What I Wore This Week: Four Days Till School Starts!

Oh my god, I think we might make it.

This is my “It’s nine am on Saturday morning, why do I have to help you return your work rental car, again, exactly?” face.

These are my beloved AE Artist Crops. And my red Hush Puppies which I goodwilled as soon as this picture taking session was over because the combination of a fabric upper and my wide feet was not a good one.  Now I really need a good red summer wedge if anyone sees one.

I am slightly ashamed to tell you that I bought this hoodie in the women’s pajama section of Target. Not that ashamed, though. It called to me, loudly, and said “Wear me on the airplane, you must.” So I did.  Also, I had to depill it after I washed it the first time. So it’s badly made pajamas, is what I am telling you.  Also, I love it.

I had to return a dress I had ordered from Old Navy because it was an unattractive sack, but while I was there this shirt and I fell in love.  I paid full price at Old Navy, that’s how much I loved it.  I do have a deep and unwavering love of the t shirt but I am trying to gradually work some non t shirt tops into the rotation and there’s just something really perfect about this shirt.

 

It took me way too long to figure out how to wear a long t shirt, but I think I’ve got it.  (As A Tunic, is the answer.)

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Ann Taylor Loft Dress, but via Ebay. I had to belt it or it’s very “first trimester?”

 

Ann Taylor Loft has been having 60% off their clearance summer stuff, which means if you live somewhere where it’s still going to be summer for another two months, there’s some great stuff to be had for super cheap.  Let’s ignore the fact that they sent me a box of ENTIRELY THE WRONG CLOTHING the first go round and then weren’t very helpful about getting me the correct things instead of someone else’s random crap, and concentrate on the fact that this skirt was $11 and is basically pajamas in skirt form.  The skirt is a Large Petite, I think I could have gone with a regular Large, but it’s fine.  The shirt is a medium. I would also own a red one except for the aforementioned lameness of Ann Taylor Loft.

By this time next week Kidlet Number Uno will be in First Grade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hallelujah Sisters.

 

 

What I Wore This Week: Keen Free

I have returned from Vermont, where at one point I found myself clambering over a boulder and thinking “Maybe I should get a pair of Keens.” I can only assume the constant fetid odor of cow  manure had me in some sort of temporary delusional haze.  (Spoiler alert: I did not buy Keens.)

I was wearing my new star t shirt from the Gap with this, but then I noticed that it had a giant glob of toothpaste on the front of it.  Super fun, since I’d been wearing it all day.

Note to self: I think this would look nice with the addition of a delicate gold chain necklace type thing.

This is a Target tank instead with my thrifted Ann Taylor loft skirt. You’ll have to wait till next week for the Gap T Shirt. I know, the anticipation is killing you.

I was going to wear this to therapy until one of my evil children got pen on my pants.  Children ruin everything.

I should get more cowl necks, I think.

Target shorts, Gap cowl neck shirt (last year), J Crew wedges.

Instead I wore this. I’ve barely worn this dress this year but I still love it just as much as ever, despite the fact that it discolors when you come in contact with anything and everything and it’s a teeny bit too short.  It always makes me feel good whenever I wear it though. What a great dress.

I rediscovered these shoes in the depths of my closet. Remind me to try to wear some more of my ridiculous amount of shoes, because when I do it makes me so happy but I always forget.

American Eagle dress (last year), Hive and Honey heels.

I wore this to another doctor’s appointment.  Three this week! What a delightful social calendar. I had a very awkward moment when the nurse asked me if I had just come from work. I managed to escape without mentioning my blawg, but just barely.

Kohls blazer, Target necklace, Target tee, Old Navy skirt of pilly doom, Hive and Honey heels.

What I Wore This Week

This is the ubiquitous Lands’ End Fit and Flare dress.  I always feel like this dress is one wrong shoe away from mom frumpy, but I really liked it with these shoes and this necklace, which I just got from Forever 21 and which I really love. This is when my hair was still orange, btw.  I have been having a really hard time getting it to the right color brown.

