plumb pleased

For my second interview with ANP (Anonymous Non-Profit, anyone?), I wanted to keep the same "business, but not stuffily-corporate" vibe, but I didn't want to overdo the dress + jacket combo.   After having great success with purple hues last week, I settled on my silk plum skirt, an silk ivory button-down, and a 3/4-sleeved jacket in dark gray.  Black tights and my "Harper" pumps rounded out the ensemble. 

As a wee first year law student with summer clerkship interviews looming, I high-tailed it to the Banana Republic outlet and picked up two suits (one black and one brown), and one shirt (this one!)... four years later, I still wear all five pieces.  I'm not usually a huge fan of button downs under suits (because I tend to feel like an FBI agent when I do so), but I love the feminine detail on this shirt.  If only it were a couple of inches longer... if I'm wearing a skirt that sits lower like this one, the shirt often rides up and becomes untucked... not cool! 

Gray 3/4-Sleeve Jacket - Ann Taylor

Short-Sleeved, Silk, Ivory Tuxedo Shirt - Banana Republic Outlet ('06)

Silk Plum Skirt - J.Crew (Winter 2009)

Black Tights - Merona via Target

Black Patent & Suede "Harper" Pumps - J.Crew (Fall 2009)

Pave Ball Earrings - Banana Republic

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present 

Gold "C" Cuff - Coach

{btw: I got the job!}

shrieking violets

First up... my interview ensemble from Thursday morning!

The organization I'm interviewing with is not a private law firm, so I wanted to steer clear of the Big Black Corporate Power Suit while still appearing professional.  A non-matchy dress + jacket combo did the trick just dandily along with my Interview / Court Hose and black bow pumps. 

And I suppose the outfit did the trick, as I'm going in for a second interview on Monday!  Yay! 

Violet Dress - Banana Republic

Black Suit Jacket - Banana Republic

"Blackest Black" Sheer Hose - Leggs (yes, $3.99 drugstore variety)

Black Flannel "Molly" Pumps - J.Crew (Fall 2009)

Gold Figure-Eight Earrings - present

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

... and taking violet casual later that afternoon for lunch (and, um, margaritas) with B!

I purchased this shirt on my first major shopping endeavor since I became unemployed.  Thanks to birthday money and the 15% discount from Anthro, I came home with three stellar spring / summer pieces.  I have a love/hate relationship with this pairing...love being obvious (ruffles! mini pom-poms! delicate lattice buttons!)... and the hate... I kind of feel like either a four year old on a cool Easter morning or a entry level student at Clown College.  Oh well. 

Violet "Jackie" Cardigan - J.Crew (here)

"Friendly Competition" Top - Odille via Anthropologie (here)

"Always Skinny" Jeans - GAP

Gold Metallic "Reva" Flats - Tory Burch via Neiman Marcus

Pave Ball Earrings - Banana Republic

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present 

mixin' prints

Yesterday, I did not mix shit. I did, however, mix prints.  Which is not the same thing at all.  But might kind-of-sort-of rhyme.  If you're Heidi Montag Pratt, that is.

I swear, if J.Crew does not bring back the Juliets then WE. ARE. OVER. For reals. 

Cashmere Argyle Sweater - Banana Republic (Winter 2008)

"Always Skinny" Jeans - GAP

Serengeti "Juliet" Pumps - J.Crew (BRING THEM BACK)

Skystone Necklace - Anthropologie (Winter 2009)

acidic victorian

I dreamed that I wore this outfit last night (no lie)... except that I had a burnt orange bustier on over the whole thing.  That last tidbit seemed a tad ambitious, but the remaining pieces made for an interesting combination...

Acid Green Short-Sleeved Boyfriend Cardigan - J.Crew

Eggplant Victorian Ruffle Silk Shell - J.Crew

"Always Skinny" Jeans

Eggplant Patent Ballet Flats - Jessica Simpson via Nordstrom

Blush Metallic Skinny Belt - J.Crew

Gold Flower Earrings - J.Crew

Ivory & Gold Cuff - Banana Republic

Silk Flower Cocktail Ring - Etsy Seller Vie Moderne

drinks in a blue dress...

{...blue dress, blue dress!  drinks with a blue dress on!}

Meeting one of my very favs, HDH, for drinks and dinner tonight... which requires real clothes!  Yay!

Hot rollers are my besties after letting my hair go ass-wild-crazy air-dry!

