Dress it Up & Dress it Down

I think I made it pretty clear on Monday that it takes tiny tweaks to bring an outfit from casual wear to work wear by keeping the look in the same color family. Look at how lucky you are. Today, we're taking a look at how hats and shoes make a big difference in an outfit's overall vibe. I make things simple. Flats for day, something with a bit of a heel for night. Hats for day, no hat at night. But maybe you wear your sunglasses at night. (If you started singing that song, I love you. If you don't know the song, educate yourself.) If it gets stuck in your head, you're welcome.

Every now and then, I take a look at what images from my blog get the most pins. Everyone's favorites seem to come from my Teacher Wardrobe Series, and this pin has received a bit of love. Anyway, that's not my point, which I am taking too long to reach. The point is that I just realized the skirt in the top right of the picture in this pin is one I recently bought on thredUP! HAHA. What a fun coincidence. I don't know why I told you this information, but do with it what you will.

(P.S. If you want to search the images people pin from your blog, type the following into the URL box:  pinterest.com/source/YOUR BLOG URL minus the http business. For example, searching pins pinned from my blog would be the following URL: pinterest.com/source/littlebitofwowe.blogspot.com)

You're welcome.  

Today, I learned a fun bit of information from one of the science teachers. He told me that they're doing studies right now which show how zig zag black and white patterns confuse sharks, so they avoid them. Apparently, sharks will just swallow up someone wearing a black wet suit (I assume it makes you look like a seal); however, they see the black and white zig zag pattern as "unnatural" and won't attack it. Additionally, poisonous water snakes have the same kind of coloring, which is further reasoning for them to avoid that pattern. Moral of the story? 

BUY A CHEVRON PRINTED BATHING SUIT THIS YEAR, LADIES. 

You're welcome. Again.

You have so much to be thankful for after reading this post. 

Look #1: Ready for Play

The Look:

Shirt: Mudd via Kohl's 

Blazer: via Marshall's (love this Target option)

Skirt: J.Crew Factory 

Flats: Steve Madden via DSW (similar)

Necklace: The Limited (love this one from Francesca's)

Hat: Target...I think (love this men's version)

Belt: Old Navy

Look 2: Ready for Work

Shoes: J. Crew Factory

(I love how comfortable these shoes are, so I'm waiting on them in black. I wait until they have a 50% off sale, and they seem to have one once a month.)

Disclaimer: I wore neither of these outfits to work because a cold front blew through town. As a result, I had to opt for black tights and black boots, a look I still loved. 

I also wore the skirt this way:

The wedges this way:

The blazer this way:

Linking up with

* Shanna (http://becauseshannasaidso.blogspot.com) 

* Pleated Poppy (www.thepleatedpoppy.com/blog) 

For the record, my inspiration for this combination came from Tara over at Mix and Match Fashion :)

Pinspiration & Organization

 I wanted this skirt so desperately, and after Mom (I mean...Santa) bought it for me, I was at a loss. How would I style it? It seemed too dressy to style it exactly like my other black maxi skirt. It's a bit too cold to wear just a t-shirt with it. What to do? What to do?

Well, first came a brain fart, and then came styler's block, and then came Sydney in a Pinterest carriage. I am not sure any of us remember how we dressed ourselves before Pinterest.

However, I am happy to report that I need Pinterest less often than I did in the past, but it sure has helped me make more sense of my closet. (Too bad it does not help my husband make more sense of my side of the closet. Is there an app for that?)

When the weather warms up, I think I will try a graphic tee with this skirt.

Feel free to send your ideas my way.

 The Look:

Shirt: Old Navy

Cardigan: The Limited (it's old, and it had a tie, but I cut it off.)

Skirt: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's 

Flats: Steve Madden via DSW

Necklace: Okay, it's either Francesca's or The Limited. 

 I wanted you to see the fun backs of these flats.

Speaking of Pinterest, I wanted to discuss how I organize my style boards. I used to have one big style board, but that thing was such a disorganized dump that the frustration it caused me prevented any kind of pinspiration from taking place. And then I got organized. If you do not mind indulging me, I thought we could discuss how I cleaned up shop.

Look! I made a fun graphic!

2014 Closet Resolutions -- Pictures of outfits that I can recreate with items I want to make sure I'm wearing but don't wear enough. I delete pins once I've worn the outfit and just add a picture of how I wore it on my outfits board.

Warm Weather Fashion -- (for spring and summer) some of the pins, I put a tag in the description "with tights and boots" so that I can find it when I search my boards for winter looks with tights

Cool Weather Fashion -- (for fall and winter)

Color Combinations -- This board is my favorite. It's full of color combinations I want to try (ex: coral/blush and cobalt blue). If I've tried the combination, I might move the pin to another board like "Warm Weather Fashion" because I like the silhouette.

My Outfits -- all the looks from my blog

DIY Fashion -- Tutorials AND pictures of things I want to learn to make. For example, I really liked a checked dress that I want to figure out how to make one day.

Fashion Tips & Helpful Websites -- I include pictures of one item many ways in this category. I'm thinking about making a new board for those pins.

Closet Holes & Wants -- I pin items I'd like to add to my closet. I delete them once I've added them to my closet.

Geez, that's a lot of boards, but I've found that one big board for all of the stuff is not as easy to navigate. 

------------------------------

Linking up with

* Molly 

* The Style Record
* Mix it Mondays 

------------------------------

Fake lace.

