All You Need is a Change of Shoes.

These stacks of writing assignments do not grade themselves (THE NERVE), so this post will remain word-light and picture-heavy. 

The Look:

Sweater: Jennifer Lopez via Kohl's (gift from Momma Santa)

Pants: Exact Stretch skinny from The Limited

Heels: Old Aerosoles via Marshall's

Necklace: Sonoma via Kohl's (clearance section...obviously)

Leather Jacket: via Wilson's leather outlet on Black Friday two years ago (it was like 80% off. BOOM.)

(The boots in the pictures at the bottom are Steve Madden.)

Mom told me to act naturally and hold my hair. Sorry, Mom. 

I excel at giving directions but not so much at taking them.

(I'm not really showing off my heels. I just want you to know how pale I am.)

In case you need some comic relief. Here I am, folks. 

And if you won't laugh at me, I will laugh at myself. 

Not sure what's happening with my toes or fists, but my face?

If your pale feet leave you feeling ashamed or too much white fluff covers the ground, opt for boots.

Do your hands hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? 

Do they get confused and not know where to go?

So, which outfit are you feeling? The leopard heels or the boots?

Also, my brain must not be entirely creative because I wore a very similar outfit not long ago...

Hey, when it works, it works. 

Oh, and prepare yourself for the furry cuteness coming your way tomorrow! :)

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Linking up with

What I Wore to Work

All Things Thursday

Look What I Got

and

Pinned It and Did It

(I'm including that last one because I pinned my own outfit and inadvertently inspired a future outfit. That counts, right?)

How to Avoid J.Crew...

When I started reading personal style and fashion blogs, I noticed that nearly all the ladies were all a twitter about J.Crew and this magical place called J.Crew Factory. I thought, "hmm...I own one thing from J.Crew, and I bought it at a thrift store. It's not like I got nothin', but I got close to nothin'" With all of these "Currently Coveting from J.Crew" posts and almost every blogger wearing at least one thing from J.Crew every day, how is a girl supposed to stay calm and move on from what appears to be the unicorn of the fashion scene? Jenna Lyons' brain might just be made of pixie dust. It's true.

Anyway, even after two years puttering around in this world of gingham that lasts forever and minnie pants of the masses, I still own nothing from J. Crew or its less expensive but still highly coveted sister, J. Crew Factory. Now, that's not to say I do not peruse the website every time one of my favorite bloggers links to something lovely or every time the site trolls my inbox with seductive 40% alerts. That's also not to say I am opposed to spending a little extra for something that'll last fifteen years as opposed to fifteen minutes. However, at this time of year (and possibly all year long), everything at J. Crew IS MADE OF WOOL. (I just told you an almost exaggeration.) Your schoolboy blazer, J. Crew? I love it. The problem? I can't have it. And I am salty (as my students would say) because the world probably knows of my deep affection for blazers. Unfortunately, I am allergic to wool. Every thing I want to buy from that site is tainted with wool. Add that allergy to my goose feather allergy and my 12-year-old-boy upper body can find nearly no coat that will truly keep it warm. 

Thank you, Old Navy and Target, for carrying very little with wool or down in it and for hijacking some of J. Crew's styles for much less. For you, my superficial need for all things pretty to drape over me is grateful.  

(My pocketbook is equally grateful.)

On to my outfit, which includes a sparkly sweater featured in poor quality photographs...

The Outfit:

Leather Jacket: Wilson's Leather

Sweater: New York and Company (you probably can't see the gold threads in it)

Pants: Exact Stretch Skinny pants from The Limited (exact)

Flats: Target

(To work, I actually wore leopard heels, which looked way better with these pants, but Jeff took these pictures before we ran errands. I don't run errands in heels if I can help it.) 

My students asked me why I don't wear my hair like this every day. Apparently, they approve of my natural fro. 

Previously, I wore the sweater this way.

(I prefer the outfit in today's post.)

original post

My (Recent) Life in Clothes

I cleaned out my closet.

By that, I mean I threw (only) half of the things I won't actually wear into paper bags. 

A week ago.

They're still sitting in front of my window seat.

The other half hang in my closet, pretending I'll wear them. 

I trudge through this process at least once a month.

Eventually, I think I'll actually purge my closet of the unwanteds.

Until then, my closet harbors the land of misfit clothes.

And some very cute, well fitting ones.

I feel so Lilly Pulitzer in this color scheme. 

Dad turned 61. We celebrated. 

I'm eating pickles to prevent myself from eating the rest of the cake Mom gave to me.

I have a feeling I'll have an acid stomach and liquid bowels before this night ends.

Wish me luck.

I wore this dress to celebrate Daddy dukes.

Meet my second-day hair. I woke up at 5 and watched Law and Order SVU until I had to leave for work. I poked my hair in a "thanks for being awesome this morning" kind of way. 

Not sure I'll ever master the downward shot. Someone please tell me how you make it happen before I Google that ish. Google is already judging me because I asked it who invented the maxi skirt. 

