Year in Review

Happy New Years Eve everyone! Do you have any special plans for ringing in the new year? We're going to a bowl game this afternoon and will probably just celebrate a little at our hotel tonight while watching the ball drop on TV. :-)

In blog-land, I've really been enjoying everyone's lists of their favorite outfits, purchases, Anthro items, etc. of the year so I thought I'd do a quick post of my own and try to combine some of the categories all into one. So, here are five of my favorite outfits that contain some of my most worn closet staples and favorite Anthro pieces of the year (well, technically of the past six months since that's about how long I've been blogging). Thank you to everyone who has read my blog and commented over the last few months. I've made some great friends and reading blogs and working on my own has become a fun part of my daily life. I'm looking forward to continuing it in the new year!

Without further ado, here are my top 5:

#1


This first outfit is quintessentially me: fun (and comfy!) dress with cardigan, belt, tights, boots, and simple jewelry. The Southward Stop dress was definitely one of my favorite Anthro items of the year and I continue to be amazed at how versatile it really is. I love seeing all the different colors that other bloggers have worn it with. In this outfit, I've paired it with my favorite sweater ever. I adore this shade of purple and this LOFT cardigan is just so cozy that I want to wear it all the time. The Cylindrical Braid Belt has also become a regular staple in my closet and I have it in brown (shown here), black, and coral. I wear one of these belts at least two or three times a week. The Berry-Stitched Boots are also another of my favorite Anthro items and thanks to my sweet and generous mother, I was able to get them several months ago. I love wearing them with skirts & dresses as well as jeans & cords and they're so comfortable that they've already been on several of my travels as well (worn here in Chicago). Last, you can see my favorite necklace in this picture, which I wear often. It's a typewriter key (letter L for my last name) on a simple chain that I got this summer at Urban Outfitters.


#2


I love a simple dress with subtle details so the Jacqueline Dress is a favorite with its delicate lace trim on the top and pintucks along the hem. I've been wearing a lot more navy this year, which I think suits me better than black. This dress can be worn so many different ways with a variety of colors, belts, and cardigans. This turquoise cardi from Target is my go-to sweater, especially in the warmer months when I want to cover up my arms while wearing sleeveless sundresses. I have it in white and navy too but surprisingly the turquoise one has gotten the most wear!


#3


How could I not put this adorable dress on my favorites list?! I pined after this dress for months and lucked out when they still had one left in my size at my store. I love everything about it: pretty blue color, fun print, great fit (ok, except for the tight arms but I just leave them unbuttoned), comfortable & easy to throw on for school, errands, weekend adventures, and yes, even baseball games! I wore it here to a Rays game and although my husband teased me a little about wearing a dress and heels to a game, I was very comfortable and the blue was just the right color for our team. See, Anthro makes any event more fun! ;-)


#4


Another well-worn dress in my closet is this pretty purple jersey dress from LOFT. The ruffles on the top are the perfect little touch. Because of the material, this dress can be worn casually with minimal accessories or it can be dressed up when paired with fancier items. It also transitions well between seasons. I've worn it in the summer with sandals and here in this picture with tights & boots. It also makes a great travel outfit because it's stretchy and doesn't wrinkle. In fact, I wore this exact outfit for a day of sight-seeing in Chicago (under my trench coat) and didn't even have to change that night when we went to the theater. I love this long jersey cardigan from Anthro because it's a great charcoal color and it's a little different than what I usually wear. I belted it here with another of my favorite belts - the Snakebite belt - shown here in brown, but my grey one gets a lot of wear too!


#5


This green floral skirt is another surprisingly versatile piece from Anthro. I love the vibrant green color and the silhouette. In this outfit I pulled out some of the color from the flowers by adding my coral belt and kept it simple on top with a crisp white blouse. This year I've been experimenting more with jewelry and I've found that I love the way a long necklace can pull an outfit together sometimes. I was so excited to snag the Gilded Impatiens Necklace on sale when I was with Carol at the Anthro in San Diego! These Target sandals also got quite a workout this year, although I don't totally love them with this outfit. I'm looking forward to wearing them again when the weather turns warm again!


