Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Darker Floral

I think I probably have this dress in several different versions, but I just can't resist a cute dress at 75% off. Actually, my mom treated me to this dress when we went shopping together a few weeks ago. Our trips to Belk at Phipps Plaza, with a stop at Starbucks for Chai tea lattes, are becoming something of a ritual with us.


Dress: French Connection Gardini Fit and Flare Dress (no longer available)

Sandals: Stuart Weitzman Soundtrack High Heel Sandals

I'm surprised I look at all bright-eyed today, since I did not get a good night's sleep last night. It's my own fault for watching The Fall, a show I just started viewing on Netflix, right before bed. It's about a serial killer who stalks professional young women in their early 30s -- and then murders them -- and about the lead detective hunting him down. Gillian Anderson from The X-Files plays the detective, and since it's a British series, each season is only a handful of episodes. I have two left in the first season, so of course you know what I'll be doing tonight. You'll also recognize Archie Panjabi, Kalinda from The Good Wife, playing a pathologist.

The show rattled me so much I must have gotten up about five times to check to make sure there was no one in the house. I also had to put on The Princess Bride to distract me as I was trying to fall asleep. I'm almost done reading Cary Elwes's book on the making of the movie: As You Wish. It's a fun little read, and since I have it in hard copy (instead of on my Kindle), I've been keeping it next to my bed to read when I'm sleepy... but not quite ready to close my eyes.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

All in the Design

I have a lot of dresses, but there is one type of dress that I will always avoid: any dress with a drop waist. You have to be stick thin to pull off that look, with no hips or belly, and it's just not a silhouette that works well on my frame. Today's dress has probably the closest thing to a drop waist I will ever buy, and that's a flared hem. But the dress was so comfortable, and I had to travel for work, so it was a great choice for the day.


Dress: Taylor Navy and White Floral Jacquard Sleeveless Fit-And-Flare Dress

I found the dress at Belk this past weekend when I was scouring the clearance racks for cute dresses in my size. I paid only around $30 for it. I love a great deal! You can still find it at Bluefly (on sale) and Nordstrom, or perhaps check out your local Belk store. I've been impressed with the selection at the Phipps Plaza location in Atlanta.

Sandals: Kate Spade New York in Gold/Khaki (no longer available)

My calves are so sore after running in the Lauren's Run 5K over the weekend to benefit childhood cancer research. There were so many hills on the course. Amazingly, after a slow start (I thought the race started at 8:15, not 8:05, so I didn't have my music cued up), I ended up finishing third for my age group. It was a fun day, one I have spent with my parents the last three years. I love that there is something the three of us do together. (My dad ran the 5K, and my mom walked the 2K.) We had beautiful weather in Atlanta, and it was wonderful to be out enjoying the spring sunshine.

My mom took the picture below of me with my bronze medal. After struggling with childhood asthma (that I have since outgrown), I just never had much of an interest in sports during my school days. I was always the one who preferred writing for the school paper or serving as the student council secretary. Finally, when I'm almost in my 40s, I've found my 'stride' in a competitive sport. It's funny how life always manages to surprise you!


Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Why I Love the Sheath Dress

Sheath dresses are such an easy win for working women. They are ready-made outfits that you can easily dress up or down depending on your footwear and accessories. While they hug a woman's curves, they are often very flattering as well, providing shape and giving extra emphasis to an hourglass figure. The sheath dress portrays a more commanding figure; you are going to sit up and listen to the woman who enters a room wearing a sheath dress. (Are they the next generation's pantsuit?) Best of all, they are a great "transition" dress between day and nighttime wear. You can start your day in a sheath dress at the office and easily wear it out to dinner or drinks that evening.

Can you tell I like this dress type for the office? I tend to save my sheath dresses for days when I will be more active as opposed to sitting behind my desk creating marketing plans and strategies. I just feel like people take me more seriously in this type of dress. Do you agree?

Today's dress was a find on my favorite site, RueLaLa.com. Leave a comment or message me if you'd like an invitation. I really recommend this site because the featured items are truly a good deal, as opposed to sites like Gilt where the savings are only superficial. MyHabit.com is another good deal site. I often find dresses for around 75% off the retail price.


Dress: Tahari ASL Diamond Patterned Sheath Dress

Booties: Prada Leather Cutout Ankle Booties

I'm such a sucker for a "matchy-matchy" outfit. The diamond pattern in my booties perfectly match the diamond pattern in the dress.

Shout out to Erin for loving my recent slew of blue and purple dresses. It's so cool that people actually read this blog.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Flowers on the Brain

I'm definitely in a springtime state of mind, since floral patterns seem to be dominating my latest dress choices. This dress is by one of my favorite designers, Trina Turk, in a professional sheath silhouette and painted water lily print.


I was so excited to get this dress, as Trina Turk dresses tend to fit my body really well and are both flattering and feminine. I had my eye on this dress for awhile before it finally went on sale. I don't like to buy anything at full-price... and I really can't with my dress and shoe obsession!

Dress: Trina Turk Kurdson Floral Sheath Dress

If you like the print, you can also buy it in a short-sleeved version.

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik BB Suede Ankle Strap Pumps

On Lips: NARS Pago Pago Lipstick in Shimmering Pink

The Pago Pago color is a great neutral shade if you're looking to add just a touch of color to your lips. It's really closer to a nude color on me.

