Outfit Catchup

We are watching the Opening Ceremonies on TV and I'm getting ready to catch up on some outfit posting. First of all, Canada - you make such a gracious host...or hostess...I'm not sure of usage here. Go Canada!!

I love the Parade of Nations - it's always so inspiring. And it's continuous so we actually get to watch it, instead of having to constantly cut away for a billion human interest stories. (They just cut away for the oh-so-important commercials.) You know, when there are so many of "interest" stories, somehow they lose a bit of my interest. Plus sports-fan hubby gets really irritated at all the fluff. Speaking of fluff...another Lucy snow pic for you:



Some thoughts on the Parade of Nations:

• Azerbaijan has the best pants, without question. Google it. I'm sure pics will be up by the time I post this. UPDATE - click here for picture.
• Go Bermuda - Bermuda shorts for the Winter Olympics. Love it!! I realize it's the national costume, but it's still pretty cool.
• Ireland has awesome yellow-chartreuse pants. And if I were the only country separating Israel & Iran, I'd probably wear an alert color as well.
• I want the Slovenia women's green coats - GORGEOUS!
• And I want one of the US turtlenecks, too. They have to be selling those somewhere. Why miss the opportunity to make a buck?
• I'm totally digging the quilted parka/dresses that the female flag bearers are wearing. Where can I get one? I look really good in off-white. And it's that cold here.

Outfit #1 - January 25 - Nude & Black. Inspired by an article in Glamour about the color nude for spring. I loved it paired with black...and realized I could do it with last springs cotton-cashmere bouquet cardi and a black tee. Plus my Chicos slim leg jeans. I really liked this outfit. And I'll wear it lots this spring - esp with white jeans. Truthfully, it wasn't quite warm enough for the day, but I loved the colors anyway. That's why we have coats. And it was quite fab with my black Selby bag and its vachetta handles.

Other accessories - loved it with my two-tone spectator Me Too ballet flats. And I paired the duchess stone bracelet with the braided rope rose gold bracelet. Great bracelet combo - my fave JC SA raved over it when I stopped by while I was out. So naturally, I was pleased that she appreciated it.

Polyvore from January 25:


1/25/10 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Outfit #2 - January 26 - I finally got the Knox sweater jacket right (this is size M). It's the neckline that's so tricky. A crewneck is too cluttered or crowded with the high vee of the Knox, but a vneck tee is perfect underneath! I decided to play off the military feel of the Knox, so I paired with black Minnies and my black boots. I kept the rest of the accessories simple - just Tiffany heart bracelet and silver hoops.

I admit I felt kinda tough in this outfit. Oh, what a great pair of boots can do for self-confidence! Stylestance has a fun post back in the fall about the effect our shoes have on how we walk - and it's so true. I skip when I'm wearing ballet flats. But when I have on my flat riding boots, I have authority and I stand tall. Which, unfortunately just reminds me of Cartman...respect my authori-tay. But I always feel great in these boots - except for when it's slushy/snowy because I have no traction but always thing I should - ok, so maybe a bit too much confidence.

Polyvore from January 26:



1/26/10 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

One final note - HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom today! And Abraham Lincoln, of course.

Join the Cardi Party - Including J Crew Merino Ocelot Cardi

I loved GingerSnap's post yesterday about having a Cardi Party. I feel like I go for long stretches in a Cardi Party. And this is a fab way to catch up on some outfit posting, too... And I get to show off, once again, that I finally downloaded Picasa to my desktop so I can do collages. You'd think I'd get more creative, but I'm pretty pleased with myself thus far.

So yesterday, day before that, day before that, and 2 other random September outfits that I actually photographed.

Moving from left to right (thought I added text to the pic but apparently I'm not as good at Picasa as I thought I was...):

First up from waaaaay back on September 10, classic J Crew - misty lavender Jackie, white vneck tissue boyfriend tee, and khaki cafe capris. Twisted crystal necklace and Target sandals that are way comfy. Very basic J Crew. Next?

