Mint and Coral

     One of my all time favorite dresses is one I picked up about a year ago from Anthropologie. The color, pattern and exposed back with a bow accent was just too cute to resist. They didnt have my size in the store but they did ship the right size straight to my house for FREE. Anthropologie clearly knows the way to my heart (via amazing dresses and top-notch service). It was a day where the big boss at work was retiring and everyone was asked to wear a hawaiian shirt or floral print to wish him a warm "aloha". (He's from Hawaii, hence the floral connection) This was the closest thing I had in my closet to a Hawaiian themed outfit and so I paired it with a necklace- also from Anthro-, wood heels, a white blazer, yellow flower hair clip and a painted wood bangle. This is as tropical/professional as I can get.

Blazer: F21
Dress, Necklace: Anthropologie
Shoes: Banana Republic
Flower Hair Clip: F21
Bangle: Trip to Hong Kong
Belt: F21

Ketchup

Okay. Playing catch-up with just about everything in life right now so brief and to the point it will be. Here's a work outfit I wore and some cupcake goodness I made from the other day. Enjoy! Have a happy weekend all! :)

Button up Top, Lace Top, Pants: F21
Cardigan: H & M
Shoes: Nordstrom Rack
Necklace: Anthropologie
Bracelet: Lucky Brand
Rings: Mom's Shop

Fancy Schmancy

     Hello There! So very very sorry for my unplanned bloggie hiatus. I definitely did not plan to take such a long break but I also definitely needed it. Truth be told, I was feeling a little uninspired and so to save you from the horror of lack-luster outfits, I'll just leave you with a snippet of my daily uniform: black skinnies and a clean top. Yup. simple and boring. I have no idea what got into me but I can tell you that food is responsible for rekindling my interest in putting outfits together again! As if there would be anything else as inspiring... oh well except maybe art? photography? books? Nah. Just food. More specifically, dessert. I'll be sharing these outfits soon hopefully unless I take on another self-imposed blogging vacation. There was one outfit that I managed to snap a few pics of that I can share today and mind you it is nothing of special note, it is a dress that I love because of the fit. I was planning on wearing it to a mad men premier party at a friend's house but alas, party was cancelled. This is my fancy schmancy work outfit... :)

Dress: Ross Stores
Necklace: Anthropologie
Shoes: Payless
Rings: Mom's shop

Comfort and Warmth

     I'm sure you can deduce from the title what my main focus was getting dressed this AM to go to work. The oversized sweater is one of my favorites and since I was wearing so many warm colors, I decided to keep it in the same family when it came to my shoes. Of course I spared you all the whole matchy-matchy by using similar colors and not all ONE color. I will never be able to pull that off but am very impressed when I see others do it in a not-so-tacky manner. I also included a bunch of shots of the shoes because well... it's all in the details isn't it?

 My maltipoo now knows exactly how to take outfit photos. He's mocking me by standing sideways too.

What a sassy little furball!

I love how this photo really highlights all the colors I had on today.

 Shoes...

So adorable! *sigh

Sweater & Top: F21
Pants: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: F21 (I also found them on Modcloth too)
Scarf: World Market
Purse: from a trip to Hong Kong
Necklace: F21

Checkered & Floral

     Round 2 of my effort to mix unexpected patterns and colors. My outfit could have benefitted from some accessories but it still squeaks by with just the busy pattern on both the dress and clutch. The pockets on this dress are darling and the fit gave me plenty of room which upped the comfort factor by like a million. Strolling around with my maltipoo in these heels was also a breeze so this outfit is definitely going on my "repeat" list. Maybe with an added necklace... or two. :)

 I might have to take the hem of the dress up a couple inches but otherwise, this is one of the few thrifted pieces that I never have to do much on. :)

I love this clutch! Definitely a spring wardrobe staple.

Dress: Thrifted
Belt: F21
Clutch: F21
Shoes: Payless

Deer Plaid...

