Day 124: The skirt that goes with everything

Before this blog, I'd be wearing this sweater with a pair of black pants or some chinos. But at least while the weather is nice, I'm big on skirts instead, because they always fit better, are more flattering, and are a whole lot more exciting. I wouldn't wear pants with this floral print! I'm going to have to go out and buy a whole bunch of sweatery tights to get me through the winter.

Sweater: Gift from Dave's Aunt Edie

Skirt: J. Crew

Boots & Opal Earrings: Gifts from Mom

Necklace: Gift from Margaret

Day 113: A favorite sweater

If you had to choose one kind of sweater to wear for the rest of your life, would it be bulky or slim? I know people love the cozy, bundly look and feel of a thick cableknit or a sweater that looks like a blanket, and I especially saw lots of oversized tops in LA. But for me, the winner is the always versatile sweater like I'm wearing today. It's not as lightweight and breezy as many similar styles, but that means I don't have to worry about layering or dry cleaning. I'll take a dozen more tops like this one, please!

Sweater: Old Navy

Skirt: J. Crew

Boots: Gift from Alicia

Raincoat: Thrifted, Gap

Necklace: Made by Mom's friend Suzanne

Earrings: J. Karma

Day 101: Symphony in Sweater

Saturday marked the 4th consecutive day of babysitting, and after I wrapped up around 2:30, Dave and I went for a run down into South Philly and back, about 5 miles.  It was a beautiful day even though it was super windy, and after dropping by a high-quality flea market in the Shambles, we headed home to clean up for dinner. At the last minute, we decided to take my sister, Betsy, since she was already in the city, so we went to Pumpkin for some seasonal fare. I didn't love the restaurant as much as I love the name. After dinner we went to a wonderful Symphony in C concert on the other side of the river. We stayed for the reception after the concert for chatting and dessert, and it is always fun to meet up with all of the major symphony people as they sing Dave's praises. Dave freelances for the Courier-Post and provides the most thoughful and complete coverage (their words, not mine) of the symphony, and so they're so kind and appreciative and fun to be around. Let's take a look at the strange ways I crossed my legs while waiting for the concert to begin:

Sweater: Banana Republic

Camisole: J. Crew

Jeans: Tommy Hilfiger via TJ Maxx

Boots: Gift from Mom, Kenneth Cole

Necklace: Gift from Margaret, Banana Republic

Day 95: Coming home

Late Saturday night, I changed after dinner from my Lilly dress into this casual shorts and shirt combination.  I only wore it for a few hours of sitting around with a few old friends and lots of new ones, so I incorporated the pieces into Sunday's outfit as well.  I had to change my plans for what to wear on the plane ride back because I wasn't going to wear the white pants anymore.  I had a feeling that upon landing in Philly, I'd really regret the shorts, but I didn't! It was unseasonably warm on Sunday night around 11 pm and I was actually a bit too toasty in that cab coming home.  These layers served me well.  FYI: Apparently you're not allowed to take pictures in the baggage claim area of PHL.

I'm sorry my vacation posts were a little out of order; I hope you still can see that I had a great vacation and am very happy for my newly married friends. I packed super lightly for this trip, and I think it worked out, and I wore all but two tank tops that I packed.  Not bad, considering I didn't know what to expect!

Blue tee: LOFT

Button up: J. Crew

Cardigan, wedges, and bag: Banana Republic

Shorts: Gap

Boat shoes: Sperry (J. Crew)

Necklace: Rebecca's

Day 85: Who needs pants?

Among the many things I am concluding about my wardrobe and clothing in general is that pants are overrated.  Skirts and dresses are totally the way to go if you want to look pulled together and interesting,and have some variety to your look.  It's obviously good to have a few great pairs of pants, but all of my outfits would be so boring if I wore each top with a pair of black or khaki pants.  I think this shirt is pretty, but I have been putting off wearing it because it's too boring to wear with pants, but it doesnt match many of my skirts.  If I had an occasion to wear a business suit recently, I would consider wearing this shirt underneath, as long as I continue to safety pin the ruffled neckline to make it work-appropriate. 

Shirt: Gap

Skirt: J. Crew

Shoes: Payless

Watch: From Margaret

Necklace: Don't know

Day 84: Sweet style

My tastes have changed recently. I'm growing up: I sometimes prefer red wine to white, I might choose a savory dish or some cheese to a piece of cake, and I want to wear richer tones, rather than just sweet and floral pieces. The problem with that last part is I just don't have any clothes that aren't on the soft and pretty side of things.  The word that I have been thinking of lately is "edgy."  I want my clothes to be edgier. Couldn't I put together an outfit like this one? Is there a leather jacket in my future? When the weather cools off, it will be the right time to dig out darker shades and richer hues, and hopefully I'll find that I have something that offers a statement hiding under all of these pastels and florals.

