Currently ...

 

Things I'm currently loving ...

... Call the Midwife. I'm currently watching season 2 on Netflix. I "blame" Kristin for turning me onto this series after I was on Downton Abbey withdrawal and I may have found a new fave. Team Sister Bernadette and Dr. Turner here! Plus who doesn't love 1950's London fashion?

... It's officially fall now. Which means it is officially fall festival season. Forget about those pumpkin spice lattes, give me a sausage on a stick and some funnel cake!

... Faux leather accented clothing from Ann Taylor. I actually haven't found anything I've liked from AT for a while now, but these ponte leggings, these ankle pants and this skirt (and shoot, this one too) are highly tempting me.

 

... F. Scott Fitzgerald. One of my all-time favorite authors, I've read every one of his major works more times than I can count, and am currently Fitzgerald re-invigorated, thanks to just watching The Great Gatsby (though I personally think the version with Redford and Farrow was better).

... This blouse I'm wearing. My first Tucker piece (that I bought on super-sale and with the help of a gift card) and hopefully not my last. It's all silky and flowy and the like.

... Pretzel croissants. Buttery layers mixed with a dense toasted crust - mm, mm. Found mine at Fresh Market. Plan to try the original at City Bakery next time I'm in NYC.

... Pompei Purple. The perfect shimmery fuchsia polish. My nails are so happy!

What are you currently loving?

Top: Tucker (worn here - same shirt, dif print, sim, sim, solid)
Skirt: The Limited (worn here - sim, deal, longer)
Necklace: Emerson Fry (sim, sim)
Bracelets: J.Crew factory leopard (check stores, sim, sim), J.Crew, Asos (steal)
Shoes: Michael Kors hamilton (worn here - sim, peep, lower)
Bag: Kate Spade rose avenue lacey (same in crossbody or snap wallet, sim, deal)

A Few Additional Bits

Time to round out another few weeks of outfits and pairings with quick pics taken with my camera phone. One of these days I'll get to managing my social media better and start up that Instagram page that I think I'm the last person to not have. (Actually I have an Instagram, I just haven't taken or posts anything yet!) In the meantime, here you go -

Sparkles from the factory: J.Crew factory sequin dot (sim dressed up) & necklace.

Trying out a twilly wrap to dress up a purse (same larger).

Suede & studs for fall.

 

Metallic: Coach bag, Pour La Victoire wedges, Tag watch, bracelets by Sage K and Co, Yunikelley, Overstock.

Pink & camo: LEC gingham poplin (sim), J.Crew camo jacket (worn before - sim), Your Bijoux Box necklace.

Some Toms (sim) and an oldie but goodie bag (worn before - sim).

Probably not the best way to store necklaces. Need to think of some more creative options ...

Fall hues: Anthro necklace (sim), J.Crew factory sweater, skirt, belt.

The most cat-tastic sneakers - unfortunately too big for me, maybe they'd fit you? (Or here for a deal, here for
some luxe).

 

Some new necklaces for layering.

A beloved Loft dress (worn before - sim), Cole Haan clutch (sim), Knotical Knovelties bracelet (sim blue).

Tucker blouse (worn before - sim dress) & Emerson Fry necklace (sim).

Kate Spade wallet (sim).

Bits of fuchsia: Anthro top (worn before - sim), Ann Taylor pearl cluster bracelet (sim, deal), Old Navy jeans,
Guess pumps (worn before - sim), Brahmin tote.

Subbing In

Sweater: Asos fluro boucle (same in petite or grey or chartreause, sim)
Tee: J.Crew Max and Molly art (worn here - other fun dog tees here, here, here)
Pants: Loft ripstop cargo (worn here - sim knit, sim, sim)
Necklace: c/o JewelMint (worn here - sim, sim, gold/blue)
Bracelets: Sage K and Co (sim, sim), Tag Heuer
Ring: Tiffany 1837 (this year's version, sim thinner)
Shoes: Adrienne Vittadini yancy (worn here - sim, sim, sim) - almost October and still wearing sandals!
Bag: Coach poppy flight bag in metallic mirror (worn here - same mini, sim, larger)

 

I am one of those people in the world who actually really like cauliflower in pretty much all forms this actually worked out well, so it wasn't a reach when I recently tried to make one of those cauliflower pizza deals that seem en vogue on the foodie blogs nowadays (here's the recipe I tried).