The amount of tragedy that inundates our country (and all countries), at a disturbingly quicker rate, forces so many of us to reevaluate our humanity and the humanity of our compatriots. Maybe the rate has not increased but rather our awareness of it? Social media outlets allow us instant access to all of this information, so we are never without constant reminders of tragedy. It pains me every time I read about another shooting and it pains me every time I listen to people debate the gun issue (versus the "how to make humans better humans" discussion.) For those of you still in the dark, a gunman killed thirteen people and injured at least three others at D.C.'s Navy Yard. Too much sadness for our collective heart to hold. 

As a result, I must remind myself of the beauty within the darkness. Today, one of my students graciously offered to make online flashcards for his classmates to use. He and several classmates brimmed with excitement, chattering about all of the ways I could use Quizlet in my classroom. They created an account for me and showed me how to use it. 

These teenagers illuminate the darkness. There is hope. There really is.  

Today's outfit is quite beautiful, too. In a vain, "everybody come see how good I look" kind of way. 

Go get ya some.

My shirt has a lace print, but it's not actually lace. Tricky tricky.

The Outfit:

Shirt: New York & Co. (couldn't find it online)

Skirt: American Eagle Outlet (similar)

Shoes: Marc Fischer via Macy's

Belt: Came with a dress

Necklace: New York & Co.

The Details:

Occasion: Classroom (teaching, obviously)

Comfort Rating: 10

Comments: I love this shirt; I wish I could've found it for you online! (It's not very old at all. Not even a month old, so maybe you can find it in the store?) I am so happy I bought this skirt in gray and wine. By far two of my favorite sartorial purchases of the year. I especially love the pleats because they disguise/resist wrinkles. Plus, they keep the skirt from hugging too tightly. I really am in love with the color of this skirt. It's not right to be such a lovely color; it's making all of the other colors jealous. 

I previously wore the skirt this way. I wore its charcoal gray counterpart this way and this way. 

How might you style it? I'd love to hear (er, read?) the ways. 

Comfortable Chevron Chic

I'm having one of those weeks (okay, months) that involves so many things on the to-do list that I have to schedule appropriate times to pee. As a result, I can think only in list form. Here is a list for you:

1. According to other people, my skirt is either "super cute" or an optical illusion. I call it comfortable. 

2. I love this scarf from my seester (real word, folks). She has great taste in clothes and colors, right? (I hope you're reading this post, Jess. If you are, hello! I hope to see you again soon.) 

3. This look was actually Pinspired by this one:

Source: stylezen.net via Danielle on Pinterest

4. However, I liked this mint scarf so much that I decided to switch up the color scheme. I could have worked a black cardigan like this pretty lady, but I preferred this shirt instead. 

5. Jeff and I actually have dinner plans for Valentine's Day at my new favorite restaurant. (Best gluten-free pizza EVER!) I was able to rework my parent-teacher conferences so that we could keep our date :) 

6. My hair is insane and huge today. I make no apologies for it. I just thought I'd state the obvious.

7. The doctor removed the stitches from my mouth today. HOLY WOW. I think my face had a heartbeat. You know when something hurts so badly that your body's involuntary reaction is to cry? Yeah, that happened. You know what I did when I left? Instead of buying myself a lollipop--those days are over for me--I bought myself a fun skirt, which I fully intend to wear on Valentine's Day. Skirts beat stickers any day. Okay, that statement is half a lie. 

Without further ado, here is today's outfit:

My face still looks a little swollen in this picture. No big deal.

Outfit Deets:

Shirt: Marshall's (similar)

Skirt: Old Navy (similar)

Flats: Marc Fisher via Macy's (similar)

Scarf: Gift from my seester-in-law! (similar)

Belt: Forever 21 (similar)

"Can we trade closets, Ms. Wo?"

One of my favorite students asked me this question today. Honestly, we might just be the same size, and she wears some cute outfits. Unlike her classmates, she does not dress up for school in sweatpants and t-shirts every day. My kind of kid. When she asked me to switch closets, another student was with her. I swear this other girl should model; she has to be 5'10", lean, and she rocks a British accent. Seriously, I'll never be that cool. Anyway, she said (in her adorable accent), "Me too. I'll shrink to fit into your clothes." These ladies need to teach a lesson in compliment giving to yesterday's boy who referred to me as "bling-y" and "wearing too much jewelry" (apparently a necklace and earrings qualify as too much).

Today, I realized how refreshing it is to see a kid go by his or her full given name. Kathryn instead of Katie, Nicholas instead of Nick, Joseph instead of Joey. I just love it. Now, there's certainly nothing wrong with nicknames, but there's actually something unique about going by your full name instead of an abbreviated version of it. I'm weird, yeah?

Without further ado, here is today's outfit. Apparently, one of my students (who's in the fashion club, I might add) has this same blazer. Great, fashionable minds think dress alike?

Jeff didn't mind taking my picture today because I bought this for him.

That Sacha Baron Cohen is something else. Whew.

Blazer: Marshall's (some random brand--I just looked for a black & white striped blazer at a certain price point; this gem fit the bill)

Top: Kohl's (again, I wanted a longer white v-neck shirt that didn't ride up; this one was less than $10, so I scooped it up)

Pants: H&M (I love the fit. The rise is a little bit higher, so I don't feel like someone could use the back of my pants as a basketball hoop.)

Shoes: Marc Fisher at Macy's (bought 'em in NYC with my parents!)

Jewelry: Kohl's or NY & Co. (not entirely sure which)

I seriously need to have my picture taken when my clothes aren't wrinkled after playing whack-a-mole all day and my face isn't haggard. Blargh. 

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!