Blue Empire Mini Dress - Muse via Nordstrom

Leggings - Hue via Nordstrom

Suede Stack-Heel Pump - Tory Burch via Gilt

Blue Drop Earrings - gift

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Gold Tassel Necklace - gift

Ivory & Gold Bangle - Banana Republic

productive member of society

Today... I got dressed!  I put on makeup!  And a bra with underwire!  I ran errands!  I wrote cover letters!  I baked Evs' favorite cookies (whether I did this out of the goodness of my heart or because I wanted cookie dough for lunch, you'll never know)!  I also purchased his coveted cinnamon pop tarts even though I think they are despicable and constitute a prime example of all that is wrong with America's food today!

Pretty much: I rock.

{even more so because of the fantastical giveaway on EA today!  (shameless plug)}

Anyhoo, this is what I wore whilst practicing fabulosity:

Baker's Delight Apron - Athropologie (here)

Silicon Oven Mit - Bed, Bath, & Beyond

Camel Silk-blend Sweater - Banana Republic (eons ago)

"Real Straight" Jeans - GAP (here)

Patent Serengeti "Juliet" Pumps - J. Crew

Skystone Necklace - Anthropologie

Gold Chain Figure-8 Earrings - Christmas gift

Terrier - Joshua, Texas

ayudame

So, Confession: I used to be a bit secretly judgmental of the stay-at-home-types who schlepped around in glorified sweatsuits all day.  Is it that hard to get dressed?

Um, yes.

The Bitch Named Karma continues to rear its ugly head because, for the past two days, I've been the ultimate Sweat Suit Schlepper - and not even the cutesy, matching kind.  When your big daily date with functioning adult society consists purely of a couple hours at the gym and a grocery store run, I consider matching socks a victory.  And, as hard as I've tried to teach The Boom about accessorizing, she just looks at me funny if I fold laundry in a statement necklace.

So apologies for the lack of fashion-inspired posts.  HOWEVER, I do need some opinions...

Unemployment = No Shopping for Katers.  Exception: Free Stuff.  I wracked up enough credits on RueLaLa (join here!) to purchase this dress by Theory:

Full-body ruffles are not usually a look that I take a chance on since my body is, well, fuller.  But its a free dress, I love the color (aptly titled "black cherry" - a very deep raspberry), and I thought it might work for either a wedding I have in a couple of weeks or a party being thrown on my birthday (sadly, not a party for me).  But, alas, I'm not sure if this is a keeper or not:

Let's play Pro/Con:

Pros:

- pretty color

- comfy

- allows for "fat days"

- my normal size fits!  (truth be told, this is not a reason to keep anything but since its made by notoriously-small Theory, I did do a little happy dance when I slid it on!)

Cons:

- entirely too short to transition into day-wear, even with tights

- I feel like a bon-bon... and not in a "damn, I look delicious!" sort of way

Thoughts?  Opinions?  I'm leaning towards sending it back.  It is not a "need" piece.

Also - to answer some emails I received regarding the Wunder Under Pants by Lululemon:

- Yes, they are SUPER long - I can easily roll them up into capris if I want.  But!  Lululemon will hem any of their pants for free... even if you purchase online, take them into your nearest store and they'll fix you right up!

- I purchased the plain, ole, regular Wunder Unders... I can't vouch for any of the fleece-lined or amped up varieties... but I love all my Lululemon pieces so any of their inventory is worth a try!

- No, I do not have skinny legs.  In fact, they are feeling quite wobbly at the moment.  However, I do not feel like a cow in these... which is excellent.

headed to victory!

My travel outfit to LAX (please excuse the blatant sucking-in pose... just-washed-jeans and all):

I usually like to wear flats whilst flying the friendly skies but the boots are comfy and take up too much room in the checked baggage.  I like to carry on my coat as well to save room.

Orange Sweatshirt-Sweater - GAP

"Always Skinny" Jeans - GAP

Boots - Ariat

Quilted Coat - Calvin Klein via Nordstrom

Horn Hat - The Co-op

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

HOOK 'EM! 

auditions, part deux fail

Auditions were cancelled today.

Because I wore yoga pants.

And at 9:19 p.m., I am still wearing said yoga pants.

Plus they are navy, not burnt orange.

Its been that kind day.  Apologies.

