Twinsies!

Extreme Close-Up of my belt

Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets super excited when I see another blogger wearing something I have.  I know that we all shop at the same places, so it's pretty likely, but I still think it is fun to see how someone else wears an item.  I recently saw Typhanie wearing this dress on her blog, and remembered that it was in my "need to iron" pile, so I dug it out.

Then, the first time I put these shoes on the blog, Bri Marie let me know that she has them too!  (And now I want a white lace top!)

Whenever my twin nieces see someone matching, they squeal "twinsies!" like total teenagers, so I figured I would channel them for my title.

Dress and Shoes: Target
Cardigan: Gap
Belt: TJ Maxx

Closet Ultimatum Update

You may have noticed that I am totally slacking on my Closet Ultimatum Challenge.  I think the items that I still haven't worn are stuck hanging in the closet for a reason - like I shouldn't be keeping them!  I've also been distracted by all the new things I got in Iowa at the beginning of August. So, here's my list of items and the current status:

1. Gap Pale Yellow Tank top - I'm keeping this, but it's getting demoted to a cami for wearing under other tops.  
2. H&M Floral tank top - going to Goodwill.  
3. LOFT blue sleeveless blouse - still on the fence.  I like it, but I hate to iron it. 
4. Ann Taylor knit top - another tough decision.  I got several positive comments about it, but I just don't think I will wear it very much, and I think it would sell nicely.  
5. Ann Taylor Coral Sweater - keeping it. 
6. Limited Pink and Brown top - selling it.
7. H&M Red T-shirt -keeping it.  I had forgotten that I actually wore this a few times recently (here and here). 
8. Gap Plum sweater - keeping it
9.  DKNY Navy top - selling it
10.  Target Tiger tee - I will keep it for now, and see if I wear it at all.  
11.  Gap dyed tee - I can't sell it, so I'll hold onto it.  I should probably make a rule that if I haven't worn it again in the next few months, I have to give it to Goodwill.  
12. Gap black skirt - selling it
13. Gap black linen skirt (worn here) - selling it
14. BR White skirt  - keeping it for now. 
15. Old Navy white skirt - the zipper is messed up, but still works.  I don't think I can sell it, so it is either Goodwill or keep.  I'm thinking about dying it, but I can't decide what color.  I think a cobalt blue or kelly green would be cool, I'm just not sure I can get the results I want.  
16. Loft graphic skirt  - keeping
17. Gap Purple skirt - keeping, but probably will only wear it with tights
18. Tommy Hilfiger green mini skirt - keeping it, but letting the hem out a bit. 
19. Ann Taylor floral mini - worn here and here.  I'm keeping it, but only to wear with tights. 
20. Loft geometric mini - worn here and here.   I'm keeping it, but only to wear with tights. 

I'm noticing a trend with my skirts being too short.  This is tricky when you are tall, so I probably just need to pay better attention when I am shopping.  Some of these skirts are probably at risk of being taken to the consignment shop just depending on what I decide the day I go.

Overall, I think this was a pretty good little Closet Clean-out challenge.  I'm getting rid of a few things that I have held onto for too long, and I was reminded about some items that have been forgotten in the back of the closet.

I need to finish sorting the rest of my closet - dresses, shoes, long sleeves, pants... the list goes on.  I might do another similar challenge once it gets colder.

How often do you clean out your closet?  Any tips?  

The Return of the Bootcut Jean

With the hotter than usual summer we have had, I don't think I've worn my regular jeans in 3 months!  When I threw on these jeans and the plain navy t-shirt the other day, John quickly declared this was another of his favorite outfits.

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say John really hates skinny jeans.  I didn't think it was possible, but he actually likes boyfriend jeans even less.  He would be happy if the only type of jeans in the world were good old-fashioned boot-cut.  Needless to say, he was not impressed when I mentioned I was in the market for some hot pink skinnies.

Tee, Jeans, Shoes: Gap
Cardigan: Marisa Kristina      

Tuesday Trifecta: Polka Dot Cardigan

I've had this cardigan for less than a month, and I warned you it would be a frequent flyer on the blog. It's just so fun!  This outfit was what I wore a couple Saturdays ago when we had John's parents over for dinner and cards.  I was just wearing the shorts and t-shirt, but then it got a little cool in the house and I figured the cardigan was the perfect layer to add. After I put it on, I remembered that my mother-in-law bought the same exact cardigan when we were shopping together and we just said we wouldn't wear it when we were hanging out together.  Oops!  I guess I broke that rule first thing.  I will have to be more careful in the future.

