Tuesday, February 23, 2010

OOTD: If It Ain't Broke

 I'm discovering one of the best things about posting OOTD pics is the opportunity for me to analyze my (poor quality) cell phone pics and get feedback from others. My readers have spoken: Friday's nautical striped dress got rave reviews and OMG made me look skinnier than what reality would have me believe!

So I bought the same dress in another color.

This time I went with all black except for my wide cognac belt. I could have worn my cognac boots with this, but decided to make the look more of a blank canvas for the belt to pop. I'm still shocked I've overcome my "don't mix brown and black" ideology. I've scolded my husband for six years on not mixing the two, so he takes great pride in repeating my words back to me every time I do it.


Dress: Old Navy
Leggings: a.n.a. JC Penney
Boots: Soda 
Belt: Fashion Bug 

p.s. Isn't my new floor mirror purty? 


Friday, February 19, 2010

OOTD: Sailor Life for Me

Stripes are supposedly another hot trend for Spring 2010. In the past I've been reluctant to wear many stripes; how many times have we been told over and over past stripes make you look wider? Well, readers, I don't need any help in looking wider these days, but after seeing the gorgeous Andi of Saltwater Dreams wear her pretty nautical stripes a few months ago, I decided to try it out.

I gained some more style inspiration from Teen Fashionista (same dress!) and Justine at Fetching Fashions.


Dress: Old Navy
Belt: Bronze bow belt I nabbed for $3 at ON
Leggings: Target
Boots: Mossimo Kady in Cognac, Target
Cardi: Target


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Floral Fever

Can I just tell you how ridiculously excited I am to see so many romantic and girly styles showing up in stores for the spring? Lingerie-inspired, nudes, pale pinks, ruffles, lace, and the one that inspired this blog - floral print. 

Floral print is tricky -- one false move and you look like Grandma's wallpaper. But here a few floral print dresses I'm currently adoring. 
























Lauren Conrad for Kohls (not in store yet)



































































_____


Coincidentally, in the middle of collecting these finds I took a break to catch up on some of the fashion/shopping blogs I follow. One of them featured a Look 4 Less of Taylor Swift's outfit. I'm loving everything about this look -- romantic floral dress, thin headband, and brown leather bag. 




























Today's blog has inspired my winter-ized and not so charming OOTD:





Boyfriend Cardi: Old Navy
Dress: Xhiliration - Target (from late summer '09)
Leggings: Xhiliration - Target
Boots: Tall Knit Bearpaws


Monday, February 15, 2010

OOTD: Kimono Monday

After seeing my friends Casey (Casey & Chuck) and Heathyr (A Day In Hyr Life) in their new kimono dresses from Target, I knew it would be a win for me. I have a few solid print kimono dresses from the past few summers, and they're so effortlessly comfortable. The paisley print is such a fun addition to my dress collection of mostly solids.

And wow, I really need to figure out a way to take clearer cell phone OOTDs. Pardon the wretched quality.

 

Cami: Vintage Rue 21
Leggings: Target
Boots: Target - Mossimo Kady in Cognac
Cardi: Target Merona in cream




Sunday, February 14, 2010

Chocolate Love


Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo




Saturday, February 13, 2010

More of my favorite things

In November, I compiled a list of five of my favorite things (found here), with a promise "to be continued."

Better late than never, right?

6. Cardy boots


In my first "Favorite Things" edition, I included my love for Uggs and its budget-friendly little sister fUggs. To carry on that love, I'm giving two enthusiastic thumbs up to sweater boots. I lusted after the original Ugg Cardy for over a year -- even seriously thought about purchasing them -- but since I'm a recessionista, I went with Bearpaws Tall Knit Boot in gray. They can be worn up and folded down or even scrunched. C'mon, they're sweaters for your feet! That you can wear outside the confines of your house! What's not to love?


