2 Days, 2 Denim Skirts

Back again...I think I just needed the long uninterrupted break.  Good to take a breather from the electronics every once in a while, no?  It's funny...when I didn't have any hours at work, I thought I'd have all sorts of time to blog, but I just wasn't on the computer that much - Polyvore, blogging, blog reading, Facebook, any of that. 

But work has picked back up.  So back to busy, back to being on the computer.  Hubby got me a real chair for my desk after I swiped his while he was in Chicago last week.    So now I can sit here at my little desk in the living room and look out the window while I lean back in my comfy chair.  I just have to keep kicking the kiddies out of it.

While I was breaking, I started to work on some more closet clean out and gave quite a few things the fish-or-cut-bait designation.  You know...this things you always mean to wear but never get around to it.  On this latest round, I realized I had 2 denim skirts hanging in there that had probably not been on my body in almost a year. 

Not usually something I wear in the summer, but we had a semi-cool stretch of days, so it seemed a perfect time to pull them out.  (No idea why I never wore them this past fall or winter, but enjoyed them so much, I'll definitely make that change).

First up...from this past Saturday, the Boden denim mini I got last summer...the one that I planned to wear all fall and winter with a sweater, tights, and boots....and never did.  Maybe I was too into the Minnies & skinnies?  I've always loved skirts, and was so happy when M & E were out of diapers so that I could actually wear them again.  changing diapers on a floor while wearing a skirt take more talent or effort than I've got.

I love the buttons down the front of this skirt...not that I ever tuck anything in so that you can see most of them.  But it's a really fun piece.  Not too heavy.  I paired with a navy JC boyfriend tissue tee & cami, a chunky bracelet, and my old trusty JC sneakers.  No idea how old those sneaks are...they don't date back to my college JC outlet days, but they were purchased early on in motherhood for me.  As always, with a short skirt, I don't like to do heels - at 5'10", and with a long femur (2, actually), I like a flat shoe to ground the look.  And this suited a day that involved a training session at church and hanging out with the family at home.  Grilling out and then s'mores, yum!!  I'm pretty sure I've posted a similar outfit on Polyvore, but it's simple and it works.  And it's navy.  What more do I need?

Polyvore from Saturday:

8/13/10 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Women - sweaters - The Trentino cabin cardigan - J.Crew

$30 - jcrew.com

More J Crew tops »

Button Through Mini-WG317-Above Knee Skirts at Boden

$58 - bodenusa.com

More skirts »

Chuck Taylor All Star Slip

converse.com

More Converse clothing »

Very Berry Tote. 12.75"Wx4"Dx15"H

$17 - crateandbarrel.com

More tote bags »

Men - sweaters - Merino Maya cardigan - J.Crew

$75 - jcrew.com

More J Crew bracelets »

Gold Hoop Earrings

$180 - vivre.com

More earrings »

To repeat from above...what more do I need?  Well, stripes for starters.  Oh, I am such a sucker for stripes. Especially the navy and white ones.  The tee is from Gap, and without a doubt, has one of the worst online pics I've ever seen (check out the Polyvore below or the embedded link:  Striped cropped-sleeve henley tee.)  It looks anemic.  I never would have purchased it based on that - in person, it actually is navy and has a really great long length they seem to be trying to hide in the online pic.  Well, you can see the length from the picture at left.  So you know I love it.  The fabric is very similar to the JC painter tees - so you definitely need a cami or tank underneath.

I got the tee (size M) a couple of weeks ago when my sister came up to visit.  She liked mine so much, she went back the next day to get one for herself (of course, we had all 4 kids on the 2nd trip).  I think the striped tee ended up being around $17 or so...one of those chain reactions - on sale, plus % off, plus additional 10% off since I put it on her BR card. 

The outfit, btw, is from Friday, when we had some very cool weather (oh it was lovely).  The denim mini here is from Loft from probably about 3 years ago.  The weight of the denim (heavier than in the Boden skirt above) keeps it from flying up or riding up.  But you can find a denim mini pretty much anywhere.  And then my canvas slip-ons from LLBean, gold hoops and a ponytail.  I felt very young and carefree that day. 