Here are my 2 other recent looks with this cardigan:




Cardigan: Old Navy
T-shirt: Target
Shorts: J.Crew
Sandals: Carlos Santana via DSW

Closet Ultimatum #5 - Take two

This skirt is tricky.  After wearing it here, I still wasn't sure whether I should keep it or sell it.  Then when I was putting together my outfit for EBEW Monochrome, and didn't want to wear mint green shorts to work, I saw this skirt and thought I would give it another go.  I think I like it enough to keep it for now.

Cardigan: Gap
Tank top: Banana Republic
Skirt: Loft
Sandals: Carlos Santana via DSW

How to Wear a Concert Tee to Work

I wanted to make sure you could see the robot

Since my office has a super casual dress code, I can pretty much wear whatever I want.  For some reason, I still feel like a rebel when I wear jeans and a t-shirt (even though everyone else does it all the time).  This usually happens on the days when I hit snooze a few too many times, and realize I have exactly 15 minutes to get ready for work if I'm going to make it to my first meeting.  We won't talk about what time that first meeting is.  Just pretend it's respectable, like 8am.

As I frantically brush my teeth, take a shower, do my hair and make-up, I think about how I should really pack my lunch the night before, and maybe even decide on an outfit.  Then I have to make a decision for the day.  Jeans are easy.  My new t-shirt from the Weezer concert a few weeks ago looks like a good idea.  I mean, a robot in argyle, playing a drum - what's not to love?  Then I felt too casual and remembered it was kind of cool outside, so I thought it was a good excuse to wear my new cardigan again.  (I'm telling you, this cardi is going to get worn A LOT in the next few months.)  Finally, I threw on my heels (because that makes any outfit feel a little more fancy), and I was out the door.   I didn't even look in the mirror!  And I made it to work with about 10 minutes to read emails before my meeting.  I call that a successful morning.

Cardigan: Old Navy
T-shirt: souvenir from Weezer concert
Jeans: Jessica Simpson via Von Maur
Shoes: Seychelles

I've Got the Blues

Don't worry!  I'm not sad; I'm just wearing a lot of blue.  I mean, I went to the grocery store(Target) on Saturday and just happened upon the clearance shoe section, and these adorable little blue cap-toe flats were calling my name.  Of course I had to plan my Sunday morning outfit around my new shoes.

Whenever someone says "I've got the Blues", this song immediately pops into my mind.  And then I want mac and cheese for dinner.  Does anyone else remember this commercial?  How adorable is this little girl?  Now think about the fact that she's probably about 22 now.  Feeling old yet?  Me too.

Dress and Cardigan: Gap
Belt: Francesca's
Shoes: Target

Help! What's Your Favorite Perfume?

Pinterest inspired me to pair my bright mullet skirt with earthy colors.  This is the result, and I kind of like it.

On a completely unrelated note, I am almost out of perfume, and I want to try a new scent.  My current favorite is Emporio Armani Diamonds Intense, which I have been rationing for several months.  My every day scent is CK Contradiction, which I don't think they even sell in stores anymore, but I had stockpiled and am at the end of my last bottle.  I also had Lola by Marc Jacobs and really liked that.  I was at Ulta the other day and looked around a little bit, but nothing really jumped out at me.

Any suggestions?  What are your favorite scents?

I've got a birthday coming up in October, so I think I will put perfume on my list, but I need to know what kind to ask for!

Top: Gap
Belt: Francesca's
Skirt: Limited
Shoes: BCBGeneration

Closet Ultimatum #11 - Green Mini and a Sneaky Squirrel

I really love this skirt, but it made the "Closet Ultimatum Challenge" because I haven't worn it at all in the last 3 months, which is the prime time I should be wearing a green nautical-print mini-skirt.  So what's the problem??  I've come to the conclusion that there are 2 problems:

1. I don't really know how to remix it very well.  I've had this skirt for several years (like 7 maybe?), and for most of those years, I've only worn it with a white shirt, and probably only once per summer, because I can't think of anything interesting to wear with it.  I'm also wondering if I can make the jump to fall and winter with tights. 
2. I think it's a little too short.  It has a good 1.5inch of hem, so I'm going to go ahead and let that out, so it's a little longer.   

During our photo-shoot, my  photographer seemed a little distracted, and I realized there was a sneaky squirrel hanging out on the fence behind me.

It's also Tuesday Trifecta time, here are the 2 other times this skirt has shown up on the blog:

Top: Gap
Jacket: Izod
Skirt:  Tommy Hilfiger
Shoes: Gap

Falling for Plaid

This top is one of my favorite new items from the outlet mall trip.  It's from J. Crew, and it has so many great colors in it. I'm already planning to wear it with at least 4 different cardigans!  The weather has finally dipped back down into reasonable temperatures, so I jumped at the chance to wear jeans and a new shirt.  I played off the different colors with my accessories, and I really like the casual vibe.

When I got home from work, John said "Oh, you're wearing a man shirt!  It still looks nice!"  Just the vote of confidence I was looking for!

