and especially my students, this outfit is not casual for a casual Friday. I pity the teachers who have such strict dress codes. So stifling. If my students can wear booty shorts and diaphanous leggings with abandon, then I can wear my sartorial choices, none of which include exposing my derrière.

In case you wanted to see me imitate Mr. Ed, here you go...

You can't unsee that. 

Outfit Deets:

Cardigan: NY & Co (I like this one.)

Blouse: current, Lauren Conrad via Kohl's (exact)

Pants: White House Black Market (cute)

Flats: Mia via DSW (a different navy pair)

Here's a close up of the shirt:

Love.it.

Mustard Jeans

When I saw a previous student after school today, he said, "that's an interesting shade of orange you have on your pants." I explained that they were mustard, not orange. He informed me that he's never liked mustard. I thought about saying I've never liked him (just to be a smart aleck), but that would've been a lie, so I said, "That's nice. I like my pants, and that's all that matters." I sure showed him.

P.S. I had to confirm the spelling of "aleck." 

My students love to mess with my name. 

They tell me my Twitter handle should be "wo wo wo your boat."

Things are now "wonificent" and "worific." 

I've also been added to the Urban dictionary; I haven't confirmed that entry yet, so I don't know exactly how they defined me. I should probably be worried.

 Today, a student said, "Ms. Wo, I was in the mall yesterday, and when I went into one of the stores, I said, 'this store is so Ms. Wo.'" 

Apparently, he was in LOFT. Dang, that kid really does know my style, especially since the shirt I'm wearing today is from the LOFT. 

The reviews online said that it's constricting in the shoulders. When I tried it on in NYC, I had no shoulder issues. Looks like my shoulder are much smaller than the average bear's.

 Bluebee wanted in the picture, too. 

Please enjoy the following picture of my insanely attractive husband.

He's donning the new hat that my mom made for me. 

Isn't he pretty?

OUTFIT DEETS:

Blazer: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's 

Top: LOFT (current)

Pants: Target 

Red Wedges: Mix No. 6 via DSW

Bracelet: Modcloth

New Year's Day Outfit

Let's be honest: I cannot make a "resolution" for the new year. If I resolve to stop spending money, I'll spend more just to spite myself. Emotional terrorism is always a good idea.

So, how do I go about making 2012 better than 2011? I trick myself. Here's my plan to curb my spending: shop smarter (and just buying everything on sale is not smarter). I am going to turn outfit creation into a game. My closet houses a lot of clothes, but I never seem to have anything to wear. Typical problem for women, yeah?

Well, let's call this game my new year's challenge. I challenge myself to stop buying the same things in several colors (I only ever wear one of the colors), forgetting what's in my closet (too many things get shoved to the back), buying multiple versions of the same dang thing (who really needs five black cardigans?), and being too lazy to take back clothes I clearly won't wear (if it still wears the tags after a month, then it needs to go back to the store).

 So, how else can I curtail my spending habits?

1. Buy only what I love. I need to stop buying "meh" items just because they're on sale. They just collect dust in my closet and eventually end up in Goodwill bags or a friend's closet.

2. Buy with outfits in mind. If I can think of at least three things that shirt will compliment, then I'm making a smart choice.
 
3. Take notes (mental or written down) on what I "need." If I try to put together an outfit, but I know it would benefit from a gold belt, then I should go on a hunt for a gold belt. (It's good to maintain focus.)  

4. If I'm really not sure about something, I must think on it. If it's still around in a few weeks-month and I'm still thinking about it, then it's a wise purchase. For example, see the white coat in the following picture? I waited TWO months for that coat. It was $148, and I refused to pay that much. I took some items back to The Limited yesterday, and I decided to take a gander at the clearance rack. Low and behold, what did I find? Only one of those coats was left, it was in my size, and it was marked down to $69.99. Fate? I think so. I took the coat to the register and asked if I could tack my teacher's discount (15%) to this clearance item. She said yes, so I bought the coat for $60. Patience is a virtue, folks.

 This necklace was already in my collection. I'm pretty sure it came from Kohl's, and I'm certain that my mom allowed me to use one of the million 30% off coupons she poops out.

The pink sweater is also from Kohl's.

The gray skinny corduroys are from American Eagle. I think my mom bought them for me last Christmas. You'll find that my mom picked out a lot of my clothes. I put new meaning to the song "I get it from my momma."

I found these lacy black flats on the clearance rack at DSW. I wanted black flats, and I narrowed my choices down to two. I took a picture of both shoes on my feet and texted the picture to my mom. She liked these better than the others, which I was hoping she'd say.

(Side note: I'm glad I could exercise self control and buy only one pair. See, I'm already making progress!)

Wish me luck on my new year's clothes challenge!