Plaid on Wednesdays

As October is winding down wind gusts and falling leaves are picking up here in the bay area. Today I decided to do a bit of layering and reached for my plaid blazer for the first time this season. And with Halloween being tomorrow I'm scrambling to find some sort of costume. I think I have one in mind - and a coworker suggested another great one. But I'll see if I can put the pieces together fast enough to make it work.

Lately I have been increasingly busy and find myself wanting nothing more than a retreat for a few days in a cabin in the woods, a fireplace, and my books. I'm not sure if its due to the weather, or just having been away for the past 2 weekends in a row, or just things going on in life, but sometimes I feel as though I forget to take care of myself. Shopping aside, I think I need some time to recharge my batteries. If Tahoe had snow, I'd be halfway there.

Any low cost suggestions, aside from coffee and cheap books to work  on this?

Outfit details:
White button down: Polo Outlet, similar
J Crew factory charley sweater: exact
J Crew Plaid blazer: similar
Jeans: Gap, similar
Loafers: Bass Weejuns, exact

Linking up with Tucker Up for WIWW

Bluesday

For some reason this Tuesday has felt like a Monday. But it's nearly the end of the day and I can't complain. And with the sun staying out a bit longer, well... I don't have reason be sad (although I still mourn the loss of an hour of sleep..bah).

I put this together this morning on a whim when I decided that I really didn't want to wear a skirt today - and quite frankly with the cold air blasting in here I'd probably have frozen today, and as a result, this won out instead.

Hooray for stripes, the color blue, and red patent flats!  I also really like the grey and pink lining that peeks out of the blazer - such a fun, girly add on. And, I feel as though I really need to get wearing light clothing items out of my system as fast as possible because London and Paris are calling for temps below 50. Brrr. Perhaps I will have to look like a dorky tourist with uggs after all.

Are there any items that are absolute necessities that you take while traveling?

Blouse: Banana Republic
Blazer and jeans: Gap
Shoes: Tory Burch
Scarf: Gift

Collared blazer love

For some reason four day work weeks always feel longer than 5 day weeks. I mean you are really only working 32 hours instead of 40 (if you go by a clock) but the days just drag on. 5 o'clock is looming here and I can't wait!

I wore this to work yesterday and am kicking myself for not picking up more of the jackie sweaters when I got this one... they just look so good and have longer sleeves than the tippi. I think a red and royal blue would be nice... or navy. White? Beige? Oi vey.

 I also have to admit that I really like the new lighting in this office bathroom.

And can I stop for a second and mention how much I love peter pan collars, especially ones that have embellishments on them? When I grabbed this top from H&M sometime last year I thought it was going to be one of those purchases that I always regret. But I'm glad to see that it's versatile and I can pair it under sweaters to add a bit of glam to my outfit.

I've also been searching for a collar necklace or two to add to my collection..so if anyone has any that they've picked up recently let me know. I particularly like this one from C Wonder but the price stops me from pulling the trigger on buying it.

Are there certain items in your closet that you hesitated on purchasing but end up loving?

And because its a Friday... T minus 22 days until Europe!

Blazer & Jeans: Banana Republic similar blazer here, jeans here
Jackie sweater: J Crew
Scarf: Nordstrom, similar rose print here
Peter pan collar shirt: H&M

Living in mustard

I always thought mustard was one of those colors that I could never wear, or even get close to wearing. But when I unwrapped this under the Christmas tree from my parents I was excited to try again. I decided to not overdo my accessories on this one and let the jacket speak for itself.

Jeans: Gap, Bluse & jacket: J Crew

I paired this with my french hen shirt and dark jeans to offset the brightness of the jacket.

Work has been intense lately, hence my lack of posts (my outfits have been pretty dull because its been work sleep repeat lately) but with the weekend finally in sight I'm hoping to snuggle up in some warm sweaters as a cold snap comes our way.

And.. I finally decided what to get with my J Crew giftcard! Stay tuned.. I will do a proper reveal of the item soon. :)

Are there any new fashion items that you've recently tried and now love?

Long weekend sale steals

Or, in other words, why Laura is banned until at least 2013. But, lets get to fun stuff - what I picked up during the Thanksgiving sales.