It was actually not atrociously hard nor did it taste bad. It looked good. It smelled good. The crust actually held together and toasted nicely. I topped mine with chicken sausage, mushrooms, some fresh basil and considered myself both virtuous and victorious for dinner.

 

A couple of things I will probably change for my next go-around with this recipe though -

• When they tell you to wring as much moisture out of the cauliflower as possible, they are not kidding. The more moisture that is out of the crust, the chewier and more solid (less soggy) your crust will be.
• I will probably skip on the mushrooms and apply less sauce. One again, anything to keep the crust dry and together.
• Leave the cauliflower in the fridge drawer and call Papa John's. Who am I kidding, that shit isn't pizza, and any blogger than tells you otherwise is lying to herself because she's suffering from carb withdrawal.

Do you like trying subs for ingredients in order to make certain foods more health-conscious? What do you do? Are there some foods you don't consider worth subbing?  

 

Linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy and Tara at Mix and Match Fashion.

Awash with Color

Though the print mildly resembles the before shot during a Tide laundry commercial, I've got some unexplainable love for this top. Because it is somehow ridiculously cheerful to me, and because it resembles the MSGM original which I covet, especially after seeing this outfit.

But in no way can I replicate that outfit without looking like an overgrown second-grader, so instead I opt to neutralize the crazy watercolor print as best as I could with some denim-on-denim action.

So what do you think? And how would you recommend I wear this top?

 

Top: c/o Choies floral
Shirt: LEC oxford (worn here - sim, sim, spotted)
Jeans: J.Crew destroyed matchstick (worn here - sim, pricey, deal)
Necklace: J.Crew factory cameo chandelier (worn here - sim, sim)
Bracelets: Yunikelley (worn here - sim, sim), Target (sim)
Shoes: c/o ShoeMint (worn here - sim, point-toed, pricey)

Bag: Kate Spade (worn here - sim, sim, sim)

For the Love of a Shoe

Meet my current favorite shoe in my closet. They've got some sort of heel so I'm elevated, they've got the point-toe so I'm on-trend, they've got color, and my toes and insoles are not screaming for mercy. That's win in my book.

I'm sure you can all commiserate, but I am on a perpetual search for comfortable dress shoes.

My dress shoe collection currently consists of "pretty" pumps, to be worn for office days or evening events where I know I'll be sitting on my butt for most of it. Those high tottering clickety toe smashers that serve no purpose than to look great and be barely tolerable. And then there are the "pretty but practical" pumps for more mobile days.  You know, lower heels, no platforms, soles with some actual traction so I can actually move around without wincing.

 

Then the "cute comfortable" section which consists of shoes I'd wear for those days I will be on my feet a lot, like going to trade shows or on-site meetings, etc. These are the lower stacked heels, rounded toes, fully broken in shoes that come from comfort brands like You by Crocs, Aerosoles, Sofft. They're really practical if you've got to wear heels but they're not so much high fashion, you know.

These shoes fall into the "pretty but practical" category right out of the box, which means with some insoles and breaking in, I may actually end up having a pretty shoe in my "cute" category soon. Oh the things we do for fashion.

Do you have some preferred brands for nice but still wearable dress shoes?

Dress: Zara (worn here - sim, sim, pricey)
Jacket: F21 knit moto (worn here -  sim, sim, sim)
Bracelets: YuniKelley (sim), Tag Heuer, Overstock (sim), Sage K and Co (sim, pricey)
Ring: Tiffany 1837 (same narrower, interlocking)
Shoes: Pour La Victoire mai nubuck (sim patent, pricey, lower heel)
Bag: Coach poppy flight bag in metallic mirror (worn here - same mini, sim, larger)

Peace

 

If I didn't have this thing I go to sometimes called "work" I would pretty much live in t-shirts every single day. (Business casual environment there). My designated "t-shirt drawer" in my dresser is crammed full, but I can always make room for more, because there's no such thing as enough t-shirts, right?

 

So of course I jumped on it when the folks at Skip N' Whistle offered me an opp to try a tee from their collection. Skip N' Whistle is a New Orleans-based company who designs and screen prints their own tees - and they've got a plethora of quirky designs to pick from.

And when wearing a quirky tee, I figure everything else would need to have a bit more personality to make it all work - so I added a lippy necklace with bling, a mirrored purse, and some bold colors.