Well, those were my top picks! It was SO hard to choose just five! I've got to mention a few other items that I just couldn't live without: Pessinus Garden Necklace, Blooming Lattice Cardigan, Old Navy jean skirt, Looping Lanes Belt, jeans, and my grey Old Navy dress. I'm also looking forward to creating some new wardrobe staples with my yellow Field Skirt, Tria Sweater Skirt, and Hallowed Halls Oxfords. Look for those on next year's list! :-)

Happy New Year!!

Holiday Photos

I'm back with pictures!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday spent with those you love. We had a great time visiting family. It even got chilly here in Florida so it sure felt Christmasy! I hope no one got stuck because of the storms. My parents flew out yesterday to see my sister and their flight was delayed but they still managed to get there late last night.

Here are some of my recent holiday outfits, featuring some of my Christmas and birthday gifts:


My mom got me the Tria Sweater Skirt and Hallowed Halls Oxfords and I had to wear them immediately on Christmas Day! Kim (Anthroholic), I thought of you when I opened this gift and also another "Kim" skirt from my mother-in-law (the tiered Ruche skirt you also have) -- I'll be looking back at your OOTD's for inspiration! ;-) I think these shoes are my new favorites. They are so cute AND comfortable! I wore them all day without a single blister or pinched toe.


Here's a cute shot of my husband and little Jefferson sitting by some of their Christmas loot! ;-)


This was my Christmas Eve outfit. I wanted to wear my pretty new cord skirt that I got for my birthday and I thought it paired nicely with this ruffly blouse and black cardigan.




This last picture is actually from a couple of weeks ago on my birthday. We spent the day sight-seeing in a couple of cute lake-towns in central Florida, went to a huge antique market, ate dinner at Macaroni Grill, and then I got to go shopping at not one, but TWO fabulous malls in Orlando. I'm holding the bags with my presents from my husband: the Peppered & Striped Skirt from Anthro and my favorite perfume from Nordstrom. It was a fantastic birthday!

Enjoy the last week of the year everyone! 2011 will be here before we know it! :-)

Happy Holidays!

Sorry for the long absence! I promise to post regularly again starting next week. :-)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas. If you're trekking out to see family and friends, travel safely!

Happy Holidays!

Wishlist

My birthday is this weekend and Christmas is right around the corner so I thought it would be fun to share my wishlist. I'd love to hear what's at the top of your Christmas wishlist as well! Also, if you have any fun ideas for things that you're getting your husband/boyfriend/significant other, please share them. My husband has given me a few good ideas but I'd love to get him a cool surprise gift too. :-)

My wishlist:

Hallowed Halls Oxfords from Anthro:



My favorite perfume:



New Harry Potter book about the films
Harry Potter Film Wizardry



Gold Field Skirt from Anthro:



Cool bag from Fossil:



DVD of The Young Victoria:



What's on your wishlist?

OOTD's: End of the Semester

This is the last week of classes, which is the reason for my lack of posts lately! I've been swamped with grading, last minute assignments, and preparing my students for next week's exams. In fact, I've been so busy that I only managed to get pictures of two outfits this week. Mid-week it suddenly turned colder here in sunny Florida so I've been living in my beloved Anthro boots. :-)

Here's my outfit from yesterday. I wanted to wear my Blooming Lattice Cardigan since it's the theme for Anthroholic's Reader Outfit feature this week. If you have a picture of yourself wearing this cardigan in either color, send it over to Kim so you can be included in this Sunday's feature!

I paired my cardigan with a really old plaid skirt from LOFT that my husband bought me for Christmas about 7 years ago. The last few years it didn't really fit anymore but I packed it away with some other clothes that were a bit snug, hoping I could fit into it again someday. Well, it fits again now! :-)

I got a bit adventurous with my photo taking and snapped this one on campus!

Blooming Lattice Cardigan (Anthropologie)
Through-the-Clouds Tank (Anthropologie)
Snakebite Belt (Anthropologie)
Plaid Skirt (LOFT) -- really old!!
Navy ribbed tights (Walmart)
Berry-Stitched Boots (Anthropologie)

This is an outfit I wore on Wednesday to the class I teach at night. I had to wear a warm coat over it though because it was chilly!

