Sunnies: Borrowed from my friend! | Jacket: JCrew Factory (similar) | Necklace: Express (similar) | Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs (similar) | Top: Express (option) | Bottoms:Joe's | Booties:Hinge (option, option)
Happy hump day! Today I'm sharing another look I wore in Myrtle Beach! The trip was really fast - we got in Friday evening in time for dinner, had all day Saturday there, then flew out Sunday afternoon. Somehow it still took me forever to pack 2.5 outfits, just as it always does. I decided to reach for some of my old favorites knowing they would all work together one way or another, but not necessarily planning full outfits as I packed. I decided the layers would be perfect for the plane, but still felt cute enough to play tourist in for my last few hours there.
I spent the majority of last week up in New England. Tomorrow I'm off for an overnight trip to Toronto, and then Friday I leave for a long weekend of work and leisure in San Antonio. Yeah, the thought of packing terrifies me!! But the good thing is, even when I'm traveling, I still get good content for the blog because (assuming the hotels have great full length mirrors), I can still share what I'm wearing and what I'm doing. Some of you got the real time updates of this if you follow me on Snapchat (carylee07) but it's always nice to formally document stuff here also. This blog makes for a nice diary of sorts!
Sunnies: Ray Ban (other colors here) | Earrings: Old Navy | Necklace:Purple Peridot | Trench: Ann Taylor (option here, here, and here) | Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs (option here and here) | Top:Express (try purple or berry) | Bracelet: Stella and Dot | Ring: Kendra Scott | Bottoms: American Eagle (option) | Shoes:BCBG (option)
This weekend, I finally felt that cool chill to the bone at night. It's about that time to start transitioning! And that means getting excited to wear some of your favorite pieces that you haven't touched in months. Like this sleeveless trench, which for whatever reason, I keep seeing referred to as a sleeveless vest. Except vests are already sleeveless. Just pay attention, you shall see this error incessantly now also. Perhaps they mean sleeveless trench? Or trench vest? Or trench dress is another thing I've seen them called.
Regardless! It's a fun piece to have and I wish that Ann Taylor's version still existed because it's the perfect amount of structure. I realized I hadn't worn it with jeans yet, so I had to change that immediately. I'm kind of excited to wear all of my vests in general again!! Is that bad?
Jenna and Rachelle have both taunted me with their love for lace up flats. I've been resisting because flats don't seem to work as well for me - they always tear up my feet, and I ended up getting rid of the majority of them in my collection. But after going two for two with my recently purchased flats (here), I've decided to give flats another go. These Topshop flats seem to come in and out of stock in black so the second I saw them available, I ordered them without hesitation. It's actually Jenna who discovered they were back then texted me and I ordered them on a plane right before take off! Shopping is serious business, folks!
Gosh, I just love them, and they photograph so beautifully! I added some distressed denim and a boyish camo tee to offset their sweet side. Which, by the way, I had been eyeing this v-neck camo tee from the Anniversary Sale, but a) I couldn't bring myself to pay $79 for it and b) it's out of stock anyway so even if I found the courage, it's long gone. I was doing some last minute shopping on Saturday for the bachelorette party this weekend, and snatched up this tee at Target for a whopping $9. Looking at these photos, I would probably skip a partial tuck next time or simply wear some low rise jeans vs. these mid rise. My torso just looks a little short in these photos and doesn't do this tee its justice!
Happy Monday! Or, at least, can we try and make it a happy one? I felt super productive this weekend, which is a definite plus. Unfortunately, I was productive in real life, which means I was adversely as productive in blog life. Don't you wish we can do ALL THE THINGS at the same time?! I kind of killed two birds with one stone though by taking photos of this outfit as we were on our way to run errands this weekend.
I had a handful of things I needed to get and complete for a bridal shower this coming weekend. And, there were miscellaneous things we needed to buy for the house - we've been looking for a storage unit to go behind our table in our eat-in kitchen because otherwise, the kitchen table ends up collecting piles and piles of crap. There is also a corner of the eating area that has accumulated boxes filled with things that I would love to hide in something a little prettier to look at. We ordered this, which should arrive late next week and I can't wait to get organized. Seriously. Having a clean kitchen table feels SO GOOD.
