plaid & ponte.

old navy plaid flannel shirt

old navy sleeveless ponte dress

charming charlie necklace

crown vintage tisha heels

i shared a review of this dress recently and of course i couldn't wait to wear it to work.  i threw this same shirt on for sake of taking a quick picture for the review but liked it enough to recreate it today.  it's rare that i don't belt a shift dress but i didn't want there to be too much going on since i added the necklace--which was pointless anyway, as it kept getting lost underneath the collar of the dress.  i'm fairly certain i'll love this dress no matter what i layer underneath or over it or how i accessorize, so i'm already looking forward to round two!  thanks for visiting!

get the look: similar plaid / exact dress / similar necklace / similar heels

peter pan & mirrored prints.

j crew factory peter pan tee

merona doubleweave skirt

crown vintage tisha heels

you guys, last week was one of the most stressful of my worklife.  i'm thankful for the weekend reprieve that helped to dull some of those emotions, but there was just so much to deal with that i could do little else when i got home late each evening other than collapse.  this is an outfit i wore last week that required zero thought because hey, i really had none to offer up to my wardrobe choice that day.  i took a cue from this look that i wore about a year ago that i absolutely loved and just substituted in a different gray shirt.  it's not the most exciting look, but at least i looked halfway competent even if i didn't feel it!

get the look:  similar top / similar skirt / similar heels

windchill wardrobes.

j crew factory eyelet front top

loft floral skirt {thrifted}

crown vintage tisha pumps

thanks to everyone who responded to my post last week about my blogging slump and uncertainty about lit & sty's blogging future.  what stood out to me is that i'm not alone in these feelings and it's something everyone experiences.  that was reassuring, as were so many people's comments that they want me to keep blogging.  really?!  i promise that i won't up and leave the blog and i have no plans to stop any time soon.

it was a whopping -10 this morning when i left for work but oddly enough i feel warmer in tights than pants when it's cold out.  maybe because the fabric of the tights is right against my legs compared to pants that are loose and allow wind to breeze through more easily.  does that make sense?  i thrifted this identical loft skirt a few months back that i knew would be too small, but it was still disappointing when i tried to try it on and promptly had to sell it on eBay.  needless to say, i was pretty excited to see another one show up at the goodwill in my size for just a few dollars.  the fabric is pretty stretchy and has an elastic waistband along with a zipper, which i think is pretty darn ingenious!  you get the look and feel of a straight pencil skirt but a nice elastic waistband!  it's one of the best fitting skirts i have right now, which sure is confidence boosting!

have a great week!

get the look: similar blouse / similar skirt / similar heels / similar necklace

beaded headband.

 

old navy striped tee & scarf

merona skirt & belt

crown vintage tisha heels

one of my favorite birthday coupons each year is $10 to spend at world market. i love their scarves, earrings, and kitchen section (their ceramic egg crates are my favorite earring storage solution.)  with my birthday coupon this year i ended up buying this headband and two pairs of earrings. unfortunately i must have an oddly shaped head because headbands like this (with the elastic at the bottom) don't seem to stay on my head too well.  i had to redo it every time i went to the bathroom.  at least it didn't give me a headache!

my look feels so standard most days (by that i mean i never do anything interesting to my hair, i don't paint my nails a different color every week, my make up is always pretty neutral, etc) so it was nice to try something new with the headband to add some variety to my look.  how do you feel about headbands? any tricks to keeping them on your head?

psst:  marissa & i are doing another patone-inspired fall linkup next week!  i'll post more details throughout the week, but here are the colors we are choosing from to get you planning!

get the look:  similar stripes / similar skirt / similar scarf / similar heels / exact headband

throwback necklace.