Shine-Through Blouse (Anthropologie)
Pink Cami (LOFT)
Looping Lanes Belt (Anthropologie)
Cord Skirt (Eddie Bauer)
Pindot tights (Anthropologie)
Berry-Stitched Boots (Anthropologie)
Initial Necklace (Urban Outfitters)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a nice Turkey Day! We drove down to my mother-in-law's house this afternoon and went out to eat at Cracker Barrel. Yum! We're all stuffed now and hanging out in front of the TV. :-)

I wore my Southwards Stop dress today:

Southward Stop Dress (Anthropologie)
Black Cami (LOFT)
Cylindrical Braid Belt (Anthropologie)
Black Cardigan (Bealls)
Black Knit Tights (JCPenny's)
Black Shoes (Steinmart)

After we ate, I took Jefferson for a little walk around the neighborhood.



Here's my little guy!



Happy Thanksgiving!

Reviews Part 2: Two Hits & A Miss

Here are the rest of my Anthro reviews! My favorite thing I tried on was the Laced with Grace dress. The color is even prettier in person than it looks in these pictures. I've admired this dress online but hadn't planned on trying it myself. For some reason I thought it wasn't my style but as soon as I saw it in front of me, I fell in love with it! It's such a lovely, romantic dress with an Edwardian vintage flair. I couldn't resist styling it with my boots and belt:



Added to my wishlist!



I'm a little late reviewing this next skirt but I had to try it on with this yellow shirt (Rippled Ridge Henley) that was hanging near it. As others have already noted, this skirt is so adorable! If there are any of these still left by the time it goes on sale, I will scoop one up. I actually really liked the shirt too. It also came in a nice purple color and a teal green that was very pretty (online shows grey too but my store didn't have that color). I tried on a small but a medium probably would have been better.



Last, I tried on the Channel Churns Top, which looked so pretty sitting there on a table in the store. I didn't like it on me at all though. The ruffle hit right across the bust, which looked weird. It was too long so I tucked it in but it poofed out strangely on the sides. This is the kind of top that will look nice on a tall, slim person. Not flattering on me at all. I tried the top on with the Field Skirt even though my store only had the khaki color (I want the grey or yellow) and this one is a size too small. I wasn't crazy about the way the skirt looked on me but I will try again if I see it in my size and a color that I like better. I do like the cord material though. It's very soft and a nice, light weight.

Reviews Part 1 & My OOTD

I've got Anthro reviews! I'm going to split them up and post the rest tomorrow. For this installment, I have the Alluring Sway Skirt with three different tops. Which look is your favorite?

#1: Raining Lines Henley
I love this top and I've tried the navy version on with jeans for a casual look but I think it's kind of cute with the skirt too. It's definitely on my Christmas wishlist!



#2: Bianka Blouse in raspberry
This is a beautiful color but I'm not sure it's great on me. This blouse has looked fantastic on so many bloggers in all of the different versions of colors and patterns that have been out this fall, but I'm not sure it's really my style. I know it's supposed to be loose but I definitely can't wear it untucked (waaaayy too long on me!) and even tucked in, it's not totally flattering on me. I LOVE the sleeves though! Even though the blouse might not work on me, I wanted to share this pairing to those who own the Bianka blouse and might have this skirt or the very similar Acting Out skirt because I think they make a nice outfit.



#3: Garden Rows Top
I tried this untucked and it looked ok but I thought it was better tucked in. I love the ruffles down the front!



And here's my OOTD:

Blouse & Dress: Bealls
Belt: Target
Socks: Dillards
Boots: Old Navy
Necklace: Urban Outfitters

I think I looked a bit like Heidi (from the children's book) today! heehee :-)

Thank you Tricia!

I just wanted to thank Tricia for my lovely gifts from Ashley's swap! She sent me a surprise package from our favorite store -- Anthro, of course! ;-)

Aren't these barrettes so pretty?



Close Up:



And check out these cool patterned tights! I'm already planning a great outfit around these, which I'll wear as soon as our weather goes back to normal. Seriously, where did my fall weather go? It was almost 80 degrees today!



