{Friday Favorites}: Free People

Well, my blogging re-entry has not been stellar.  Honestly, I'm not really feelin' it, plus there was the 2,000+ Asian spam comments clogging up my inbox in a matter of minutes a couple weeks ago.  Anywho, I do get the blogging urge every once in awhile so I thought I'd share something superficial and fashionable today.

My A/C bill dipped below $250 this month, which must mean fall is peeking around the corner here in Georgia!  Though I won't be busting out my sweaters for another couple of months, I have been purchasing a few things for my fall weekend wardrobe.  

I spend the majority of my waking hours every weekday dressed in heels, skirts, dresses, pearls, and all manner of conservative office attire.  However, I am a bit of a boho chic at heart.  Give me a pair of flare jeans, a well-cut tshirt or poncho, a pair of cowboy boots, some simple hoop earrings, and a sterling silver cuff bracelet and I'm golden.

There's no better place to get some boho than Free People. My love of FP clothing began about 5 years ago when I stumbled upon this crop shirt for $9 at Bloomies.   At the time I bought it because I liked it, and only later did I learn about the Brand .

My love of crops continues all these years later.  They are perfect for layering over a longer skinny tee or cami and then topping off with a jacket or cardigan.  This one would look great under a dark brown leather jacket, too.

I'm almost 5'10" so I love that most of Free People's pants are long enough for me right off the rack.  {They do also carry short lengths for those who do not tower above their peers.}  

  

Tunic and jeans {Free People}  
Boots {Old Gringo}  
Watch {Michael Kors}  
Earrings {Stella and Dot)  
Photo by the fabulous Paige.

Their five-pocket skinny flares are my favorite jeans, hands down.  Again, because I am tall, I'll pay some dollars for a good-fitting pair of jeans. I own Hudson, Joe's, Paige, and Sevens and they are all good in certain styles and for certain occasions.  But, for $78, these jeans take the trophy for most likely to succeed. 

For a little something different this fall I got these Devil Knit Pants.  Again, perfect with boots and some layers on top, especially denim or chambray.  

This is my favorite purchase this fall.  Perfect color and weight to throw on for a night out and you don't have to add a lot of accessories because the beading accessorizes for you!  {If I was brave (and thin) enough for leather skinnies I'd do cartwheels and a Rockette kick or twenty before I went out on a hot date.  Alas, I'm not and I won't.}  

The Beatnick Tunic is great for all people, places and things.

When I do feel like tucking in a fitted t-shirt I love throwing on a long sweater tunic.  This one has a hood which makes it a little more casual and fun.

And this belt would be a perfect addition---- in fact, it will go with most anything.

 And I couldn't pass up this jacket with it's military buttons + ruffle goodness. 

I'm a cautious member of the dress-as-tunic fan club.  For the most part I think it works best for cooler weather styles when you can wear the dress as a tunic over heavier bottoms like skinny cords or riding pants (don't get me started on leggings worn in public) and boots or booties.  I purchased this one for the rich fall colors and the pockets!  

And finally, because fashion should look good both coming.....

....and going.... 

I added these booties to the fall rotation (along with a pair of stud toe Sam Edelmans).  Suede and leather is so much better than a black leather pump.  

Happy Friday y'all!

A Pretty Spring Coat {And a Blast from the Past}

I'm a sucker for a great fitted longer-style coat. Here in Atlanta our "coat wearing season" isn't very lengthy if you're talking about actual really cold weather. But from late October through April it's nice to have a little wrap to take the chill off.

This is one of my very favorite jackets. I bought it right after I had Adam because Spring was coming and I just needed a pick-me-up. I distinctly remember seeing it hanging in the store and loved it immediately but there was also something *very familiar* about the coat that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was if I'd seen those beautiful butterflies somewhere before.

And then one day it all came together.  I was flipping through some old photo albums and saw this family picture from 1972.  We were on summer vacation at my Grandma's house in Nebraska. 

My stylish mom had a butterfly tunic in almost the exact same print as my coat!  She seems way more dressed up than the rest of us, wouldn't you say?  ha!  But then again, it's not hard to dress above polyester shorts and "Army jackets" and a smiley face t-shirt.... or lady bug shorts and a red muscle shirt.  Who would know the little tomboy that I appear to be here would actually grow up to like dresses?