September 17 - finally wore IRL the merino Ocelot since it was cool enough. I had been waiting ever since our Tysons JCA event to wear it. Like Patina, I really just love this cardi with jeans...plus the usual bf tissue tee for me, natch. The cardigan (#19006, orig $88) is sold out - no surprise there - it's gorgeous. Maybe it will pop back one of these days. Gigi actually reviewed it in this post earlier in the month, and she & quite a few others preferred the Target version. Me? I really love the colors in this cardi - so pretty. I find the fit to be pretty much like the Jackies - which does make sense since it's pretty much the same cut as the Jackies (although we all know how wacky their fits can be...).

September 27 - outfit for church - cotton-cashmere bouquet cardi plus...once again, white bf tissue tee and jeans. Ooooh, think I need some new under-tops. Anyway, I heard mixed reviews on washing this cardi - but will vouch for the fact that it irons like a dream since, um, mine was at the bottom of a pile of cardis and was all wrinkly. Wore my new cutie cap toe ballet flats, too - loving these shoes!

September 28 - Kids off school for Yom Kippur, which we don't celebrate, so...fun chill day at home, some errands, lunch with dad. Actually the chilling out at home was huge - M & E have been fighting off colds just like me, so we needed an extra day of rest. And I actually didn't wear a bf tee that day. Love the linen cardigan - great layering piece and great on its own. It's still available online on sale for $29.99, if you are interested. Plus Minnie pants, confetti necklace and cap toe ballet flats again.

And that brings us to yesterday, September 29 - Hello my dear old friend. 1st wearing of the season for the Library Shawl Cardigan. I love this cardi today as much as I did the day I bought it. Like that lovely striped sweater I had in my last post, it was worth every penny of full price - and that's how you know you made the right purchase. (ps - if *everything* feels like it's worth full price, you may need to put down the Crew-lade...just sayin'....) This cardi just feels like a hug every time I wear it - and yesterday was so blustery, it was perfect. Jeans and a tee...again...I know.

When you look across the board at how many times I'm wearing a ponytail (even in not-hot weather), you will understand why I actually got 2 inches chopped off my hair yesterday. Oh, it felt so good! Pics later today or tomorrow.

So now we are pretty much caught up through yesterday. And here's the Polyvore-o-rama to go with the outfits above:

September 10:

9/10/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


September 17:

9/17/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


September 27:

9/27/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


September 28:

9/28/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


September 29:

9/29/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


And the Cardi Party rocks on...

Weekend Review

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers and to all of you who may not be a Mother in name, but mother others to make their lives better. I wish I could be as eloquent as Lissa of Humble Pie, but I'm not, so I will send you over to her blog to read her post in honor of Mother's Day, I Love Being Your Mama. It is truly beautiful, inspirational, and, of course, tear-inducing. So to my wonderful children (the 2 2-legged kids, and 1 4-legged kid), I'll just say "Ditto."

Let's catch up, shall we? I really took an online break this weekend. On Saturday, 3-Penny Princess hosted a tea for the DC J Crew Aficionadas. It truly lived up to all expectations. It was absolutely lovely. A gorgeous day. Beautiful setting. Fantastic company. These ladies are so amazing. It was so great to see old friends and to meet some new ones. The tea and goodies were just divine. The garden was so beautiful. I am a total loser and did *not* bring my camera, so head over to see 3-Penny Princess' or Slastena's blog to see pics. Maybe next time. Hey, the big fat SLR just did not fit into the cutie-pie J Crew rattan clutch! (although just about everything else does)

Update - Summerilla and Cloggsy have both posted their pics. They were both just lovely and I'm so glad I got to meet them!!

I ditched my planned outfit last minute as it was so humid, so I went with an AT Loft black shift dress (soon to be replaced by its fresher, woven twin at J Crew so that it will last longer) but mostly J Crew accessories - twisted crystal + fireball necklaces, rattan clutch, Joley flats, and the bouquet cardi. I did not, in fact, wear the hat as I just wasn't feeling it that afternoon. But oh, I should have when we were outside as my nose was a little pink that evening. (And I am such a sunscreen Nazi that I really am appalled at myself.)