I ordered this tee as part of Express' Memorial Day sale. People like Erin were convincing me that I needed it, and they were right. I'm now contemplating what colors I need next.
If you read Gina's post, you'll see the awesome recap she did of this outfit combination that went a little bit viral on Instagram. While I did manage to re-create the outfit in my own way, I'm re-creating it one more time based on Erin's adaption here. Unfortunately, I had to throw this jacket on because it seriously dropped 30+ degrees overnight. I'm not sure how it is acceptable for it to be 56 degrees this late in the year!!
My weekly workouts have been going well, although week 2 was pretty rough because of my lady time. I got back on the horse for week 3 and I am definitely seeing progress. There is this one Pilates move (the roll over) that has been giving me trouble, and I've finally been able to do it…. well, at least one version of it. I can do this version holding the pegs, but I want to get to this version using the arm springs. Other people make it look so easy, but apparently I have no spine articulation in my lower back and my lower abs are weak! So, that's what I'm working on now!
That's enough randomness for one Monday! Have a great week!
Well, hello! And welcome to NOT my wardrobe capsule! It's so funny because when I was taking outfit photos for the week, every time I walked out of my closet room, the husband's face would light up and he would say, "You look so cute!" Finally after the last outfit, he said, "Why do you look so cute today?" And I said, "Because I'm not wearing the same plaid vest and stripe sweater 14 different ways." Haha! But that's how I felt though. It was nice to start fresh and photograph NEW outfits and NEW pieces.
One of my most favorite new pieces is this textured knit moto jacket. I'd been fighting the urge to buy it forever, but finally I caved because Gina just made it look so good. It was actually super sunny the day I took these photos, which is amazing, but unfortunately washes out the detail of the jacket.
This is an outfit I wore to a casual dinner meeting with my new department. It was just the four of us, and I was excited to wear my new jacket and these new pumps. Pretty lovely together, eh? I'm psyched that I bought this jacket, and considering I like to throw a jacket on top of everything, I know it will get tons of use!
I almost forgot it's St. Patrick's Day today! I've already moved on from the holiday mentally because we celebrated this past weekend! The husband's BFF's birthday is today also, so he has had a standing date with him for as long as they've been friends to go to the parade downtown and end up at an Irish pub for the night. I was busy running around like a mad woman so I couldn't go to the parade this year. I was shopping for a bridesmaid's dress for a wedding I'm in this fall, brunching, shopping with my sister in law, mani/pedi, then going to a 4 year old birthday party. We finally made it to the pub at about 7:30 on Saturday - but the husband had an 8 hour head start on adult beverage consumption by then! He was fine, and managed to hold out until a little after midnight while I shook my booty on the dance floor. My thighs are still sore as I type this! Ha! Did you do anything fun?
So, I'm splitting my Denver recap into two posts, and yet, I still feel like this post is going to be very long and photo heavy! I apologize in advance, but I do feel like it was too much fun not to share all the gory details with you! Today, I'll focus on what I wore and what we did. On Friday, I will tell you all about my shopping date with Kellie and Stacie and what we bought! Lots to cover, so let's get started!
It was so hard to pack for this trip, you guys! These girls I was meeting are all from a Style and Beauty online forum! Oh the pressure! Not to mention the weather - it was only supposed to be in the low 20s for the highs all weekend! The struggle! For my airport outfit, clearly comfort and ease of going through security were key. I just started layering and ended up with this look, which could easily transition into shopping or happy hour, or whatever we decided to do that afternoon (plans had not been finalized for the afternoon yet.)
Friday Happy Hour at Euclid Hall
I landed a little after noon - one of the Colorado locals was picking 3 of us up at the airport. We waited about an hour for the other two girls to arrive before we headed downtown. We grabbed a quick lunch at Mod Market and then met up with the other half of our group at Euclid Hall for happy hour.
How cute is our group?! We did have two others not pictured who joined us for dinner Friday night, and then one other Denver local who joined us for brunch on Saturday.
