out-n-about

Pretty much obsessed with the Swirled Azita Tunic from Anthro...

Also pretty obsessed with the lighting in this very smoky rugby bar in Fort Worth... Usually, one can only dream of such fantastic fluorescent track fixtures whilst enjoying $6 pitchers of Miller Lite with a gaggle of men in stripey shirts and tiny net shorts. 

 And while we're obsessing, a Big Gracias to Ann Taylor for the inception of the Perfect Platform Pump in patent... beautifully made, heart-breakingly high, and both price and comfort are on the "decent" side (as far as 4 inch stilettos go, obvs).  And yes, that would have made me a whopping 6'1'' on Saturday night... thank goodness for tall husbands! 

Lastly... an Oldy but a Goody... a sherbet colored car coat in cotton chino... an Old Navy Cheapie from 6 years ago:

Swirled Azita Tunic - Anthropologie

"Always Skinny" Jeans - GAP

Perfect Platform Patent Pumps - Ann Taylor

Cotton Chino Car Coat - Old Navy

Ivory & Gold Statement Earrings - Amrita Singh via RLL

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Ivory & Gold Bangle - Banana Republic

birthday weekend + twisted pony tutorial

Friday Night Dinner Attire:

I usually wear this tunic / obscenely short dress with leggings or really, really thick black tights.  However, both leggings and said-tights were dirty on Friday... so I went with the gray.  Only to notice in the bathroom that I was sporting the very distinct "OMG She Forgot Her Pants Look."  Hence why I did not remove my coat until we sat down and then practically clawed the poor hostess when she attempted to take it from over my lap.  In theory, nearly pulling a Britney at the Ritz during NBA All-Star Weekend is pretty small potatoes, considering the potential high dollar hooker / slutty athlete groupie factor... but I had hoped to celebrate ANOTHER YEAR CLOSER TO THIRTY in an age-/hygienically-appropriate fashion.  Oh well.  There's always next year. 

Tunic "Dress" - Single via Elements in Dallas (Winter 2007)

Grey Tights - Hue via Nordstrom

Black Patent Peeptoe Platform Pumps - Nine West (2006)

Red Coat - Guess via Nordstrom (Winter 2007)

Blue Drop Earrings - present

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Gold Tassel Necklace - present

Ivory & Gold Cuff - Banana Republic

Saturday (movies)

Evs spoiled me rotten big-time this birthday.  I've been wanting a gold pair of Revas and figured that would be my only gift... Trixy Minx shocked me with the LV Speedy 30 that I've wanted since I discovered at the age of 10 that Louis Vuitton meant so much more than the bags laid on street corners in Chinatown (that discovery was an eye-opener!).  Way too much luxury for one measley ol' birthday, but I don't think I'll protest too much!  

Silk Magenta Deep-V Sweater - Banana Republic (Winter 2008)

Burnt Silk Rosette Cami- J.Crew (Winter 2009)

"Always Skinny" Jeans - GAP

Gold Reva Flats - Tory Birch - present

Gold Figure-8 Earrings - present

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Damier Azur Canvas "Speedy 30" - Louis Vuitton - present

How-To: Twisty Pony

This definitely works better with slightly-dirty hair!  If your hair is really slick / clean, tease the crown a bit and spray with a fine aerosol mist hairspray before styling to give your hair some grip.  

(1) Taking both your thumbs and tracing up from the outer points of each eyebrow, grab the very front section of your hair - ie: what is (or would be) your bangs and the hair immediately behind your bangs.  Twist loosely, creating a small bump or poof on the back of the crown of your head.  Secure with bobby pins.**

** Instead of fastening the bobby pins on either side of your twist, try sticking just one or two through the center of the twist - working the bobby pin from the bottom of the twist up towards the crown.  This is hard to describe in writing, but if you imagine the twist as a tube beginning at the crown of your head and pointing downward towards the back of your neck, you are going to stick the bobby pin into the tube pointing up towards the crown.  Securing the hair this way hides the pin.  Don't worry if it doesn't feel really secure - the other twists and the pony will hold it all in place. 

(2) Now, taking both your thumbs from behind each ear and tracing back towards the center of your head, create two more sections of hair.  Loosely twist each section in towards the back of the head, securing them together with bobby pins when they join together in the middle. 

(3) Pull the ends of the twists together with the rest of your hair and fasten with a hair rubberband.   Viola! 

It takes some practice to make everything look fluid together - one trick is to be sure and not pull anything too tight!  

