We're buying a new house. If you have ever had the privilege of being in this position you know that its a long and manic process swinging between terror and elation, punctuated only by what feels like unending red tape and waiting... so much waiting. Luckily while you're waiting you have lots of time to take mental inventory of all of the crap you own and how long its going to take you to pack it. We have a lot of crap, an extraordinary amount and just like every other time we've moved I have vowed to trash or donate all of the stuff we don't need, don't use or hasn't seen the light of day since the last time we moved. This of course means that I need to go through my closet... which is a bit of a disaster since I've been pregnant and/or breast feeding for the better part of the last three years. The end is near though and I can see the light! Bring on the shopping (my husband is weeping somewhere as I write this). In honor of 'out with the old, in with the new' I thought I would share my favorite go-to white tee, a linen v-neck from J Crew. I love this shirt, the linen gives it just the right amount of drape and it has a great subtle sheerness to it. Linen tends to give things a really nice luxurious texture aka it looks expensive, which is important considering how much I wear this. And yes it is a $40 t-shirt, and yes I do think that is a ridiculous amount to spend on a t-shirt. Here’s a secret, J Crew has a pretty huge sale at least once a month with an additional 40% off the sales price and this includes a lot of their basics. So if you’re like me an you have a favorite piece that you know you will wear constantly you can keep an eye out and score a $36.50 shirt for 30% off 24.99 (true story! the scoop neck version of my linen shirt is on sale here). t-shirt J Crew (and they're 25% off right now!) | cardigan vintage Christian Dior (similar here) | belt Levis | jeans American Eagle | shoes Converse | bracelet Hermes On the other hand I’ve had this pair of jeans for at least five years, which is a crazy cost per wear value on a pair of $20 American Eagle jeans. They just aren't doing it for me anymore and I feel like I’m in a place where I can afford to spend a little bit of money for a pair with a really great fit. Finding the perfect pair is turning out to be a bit of a struggle though or maybe I’m just being picky. Help me out here, who makes your favorite jeans?
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It’s been unseasonably warm here… I mean it’s California so thats a little bit of a joke, but I’m not ready for summer yet. After spending half a decade living in Ottawa, Canada, a place that is buried in snow from November to April you would think that I couldn't get enough summer. While there are a lot of things about a Canadian winter that I don't miss, there are some things you can only experience during one, like getting all bundled up to go out for a night time walk after a snow fall when the world is all sparkly and so quiet. And honestly I’m just not ready to give up my boots and sweaters yet either. This is a dressy-casual outfit for me, my jeans are black that’s how you know. I think that this is a classic, still comfortable but a step up from my regular jeans and a t-shirt. A scarf adds a little texture and interest and if you don't need it for extra warmth you could use a lighter material like linen or silk to add some color. Please ignore my expressions above, I think I was aiming for blue steel and ended up with resting bitch face... I'm still working on this posing thing, its hard. I feel like this is going to be one of the last winter outfits that i’m going to be showing. Just one more reason to get started on that workout plan that I’ve been putting off for the last four and a half months…
Well, it’s February and a whole month has passed since we all made those New Year’s resolutions. Which reminds me that I should actually get on those... Or not, I didn't make any. I’m not really a resolution kind of girl, I like to procrastinate bettering myself all year round. Though my husband and I are trying to make more of an effort at date night, so I guess you could call that a resolution. I love the look of over-the-knee boots, but the juxtaposition of them with the more casual sweater dress keeps them from being too over the top. The red lip and bag are a pretty pop of color to a monochromatic outfit, and I'm feeling festive since Valentine's Day is right around the corner. How gigantic is this bag by the way? I had no idea until I saw these pictures. Date night, or adult alone time as I like to think of it, means that I get to break out all of my pretty, fancy, not baby compatible clothes. This is obviously the most important aspect of the date night concept. Now I just need to find a babysitter.
I think I may have mentioned that I have a serious mom uniform slump going on… well when I looked at the pictures of this outfit I realized that I can't really blame it on being a mom. I think that I have worn a version of this outfit for most of my life, this is my jam. I have vivid memories of a huge fight with my mom over sixth grade picture day, she wanted me to wear a dress and I insisted on jeans with holes in them and a plaid shirt and converse sneakers. It didn't look cute, but I don't think that was the point. This is, in my opinion, about as comfortable as you can get while still wearing pants. And Hi! did you know I’m from Canada? Plaid, check. Toque, check! I love the functionality of a hat, I love that I can hide the fact that I have gone one too many days without washing my hair. I might kind of look like a lumberjack, but at least I look like a cute lumberjack. That's a thing, right? Since the last two outfits were a bit on the casual side, maybe I’ll try to whip up something a little fancier for you next time!