     I'll admit that this outfit was a bit much for me in the end but I think it was just because the quirky-level was a bit high. I was staring at my closet thinking about pattern mixing when I thought of this outfit. I definitely needed a neutral jacket. In the future, I'm going to go for a neutral cardigan instead. The outfit was all about greens, browns, and neutral tones. I also liked that the metal studs on the shoes are complemented in the studs on the belt. Who doesn't like happy coincidences? :)

 I love pockets in a skirt! Awesome hiding spots for your phone, loose change or some candy :)

 hmm... my legs might need a bit more time in the sun...

I love the details in things. The "eyelet" cut of the shoes and the metal studding along the sides. Awesome.

Jacket: H & M
Top: Ross Stores
Skirt: Boutique in Toronto
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: F21



Trees and Forests

     The minute I spotted this shirt at the flea market, I instantly thought of lush hunter green trees in an overgrown forest. Vivid imagination I have, don't I? Besides that, once I felt the texture of the pattern on the shirt I was convinced I needed this. (its a soft velour on a sheer shirt: super duper soft!) I didn't realize how large the shirt was since I forgot to look closely at the size. oopsies. Nothing a belt can't fix but after looking at these photos, I might need a bit of a wider belt and a tighter one at that. I had to roll up the sleeves because if I didn't, it'd look like I had no hands! I wore this with a grey cut-off v-neck tank. I may need a longer tank under since it looks like I might not be wearing anything except a bra. second oopsies. Fashion is after all a bit of trial and error no?

 These shoes are actually navy suede heels which go with the clutch. Scroll down for a better pic :)

 A closer shot of the details on the shirt.

 My favorite one is the rose-gold key :)

The clutch is such a perfect color match for this outfit! Details, details, details! :)

Top: RoseBowl Flea market
Grey Half Tank: Thrifted
Belt: F21
Pants: H & M
Shoes: Payless
Clutch: H & M
Necklace: 1928

Bracelet: Thrifted

12 Minutes to Take Off!

     Is it really horrible of me that I constantly blog about waking up late? I think it might be.. just a little. Well, same ol' story here. Woke up terribly late since I stayed up terribly late watching Downton Abbey. I'm hooked. It's like Gosford Park but with characters that play a lot dirtier and have no problem constantly trying to one-up each other. I won't bore you with the specifics about the plot since I'm sure that's like opening the flood gates. Once I start, there may be no turning back!
     Back to the TWELVE minutes I had to get ready. I grabbed the nearest piece of clean laundry that is folded in a teetering stack by my basket and this is what I got. I haven't worn this purple floral top on the blog but I wear it practically once a week in the warmer months. I know it's not exactly warm yet but my spring/summer wardrobe is starting to take over my closet already.

Cardigan, Top, Pants: F21
Scarf: World Market 
Shoes: Nordstrom Rack

Orange and Black without Halloween

     I can assure you that the inspiration behind this outfit was definitely NOT Halloween. Although I love dressing for fall weather, I can't wait to throw on cute dresses and sandals without the hassle of tights. What I can tell you is that the inspiration behind this outfit came from the shoes!
     I was looking around my room the other day and realized that I have not worn these shoes in years. I still love them and so they survived multiple closet purges but I still felt bad that they hadn't seen the sun in so long. The color scheme is one with browns, oranges, reds and black which is unexpected but lovely nonetheless. They are wedges so they also give me a bit of height which is always great for the vertically challenged. Looking back, I'm not entirely sure my red tank under my shirt is at all visible from the pictures but I made sure to wear orange, red, and black. I also wore a cardigan that had large white flowers and a gold necklace with flowers reminiscent of the pattern on the shoes.
     Hopefully the abundance of flowers in my outfit steered the mind away from Halloween. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with Halloween. I just didn't want someone to think I was about 7 months off with my sense of time.
    I also wanted to know how everyone else finds inspiration for an outfit? Leave me a comment, I'd love to know! Have a wonderful day! :)

Cardigan: F21
Shirt: H & M
Tank: F21
Pants: H & M
Shoes: from a trip to Korea
Clutch: Borrowed from my mom :)
Necklace: F21