OOTD: The Bittersweet Dress

I happened to stumble upon an old dress in my sweater closet today. The dress was purchased in 2005 at Old Navy.

The Good: Old Navy had vastly different quality garments back then than today. NOTICEABLE. The dress is strapless, blue pinstripes, kind of sheathy-y, zippers up the side and came with a built in fabric belt with cream grossgrain ends. Also, I was happy with how I styled it today. I only may have worn that dress once in 2005, so it was basically like having a brand new dress for free.

The Bad: 2005-2006 were rough years for me, weight-wise. In fact, I was at my highest ever weight in those years. The damn dress from my fat days fits very well now.

Dress: vintage ON, Belt: Rue 21, Cardi: Target, Shoes: Payless

I've never felt so confused wearing a dress before.

OOTW and a Confession

Just a short blog drive-by to depict some outfits of the past two weeks. I'm trying to remember to whip out the camera and take (blurry) images of my outfits before I walk out the door. 

from left to right: 

- Cardi - AE; Tank - Old Navy; Pants - Ross; Flats - Payless

- Shirt - Old Navy; Tank - Sears; Pants - Target; Flats - Payless

- Dress - TJ Maxx; Cardi - Old Navy; Tights - JC Penney; Flats - Payless

- Dress - Target; Belt - F21; Cardi - Old Navy; Flats - Target

- Dress - Target; Cardi - Target; Shoes - Target (however I didn't wear those out -- I changed into the black flats of outfits 1 and 2.) 

And that leads me to confession time. 

::whispers:: I think I like pants now. 

I know. It's shocking. No, I'm not pitching my 100 dresses out my window. And I still think jeans are the devil incarnate in terms of fit and comfort. But yes, I will be acquiring more pants into my work (and maybe non-work) life. I'm evolving!

OOTDs: Playing with Color Again

It's been an interesting (and slow-going) transition period from sweats to street clothes. Not only am I adjusting to real clothes again, but the weather here in PA is almost  feeling spring-like, so I've had to be introduced to my bare legs again (needless to say, sorry for the blinding white limbs). Plus, this week also commemorates the first time I've gone without my fallback black/grey combo!

Outfit 1:  Dress and Cardi - F21 (links a few posts down) - I don't know how to style this one yet. The stripes are red and navy, but the waistband is black. I still freak out at a black/navy combo, so in the future I may just try belting it to camouflage the black.
Outfit 2: Dress: Ross, Cardi: Lands' End Canvas, Shoes: Payless
Outfit 3: Dress (worn as a shirt): F21 and purchased from a blog sale, Pants: Old Navy, Cardi: Target (Merona), Shoes: Payless

As you can see, I'm still working on acquiring a tripod for better OOTDs.  At least the images are better than iPhone pics...right? ; )

OOTD: Breton Stripes

Um, have I mentioned how much I adore stripes right now? All colors, all widths, whether dress, tank, cardi, scarf, gloves ... love it all! Up until a few years ago I believed in the fashion rule that horizontal stripes make even the skinniest of people look fat. Well, rules are for breaking.

While I'm not a participant in blogger group Everybody Every Wear, I am amazed at how many different ways you can style this pattern. I want to run right out and load up several shopping bags with stripes!

And to prove my love of stripes, I threw together a mini collage of how I took my little Old Navy mock two-piece dress from spring to summer to winter.

I wouldn't turn my nose up at any of these items either: 

dELiAs > Nautical Stripe Knit Dress > dresses > casual
$40 - delias.com
Stripe dresses »

Volunteer Club Cardigan
$40 - modcloth.com
Striped tops »

Old Navy Womens Striped Boat Neck Tees
$3.97 - oldnavy.gap.com
Long sleeve tops »

Old Navy Womens Oxford-Stripe Skirts
$25 - oldnavy.gap.com
Striped skirts »

Stripe Scarf
$20 - delias.com
Striped shawl »

Clothing at Tesco | F&F Stripe cuff gloves > winter accessories >...
4 GBP - clothingattesco.com
Gloves »

Navy Stripe Snood - New In - Topshop USA

$32 - topshop.com

Who else can't get enough of stripes?

