Lily Pad(dy)'s Day

Indulge me and tell me how witty I am for thinking of such a brilliant title for this post. For those of you who do not know, I live in Maryland. If you don't know anything about Annapolis, the capital of our lovely state, then let me tell you how much Lily Pulitzer everyone who's "so Annapolis" wears. A lot. One of their favorite color combinations? Pink and green, a combination I wore on the blog just last week. (Of course, I chose blush and olive versus the bright pink and kelly green of this week's look, but the idea is the same.)

In January, Kimmie wore this outfit, and it inspired me to wear my green skirt with pink. Of course, I envisioned my green skirt that's the same shade as hers, but I realized I wanted this brighter color pairing because it makes me happy when snow and cold weather make me sad. I originally planned for a navy cardigan, but I wanted more warmth, which required a blazer.

One of my friends hosts a pretty popular podcast about Lost Girl. (If you've never watched the series, you are missing out!) Today, he asked me if I wanted to partake in what he calls "Take Fives," which he refers to as "mini rants to fill in the gaps" when he hasn't recorded in awhile. He wants me to discuss the fashion of Lost Girl in five minute segments. Now, THAT is my kind of contribution! How fun, right? 

In fact, I think that would be a fun little installment here on the blog. We can call it, "Let's talk about ______" and fill in the blank with an actress or character, like Daenerys from Game of Thrones (that platinum blonde hair and those braids could make anything hot. And dragons? Hello? Double hotness.) Or Claire Dunphy from Modern Family (shout out to flannels and well-fitting jeans). Or Bernadette from Big Bang Theory (love her signature look, cardigan + dress + tights).  Maybe I can even sport outfits inspired by the character/actress of the hour. What do we think? About whom should we speak? Any favorite characters or actresses?

Also, tomorrow's Trendy Tuesday theme is NAUTICAL OR KNOT. (The cleverness is all my colleague's, not mine.) The tagline, however, is mine: stripes will suffice.

 

The Look:

Shirt: Forever 21 (OLD) (similar)

Belt: Dude's section at Target! (similar)

Skirt: J.Crew Factory (exact)

Blazer: LOFT via thredUP (similar)

Boots: Ralph Lauren via DSW (similar)

Elephant necklace (my favorite animal!): Lauren Conrad but Momma got it for me :)

Sunglasses: gift from Momma (she got 'em at LOFT)

 

I decided to include two outtakes for your viewing pleasure.

The first features me looking as if the F word will escape my lips at any moment.

 

My lips are so pretty.

And so are my hands.

And so are my awkwardly positioned feet.

 (I might look like a goon, but no one will be pinching me today!)

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Linking up with

Molly

The Style Record

Mix It Mondays

Green Week 

and

Style Swap

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Trendy Tuesday: Blazers and Button Ups

My name twin, Danielle, over at Goodwillista picked out my outfit for me today. We decided that we would look through each other's closets (a.k.a blog stalk) and give the other an outfit to wear with items from her closet. Danielle suggested my black and white striped blouse, flare jeans, skinny belt, and one of my many colored blazers. Her suggestion just so happened to coincide with this week's Trendy Tuesday, blazers and button ups, at my work. (Yes, we teachers pick a theme for getting dressed every Tuesday and grab a group shot at the end of the day.) 

When I informed my fourth period about today's theme, a five-minute debate ensued. Is it a button-up or a button-down shirt? I argued that the words were interchangeable because some people button from the bottom up and others bottom from the top down. I guess you could settle for the word oxford, yes? I don't know. Does it matter which name you give to it? 

Also, I plan to link up with Ginny and Jenn for Style Swap on Friday. (Click the link to learn more about it and join in on the fun!) After all, Danielle and I were pretty much swapping styles, right? Plus, I realized this outfit must have been channeling its inner Kendi. 

The Look:

Jeans: J Brand via TJ Maxx (similar from Gap)

Blouse: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's (similar from Gap)

Tank (under blouse): White House Black Market (exact--so worth every penny...it's the best tank I have EVER bought. It's comfortable, the right amount of spandex, and the perfect length)

Boots: b.o.c. via DSW 

Blazer: LOFT via thredUP (similar from Target) 

Necklace: Cannot remember...at all...

Linking up with

Style Sessions

The Pleated Poppy

Shanna

and 

Style Swap (on Friday)

Previously, I wore the pink blazer this way:

Teacher Wardrobe Series: Striped Peplum & Blazers

This post includes two of my very favorite things: stripes and blazers. 

Now, my fellow teachers and lady professionals, if your blazer collection is not as obscene as mine is, cardigans will substitute quite nicely. 

I hope that, no matter your dress code, these looks work for your work. Oh, look at that play on words. How very clever. 

LOOK 1

Shirt (in all four looks): Elle via Kohl's

Blazer: ModCloth (yes, that blazer is gold. No, you may not judge me.)

Belt: The Limited

Necklace: I can't remember. Forgive me.

LOOK 2

Blazer: Vince Camuto via Nordstrom 

Necklace: NY & Co.

Belt: Came with a dress

Pants: Celebrity Pink via Boscov's

(Do I look like a bumble bee? Do I care?)

LOOK 3

Blazer: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

Necklace: Forever 21

Pants: Celebrity Pink 

(I think I'd like to try the look with khakis/winter white pants.)

LOOK 4

Blazer, Necklace, and Pants: NY & Co.

(These are the pants I turned into skinny pants.)

I think this look is my favorite. Something about gray and pink just soothes the soul. 

 In case you like the color schemes and want to see them all together, I made a collage for you. 

Oh, yes, you are quite welcome.

Which look is your favorite?

If you want to see a different striped peplum I styled two ways, go here.

If you want to see the gold blazer styled four ways, go here. 

Pink & Cobalt & Mouse Poop.

Since we're tiling the kitchen, I have to play Frogger every morning in order to make my breakfast. On an ordinary day, I'm a troll in the morning, and that's a generous estimation of my attitude. I assure you that my troglodytic behavior does not improve when I must dodge everything in my path in order to fix my beloved oatmeal (with brown sugar, blueberries, and walnuts, of course). When said oatmeal explodes in the microwave that I can reach only by leaning precariously over the uncured tiles, my mood plummets even further into the depths of crapdom. HOW do hoarders do it? I can barely function for three days let alone half of a lifetime. 

At the end of the work day, I left my computer for maybe thirty minutes and what do I see upon my return? Mouse droppings...on.my.keyboard. With 26 students and another teacher in the room, how did Fivel go unnoticed? Today didn't like me so much. Exploding oatmeal and pooping mice. 

However, I fancy this outfit. I decided that I can wear white pants if my thermometer reads a whopping 92 degrees. A blazer when it's blazing hot? Not terribly smart, but I'm committed to my blazer collection. I added this beauty recently. Ain't she purdy?  

I really love this outfit. I guess I like variations of this color combination. After all, I wore coral and navy yesterday. 

Outfit Deets:

Blazer: New York & Co. (new--exact on sale)

Blouse: New York & Co. (not new--similar)

White pants: Express via Gabriel Brothers (I'm almost positive I bought them in 8th grade. similar from Express)

Belt: New York & Co. (not new--similar)

Shoes: Jessica Simpson via DSW (love these) 

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy and Shanna.