blog issues

hey guys- i'm having some picture upload related issues, so until i get things figured out i guess no posts.
sad :(

The twee-est of skirts

Skirt & Tank: Gap; Sweater, leggings: Old Navy;
Shoes; Me Too

A while back I mentioned how in cleaning out my closet I had some skirts that I was thinking about getting rid of- this is one of them. It's a bit, uh, youthful seeming. It also had a few other problems related to length and weird seems causing it to stick out a bit at the sides, but those seem to have dissipated mostly as it now sits lower on my body. Plus, this skirt over leggings is a lot different than over bare legs- so much so that I am quite pleased I kept it and totally love it! Yes, it's still very twee and isn't exactly a winter outfit, but it's fun and got me wearing something new and different. The leggings? Um, they may or may not actually be gym leggings.

See how pretty it is though?

Apparently it is going to be a very long work week, but I've got some fun social plans coming up so I'm in a great mood!
Obligatory twirly shot:

false sense

Jacket: Banana Republic; Shirt: NY&Co;
Jeans: Gap; Shoes: Madden Girl

Friday outfit. Extra fun for Girl's Night Out that evening! I had been planning on changing into flats after work because I knew these shoes would not bee the wisest choice for tromping through downtown Cincinnati, but the oh-so-nice repair man who came to fix my fireplace was so enamored with my shoes, it feel into false sense of security. I think his comments that he missed that women no longer wore heels (wait- what?) inspired me a little too much and I never did change into sensible flats.

My poor, poor feet! I was standing all night and am waaaaaay out of practice! But hey, I at least looked good. I loved the bright shiny teal in contrast to the rich soft orange of the jacket. I'm a sucker for cute shoes I guess.

I wore my watch all day long- I think it's just the right wrist I need to leave naked for work.

I loved having my shirt collar flared out over my jacket- that style always make me think of the 70's and hipsters like Charlie's Angels.

My new haircut responds quite well to the big curling iron- go Noelle!

Repetition

The past week or so I've been not as focused on fashion, but rest assured I have not been wandering the streets naked! I've just been taking advantage of repetition- or falling back on already tested out combinations. In some ways it's been not as fun- I've gotten used to to the daily task of trying to think of new ways to pair things or liven up something I've worn a dozen times. But it's also a nice relief- I feel pretty confident I can easily take a minute to zip into my closet and emerge looking like halfway decent.

So today is another one of those days. Nothing new or particularly special about what I'm wearing, but it sure beats looking like a hobo!

And yes, I'm totally wearing flip flops because It is actually that warm here! It's the last day of our little heat wave so back to more seasonally appropriate footwear tomorrow.

Trucker style

Recently some friends of mine started a cross country journey- it was two burly truckers, a moving truck, and a yearning for wide open spaces. And 2 iPhones giving constant updates on Trip Tracker and Facebook :P Here is three of us are, me doing my best to balance out the trucker-ness. Do they not look authentic?

Here are the rough and tumble truckers trying to reason with the dog to pose properly. It's an important part of trucking to adequately document all aspects of the journey.

She kept trying to steal their (prop) cigarettes :) those SQL loving vegetarian truckers are so tough.

Another first

Jacket, pants; Gap; shirt: Eddie Bauer;
Pearls: gift (Overstock.com originally)

Yes people, I tucked in my shirt. Just for you. I can't even remember the last time I tucked one in- it was above hosiery on my list of 'horrible fashion practices I refuse to participate in'. But my shirt looked so silly hanging out so much under the jacket- it really does need to be tucked. So I did it. And it's not that bad. I'm not saying I'm a convert or anything, but it's at least off the super bad list.

So who's excited for the weekend???? I am! Tomorrow is an all day crop (scrapbooking from 9am - 9pm!) to raise money for Susan G Komen, and Sunday is more dry wall hanging fun. Good times. I may sleep through Monday.
You can't see it all that well, but I'm wearing a lovely black pearl necklace. This shirt likes to hide necklaces. Naughty shirt!

A whole lot of new.

Cardigan: Ann Taylor Loft; Dress: Laundry;
Boots: BCBG; Belt: Lauren by Ralph Lauren

So there is a whole lot in this outfit which is new to me, fashion wise. First off, you may have noticed skirts don't get a lot of action in my daily wear, and dresses appear for events only. It's not that I don't *like* skirts or dresses, it's just that I still harbor a lot of body image hangups associated with them. I think I may be changing my ways though! I'm really enjoying wearing this dress today and feel extra pretty in it, even with today being an atrocious hair day :)

Also, I have for a long time harbored a strong disdain for tights/hosiery in general (even knee highs). I must say though, having not worn stockings of any kind in a few years, I may even change my tune about those! These are not nearly as uncomfortable to wear as I remember! Granted, I've had some body changes since the last time I worn hosiery of any sort and I think that is a big part of it, but still, I think I may have to keep my eyes peeled for some cute dresses and tights for the Fall season!