But... BUT!  I do want to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to literally the best yoga/running tights ever made, ever, ever, ever.  I received these Lululemon Wunder Under Pants for Christmas and I think I've worn them every day since, save for when they are on my clothesline drying.**

{Unforch, not my thighs}

Reasons Why These are the Best Yoga/Running Tights Ever Made, Ever Ever, Ever++:

• (1) As with all of Lululemon's pants, these suckers are LONG.  Like, one more half-inch and I would have to get these hemmed.  As a semi-freakishly-tall-female, this NEVER happens. 

• (2) Waist band curves upward = no muffin tops! 

• (3) The fabric is thick and sucks you in... almost as if Spanx made a legging... but totally comfortable.  Total Slim-fest for all your wobbly bits! 

• (4) I put these on my wish-list to facilitate some of my 2010 fitness goals - I've had no chafe on my runs (although, full disclosure: its not like I'm running 10 milers yet, but still) and they stay in place when working out.  What I did not anticipate is that these would make such fabulous "fashion leggings" as well.  They are matte but hopefully they won't fade with wear because they've already surpassed my Hue leggings as my new favorite "fart around" outfit staple. 

So there you have it.  No gratuitous photos today (but perhaps some shots are in order in the airplane bathroom tomorrow?), but if you're looking for a fabulosity-injection into your workout wardrobe, the Wunder Unders will not disappoint!

** I don't really have a clothesline. I have one of those foldy-outty, accordion things.  But clothesline sounds adorably provincial, yes?

++ Totally unsolicited rave about Lululemon.  But as always, I am not above being solicited.  In a non-prostitute-sort-of-way, obvs.

zip zag cheap chic

I love a good bargain.  However, I am not what one would call a Bargain Huntress.

Yes, I am a force to be reckoned with come 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. CST when Gilt Groupe and RueLaLa sales pop up.  And I wield a very discerning eye during the never ending J.Crew Final Sales.

But I can't do TJ Maxx or Ross or the like.  Cannot. Cannot. Cannot.  I know people find ridiculously awesome things there but piles of unorganized items make my heart race in a not-so-good sort of way.  So to those who find $200 designer jeans for $59.95?  I salute you!  But I will not be joining your ranks.

What I can do - in a big way - is Target.  I pink-puffy-heart-with-glitter-sprinkles-and-rainbow-ponies Target.  In college and law school, if I was feeling a little blue, I'd hightail it to the nearest red bullseye and fill up a shopping cart with all the things I'd like to buy.  Then I'd pick one to actually purchase.  In hindsight, this was probably an insanely evil way to torture Target employees, but it made me feel better.  {a big fat karmic Lo Siento! to the clerks of the Winston-Salem and Waco Targets!}

Anyhoo, yesterday, whilst braving the Its Almost Christmas Crowds, I scored this little number for $29.99!

Its been floating around the blogosphere in black and white, but I was smitten with the eggplant and black combo!

Its the perfect sweater dress for Texas weather - cuddly and covering, but not too warm.  The dress comes with a black tie belt, but it hit me at a very unfortunate location so I opted out... would also pair well with a thick belt (a black one of which my closet is sorely lacking!).

Zig Zag Sweater Dress - Mossimo via Target

Black Footless Tights - Hue

Suede Boots - Cole Haan via Nordstrom (Winter 2008)

Gold & Amethyst Earrings - Kendra Scott via Gilt Fuse

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Gold Chain Link Necklace - J.Crew (Summer 2009)

beetlejuice, beetlejuice, __________

Shake! Shake! Shake, Senora! Work Your Body Line! 

Work! Work! Work, The Terrier! Work It All The Time! 

I purchased this open cardy for supa-dupa-cheap so as to cancel out ANOTHER PURCHASE that I made for SOMEONE ELSE the other day.  If you follow me on Twitter, I think you know what I mean.  And I'm a-likin' it (the cardy, not the other... um, thing).  I tried it on with skinny jeans and slouchy flat boots, but the overall look was a tad too Emo for me.  Or maybe it was the lipstain.  Who knows!  The final ensemble includes some of my favorite shoes ever that I keep meaning to sell or donate because they are way past their prime... but they were such a fabulous eBay purchase... I will be sad to part with them!