Polyvore set for Tea:


What I Really Wore to Tea today - 5/9/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew dresses

I wish I could have stayed longer at tea but my parents came up for the weekend so I needed to head back home and meet up with them. Hubby cooked filet on the grill. We just chilled out on the patio. And I got to road test the J Crew Dressy Strapless Dress I was posting about a week and a half ago. Final verdict? It was way comfy. A perfect piece to slip into for hanging out. For me, an excellent buy, but I need to alter the removable strap because it's just too long for me. In other words, there isn't that much there for it to hold up. And yes, I was barefoot the entire rest of the day...and it was good. It was my goal and goals are important, right?

Polyvore for later on Saturday:



What I *Really* Wore After the DC JCA Tea by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew dresses

Mother's Day started out with breakfast in bed (chocolate donut - yum, I love the ones that are yellow with the plastic-chocolate coating - but only if they have been chilled). Later in the morning, shrimp & grits, asparagus, and strawberries for Brunch, cooked by Hubby, of course. Hubby & kiddies surprised me with Wii Fit for Mother's Day (no, it wasn't a veiled insult; I had asked for it for Xmas). Speaking of veiled insults, when I was pregnant with E, I got a new digital scale for Mother's Day. Totally by request. I was like "after I have this baby and start trying to lose weight, I want to know if I've even lost 1 pound because that will motivate me." I'm such a numbers girl. But I always love telling people about the Mother's Day scale because they usually look so shocked and appalled. hehehehe.

I say surprise because we had just spent $1400 getting a new A/C for my car the day before so I thought that was my Mother's Day present. And like Dina said yesterday, "I've been in a car without A/C with kids in 90-degree heat. It's worth every penny!" Plus I got a lovely poem that M wrote in his class, and E made one of those plates with flower petals stapled/glued on that list different things she'll do for me. I opted for "wash your car" today, so she, M & hubby did a total clean out of the inside. You should have seen the bag full of stuff that hubby brought it - every nook & cranny was emptied, including the glove box & console. Outside of car was already clean...which for $1400 at the dealership, I would bloody well hope!

It's too bad there wasn't a "I will change my attitude and stop being grumpy" petal because I would have totally cashed that one in. What can I say - kiddies spent the night in the basement with Hubby as a special treat, and so they could do the breakfast in bed thing for me & my mom this morning...but they stayed up way too late, so I had 2 tired grumpy kids this evening. They went to bed early, so here's hoping tomorrow morning is not a total disaster. Nothing's better than having the health room tech call you and say "E told me that you said she should come to school and if she's not feeling well, she can come to the Health room" and me replying "I tell her that 3 days out of 5." I will note that since she started using the alarm on her clock, she has been better. But I'm not counting my chickens for tomorrow morning until they hatch themselves out of bed.

So I wore what I had originally planned for yesterday, since it was cooler today. I finally am wearing the henna tee that I obtained in the JCA weekly exchange. Love love love it! Note the accessories in the PV set differ from IRL (gold vs. silver/pewter). But I was too lazy to do a new set because hey, it's Mother's Day! I'm sure I will wear this as pictured at some point.

Polyvore set for Mother's Day:

Wearing Later Today - 5/9/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tops

All in all, it was a wonderful day, a wonderful weekend. And now I'm off to bed...promise to catch up on blog reading tomorrow!!

Wearing Today, Yesterday, Catching Up - Heat Wave

The big news is the weather. Yes, we're having a heat wave. Have you ever seen "There's No Business Like Show Business"? I love old movies.



First of all, I am totally delinquent on my blog reading, so I'll be catching up on that later this evening. Can't wait to see what everyone has been up to. I never even posted yesterday because I was just wiped out after all the family (including their puppy) left. It was so much fun. Kids had a ball, puppies had a ball, my mom loved seeing all the kids together, my dad loved seeing the 2 puppies together. I enjoyed visiting without having to leave home. And...ice cream cake Saturday night for my nephew's bday - yum!

So yesterday was hot...again. Ooooh, I think it might be summer! And what's better on a hot summer day than a soft, cool tshirt...like the J Crew boyfriend tissue vneck tee? And it was so hot, I bypassed brights and went right to cool neutrals. Gray and white. Visually it helped me cool down. The skirt IRL is from Target last summer - so comfy, so lightweight, so perfect with any tee. It's a standard travel piece, great for wearing while driving since it's already gauzy so wrinkles don't show, and it covers a hot car seat if the car has been sitting in the sun. And ahhhh, the beloved Liz gladiator sandals from Isaac Mizrahi at Target last summer. Seriously, he had to know when he named these, doncha think? I should hunt these on eBay, I love them so much. I lived in the bronze and black ones last summer. But you've heard about that before. (BTW - my hair only lasted about 45 minutes before it was up in a ponytail. Why wasn't I smart enough to start out that way?)

Polyvore for Sunday:


Wearing Today - 04/26/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tank tops

And then today, sadly, we had to go to a funeral this morning. The father of a childhood friend of hubby's passed away last week. Makes you think...a lot. Hug your parents, hug your kids, hug your friends. We only have so long with each other, you know?

Back to the superficial since that's where I specialize, J Crew Cotton-cashmere bouquet cardi - perfect for bare arms inside a church in summer. The dress is from Ann Taylor Loft, fall 2007. It always makes me feel like Audrey Hepburn. It's knit, so it's insanely comfy, and I actually kept it on most of the day because a sleeveless knit dress seemed like the right choice....right up until soccer practice.


Wearing Today - 04/27/09 by HeidiGblog on Polyvore.com


And then for soccer at 5:30 and boot camp at 7:00 we have the "wearing later today" Polyvore. I love these skorts from Target. They are the best for walking - totally comfy, and look better on me than any athletic shorts I have found. I just wish I could find a bottle of water that large, because I would all over it today. No IRL pics because I just changed, and it's really not *that* interesting.


Wearing Later Today - 04/27/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy sleeveless tops

See you all out on the blogosphere!!! Last week for the Mickey card...who's headed to JC?

J Crew Cotton-Cashmere Bouquet Cardigan

The sun finally arrived back in town today. Welcome, stranger! April showers bring...flowers...on your sweater? Clearly in my world, anything is possible. Anyway, thought I would pull out the J Crew Cotton-Cashmere Bouquet Cardigan that I got last Friday. (#12728, orig $78, curr $59.50 online, in store $49.99 + Mickey's 25% card)

So my original idea was to copy the look above, with my yellow Anthro limon necklace, lighter jeans, and well, add a tank because, um, yeah, you all don't want me flashing belly. So I went with that. But I'll be honest, partway through the day, I swapped out the necklace for my twisted crystal necklace doubled with my Anthro typeset initial necklace and put my hair up in a ponytail. I don't think my yellow worked as well with the putty cardi as the sour lemon color of the necklace in the catalog pic. Plus, this is so much better with hair up if you have longer hair to really show off the pretty pretty bouquet. (and I don't have the fab wavy beachy hair of the model) But...I did try. And I love the cardi. So happy. Perfect weight for a day like today.

First try (that yellow necklace just does not photograph well against my skin) and trying to make sure the hair does not cover the bouquet:

And adjusted:

Polyvore Set of all the day's variations:

Wearing Today-04/16/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew sweaters

In other news, here's a peek at the J Crew Chunky Star Cable Popover sweater. I am so going to love this in colder weather. Although, honestly, I almost could have worn it this morning when it was on the chilly side. It is so not itchy at all. Just completely, totally soft. Love love love. And did you notice the cutie kangaroo pocket?

And since Lucy was being a pain while I was doing pics, I grabbed her for a quick shot. Look how she's grown!

Final Look at Lenten Shopping Ban, and a Look at the J Crew Short Sleeve Broadcloth Stretch Shirt

Well, as I said before, I just didn't do as well as I'd hoped to on my Lenten shopping ban. I was so good for so long. I think I could easily do a month again, but after that, it gets hard. I started down the slippery slope with the DC JCA outing. It was fab, but I did make a few decisions there that, at the time, in my gut, I knew were the wrong ones. I also should have actually made more of a list of what I was looking for, because that got me when I did returns/exchanges.