I've always liked the belted look on other women, but never really knew how I myself could pull it off. Well all it took was a chilly morning apparently! I started the day wearing just the dress (it has 3/4 length sleeves and pretty poofed shoulders), but got cold pretty early on so I ran upstairs to grab something to throw over it. I realized this teal cardigan would add the perfect splash of color, and that I had a belt staring right at me that might work over it. Ta-dah! I'm all sorts of pleased with myself today!

I've owned these boots for a few years but the lack of skirts/ dresses, and up until recently skinny cut jeans, meant there was no way for me to show them off- how sad! So I was excited for cooler weather to come because I wanted to give them a try with this dress, which I think of as the super-autumn-fall dress. I mean come on, it's too perfect of a fall color scheme!

Taking a picture while wearing these was nigh impossible!

So in summary, dresses and hosiery are off my 'evil' list, I've realized I have to stock up some on cooler weather wardrobe items, and I have a lot of new types of items I want to shop for. My strong desire for tall boots seems reasonable!

TGIF to the max people!

Sweater: Eddie Bauer; Tank: Gap;
Jeans; Old Navy; Flats: Steve Madden

OMGI'MSOGLADIT'SFRIDAY!!!!! I'm looking forward to the weekend, can you tell? Yes, my hair is doing something funky here. It happens.

Now seems like a good time to discuss fit! Specifically, the fit of the clothes I am wearing! As you can see above, this sweater has kind of a relaxed, roomy cut to it. The plus side; comfort of course! And not getting rid of clothes you bought when you were a size bigger! The down side: That extra fabric tends to sit in some weird ways, giving you creases in unusual places. We're not talking tons of fabric, but even just a little bit can make a big diff on me. Apparently.

Here is how this sweater would look if it were more fitted:
Much better! I look less like I have some weird glandular disorder, and I also think it makes em look taller, which the fashion industry tells me I should be aiming for.

These are the jeans I wore the other day and said were under review. I am not taking them off review and officially stating my preference for them over many other pants! The flare is nowhere near as pronounced as it was in my head, and they are still really comfy. They're a bit long for flats, but luckily I'm not planning on leaving the house in them.

Here are essentially the same jeans, just one size larger (and with a higher rise, actually):
Again, small difference, but in person I can tell they are a different size. I feel like these both work though- and the larger size pair is slightly shorter so they work better with flats. They are however, getting to the annoying stage where if I don't wear a belt, I'm doing that constant hitch-up thing which is decidedly un-fashionable. The big difference that I see though is how each would look with a more fitted top. The baggier jeans now just look funky that way.

Moving on, I love my new flats! Aren't they fun??? This is the kind of pattern one might see in a zip-up hoodie in the teen section and be tempted to purchase (if you're me), but I think this is a more manageable amount of said pattern. Or maybe I'm just a pattern wuss!

Close up of my pretty necklace and my rockin' color combo:

Have a good weekend everyone! We're hanging some dry wall this weekend. You're jealous, I know.
p.s. Man I look tired.

Outfit + bonus pic!

Jacket: Context; t-shirt: ON;
Jeans: ON; Shoes: Aldo

Brrrr! It's cold here people! A velvet jacket is just the thing to combat that :) I feel a little bit like I'm getting overly repetitive with what I wear, but at least I'm repeating something good! These are old jeans- I'm unsure how I feel about them, but I think I like them.

Pros: They are comfy and I feel like they show off my legs, which I love.
Cons: They have some weird lightening along the thighs- who needs that??? Also, they are, uh, tight. While that means they show off the pleasing shape of my legs, it doesn't necessarily create the most balanced silhouette.
They are under review.

While I was in DC, I of course went shopping. It's not that stores don't exist in Cincinnati/KY, it's just that my shopping buddy Rachel lives there! These lovely shoes were picked up at Also. They also came in some bright berry pink color (kind of like a brighter version of the color of my jacket) and both my friend and the sales associate tried to talk me into getting the pink version, but I really liked this neutral color- it's a unique color and will actually stand out in my shoe collection!