Polyvore from Friday (seriously, isn't the IRL so much better?):

8/13/10 by HeidiGblog featuring GAP tops

Gap Striped cropped-sleeve henley T
$20 - gap.com
More GAP tops »

Petite Juniper Wash Denim Skirt
$49 - anntaylorloft.com
More Ann Taylor LOFT skirts »

NAVY POLKA DOT CANVAS SHOES - Flats at Peacocks
8 GBP - peacocks.co.uk
More flats »

Large 18K Yellow Gold Hoop Earrings - Forzieri
$449 - forzieri.com
More Forzieri earrings »

Flirty Pigtails & Ponytails
bosshairstyles.com

Happy to be back and looking forward to catching up with you all.  Thanks to all the followers and other regular readers who didn't just jump ship!  XOXO

Boden Love

So it was ironic that I was wearing my Boden denim mini yesterday because this little lovely popped up in my in-box:



I'll give you the scoop since apparently when I upload photos from my laptop, they often can't be enlarged (and if anyone knows how to fix that, I would love a hint or two).

Free shipping AND free returns (last part important since they don't have a B&M here).

20% off everything today and tomorrow (9/9 & 9/10), drops to 15% off on Friday (9/11), then 10% on Saturday (9/12).

Beautiful part - NO CODE! That's right. They are so generous at Boden, that all you need to do is go to their website and they announce it right there at the top of the home page. No tricks, no smoke & mirrors, just a good discount for all of us.

Here's a Polyvore I did a while ago when I first got their delicious fall catalog.


Covetables from the Fall Boden Catalog by HeidiGblog on Polyvore.com

Lots of yummy choices. I don't think I'll be going hog-wild, but it's an excellent chance to give some of their pieces a try. Did I mention the free shipping and free returns? oh yeah, I did, but it bears repeating. Dinagideon is a huge fan of Boden - loves their prints, their colors, their quality, their fit. I am a total Boden newbie, but I am definitely becoming a fan.

So yesterday...back to Boden mini - love this skirt! I love the length - short on me, but not too short on my extra-long femur. (seriously, that's where all my height is) I wore it yesterday with my navy JC vneck sweater and a cream cami, plus (old) J Crew olive sneakers and a Silpada pearl necklace.

I can't wait to wear this skirt in fall/winter with tights + boots + sweaters. It's a great year-round piece.

Fun outfit for a fun day - Dog swim at the pool. Does your pool do this? The day after Labor Day, when the pool is officially closed to humans for the season, they have Doggie Swim. 5-7 pm. It is mass chaos, but totally hilarious and so much fun. Lucy still isn't a swimmer or a big water fan, but she LOVED running around and playing with the other dogs. And then she crashed for the evening.


Polyvore from yesterday:


Wearing Today-9/8/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


So...do you think you'll give Boden a try?

For you veteran Boden fans, what are you coveting?

ISO...Purple Shoes

First off, forgive my absence, which I am sure you all managed quite nicely. There was some major stress going on over the week. Sometimes things happen that just throw you way off your center and that was me this week. And I just couldn't handle blogging. I barely read - maybe a post or two a day (and I know I love to get the comments/feedback from you all, but I am back to that now - it will take a few days to catch up, of course.) But it's all settled down and I'm back. And I have some catching up to do (I know I promised pics of the pearl garden bracelet in clementine - oooh, it's pretty!) At least for a week - we are headed to the beach next weekend for a week with hubby's family, so not sure how much blogging will take place that week.

I think I may be on a purple shoe kick...which is a little odd, because I am not a huge "purple" person. In fact, looking at my closet, I don't even think I see a purple tshirt (well, duh, no bf tissue tees in purple). I do have the misty lavender Jackie, but that's it. And you know I love my flats, especially ballet flats. I have been seeing purple ballet flats everywhere and am starting to want a pair for the fall - specifically, purple suede ballet flats. Why, if I don't really have purple to speak of? I think it would be a fun pop of color with all the neutrals. I love the idea of purple with all the tans/creams that I have.

It all started with a stroll through Target and these pretties were on the endcap. (Interesting that the search starts in the low end and works its way up for me.) Mossimo Odell Suede Ballet Flat ($12.99). The color is richer in person - closer to a plum. I tried it on in a 9 and found it very comfortable, with plenty of room. If you have narrow feet, this is probably not the shoe for you. If you do like this shoe, it comes in 21 incarnations right now online - suede, patent, metallic, fabric, and lots of colors, too. (Maybe it's replacing the ubiquitous Xhilaration Sable ballet flat from a couple years ago that came in a billion colors/fabrics?) The reviews for this shoe have been very positive, too. One had a 3-star average, and the others had 4-5 stars. For those of you who have not heard me go on and on about my shoe issues, this is my old-lady Target trick. Yes, their shoes are not that supportive. (Whose ballet flats are, really?) When I get a cute cheap pair of flats from Target, I usually stroll over to the foot care aisle and get a pair of gel insoles to put in them. Tacky, I know, as I run through the lame-o "gelling" lines from the commercials, but *amazing* in terms of added comfort.