7. Revlon Colorstay Foundation

a.k.a. the recent Holy Grail beauty product of the Fashion and Beauty Nest board. Not to brag, but I was using this stuff before the masses went wild for it.  Basically, it's cheap, long-lasting, provides great coverage, and is easy to skin match.  One of the drawbacks is it feels a little thick and sticky upon first applying, so you have to blend pretty quickly.  I use the one for Combination/Oily skin, but I accidentally grabbed the Dry last time. Mistake. The formula seems thinner and doesn't give good enough coverage. Oops. Lesson learned.

I can safely say I won't be straying from this foundation for a looooong time.

8. Ruffles


When ruffles first came back onto the scene, I had horrific flashbacks of poet blouses from the 90s. Or Lloyd Christmas's snazzy ruffled tuxedo. Thankfully I've overcome the correlation.  This is an embellishment that really appeals to my romantic/feminine style. I'm so happy to see the fashion world as enamored with the ruffle as I am. My goal is to pick up a few more ruffle tanks and dresses -- maybe a cute flat with a ruffle detail. Pictured is Anthropologie's Free Flow tank, which would probably never work on me, but I adore it so.



9. Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eyeliner

I've tested out a lot of eyeliners in the past ten years -- mostly drugstore, with a few department store liners mixed in. But Rimmel's Exaggerate is now one of my Holy Grail products. I've always been prone to looking like a raccoon four hours after applying my eye makeup, but this stuff will last me a long time without fading or smudging.  My BFF raved about this eyeliner a month before my wedding, and it ended up being my wedding day eyeliner.  It's only about $5, and I have better luck finding this at Walmart over any other store.



10. Chenille socks

I LOVE COMFORT. And in winter months in the Northeast, I value warm feet above most other things in life, hence my collection of cozy slippers and fuzzy boots. Happy feet = happy me.  I never tried chenille socks before, but my mother-in-law gifted me 6 pairs of the Old Navy Cozy Socks (she purchased them when ON had the $1 sock deal). Absurdly, the socks ended up being my favorite Christmas gift of the year! The pairs I have are different colored stripes. They look so ridiculous when I take my shoes off, but I don't care. They're the ultimate in cozy! Fashion be damned.


Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Name change

My blog is now titled "Aprons and A-Lines" to combine my efforts in newfound domesticity and my love for clothes, namely dresses. Please update your links and re-follow!!

xoxo
A


Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Freeze fail

My shopping freeze was supposed to end February 14. But I shopped online today. :(  Does it still count if you won't HAVE your purchases until after the freeze is over? And also since it went on my Old Navy store card, I haven't technically purchased anything either. RIGHT?

Ugh. I'm weak. I'm done with snow and frosty temps and no sun. I'm craving sundresses, sunnies, and flip flops like you wouldn't believe! Added to this, the fashion bloggers I follow keep reminding me about this Old Navy sale. It's such peer pressure!

Here's what I ended up purchasing to the tune of $47 plus shipping.

(l to r)
1. Ruffle Trim Jersey Dress
2. Ruffled Neck Cardigan
3. Envelope Neck Jersey Dress

IS IT SPRING YET?


Thursday, February 4, 2010

New specs

Spectacles that is. I can count on one hand the number of times I've worn my old pair in the last few years, but hey, I needed to maximize my vision insurance before it went bye-bye.

I was going for the retro sexy librarian look, but now I'm concerned it ended up being more "Revenge of the Nerds."  Oh wells.

Without further ado,

 

I should have done a full pic of the outfit, but I'm wearing a dress from a previous OOTD (Converse All Star Plaid Shirtdress). Instead of the fabric belt it came with (why do those things always detach themselves in the washing cycle?), I added a wide cognac belt. 


Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Coveting this Coat

Dear Lauren Conrad,

Why oh why was this darling ruffled yellow swing coat not part of your own collection for Kohl's? It's utter perfection.  Please consider designing a similar coat for any future lines. Plz and thanx. 


Love, Amy

P.S. GoFugYourself.com is sharing my brain and just gave a "well played" nod to Ms. Conrad and her fetching coat.