Black & Gray Stripe Open Cardigan - Francesca's Collection

Black Lace Cami - Banana Republic

Jeans - Joe's Jeans

Suede Spectators - BCBG via eBay

Van Cleef Turquoise Clover Knock-Off - Francesca's

Gold C's Medallion Necklace - Coach

Bauble Cocktail Ring - J.Crew

for old times sake

I'm one of those total dweebs who enjoys interviews.  Maybe its because I like meeting new people.  More likely its due to the fact that I am fond of talking about myself in a way only an only child can.  Regardless, it was oddly nice to ease back into my groove after more than 3 years off the circuit.

I say "ease" since my appointment this afternoon was just a meeting with a local recruiter, rather than an actual interview.  So fear not - given this glorious economy of ours, there are likely a few more moons of casual wear coming your way!

But for today... another bathroom in corporate America!

And another mirrored elevator!

As you can see, I play it pretty safe when it comes to unknown professional situations.  And had this been a real interview, you would have seen tights or hose, instead of that sweet bruise of unknown origin on my shin.

Polka Dot Cowl Neck Shell - Banana Republic

Jacket - Banana Republic

Pencil Skirt - Ann Taylor

Black Suede & Patent "Harpers" - J.Crew

Gold Flower Earrings - J.Crew

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Gold & Ivory Bangle - Banana Republic

Bag - Marc Jacobs

chunky sweater repeat

This is one of those looks that Evs doesn't "get."  Apparently there's a bit too much layering going on and "a belt that seems to serve no purpose." 

Beh.  What does he know.

And, yep, wearing the same sweater from Monday... another newly discovered perk of unemployment?  Only the dog and the postman bear witness to my repeat wardrobe offenses! 

Chunky Black Sweater - Banana Republic

Silk Tunic Dress - Tucker via Gilt Groupe

Black Leggings - Hue via Nordstrom

Metallic Gunmetal "Lissie" Flats - Tory Burch via Neiman Marcus

Blue Drop Earrings - gift from eons ago

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Ivory and Gold Chunky Bangle - Banana Republic

Pink Faux Snakeskin Belt - The Limited

i know what you're thinking

What you're thinking is OH HOLY MOTHER OF CHEESEBALLS, IS SHE WEARING AQUA JEANS?

Why, yes.  Yes, I am!

Okay, so they're a little "1992 Throwback," but in a good way.

I think.  I hope.

These Rich & Skinny Jeans (which, can we talk about the most genius brand name EVER?) were a summer staple paired with Grecian sandals and long t-shirts.  I wasn't sure how well they'd transition into winter-wear but I think they did okay today!

Longer shirts with these jeans are a must since R&S seems to cut most of their pants to a lower rise... and I like my jeans to fall dangerously close to Momsville.  Yeah, I know but Hips + Low Rise = Muffin Tops... Phooey!

Overall... Over-Accessorized?  We have the gold belt and the metallic flats with rhinestones and the leather/pearl/crystal/gold necklace and some micro-pave stud earrings... Nope!  Just right!

Black Turtle Neck - Banana Republic

Black Boyfriend Cardigan - White + Warren

White Cami - Target

Aqua Straight Legged Jeans - Rich & Skinny

Gunmetal Lissie Flats - Tory Burch via Neiman Marcus

Micro Pave Earrings - Banana Republic

Mixed Media Necklace - Adia Kibur via Gilt Fuse

Black Faux-Croc Belt - Banana Republic

call me cosby

We're getting creative over here at ITPitB!  New day, new weather forecast, new photo-taking-time.

Today, its just me... sittin' all casual-like on the Yellow Painterly Paisley.  You know, totally natural.

Pretty much in love with my Crazy Cosby Cardigan (sadly, not the official Anthropologie name). Funky covered buttons?  Check!  Teeny-tiny hook-and-eye closures to prevent Gaping Button Boobage?  Check!

Also?  GAP Always Skinnies?  SO EASY to tuck into boots (even these that pull on rather than zip up)!  Seriously, if you are looking for a pair of skinny jeans, you cannot beat these for $69!  {Which I am not just saying because I got these for promo-ing GAP - I've spent my own money on a second pair, I love them so much!}

"Crazy Cosby Cardigan" - Moth via Anthropologie

Creamsicle Silk Shell - Banana Republic

Always Skinny Jeans - GAP

Brown Leather Boots - Banana Republic

Amethyst & Gold Feather Earrings - Kendra Scott via Gilt Fuse

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Hammered Gold Bangles - Kendra Scott via Gilt Fuse