 Shirt: TJ Maxx?

Skirt: J. Crew

Bag: Target

Shoes: Banana Republic Outlet

Necklace and Earrings: Ten Thousand Villages

ps. I'm trying to link this up to The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday, so I hope I am doing this correctly! It looks like a forum to get a bunch of blog outfits together in one place to be inspired and get more into this outfit blog community :)



Day 49: Step Back in Time

I'm taking a sick day today, and while I'm wearing a dress I haven't worn yet since the project started, I am not prepared for a picture.  I don't want to leave you without a picture, though, so I bring you this flashback to the evening of August 24.  I do owe you several outfits, so they will pop up occasionally, when I feel like having an extra photoshoot and put on worthy outfits I've worn already but not photographed. 

Tank top: J. Crew Outlet (So very old!)

Shorts: J. Crew

Shoes: Converse

Bag: Target

Headband: Forever 21

Sunglasses: Gap

Day 54: I'll still wear white pants after this weekend

It's fall weather out there this morning, and I love it.  The new plan is that as long as the weather is lovely, I'm going to wake up early and enjoy mornings more.  This will make time for pumpkin pancakes, extra walks, or early gym (and free time in the evening), and I am committed to this idea.  With my pared-down pants selection, though, this white jeans will be sticking around for a while.

Here's a close-up of the print on the shirt:

Cardigan: From Gap, from Mom

Shirt: Target

Jeans: J. Crew

Earrings: Gift from Betsy, from H&M

Shoes: Kohl's

Bracelet: Don't know

Day 49: Back to School

Late August and early September used to make me so nervous! Even though I did fine in school, thinking about going back would make me so stressed out. Since I will never be a teacher, and my student days are officially behind me, I have no reason to fear September anymore. I did think this outfit was a tribute to those Bucknell students who are starting classes today, but Dave pointed out that these wedges are not wholly appropriate for class.

Long-sleeve shirt: Goodwill

Short-sleeve shirt: LOFT

Skirt: J. Crew

Shoes: Banana Republic Outlet

Bag: Target

Necklace: Antique store in Lewisburg

Earrings: Shiny studs, probably from Claire's 15 years ago

Days 45 & 46: Weekend Wear

While Dave was away in Sweden, I actually had more of a social life than usual, thanks to all of my fun friends who kept me company! On Saturday, Jen and I went shopping at the misleadingly named Philadelphia Outlets, and I had lots of luck. Get excited to see my new purchases in future posts! The blog does help me identify holes in my wardrobe and lets me know what I think I need, but of course this means I am prolonging my project. I think these items are totally worth the extra blogging.

For shopping, I wore a variation of this outfit with an ivory Anthro bow top and Bucknell flip flops. Here I am at David and Claire's housewarming party!

Top: LOFT outlet
Shorts: J. Crew
Sandals: Banana Republic Outlet

I wore a ton of outfits on Sunday because I had separate ones for swimming, brunch with Jan, walking around downtown/meeting Dave!, and for dinner at the Khyber, which was apparently what Dave missed while he was in Stockholm.

 This is what I wore for dinner.

 Top: Betsy's, from Gap

Skirt: Old Navy

Wedges: Banana Republic Outlet

Fleur de lis necklace: Gift from Dave
Bag: Target

Day 44: Skirting Around the Issue

This skirt has been at the back of my closet for the past month, and I missed it, so I brought it back with a shirt I've never thought about before. The shirt has always been a lounging with jeans around the house kind of shirt, but it's showing me today that it could probably be incorporated into a regular business casual workplace. I am glad that I have been following some style blogs now, because they taught me that you can type "business casz" and it's the most accurate representation of how to pronounce the shortened form of my work attire.

Watch me fiddle with my rings. I am wearing two engagement rings today; one is from Dave, and one is from Kelly Bates. It was very useful at fending off some (but not all) creeps when I was in Morocco.

It's a little bulky. I think I will just stick with the diamonds that are real after this.  It has been fun to wear all of my jewelry; I've realized that I wore the tiniest fraction of it before The Everything Project.

Thanks to my trusty friend (and coworker only for the next 5 hours!) Jan for taking these pictures for me while Dave was away! I will treasure the moments she made me stand on desks, even if I did not post them on here.