j crew button down {thrifted}   ·   talbots blazer {thrifted}

j crew factory printed pencil skirt in vibrant currant

crown vintage tisha mary janes   ·   target necklace

every year i struggle with what color tights to pair with whatever top/bottom combo i want to wear and then struggle again with what shoes would look appropriate with that color tights. every year!  if i were wearing this without tights i may wear burgundy flats, but i didn't think that color shoe would look right with navy tights. so, i tend to match my tights with my shoes even though that eliminates a lot of shoes from my closet that can be worn over the winter months.  either way, i'm happy with the way this outfit turned out and i was glad to find another patterned skirt in my closet i could wear this green blazer with!

it is a bit of a stretch, but i'm joining alice at happiness at midlife and her throwback thursday fashion link up with this necklace. i've only worn it once (back in march) and figured it's been long enough to apply. plus, since i couldn't wear the burgundy flats i wanted to wear i incorporated that color into my outfit with my necklace.  thanks for visiting!

get the look:  similar button down / similar blazer / similar skirt / exact heels / similar necklace

currently...

so i've never really done one of these posts before, but i love my pal anne over at in residence and just had to participate in her "currently..." theme post today!  plus, it's always nice when you have the skeleton of a post developed for you and you just have to fill in the blanks!

wearing // these favorite patterned pants of mine and a coordinating sweater and mary jane heels.


writing //  fictional stories.  have i ever mentioned that i love writing?  i've written stories for as long as i can remember, but in the past few years i feel as though i have actually thought of plotlines that actually turn into something and i love exploring and honing this hobby.  it makes me wonder why i never participate in nanowrimo, but maybe i will this year to really force me to develop one of the many ideas i have rough outlines for.

anticipating  // the zubaz night at the minnesota twins game in a week.  did you ever own a pair of zubaz pants?  i don't think i ever did, but i'm kind of beyond thrilled to receive this pair and don them at the game with a bunch of other crazy fans.

missing // the minnesota state fair.  fried pickles, cheese curds, corn dogs... even though it's kind of the same rodeo every year, i miss it already and wish i had another day to experience it all.

craving // reading "fangirl" by rainbow rowell... it just came up in my queue but wouldn't you know i am already in the middle of a book and have several others that are also ready for me to check out and read?  she pretty much can do no wrong and i am so eager to get lost in this book!

candy striped.

old navy eyelet button-down   ·   j crew factory lightweight scarf

merona pencil skirt   ·   crown vintage tisha heels

i just can't get off my kick of wearing lightweight, patterned scarves this summer!  this one was definitely a good find for a pretty reasonable price at j crew factory.  i pulled out the darker red with my skirt, but the pairings of skirts and solid colored tops feels kind of endless!  i also really love the eyelet detail on the button-down, it makes a basic staple have a little more visual interest, which is something i'm always looking for.  thanks for visiting!

get the look:  exact button-down / exact scarf / similar skirt, similar color / exact heels

dress week: day 1

gap sateen fit & flare dress   ·   old navy chambray {thrifted}

crown vintage tisha pumps   ·   mossimo belt

i am so happy to be co-hosting this dress theme week with andi of just another smith!  andi is known for her great theme weeks that have helped me to plan my wardrobe on more than one occasion and i was so glad she wanted to collaborate with me in bringing you this theme week of dresses.

i certainly love a good dress, but i don't know that i am always that good at picking out dresses for myself.  in planning for this theme week i realized i have a lot of sleeveless dresses that i never wear on their own - i always layer a shirt underneath or a blazer/cardigan over.  i knew that's exactly how i wanted to wear this dress this week though with alice as my inspiration!  i loved the look of the chambray she wore underneath this same dress that she styled back in april.  the stripes on the dress are dark navy, as are my shoes, and i accented with a mint colored belt.  i'm not sure why i didn't add a statement necklace?!  don't you hate when you realize something was missing from your outfit after you take pictures?

get the look:  exact dress / similar chambray / similar belt / exact heels

i'm looking forward to seeing how you find different ways to style dresses this week.  you can add your link to this one link-up tool andi and i are using all week either here at my blog or at hers so join in whenever you can.  see you again tomorrow!

An InLinkz Link-up