Spoils of War

Blouse, skirt, and jacket: LOFT
Shoes: Target
Necklace: c/o Brian Moody

Friday was pay day, and also the wonderful day on which Cary and I give ourselves our monthly allowance - the money we can spend without consulting the other person. Since I just made The List last week, I decided it was time for a little shopping. I mean, it's always time for shopping, but it's more fun when I actually have money to spend.

I went to Target on Friday night and found these lovely yellow shoes, which meet my List criteria of being slightly wedged and not red. Easy peasy. Target on Friday night is pretty empty, so I was in and out in about 15 minutes. But then my sister Suzanne and I went to the mall on Saturday. Unbeknownst to us, a new, HUGE Forever 21 was having its grand opening. I had never shopped in Forever 21 before, so we gave it a shot.

Well. There were approximately 87 billion people in that store. The line for the dressing room was about 25 people long, no exaggeration. The women working there were understandably a little frazzled, and were being kind of jerky about everything. Stuff like how many items you could take back (a normal thing to limit), how you could swap out the items you had already tried with the items you hadn't (you needed an escort to and from your fitting room), where you could stand while you were in line (not past the entrance to the dressing room, as I was informed when I got within a foot of it), whether you could share a dressing room (no), and on and on. I know a lot of people love F21, but I don't know. The clothes felt like they would fall apart after five washes and the whole experience was crappy. Maybe I would feel differently if I went back on another day, but I was pretty underwhelmed.

Soooo, Suz and I ditched F21 and headed to LOFT, which by now you all know is my favorite store ever. They were having a 30% off sale, so I snagged this blouse, which also meets a criterion of The List: patterned top. I have a feeling I'll be able to remix this a lot. I wore it with skinny jeans and a blazer to church yesterday, and I have one other outfit planned for it right now. I think I can come up with more if I think a bit.

So while Forever 21 was disappointing, my weekend was an overall shopping success. The List was a good idea. I'm being more intentional with what I buy, which is good for my bank account AND my closet. And both of these items made me feel good, which is the ultimate criterion for anything I buy.

Students, Strangers, and the Power of the Blazer

Dress: Francesca's

Blazer: Gap

Leggings: Target

Shoes: LOFT

Earrings: Thrifted

Necklace: Inherited from Cary's grandmother

I was planning to go in to work this morning for just a couple of hours, since it's spring break and all the new students seemed to be situated. So I dressed in clothes that could easily transition from my office to my couch, and the Power of the Blazer fancied them up for me. (I think the Power of the Blazer deserves capital letters. It's that Powerful.)

Then I ended up being at work way longer than I expected because a new student's apartment didn't work out and I had to help her find someplace else to live. She actually just called me to say she found a new place, which is great, but I feel awful for new students when stuff like this happens. Moving to a foreign country is stressful enough even when everything goes right. I'm glad that my job puts me in a position to help them; it's so fulfilling.

With the extra bit of stress today, I was very happy that I dressed comfortably, and I'm curled up at home in front of What Not to Wear right now, so my office-to-couch plan worked. I even got compliments on my outfit at the pet store when I stopped to buy cat food on the way home. I don't know about y'all, but a thumbs-up from a random stranger always makes me feel pretty. I'm looking at you, nice lady buying an 87-pound bag of dog food. Your outfit was cute too, and I was very impressed that anyone could wear high-heeled boots and still wrangle what must be a dog the size of a baby elephant.

The Rain in Spain (and Other Countries)

Perfect earrings for me!

Silk blouse: Banana Republic, waaaaaay on sale
Cardigan and shoes: LOFT
Jeans: Levi's 545s
Earrings: c/o Brian Moody

I had a very cute cotton blouse and skirt picked out for today, but then it rained all last night and with the rain came the cold. Too much cold for summer clothes, anyway. So I regrouped and put this warmer ensemble together. The blouse feels like the sartorial representation of rain to me - watery silk, pale lavender-gray color - so I thought it was perfect for a rainy day. I added the cardigan for a punch of color.

We had new student orientation this morning, so world map earrings seemed like the right call. I'm seriously considering buying these from Brian, although that might be my first step down the path to becoming one of those teachers who wears theme clothing. You know, pumpkin sweaters on Halloween, candy cane sweaters at Christmas, heart sweaters on Valentine's Day. It always seems to be sweaters, doesn't it? You never see theme blazers or trouser jeans. As long as I limit my theme dressing to earrings, though, I'm probably in the clear.