Christmas Attire 2009

Spent a love-i-lee couple of days in Waco, Texas with the parentals, grandparentals, cousins and the like.  Evs said it was one of the finest Christmases ever.  I tend to agree.

Ensemble for Christmas Eve services and my grandparents' annual cocktail get-together:

I think this is the first velvet dress I've owned since I was 4 or 5... I love it - its simple and classic but a bit sassy!  The wedding of my very oldest friend is coming up in January and I think this will be just the ticket with some funkier tights!

Black Velvet Shirt Dress - Banana Republic (Winter 2009 - unforch, this is not available on the website but I bought it on sale, in store, a week ago)

Gray Tights - Hue

Black Patent & Suede "Harper" Pumps - J.Crew

Red Wool Coat - Guess via Nordstrom (Winter 2007)

Black & Red Scarf - Thailand street market

Gold Flower Earrings - J.Crew

Skystone Necklace - Anthropologie (Christmas gift from Evs' family)

Bauble Cocktail Ring - J.Crew

Worn for Christmas lunch and to see Into the Air (loved this movie, btw - mixed reviews from some of the other miembros de la familia, but I say two thumbs up!):

Rosette Cardigan - Ann Taylor Loft (Christmas gift from  my sweet grandparents!)

Lace Cami - Banana Republci

"Always Skinny" Jeans - GAP

Gunmetal "Lissie" Flats - Tory Burch via Neiman Marcus

Gilded Bonbon Earrings - Anthropologie (Christmas gift from Evs!)

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Ivory & Gold Bangle - Banana Republic

...aaaaaand for the always bittersweet December 26th:

And yep, leggings as pants again - I'm getting more an more comfortable with this look.

Black & Grey Striped Open Cardy - Francesca's Collection

Black Turtleneck - Banana Republic

Black Leggings - Hue via Nordstrom

Gunmetal "Lissie" Flats - Tory Burch via Neiman Marcus

Gold Chain Figure 8 Earrings - Christmas gift from my mom!

Skystone Necklace - Anthropologie

ruffles, two ways

Stripe-y Ruffled Button-Down from J.Crew... How I love thee, let me count the (two) ways!

Some days (mornings) you feel like V-neck blue cardigan and a metallic skinny belt!

Blue V-Neck Cardigan - Banana Republic

Stripe Ruffle Button-Down - J. Crew

Sexy Bootcut Jeans - GAP

Brown Mary Janes - Banana Republic

Mini Turquoise Clover Necklace - Francesca's Collection

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Gold Flower Cocktail Ring - J.Crew

Check out the $18 Van Cleef knock-off!  Total score!

And some days (afternoons) you feel like a magenta pullover and a thick stretchy belt!

Magenta Silk Sweater Pull-Over - Banana Republic

Stretchy Brown Belt - Merona via Target

But a punchy red coat is fabulous any day (time)!

Red Wool Coat - Guess via Nordstrom

casual friday; funky necklace

Its raining again in Seattle Dallas.  Happily, its Friday and we have fabulous plans this evening with HDH + M!  Yay for fun friends!

As stated previously, I love coats.  However, I do think its more than a bit silly to purchase multiple $200+ coats per year when I live in a warm climate.  Sure, I have my full-price J.Crew wonders, but those are few and far between + I wear them for seasons on end (my most recently retired black wool coat was a Christmas gift when I was 17!).  Everything else I try to purchase on mega-sale... or at Old Navy!  Ahhhh Old Navy, you are an Outwear Whore's Dream!  So many options and most under $60 - be still my wrapped-up-in-a-fluffy-pashmina heart!  This punchy canvas car coat (IRL its a bright coral-y pink color) is perfect for slightly chilly rainy days and is a fun option when a button pops off my trench coat as I'm headed out the door!  Bonus?  I believe I purchased this when I was a Junior in college... 6 years ago, people!

Pretty standard fare for Casual Friday... except for my fun new necklace... FREE from Gilt Fuse!  Well, okay, "free" with credits.  Which Evs likes to point out is not really free at all since its technically money I've already spent.  I like to think of it as Recycling.  LOOK HOW GREEN I AM!

And ahhhhhh seasonably inappropriate footwear!  Another thing I love about Texas weather... no one blinks an eye!  I'm usually somewhat of a stickler for those sorts of rules but I'm slightly obsessed with my new pedicure polish (OPI's Christmas Toy, I believe?) and was tired of keeping the toesies all bundled. 