Are they not adorable???
I also bought some make-up while I was gone. I'm wearing eyeshadow, but it's pretty subtle. I also purchased a foundation primer which I think works really well, even if only in my yes. I like how it all turned out today!

And here is a bonus pic! My mom recently sent me a bunch of old pictures she had hanging around (she's a photographer, so she has *lots* of pictures hanging around. This picture was taken round about senior year of high school, so I'm 16 or 17 here. I love this picture for several reasons:

1. Hello, look at my hair! Those are some serious braids.
2. You probably can't tell, but I'm wearing an X-Files t-shirt- it remains to this day my most favorite television series ever. The bestest. I still want to marry Fox Mulder.
3. I coveted those sneakers for quite awhile, I thought they were soooo cool. The sneaks and pants are representative of me starting to achieve my fashion ideals finally. For a long time I wore clothes but really didn't come into my own fashion wise until I got older. So even though I would not make the same choices today, it gives me a good feeling to look back at that and see the positive side of it. Pants are green corduroy- also wicked cool in that not actually cool, but dude I listen to Nirvana so I'm cool for being different kind of way. Totally.
   

Back from the city!

Jacket: Gap; Sweater; Banana Republic;
Jeans: Old Navy; Shoes; Nine West

Here I am! Back from my week in DC, a.k.a. the place where much sushi is eaten. Going out for sushi is always near the top of my agenda when I head back- there are some excellent Sushi restaurants close to the office and some co-workers and I would head out for some lunch time sushi every once in awhile. husband has yet to hop on board with the raw fish, so I have to get my fix in whenever opportunities present themselves. I enjoyed looking snazzy int he office, though I hurt my feet my first Sunday there while wandering the (national) mall in my beloved bronze flats. I knew my work day was sedentary,but was not prepared for ill affects of suddenly increasing the amount of *walking* I did. My poor footsies. :(

So I wasn't the greatest at getting daily pics taken, but I'll post what I have later on. For today I wanted warmth and um, clean clothes. I have to do laundry from my week away, and I'm not quite used to the cooler weather and my new-found desire to be snazzily dressed.

Up top I wore this cute dark purple short sleeve sweater with fun puffy sleeves that will not see the light of day today other than for picture taking purposes- the heat may stay on this afternoon! this is one of several items of clothing my friend Rachel and I both own. We're completely different body types and dress a bit differently, so even though we shop at similar stores and own several items in common, I feel like we still end up looking pretty different. She wore this sweater last week :)

I broke out my 'fancy' earrings today- no real reasons other than they are pretty. I'm not one to shy away from wearing good jewelry on a day to day basis, but these are just a rather formal design to me. But they're pretty and I felt they fit.

Not sure if I've owned up tot his or not, but these shoes look kind of funky on my feet, so I prefer to wear them with pants that cover everything but the toe box. I think they're too narrow, but they are certainly comfy so I can't say for sure. What up Nine West- why do your shoes look so funky on me?

Oh, my hair was down originally, but was just irritating me, so up it went! I did enjoy having styled hair at the office several days last week though.

Hey, they're comfy.

Cardigan: H&M; T-shirt: Eddie Bauer;
Cords: Gap; Shoes: BCBG Girls

Yes, I just wore these pants. They're soooooo comfy! Again, hair is frizzy but pleasantly curly! I admit, I have not been thinking about fashion *too* much this week, just trying to look halfway decent. There are two reasons. One is that I've been working out a lot more and that's not only making me kind of sore and tired, but mostly it's just taking up a lot of my mental energy. It's good though, because look at my guns!

The other reason is that I'm headed back to DC for work next week! Needless to say I won't e posting, but I will bring my camera and force office mates to get action shots of me earning my paycheck! I haven't started packing really, but have been thinking a little bit about what to wear- I'm excited to head to the office with my improved fashion skills!

Today I wore my lovely blue BCBG heels:
I love these shoes- pretty comfy for their height!

So I'm out! But don't worry, I'll miss all of you, and maybe I'll even get a chance to catch up on all the blogs I've been neglecting this past week!

*ETA: Also, if anyone has any suggestions on what I should or should not wear, feel free to post them! I'm indecisive and live for feedback! Dress code during work is business casual- no jeans, and I will be leaving what are apparently the current world's comfiest pants at home. I will gladly rock open toed shoes though- I can't suppress my love for them for very long!

Boring Wednesday

Top: Banana Republic; Pants: Old Navy;
Shoes: Steve Madden Girl;
Ring: ?