I had a bad week, and I felt like bitching about it in a post, but then I though I would just rather talk about shoes! Let’s talk about one of my favorite shoe designers, Loeffler Randall. Jessie Randall started her accessories company with her husband in 2004 and since then they have continued to make their mark on the fashion world. I own a couple pairs of their shoes and they are the first thing that comes to mind when I’m looking for a new pair. I love the unique designs and fantastic quality of the craftsmanship. Most importantly they are really comfortable. I am only willing to suffer for my fashion to a certain point and I really hate that feeling when you put on a beautiful pair of shoes with the certain knowledge that you will be in excruciating pain by the time you get to the car. When I first bought the Ella stacked heel bootie I was looking for a functional bootie that I could wear while chasing around a two year old. I will confess that the 3.25’’ heel had me a little concerned, but I loved the style and I knew how great the quality was. I bought them anyway. I am so glad I did because they are so easy to wear. I’m not saying go for a hike in them, but a day of errands and toddler wrangling is no problem. Okay, enough about my exciting life, you should go check out the shoes (and they make cute handbags too!). Oh, did I forget to mention that they’re having a boot sale? Use the code REBOOT to get 25% off boots until 1/18/16!
I know I’m a little late for the holiday party season, but I just mailed my Christmas cards last week so this is pretty much the story of my life right now… I wore this outfit to my husband's company holiday party in December and I threw it back on as part of my ‘How to take a Selfie’ post. I think this is a really easy and comfortable look, a cute little cocktail dress with a fitted bodice and a little flare at the hip. I love this pewter grey color, and the little bit of shine on the fabric makes it festive without having to go full glitter (sequins scare me). I love these shoes! They are the most amazing color! I would even venture to call them sea-foam green and not feel bad about it at all. I love the pop of color that they lend to this outfit and they’re the perfect height for a long evening of standing, aka the cocktail party. I paired them with this cute little pouch, the edging matches the green of the shoes and the polkadot pattern felt like a fun little detail. When I was putting this look together I realized that I don't really own any statement pieces in the jewelry department, and I think I might need to start exploring this avenue of accessorizing in the near future (yes, my husband does read this). I didn't intend on making this into a feature series on the blog, but I kind of like how the pictures turned out so over the next couple of weeks I’ll be posting the rest of the outfits I shot. If you guys like them maybe I'll keep it up. Dress (this one is old, find a similar one here) | Shoes Loeffler Randall
Welcome to the second installment of How To Take a Selfie: OOTD edition. If you’re not sure what OOTD stands for (hi Mom), that would be Outfit Of The Day. I personally love OOTD posts, and there are some amazing style bloggers out there offering inspiration for a wide range of styles, budgets and body types. I found that most style bloggers outline how they achieve their OOTD photos in their FAQ sections, usually with some helpful tips. I ended up taking these photos inside with a backdrop, and I shot five outfits all at one time. I used a tripod, a canon T3i with my 18-55mm kit lens and I set the timer to 10 seconds with continuous shooting. This allowed me lots of time to get into place and move through a couple of poses without having to go back to the camera as often. Putting together an outfit for an OOTD shoot takes a bit of thought. The camera will catch any wrinkles, stains or poorly fitting clothing and freeze them in time. Things that you can get away with in real life, or at least think you can get away with might be the thing that ruins a look. This was a bit of an issue for me because I’m apparently a slob and the last time I ironed anything it was with a hair straightener… Posing in front of the camera is my nightmare. It took me three outfit changes to even start warming up and having fun in front of the camera. I definitely felt that the pictures when I was a little more relaxed and playful looked a lot nicer. I ruined a ton of shots because I over exaggerated a pose. If you're looking off camera try keeping your gaze just to the side of the camera or straight a head of you to prevent only seeing the whites of your eyes, its not a good look. Here is what I’ve learned so far… This is harder than it looks. Take as many pictures as you can stand. Practice your poses and try a lot of them to figure out what works for you. Use good posture, this is so important. Find good light, possibly the most important. And finally, relax and have fun, like I said it’s harder than it looks. All in all I ended up with enough pictures that I’m going to do an individual post on each of them over the next month so stay tuned.
It's raining! Like really, really raining! If you're confused by my excitement then you probably don't live in California. If you haven't heard we're in a drought here, which is bad in general, but also because I love the rain. The other reason I love the rain is that I get to wear all of my fall outfits. Sunny days and t-shirts in November just feel wrong to a girl from Canada, by this point in the season I am dying to break out my boots and jackets. I think I've got an idea of what my first How To Take A Selfie post should be about... I definitely need to practice my full body outfit shots.
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