His and Hers Missoni for Target in Action

I swear, this is the birthday that never ends.  I have one more post where I'll mention the word "birthday" (my fiance gifted me with tickets to Wicked for this Friday, and I can't wait to show you all the dress I found to wear), but then I'm done.  At least for this year.  Promise.

This past weekend, I went out for sushi with the fiance and some friends for my birthday, and I decided to give my new sweater dress a whirl. 

Dress: Missoni for Target

Cardigan: H&M

Wristlet: Ollin

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman

Sunnies: Gap

Wearing the dress with no tights was as crazy as it gets for this girl on a Saturday night; I generally wear my hemlines longer.  However, I was pretty comfortable all night.  I only had a few minor wardrobe malfunctions at our spontaneous dance party we held later on at a friend's house.  And no, I'm not even kidding. 

Seriously though, if you have this dress, watch that the lining doesn't creep up on you.  There were only a few times throughout the night that I found myself tugging, but it was enough to be a little annoying.  I think tights would probably rectify that problem.

I also wasn't sure about wearing the dress with no belt - I love to define my waistline and feel like the outfit is unfinished if I don't.  However, once I saw the look together, I realized that breaking up the vertical stripes would actually make me look shorter and stouter.  All I'd need is a handle and spout, and I'd be a Missoni teapot. 

When we were on our way out of the restaurant, I had an "Oh, no she DIDN'T" moment when a girl was coming in wearing the same dress.  That type of thing never bothers me, though.  I congratulated her on scoring an item and told her I loved how she styled the dress.  She wore hers with tall riding boots, and it was really cute!  I actually really like seeing how others style items that I have.  As my stylist-hero Rachel Zoe would say, you can never have too many options! 

I had gone shopping earlier that day at a consignment store that I hadn't yet visited.  I scored a Nanette Lepore dress, a Milly skirt, and those Stuart Weitzman shoes - which had NEVER BEEN WORN - for a song.  I was on a fashion high.

Since I promised a his and hers post, here's another Missoni for Target piece in action on a dude:

This is the tie I bought for my fiance.  I forced him into a picture at 7:05AM one day last week, and he is NOT a morning person.  The only words he said were, "No face on the blog today."  Hehe.  I obliged. 

When I first bought him this shirt a few years ago, he told me he felt like a bottle of Pepto Bismol, but he said he trusted my taste.  Now it's one of his favorites - he gets so many compliments on it, from coworkers and students alike.  The Missoni tie matches it perfectly, and even though he didn't act like it, I just knew he was just super pumped to wear it. ;)  If only you could see the excitement on his face.  Maybe next time. 

When I'm having a bad day at work...

...I'll come back to this post and read it over and over again.  I'm in charge of the television studio at my school.  In that studio, I have twelve awesome kids who are responsible for our morning announcements show.  Those kids never cease to amaze me with their creativity and dedication, but most of all with their thoughtfulness.  Here's a little taste of what I saw when I walked into my TV studio at the end of last week:

My chair, desk, and half of the studio, all decked out

The white board on our "set," right behind the anchors' chairs

My surprise birthday breakfast spread, all provided by the kiddos.  Bagels, donuts, brownies, cookies, and even a crumb cake.  These kids know how to throw a fête.

In the future, whenever I find myself down about the direction education has taken, I am going to find it pretty darn easy to remind myself why I do what I do; I just have to revisit this post and these pictures.  My students brought tears to my eyes!  There were even a few gifts involved.  They are really just too sweet for words! 

Another reason I love my kids?  They all appreciated my dress.  ;)  What else would an English teacher wear on her birthday but the J.Crew Library print dress from 2007?  I was lucky enough to find this dress on ebay a couple of years ago, and every time I wear it, I feel like a million bucks.

Dress: J.Crew Fall 2007

Cardigan: Merona for Target

Tank: J.Crew Perfect tank

Shoes: Dr. Scholl's

I'm not the only aficionada to don this frock, so I don't want to leave the other lovelies out.  The spectacular Alexis from J.Crew Aficionada features this dress here and here.  You can also see this dress on the lovely Dina from My Superfluities looking adorable here. 

Because the cut of this dress isn't really meant for women bigger than a B or so up top, I layer a perfect tank under it when I wear it.  It doesn't really look that great without the cardigan, but I'm always chilly, so a cardi is essential anyway.  Those shoes are my first experience with Dr. Scholl's, and I must say, when I first bought them, I was pleasantly surprised.  The color is a deep pewtery bronze (is there such a hue?), so they are a go-to neutral.  And my gawwwwd, are they ever comfy!  I believe they were only $34.99 full price, too.  I highly recommend Dr. Scholl's shoes if you're on your feet all day.

I'm off to go write up a quick lesson plan.  I'm getting observed by my principal this afternoon, so wish me luck!  If there is such a thing as a wonderful Monday, I hope you all have one!

I'm a poser

...and I'm officially old.  Not only is today my 26th birthday, but it's also the one-week anniversary of the day that I realized I'm no longer cool.  Last week, I went to a Blink-182 concert.  I've been a fan of the band since I was in junior high, and this was the second concert of theirs I've attended.  Taking my cue from some of my punk-ier students, I decided I'd wear plaid, Chucks, and a cool knit hat.  The result was more Punky Brewster than Punk Rocker:

Button-down: J.Crew Perfect Shirt in candy plaid

Cardigan: J.Crew Camp Pocket Cardigan

Jeans: J.Crew Matchstick

Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Low Top in pink
Hat: Target

I stuck out like a sore thumb.  Here I was, trying to be all cute:

Meanwhile, I was surrounded by teenagers who all looked relatively similar to this kid:



Fail.  Plus, it was about 35 degrees all night.  That, my friends, would be what the children refer to as an EPIC fail.  I ended up buying a Blink-182 sweatshirt, so that gave me a little bit of street cred with the rascals who surrounded me.  But hey, I knew every word of the songs Blink played from their debut album from 1994, and those spike-cuffed, mohawked teens just stared at me in adoration.  Booyah.

I'll leave you with a pretty picture of the pretty lights from the show: