Banana Bracelet

Ba-Ba-Banana, Ba-Ba-Banana.... yes, I'm back to singing my favorite Elmo Banana song. This was yet another piece uncovered earlier this month while jewelry bin diving, as I discussed in this post. It's a double strand gold chain bracelet (all gold-toned, the silver-ish look in the pic is from the flash), and the clasp is actually just a loop of the bracelet that hooks over the flower at the end. So pretty. This will be a great layering piece, but also works well on its own. And it's pretty neutral in that it will mix with many pieces. And...it was $15.99. Oh how I love you, Banana jewelry!

So that will be the thread that ties together this outfit post since I wore it for the first time on Thursday and then again today. And of course, it's so on sale, it is nowhere to be found online, so I used yet another sub for PV.

Thursday...pulled out the dream taffeta sash cardigan, size L - i'd probably get an M today, don't shoot me, dina. (or at least that's what PV calls it - this was just before I joined the cult and became a JCA, so I wasn't so up on the names). I really need to wear this sweater more often, it's just so darn cute with the ruffled neck and the ribbon. And it is warm too. Like the canvas atelier jacket last spring, it has that mod swingy shape I love. So perfect with jeans and a tshirt. That would be Chicos slim leg jeans (size 0.5)and a JC open crewneck painter tee (size L)

And then of course, the cute new BR bracelet - and my grandmother's pearl/crystal necklace that I swiped from the junk jewelry passed to E and the JC twisted crystal necklace. And then the Me Too cap toe ballet flats. I'm not sure they really worked IRL with the cardi but they work in the picture, so let's just pretend that they were that good in person.

Polyvore from Thursday:

1/21/10 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Items in this set:
Women sweaters Dream taffeta-sash cardigan, $60
Women's knits & tees - textured knits - Open crewneck painter tee -..., $30
Chico's - Platinum Denim Slim Leg Jean, $69
Me Too Swann Cap Toe Ballet Flat
Women's bags - leather bags - Selby satchel - J.Crew, $275

And then today...started with the gray Minnies, put on a white short sleeve perfect tee, changed cami underneath and got lipstick on tshirt, switched to long sleeve gray striped Flora tee, decided that original choice of light gray Jackie-esque cardi from BR wouldn't work with all the gray so switched to black cashmere Jackie. (did you get that?) Gray Minnies...gray striped tee...black cashmere cardi. Ok, we're caught up.

And then, gold hoops, new BR bracelet, and black flats. Oh my black flats are in really, really sorry shape. I need a new pair. They are so sorry-looking, even when I polish them. But shopping for the basics can be the hardest to do. But that's for another post...

I felt very Parisian chic in this outfit. As I commented in my PV set, I felt almost gamine...and when you're 5'10", you don't usually feel gamine, that's for sure. By the way, this looked AWESOME with my yellow Winnie when I ran out to do a couple of errands with M earlier today. And if it had been chillier, I could have just thrown on my black boots. Easy.

But speaking of my Polyvore set...here it is:

1/23/10 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Items in this set:
Women's Cashmere Sweaters & Cardigans - J.Crew, $160
Classic-stripe tissue tee - J.Crew, $33
Women - tanks - Perfect-fit tank - J.Crew, $18
Women - wool - Wool tweed Oona coat - J.Crew, $90
Mossimo® Desta Ballet Flats - Black : Target, $20

By the way, the divine Gigi and others are noting that BR has 40% off sale items in store. A great time for jewelry bin diving, no?

Black Dresses....and showing a little love to Banana

Today was a total sweater dress day. Do you have the sweater dress love? I will admit, it is hard to find the right fit, as they usually come in the alpha sizes, not numeric. But when you find one you love...mmmmmmmm...cozy... Nothing better for a chilly day - sweater dress, tights, boots...and done. And it just feels like you're wearing a big huge sweater all day. Danger areas? Either end of the spectrum - the too-tight & too-short hoochie SD, and the so big it makes you look like you are one big tea cozy SD. Last year, I got 2 great sweater dresses from Banana Republic.

(side note - any of you moms out there seen Elmo's World when he did the banana episode - and he sings ba-ba-banana, ba-ba-banana - well, it's been about 7 years and that song still pops into my head whenever I go into BR. you're welcome...)

This is one of the 2 sweater dresses from last fall. I got this one with 30% F&F last fall (so $130 less 30% = $91.) I have definitely worn it enough to be worth it and I'm not done yet. Last Christmas when we visited the in laws in NC, it was unseasonably warm, so I wore it plain with footless tights and ballet flats. And I layered it with a white or cream tee plus tights and boots all last winter. BUT...I kept wanting to get a striped tee to layer underneath because I thought that would be cute. If I do say so, I think I was right. Ta da!!

Today's outfit was the BR sweater dress from last year (in M), BR gray/white striped tee from this fall (M), black tights, flat black boots, plus some silver hoops & my Tiffany silver mesh ring from ages ago. I wore my hair down today (probably for warmth, hehe), but the dress looks really cute with hair up.

And you probably can't tell so well from the picture, but there is an inverted pleat in the front of the dress below the empire waist. So it's a great dress to wear when you might be filling the belly, so to speak. And today I had brunch at a friends' in the morning and then we went out to dinner tonight. Excellent wardrobe planning. Hubby & I took the kiddies out to a Japanese steak house for the first time and it was way fun - they loved it!! Of course, I'm sitting here in pj-sweats, because it's almost my bedtime, but the dress was a good dinner dress.

Polyvore from today:

11/6/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew bags

Items in this set:
J Crew t shirt, $33
Forever21 dress, $23
Ann Demeulemeester boots, 795 GBP
J Crew tote bag, $150
Thelook4less.net ring

And speaking of dresses... I really, truly, honestly appreciate all the feedback from everyone on the 3 Nordies dresses. I also applaud everyone for the very constructive comments. (You all didn't love all of them, which is fine - but you played nice - and I do appreciate that as well.)

I think my problem is that I am just not totally 100% feeling it with any of them. They are all very nice dresses and any of them would be fine. (yeah, I know, nice problem to have). And maybe part of the problem is that I got the 3 of them from 2 different parts of the store over 2 different shopping trips of about 15-20 minutes each, so I was rushed-rushed-rushed - and they just have some bad vibes attached. Or maybe I'm just being ridiculous and overthinking this whole thing because, this is not a problem - it's an irritation...at the most. (Thanks Jemma Ruby - ever since you posted on that, I try to hold those words close.) So it's not a problem, other than the fact that I clearly need to get a life.

If you did comment on the 3 choices, please don't feel that it was a waste of time at all (and don't shoot me)...it made me really look much closer at the dresses and figure out what did and didn't work with them.And, I have come to the conclusion that I am just prejudiced against chiffon. I don't like how it feels. Ok, lesson learned.

But I think I have found true dress love... After debating over the 3 Nordies dresses, I happened to be perusing the BR website and found the dress at right. BR Tiered Pleated Dress ($132). They are already showing this dress on the large placard in the window, but it's Holiday 03 and only Holiday 02 is in the stores - wish I hadn't needed that level of detail. So I ordered it with 25% off and it is supposed to arrive on Tuesday.

And, I believe, it combines the best of the 3 Nordies dresses - the versatility and lack of chiffon in #1 (I would totally rock this with tights and boots for a more casual look), the tiers & necklace potential of #2, and the fun & flirtiness of #3. And when I first saw it, I swooned I felt it. We'll see. I've got my fingers crossed. So should you, so that I shut up about this. Whew, it's late, I'm punchy, and I should go to bed. Here's my planned ensemble in Polyvore...let's see how it all comes out in the proverbial wash...

Idea #1 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew jewelry

Items in this set:
Banana Republic dress, $132
Gojane.com shoes, $13
J Crew necklace, $98
Banana Republic earrings, $35
SEPHORA by OPI nails, $9

Speaking of Banana Republic (coincidental timing), Slastena has an interesting post on Banana Republic today, from some spring magazine catchup - yay, I'm not the only one. Hop on over to comment - are you a Banana Fan? Or is your new theme song "Yes, we have no Bananas"?

Cream for Cold Weather

I'm talking about the *color* cream, not the milk-based product - which, I think, pretty much works year-round. Cold weather always inspires me to wear these warm shades of white. They just feel cozier. Autumn definitely feels like it has arrived!

Yesterday - yep, pulled out the cashmere for the first time this season. J Crew long sleeve cashmere tee. This is my dressy version of "I feel like hanging out in a sweatshirt." So comfy, not tight (but not too baggy). It just feels good. Layered with a cami or tank of course. Is it me, or do you just assume that you will need an underlayer when wearing light colors on top? Anyway, paired with new Chico's off-the-cuff boyfriend jeans, new cap toe ballet flats, and the classic confetti necklace.

It was a good day because I am now dropped down to chiro only once a week - and hopefully soon can phase out altogether. I will say that it has truly been a lifesaver. My neck and shoulders are better than they have been in several years.

Oh, and that's my new haircut with 2 inches lopped off the bottom. Love love love it. Do you like getting your hair trimmed? Not to go to Britney extremes, but I love the feeling of getting a good chunk hacked off at the ends. And of course, the beauty of hair is that it grows...so if you don't like it, just wait a bit for it to grow out.

Polyvore for yesterday:

9/30/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Today, again, a nice good chill in the air, so I pulled out a new BR tee that I got yesterday (on sale for $19 in store). Love the gray and white stripes. Look at the way cute gathered cuff (below) - it's brilliant because you get plenty of length in the sleeves but it's not so long that it will drop in your soup. Fab! I definitely anticipate layering it with many sweaters this fall and winter.

And I've layered it with my BR cream sweater jacket from a couple of years ago. I love this sweater - the 60's-ish styling always makes me feel chic. The jacket is hard to photograph well, though. I love it in person, but the pics never turn out that great. And to finish out the outfit, since the tee is nice and long, I wore my gray Minnies and then added black ballet flats. Fun, comfy, and I felt great in it.

Polyvore for today (not the greatest since I had to sub both tops):

10/1/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew