New jacket

I picked this up on clearance at JC Penney, but had to take it in for tailoring, of course. I still feel like the waist is a bit big. Your thoughts?



See what I mean?



I'm also wondering whether I should baste down some of the pleats on the back... just enough to keep them from sticking out too much.



Hair and accessories... fail. I love this necklace and earrings, but the necklace doesn't work with this top as well as I hoped:

(Curses! I thought I had a stored pic, but I don't see one in my photobucket! It's the same necklace in the header photo)

The earrings went OK, though:



I couldn't figure out if the jacket is black-and-white, or if it "reads" gray. Because I want to wear it with my navy pants, I puzzled on this. I decided to take my cue from the buttons and lining, which are gray. Good call?



Jacket: Worthington from JC Penney
Top: via Goodwill
Pants: Lane Bryant
Necklace: Premier Designes gift from M-I-L
Earrings: Premier Designs gift from Hubby

Date night

Saturday night, Hubby and I went to see Squeaky's husband in a community theater play. I broke out my new top I scooped up for $2 out-of-pocket after applying a $10 coupon:



I stitched the fold over the bust into place so that it doesn't gape, and basted the darts in the bust into place as well. Then I added the elastic belt from an old pair of pants that are too small for me at the moment.

I also just picked up the "ponte knit" pants at Lane Bryant on clearance for $10. They are so comfortable, and drape well rather than nip in at the knee like most of my pants do... I hate that!

I wondered whether I shoould try to accessorize with color, but Hubby liked these earrings best:



Add the vintage evening bag, white hair flower, and red lips for the only spot of color, and I'm all set for date night!

After the play, we went (late, but I called ahead) to a girlfriend's birthday party at the pub. All in all, a really nice evening.

Top: via JC Penney
Pants: Lane Bryant
Earrings: Lia Sophia
Evening bag: via consignment shop

Edited to add: Drat! I didn't realize until I saw Bella's comment that I didn't paste in the pic of the bag:

Not sure i like these together:

The necklace is actually feather over mother-of-pearl. And I love it. But the detail seems overwhelmed by the bold print. Oh well... I will try my beauty with something else.



I also broke out one of my new self-made hair clips:



Yep... the necklace really doesn't go with any of this, really.

But at least my white linen jacket goes well with the outfit:



Jacket: Kasper via consignment shop
Top: Alfani from Macy's
Hair clip: made by me
Necklace: purchased in an art museum in Jackson, Mississippi

Brrrr...

Today, I almost wore my green cableknit sweater one more time before packing it away for the summer, but figured it would be a bit too warm outside. So I grabbed this top instead:



I was dead wrong. It was cool and rainy all day, and I was a bit chilly all day. The linen jacket didn't help much.

And this is a horrible photo of me- I look like my cheek is sliding down!
I need to pay closer attention to the modelling tips on "America's Next Top Model". Like tips aimed at emaciated teenagers will help me flatter my aging chub!

I wore yesterday's pants, earrings, and jacket. The only change was the top and scarf:



Top: Ann Taylor outlet
Pants: Lane Bryant
Jacket: Kasper via consignment shop
Earrings: gift from a friend
Scarf: Louve museum shop in Paris, France.

Monday... now my posting is up-to-date!

Monday was my vaguely Western outfit... likely inspired by Sunday's family outing to a local museum specializing in Western Art, with many exhibits exploring pop culture imagery versus realism.



With a few changes from my recent posting of the same outfit: a new, self-made hair clip which vaguely reminds me of the Sheriff badges from old Westerns:



This one also spins!

And my trusty green earrings, like pebbles in a creekbed:



I forgot to take a photo with my off-white linen jacket I wore for court... but it doesn't fit in with the "Western" theme, anyway....

Top: VanHusen outlet
Pants: Lane Bryant
Earrings: gift from a friend
Hair clip: made by me

Belated Friend Friday... again

My outfit from Friday:



Look! No underlayer! And my new Fashion Bug earrings:



I forgot to take a pic with my jacket... but I'm sure I will do a better repost soon.

Friend Friday: Outside Influence

1. What magazines do you subscribe to?

Nothing having to do with fashion... National Geographic, various Bar publications, Life in the Finger Lakes, and Taste of Home. I don't actually cook, but I like to collect recipes and cookbooks. I call it "food-porn".

2. Do you watch any fashion TV shows?

Oh, yes! I used to watch a ton of BBC and TLC versions of "What Not to Wear", but now I'm more into "How Do I Look?". Stinky likes to watch them with me... though some would think it odd for a nine-year-old boy. We also love "Project Runway"- Stinky is acquiring a discerning eye for detail!

3. Beyond blogs, what websites do you frequent for fashion inspiration?

I don't.

4. Advertisements play a huge role in forming public opinion about a product or brand… what ads do you like and why?

I don't really pay that much attention to them. Not because I'm a purist, but because I don't really see fashion magazines anymore, and I'm such a difficult fit that it's hard to get excited about clothes I know will look like crap on me.

