what i wore:: something old, something new

Last night, Mr. MG and a few of our friends went to a charity event. The invite told us we'd be "walking the red carpet" so "dress to impress." As if I need an excuse to get all dressed up. And when it's for a good cause, that's all the better!

Usually, an event like this is an excuse for me to go buy something new, but I decided to be frugal and wear something I already owned. I bought this dress a few years ago and have only worn it once, so that's sort of close to new anyway, right? Right. I also carried a bag (and forgot to photograph it) that I've had for quite a while. Just a little black satin clutch, but it looked nice with the dress.

I did pick up some new shoes (since I needed some strappy sandals anyway) and some jewelry (since I found some on sale at J. Crew- and I have serious issues resisting their jewelry). Both reasonable reasons for buying something, I think. And that bracelet on the left in the bottom pic? I made that one using some supplies that I've had hanging around for quite a while.

So, three pieces bought, three pieces already in my closet, one piece handmade by me. I'd say that's a pretty decent start to re-wearing and re-inventing a piece that's already in my closet. I'm hoping to continue that trend.

What about you? Do you tend to run out and buy something new for big events, or do you re-work what you already have?

ETA: After posting, it occurred to me that I should probably mention the animal in the cage next to me. That's our Stella Blue Bear. She is recovering from knee surgery, so she has to be in a kennel most of the time. It's very sad for us and for her, but she's doing well and it's for her own good. Just didn't want any readers thinking we're mean to our dogs!

what i wore:: white after labor day

I'm way behind on my outfit of the day posts. Way behind.

This little getup is from a few weekends ago. Mr. MG (that's Mr. Moxie/Grace, in case you didn't know) and I went out for his birthday dinner with his parents and it was (barely) after labor day. But I've never been much for fashion rules, so I wore my very white, very summery
J. Crew Sweeping Ruffles shirt.

I love this shirt. I don't care if it's snowing and sleeting. I will find ways to wear it all winter long. And I'll wear other white items, too. And I won't feel bad about it. I won't feel like I'm cheating on summer with winter and took all the white clothing with me. Nope. Not at all.

The details: J. Crew Sweeping Ruffles Shirt | Black leggings (H&M) | Green Jacket, Theme | Leopard belt, J. Crew | Necklace, Madewell (no longer available) | Shoes, Target
So, what about you? Do you wear white after labor and generally live by the idea that fashion rules were meant to be broken, bent and otherwise twisted to suit your fancy?

what i wore:: peach, green and a pop of neon

I'm having moment with green. A really long moment. As in, I think it's managed to creep into my life and go from one of my most hated colors to a near favorite. And all shades of it, too. From olive to sage to mint to this bright pea-green cardigan.

I once heard someone describe green as the perfect neutral because every flower has a stem and flowers come in nearly every color. I like that idea. In keeping with the flower theme, here I am, in a peach top with petal-like ruffles and a green cardigan with a neon orange belt. So, the top is the petals, the belt is the pistil and the cardigan is the surrounding greens. Erm...

And that concludes the cheesy flower analogy portion of this post. Carry on, everyone.





Top: J. Crew Outlet
Cardigan: J. Crew
Belt: Madewell (buy it here- on sale!)
Necklace: Madewell (buy it here- on sale!)
Jeans: Target
Shoes: J. Crew
Bracelets: AE, Madewell, my own designs


So what about you? Have you ever suddenly found yourself drawn to a color you disliked? Or has the opposite happened- did you suddenly start disliking a color you couldn't get enough of before?

What I wore:: work and the first day of school

Today is the first day of my second-to-last fall semester of grad school.

Did you get that?

That means I have two more years left, but it sounds like less time if I spin it as my second-to-last fall semester. I'm halfway through. Yay!

And I did not wear this outfit today nor would it matter if I had because my classes are all online. I'm way past those Septembers when I'd anxiously pick out my first-day-of-school ensemble, which was inevitably some ill-conceived, overly trendy getup. I'm pretty sure in 9th grade I sported a flannel shirt, jeans and lace-up boots.

Oh. Wait.