Is It Spring Yet?

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Old Navy. Years ago (before my local mall even had an ON), I was obsessed with the store. I'd drive an hour out of my way every few weeks specifically to go there and spend $100 per trip easily. But in the past several years, finding anything of decent quality there has been a challenge. I still buy hoodies and jeans there, but their dresses .... well, I liken it to a "Monet" situation. 

Tai: Do you think she's pretty?
Cher: No, she's a full-on Monet.
Tai: What's a monet?
Cher: It's like a painting, see? From far away, it's OK, but up close, it's a big old mess. 

But like Pavlov's dog, I get excited while browsing ON's site, all the while knowing when I try it on, it will probably fit like a flour sack or be made from the cheapest possible fabric. Regardless, these dresses have me intrigued and make me really wish warmer temps would arrive soon. 

C'mon, Old Navy - surprise me this year! 

OOTD: 1-1-11

Ahh, finally a new year. Even though this year is the one in which I'll turn *gulp* 30... I'm anxious for a fresh beginning.

The hubs and I needed to get away from our lives for a little bit, so we took an impromptu trip to Pittsburgh for New Year's weekend. It felt good just to laugh with friends, play board games, participate in a hilarious game of power hour, eat calorie-laden foods, and go shopping.

On Saturday I picked up a 3/4-sleeve floral dress and cognac belt from F21 and some taupy gray leggings from NY & Co. I'm obsessed with mixing florals and other patterns into my winter "uniform" of long cardis, boots, leggings, and belts.

Dress: F21

Cardi: F21

Belt: F21

Leggings: NY & Co.

Boots: Target

Bag: Old Navy

Wishing you all the best of everything in 2011

October Finds

Here are some of my latest purchases:

Merona Ultimate Long Sleeve Tee

Merona Solid Wrap Scarf

Xhiliration Ruffle Front Cami

Mossimo Ultrasoft Crewneck Sweater

Tucker for Target Button Front Dress

Old Navy Wool Blend Trench

Xhiliration Ruffle Tank

Budget Trench

You know those lists of "10 Essential Pieces to Have in Your Closet"? Most of them include a classic trench in either black or khaki. However it's something I haven't owned for about a decade. So while I was wandering around in Old Navy yesterday,  I spotted a simple trench coat marked down from $50 to $40. I purchased the black because I figured it would pair well with the black and gray pieces I normally gravitate toward in cooler weather.

It's marked $50 online, but you may still be able to find it for $40 in-store. 

Women's Long Button-Front Trench Coat

OOTDs: Back in Business [Casual]

I started my new job on Monday. While emotionally I'm still trying to adjust to the life change and the overthrow of my "normal," I'm still taking those iPhone pics and bloggin' em. Gotta keep *some* normalcy, right?

I'm still trying to build up a work-appropriate wardrobe. You see, my last job was so casual that jeans were considered dressing up. I wore anything (mostly dresses, obvs), but I didn't really care if something was too short or too low or too grungy. Now I have to keep myself covered up and pay heed to the company's dress codes. Eeep.

Monday's OOTD: my ubiqutous white Merona dress, striped draped cardigan from TJ Maxx, belted with a belt from Old Navy, and old KMart flats:

Tuesday's OOTD:  Old Navy flared khakis, Sears cami (these camis are awesome, btw!), and a Target cardi in Mint. 

Wednesday's OOTD: (Disclaimer: picture not from today, as you could tell from the different bedroom. Remove flops and insert bronze flats again)

OOTD: American Girl in Paris

Errr, well I'm not actually in Paris, but I feel very Parisienne today. When I planned today's outfit, I was going to wear my new "Love" necklace from Forever 21 for the full Carrie Bradshaw feel, but I seem to have already misplaced it!