Coral Canvas Car Coat - Old Navy (forever ago)

Camel Sweater - Banana Republic

Real Straight Jeans - GAP

Chocolate Patent Wedges - Banana Republic 

Mixed Media Necklace - Adia Kibur via Gilt Fuse

Gold Bangle - Coach 

alterna-lawyer

Today's one of those days where I am sitting in my office, thinking to myself "I might have pushed the envelope a little too far with this one." I've worn this dress before, styled differently, and now that I'm wearing it again, I seem to remember saying to myself last time "Let's save this one for the weekends from now on, shall we?"

So, to recap, I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable with my wardrobe choices today / it seems I talk to myself a lot.

The coat?  Love.  {If you're sensing a reoccurring theme here, its because I love all my coats.  I should really live someplace colder so we can all hang more.}  Another fabulous sale item, I bought this at Nordstrom's Half-Yearly Sale this past July... which is apparently a great time to get a Calvin Klein coat for only $70!

I like this dress... I just haven't quite figured out how to wear it without looking like I should be working at Anthropologie (which, actually, would be awesome).  Again, I fear the key is to pair it with leggings and boots and embrace its slightly hippie, crunchy-granola feel... ON THE WEEKENDS.

After looking at these photos, I realized the "one button undone" was even more disheveling (that's a word? really?) and buttoned up.  Now you can see the earrings too!

This year, I'm going all wild and crazy and pairing gray with brown.  Scandalous, I know, but I think it works. Scratch that.  I know it works.  Anthropologie tells me so.

Quilted Coat - Calvin Klein via Nordstrom

Silk Tunic Dress - Tucker via Gilt

Wide Brown Belt - Merona via Target

Gray Tights - Merona via Target

Brown Mary Janes - Banana Republic

Gold Disc Earrings - Sonya Renee 

Gold Medallion Necklace - wedding present

Hammered Gold Bangles - Kendra Scott via Gilt

circles, bells, & booties!

Soooo... best news EVER!  Lite FM Dallas has officially morphed into All Christmas Music / All The Freakin' Time!  Yep, the extra pep in my step? Not due merely to the joy that comes with tromping around in layered suede booties, but aided by Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Santa Baby, and Silver Bells!  Yippee for Christmas!  

Speaking of bells...

... the details on this coat also make me insanely happy!  I love the big, fabric-covered buttons and the flared bell sleeves!  I scored this beauty 75% off after Christmas at J.Crew last year - I would have loved the royal purple color but, alas, black was the only color on sale.  Luckily, my basic black wool car coat (also J.Crew) - a staple in my closet for 8 years (!!!) - was looking sadly worn through and this was the perfect replacement!  Fingers crossed that this one lasts me just as long!

..

This dress is one of the most versatile pieces in my closet.  I wear it year round - either with a white button-down or a turtleneck in the cooler months or one its own in warmer temperatures.  While definitely not a "fun" cocktail dress, with bare arms and the right shoes, it also works for conservative night-time events. 

Bell-Sleeved Coat - J.Crew

Black Turtleneck - Banana Republic

Silk Circle Dress - Banana Republic 

Black Tights - Merona via Target

Black Sued Booties - Dolce Vita via Nordstrom

Gold Flower Earrings - J.Crew

Gold Medallion Chain - Coach

**If you're in the mood for some holiday sparkle, head on over to EA for Sequins, Sequins, and More Sequins! 

diamonds are a girl's...

I wish my return back to the land of the living were a bit more splashy... but so is the life of a lady-lawyer when the temperatures are downright chilly!  However, I was pleased as punch to snuggle into my favorite coat this morning - even my black basics seem cheery with a big dallop of red and little puffs at the wrists!

*If the rest of these photos seem blurry, its because I was talking to a colleague in one of the stalls whilst taking them on super-stealthy-silent mode... Ridiculous? Perhaps.  Dedicated? Obvi.

This argyle sweater from Banana's Winter '07 collection is one of my favorites - love the wide boat-neck and the length!

One good thing about the swinies?  Pencil skirts that were a bit too snug last week slide right on this week! le Influenza de Piglet = Best Diet Ever?  Eh, I think I'll stick to plain old exercise from now on but at least I got a party favor from my week of misery!

I finished it all off with a chiffon hair puff... the perfect accessory to jazz up a (rather wind-swept) pony!

I

Argyle Sweater - Banana Republic

Pencil Skirt - Ann Taylor

Black Tights - Merona via Target

Patent Serengeti "Juliet" Pumps - J.Crew

Black Chiffon Hair Puff - J.Crew

Gold Medallion - wedding gift

Gold Link Chain - J.Crew

*** Apologies!  Red Coat - Guess via Nordstrom