I went to JC last Friday - on Good Friday, no less - as I told you all. I did get the Cotton Cashmere Bouquet Cardigan (#12728, orig $78, curr $59.50 online, in store $49.99 + Mickey's 25% card) - which I am definitely keeping. Look for it here probably tomorrow. I got putty and I do love it. I have been loving my Library Shawl Cardi, and this is similar (knit & color), just more dressed up. (Back to Friday's Putty Question - what other colors do you like with putty, besides my usual white & navy?)

I returned the too-large Jackie cardi in misty lavender and they were out of M at the store. (See A Bigger Closet's post today - she is wearing this cardi with the shell and looks gorgeous!) And that sent me on a lavender hunt because I wanted that color. So then I ended up with the Short Sleeve Broadcloth Stretch shirt (#13326, $59.50), in sweet lavender, in a size 8, which is a size smaller than I usually take in shirts/jackets because of my broad shoulders. From the front it was ok. Then I went to take pics at home, and as you can see from the back, it's just not working. Those wrinkles are from me walking across the room from the camera after I hit the timer. Dina got it in the blue stripe at our DC JCA outing and is planning to wear as a little jacket. It looked fantastic on her I would like to wear it open or closed. And it's almost $60. Ok...$45 with the Mickey card. But considering how much I *HATE* to iron and given my usual style, I'm thinking this should really go back - and not just to exchange for a size 10.

In the end, I was able to order via red phone, with my 25% off, thank you very much since it was not in store, the Jackie cardi in M, so that should be on its way here shortly. I was just semi-flustered as I had the kiddies with me Friday, and I don't think I was making the best choice for me. What do you think about the lavender shirt? Especially since I was able to order the Jackie in my correct size and it shipped...

Of course, I wasn't done after the J Crew outing with the kids. As I posted about also on Friday, I had to go to Target to do Easter baskets and got sandals and a necklace, for a total of about $45 more, which is a bargain, but still...

And Sunday, I ordered from J Crew again. History - When I first started checking out the JCA blogs, I found Gigi's fabulous blog. And was so sad because she was on semi-hiatus when I found her. Thankfully for all of us, she came back after the holidays (collective cheer!!). Gigi is an encyclopedia of IRL pics of, well, everything. (and hilarious to boot!!) One of the sweaters that I always loved and coveted that she had tried on was the J Crew Chunky Star Cable Popover Sweater. As you are probably guessing, it popped up in the Sale section this weekend. I first saw it Saturday and tried to forget. Kept thinking about it. Checked size - L. Referred to Gigi's blog. She sized up, check. Told myself, as I was mulling it over in church on Easter, that if it was still around late in the afternoon, I would do it, and it would be a sign. (I'm very big on signs as you can probably tell - I've seen Sleepless in Seattle *way* too many times.) And did I mention it was $49.99, down from originally $128? Yep, I ordered it. Expect to see it here when it arrives. And if the order mysteriously cancels, and JC orders are wont to do? Yep, again, a sign, and I won't look for it again. (Update - as I was typing this, I got the email that it shipped. yes, a sign. and yes, I know I need to own my actions more - see note at bottom about extending my ban)

All of which brings me to....I am going to extend my shopping ban a little longer. I think I need to continue the re-focus a bit as I have clearly gotten off-track. Plus given the vet visit this week with Lucy, I'll be dropping enough money there. I do think this isn't a short trip. It's a journey towards a better understanding of self and habits.

Maybe I was a little nutty because the kids have been home for a week, but they do go back to school tomorrow. My eating habits haven't been so stellar this week either. Not too bad, but not where they should be. So I will continue to work towards my goal of a better and more balanced me. Thanks for joining me on the journey.

Don't forget, input requested on (1) colors to wear with the putty sweater and (2) thoughts on the shirt. Thanks!!