Excuse the weird line around the hip area. While the pockets are awfully practical, they create an odd pull across the hips in some angles. However I have to give ON two thumbs up for this dress. The construction is a bit more quality than their usual merch.

Dress: Old Navy

Leggings: Target

Headband: Claires 2009

Shoes: Old Navy

And in other fabulous news, I woke up to discover an email notifying me I won a blog giveaway! I couldn't be more excited, because the blog in question is one of my favorites (and one I've mentioned a few times in this blog) - Kendi Everyday.  The prize is this gorgeous "I Think of You" headband by Spellbound. Thanks so much, Kendi and Miriam of Spellbound! 

UPDATE: Found the necklace! I inadvertently scooped it into my office trash can when tossing the plastic bags!

OOTD: Case of the Mondays

Why is it the weekends seem to go by 185 times faster than one weekday? It's just not right. My weekend was spent visiting with family, seeing "Date Night" with the mister, and catching up on my DVR stockpile. Oh, and a quick shopping trip where I scored two dresses from Old Navy (to be featured in OOTDs this week).

You may remember this dress from previous entries (our closing day pic and the Betty White party), but this is my blog debut of my brown belt.

Dress: Merona for Target 2009

Cardi: TJ Maxx (brown ombre)

Belt: Old Navy

Shoes: Bronze flops, Target

OOTD: Only Happy When It Rains

Ever have days where you just want to grab the most random things in your closet and see what happens? I tend to play my outfits too safe, too simple. So today I did a combination I've never done before. Maybe the dark rainy day has given me more confidence to be adventurous. Or the fact I went to bed by 8:30 pm last night.

Unfortunately because of the dark morning, I had to drag my mirror into the bathroom to get more light. But now you can see some of the new house! I'm thinking of doing an OOTD in each room over the next few weeks. "OOTD: Here's my Kitchen" should be titillating.

Dress: heather gray cotton dress, Old Navy

Belt: Rue 21

Cardi: Merona for Target

Shoes: Bronze flops, Target

OOTD: Bluesday

Today I took a break from my standard color combos and did a bit of a monochromatic look with navy and cerulean blue.  Excuse the messy bedroom - I'm about to start a packing whirlwind so I'm not exactly Mrs. Neat Freak right now.  If I was going anywhere but to work, I would have added some accessories.

Dress: t-shirt dress from Old Navy I purchased for $3

Cardi - navy boyfriend cardi from Target

Shoes: navy flops from ON

P.S. In keeping with the "aprons" part of my blog title, here's the funfetti (aka fauxfetti no fetti - tm my friend Casey) cake I made last night!

OOTD: Easter Sunday

Just a quick OOTD before we went to the in-laws for Easter dinner. 

Dress: Merona, Target (two years old)

Cardi - Merona, Target 

Shoes - Bronze metallic flip flops, Target

Belt - Bronze bow belt, Old Navy

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? 

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

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?

OOTD: Clearance Finds Part 1

Two weeks ago I decided to put myself on a shopping freeze;  it was becoming way too transparent that I couldn't resist an online buying frenzy or stop myself from blowing a good $100 every time I went to my personal mecca, Target. My husband was starting to question all the packages arriving to our apartment. However, I also began to realize the past few days that NOT shopping, though more financially savy, was pretty detrimental to my mental welfare.

But because I had to make some online returns, plus had a Old Navy GC left over from Christmas, I set out last night to the mall. Fortunately, I came back with a LOT of stuff AND am still in the black $25! I love when I 'make money' shopping.

First up -- a t-shirt dress from Old Navy. Total price - $3.50. I paired it with the ON Item of the Week - a boyfriend cardi in heather gray for $15.

Also wearing black leggings from Fashion Bug and tall knit Bearpaw boots in gray.

Stay tuned for an eventual blog/OOTD on the famous swan butt skirt from Target. :)