I do have to say my oldest brother (who was a high school junior here) was pretty darn cute.  He is 13 years older than me so I was always just a little bit in awe of him, especially when I was this young.

You can tell the kids in the family were all *thrilled*. I was probably thinking, Thank the good Lord I am no longer cooped up in the back seat of that red 1967 Chevy Impala with my two older brothers and that wild pattern on the car seats that makes me woozie.

We made the 8+ hour drive from Iowa to Nebraska every summer and let's just say the scenery wasn't all that exciting.... though I was totally convinced the minute we crossed the Nebraska line we were in danger of being ambused by Indians.  We were, after all, traveling west...as in Wild Wild West. 

And back in those days we did not go through the McDonald's drive-thru for lunch.  Instead, we pulled over at a rest stop along the interstate and ate the lunch my mom packed for us.  It always included lunch meat sandwiches with western dressing, instead of mustard.  {See...there's that west thing again}.  So, when you consider my general dislike for lunch meat + riding in the car with two older brothers + no air conditioning + car sickness + expecting to get ambushed by Indians at any moment.... you can see why I looked a little worse for the wear during the photo op.

But my mom and dad - cool and collected.  Daddy's shirt is pressed and tucked in. He's wearing dress slacks.  Mom's sporting her accessories and white slacks in addition to her cool tunic. 

But I can bet one thing's for sure.  They are both probably thinking, When is happy hour? 

Pretty Spring Dresses {Or...What I Do When I Should Be Cooking Dinner}

Truth be told, I'm a cold weather clothing girl. I love jeans, sweaters, tights, layers and coats. But, as things like this go, even cold weather eventually blossoms into warm and all fashionistas must shed the layers, bare the legs and pull out the pretty spring dresses.

So, I've been doing a little Spring Shopping and I thought I'd share some of my finds with you.

First up, I spotted this pretty sheath and cardigan in the Talbot's catalog and decided I'd try it on in the store to see how it looked. I love sheath dresses. They are nipped and tucked in all the right places for my body type and the color of this dress is so pretty.

I'm not much of a floral/flower person but I do love the cardigan, too.  I got a size L because I usually need the length, but I think I'll go back and exchange it for a M.  And, you probably can't tell from this poor quality photo, but my belt is a light tan and I think a patent fuschia would be much prettier.  Dress is size 6 and runs very true to size.  Fully lined.

And here's a slightly more dressed down version with a denim jacket I've had for years and wear to death.

I didn't accessorize any of the other outfits in this post except this one, because immediately when I put on the denim with the dress I thought pearls would look great. 

Next up:  Dresses from Boden

This is the Pretty Cotton Dress in black/white.  New this Spring with Boden is US Sizing (as opposed to Euro sizing) but when I got the actual dress, it lists the US size along with the Euro size on the tag so I'm not sure if they've adjusted the actual fit to correspond with US proportions. 

One thing I love about Boden is their tall sizes because I am long waisted and need the extra length.  I ordered a size 6 Tall and it seems to be just slightly smaller in the shoulder/chest area than traditional US size 6. But, on the flip side the length is great and the fit through the hips is wonderful.

Again, I didn't do any accessorizing, but I felt this dresses needed a little something more.  Here I added a black JCrew ruffle cardigan and it helped.  I'm not a black/red/white fan but imagine this paired with a pretty chunky necklace in coral or even turquoise.  And of course, the sky's the limit as to the color of cardigan you could use to spice this up. 

Next, the Amalfi Dress in brown/white.

I love this dress!  The skirting is A-line style, loose and flowy, so it will be perfect for the dog days of summer.  It's fully lined yet not heavy.  Again, this is a 6 Tall.  I'll wear it with turquoise accessories.  Yellow would be so pretty, too.

Finally, Boden's Fun Dress in blue/green.

*swoon*  This is a dress that will stand out in a crowd for it's cool factor.  The fabric has just a slight sheen and the white embellishments act as the accessories and give the dress a great weight.  Size 6 Tall. 