Bows and leopard print. That's about as spicy as I get. 

You will not see me in stripes on stripes (despite my love for them)

or stripes on polka dots. 

Speaking of maxi skirts, I'm married, but I'll kiss the inventor of maxi skirts on the lips

to thank them for creating a sartorial masterpiece that allows me to look presentable while being comfortable enough to take a nap. On public transportation. During peak hours. In NYC. 

Meet my newest maxi skirt. I bought it today, and I'm showing it to you before I even ripped off the tags. I think the cashier was *this* close to making me pay for it while simultaneously shoving it under the counter to save for later. I'm pretty sure she pet it. I would too. I plan to. 

Stiiiiill suck at downward shots. 

Seriously, someone feed me the secret. 

Enjoy your lovely evening.

I'm going to go eat pickles. 

Gold Blazer

Yes, I bought a gold blazer from ModCloth for $20. I had been wanting one for awhile, but I refused to pay the exorbitant prices that stores wanted to charge me. Enter ModCloth. It looked gorgeous, and I bought it despite the fact that it was final sale. It arrived in the mail, and I loved it...until I realized something: I had no idea what I planned to do with it. Haha. Instead of caving in to buyer's remorse, I set off on a quest to style it FOUR ways. I tried something date-night fancy, something work appropriate x 2, and something errand-running casual.

Look #1: Casual Friday at Work

I would wear this look on a casual Friday. Heck, I'd probably wear this bad boy on a Wednesday. I'm a rebel like that. My best friend said that she and her coworkers have to pay for their casual Fridays! (Yes, she works in the public school system.) Have you ever heard of such a thing? I think the teachers at my school would absolutely revolt if that were to happen. 

Blazer: ModCloth

Navy Blouse & Necklace: Forever 21 (blouse also worn here)

Belt: NY & Co.

Jeans: Express

Leopard heels: Aerosoles via Marshall's

 Look #2: Any Work Day of the Week

Oh.my.goodness. I actually mixed prints. I have never mixed prints before. (I'm not counting my ill-advised youth.) Anyway, I liked the black and white with the tan, but I felt there needed to be a little color. I thought red would be predictable, so I went with this pink stone.

Blazer: ModCloth

Striped Top: French Connection via Marshall's 

Leopard Heels: Aerosoles via Marshall's

Jeans: JBrand via TJMaxx

Belt: NY & Co.

Necklace: Francesca's

 Look #3: Something Date-Night Fancy

Obviously, in the winter time, I would wear tights with this look. I was just too lazy to put them on for this little photo shoot. Also, please do not zoom in on this image. I'm sure you can spy the little grizzlies living on my legs. I might even swap out the heels for cobalt or fuchsia flats.

Dress: Target (stupid thing shrunk)

Blue heels (wedding shoes!): Michael Kors via Macy's (almost two years ago)

Necklace: Francesca's (also worn here)

Belt: NY & Co.

Look #4: Running-Errands Casual

This look is probably my favorite because it's so comfortable, and I prefer comfort above all other factors in my wardrobe. If I could dress in flannel every day, I probably would. Am I the only one who says "I'm running errands," and it's really code for "I'm going shopping?" It makes me feel a little bit better about myself. 

White shirt: Mudd via Kohl's

Flats: Target

Jeans: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

Scarf: Made by Momma! :)

Since I love you guys, I made one image that compiled all of the looks.

How would you style my gold blazer? I'd love to hear your suggestions.

(If you hate it, I understand, but I obviously won't stop wearing it!)

Gorilla Arm Syndrome

Tonight, I came home to my husband blaring "club" music and cooking a delicious dinner. How did I get so lucky? We proceeded to have a dane party in the kitchen because we're the coolest Friday night couple, of course. I say that as I type this blog post and he buys gifts on Amazon. Bom diggity right here. 

Anyway, Jeff was probably dancing because he knew that I would not be bothering him to take outfit pictures. I seized the dressing room opportunity and snapped some pictures of today's outfit.

Can I tell you that I can't just wear a simple cardigan anymore? Keeping this blog makes me realize that I am showcasing my style to more than just my classroom full of teenagers, so I try to be on my game. Today, my game consisted of some army green, leopard, and gold. Winning combination? Perhaps. 

FYI: Sometimes, when I try to wear button downs with cardigans, I get one arm in just fine, but then the other button down sleeve is disproportionately long compared to the first one I put on, so I end up with a cardigan that looks  off balance. Why does this happen!? I am convinced that one of my arms is longer than the other one. I need to force myself to put on the right sleeve first and see if the same thing happens on the left, but I appear to be a creature of habit. Either way, I think I compensated nicely. Gorilla arms and all. 

Button down & necklace: NY & Co.

Shoes & cardigan: Target

Jeans: Express 

Oh, and leather dresses are not meant for women like me. I'll stick to leather coats and nothing else. Awkward sauce.

That's how it went.