Outfit Of The Days (Goin' Green)

 ♫: Quarter Chicken Dark - The Goat Rodeo Sessions



I finally had a chance this past week to sit down and peek at some of the major upcoming Spring-Summer 2012 trends. Stores are beginning to quickly fill up with them (and how many e-mails are currently sitting in our inboxes, insensitively pitching sandals and shorts and brightly-hued dresses?), which I think is probably the most bittersweet thing about fashion--it's fun! It changes quickly!  And it's January, you nutty geekburgers, and I've never once needed a coral platform wedge sandal or colorblocked tank suit to wear in the snow! Not once.

Weird huh.

I must confess that I have been suppressing the overwhelming urge to yell things like, "oh YOU SHUT UP!" at the bright,  springtime objects as I walk through stores and as I frantically delete all of those offensively cheery, warm-weathered e-mails. There is no point in getting angry, after all--if you can't beat them, join them.

(And Husband also claims that shrieking at clothes to shut up isn't normal and really scares people.) (He has apparently never been a 30-year old girl in a dressing room with really bad lighting after a Haagen Dazs Cookie Dough bender, my goodness.)

Minty, seamfoam-y blues and greens are just one of the trends set to be a big for spring, which makes me as happy as a hippo. It has always been one of my favorite hues, and I think that the green-to-blue variations can flatter a lot of different skin tones! They also pair well with everything from neutral colors to pops of neon, too. Just make sure it doesn't make you look sicky in the face--if it does, then opt for a more bluer shade.

I was pretty happy when I found the pretty chiffon blouse that I am wearing below at Zara; it works well now with skinny jeans + pumps, but it's light enough that it should also work easily tucked into high-waisted shorts this summer, too.

I am also still on my tights-eschewing kick. As I have mentioned in previous posts, we've had enough 'warm' days sprinkled in between winter to go without. It can get a little chilly at times, yes, but I try my darndest to keep any unexpected 10-mile nature hikes or surprise cross-country skiing lunch expeditions off my schedule. If you happen to love tights and not pale, winter-anemic legs, however, this look could also probably work with black tights + black booties too.  Options!

Jacket: Forever 21 (similar here) (similar here) (similar here)
Top: Zara (buy it here) (a sweater option at ASOS) (a short-sleeve option at Lulu's)
Skirt: Urban Outfitters, old (similar here) (a longer option at ASOS) (and a longer option by Ella Moss)
Belt: J Crew (similar here)
Bracelet: Kendra Scott, c/o (design your own here) (pretty option here for $60) (and at urban outfitters)

Ring: House of Harlow 1960 Long Antler Ring (buy it here, on sale)

Clutch: Tory Burch 797 Clutch (buy it here) (similar by Coach) (this would also work, under $60)

Nail polish: Deborah Lippman Makin' Whoopee (buy it at Beauty.com) (& take $10 off on $50)

And then....we have a whole pile of kitty-cat-crazy:

Coat: Old Navy (buy it here) (similar here + take 10% off w/ "SALE10")
Top: Topshop, old (similar style) (similar here)
Cardigan: Urban Outfitters (similar here) (similar at Express)
Skirt: Forever 21, old (similar here) (similar here + take 10% off w/ "SALE10")
Belt: J Crew, old (similar here)
Ring: YSL Arty in Aqua (buy it here) (similar by Amrita Singh)
Shoes: J Crew Mona Pumps in Pale Peacock (buy them here) (love these in green for under $100)
Handbag: Diane Von Furstenberg Harper Evening Clutch (buy it here)
 Nail polish: Deborah Lippman Makin' Whoopee (buy it at Beauty.com) (& take $10 off on $50)

What trends are you most looking forward to this spring? Share in the comments!

Outfit Of The Day (J Crew Townhouse Trench)

First things first!  I received a lot of questions regarding the lace top my twin sister is wearing in the post below so I thought I'd answer it here so everyone sees it.  Her top is from Shop Ruche, and while it's currently sold out you can sign up for the wait list here. It's a fabulous top, isn't it?  Cheap-ish, too! :)

Now back to me. There are two things that I am loving so hard at the moment: crisp white coats and sneaky-snake prints.

When the J Crew Townhouse Trench first popped up online, it immediately became the "must have" item of the fall collection.  Not only does it come in seven pretty colors, but it also comes in petite and tall sizes, too.  Hooray!  No more looking like I'm a little kid playing some sort of drunken game of dress-up in some mom's too big clothes!

Unfortunately this trench has been 'juuuuust-okay' reviews online, and most with good reason.  While I absolutely love it, it is made of a fabric eerily similar to the Rachel Zoe peacoat below--meaning it isn't very warm. 

It is warmer than a usual cotton trench, of course, but this coat isn't meant for super-duper-hero warmth or for taking the pups out at 2am on a subzero, blizzardy winter night; oh no.  It's meant to be a bit of a show stopper, I think. This coat is (really) just like the prettiest sofas and chairs--they aren't for sitting in for hours while reading a good, flimsy, secret-guilty-pleasure-of-a-book, geez. They are for looking pretty so you keep your gosh darn Emily Griffin away from this coat, ya hear?

(I've been doing a lot of furniture shopping and test-trying lately, guys, please forgive.)

This coat is beautifully lined, nicely tailored, and the bold gold buttons draw eyes inward, making it insanely slimming and flattering.  It fits true to size (I'm wearing my normal petite J Crew size below) and in spite of its lack of insulation I think this might be the best coat I've ever bought.