So, yes, this is what I did after work when I should have been cooking dinner and doing laundry. 

Red hot smokin' husband had my boyfriend outside playing basketball and when he came in I said, Hey honey, how do you like my new dress?

And he said, Come here and let me check it out.

And I said, My pleasure, red hot smokin' husband.

And then he told me it was time for happy hour.

Which did make me very happy.

I mean, who can resist a cocktail with a red hot smokin' husband in a cool spring checked shirt?

Not me!

Just goes to show, good things happen when a girl puts on a dress.

In my glass:  {Liberty Syrah - Central Coast - 2007}

Cheers!

TJMaxx / HomeGoods Head to Toe

In case you didn't already know about my love for TJMaxx/HomeGoods - let me tell you.... it's my home away from home! 

I stop in once a week or so just to see what's new.  My local store gets shipments on Thursdays but I usually don't get to peruse until the weekend.  This time of year is sort of a so-so / inbetween time but I did score a great sweater by Theory a couple weeks ago, ON CLEARANCE!

I've been a fan of Theory clothing for a long time but it's sold at high-end department stores and it's just too expensive to buy at full retail.  I especially love their cardigans and outerwear for the longer torso and arm length, as well as the slimmer cut armholes. 

I wore my new Theory sweater last weekend, and as I was snapping pictures for this blog post I realized almost everything else I was wearing was also from TJMaxx! 

Theory short-sleeved button front cardigan - Retail $335. $79.99 at TJMaxx with an additional 50% off, making it $40.  That's about 85% off retail.

Joe's Jeans - Normally around $150 retail.  About 50% off retail at TJMaxx

Guess brand long-sleeve tshirt - $14.99

My silver necklace is by Judith Ripka for QVC, but I got the lemon quartz clip-on at TJMaxx.  Her QVC line is very reasonably priced and great quality.  The black beaded necklace was made by my mom!

And finally, another great TJMaxx Judith Ripka find - a huge, blingy lemon quartz ring!

Bracelets also from TJMaxx but I don't recall the brand.

Happy shopping! 

Gap Patch Jeans for Early Spring 2010

So, I ventured into The Gap a couple weeks ago just to see what might be coming out for Early Spring 2010 and ran across a few things I absolutely, positively couldn't live without. 

Shocking, I know!

I've heard a lot of so-so reviews of the camp / camo / khaki / utility theme that's so popular for Spring.  I happen to really like the majority of the things I've seen, though I will never ever wear camoflage or the run-of-the-mill traditional khaki pants. 

My favorite recent purchase has been the Gap patch jeans.  I wore them all weekend - Saturday with a long cardigan and Sunday with my peace sign shirt from Target.

While I love the patches and the distressed look of the jeans, it confuses the heck out of my 4yo- ha!.  He can't figure out why I am wearing jeans in such bad condition.  When I put them on yesterday morning he said, Mom you juss need ta frow dose old jeans away and wear some dat aren't so bad lookin'. 

Patches, patches everywhere. 

Sunday I rolled them up and wore black patent heels with black trouser socks.

And topped it off with black/rhinestone necklace from JCrew

and a long pearl chain necklace from Stella + Dot - which is, by the way, my favorite and most versatile necklace.  I wear it from casual to dressy 3-4 times a week.

Anybody else a fan of the early Spring styles so far?

**ETA - before y'all think I am 7 feet tall since my head is nearly as tall as the door in these photos, I finally found a way to photograph outfits that seems to work.  I stand on a little step stool in our powder room and snap away.  I'm tall - but not THAT tall.  ha!

Fall Outfit #2 - J.Crew Wool Pleated-Silk Chimera Jacket

Here is my outfit of the day, such as it is at 6pm after being worn for nearly 12 hours. I had on a great-looking long sparkly necklace when I left the house this morning, but caught it on the corner of my keyboard drawer when I got up from my desk and all the sparkly loveliness went scattering across the floor.


I set Adam up with a show (Dragon Tales) and a drink (sippy cup, half water, half apple juice, warmed up in the microwave 27 seconds so it's not too cold. He's not high maintenance or anything.)

Then I went upstairs to take pictures of my sad self before I threw on my comfy-cozy Gap wide leg lounge pants and some sort of t-shirt.