5. Do you own any fashion books?

Oh yes! "Dress Smart- Women" by Kim Johnston Gross and Jeff Stone, "A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style" by Tim Gunn, "Big City Look" by Vincent Roppate and Sherry Suib Cohen, and "What Not to Wear" by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine.

They are all about putting together classic, refined, but still interesting wardrobes that a professional can live and work in. Creating a better-looking reality rather than an editorial fantasy like the fashion magazines.

My project

...started when I decided to repair a few of my hair catches. My white hair flower was coming loose from the base, and the black one lost it's clip.

Ta-da!



Glue gun to the rescue!



The pale thing in the center is a piece of plastic I put in the clip so it wouldn't get glued shut. Now I'm stuck with it (ew... no pun intended!), but no one should see that anyway.

I then went to Michael's and picked up some stuff to make more hair clips:



Then got to work:



OK, the big wad of hot glue isn't elegant, but I'm only making them for myself, so the unseen parts don't have to be pretty. I used the paperboard the fixings came on rather than plastic to keep the clip from sticking shut this time:



One of the finished products:



Each layer spins a little given a bit of movement!

I've made everything but the fake orchids. Maybe I'll get to that this weekend.

Catching up

Between photo-fails, Blogger problems, issues with the factory reset on my phone, and my job pretty much kicking my butt lately... I'm a bit behind in my blogging.

I missed you guys!

I'll toss up the few pics I still have from over the last couple weeks, but can no longer tell you precisely when a particular outfit was worn.



As you see: a photo-fail! But I wanted to show the new pairing of this color necklace with my purple button-down. I really need to wear that again so I can post better photos.

And I've already posted this outfit:



But the new part of it was the hairclip made by me:



Which I'll get into in my next post.

My quickie disguise

Another morning I just couldn't seem to get out of bed on time. *Yawn* It's soooo exhausting, being this glamorous. *Bwahahaha!* I couldn't even type that with a straight face.

Kinda cool, definitely raining... what top to wear with yesterday's pants? I wanted a lighter sweater because the turtleneck wouldn't fit under my beige jacket, and the only ones it would work with are too warm for today:



I bet you think I put the scarf on as a sash for a fashion statement? Ha! My navel-ring and some chub started peeking out as I was brushing my hair. This was the "oh no, I don't have time to change!" solution.



I didn't have time to wash my hair, and since I always put it up at night (I hate the feel on my neck), it was BUSHY for the first time in my life!



Note to self: do my ironing for tomorrow TONIGHT. I don't have anything else I can use tomorrow that doesn't need ironing and is clean!

Sweater: Chico's
Scarf: Chico's
Jacket: Talbot's Petite
Pants: Lane Bryant
Earrings: JC Penney
Necklace: Ann Taylor outlet

Styling my freebie

Last weekend, I took my Kohl's $10 off coupon in search of a new bra. I wanted to try the Playtex no-slip strap one I've seen on TV... I have a short torso, and slippage is a true annoyance.

Apparently, they don't stock my cup size (surprisingly ginormous), so I had to order it. And they don't take the coupon for the order... fine!

So I raided the clearance rack, and found this beauty for $7.80... meaning FREE for me:

Edited to add: a button came off in the wash before these photos were taken. I wore it the day I got it, but slopped clarified butter during my Red Lobster "Lobster Fest" chowdown.



That was my look for my all-day Continuing Legal Ed about DNA evidence on Friday. The lectures were actually pretty interesting.... but I think the sweater looks better with slacks than with those jeans:



Less bulk around the tummy and hips.

So this was my outfit for a "semi-formal" Boy Scout awards dinner for Stinky on Sunday. Hubby and I were the best-dressed people there.... I guess "semi-formal" doesn't mean what we thought!

(I was going to post a handsome photo of Hubby and Stinky here, but it's not sending from Hubby's phone for some unknown reason)

Before I hear it from anyone else: I do not agree with the politics of the organization's national leadership. If Stinky were my own child, I never would have allowed him to join. But I am a stepparent, and do not get to make these decisions. I just need to clap, smile, and keep my views to myself.

Sweater: Croft and Barrow
Jeans/pants: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Ariat
Earrings: I forgot

Monday pants for the lazy

I'm just going to start calling my brown nubby pants my "Monday Pants". Why? Because after a day or two hanging up after I do laundry... they no longer need ironing. Perfect for my Monday-morning snooze-button abuse.



Goooo lazy!

It's finally warm enough to wear another no-iron wonder:



I know I wore this exact outfit a zillion times last year, so I won't get too detailed. I was throughly sick of this top by winter... but it emerges again.

My hair is a fail... when I had the barette higher, the elastic showed. Lower... it's just weird:



I think I will save it for a fall, instead of the more gathered-up look I've been sporting lately.

Top: VanHusen outlet
Pants: Lane Bryant
Jacket: Talbot's Petite
Jewelry: made by me