Silky smooth [outfit]

Ann Taylor Factory Store top - 2011 - $12 on sale (similar) / Mossimo tank via Target - 2009 - $7 on sale (available) / BR Factory Store trousers - 2009 - $20 on sale (similar) / Mossimo gladiator sandals via Target - 2010 - $25 (similar) / American Eagle outlet necklace - 2011 - $4 on sale (similar) / Silver ball studs via Target - cheap (similar)

Outfit analysis: I'm sure this outfit breaks some rules...I have a loosely fitted top and relaxed trousers. No belt. No real shape to the shirt. But you know what? I love it. I found this great silky blouse a few months ago at the outlets, and I stuck it in my closet and forgot about it. I pulled it out last week to remind myself to wear it, and I decided just to keep it simple (I start small, remember?). It's one of those things that doesn't makes sense, but just works.
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I'm back! I know, you barely noticed I was gone (thank goodness for scheduled posts), but I was running around like a madwoman most of last week prepping for K's graduation and our family time in town. We're really lucky—our families get along swimmingly, and we basically spent Thursday afternoon through Sunday morning together (all 10 of us...whew).

Memorable moments from this weekend:

• Almost missing K's walk across the stage at graduation because the emcee called K by the WRONG NAME. 
• Hearing my 3-year-old nephew exclaim, "Your bed is in your living room!" when he saw our futon made up as a bed (for my brother).
• Discovering that I left my car unlocked for three days, parked four blocks from my apartment. Good thing we live in Davis.
• Eating. Lots of eating. And I cooked a meal for everyone, too.
• Watching my nephew tried using chopsticks for the first time. He plays the drums daily, so it was one stick per hand. While eating fried rice.
• Sending Ashlee home with three whopping bags for this weekend's Stitch Swap when all she came over for was a bike (she got the bike, too).

Although my two days off last week were great (and I got to unplug a bit...lots of catching up to do), it's good to be back!

Do you use your vacation days or do you let them gather dust?

My workwear: Brownie points

The Rundown:
Mossimo tee (from Target) - 2009 - gift from mom (similar)
Old Navy pants - 2008 - $20 (similar)
Banana Republic necklace - 2010 - $12 on clearance (similarish)
Enzo Angiolini shoes (from Nordstrom) - 2007 - $70 (similar)

What worked:
I love how the necklace made the tee more than just a tee--most of my coworkers thought it was part of the top until I started playing with it. I'd been pining after a statement necklace for a while, so when I saw this on clearance (marked down from $59.99) I knew I had to have it. It has the perfect laid back feel to add something special to a basic outfit but also has chains and a subtle sparkle that I love. Confession: I wore the same tee + necklace combo, but with jeans and sandals, all day Sunday. 

What didn't:
I loved this outfit when I was wearing it yesterday, but looking back, it looks a little bland. Next time I think I'll try some pin-striped pants and a ponytail to really show off the necklace (you can sort of see the multi-color chains in the close-up picture, but those are quite pretty, too). 

Do you like outfits that are basic in color or shape? Where do you turn first to spice up a basic outfit?

Knitting pretty

Another week down, another jean post.  The department I'm in at work probably wears jeans to the office more often than most business casual folks, but I think we do a pretty good job of keeping it neat and tidy.  Here's today's outfit:

 

Shirt: H&M - 2007 - $14; Vest: Old Navy - 2008 - $10 (sale); Jeans: Old Navy, 2010 - $12 (clearance); Belt: Gap - 2010 - $10 (sale);
Shoes: Nina (found at Ross) - 2009 - $16 (sale)

As you can probably tell by now, I have a few items in my wardrobe that make it in the rotation a lot.  A LOT.  These jeans and shoes are among those items.  The button up shirt is actually way small (newlywed weight gain, anyone?), but that's where the vest comes in handy to hide the bulging buttons (more on shirt fits in a future post).  I've also started unbuttoning the sleeves (although you can't tell in this pic).  On its own, the vest would also fits way too tight and reveals too much, both because of the cut and because the knit pattern in the front has lots of tiny little holes.

A quick detail shot of the vest's knitting:

On a more personal note, the curtains behind me in a lot of my outfit pics is actually my closet, the door to my right (your left) the bedroom door, and the space on the other side of me our office nook (where K works on his dissertation during the day and I sit and write these posts at night).  Our little apartment is converted from an office building (it's still retail downstairs), so there were no built-in closets.  The owners fitted the area by the door with some closet rods, and I got these curtains from Ikea to hide the mess.  In addition to housing (most) of my clothes--the dresser is still in the bedroom--this closet space also houses spare linens, sports equipment, camping equipment, and large hardware/home improvement equipment. How's that for multi-tasking?

Keeping it short and sweet today--it's the end of the week!  Going to visit some of my besties in the SF Bay Area (known them about 20 years already! How time flies!) and getting a camera tripod so that these pics won't be so blurry (K has been awesome taking most of the full-body ones, but neither of us are photographically inclined to begin with).  What do you have planned this weekend?