Hair: I've started putting coconut oil on my hair just for about an hour or so a day (while I workout), and I've noticed the ends are not as dry as they used to be. I also started using ALTERNA Haircare Bamboo Silk-Sleek Brilliance Cream, which I just love, before blowing my hair dry in the mornings.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Remembering Ella

A dear member of our extended family passed away this week: Ella Gibbons. She was my one and only "niece," and I will always remember how sweet she was with George and Izzie, her love of swimming and the backyard pool in Daphne, and her overall good nature. She was covered in fur, and she will forever be in our hearts. R.I.P., sweet Ella.




Monday, April 11, 2016

Saturday Night Dinner

Today's dress is actually one I wore this past Saturday, when Chapin and I had dinner with friends at one of our favorite Atlanta restaurants, Better Half.


Dress: Shoshanna Floral Print Silk-Chiffon Dress (no longer available)

Here is a similar style on the brand's website, Shoshanna.com.

Wedges: Kate Spade New York (no longer available)

Better Half is a fairly casual restaurant, but I knew I wanted to wear a dress (of course), so I dressed down the look with wedges. Heels, to me, always dress at outfit up. I also kept my neck bare to draw attention to the gorgeous floral print. I just think it's so pretty.

And in case you didn't get it, my blog post title today is moonlighting as an oh so subtle Gilmore Girls reference. I am super excited for the upcoming revival on Netflix, and plan to binge watch the four, 90-minute episodes with plenty of caffeine, junk food, and -- hopefully -- both my sisters on hand. We are all three huge Gilmore Girls fans. I can't wait for the episodes to be released, which I think will be around Christmastime. "Oy with the poodles already!"

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Confetti

I was very drawn to this Anne Klein dress because of its extra flare, as well as the fun "confetti" design and pastel color scheme. It just seemed like a great way to celebrate the arrival of Spring. Despite the pollen, I am enjoying seeing all the greenery around me come to life. Every day seems so beautiful.



Dress: Anne Klein Printed Seamed Fit and Flare Dress

Sandals: Studio Pollini (no longer available)

If I look extra tired today, it's because our house alarm woke us up around 2 a.m. Our power had gone out at some point during the night due to a bad storm, and the back-up battery for the alarm started failing. As a result, the alarm just started going off as if someone was breaking in. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, but it had us out of bed and scrambling for a solution for at least 30 minutes. And Norman and Wally were also very rattled by the noise. What a night!

Speaking of those two rascals, they are still fighting, and Chapin and I are trying to work harder on their training to help curb the ever present tension. The last few days, since an incident the other night when Norman almost took poor Wally's ear off, we have been keeping them separated. It's been extremely stressful, but we are committed to doing right by both dogs. I don't think they will every be friends, though, which is so sad! Why can't we all just get along?

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Fun With Prints

I had a hard time deciding on the best shoes to go with this sweater dress, but I finally decided on these Kate Spade pumps. I love how some of the designers on Project Runway mix prints, and often the results are inspiring and fresh. That's why I wanted to try wearing a more structured shoe print with the relaxed scallop design of this dress. What do you think of the overall look?


Dress: CeCe by Cynthia Steffe Short Sleeve Fit and Flare Sweater Dress

Pumps: Kate Spade New York Larisa Dress Pumps

The pumps are no longer available in this particular print, but you can find them in other options on sites like Amazon.

Monday, April 4, 2016

Go Go 80s

I am a child of the 80s, and thus 1980s pop culture is extremely special to me, especially when it comes to the music, movies and TV shows that dominated by early years.
  • I collected Strawberry Shortcake dolls and Garbage Pail Kids.
  • I watched working moms try to "have it all" on sitcoms like The Cosby ShowFamily Ties and Growing Pains (shows I think must have had a subconscious influence on me).
  • My favorite cartoons included He-Man, Muppet Babies, Voltron, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and many more. I loved TV growing up.
  • I had a poster of Michael J. Fox up on my closet door; I loved him, Alex P. Keaton, and Back to the Future!
  • Book Fair Week was my favorite time of year; I devoured books like The Baby-Sitters Club (Ann M. Martin), the Sweet Valley High series, and anything from Judy Blume.
  • I watched sappy love stories over and over on VHS, from Pretty in Pink to Girls Just Want to Have Fun, and I'll always have a soft spot for Andrew McCarthy.
My dad would say I'm sentimental, but I just loved the 80s!

With my sisters in the mid-80s.

And best of all was the music. I was known as "the 80s Queen" in high school, because I would blast 80s music while working on the school newspaper.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to see Belinda Carlisle in concert at Center Stage. In case you don't know her, she was the lead singer of The Go-Gos, one of the most successful all-female groups of all-time, and she went solo with hits like "Heaven in a Place on Earth" and "I Get Weak."


My friend, Elizabeth, and I had a wonderful girls night out on Saturday, going to dinner at Steel Restaurant and Lounge, then hitting the concert. Our tickets were AWESOME, and it was so much fun to sing along to the songs that I remember so well from my childhood.

Of course, I had to dress up in my version of today's 80s fashion: blue eye shadow, big earrings, hot pink lipstick, neon colors, the works!


Dress: French Connection

Sandals: SJP Sarah Jessica Parker

Clutch: Target

Earrings: Target

Jelly Bracelets: Authentic 80s (I collected those, as well as pins on my jean jacket!)