There's also something else on the way that was shipped separately, so I'll post a picture when it arrives. Thanks SO much Tricia! :-) And thank you Ashley for organizing such a fun swap.

OOTD: Purple Again

I never realized how much purple I have in my wardrobe! It is my favorite color though, so I guess it's not surprising. ;-) I stopped by the park on my way home from school for a few quick pictures.

In-A-Moment Dress (Anthropologie)
Black Cardigan (Target)
Purple Belt (Anthropologie)
Polka dot tights (Hue via Macys)
Black Shoes (Steinmart)

Polka dot tights:





Before I go, here's my answer for another one of my reader questions picked randomly:
Erin asked:
If you could "steal" one celebrity's style, whose would it be and why?

The first person that came to mind was Zooey Deschanel. Her style is a perfect mix of quirky, romantic, girly, and vintagey. Can you imagine how fun it would be to go shopping with her? She would know the coolest places to go thrift store shopping and I bet she wouldn't mind going to Anthropologie too. :-) I know a lot of other people also love her style and I'm sure everyone has seen the Cotton commercial she did, but if you missed it, take a look:

OOTD: Pink, Grey & Navy

Just a quick post from me before I dash off to campus! I thought of this outfit right before I fell asleep last night and I was happy that it turned out as I envisioned. I like the idea of pairing pink with grey and then I remembered that I haven't worn my navy skirt in a long time, so here they are all together! :-) The grey tights were too dark on their own so I layered this light knit pair over the top.

Pink Sweater & Cami (LOFT)
Thousand Days Skirt (Anthropologie)
Snakebite Belt (Anthropologie)
Tights (F21 Knit tights layered over dark grey Simply Vera tights)
Shoes (Steinmart)
Pessinus Garden Necklace (Anthropologie)

And here's one with my glasses, which I decided to wear today since my eyes needed a little break from my contacts.



Happy Wednesday everyone! Only a few more days until the new Harry Potter movie opens! Is anyone else planning on seeing it this weekend? I'm a huge fan so of course I can't miss seeing it as soon as it comes out. :-)

Pattern Mixing

I've gotten behind on posting OOTD's lately so here are some of my recent favorites. I've been attempting a little subtle pattern mixing. Nothing crazy, but I think I like the results. ;-)

This first outfit was something I threw together for a casual day off spent with my husband. The blouse is a dark navy which is a color I really like with purple and grey. The polka dots are really small so they don't compete too much with the argyle print on the cardigan.

Argyle Cardigan (Target)
Navy Polka-dot Blouse (LOFT)
Snakebite Belt (Anthropologie)
Jeans (LOFT)
Blue Suede Shoes (Naturalizer)

Close-up shot of the pattern mixing:



The pattern mixing in the next two outfits is a bit less obvious but I think it adds a little more interest to each ensemble.

Tiny Windows Dress (Anthropologie)
Brown Cardigan (LOFT)
Looping Lanes Belt (Anthropologie)
Pindot Tights (Anthropologie)
Boots (Old Navy)

Look who decided to say hello while I was trying to take a picture of the faint stripes & swiss dot pattern on the dress next to the brown pindot tights! ;-)



Purple Plaid & tiny polka dots on the tights:

Dress & Sweater: Steinmart
Purple Belt: Anthropologie
Polka dot Tights: Dillards
Boots: Anthropologie

Weekend Adventure

This has been another busy week so far and I'm surrounded by stacks of papers that must be graded this afternoon, so I'll make this a quick, picture-heavy post! These are some shots from the weekend when we were out enjoying the wonderful weather. First we went to the Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens for a walk along the trail that borders this lake.

Cardigan: Bealls
Shirt & Jeans: LOFT
Necklace: Anthropologie
Shoes: Clarks

I put the camera on a bench and tried to get a picture of us together. ;-)





Next we headed back to our neighborhood to this cool park. It has a a baseball field that doesn't get used much. The benches by the scoreboard made a good spot for pictures.



Here's the view of downtown past the outfield.



There's also an old bandstand and fountain in the park. My husband got this cool shot of the water in the fountain.





Happy Wednesday everyone! I'm looking forward to having the day off tomorrow! :-)