Day to Date Night Outfits

In all reality I wear a dress or a skirt almost every day.  Work, date, hanging out at home, unless I am in my pjs or gym clothes you will probably find me in a dress or skirt.  This makes going from day to date pretty easy.  Weather permitting I can usually just remove my cardigan or add heels and have a date ready outfit.

This linen dress was a wardrobe staple all summer.  So bright and colorful, but because it is made of linen I didn't overheat.  The dress is definitely not something you can wear if you want to blend in.

Another staple this summer was my pair of white linen pants with a cute blouse.  I usually wear flats to work but sometimes I add a cute pair of nude wedges afterwork to dress the outfit up a bit.

I bought this dress in grey at the end of the summer and liked it so much that a few weeks ago I bought the same dress in a black and white pattern.  I can wear it to work with cardigan, a belt and sometimes a scarf.  I can also wear it with a statement necklace and my wedges for a look that is a little more dressy.  I am sure it will look great with tights and boots too once the weather around her allows for that.

I know I have talked about this dress many times but I really do wear it all the time both to work and out and about.  I wear it with a cardigan and work but I have worn it a few times on weekends alone.  I don't shy away from color so this dress serves that purpose.

 This navy and blue dress is one of my Stitch Fix picks from a few months ago.  It looks cute at work (again with a cardigan) but I can also wear it on a date with my wedges.

Another flowy dress that can be worn with a belt and a cardigan.  See a trend here?  I have entire drawer full of cardigans which is obviously necessary considering how often I wear them.

This is my newest wardrobe piece and I am loving how dressy yet comfy it is.  I bought the navy version of this shirt but I like it so much I am seriously considering ordering the off white version of it too.  I can tuck it into my pencil skirt and be very office appropriate but it also looks great with a pair of jeans and jeweled flats.

Linking up with Floral & Fudge and I am looking forward to getting some great ideas from everyone.

What's Up for Another Wednesday

I had fun doing this last few months so I am linking up with What's Up Wednesday again this month.

What we're eating this week:  I made butternut squash lasagna last week and put it in the freezer so I am going to defrost that and we will be eating that.

What I'm reminiscing about: Last week my department threw a little baby shower for one of the girls in the department.  She is having a girl in case the explosion of pink doesn't give it away.

What I'm loving: I am loving that my first wedding is coming together.  There are still a few details to work out but I finally feel like it might actually get done.  The flowers have been ordered, the cake has been picked out and I have a hair appointment.

What we've been up to: I feel like I have been running around like crazy between trying to plan two weddings and getting stuff done at work. I went up to Livermore last weekend to get the wine for my wedding and of course I had to wine taste while I was there.

What I'm dreading: I am trying to keep a positive attitude at the moment.  There are some things happening around me that I have no control over so I am just trying to focus my energy on the positive and not dwell on what I can't change.

What I'm working on: With one of my weddings coming up I have spent a lot of time on wedding stuff.  I took my dress to get hemmed and I am picking it up next week. I am finalizing the program so that will be taken care of soon too.

What I'm excited about: Well I think it goes without saying that I am super excited about marrying my handsome, fabulous fiancee next month.

What I'm watching/reading: Most of the shows I watch with my fiancee have come back but we have been so busy we have only watch a few episodes so far.  There are only a few shows that my fiancee and I consistently watch together so I am looking forward to curling up on the couch with him and watching.  We watch Agents of Shield, Blacklist and Grimm at this point but we could always use another show or two if anyone has any suggestions.

What I'm listening to: Mostly whatever comes on my Pandora which is usually a mix of country and a random mix of 90s-00s pop music.  Everyone needs some Britney in their life every once in a while.

What I'm wearing: I have been enjoying my new flowy dress that I got this month on my wedding dress shopping expedition.  It is still fairly warm so I have been getting lots of use out of this dress.  I would wear it multiple times a week if I could get away with it.

Yesterday I wore my new shirt with an off white skirt and I got so many complements.  It is so comfy and cute that I am thinking of ordering the white version of the shirt.

What I'm doing this weekend: I have no concrete plans for this weekend but I am sure they will involve some sort of wedding prep. I am looking forward to sleeping and and just being able to get things done around here.

Favorite Fall Finds Under $50

This past week it has finally begun to feel a bit like fall.  Don't get me wrong, it is still about 80 at the warmest part of the day, but at least in the mornings there is a definite chill in the air.

I bought this scarf as part of a scarf exchange and I like it so much I had to buy it for myself too.  It has all the fall colors but is super light so I can wear it without overheating. This scarf is less than $20 at Nordstrom.

This shirt just came in the mail last week and I am wearing it for the first time tomorrow.  The blue is such a great shade and it plays off my blue eyes really well.  I don't really like wearing strapless bras so I am deciding between wearing navy tank top underneath or wearing a black bra.  I am leaning toward the tank top option.