New dress from Banana Republic! LOOOOOOOVE.  Don’t pay full price for this though, that’s an outrageous price. Also, this is a Large Petite, so it seems short for a maxi dress, since I’m 5’2″.  It’s pretty sexy pants in person. And it’s navy and white, not black, which tones down the “prison uniform” vibe. I’m wondering if it needs heels though after seeing these pictures. For some reason it’s not online anymore, but you can always check the store.

This is before most of the new brown hair color washed out and I still looked like Ludmilla the Russian Prison Guard.

This Old Navy dress has seriously been one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time. You can jazz it up with a belt and gold shoes, or just throw it on with flip flops and go to the pool.  It has (very slightly) restored my faith in Old Navy.  Better hair color too! Finally brown and not orange.

This picture is called “Fun With Sea Salt Spray”.

I had juuuuuuuuust sworn off thrifting forever when Baby Girl needed pants and NO ONE HAD ANY PANTS TO SELL ME.  Seriously.  All the pants everywhere sucked (they had ONE pair at Target and they GLITTERED. FUDGE NO.) or were $45.  I’m looking at you, Mini Boden.  Anyway, I got her 6 six pairs of thrifted Gap jeans for about $10 and also this skirt which I was sort of one the fence about but now I loooooooove.  It’s so pretty! Originally Ann Taylor loft, mine for $7.99, so pretty and comfy and perfect. And the best color. I love it.

Also thrifted this white skirt which I probably should have ironed. It’s very similar to the white skirt that I got at JC Penney that is too short and too small and that I should have returned, so I almost didn’t buy this one, but it was super cheap and the too small too short skirt was just making me sad. Yes, I paid $19 for it. Yes, I should have returned it. Yes, that was stupid, but it still doesn’t change the fact that every time I went to wear it, it made me sad.  Elizabeth’s First Rule of Fixing Your Wardrobe is to get rid of any clothes that make you sad when you wear them.  Regardless of how much you paid for them or that they ALMOST work or that they might someday fit you. No.  Sadness is not worth it. Give them away. The end.

 

What I Wore This Week

I had a tough time getting dressed this week, no idea why.  One thing I have noticed is that the summer, when I show in front of no one besides your kids, your neighbor, and the other people at Target, I am a lot less inspired to try. I just want to wear shorts and tank tops and that’s not very photographable. It does make me excited for fall though, which I have never been before in my entire life, so that’s something I guess.

I’ve been having a hard time with skirts. I can make the skirts i have work, but I have a hard time not making them look too dressed up and twee.  The full skirt used to be a staple of my wardrobe and now it feels too casual and juvenile too me.  However, as much as I love pencil skirts, a lot of them feel too dressed up and officey.  I think the solution is dresses, and more aline and jersey skirts, but I am  having a harder time finding those than I thought. I guess it’s just ever evolving.

I’ve also fallen into that rut where I have certain clothes I love and I’d rather just wear the same three things in rotation. That’s fine, but not very exciting for you guys.  When I try to mix it up and make new outfit combinations, I often feel very overdressed for summer bumming around.

Don’t worry, in the fall, I’ll start piling on jewelry and blazers and we’ll all feel better again.

This skirt (Target last year) was on the chopping block (so short, so poofy) but I think with just the right shoes and shirt it works. It always looks cuter in pictures than I think it does in person.  It can stay for now.

 

This was another I don’t know about this skirt (Gap from AGES ago) but I really loved it with this tank and these shoes.  I don’t normally wear purple but the combination of all these colors was really pretty.  Again, though, it’s too dressed up for most of what I do in the summer, but this looks less great with flip flops and tanks tops, so it’s a conundrum.

This was nothing special but I put it in here because it proves to me how far my casual “throw something on to run to Home Depot” clothing has come.  Two years ago this would have been fake uggs, rolled up too big maternity jeans, and an ill fitting gray Old Navy t shirt.  This is not THAT different but it makes me feel like I’ve come really far.  This is a Gap tee from last year, my beloved AE artist crops, and Target sandals (which people swoon over every time I wear them.)

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This is my “I’m not that crazy” outfit of the week.  I was very proud of myself for finally wearing that necklace, nine months after I bought it because I had decided I’d die if I didn’t own a blue necklace.

In conclusion. I can still make the poofy skirts work if I have to, but they’re not something I go out of my way to buy anymore.  Lesson learned.