From J Crew... Oh J Crew. I really should contemplate changing the title of this blog to I really should work at J Crew but I have a desk job. Or, J Crew gets my whole paycheck. Ahh, I digress. I placed an order Wednesday night and then on Sunday stopped in store because the 30% off was just too good. 
J Crew website order:
Lady jacket in spicy gold - the mustard is definitely not as bright as it appears online. I might have to try styling this with a few items in my wardrobe before I decide if I can pull it off or not but it was a steal at 69.99.
Saturday pant - love. These might become my new comfy plane travel pants. I'll definitely get these in another color the next time they go on sale.
iPhone case in anchor print - am I the only one who doesn't think this fits the iPhone 4S right? Most likely going back.

Sunday in store:
Polka dot sequin top - This is a little out of my comfort zone because its flashy. But I tried it on in store over a white blouse with jeans and really like how it looked. I just may have to push myself to wear this one a bit more as its a little out of my comfort zone.
Merino turtleneck in stripe - Elbow pads. Enough said. Cozy and comfy and stripes. Adore this. 
Orly genger rope necklace - I think I waited for this to go on sale for several months. Finally nabbed this in blue. 
Ballet flats in poppy - This is my first pair of J Crew ballet flats and I just adore the color. I think this will be the perfect shoe addition to my wardrobe for this season.

Anthropologie:
Window pane blazer - Okay. So I could also probably rename this blog I'm addicted to blazers too. Saw this in store and wasn't sure. Tried it on for MIL & SIL and they loved it. So it shall stay.
Ilume spring eden candle in mango - I love the way this candle smelled - it reminds me of vacation. I probably should've grabbed another.
Leather notebooks - Another thing I've always enjoyed are notebooks. I saw these and thought they were adorable with the pencil that comes with it. 

Loft:
These were my first purchases from the Loft and I'm excited for these.
Sequin striped top - I saw this making the rounds on a few blogs and I tried it on in store and loved it.
Kitten sweater - Kitten print. Sweater. No more is needed on this. ;)

Banana Republic:
Striped knit skirt - I know I blogged about this skirt before. And I finally nabbed it in store for 11.00. Sweet!
Plaid button down - Blue plaid. Adore. Can't find this online but it should be in stores.

Whew! And that's about it!

DH and I are off to NY for a few days on Thursday and I'm a little afraid of how cold its going to be. But I'm also really looking forward to good food, visiting with some coworkers in my NY office and maybe hopefully hitting up the J Crew sample sale. Shhh. I swear I'm done.

Did you get anything during the holiday sale?

PS. Does anyone know how to do add a reply to comment? I still haven't figured that out.
PPS. I will seriously pay someone to redo my blog. Doesn't have to be crazy complex but I really suck at this html thing.

Spotted dotted

This was actually Wednesday's outfit, but who is counting. I think aside from my skirt and boot outfit this was my runner up of favorite outfit of the week. And the funny thing about my red jean search is that it actually took me to Wet Seal, a store I probably haven't set foot in in years (most definitely since before my age started having a 2 in the front of it). And that means belt necessary.

Sweater: Old Navy, Blazer: Banana Republic, Jeans: Wet Seal, Necklace: J Crew

Photos coming to you courtesy of the J Crew dressing room - finally a few photos of me without a sink in the background. Hah. I really like camel and red and blue together. And blazers... can you tell I have a problem? Okay okay. So it's one I'm fond of. But I can't get enough. I also can't get enough of dots. And plaid. I love it all.

Speaking of J Crew, while I was there the other night I nabbed a double serge wool pencil skirt in festival blue for 41. Complete steal! Online they are still 79.99 with an additional 30% off but check stores - prices are usually less for this item.

This weekend we have some plans to get together with friends tonight. Tomorrow is a complete free day with no plans. And if it's supposed to rain hopefully that means I can catch up on laundry and maybe have some brunch. Sunday I'm going to a bridal shower and then a thanksgiving get together with some coworkers.

And that, friends is my soon to be weekend in a nutshell. Is there anything specific you are looking forward to this weekend?

European purchases

We've been back not yet a week and I think I'm already ready to go back to Europe. But that's a given.

So... about that shopping. Yup, I didn't come back empty handed. But y'all... I was in Ferragamo, I had to run back to get my passport for the duty free shopping... and when I did the currency conversion... I couldn't bring myself to buy the shoes. They are stunning - and I'll see if I can save up for them... but I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much on one item (and I didn't have enough set aside for them, even with the tax break). So I left Europe sans Ferragamos... but here's what I did buy:

In Munich I picked up a scarf with a print of the Edelweiss (which just so happened to be my late Nonno's favorite flower). It also seemed to be the official flower of Oktoberfest - once I started paying attention they were everywhere.

Florence was where I did the majority of the remainder of my shopping... have I mentioned to you that I love Zara? And when I was doing price comparisons in the hotel room between US/Euro prices with the cash back, well, it was cheaper.

Zara elbowpatch wool blazer. Wool. Plaid. Elbow patches. Need I say more?

Zara cardigan. Perhaps because I was still cold from Germany but I had to grab this.

Zara oxblood velvet loafers. Reeeeeeeed.

Zara jeweled necklace. I couldn't help this one - the sparkles drew me to it.

I also picked up a few smaller accessory items...

The journal came from this awesome handmade paper store and it is in a traditional Florentinian print. The hardest part on this one was picking out the color scheme! In Monterosso I nabbed the little heart necklace, something small and dainty to remind me of my honeymoon. I grabbed the MyWallit kitty keychain at the main store in Lucca - I had no idea they were an Italian brand! And the purple wrap bracelet was also from Monterosso.

And last but not least, a poncho. Navy blue is surprisingly hard to photograph. We were waiting for our plane in Bergamo and I spied this. I kept thinking about while sitting at the gate and ran back to get it....but they were closed. So I hung around for a bit (like a creeper) and once I saw they were back I tried it on and bought it. Can't wait to wear it soon as the weather here has been turning and it feels like fall.

Well, that's about it. We definitely splurged a bit more on meals with wine and cheese courses. I did manage to afford all of this with the money that I'd set aside so I'm proud of myself for not having to dip into other funds for this.

Hope you've enjoyed and are having a good Sunday!

29 before 29.

As Thursday and another year in my birthday belt notch grows I decided to put something down in writing about what I'd like to accomplish in my 28th year. So, I've compiled a list of the 29 things I'd like to do before I turn 29.

In no particular order....

1.  Read a minimum of 30 books.
2.  Spend less, shop my closet more.
3.  Take more photos.
4. Dedicate more time and effort to the blog.
5. Make homemade pasta and sauce.
6.  Go to a new city where I haven't been before.
7.  Volunteer for more shifts at the holiday window display for the SF SPCA.
8. Less time inside, more time outside.
9. Join a sports team/bowling league/sign up for ice skating lessons.
10. Bike across the golden gate bridge.
11. Take a how to make a terraneum class with my mom.
12. Take a photo every day for 30 straight days.
13. Go to the symphony with DH.
14. Learn to fix/sew a button.
15. Try a new beer once a month.
16. Go fruit/pumpkin picking.
17. Hike Angel Island.
18. Get as close as I can to the city where my grandpa was born in Italy.
19. Bake at least once a month with the new kitchen aid mixer.
20. Go gokarting with my family.
21. Define my style better.
22. Visit the Italian American museum in the presidio.
23. Organize and play a bocce ball day.
24. Be nicer to my cuticles (so I can finally have nice manicures...)
25. Take a spontaneous drive.
26. Make a new friend.
27. Make a stranger's day
28. Clean and reorganize my wardrobe AND keep it up (for longer than a week).
29. Exercise more and eat better.

And so this isn't totally boring, my outfit for today. I picked this necklace up on Monday and just adore it.

jeans: banana republic, blouse: jcrew, necklace: h&m, blazer: frenchi

necklace details

Well, that's it for now! On the eve of my 29th I feel... good. :)

J Crew/Old Navy/Banana Republic Sale wrap up

I thought that I was going to be a bit better in August, with the wedding this weekend and all. But for some reason I think it just led me to shop more. ;)

Rounding out the summer sales here's what i picked up ....

Old Navy:

I have to say that I was really impressed by the stuff that Old Navy churned out (hence half my outfit today is from there). The white buttondown was about 12 and the polka dot sweater was 16. In addition to this sweater I also got the one in navy with the heart (awesome cheaper alternative to the J Crew heart tippi) and white with black polka dots. My Old Navy still has these in stock so check stores. Otherwise, similar colors online here. I also picked up the chambray dotted blouse and a dotted tank top in store.

