thankful for: mossimo watercolor dress

 

mossimo dress {thrifted target stock}

merona button-down {thrifted}

merona mary jane heels

baublebar necklace

it may seem silly to be thankful for certain items of clothing when there are probably more worldly things to be thankful for like life, liberty, and happiness, but i honestly am thankful for the clothes i have in my closet and having the means to spend money on clothes and cultivate the interest i have in fashion.  i'm sure most of you guys who have and/or read style blogs would agree, so hopefully that statement doesn't sound too far off-center.  anyway, this week i thought i'd focus on some items in my closet that i'm especially thankful for that have come to be such wearable pieces i reach for again and again.

first up is this mossimo watercolor dress that was new target stock i found at the goodwill in july 2013 for $6.99.  i wear it year-round and i think i've become pretty creative at finding different tops to layer over/under it.  after reviewing the ways i've worn it so far, i'm surprised that it took me this long to wear it with my green heels, and i can't believe i haven't worn it with navy heels yet or layered a white button-down underneath it.  i'm glad that i'm still excited about this dress a year and a half later and can still think of other ways to "remix" it.

here are all of the other ways i've worn this dress so far (click to enlarge):

get the look:  similar dress / similar button-down / similar heels / similar necklace / similar belt / exact tights (in heather gray)

dress week: day 5!

mossimo dress {thrifted target stock}

j crew blouse {thrifted}   ·   forever 21 belt {thrifted}

restricted slice it wedges

well, today andi & i have reached the end of our dresses week.  thanks again to everyone who threw on a dress and linked up with us!  i definitely enjoyed the challenge of picking out dresses from my collection to wear this week and it was fun being inspired by everyone who joined us as well!  this is definitely one of my favorite dresses... you can see some of the other ways i have worn it here.  it almost seemed like a no-brainer to wear it with my new mint wedges today.

thanks so much for visiting, and thanks again to andi for letting me co-host this fun theme week with her!

get the look:  similar dress / similar belt / exact wedges

An InLinkz Link-up

repeated dresses.

mossimo dress, cardigan {this season's}, and heels

{all thrifted target stock}​ 

sept 25th / forgive me if this outfit looks repetitive, i'm running out of layering pieces to wear with this dress! and since i don't want to relegate it to the back of my closet after i've exhausted all of the unique ways i can think of to wear it, you may just have to see me cycle through some options again.  the only look i haven't tried is layering a button-down underneath (it's a sleeveless dress) so that may come next! 

also, i feel the need to apologize for my terrible hair... it usually never gets this long, but when it does the layers disappear and it gets flat & stringy.  it only looks halfway decent on day #2 when i curl it (have you noticed the pattern that every other day my hair is straight or curly? haha!) but it's to the point where i feel like i have to commit to growing it out a little more because then i can donate it!  i've never done that before but it'll probably happen in another month or so.  :)  until then, forgive me if my hair looks terrible... it annoys me so much right now!

going, going, gone

mossimo dress {thrifted target stock}   

dexter kylie wedges   ·   chaps blazer {thrifted}

august 20th / today was so busy!  it is rare that i have a lot going on but my social work colleague and i like to joke (foreshadow?) that you can just feel that something is going to happen after a long stretch of stillness, quiet, boredom... and by mid-august i was hit with a tsunami of tasks, projects, and new clients in addition to regularly scheduled visits.  usually i may have one meeting or one home visit a day, but today my schedule was jam-packed with an early morning conference call, a long in-person assessment, a visit at a nursing home, and a home visit with another client and caregiver.  

two of these clients i had never met before, so i knew i needed a fuss-free outfit that would help me feel confident but approachable.  i have been wanting to wear this dress again (see the first time i wore it here) and it seemed like a good selection for the different interactions i had today.  the blazer helped me feel like the professional i needed to be (let's be honest, some days i feel like i'm still faking it until i make it), and the wedges gave me some height while still allowing for easy walking from office to car to visit.  i really don't know how i made it through this day of going, going, going but thankfully my outfit didn't fail me!

friday (florals)

merona bow blouse & merona mittie flats {both thrifted target stock}

xhilaration blazer {thrifted}   ·   merona doubleweave skirt

i put this blouse on my virtual wishlist when i saw this post at the blog what would emma pillsbury wear? that combined my favorite target skirt and various blouses & cardigans. it's one thing to look at each of these pieces individually (as i did many a time on my weekly target trips) but it's defintely helpful & inspiring to see them paired together and styled by someone else.  unfortunately, this blouse had already been phased out of my target's clearance racks and knowing that it had been clearanced in stores didn't leave me inclined to buy it at full price online.  yesterday i randomly popped into a goodwill i don't frequent much these days and there this blouse was, waiting for me!

as much as i love wearing tights in the fall/winter, i still struggle when the outfit i want to wear doesn't look good with tights.  i felt like black tights were the only option but that i then had to bring in more black, hence the blazer.  in the end, however, i feel this outfit is very "me" and i am so happy to have added this blouse to my wardrobe!

monday (4/23)

merona tie-neck blouse {thrifted target stock}  gap v-neck sweater

handmade (by me) skirt {fabric here}   merona milena wedges {thrifted target stock}

if i take a quick glance in my closet, i see lots of pinks, purples, maroon, and blue cardigans.  maybe that's why i'm always drawn to those colors at the fabric store, too.  i always bypass the blacks, grays, and tans and hover around the purples & blues.  i love the floral print and the richness of the colors.  very, very me.  click the link above if you'd like to see a swatch of the fabric from joann.com; i'm not sure how many people who pop by here are sewers or are interested in the fabric i use, but i'll try to link to the fabric that i use if i can find it online!  have a nice evening!

tuesday (green!)

simply vera wang top   old navy cardigan   forever21 belt {thrifted}

merona doubleweave skirt & milena wedges & necklace {thrifted target stock}

this isn't what i planned on wearing today, but of course i had to wear some green for ebew.  by the end of the day i knew that my days in tights are numbered... i have to draw the line somewhere when we start having sunny days and highs in the 60s and 70s.  it's always a bit of an adjustment for me transitioning from winter to spring & summer, way more so than transitioning into winter... so we'll see what i come up with for the rest of what is going to be a warm week.

thursday (jackpot)

 

liberty of london tiered ruffle keyhole tank {thrifted target stock}   old navy short-sleeve sweater

gap slacks   lela rose for payless "finsbury" heels   aerie necklace

you guys, today i hit the jackpot.  no, not the 229 million dollar minnesota powerball that has yet to be claimed.  the shoe jackpot, of course!  for the past couple weeks the shoe aisles at target have been nothing but clearance {it's almost boot season, yay!}.  i passed up these wedges a couple days ago even though i had a 20% off merona coupon... my conscience got the better of me.  i already have three pairs of black heels, right?  well, when i dropped by target today all of the clearance shoes had dropped to 75% off.  so, that was that.  i stopped at these two pairs, both were $4.99!

tuesday.

purple blouse: merona {thrifted new}   pencil skirt: merona {thrifted new}

green belt: f21 {thrifted new}   purse: lplp linea pelle {target}   black pumps: unlisted {thrifted}

it is so cliche to moan about the weather, but my gosh it is hot in minnesota.  it's definitely not cold here year round!  well, maybe cold as in i nearly melted running outside to take these pictures this afternoon.  i'll take the blame for this poor decision, it  definitely was not my hair's idea.  i wish i knew of some good products that would keep my hair frizz-free in the humidity, but it's probably just in my genes!  i do sincerely apologize about the frizz-tastic hair and harsh sunlight and awkward pose... i tell you, something has got to give!  until then, this is what i've got.