 

Blazer: Cartonnier via Anthropologie flipside (worn here - sim, sim, deal)
Top: c/o Skip N' Whistle
Skirt: J.Crew no.2 in double serge (worn here - sim longer, cotton)
Necklace: c/o Choies diamonds & bead lips
Bracelets: YuniKelley (sim), F21 (sim), Asos
Shoes: Sole Society desirae (sim, sim, pricey)
Bag: Coach poppy flight bag in metallic mirror (worn here - same mini, sim, larger)
Outfit inspired by A-P.

If you'd like to give Skip N' Whistle a try, get 15% off your order with code RespectShoes15. There's no expiration date on the offer.

Linking up with Bri at Work Clothes, I Suppose.

Trying a Fave

 

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I love the color orange. I lean towards the more red tone orange hues (like J.Crew's "modern red") because I find that more flattering on my complexion, and I get the punch of red without its harshness.

I'm playing catch-up with orange though, as it yet another something that I stayed clear away from before I started blogging - i.e., going outside my natural comfort zone with my own style. Chalk orange up along with wearing pink, belts, skirts, dresses, pretty much all accessories.

 

(Think of all the stylish things I would have missed if I hadn't started a blog and began experimenting!)

Granted I'm not jumping on every single trend out there (like this - thinking folks at the office might talk), but I'm all for trying interesting new things at least once. Sometimes things don't quite work out harem pants, other times I end up with a new fave color that I wear over and over and over again.

Jacket: J.Crew maritime (worn here - same solid, factory version, sim)
Dress: BR factory (sim, sim, dif necklines scoop, cowl, square)
Belt: Anthropologie ekbal (worn here - sim, sim, neutral)
Earrings: Amrita Singh (deal, sim)
Ring: BR (sim, sim, pink)
Bracelets: J.Crew factory chainlink (sim pave)
Shoes: Michael Kors hamilton (worn here - sim, sim)
Bag: C.Wonder colorblock (worn here - this year's version, sim flap, pink)

Green Gingham and Trepidations

 

You'd think there wouldn't be much to worry over with this blogging thing. But a neurotic New Yorker can always be counted on to find something, and while there's nothing that necessarily keeps me up at night, here's just a sampling of "blogging fears" that flit across my mind -

Fear #3 - To get recognized in my day-to-day life. As in, "hey, I think I've seen you online. Aren't you that girl with the funny little outfit web site? Wow, you look [younger/taller/skinnier/prettier] in your pics." Sometimes to be followed by maniacal laughter, sometimes to be followed by dead silence. I hadn't quite decided which is worse yet.

Fear #12 - Mean comments. I pretty much feel like when people take the time to read or comment on someone’s blog – good, bad or other – their feedback should be recognized. I mean, as bloggers, we’re all intentionally putting stuff out there to be considered, reviewed, criticized. And not everyone’s going to like an outfit pairing or agree with an opinion and that’s OK. How else can a blogger engage with her readers if she doesn’t allow them to speak freely? But shit, mean comments still hurt. 

 

Fear #7 - Seeing that I've lost a reader. Blogging is not a competition and I honestly don't know enough about my blog stats to do anything meaningful with them - and I know people choose to stop following a blog for any multitude of reasons - but my deep down stuffed unicorn-hugging self can't help but to gulp a little when I see that. Someone has stopped liking me. Meep.

Fear #10 - To log into my Blogger one morning and find that my blog is gone. All posts. All pics. All ramblings. Granted I've never heard of that happening to anyone ever, but my stuff is not at all backed up. Do any of you ladies do anything to save your blog work? (And how do you do it?)

Are there things that worry you about blogging?

Top: Target (sim, sim)
Skirt: Tommy Hilfiger (old - sim striped, pricey, darker, black)
Belt: Asos metal keeper (same in gold/pink/blue, sim, sim)
Rings: F21 (sim, steal)
Bracelets: J.Crew abacus (sim), studded (sim, steal), factory leopard (sim, sim)
Shoes: Zara cap-toe court (worn here - sim, t-strap, pricey)
Bag: Dooney & Bourke (old, worn here - sim, pricey, luxe)

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By the way, I've got loads of "new" goodies up to grabs on my blog sale. Jewelry, clothes and shoes in the 7.5-8 range. Prices include shipping & tracking, please check it!