A bold statement for a coat that offers little actual fall functionality?  Eh, what can I say--as J Crew likely knows after the scandalous rumors this week, sometimes true love is a little uncomfortable.  

Sometimes, true love is blind?

Coat: J Crew Townhouse Trench (buy it here) (similar style here by DKNY) (and here by WHBM + take $50 off with code "17652")(and here for under $100!)
Dress: H&M  (similar style at ASOS) (and here at ASOS) (and here at 6pm.com) (and here by Aryn K)
Belt: Miss Selfridge (similar style here) (and here at ASOS)

Hat: ASOS (buy it here) (similar style here) (and in another color here) (and here for $9.99)
Watch: Michael Kors Oversize Runway Watch in Rosegold (buy it here) (similar style here for $125)
Bag: MARC (!!) Jacobs Cooper in Nude (buy it here) (similar style by Marc Jacobs here) (similar style here for under $100)
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Neo Mars Pumps (buy them here) (similar style here) (and here) (and here at UO for $49 + take $20 off on orders of $100+ with code "BOO")

(Play on, playa)

Outfit Of The Day (Las Vegas + Hello Winter)

Well, heavens to Betsy!  Or Etsy.  Or whatever.  This has been a crazy past two weeks!  Just crazy, I tell ya.

My 30th birthday has (er, had) been looming in the distance for awhile now; and as a futile attempt to distract me from spending the entire day in tears while speed-dialing every dermatologist/plastic surgeon/therapist/any other doctor that can somehow fix things in the phonebook, Husband surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas!

And it was fun times.  We invited my twin sister and her husband with too, since you know--we share a birthday. It's a novel concept, this twin thing. Hold on to yer hats.

Here are just a few pics from some of our shenanigans:

This is my so-excited-to-be-at-In-and-Out face, which is very similar to my just-got-off-the-plane-and-I'm-burning-alive face.  I try to keep things easy.

Wandering, wandering, looking for The National Flat Butt Association convention.

Mecca Lecca High Mecca Hiney Ho. World's Largest H&M at Caesar's Palace.

Tween seester wombmate.

The magnetic force field was sucking me in; Husband is a good, good man.

Waiting at Serendipity 3 for lunch!

Sitting under the pink & orange tents outside.

Frozen hot chocolate!  So good.

Not sure who or how or where or why; but ewww girlfrien'.

Jason insisted on a random picture infront of a random bush...

...so we insisted on this random picture next to a random air conditioning unit. Am I throwing gang signs or gimpy arthritic hands from Lupus IT'S HARD TO TELL VEGAAASBABYYAH.

My gramma keeps complaining that she doesn't have any nice photos of the two of us, no idea why.

The lucky bracelet forgot to work, but only 'cuz he wasn't high rollin' on Kitty Glitter.

Prettiness in The Cosmopolitan.

Wicked Spoon Buffet.  SO GOOD.

Bad iphone pic of a pretty birthday gift from Husband. The Michael Kors Blair watch in espresso--love!

Weiners.

Nothing gets between me and a corndog, dogs.

...and late night desserts at D Bar.  I'm focused hard on the drinks menu. Later that evening, I would attempt to run down a dangerously dark alleyway to catch a cat so I could name him Bradford Monkey McCheeks and give him to husband as a sign of my undying love I got druuunk.

Okay, enough of that--on to some outfits!  Time for me to get back in the fashion bloggy game, hm?

The weather here has turned frosty which means it's officially jacket season. One of the things that I love about Colorado is that we do make darn good use of our coats and jackets here; we have ample opportunities to wear them, which helps rationalize any OCD-type behavior I have towards collecting them. Fist-bump, pow-pow!  Aaand it's the only thing I can do to keep myself from throwing a proverbial punch to winter's face by hibernating in my bedroom and underneath the covers for the next 7 months straight.

So first we have the Rachel Zoe "Lauren" Military Jacket. I grabbed this coat nearly two months ago when the collection first launched and Neiman Marcus was running some sort of promotion; I had been on the prowl for a pretty camel-colored jacket and this one is perfection. It is definitely a jacket and not a coat, however--so don't expect it to keep you warm in below freezing temps.  I am wearing it in a size 0, which I think fits perfectly although it should be noted that I like my coats to be fitted with very little room for bulky layers. The fabric is a stretchy ribbed wool that's a bit on the thinner side, but the coat is nicely lined and can be buttoned up, buttoned down, an buckled for lots of versatility.  Love it.

Also--my nails match the dark burgundy/red/black color of my snood!  So fancy, I am:

Coat: Rachel Zoe Lauren Military Jacket (buy it here) (similar style here for under $100) (and at ASOS for under $100) (and here in 13 colors!)

Top: Banana Republic Long-Sleeve Pleat Front Blouse (buy it here + take 20% off with code "BRSAVE20") (similar style here at F21) (and here in magenta)

Belt: J Crew (similar style here) (and here for $11)

Skirt: Forever 21 (buy it here)

Ring: H&M (similar style here)

Snood: ASOS (buy it here) (comes in blond/tan, too!)

Pumps: Old J Crew (similar style here) (and here for under $100)

Bag: Lanvin Sweet Dora (buy it here) (similar style here, on sale!) (and here for under $100)

Nails: OPI for Sephora I'm With Brad (buy it here!) with Butter London's Chancer on top (buy it here)

(Currently listening...)

Coming up tomorrow - a review on J Crew's Townhouse Trench! Sit tight! <3