The next purple shoes I spied were at Nordstroms...not on sale for the Anniversary Sale. (Jerkies! Otherwise they would be mine already.) Steve Madden Krowwn flat (#265289, $49.95) This actually might be my favorite of the bunch. Ok, it's not *exactly* purple; it's really fuchsia. Well, it's purple-ish. I love the cute little satiny ruffle along the edge all around the top - adorable!! I did not actually try it on, but I did pick it up and handle it, so I can vouch for the fact that it does seem to have some degree of cushioning in the bottom. So I would imagine they are more supportive than the standard ballet flat. They are also available in black, but that's it.

Back to a more true purple - Boden Patent Trim Flats (#AR404, $108). I have not yet tried their shoes, so I can't vouch for the fit factor. These are "fully padded for extra comfort." I like that they are leather because suede can be limiting, depending on weather. And that's why I would also have to seriously consider how much I want to spend on purple suede flats - how easily would they get ruined. Maybe leather is a better way to go. I really love the patent trim on these - way cute and such a nice detail. It is available in a couple other colors (red, green, blue), as well as the standard brown & black.

And, of course, I can't neglect J Crew, can I? Kelcey Suede Ballet Flats (#19312, $98) Let me just say how much I love J Crew for putting their shoes out in store in a size 8. All of you with your cute, tiny, dainty feet, don't complain - you get to try on everyone else's shoes. When the size 8 is out, I can usually pop my size 9 in there for a second, just to get a sense of whether a size up would work or not. I think I tried these on in store (in, ummm, the 8) the last time I was in and the fit was reasonable - so the size 9 might work without killing my wide toe box. But I'm not 100% sure since, quite frankly, there were so many cute little flats out that I was extremely distracted by all of them and I don't remember which one I actually tried. Anyway, with the Kelcey, the plum raisin is the most colorful option, but I love the navy - online it looks almost peacock (a JC fave color, I know), so it may be worth checking out IRL. The chalkboard could be a semi-decent replacement for my beloved gray patent ballet flats.

So...any other crazy cravings for Fall?

Up & Running in Two Skirts

And back to our regularly scheduled programming…. Ok, so I figured out how to do the photo editing in Windows Live Photo Gallery (what came with the new laptop). So I am back to blogging and all that jazz. It’s actually easier than using Picture Project, which is what our Nikon came with. One of these days, I’ll play around with Photoshop and Picasa…

Whew – crazy week! We got back from the river on Tuesday, were home less than 2 hours and then ran out to do a couple quick errands and meet friends at the Splash Park, including a great friend and previous neighbor who, sadly for us, crossed the river and moved over to Leesburg-ish area. And then I went into the office all day Wednesday for a meeting, so the laundry was shoved into the hamper, the counters were cleared, and the cleaning ladies were able to come do their magic. (Literally, hubby & I would eat mac & cheese all month to afford this – it’s my most basic luxury, if that makes sense.) Keep in mind, this is the longest we have been home since school ended, so I think maybe it’s about time we got to the kiddies’ backpacks from school – which are still hanging on their hooks in the back hall, full. Yes, it’s on the list. As much fun as it was to travel, I am happy to be home and get some organizing, cleaning up, throwing out done!!

Back to Wednesday…office all day, meeting all day…comfort important. Great chance to wear the J Crew charmeuse pencil skirt. I love this skirt. I love even more that I only paid $29.99 for it! And funnily enough, here I have it again with a white bf tissue tee – only this time with actually accessories! It was a great comfy outfit for the day. The skirt did get a bit wrinkled as you can see here, since I took the pic after I got home. I am already planning my fall & winter outfits with this skirt – black cashmere shell, charcoal Michelle cardi (ok, mine’s from BR, but you get the idea), white shirt, cream boatneck sweater, tangelo Cambridge cable turtleneck, lots of options.

I wore with my twisted crystal necklace and the faux gold/pearl necklace of my grandmother’s. Plus Dina hoops, the gray stretch beaded bracelet, and Isaac for Target bronze gladiator sandals. (I am going to be so so sad when these actually fall apart. Maybe they’ll be in bad enough shape for me to replace them for real next year.)