The List

Is this George Washington on my necklace? I think it is.

T-shirt: LOFT
Pants: LOFT outlet
Shoes: Target
Earrings: Gift from Cary
Necklace: c/o Brian Moody

I really wanted to wear these pants today. I think they might be my new favorites. They're comfortable, they're stylish, and they cost $13. What more could you ask of pants? This morning I paired them with these wedges, stood in front of the mirror, and was happy. The only problem was that I was also shirtless, because I had an awful time figuring out what shirt to wear. I wanted something patterned, but I realized that I have exactly two patterned shirts, one of which I wore with these pants last week and the other of which is black and white and all I have worn this week is black and white. I decided on this blue t-shirt, which is a little boring but if nothing else, a good background for this necklace from my friend Brian Moody (etsy store coming soon!). And then I made a list.

The List is a list of key pieces that I am missing from my wardrobe, things like a white oxford button-down or a little black dress that isn't gray from too much washing. I'm hoping The List will help me be more intentional when I shop, because I tend to just buy whatever looks cute and is inexpensive. This is how I ended up with 87 solid-color blouses and t-shirts (not really 87, but you get the point). I'm not going to try to buy everything on The List at once, but instead use it as a guide for future shopping trips.

Here is The List as it stands right now:

1. Oxford button-down (white or other neutralish color)
2. Two or three patterned blouses
3. Pencil skirt
4. Trouser jeans that fit (because mine don't)
5. Little black dress that is an appropriate length to go from day to evening
6. Light-colored summer heels or wedges (I have my eye on you, lovely Target wedges. You may or may not be the reason this item is even on The List.)
7. Flats in a color other than red (Same to you, lovely Target flats.)
8. More accessories like belts, which can dramatically change the way an outfit looks

I also purged my closet of clothes I haven't worn in forever, which goes a long way to appease the voice in the back of my mind saying, "Some people only have one set of clothes, and you have a billion outfits you don't even wear!" Hopefully I can try to purchase what I actually need (as much as anyone with a closet full of clothes needs more clothes - there's that voice again), and not what I just happen across. This will help me budget my discretionary income better too.

How do y'all shop? Do you have a List too? Are you, like me, plagued by a voice that calls you a clothes horse?

Something Old

Dress: Charlotte Russe circa 1998ish

Cardigan and shoes: Target

Belt: Vintage, thrifted

Necklace: Gift from grandparents when I was 12

Today is Everybody, Everywear's polka dot challenge. When I found out that we would be doing polka dots, I gave my closet a cursory glance, didn't see any polka dots, and decided to go shopping. Then I realized that I had spent all my shopping income for the month and had to reassess the situation. I looked in the very back of my closet and found this dress, which I'm pretty sure I bought in high school during the five minutes that swing dancing was back in. It's strapless and has that 50s A-line cut that I love, but I hadn't worn it since the middle of college, maybe six or seven years ago. 

I have no idea why I kept it so long (maybe I thought I could go as Lucy Ricardo for Halloween?), but I'm really glad I did. It actually fits better now than it did in high school, because it was a little big then and now I have the body of a grown-up instead of a teenager (which is my favorite way to say I weigh more now than I did in high school). I felt great in this outfit all day, and am planning to put this dress back into circulation. So thanks, EBEW, for forcing me to rediscover it!

Something Borrowed

Is God telling me a joke here? Not sure why I'm laughing at the sky.

Dress: Nine West via SteinMart
Jacket: LOFT
Tights: Target
Shoes: Rack Room
Earrings: Thrifted
Necklace: c/o Brian Moody

First of all, I'm not pregnant, although I think I might look it in these pictures. This dress is just a little big and hangs a little weird in the front. That's good to keep in mind for someday when I am pregnant because this dress will be my best friend, I'm sure, but for now, any baby belly you're seeing is the product of weird camera angles and lack of gym time.

Second, I really love this dress in spite of its faux pregnant appearance. I don't feel like it looks that way in real life. It's cute, comfortable, warm, and has pockets. I love dresses with pockets. The only reason you're just now seeing it on the blog is because it's dry clean only and I suck at getting things to the cleaners. I was going to wear it with bare legs and springy wedges, but winter decided to revisit the Deep South today and I had to break out the tights and closed toe shoes one more time. I know I should enjoy it because we're only a few months away from the blistering heat that lasts until Thanksgiving, but I was ready for spring to be here for good.

Finally, I want to introduce you to my awesome friend Brian Moody and his gorgeous jewelry. Sometimes I feel like I got Brian in a two-for-one deal - he was friends with Cary long before Cary and I met, so when I married Cary, I got Brian too. And I'm so glad! In addition to being a dear friend, Brian is an elementary school teacher by day and an artist/jeweler by night, and he has been nice enough to a) help Cary shop for my engagement ring oh so many years ago, and b) lend me some beautiful pieces to wear on this blog. He's in the process of getting a store set up on etsy.com, so as soon as it's ready, I'll let y'all know and you can check it out. I was going to wait to wear the jewelry until then, but I liked it too much for that so I just went ahead and wore it. Here's the necklace I'm wearing today, which might be my favorite. I'm kind of hoping Brian will just forget I have it after a while.

School Spirit (Just Not My School)

Clearly, I was not a cheerleader in high school.

T-shirt: UNC bookstore
Skirt: LOFT
Shoes: Target
Necklace: LOFT outlet
Scarf as belt and earrings: Inherited from grandmother

For a bonus weekend post, I thought I'd talk a little about school spirit fashion. First, I need to say that I did not attend, nor do I work at, the University of North Carolina. I'm not sure how I feel about saying what school I actually work at on this blog; even though it's a big school, I work in a rather unique department and I don't think it would be hard for anyone to find real-life me with a little bit of research. So for now, I think I'll keep that to myself, even though I would really love to do a school spirit post in my own school colors. I think the same principles of fashionable school spirit apply no matter what your school colors are though.

I picked my UNC shirt for this because I have a soft spot for the Tar Heels. UNC was my first choice undergraduate school, although I didn't get in because it's pretty much impossible for non-North Carolinians. Plus, Carolina blue is an awesome color and easy to build an outfit around. I'm not gonna lie; the color was part of the reason I wanted to go there. Turns out the Tar Heels beat Duke in basketball last night, so it was a fortuitous choice.

Okay, enough rambling. Time for the outfit breakdown. Here's how to dress spiritedly without being in-your-face and tacky (something Southern college sports fans truly excel at):

Shirt: I like t-shirts with the university's name printed on them, but I tend towards the old school kind with just the name in block letters. I have one for my school that I've about worn out. These kinds of shirts are simple and a little retro, which I love. Here, I tucked the shirt in to give my waist a little more definition, and rolled up the sleeves to make them a little more feminine.

Skirt: Cute jeans or shorts would work equally well. It's 1000 degrees here in football season, so shorts or skirts are important for getting through noon games without dying of heat stroke. What you want to avoid are athletic shorts (save them for the gym) or ill-fitting jean shorts. In the South, jean shorts, especially on men, are shorthand for "redneck." Rival schools accuse each other of being jean shorts wearers (I'm seriously not making this up). I think they're okay on women as long as they fit appropriately - no skanky short shorts that barely cover your booty, no mom jeans.

Shoes: Comfortable shoes are important. I'm not a fan of wearing my gym sneakers to places other than the gym, although I did wear them to football games when I was a student because the entire student section at my school's football stadium stands for the entire game. Four hours on your feet in the blazing heat can convince you to wear pretty much anything. Now that I'm an alumna and get to sit, I can branch out a little. I still stick with flats, but nothing I would wear to zumba class.

Accessories: I like finding accessories that are in my school colors, but don't actually say my school's name or have a representation of our mascot. For example, I would not have worn earrings in the shape of footprints with tar on the heel for this outfit. It's easy to go to the school bookstore and buy whatever jewelry they have, but I think it takes a little more thought and effort to find pieces that say "school spirit" without being really obvious about it.

So there you have it. This is how I try to dress with school spirit. Having lived in a college town for eight years, I've had lots of time to think about this. What about y'all? How did you dress in college? If you are in grad school now, do you care about dressing in your school's colors?