Speaking of plaid, I tend to shy away from plaid, and pleats, and polos, because I got my fill of those styles back in my school days.  Just in case you are imagining the kind of cute uniforms with the short skirts, here's some evidence to prove it wasn't cute.  (Please excuse the poor quality!  It's a picture of a picture.)

The sombrero was not part of the standard uniform.  This was at the end of my senior year, when we had an assembly to honor students for various things.  I got the award for Spanish student of the year (AKA "Most Likely to Still Speak Spanish in 10 years").  This was "el mistake-o", as I have forgotten almost everything I learned in Spanish classes.

Top: J.Crew
Jeans: Jessica Simpson
Shoes: Gap
Purse:  thrifted and refashioned Liz Claiborne
Sunglasses:  Fossil

Cardi Polka Party

A polka dot cardigan has been on my want list for at least a year.  When I saw this one at Old Navy, not on sale, my instincts told me to leave it.  I never buy anything at full price, especially from Old Navy!  Then I thought back to my plan to be a more intentional shopper, and decided it was better to spend $20 on a cardigan I will wear a lot, instead of spending $10 each on 2 shirts I am buying just because they are cheap.  So the cardigan came home with me!  I have a feeling this will get remixed quite a bit year round!

I saw this outfit recently, and was excited to put my spin on it with the new cardigan.  And then I realized this purple skirt just makes me want to wear polka dots!

Cardigan: Old Navy
Belt: Limited
Skirt: Gap (dress refashioned)
Shoes: Carlos Santana

Closet Ultimatum #10 - Roar

This shirt takes animal print to a whole new level.  It's a little weird to have a leopard face on your shirt, but I kind of like it.  What do you think?  Should this shirt get to stay in my closet?

In other news, I got to talk on FaceTime with my nieces last night.  It was so much fun to hear about their first day of school.  I asked Delia if she was going to learn cursive this year, because I thought I had learned cursive in 2nd grade.  Then I wondered if they even teach cursive anymore, since everyone uses computers.  Delia said something like "Whoa, I knew you went to school in the olden days, but I can't believe you didn't have computers back then!"  Way to make me feel old!

Top: Target
Cardigan: Marisa Christina
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: Gap

Linking up here again today!

Closet Ultimatum #9 - Coral Sweater

This sweater is a lighter shade of coral, so I have to be careful or it will wash me out.  I really like it with the black shirt underneath.  I think I will keep it.

Besides, this is the sweater I was wearing when I met a president in 2010:

GW! 

I know a lot of people don't like George W. Bush, but no matter what your political views, I think it's still pretty cool to meet a former president.  We were in a line to meet him, and when it was my turn, I said something really clever, like "Hi, I'm Andi!" and he was like "Andi with an I?" and I was so impressed because most people try to spell it "Andy" or they are like "Annie?  Amy?  What?"  GW is smarter than people think!  Then he said something like "it's an honor to meet you!" and I was like "um, that's what I was going to say."  And then my Dad was in line after me, and GW was like "Andi's dad!"  Anyway, it was a funny experience and he seemed like a pretty cool guy.  I should have probably had a better plan of what to say!

Have you ever met anyone famous?  What did you say?


Sweater: Ann Taylor
Button-down: NY&Co
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: Seychelles

EBEW Monochrome - Minty Fresh

It's EveryBody EveryWear time, and this month's theme is "Monochromatic."  The last time I did a purposely monochromatic outfit, it was winter and I went kind of safe with blue.  Now it is summer, and I'm feeling a little dangerous, so I decided to go out of my comfort zone, and try minty green.
I got these shorts at J.Crew Outlet over my recent weekend shopping spree.  I have been trying to jump on the colored denim bandwagon for many months, but haven't found anything cheap enough that fit well.  Needless to say, I was pretty excited to find these shorts.

Full disclosure:  I didn't actually wear this outfit out of the house yet, but I will soon!  I meant to figure out my EBEW outfit earlier, but waited until the day before, and didn't think I should wear these shorts to work.  I wore the top and cardigan to work with a skirt (which I will post some other day).  At about 2:30 in the afternoon, I felt a migraine coming on, so I waited until I could see straight and then drove home to sleep it off.  When I got home, I remembered EBEW and I didn't want to miss it, so I put my shorts on really quick and snapped a few pics.  (I feel like such a dedicated blogger!)  Then I promptly slept for about 3 hours, and then spent the evening working to catch up for the day.  Ah, the exciting life of a suburban fashion blogger!  

Just to keep the "Tuesday Trifecta" theme going, here are 2 other ways I have worn this mint cardigan (Click on the pic to find the original post):

Tank: Banana Republic
Cardigan: Gap
Shorts: J.Crew
Flip Flops: Old Navy