This outfit is pretty representative of how I often would dress for work, except I would have worn black shoes. Kind of boring even with the bright teal shoes. I was however, uber comfy.

I did at least wear a different ring! I got this one from my mom- she had it for years, and heck, now I've had it for years! It's getting way too big on me though so I will probably not wear it all that much even though I do like it.

Madison has rated these shoes A+ for chompability.

Slanty pics

Cardigan: Target; Top: Kohl's;
Pants; Gap; Shoes: Sears;
Necklace; Target; Earrings: ?

When I take my pics, I stand my camera up on it's side in an empty tape dispenser, and I don't always remember to make sure it's aimed strait. So that's why you sometimes end up with slanty pictures. Now my secret is out: I'm too lame to have a tripod. Further confession: these pants always make me think of grandpas (it's the window pane pattern), despite my own grandpa never actually wearing pants like this.

My hair, it is irritating me. I'm trying to retrain it to not expect so many washings. You see, I go to the gym after work so it gets washed at night. When I take a shower the next morning, really there's no need to wash it again, but my hair does not seem to understand this and is rebelling against me- it apparently *wants* 11 washings a week. Well hair, I say no to you and your self destructive wants! It's not good for you! That's why you're so damn frizzy to begin with! So settle down and accept plain water. Ok, maybe some extra conditioner too. Oh why can't you work with me here?!?!?!?!

Simple gold hoops today. I think I got these in Israel when I was 9, but I could just be making it up. Pretty sure though.

$9 sandals from Sears! Thankfully, Madison did not find these to be a threat and my toes did not get bitten this morning.

Saturday outfit

Jacket, tank, shorts: Gap; Shoes: Sears

Eeek! I'm falling way behind! I threw this on to go brave the mall and hit up Ikea. I'm not sure when the change occurred, but these days I do not find the mall to be a very pleasant experience. It's too crowded, and I've grown too accustomed to the leisurely browsing that online shopping allows. While I don't see myself converting to an online shopper for clothing, for items like shoes and accessories, online is the way to go!

Also, blame my husband for the terrible picture. And I guess also me for not making him take another one :P

These shoes cost me $6.99 at Sears! They were a little uncomfortable at first, but proved most useful while away at the beach. Granted, part of their high usage is due to the fact that my dog destroyed my flip flops, but nonetheless I enjoy them quite a bit and am glad they are a part of my shoe wardrobe!

I decided to do something a little different with my hair. I liked this a lot- it felt styled without the effort of drying it, and I got the benefit of having it down and wavy without having to actually deal with it being in my face! I will certainly be doing this again.

When I decided to start this blog, I had come to a point where I was tired of looking like a schlep. When I worked in an office I was capable of throwing together some nice things. while I didn't always exercise that ability, I knew it was there so I didn't as much mind looking terrible on the weekends. As a result, I never really mastered 'nice casual', but I knew it was time, specially with my new work situation. So whenever I realize that I've been able to meet that goal, I'm thrilled. Saturday was a prime example. While there is nothing particularly thrilling about what I wore that day, the fact is I looked about a million times better than I would have on the same type of day a few months prior. In addition to the outfit above, DH and I went out later int he evening when it was much cooler. I was able to quickly grab a cardigan, jacket, jeans and shoes to provide me with a stylish outfit that was more temperature appropriate, and it took almost no effort. That is major progress in my eyes!

Fishes

Jacket: Gap; Shirt: NY & Co;
Cami: Banana Republic; Jeans: Old Navy;
Shoes: Nine West; Pin: unknown

Ahhh Thursday- how nice of you to arrive and plop me on the downward slope to the weekend! The picture on the right has far better coloring, but I cut off the tips of my head and feet! So you get two not all that different poses today. All I did was slightly shift the angle between taking these two photos- or perhaps the sun decided to come out?

I always love the way pins look on all the fashionable ladies whose blogs I frequent, but I never really had any pins to give it much of an effort. Or so I thought! I have had this fishy pin for pretty much ever, so I decided it was high time he made his way onto actual clothing. I'm not sure if you can see the cami all that well, but it has lovely lace along the top. I have this cami in a light sea glass-y blue as well, and both are beautiful, but oddly cut. There is also a nice lace trim all along the bottom, but you never see it because they are so short! Apparently Banana Republic thinks we should all be out gallivanting in our under layers only.
This is one of the many items I have been toting around with me over the years that I've never really done anything with, other than pack and unpack. so it's thrilling to be able to actually *use* it. So no, this isn't some ironically hip thrift store find, but just something kitschy I've owned since I was a wee lass.