After snapping close to 4,683 photos, I gave up. Honestly, every single one seemed blurry, off center, and just not good.

But, it's the best I've got - so here goes.

I'm wearing the wool pleated-silk chimera jacket from JCrew. My favorite sales assoc. at the Lenox Mall J.Crew knows I love jackets. One day as I was breezing by J.Crew chanting... look straight ahead, do not go in, do not go in... she spotted me and came running toward me with this jacket in hand. Never one to be rude, I obliged her by trying it on ...and the rest is history.

I normally buy J.Crew jackets in the long size because I can use the length in the torso and the sleeves. This jacket doesn't come in Tall, and the sleeves were "bracelet length", which on me was just a bit longer than 3/4. But it looked a little odd so I had the sleeves lengthened and it turned out great.

The jacket is comfortable and very easy to wear. I simply adore the ruffles.

And I promise/cross-my-heart I cleaned that mirror yesterday. My 4th child "Not Me" must have messed it up while
washing his crime fighting handsplaying in the water and wasting my good soap.

ACCESSORIES:

J.Crew Duchess Stone Bracelet in color dusty blossom. LOVE this bracelet. Not too heavy and and it doesn't flip and spin around on my wrist. Much more pleasant to wear that I initially thought it would be. I have it in every color (which I know greatly surprises my husband.)

J.Crew Crystal Cluster Ring. *swoon*

SHOES:
Bibiena by BCBG MaxAzria

JEANS:
Hudson "Supermodel" Bootcut

Apparently wearing Supermodel jeans does not dismiss me from cleaning mirrors and nuking apple juice.

Fall Outfit of the Week

So many of my readers have asked me to show photos of what I'm wearing this fall. OK, really only three of you asked. So this post is for those three, and the rest of you can say "Geesh, could these pictures be any worse?"
The only mirror that now works for these photos happens to be right under a huge florescent light. So until I find another photo spot this is the best I got.

Today was the first day of fallish weather here in the ATL, so I wore the Frances tuxedo shirt in hazel blue from JCrew, along with their City Fit Super 120 Trousers in black.


I bought the shirt in tall - praise the Lord, the sleeves are long enough! I also purchased in it white. Perfect for jeans.

I love ruffles, but generally not on me. The ruffle placket on this shirt isn't overpowering though, and it lays great. The collar is a band collar, which also helps immensely.

This was my first time wearing this shirt (haven't worn the white yet) and I am very happy with my purchase.

Accessories:

belt is from Banana Republic, but I couldn't find it online.

pearl stud earrings

Judith Ripka chain link bracelet and large citrine + silver ring

Shoes: black croc embossed heels

Happy fall y'all!

Cute Cross Buns

Workin' the newest little boy fall fashion...

Check Out...

...my red hot smokin' hubby's

...cool new shoes.

*swoon*

(and yes, that's his home office).

(and yes, martinis are allowed).

Show Us Your Life - My Wedding Dress

I am taking part in Show Us Your Life Fridays over at Kelly's Korner. I am one of thousands that read her blog and keep up with her adorable Harper and her daily fashion show!

Today's topic is wedding dresses.

I bought my dress off the rack at a little boutique in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta for $500...marked down from $2,000. Since my husband and I were paying for everything in our wedding ourselves we tried to get the most bang for our buck, so to speak.

I tried on many, many styles of dresses, trying to keep an open mind. But when I tried on this mermaid-style dress with a drop cascade neckline and very little embellishment, I knew it was the perfect dress for me.

The tradition at the boutique is to sell the rack sample after the dress has been discontinued or they decide to no longer carry that style. A photo of each bride that purchases the final dress goes into a binder in the store and they name the dress after that bride.

So my dress - at least in the little world of Virginia Highland boutiques - will go down in history as the Jillian.

My veil was waist-length and again very simple.

I bought my sparkly pearl and rhinestone tiara on e-Bay. And I wore the strand of pearls my mom wore on her wedding day in 1953.

But I think my best accessory of the day (and every day since) was the handsome man I married.

Thanks for visiting! I'm having a great time seeing the parade of wedding dresses via Kelly's blog!