I wrote about this dress last week and while it is not outwardly "fall" in looks it has been one of my favorite purchases of the fall.  I had to dress up quite a bit last week so I was happy that last Thursday I was able to wear this flowy dress.  The way I have style the dress with the belt and cardigan I can definitely wear it with tights as the weather gets cooler. That is if it every actually gets cool enough to wear tights.  I think last winter I wore tights about 3 times and broke out my umbrella about that many times too.

This cute little spider is my favorite fall decorative purchase.  He is hanging out with my glitter pumpkins and will stay there a few more weeks until I break out my Thanksgiving touches.

A Few New Purchases (and some that are going back) Part 2

A few more of my recent (ok last 6 months or so) purchases today.  

I saw this black dress and I thought hmm do I really need another little black dress?  Well, I decided the answer was yes.  I ordered this dress from Anthropologie one day on a whim and I ended up loving it.  It is hard to see in this picture but the fabric is gathered off to one side a the waist and it makes the dress really interesting.  The dress has a little bit of a more formal feel to it so I have not had an occasion to wear it yet but I am looking forward to wearing it.

I am loving this super colorful dress that I got on sale at Anthropologie recently.  It is sleeveless but looks great with a cardigan over it for work.  I was a little worried when I ordered it that the keyhole would show off a bit too much but it actually is very thin so nothing shows.  I even got to wear it on my trip to LA without a sweater.

This dress is another purchase I made that is a bit of a different shape for me.  I love maxi dresses but I tend to favor things with a waist.  When I got it I was quite happy with how flowy and comfy it is but I may end up looking for some sort of belt to wear with it anyway.

I love a good maxi dress but when I got this dress in the mail I was not a huge fan.  It was very long and the neckline was not great on me. The waist kind of hit me in a weird too.  I still like the dress and the fabric was super comfy but this dress is for someone else.

I also ended up returning this dress after I tried it on  The stripe that looks redish in the picture is actually close to a brown in real life.  The bodice of this dress was really tight on my chest but the skirt fit.  That is odd because my lower half is not small.

I have had this outfit for a while but finally wore it for the first time this week.  I have this same skirt in black so when I saw it in navy I decided I needed to add it to my pencil skirt collection.  I didn't actually have a navy pencil skirt (I know! Hard to believe) so it was a welcome addition.  I also have this shirt in a redish color an it fits so well that when I saw it in navy and white stripes I bought it.  It looks really great with the skirt so I am sure I will be wearing it quite often.

While in Beverly Hills finding my wedding dress my sister, friend and I had some extra time so we headed to the sale section of the Anthropologie we were in. I ended up finding this dress and loving it.  I have been wearing it with belt though I have grand plans to still be able to wear it when I am pregnant.  It is kind of odd to think that my fiancee (very soon to be husband) and I are thinking we will start trying to have a baby in less than a year.  We had talking about it for so long that it is really strange that it is so close.  

I am sure there are a few more things hiding in my closet that I have bought recently so if that is the case expect there to be a part 3 to this post.  For now, happy Friday and happy shopping!

Costumes-Show & Tell Tuesday

Today is all about costumes.  With Halloween being a Saturday this year I am not sure I will even dress up this year.  I don't have any parties to go to this year nor do I have anyone to trick or treat with so my only opportunity to dress up would have been work.

I love Maleficent!  When I was in high school I got this really cool, heavy almost velour Maleficent costume.  I don't have any pictures of me in it but I still have it with grand plans to wear it again.  It is an awesome costume but very very warm.  It is the perfect costume for trick or treating but not for wearing to any sort of indoor event.  As soon as I have kids old enough to trick or treat but not be scared of my in the costume I will break it out again.

I had a ton of fun dressing up for Halloween parties in college. Senior year I dressed up as Cher from Clueless and a friend dressed up as Dion.  Another friend dressed up as Ty but I couldn't find a picture of all three of us together.

Sophomore year was all about pirates.  My friends and I dressed up as fabulous glamorous pirates and wenches.  It is hard to see but I even had a parrot to carry around.  It is impressive what you can find when you raid the dress up box of the children you babysit at home. 

Not Halloween but still a dress up night.  There was a big Catholic school girl party every year and this is a group of us about to head out.  Believe it or not we had on some of the more tame costumes at this party.

Junior year I went to costume party where the theme was "Brought to you by the letter B".  I am dressed up as Ballerina Barbie along with a friend as a bandit and a whole group of people as Barnum & Bailey's Circus complete with ringmaster.

All the way back in 6th grade I dressed up as Mrs. Claus and I am next to my cousin in his Robin Hood costume.  Isn't he cute.  I am sure he will love me posting pictures of his 5 year old self.

The few years after college that I lived near my parents I would always go over to their house to hand out candy because they got way more kids at their house than I did at mine.  Halloween was usually a work day so my go to costume was "The Queen of Everything".  This costume consisted of a fancy sparkly dress I wore to my aunt's wedding, a crown and lots of glittery make-up.  Super easy to throw on and super popular with all the little neighborhood girls.

No costume planned for this year but I am biding my time until I have an excuse to dress up again.  Happy Halloween!

BHLDN...Dress Success

As promised here are all details of my trip to Beverly Hills and the BHLDN bridal store. As usual I can't put actual pictures of the dresses or me in the dresses to protect the innocent (hi fiancee) but click on the links to see the model in the dresses.  I did include a few pictures of our other purchases from the weekend.

FIANCEE STOP READING NOW!

As I previously mentioned I ordered a dress from the BHLDN website to wear for my November wedding.  When the dress came I immediately loved it but I needed to find a sparkly belt to wear with it.  When I talked to the dress consultant prior to my appointment I told her in addition to needing a dress to wear for my June wedding in Hawaii I would also need a belt.  She said they had my dress in stock so I didn't bring my dress with me.  That was a mistake but it worked out in the end.

I had bought my November dress in size 12 to make sure it would fit my butt and hips.  The 12 needed some altering in the bodice and of course hemming. I got to try the size 10 in the store and it fit perfectly.  No altering necessary.  Ok, that is a lie.  It still needed hemming but there was no avoiding that one.  I bought the 10 on the spot and I returned the 12 as soon as I got home.  It would have been easier to just exchange it if I had brought the 12 with me but it worked out in the end.

I tried on a couple of dresses and then I got to the third one.  This dress made it clear I was on the right track with this appointment.  I really liked the dress and thought maybe this is my dress but then I tried on this dress.  I walked out of the dressing room with the biggest smile on my face.

I am sure the stylists were laughing as my sister and best friend tried (eventually successfully) Skyped in my other best friend and my parents to see the process.

Once I had THE dress on it was time to put a belt on it.  My June dress needed both a silk sash and a pretty sparkly one.  I was so excited that I was able to find the perfect sparkly sash that works wonderfully with both of my dresses.  It makes me really happy that I get to wear the same sash for both days.  It just makes me feel like it ties them all together.

After our successful time in the bridal studio we decided to browse the sale section of Anthropolgie.  All the sale dresses were an extra 20% off (and still are) so we all ended up going home with a new dress.  I ended up taking home a really pretty flowy dress that I plan to wear with a thin belt.  My sister took home a dress that would be perfect to wear in Hawaii though she isn't waiting until June to wear it.  She actually wore it on our drive home on Sunday.  My friend bought a dress but it was one of the last in the company so I can't find a picture of it but it was super cute and I can't wait to see her wear it.

Finally I have two beautiful dresses and now I can concentrate on the other seven million details that go into planning two wedding ceremonies.

LA Trip Recap...Lemonade, cookies and The Getty

I headed to LA this past weekend for a dress mission.  Spoiler...it was a success!  A friend (one of my bridesmaids) and I headed to my parent's house after work on Thursday and slept there.  The two of us along with my sister headed out bright and early on Friday.  Ok, not bright (it was 6:30 AM) but it was definitely early.  After a bit of traffic coming down The Grapevine we arrived in Beverly Hills in plenty of time for my appointment.

We headed to Lemonade for a delicious lunch of salads, truffle mac & cheese and of course lemonade.  I had a blueberry mint lemonade and it was delicious.  For now Lemonade is only in SoCal but the website lists 3 Bay Area locations as coming soon!  

After lunch we headed to BHLDN and it was dress shopping time!  I decided that dress shopping deserved a whole post of its own so come back on Friday for that part of the trip.

After dress shopping we killed a little time with a drink at California Pizza Kitchen before heading to meet my friend's mom for dinner.  We had Mexican for dinner and then headed to a show.  We had tickets to see American Idiot in Hollywood.  A former classmate (and friend) of my friend was in the show and his part was outrageous and totally fun.  He even had a pink mohawk!  He (and the rest of the cast) was fantastic but I can't say it was one of my favorite shows.  The acting, dancing and singing were great but there was really no plot.

My sister had to get up early to head to a law school forum (the other reason we came to LA) but my friend and I slept in bit before picking up another friend and heading to The Getty on Saturday.  We hadn't been to The Getty since college (so it had been a while) and we were excited.

The view from The Getty doesn't disappoint. We wandered around and viewed lots of interesting exhibits.

There was a really interesting Japanese photography exhibit that we all enjoyed.  Not the kinds of things you would display in your living room but some really powerful images.

That the weather was warm was a understatement.  It was at least 90 degrees out so as much as I know the gardens are beautiful we decided against walking through them.  The sun was so warm and bright that the museum loaned out lovely beige umbrellas to people who were brave enough to explore the gardens.

The weather was perfect to wear my pretty rainbow colored dress and because I wasn't at work I didn't have to wear a sweater over it.  My friend got to wear her new shirt too!

After we finished our very warm visit to The Getty we decided it was ice cream sandwich time!  I had a chocolate chip walnut cookie and a white chocolate macadamia cookie with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in the middle.

We were staying with my friend's parents so we ended the day standing on their patio looking at the gorgeous sunset over the ocean.

Sunday after a detour to Claremont for a few hours we headed back home.  A fast, tiring but overall very successful trip to LA.  Come back Friday for a full recap of dress shopping!