Shirt: Kohls? That's my guess for many older, nondescript shirts

Skirt and belt: J. Crew

Sandals: Old Navy

Opal earrings: Gift from Grandma

Heart opal necklace: I've had it for a really long time (13ish years?), but I am thinking it's a gift from Mom, though for some reason I feel like it could be from Aunt Lucy

Ring: Gift from Kelly

Day 42: Photogenic Conference Room

My black pants must be feeling hugely neglected right about now. It would have been so easy to just throw on this solid shirt with a pair of pants.  But that's not how this project works!

Looks like this skirt needs to come with me on a business trip so it can get ironed!

Shirt: Banana Republic

Skirt: J. Crew

Shoes: Payless, purchased for Denise's wedding!

Earrings and bracelet are about 15 years old and from an unknown source. I will be lucky if the bracelet doesn't break before work lets out.

Day 40: Icy hot

Most bloggers have access to internet in their homes, and if they post pictures of themselves to their blog, they probably use photo-altering programs to fix things up a bit. They also probably use cameras that aren't their phone. But this blogger has limitations, so you get the real me. Today, though, you get a little bit extra, courtesy of Paint, the computer program that hasn't been updated since 1995.

Day 39: Rainy Sunday

Now it is Dave's turn to take a business trip: he's heading to Stockholm right now. I dropped him off at his office so he could catch a shuttle to the airport with coworkers, but we started our day with zucchini chocolate chip pancakes! So delicious, and very easy. The best part is that I don't have to share the leftovers. Then I spent a quality afternoon with my family, and the rain stopped long enough for us to go to a used bookstore and Percy St. bbq.

Shirt: Was Laura's, from Ann Taylor LOFT
Shorts: J. Crew
Boots: Gift from Alicia
Necklace: Was Margaret's
Bracelet: Gift from a friend in high school
Umbrella: New Bucknell bookstore!
Monet tote: Gift from Mom?

Day 38: Stripes on stripes

Surprise! This post is coming to you from Pittsburgh. Dave and I successfully surprised our friend Zack before he and his girlfriend Laura embark on a 2-year teaching experience in Germany. Now yesterday's shirt makes sense, right? We visited for less than 24 hours, but were so happy to spend that time with two dear friends. As a bonus, you will soon be seeing some of the clothes Laura is not bringing with her to Deutschland. Lucky me!

Shirt: don't know!
Shorts: J. Crew outlet
Long-sleeved shirt: Betsy's
Shoes: J. Crew

Day 32: I Love Pancakes

I can't think of anything better than a big, colorful stack of pancakes to wear on a shirt. This outfit got me through cleaning the house, going to the farmer's market, hanging out with friends, and suffering through the Quizzo invitational. There's nothing like paying $10 per person to compete against all of the teams that have the ability to beat you at your own game.

Shirt: Brooklyn Industries

Shorts: J. Crew

Flip flops: Old Navy, gift

Bag full of produce: a work conference in Atlanta (it has a peach on it)

Pink bracelet with heart charm: Gift?

Day 23: pinknplaid66

On Thursday I needed an outfit that could transition easily from a workday to a flight home. With a change from a skirt to jeans and wedges to sandals, I was on my way. I wasn't even too warm in this outfit when I returned to Philly at 7:30. Did I mention I'm home in Philly? Hooray!!
Shirt and skirt: J. Crew
Wedges: Payless
Jeans: Tommy Hilfiger via TJ Maxx
Sandals: Old Navy

Day 13: Persistence at J. Crew

I have learned that J. Crew can be affordable if you are patient. I bought these white jeans at the end of last summer, and the shirt is from a few months ago. Total cost for the two: $34.  But this isn't a bargain blog. The important thing here is that I am wearing clothes. And that my boss has worn white jeans to work, so I can too.

Sandals are from Kohl's, shirt and pants are J. Crew

Day 7: Floral tank

Today looked like this: work-->gym-->pool-->Triumph Brewing Company with Courtney and Jeff. Each of those elements required different attire, and this is what I wore to the bar. Shirt is Anthro, shorts are J. Crew. Can you see the earrings?

Day 6: Love this skirt

I feel rejuvenated and happy after this past weekend, and it was easy to get out of bed this morning. It might have been easier because I already knew what I wanted to wear this morning.

Shirt: Banana Republic

Skirt and belt: J. Crew

Earrings and necklace: Ten Thousand Villages

Brown heels: Chinese Laundry via Macy's

Since this wardrobe challenge is my idea, I get to make my own rules. So in case you are wondering, I am going to wear everything in my closet and my dresser, as well as the hall closet, my shoe closet, and also what is currently under my bed. I will not, however, be taking pictures of myself in all of my workout clothes, pajamas, undergarments, and bathing suits. These items either go right back where they came from, or I put them in a duffel bag in the closet so I can work through everything else and only go back to them when I need them. I suppose I need to wear all of my various scarves, hats, and jewelry, as well.