fleece dress.

old navy sleeveless fleece dress

gap button down

our world boutique necklace

merona madeline flats

it is rare that i buy dresses from old navy anymore because they always end up being too short on me, but something about this dress stood out to me so i figured i'd give the tall size a try... and i love it!  the fabric is so soft and forgiving and it ended up being the perfect length.  i'm glad to have a nice fitting dress like this in my closet that is bound to prove its versatility.  i kept it pretty standard today with the black button down underneath but i liked the magenta stones in the necklace that match the belt and the gold accents on my shoes, necklace, and belt hardware.  if you are at all interested in this dress (link below), it's currently on clearance for $14.97 and you can use the code "treat" for an extra 15% off, lucky gals!

get the look:  exact dress / similar button down / similar flats / similar necklace / similar belt

never been worn before: coral tee.

old navy boat neck tee   ·   merona skirt
fioni flats   ·   baublebar necklace

this week i'm taking part in a self-imposed challenge i'm calling "never been worn before."  i have tracked all of my clothing purchases since 2011 and i turn the text from red to black once i have worn something.  those random red-colored items nag me every time i browse through my spreadsheet, so this week i am committed to wearing at least five of them!

i'm starting out with this 3/4 sleeve coral boat neck tee from old navy.  there's really nothing special about it, but i purchased it in october 2013 (oh geez, was that really almost six months ago?) because i felt i needed more solid colored tops to wear casually or with skirts such as this one.  granted, i have needed to layer more in the winter months and i haven't been reaching for 3/4 sleeves, but i also clearly needed a bit of a push to wear it.  so, here we go!  done!

get the look:  similar tee / similar button-down / similar skirt / similar flats 1, 2 / similar necklace

wednesday (pop)

 gap button-down   ·   handmade (by me) skirt

old navy necklace   ·   merona mari pumps {thrifted target stock}

pop / i've worn this skirt a couple times in cooler weather and thought i would pull it out before that cool weather is upon us once again!  i think the next time i wear it i should take a more colorful route and pair it with a pink cardigan since i've only worn it with darker/neutral colors so far.  i went with a basic black button-down shirt today to showcase the pop of color in the necklace from old navy that was a part of the order i made on labor day.  i'm pretty happy with the other items that i ordered, too, but boy is my closet getting pretty packed.  i find that i keep having to take tops off hangers and store them folded on shelves to make room for other items.  there are tops or skirts i glance at that i have only worn once or not at all.  i'm starting to feel a little guilty about that.  i'm glad that i've already gotten several wears out of this skirt though!  {please ignore the hint of my slip showing as i had my hands in the pockets and pulled the sides out & up.}

as for some of the other handmade skirts i've made... at least they have another purpose when they're not being worn.  i pulled out this under-the-bed storage container i have them all laying flat in to look through them and my cat decided it looked like a good bed for her!  :)

monday {finally}

handmade black/tan print skirt   ·   gap button-down

target necklace {thrifted target stock}   ·   jessica simpson oscar pumps {thrifted}

finally / for as long as i have been sewing {only about a year}, i've wanted to learn how to make structured skirts from a pattern that look a little more polished than the elastic waistband skirts i have made that i wear at least once a week.  with my mom's help last week, i finally made one from simplicity 2451.  i couldn't be happier with this skirt!  i made a size larger than i thought i needed since i didn't pre-wash the fabric, but after getting worried once the side seams came together that it would be too large, i added a little center pleat and adjusted the waistband.  the length was a little short for my preference so we made a short hem with a pack of brand new iron-on hem tape i found at the goodwill. the zipper i used was part of my secret santa gift from my friend viktoria and my mom got me the fabric from joann's for my birthday.  i love that this skirt came together from a 99¢ pattern with gifted fabric & zipper and thrifted hem tape.  in my mind, that made it all the more perfect!

here are a couple more detail shots of the back vent & zipper: