Obsession du jour: Sparkle

F21 Sequined Sweatshirt / Necklace on Etsy

ASOS Blazer / F21 Dress / Necklace from DeLuna Jewelers (Davis, CA)

Getting the Necklace for Graduation

Obsession du Jour: Heart Knit Scarf

ModCloth Scarf / American Apparel Thermal

Obsession du Jour: Terrier Print Blouse

F21+ Collared Pleated Terrier Top / F21+ Studded Belt

Coach Bag

All Dressed Up, With Nowhere To Go...

New Year's Eve is not my holiday. The fundamental problem is I don't particularly like staying up late. But there are secondary problems too.  My local friends are often out of town, and my friends in the city are at all night dance parties which sound exhausting.  My mother hates for me to be out driving. So as you would expect with this attitude, I rarely have somewhere to go. However, as you may have seen with my sequin post, I still use NYE as an excuse to buy something (s) sequined.  So just like last year, I depressingly dressed up my dress form to go to a mythical soirée.  I chose this amazing sequined skirt from Forever 21. I think it's really unique and detailed for $25 (and channels of all this '20s  deco glamour in the run-up to the Gatsby release) To focus the attention on the amazing detail of the skirt, a v-neck T in a neutral which matches the skirt perfectly. For accessories, I went with a delicate charm necklace in a matte metal finish and an chain mail crossbody bag with oversize bow (much more practical than a clutch--especially if you're a dress form with no arms!)

Old Navy T / F21+ Sequined Scalloped Skirt / ModCloth Bag / Urban Outfitters Necklace

On the upside, I have an outfit idea I really like at the ready for any evening occasion in 2013. Happy New Year!

It's Easy Being Green...

I know I've been raving a lot recently about Eloquii, the Limited's new plus line. This classic sheath styling with the pleating at the shoulders feels very vintage yet wearable. Here I've styled it with a belt that came with a different Forever 21 dress and a brooch to really drive home the green palate.

A Bold Print for Summer

ASOS Curve

A New Bold Scarf

A very thoughtful friend got me this wonderfully soft safari print scarf for Christmas. Looking forward to wearing this when I start teaching the 11th graders after break.

F21 scarf, Old Navy Wrap dress, Banana Republic necklace

Vintage Floral Prints for Work

This dress I just got in two prints isn't really winter-ready, but I'm excited about it anyway. They are going to be so great for teaching when it warms-up next semester. The necklines are interesting yet very conservative, which is refreshing. I ordered both with the intention of returning one but I just couldn't.

Old Navy (XS-XXL)

One Last Summer Dress

Ann Taylor Dress

Forever 21 Faux Pearl Necklace

Polka Dot Dress

A couple new polka dot dresses I've gotten from Forever 21+, I'm so excited to wear them in the classroom starting next week.

F21+ Dress, Via Spiga Belt

Bold Pearlescent Necklace

Musings: Affordable Scarves

Delia*s Dress

Target Scarf

I was so excited by my Aztec-inspired prints post that I just had to change my dress form into an outfit with this scarf. I originally bought it for Cinco de Mayo, here's how I wore it then:

After the jump, a few more lovely scarves from Target to help with the transition to fall.

Bold Colors for Work

Next month,  I will be starting my placement in the school where I will be student teaching. I'd like to get a few new pieces to start building my professional wardrobe. Finding plus-size dress pants and suiting that fits me is going to be a challenge. Luckily, summer weather in the Central Valley continues until October, so pants and blazer weather is still a ways off.  I've already done posts on stripes and florals, so today I'm going to feature bold solids (one polka dot slips in). Here are some work-appropriate dresses, skirts and blouses I'm checking out.

Dresses:

ModCloth (Sizes S-3X)

ModCloth

Ensemble: Going Out IV

Old Navy skirt, Kimchi & Blue tank (possibly from Urban Outfitters, but maybe a boutique)

My Mom somehow ended up at at a home sale jewelry party where she felt obligated to buy something, but even under pressure she made a good choice with these multi-colored  faux pearls.

The back detail is the best part. You guys know how I love showing of my ink with one shoulder or racerback tops.

A Bold Floral Maxi Dress

Old Navy Dress

How I Wear: Red, White & Blue

I've already shared my musings and suggestions regarding patriotic Ts for the Fourth of July (and Canada day to 'bout). Here are few ways I styled Old Navy's Women's Americana-Logo Tees.  They would of course be appropriately casual with shorts, but my dress form doesn't have legs, and I wear more skirts anyway. I'm not sure what I'll end up wearing for the holiday itself, I'll keep you posted.

A Lightweight Scarf for Summer

I love bright colors in general, but especially during the summer. I got this Gap dress a couple of seasons ago, I wish I had bought it in every color. Forever 21 has a lot of cute and affordable lightweight scarfs this season that are perfect for adding a little flair to summer outfits and perfect for summer evenings when it cools down (to below 80).

Gap Dress

Forever 21 Scarf

A Couple Forever 21+ Outfits

I just got my first order from Forever 21 online in the mail this morning. My always thoughtful Aunt got me a gift card for my birthday, so I could "check out the competition". Thanks Magi! Now that I'm a fashion free agent (i.e. no more employee discount), I'm excited to try different online outlets.

Contrast Cap Sleeve Dress

Let's talk online shopping shop. First off, I placed my order with the free shipping option on Thursday evening and it arrived Tuesday morning (it shipped from LA).  So that was impressive. However, the former customer service rep in me would like to remind shoppers to always look at the promised shipping timeframe. If you need an order by a certain date, pay for the shipping that will get it there before your event. Don't expect it to always arrive as quickly as past orders.

I digress. More importantly than the speed, I liked the contents of my order.  A quick note on sizing, which is hard for you to determine from the photos since my dress form is much smaller than I. I ordered the 3X in both the skirt and dress, which means that their 3X is about an 18/20 (obviously not the same as Old Navy's). This also means that if you're a standard XL, their 1X might work for you. The prices were just as cheap as Forever 21's standard line which isn't always the case for plus size (probably since their plus doesn't go as large, the fabric cost doesn't catch up to them). Here are a couple of outfits I put together using my new pieces.

A Gap Brand Work Outfit

 I've stopped working at the Gap call center, but I will start student-teaching this fall.  Here's a work-appropriate outfit I put together, that just happens to be (like most of my outfits) completely from the Gap family of brands.

Gap Skirt, Old Navy Belt & T-Shirt

Piperlime: Hive & Honey Necklace