embracing a neutral.

ab studio dress   ·  old navy open-front cardigan

fergalicious 'irene' heels   ·  target belt

{ similar dress / exact cardigan / similar heels / similar belt }

i purchased this cardigan in a recent old navy order because it will complete a look i want to put together for an upcoming trip.  i almost never purchase an entirely new outfit for an event (unless i need a dress to wear to a wedding but those events are rare), but even if i had this cardigan is already proving its place in my closet!

i went through a phase years ago where i got rid of my "neutral" cardigans because i didn't want to blend in with so many working women i interacted with who typically wore neutral colors like black head to toe.  i still feel like all-black outfits are a default i want to avoid but i am working gray and tan back into my closet and in doing so have realized that they definitely have a place there.  this cardigan is nice and lightweight and i love the openness that gives it a different look.  and i'm realizing how many items i have that this tan cardigan matches with like the top i wore a couple friday's ago and today's dress!

serial.

merona pencil skirt & cardigan
jack floral blouse {thrifted}
 fergalicious irene pumps

this past week i was in georgia visiting my family for thanksgiving, and the 16 hour drive there from minnesota was more than enough ample time in the car.  my sister and i love listening to podcasts like this american life, wait wait don't tell me, and ask me another to pass the hours and this year we added another favorite to our list:  serial.  this is a new podcast supported by this american life that tells a nonfiction story week by week.  the current season is outlining the case of a high school student in maryland who was convicted to life in prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in 1999.  the case was almost entirely based on one witness and cell phone records.  how much weight would you put on cell phone records in 1999?  fifteen years later (this podcast is told in real time), the case receives a fresh look with new investigations, interviews, and detailed digging that appears never to have been done by the detectives in the first place.  

i admit when my sister read the description of the podcast to me when we started our drive on a pitch black, cold, early morning in november, i wasn't so sure it was something i wanted to delve into.  i am not a mystery book reader, scary movie watcher {it took me for-ev-er to read/watch the hunger games because i couldn't fathom the idea of reading a book for pleasure where kids kill other kids}, or dateline type of gal at all. but once the sun rose we started listening and were both immediately gripped with such fascination that we binge-listened to the available 9 episodes all the way to kentucky.  i'm not sure that serial is something i'd want to listen to at the dinner table or if i'm out for a walk around the neighborhood, so i think it was actually perfectly suited for an insanely long car ride.  i'm really looking forward to listening to the rest of the season though so i'm sure we'll figure out an appropriate time to listen.  has anyone else been lured into this podcast? or the podcasts of the podcast that pick it apart?

this has absolutely nothing to do with what i'm wearing today (hey, first day back to work in a week) but i knew i wanted to introduce other people to this podcast and have the opportunity to dialogue about it in comments if anyone else has listened, so i hope someone has!  as for what i'm wearing, i just grabbed a blouse i thrifted when i was home in georgia and a coordinating skirt and cardigan.  so easy!

happy monday!

get the look:  similar skirt / similar shirt / similar cardigan / similar heels 

summer garden.

old navy white lace tee   ·   talbots blazer {thrifted}

j crew watercolor garden skirt {thrifted}   ·   fergalicious irene pumps

i definitely still love this skirt just as much as the first time i wore it, even though that was only a couple weeks ago.  i was just really eager to remix it and it's one of the few skirts i own that fits really well.  of course i had to grab my fun green blazer and a matching necklace... i just couldn't help but coordinate with the colors in the skirt.  i definitely felt like i was in a garden all day!  one of these days i'll put together a recap post of all of the ways i've worn this green blazer as i'm a little abashed i've only written posts for two of the outfits but there have been many, many more!

speaking of gardens, now that i live in a place where i actually have a deck (and a really huge one at that!), we are trying to master the art of gardening.  so far we have some herbs that we stuck in a planter box and some lettuce in the other.  the lettuce is coming up slowly but surely; it has been really fun watching it grow!  now i just have to make sure we dream up some recipes to use the chives, basil, and mint that are cooking in the other planter.

have you ever tried planter gardening, or are you lucky enough to have a plot in your yard that you can dedicate to a true garden?

get the look:  similar blazer / similar tee / similar skirt / similar necklace / exact heels

dress week: day 4

merona dress & jacket {thrifted target stock}

fergalicious irene pumps

so, thanks to so many of you for joining andi & i for our dress week.  it has been really fun pulling out different dresses to wear since i admit they aren't the first article of clothing i reach for in a typical week.  i also have to admit that i haven't done much thrifting lately, much less found any target stock at my local goodwills, but today's outfit features two target finds from the past - this orange ponte dress and navy jacket.  i have varying feelings about ponte - it's a great fabric, but does it show too many lumps & bumps?  somehow, this dress just works for me and it's proven to be a great piece in my closet!

get the look:  similar jacket / similar dress / exact heels

An InLinkz Link-up

catching up... and hanson.

merona blouse   ·  chaps blazer {thrifted}

banana republic slacks {via twice}

fergalicous irene pumps

in pink necklace

hi blog friends! it feels like it has been forever since i've been here or been to anyone's blogs.  i am so behind as i took thursday-monday off for my annual trip to tulsa, oklahoma where my favorite band hanson is from. they host a weekend of events for their fan club members and it's become a tradition to go almost every year.  i think it's pretty phenomenal that i've been following a band for 17 years and i still love them just as much now as i did back in 1997. their music has seen me through high school, college, a move across the country, graduate school, and continues to be such a huge part of my daily life. i feel so fortunate i can share in their story and attend these events they put on to thank us for being their fans!  and they have their own craft beer now -- how crazy is that?!

anyway, yesterday was an 11 hour car ride home so i pretty much crashed and didn't put a lot of thought into this outfit today. these slacks are from the secondhand website twice* i just recently found about and received in the mail prior to my trip and i was so glad they fit. it was so easy to throw them on with a pretty top and necklace this morning and conserve my brain power for getting back into the swing of things at work.

thanks for visiting and reading my babble about my favorite band. who is your favorite band?  do you ever travel to see them?

get the look:  this season's lace top / similar slacks / similar blazer / exact necklace / exact heels

* if you join through my referral link, we both get $10!

all about the shoes.

merona cardigan {thrifted target stock}   ·   merona skirt
fergalicious irene pumps

 

happy monday!  i feel like i have been dressing really casually to work lately (last friday i actually wore running shoes, which is just so different for me!) so it felt good to pull on a pencil skirt and heels... even if it led to a number of looks and comments throughout the day.  is seeing a woman in a pair of high heels really gawk-worthy?  i guess it is at my workplace!  i really like these fun pumps though, DSW always hits it out of the park for me and i consistently find unique and interesting shoes there.  this cardigan hasn't been worn in who knows how long, either, but i felt it was a good complement to the neutral shade of the shoes.  now, if only my hair would grow out a little and cooperate... i miss my longer locks!

 

thanks for visiting!

 

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