The two outfits I brought for dinner was this one and my leopard romper with tights and a black blazer. The romper looked awesome with the blazer, but I had to strategically plan which night to wear it - preferably the night I would drink LESS, so that I didn't have to worry about getting in and out of the romper as much to go potty. Yes, these are the fashion dilemmas we face. I thought Friday night may be the "crazier" of the two nights, so I opted for traditional, easy to potty in leggings. Ok, well not potty IN my leggings, but you get the idea.
Dinner at Osteria Marco
You are looking at ladies from Illinois, Jersey, Minnesota, and Denver. I'm sure you're wondering why on earth we chose Denver instead of the beach? We don't really know ourselves! There was a huge group of Colorado locals already, and it was really easy to find flights into Denver, so I think accessibility was truly the deciding factor.
Dinner on Friday night was at Osteria Marco. It just happened to be restaurant week, which was just an added bonus for us and our trip. I ended up ordering off the restaurant menu - 3 courses means a full belly! But I also knew it was better to eat hearty during a night of hearty drinking. Know what I'm sayin?
After dinner we went to Lannie's Clocktower Caberet which was…. interesting!! Entertainingly awkward at some points, but I have no regrets going because the stories and memories it left with us are priceless! And I will just leave it at that!
Saturday morning wasn't too terribly early. We were meeting at one of the girl's houses for brunch. She was gracious enough to accommodate 3 of the out-of-towners in her house AND host Saturday brunch for the rest of the group. It was the perfect setting though - her house was beautiful, and we literally sat around her dining room table chatting, gossiping, laughing for about 6 hours.
Saturday brunch
Oscar <3
Don't you just die from cuteness at his face?! I could not resist posting his underbite on my blog! Yes, we bribed him with a bit of food so I could take this photo. Adorable!!
Beer: Jagged Mountain pale ale | Polish: Chanel Azure (gifted)
After our marathon of chit-chatting, we decided to head out for happy hour - I mean, isn't that the most logical thing to do after brunch? Ha! We tried to go to Great Divide, but it was jam packed. Not even room to stand, much less walk around. So, we ended up walking a few blocks to Jagged Mountain, and I enjoyed a pale ale and some pretzels.
Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs | Necklace: Express | Top: Express | Bottoms:Express | OTK boots:Vince Camuto (option, option)
I was freezing all day. ALL day. And I even tried to take a nap before dinner, but woke up cold and shivering. I couldn't imagine trying to wear the romper, and frankly, did not have the energy to try and fight with it all night, so I just recycled my tee from the first day and added my blazer and OTK boots to make it a bit more evening friendly.
Dinner at Vesta Dipping Grill
We had dinner at Vesta Dipping Grill and zomg, it was pretty amazing. And ridiculously affordable, I might add. Three courses, which included a wine pairing with each course, for under $50. Yes please and thank you.
Clockwise from top left: German meatballs, pork tenderloin, bread pudding, butterscotch bread pudding
OK, so the butterscotch bread pudding was actually from Friday night's dinner, but I had to finish the little 4-square of food photos somehow! I didn't think to take photos of my food on Friday, sorry about that. It was equally delicious though! So dangerous!
We ended up at a basement bar after dinner. Not the classiest of places in Denver, but we needed to shake our tushes some, and the booze was cheap. Win/win. And you know what?! The 6 old married ladies you see in this photo closed out the bar! Yep, we still got it, folks!
It was so so much fun, you guys, and this is only 2/3 of my trip! I will have to save the last third for Friday's post. If you read to the end of this post - thank you! I hope you thought it was as fun as it looked! Even though it was only a long weekend, it felt good to truly be on vacation and turn work off for a couple of days. I needed a little mini recharge!
Well, I broke down and bought another vest. This was actually the very last purchase I made before I started the challenge. But, I don't regret it, and it was definitely worth it. JCrew Factory has their own version here, which I could have scored for a bit less money, however, I think this larger check version will be more versatile. Naturally, I had to first and foremost pair it with stripes.
