Warming to Dresses in Winter

True confessions...I did spend a lot of this weekend in sweats. 3-day weekend? Oh yeah. Not really Saturday since I had to get up and out the door to pick up E at her cousin's (bday party and sleepover the night before) and get her to basketball not-too-late. She loves it...who knew?

And p.s....those of you like me with older boy and younger girl who don't get to pass much down other than snow pants...it's amazing what a little elbow grease and new laces can do to athletic shoes. E voluntarily wore M's soccer cleats this past fall, with new sparkly silver laces. For basketball, she's got his Nike Air's from last winter, outfitted with black/white graphic shoelaces as well as the promise that she can decorate them with stickers this week.

So I did shower and get dressed that day - but I spent a good portion of the weekend working (house-working and real-billable-hours-working), so I felt justified in sweats. Love love love the 3-day weekend!

I did have to get dressed in normal-ish clothes Sunday evening for church since it was my turn to do Vestry welcome. So I got to try out an outfit I had been contemplating ever since I got this dress dress at the Loft last spring (size M)...but didn't have the black turtleneck to do it.

I just love this dress. I always feel chic - whether with bare legs and sandals or tights and heels. It is so stretchy and comfy. And I loved it layered - much like my Christmas Eve outfit with black tights & turtle as a backdrop for one stand out piece.

So...J Crew black merino turtleneck sweater, size M - the important thing here is not to go too large, you really want something fitted, but not tight, otherwise you lose the whole comfort thing. Then silver hoops, black tights, black boots. And a ponytail so the neckline isn't too cluttered. And by the way, not only was this insanely comfy...it was warm! I will definitely do this again.

Polyvore of Sunday(evening)'s outfit:

1/17/10 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

I really do love dresses in winter. Well, let's be honest...I love dresses all year long, but summer and winter are easiest. (I always have a hard time with bare legs when it's not quite warm enough.) Yes, you aren't wearing pants, but tights and boots are usually pretty warm to me. And when you've got a sweater dress...that's just about as cozy as you can get. And it helps get me out of the jeans/Winnie rut.

Let me tell you about this dress that I stalked last year at Banana Republic. I think it started out around $98. I kept trying it on in the store realizing that alone, it was just blah and really needed the right piece to bring it together. I wanted it. Stripes...sweater dress...gray and tan...But I just couldn't justify it. I believe I even ordered it twice from BR (free shipping, natch), once at FP (when I kept my black BR sweater dress - yes, I was on a major sweater dress hunt last year) and then again when it was further on sale for about $35 or $40. But again, returned it. Finally, I found it again in store in late January or February, I think, marked down to about $15, so then I snagged it. Patience does occasionally pay off, ladies.

But I still had the styling issue. Just plain, it's a bunch of big old stripes. Not great. What it needs, is a great big old scarf to cross those big old stripes. And that's how they usually had it styled in their print ads. Just a necklace, even some of my chunky pieces weren't enough. When I went to put it on last Tuesday, I realized that the BR cashmere wrap that I got this year was the perfect color to go with the dress...and it had the visual impact the dress needed.

Especially since I've lost weight and the dress is looser than it used to be...definitely need something to cut the horizontal of the stripes. Considering that I was absolutely miserable on Tuesday with that icky "starting to come down with something because of lack of sleep" think, I believe I did pretty well. It perked me up and kept me warm.

Other than the big old scarf and a pocket watch necklace, I just had my dark brown boots and tights. I think brown works with this better than black. If I had lighter boots, I would probably try them. And next time I wear it, I might even have a Polyvore since I'll be clipping the pic above.

How often do you wear dresses in the winter? And how do you make them work for you?

Back on the Chain Gang...

I posted a few days ago on my continuing Banana love...I continue to live in my BR cashmere wrap. Threw it on this afternoon while working at my laptop again. But there's a point I missed about BR - they have some really, really fab jewelry. And not only do they have really, really fab jewelry, but their really, really fab jewelry gets marked down on quite a regular basis unlike other (ahem, "hey you") retailers we frequent. (Was it AppGal who came up with the "rhymes with 'hey you'"? Still love that, hehehehe.)

When I returned the striped sweater to BR, I picked up this necklace for $28.99 (plus 2 other things on sale that I'll eventually fess up to). Mixed metal chains...2 matte silvers, 2 matte golds. So not only is it a very cool necklace but it totally works with my J Crew constellation locket that I got in the antique gold - ok, that was an even better bargain at $9.99, but I am *loving* this combo! I love the locket, but wanted something to amp it up a bit. And this necklace is perfect - and it will be great on its own as well. I like the slightly tougher-chic vibe about it.

I wore it today with {yawn} sweater and jeans tucked into boots.

Ok, details...J Crew merino turtleneck in black (size M). Did I even question if I really needed this when I got it? Talk about a gaping wardrobe hole...been wearing it tons, and always feel great in it. And I even had gotten it on sale...bonus.

And then the Chicos Ultra Slim Leg jeans tucked into my black boots. Isn't that what we're all wearing around here? When I was at the mall on Tuesday, all I saw were slim jeans tucked into boots. I guess weather does that. We did have 2 inches of snow last night, enough to give us a 2-hour school delay. So I got to sleep in a wee bit.

And of course, topped off with the yellow Winnie, black bucket hat, and black leather gloves when I went out for a meeting at school and to grocery shop as you'll see in the Polyvore below. (True confessions - I did put on a down parka for bus stop pick up, but our bus stop is actually a bit away from the house and do you know how cold it is? Way too cold for a wimp like me.)

Of course, the down side of sale bin diving for jewelry is that, Polyvore, being the evil mistress that she is, only shows items that are currently for sale on the store website, and once things get marked down they often disappear form the website, so you usually have to find dupes for PV...unless you want to go ahead and clip the entire jewelry section, but I've been trying to clean out my PV closet, not clog it up. Need to get to the real closet sometime... So here is today's Polyvore, with necklace dupes...but still works pretty well, I think.



1/8/10 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

And say hello to my little (winter) friend...

Yep, the humidifier. Longer-time readers may remember my post from last March on Getting Steamy...er, um, Misty in the Bedroom. But for those of you who are new, let me just share this:

1 - very good if you have a cold (please make sure you clean it religiously, however)
2 - totally helps you breathe easier
3 - white noise helps you sleep better

.....and the absolute best, but clearly most shallow reason to use it....

4 - your skin will look AMAZING. Seriously. I am always amazed at the glow I get after using it for a day or two. Maybe it's just that I'm sleeping better. Maybe it's that I am getting enough sleep. Maybe it's just the increased humidity in the air. Maybe it's some crazy combo of both...I don't really care...I just love that it works!

J Crew Skirts...and the Good Red

Most recently, I picked this skirt up at my local B&M - the J Crew Gold Coin Skirt (#17235, orig $150, purchased for $59.99, but I hear it got marked down again to $39.99, so I think I'll head in for a price adjustment tomorrow). I actually don't think I've seen anyone post on this skirt. Granted, I admit my blog reading has been a bit spotty lately, but I haven't seen much of it on Polyvore either.

I first tried on this skirt at FP, and it just wasn't worth it. But I've been wanting a "special" skirt to wear for things like Christmas Eve or dinner out...or anything fun like that. Specifically something to wear with a black turtleneck and tights because I have always loved that look. (Like Summerilla's outfit here.) It just looks so chic and so sleek. And you stay warm with the turtleneck and tights.

I took an 8 in the skirt. And you don't want to size down much or the pleats will do that weird pulling thing and it just looks bad. I will admit that it's a little weird to try on the skirt in store when the pleats are tacked closed because you get that weird "lady parts" look. So I asked the SA if we could cut the thread. Instant 110% improvement. It's an A-line skirt. And can we please talk about the length? 21 1/2" long. J Crew - could you pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease make more skirts at this length? I just can't wear your minis. Trust me...I've tried.

The fabric is a jacquard. I love the black and gold. For you Project Runway fans, this skirt reminds me a lot of Jillian Lewis' (season 4) last challenge look and her finale collection. Something about that black & gold combo....

The only thing that may turn some people off about the skirt is the waistband. It is actually a thick piece of black elastic with 2 hook & bar closures. Me? I don't mind at all because it's not like I ever tuck anything in. But it could annoy some.

I paired the skirt here with the JC black merino turtleneck (size M). Like I said above, I love the black top plus tights look. Right now I am only imagining it with black - my black cashmere shell, a black tee or tank in summertime with bare legs and sandals, maybe a white shirt? I'm sure I can pair it with more color, but right now, the black top will pretty much meet my needs. Piccolinas just made a fun set on Polyvore, pairing the skirt with a vintage forest cardi - very nice!

And since heaven knows I won't be blogging as it will be too busy, here's my planned Christmas Eve ensemble with the skirt. Yeah, it's pretty much the "try-on" picture above with earrings and shoes.


Christmas Eve by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


Next here, the skirt I didn't keep. J Crew Deco Shirred Skirt (#17480, orig $98, last purchased for $59.99). Yes, this is the Michelle Obama skirt - well, one of many, I supposed. A Bigger Closet did a great review of it and looked fab as usual, here. First of all, pardon the gray tights - I was wearing those and the black boots with my outfit that day and was just too lazy to change.

I really do like this skirt. It's very cute. However, it is only 18" long. So what did I do? I sized up to a 10 to get it to hang low. In her review, ABC mentioned that she went up to an 8 from a 2 or 4. Ahhhhh, so that's how she got it to such a decent length. There may still be 1 or 2 of these floating around your B&M. If you see one a few sizes up, grab it.

I did not keep the skirt, however, as I felt I could only wear it with opaque tights and that was limiting. I wanted a skirt that I could wear more often and the gold coin skirt fits that bill.

Plus the black and white print reminds me of the ATL dress I got last year early spring...and if I really want to wear a black/white print with tights, chances are that I'll just wear that.

If I had all the money in the world, I probably would have kept it, but a girl's got to make choices, right?

Finally, I did uncover a red that I actually do like on my nails. Even better...it was already in my stash. I think I got this summer before last but hadn't really worn it much. Chanel Shangai Red. Much much much better on me than the Essie Russian Roulette of the last post.

And just for fun...this is what I sometimes resort to when trying to decide which polish to wear. From pinky to forefinger: Sephora by OPI Never Enough Shoes, OPI Here Today Aragon Tomorrow, Chanel Vamp, Essie It's Genius. (btw, mainly took the pic because I was playing with my new camera hubby got me for my birthday - I think the colors are pretty good - and by "good", I mean "accurate")