Polyvore for Wednesday:

Wearing Today-7/9/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Thursday involved lots of errands since I was gone all day Wednesday. We hit up Target to get sneakers for the kiddies since camp starts next week. I finally got to wear my new Boden skirt – the Button Through Mini in dark denim. For Thursday, I just went with easy – navy bf tissue tee and my old olive green J Crew sneakers – no idea how old these are – maybe 5 years or so? So the skirt is fab; I love it. Great fit. As I was driving around, I noticed that the buttons do work really well – they keep the skirt together enough, but you really don’t want any gaping in a button front skirt, ya know? Much as I love it with the bf tees, as soon as I got it, I was…as with the silk charmeuse pencil skirt…imagining it with just about every winter sweater I have, plus tights & boots. I think it actually could be a 12-month skirt. I am very happy with it, and think I will take a closer look at Boden in the fall.

When I was on Boden last night, they still had the dark denim skirt in 8L and 12R, on sale for $43. There are also 2 prints and a white cotton solid. For the record, I did not get a long; I got regular…because the long was out and I really, really, really wanted this skirt. In fact, I was going to get it, it disappeared, and then re-appeared half a week later, so I nabbed it. But like I said – 12 months of wear, I do believe.

Polyvore from Thursday:

Wearing Today-7/9/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Converse shoes

ps - Let me know what you think of the pics compared to previous. Since I have a new display (duh) on the laptop, it looks different to me, so if they look worse, I'll try to work on it.

3 Skirts

I really haven’t done much else in the way of outfits, but I do have a few skirts and such to share with you from shopping. And yes, I took these as successive shots in a white tee & sports bra, which is clearly not how I will be styling IRL. Ok, maybe a white tee, but a bit more put together than this…I hope. :)

First of all, IRL pics of the ATL tiered knit skirt that I posted on before we left. (Just for you, Patina.) Totally worth the $24.50 on sale price. This is the navy (deep sea blue, I believe), but I have the (saddle) brown as well. It also comes in white, black, and green. I am wearing it right at my waist because it sits there easily, and then it’s above the knee. But I have also worn it lower on the hips, which makes the length at or just below the knee – there’s flexibility here. I will note that the length of this surprised me. I have an extra-long femur (it’s where most of my height is), so for a skirt to be this long on me…well, I can just imagine how long it would be on someone with normal height.

I have worn it with my tissue bf tees (albeit a bit better styled than the pic at left, like I said - sports bra, no jewelry, etc). It was also way cute with the striped ringspun cotton cardigan and a tank underneath.

Second, my Boden skirt that I ordered arrived. So excited about this! It’s their Button Through Mini. What a great skirt. Medium weight denim – perfect for year-round wear. Light enough for summer. But heavy enough to wear with sweater and tights in the winter. It has pockets and buttons up the front – big, chunky brown buttons that match the stitching on the skirt. And it even has front pockets, with the cute stitching trim. So I am no officially a Boden fan. The only thing I wonder about is if the skirt will look silly with a cardigan if it has 2 different rows of buttons going up the front. Maybe an open cardi? And now I can submit sets to Dina’s Polyvore group, Boden is Bodacious. (Best PV name ever.) And by the way, Boden is having their summer sale online now.

Third was a purchase here at the Lake. I went to Danbury Fair Mall with my mom & E earlier in the trip and hit the J Crew store, of course. Didn’t get a lot done as E was with us and a bit cranky – well, tired, really. But I finally got the Silk Charmeuse Pencil Skirt in pewter (#11652, orig $98, curr $29.99). I have tried this on multiple times and eyed it many more. I know, I know, the wrinkles are just *appalling.* Please pardon me – it has been sitting in a bag in a corner of my room as I really don’t have plans to wear it this trip, you know? And you know I hate ironing unless absolutely necessary...

I can’t say I would recommend ordering this online unless you are sure of sizing. I will say that I got it in a 10. I usually go with an 8 in skirts, but I wanted it to be a little loose and not hug too much…the whole point is comfort, not having to wear Spanx with it. I am planning to wear with a tissue bf tee and sandals this summer, maybe even a white blouse. And in fall/winter, I’ll trade the tee for my black cashmere shell or a turtleneck. The fabric feels divine. I also picked up a gray beaded stretch bracelet – never got it at my B&M and it sold out, but picked up here on sale for $14.99, yay! And, a fab silk scarf – large square with pewter border and bronzed twig center square – for $9.99. The tag says Spring 2009. Anyone remember such a scarf? I guess I was on a total gray kick at JC that day.