Holiday Outfits 2011, Part 1

Hi everyone!  I cannot even begin to tell you how busy the last few weeks have been, even with a week off from school!  During our Christmas break, the fiance and I had about 30 minutes of "downtime" during the. entire. break.  We were busy getting things accomplished and seeing out of town friends/relatives literally from the time we got up in the morning until about 11:00 PM every night.  Then, over New Year's, we visited friends and relatives in the DC area.  By the time we came back to school last week, I felt like I needed a break from my break.  I'm still trying to catch up, de-stress, and just reeelax.   

I'm hoping that with our school semester winding down (we have finals this week and next, and then we start a new semester on Jan. 23rd), I'll be able to get back to regular posting.  The new school semester and calendar year brings with it grad school, lots of wedding/honeymoon planning, and a study hall at school, so at least I'll have a period that is sort of "off" during my crazy teaching schedule I've been given this year.

I figured since it's been awhile, I'll start 2012 by posting a series of outfits I wore over the holidays.  Here's the first outfit, featuring a great shirtdress J.Crew released in 2007.

Dress: J.Crew Bridget Shirtdress, sz. 4

Navy ruffled cardi: Merona, sz. small

Gold skinny belt: J.Crew Factory, sz. small

Tights: Missoni for Target, sz. small/medium

Boots: Etienne Aigner, sz. 8



I found this dress on eBay this past fall for about $45 (woohoo!), and when I saw it in person, I knew I was going to save it and wear it around the holidays.  The rich red and green colors that dominate the plaid pattern just begged to be worn to school the week of Christmas. 

I have always loved seeing this dress styled with boots ala J.Crew Paris Catalog 2007, and then ala the always-inspired and inspirational Dina over at My Superfluities in Paris, le sigh (see her outfit post with the Bridget Shirtdress here).  However, my building always decides to pump arctic air into our classrooms in the winter, so I knew I had to layer with a cardi and some tights.  The cardigan also served to tone down the pattern a bit.  All that plaid is just a bit much on my vertically-challenged 5'2" frame.  I added a little holiday bling with the belt, and I was good to go for the day!

That's it for my first holiday outfit post, but be on the lookout for the next one, which will feature J.Crew's Gilded Plaid Pencil Skirt.  Hmm..sparkles and plaid...I'm sensing an unintentional theme here with my holiday dressing.  ;)

Have a great day everyone!

A Bauble and a Bow - OOTD: November 14th

This past weekend, I went shopping with my mom and my cousin, both of whom I look up to immensely.  We had a great time catching up, getting some Christmas shopping done, and looking for deals.  One of the deals that I found was a dress from Macy's.  It was originally $58, and I snagged it for $15.  Woohoo! 

I had reservations about the dress itself because the fit was just a bit odd, and I hated the belt that came with it.  However, once I got home, I replaced the belt with a vintage belt that's attached to a dress I have from the late '50s/early '60s, and I layered a shirt under it to smooth out the fit.  I added a long pendant necklace to draw the eye away from the weird shoulders of the dress and down to the fun belt, and I was good to go!

This is my pre-7:15 A.M. Monday smile.

Dress:  NY Collection, sz. small

Long-sleeved Shirt:  NY and Co., sz. small

Tights:  Merona for Target, sz. small/medium

Shoes:  Nine West Riane, sz. 7.5

Amethyst Necklace:  My grandmother's

Belt:  Vintage, late '50s or early '60s

A picture of the details:

Have you ever revamped something you bought on super-sale to make it work?