Isn't that what's all over the runways this fall? Ah, 90s grunge. So good to see you again. Let me pull my teenage angst out of the closet along with some Doc Martens. Maybe I'll stop washing my hair for weeks on end and sleep with my make-up on, too, since you know, grunge beauty is back.

But whatever. Back to my decidedly non-grungy ensemble. I wore this the other day for work. Nothing special. Just another day at the office. It's hard to tell, but that belt is leopard print.



Top: Forever 21
Sweater: LOFT
Skirt: J. Crew Outlet
Belt: J. Crew
Shoes: Target
Jewelry: Madewell, American Eagle and my own designs

Okay, I know I said I thought I found the perfect picture taking spot, but now I'm not so sure. The background is good, but the lighting sort of makes me look like a little troll who just crept out from under a bridge- all shadowy and creepy. (Unless I take the pictures on weekend afternoon at about 2 p.m. Then I look like a glowing angel with a halo.)

Sigh.

The quest continues.

What I wore:: dinner with friends

Good news, people! I finally found a good spot to take outfit of the day pictures in my house. It took a little furniture rearranging, but I'm liking it. And bonus for me- the room we rearranged (my office/studio/exercise room) is actually more functional now. For example, all I have to do to use my scanner is plug in the USB cable (instead of pulling it out of storage, setting it up and plugging in the USB cable). See? Much more functional.

Okay, okay. We actually rearranged the furniture to make the room more functional, and the good spot for what I wore/outfit of the day just happened to be the bonus (not the other way around). Sometimes I forget that the world doesn't revolve around my blogging habits.

Ahem.

So anyway. Friday night, I went out for dinner with some friends. We were supposed to catch a movie afterward but dinner ran late, so we ended up a nice little outdoor bar instead. Good times, I tell you. Good times. And after the week I've had taking care of our dog, who is recovering from knee surgery, I certainly needed a relaxing night out with the girls.

Happy Sunday, everyone!



Cardigan, H&M
Sequin top, J.Crew (similar here)
Cargo capris, Abercrombie & Fitch
Ballet flats, ??
Necklace, J. Crew
Bracelet, my own design

what I wore and shoes I need

I realize I post these outfit of the day posts rather sporadically and I'm trying to get better at posting them more often, but the truth is, I'm lazy. Yep. When I get home from work and the dogs are jumping around like crazy nutbags, ready to go outside, the last thing I feel like doing is taking pictures (and just forget about getting pics in the morning before I leave for work). But I did manage to take some pics today. So, here I am. Oh, and Lucy Beagle wanted to say hello.

PS- Excuse the photo quality. I'm still trying to mess with the lighting, the external flash and the camera remote. Some Saturday when I have hours of spare time (ha!), I'll work out this little problem.



Floral dress and white ruffled vest- H&M
Black sandals- Target
Jewelry- NY&Co

I must say, I'm not a huge fan of the shoes I wore today and so, I've launched a quest for the perfect edgy black sandals (I have exactly zero pair). Since I'm on the hunt, I thought I'd share some of my main contenders for possible near-future purchasing.


Clockwise from top: Nine West Extremist from Zappos | Sam Edelman Quintessa from Piperlime | Averill Sandals by J. Crew | Dolce Vita Western Buckle Wedge from Urban Outfitters | Pour La Victoire Kiara from Piperlime

happy monday (sort of) and what I wore for saturday night out

Well. This weekend didn't exactly go as planned. It started out pleasantly, with Saturday morning spent shopping at Lancaster Central Market followed by a brief trip to the mall. Then on Saturday night, D and I had a tasty dinner with his parents at Gusto, a local Italian restaurant.

And then, it all came crashing down when I woke up in the middle of the night on Saturday with a nasty stomach bug.

So not fun, people, so not fun.

I'm still not feeling too great, but at least I got through the night last night without incident.

But anyway. Here's what I wore for Saturday night's dinner out. (I followed up this cute number with a lazy day on Sunday spent in my favorite lounge pants and Temple University hoodie- perfect attire for loafing on the couch, watching the Olympics and guzzling mango juice to rehydrate myself.)


Dress: Abercrombie & Fitch; Cardigan, scarf, leggings: H&M; Shoes: random; Earrings: Handmade by me