Day 132: Seasonal Practicality

I'm a big fan of buying items on super-sale at the end of a season and saving them for the next year, but my husband doesn't quite see the logic in that. When I bought this sweater around April, Dave thought it was silly and I should be focusing on warmer weather pieces (at that time, we were particularly shopping for our upcoming trip to Costa Rica!).  But I went for it and spent the $30 or so at the time, and I've already worn it three times this fall.  You saw it once on the blog already, but I haven't yet worn this black shirt underneath, and needed a way to turn a black shirt into an outfit.  My newish sweater comes to the rescue! Additional bonus: I didn't even need a coat today!

Black shirt: Kohl's

Sweater: Banana Republic

Pants: The Limited via Marshalls

Heels: Nine West via Macy's

Earrings: Gift from Dave

Necklace: Kappa Alpha Theta

Day 131: Power Monday

I spent some time this weekend putting my clothes back where they belong, so now instead of being organized by what I have and haven't worn, I no longer have any clothes in duffles in the bottom of my closet. I have one dwindling stack of shirts and several dresses to go, and I am excited to think about what I might wear on the first day after I've worn everything I have! Is there anything you'd like to see again or worn in a different way?

Not sure why it has taken so long to wear this shirt; you can see the same shirt in white on Day 35. 

Tank: American Eagle

Red shirt: Anthropologie

Blazer: Marshall's

Skirt and shoes: Old Navy

Black tights: ??

Bag: Liz Claiborne, from Mom

Earrings: Gift from Kelly, from Ethiopia

Day 130: A perfect fall day

Sunday was a full day of exploring Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. Dave and I woke up early and went for a run down to South Philly. Our first stop was Federal Donuts, a new shop that is very exciting for us donut-lovers. They were warm and fresh, and the Indian Spice one was tasty and not so bad for us as far as donuts go. Then we headed to the Italian Market before going back home to change and get ready for the rest of our day. I based my outfit around this purple ruffled tank top that is so hard to wear because it never looked good in the summer with shorts because of its high neckline, but the ruffles also mean it doesn't work well with cardigans. The cardigan and vest provided just the right amount of warmth to make the outfit work okay, but this shirt's days are numbered.  We stopped at Ikea to pick up a few things on our way, and then drove to Terrain for shopping and brunch with Stephanie and Dave. While they were finishing up, my Dave took my outfit photos:

Steph and Dave headed home, but Dave and I ran some errands and then went for a big walk at one of my favorite places, Winterthur.  Then after a stop at the Total Wine, we headed home at 6:30, when it already felt like 11 pm. We had neither the patience nor the ingredients to make dinner, so we took our Jose Garces gift card and treated ourselves by rounding out the day at Amada for some of the best food this city has to offer.

Tank and vest: Old Navy

Cardigan: Gap

Skirt: Anthropologie

Boots: Gift from Mom, Marshall's

Bag: Target
Earrings: Three Sirens boutique

Day 129: Circus Flora

In the summers of 2005 and 2006, I was a nanny on Nantucket and kept very busy with families of four each summer. I had a blast taking the kids to the beach and the playground every day, and think back on those summers fondly as some of the best times of my life.  I kept extra busy while I was there, though, and also worked for Nantucket Nectars, and in 2005, also at the Nantucket Atheneum (which is really just a library). As an intern at the Atheneum, I helped plan for the circus to come to town, and also count the donor preview day of the circus as one of the most fun days of those summers. My friend and co-intern Laurel and I got dressed up and walked around the cocktail hour, showing off a piece of jewelry and an incredible circus-themed piece of embroidery so they could be auctioned off later in the evening. We mingled, enjoyed hors d'ouevres, were amazed by the circus acts, chatted with some performers, and stayed late to enjoy many Stirrings cocktails. I also got this kid-sized tee shirt out of the deal. Good times.

Tee: Nantucket Atheneum

Cardigan: Gap

Jeans: Old Navy
Bag: Coach

Day 128: A Bucknell Classic

Not all of the fashions from the 1980s were bad--take a look at this shirt! I'm lucky to have attended the same university as my dad for many reasons, one of which is that I have access to this baseball tee my mom picked up when she first visted my dad's alma mater around 1983. I was surprised when my husband said he'd never seen this shirt until today, but it's true that I don't wear it often. The first time I wore it was during College Day in high school, when I leaned back in my chair and got gum on the back of my shirt.  All of the Goo Gone in the world can't get the weird splotch off of the back of this shirt.

I wanted to channel my mom when I was figuring out what else to wear with this, but 1. I don't have any pants that I made myself and 2. I don't know what else she wore when she was my age. Mom, what should I have done?

Top: Bucknell University

Jeans: From Laura, Gap

Chucks: TJ Maxx

Necklace: Gift from Alicia

Bracelet: ??

Day 127: The future of my wardrobe

How am I going to get dressed in the morning once all of my clothes are available to me again? It seems overwhelming. I also notice that there aren't many clothes I actively miss at the moment, though I'm sure I'll be excited to wear some when I see them. Since I started this project and blog, I really started reading fashion and style blogs, and I realize that my wardrobe needs some major work.  I'm feeling inspired to go out and buy a whole bunch of new clothes, but where would I start? I am thinking I need all kinds of different sweaters, ones that play with proportion, necklines, and designs, as well as pencil skirts and tights to phase out any uninspired work pants.  What do you want to add to your wardrobe?

Cardigan: Lilly Pulitzer

Top: TJ Maxx

Blue tank underneath because top shirt is sheer: RW&Co. in Vancouver

Pants: Gap

Shoes: Old Navy

Necklace: Gift from Dave

Cuff: Shop on Nantucket, 2005

Day 125: With a twist

In this month of gratitude, I would like to express thanks to my outfit project for helping me to wear my polos.  I've given away a good number of them over the years because I am not a golfer, nor a man, and I generally don't feel so pulled together in them. But I felt good in this purple polo on Day 69, and I think the collar added to this outfit today. Now I just have to figure out how to keep everything smoother under my sweater. It's looking bunchy under there.

Sweater: Gap

Polo: Was Aunt Kim's, Tommy Hilfiger

Skirt: Sears

Tights: From Mom, Target (unworn) via Goodwill

Heels: Nine West via Macy's

Necklace: Kate Spade

Earrings: Shirley Pewter