Where the heck has 2014 gone? The last year has been such a whirlwind - it seems like it has just sped by, but at the same time, so much has happened along the way: Jamaica, I have a God daughter, "the" walk, I met Gina in person and am also becoming great friends with Jenna, my nephew was born, I won a blogger award plus all the other St. Louis Fashion Week festivities, and somehow I have managed to keep this little blog afloat for another year. I really enjoyed recapping 2013 for you at the end of last year, and was excited to do the same for 2014. I've tried to pick just one outfit favorite of mine for every month, so here you go!
I'm not sure if this outfit is a favorite, or if it's the shoes that make me love it so much. There's really not much to it, though I will say that 2014 was the year of blazers for me. I really tried to put more effort into buying and wearing blazers, and the color and subtle pattern of this one was perfect with the black and white background.
I've always loved this outfit probably because it has everything included with it that I love - stripes, metallics, color pop. And there's just something about blacked out tights and booties that always make mini skirts my favorite in the winter.
OK, so I cheated and picked two for February. But I figured that this second outfit is definitely more of a segue into spring vs the previous outfit that definitely screams winter more. I still adore this outfit - I love that every piece is old but since the combination was new to me, it felt like everything was just purchased and being worn for the first time.
Another awesome combination. This light blue portofino is still one of my favorites to date, and it pairs so beautifully with my Beau bag. This gets me excited for spring all over again!
I'm not going to lie - sometimes I really impress myself! It was genius to pair this more casually styled vest over this top and skirt to make it read like a dress. The accessories make it look dressy, but not in an overdone way. The vest will always be a wardrobe staple of mine!
And speaking of the vest - here it is again, and it proves its versatility with this outfit. I love how utilitarian this outfit is, but then I add in the glitter pumps and bright pink bag to keep it fun and feminine!
And here's example of how new outfit pairings made me feel like each piece was fresh from the store. Blogging and pulling inspiration from others are truly great ways to push the limits with your creativity and shop your own closet in ways you would never think of before. And it's so gratifying especially since there is no money being spent in the process!
Another case of pinspiration here. I would have never put this together in a million years, but I've always loved how this turned out. And I also forgot how much I loved those distressed shorts and suddenly miss them incredibly!
OK, so this is technically a second outfit in July, but I couldn't not include it because the dress is perfection. The open back is stunning and I need to wear this again stat!
Absolutely nothing special here - just a simple pullover top, skinnies, and the chunkiest of wedges. Maybe it's the fact that my hair cooperated that day, but I've not only always favored this outfit, but I've always liked these specific photos and how the depth of field turned out -- I really pop against the background. I was using my tripod and remote to take these photos, too!
Ahhh, once September hits, the scuba leggings come out to play! I'll need to try this outfit again, but with my leopard Sam Edelman booties instead now that it's cooler!
I not only love the way this outfit came out, but I especially love this photo. The husband was actually on his way to a meeting, but I made him take pics of me because I knew it would be too dark by the time the work day was over. I was trying to hurry, but then he saw these steps and asked if I wanted him to take some of me there. I naturally obliged, and I think he captured the outfit very well. I also love even more the way the mirrored version looks that I posted on IG here.
Funny story about this outfit. Grace and Lace shared this outfit on their Facebook page here. Well, later that week, a coworker came up to me. I work in an office of 500 or so people, so while we all may recognize faces, we don't always know each other's names, especially if our departments never interact with one another. Long story short - a coworker who falls into the "I know your face but not your name" category, said that she follows Grace and Lace on FB, saw my photo and was so excited when she recognized me. That was my "celebrity" moment of the year.
I mean, you guys knew I was going to include at least one more vest outfit in this roundup! This outfit formula is certainly one of my favorites right now and I can't wait for more layering opportunities and MORE VESTS.
I had to end with sequins. It is the holiday season after all! I love the way this clutch pulls the whole outfit together and that my feet disappear to let the sequin skirt really shine!
____________
That's a wrap! I would love to hear if your favorites made the cut!! I do have a couple more posts to finish out the year, so I hope you'll check back again before the ball drops!