J Crew:
Oh Crew. How I love you. But I love your sale prices even more. I went in store to try some items online and I'm really glad I did. Lesson 1: sequins on a tank top don't do anything for me. Lesson 2: I'm seriously starting to love green.
My picks:
Perfect shirt in anchors & horseshoes - I took a size 6 in this, one size down. I adore the color. It's supposed to arrive tomorrow and if the weather is nice I'll wear it out with a blazer and white jeans tomorrow.
Optic-dot boatneck t - I was half expecting to hate this, but when I put it on I went OOOOH. So this came home with me, too.
Anchors aweigh t - what's not to love about little anchors on a white t? I'm so glad I nabbed this - I had been eying it in store.
Sperry topsides in cerise - Sperrys are really cute. And I couldn't resist on this color. On weekends I always have this dilemma where I feel as though I don't have any basic shoes that aren't dress flats to wear to the office or beat up tennis shoes, so I'm hoping that the sperrys can give me something new to wear.
Factory critter necklace in giraffe - It's a giraffe, and it's adorable. Enough said. ;)

Banana Republic:
I was wooed in by your 40% off until 1PM on Saturday. I'm glad I did.
Bow sweater - can I just say how cute this is? And the price was cheaper in store PLUS an additional 40% off. Nope, no feeling guilty on this one! I nabbed the cocoon color because I figured it'd be a great neutral to pair with any skirt or pants.
Navy sateen one button blazer - another item whose price was much cheaper in store. Have you noticed that I kinda have a blazer addiction? Well, I do. But I've been needing a new navy one so voila. Came to about 52.00.

Banana republic scotty cap toe flats - check stores. I think I paid 19 for these total. Best score of the whole day.

Wowza! And that's a lot of clothes. I've been trying to weed out my wardrobe as well from items that just don't fit anymore to things I never reach for.

And since wedding week is upon us I'll try and snap some photos as the week progresses and update on Friday before the big day. :)

June Challenge

So, my whole idea of a shopping ban for May didn't go so well. I finally got fed up with my color lacking wardrobe and set out to purchase some items that would brighten things up a bit.

And bright my wardrobe has become. The May roundup:

JCrew: Biennial Satchel in red. Striped bow flats. Red eyelet pencil skirt. Mint green tippi sweater and modern red vneck (coming Monday, eep!). I really can't wait to pair the stripes with the red eyelet pencil skirt. And I have to say, of course, all the items were on sale. Huzzah!

Nordstrom: Frenchi blazer in cobalt (for 28.90!), polka dot blouse, and my much lusted after Sam Edelman spiked flats.

Gap outlet: Mint green tank, cobalt sweater, kelly green skinny jeans. (linked to similar items).

Via polyvore

Target: White cropped jeans (!), pink tunic, and The Webster patterned tank (never would've thought to get this, but its adorable).

Photo via polyvore

And perhaps the big finale, from Neimans, the Tory Burch natalya wedge in black.

Which friends, leads me to a shopping hiatus for the month of June. And perhaps July. I used the word banned for May and that just seemed to spurn my need to shop. And with two weekends away this month, I'm hoping I can reign it in.

So far, the responses to my new clothing items have all been positive. I've gotten a lot of compliments from coworkers and it makes me feel more confident in myself and what I'm wearing.

Outstanding items to get at some point: Tweed jacket.

That's it for now.... have a fantastic weekend!

Prep school graduation

Okay, not really. I did go to a prep high school, complete with uniforms (a la Britney Spears in her baby one more time video. trust me, it wasn't that cool). And for some reason, despite the not so flattering uniforms there's a part of me that's always been a die-hard prep deep down inside. Plaid? Love it! Blazers? I'll throw that in too. And elbow patches? Some of my favorite things to go on shirts. I love some of the looks from Tommy Hillfiger and Ralph Lauren (but can't stomach the prices).

To beat the impending rain storm coming our way I decided to brighten things up -I found my red blazer! And my first chambray shirt, too! (I feel like I'm making progress..).

See? Elbow pads!

 Blazer, shirt, and scarf: H&M. Jeans: Urban Outfitters. Necklace: Tiffanys (gift). Shoes: from Morocco! (gift)

I also have to delve a bit into this scarf I spotted at H&M last night and decided I had to have. Someone in the office commented it looks a lot more expensive than the 9.95 price tag it had on it - and I have to agree. Plus whats not to love about cheetahs and irises? I mean, genius to put both those things together.

I'm also trying my hand at instagram - for anyone who is on there find me at makeupandpearls. There's a lot of my cat. But she's cute so I guess its okay.

Thursday morning FH and I are off to Hawaii for the wedding of two of our dear friends. It's a short trip, but look for my post on how I'm packing lightly (with the exception of the party goods I need to bring for the bridal shower).