a beginning with pants.

loft diamond print cropped pants   ·   mossimo sweater {thrifted}
target necklace & belt {thrifted target stock}   ·   cl irresistible bol wedges

i've participated in theme weeks these past two weeks, so i decided to give myself free reign at my closet this week instead of jumping right into another one.  this also gives me the opportunity to wear one of the new clothing items i've purchased this month - these patterned pants.  even though i wear patterned skirts with confidence, i have never envisioned myself in patterned pants!  i automatically assumed they wouldn't work for me so i wrote them off without ever trying a pair on. 

my personal style has really been changing since i started a different job earlier this year.  my previous job was primarily a desk job--i could hide out in my little cubicle and not present myself to others if i didn't want to.  i don't mean that i was closed off or unfriendly, i just mean that there was little risk in wearing bold colors or patterned skirts if no one ever really saw what i was wearing as i sat behind my desk all day.

my current job is so different.  i squat beside my residents in their wheelchairs so we can be eye-to-eye, i kneel on the floor beside dining room tables to take breakfast orders, i perch on the edges of beds to visit, and i walk up and down long hallways multiple times a day.  gone are the days where i can comfortably wear most high heels, that is for sure!

it's interesting and important to me to track the progression of my style and reflect on how it's impacted by so many different factors... not only the ones i noted above, but also my personal preferences, my weight, the appearance i want to present toward others.  my new workplace is so casual and relaxed and my personal style is changing to reflect that - i've sold/donated almost all of my heels and i'm on the hunt for different styles of pants to incorporate into my wardrobe as that is what i feel more comfortable in nowadays based on what my job requires of me.

a couple weeks ago i took a leap and ordered two pairs of patterned pants from loft.  i paid more for them than i would have at my usual stores of old navy or target, but as soon as i slipped this pair on, they felt very much to be a reflection of present day heidi.  i'd pay that price again and again to have a garment i feel that great in (even though i wish they were a size smaller; i was unsure of the sizing as i've never shopped at loft before).  i will continue to wear skirts and dresses and heels (albeit less often), but i feel my new found love for pants - and dare i say patterned ones at that - will make my entire wardrobe more well-rounded.  that's something that's really important to me too.

do you notice your style changing over time in a similar way?  if you got this far, phew - thanks for reading!

get the look:  exact pants {i'm 5'5" and ordered the tall to have a longer inseam because i don't like pants that hit above my ankles.  the length of these loft pants is better, right?  i welcome your objective opinion!} / similar sweater / similar necklace / similar belt / exact wedges

never been worn before: eyelet blouse.

 

 j crew eyelet blouse {thrifted}   ·   old navy blazer {thrifted}

old navy boyfriend khakis   ·   mossimo ona flats

for day two of my "never been worn before" theme week i'm featuring this j crew eyelet blouse that i thrifted at the goodwill in august of 2013 for $6.99.  "why on earth would someone have donated this?!" i asked myself as i adjusted my goodwill goggles and dropped it in my basket before another customer could fight me for it.  it wasn't until i got it home, washed it, and looked it over did i see the snag in the eyelet around the far left side of my torso (kind of in the middle of the close-up shot).  yeah, that's why it was donated.  into the mending box it went thinking i could do some sewing handiwork to reattach the torn part to the blouse.  well, 8 months flew by and i forgot about it until recently.  i decided that with a blazer layered over it, the tear is shielded and not noticeable.  i will probably still seek my mom's assistance to do some stitching repairs, but until then i'm trying not to hang my head too low in shame that so much time passed before i even tried to wear this blouse.  because isn't it just lovely?! 

get the look:  current factory blouse / similar blazer / exact pants / exact flats / similar necklace

april 22nd {drabby}

j crew riviera jacket   ·   loft skirt {thrifted}

mossimo varana booties {thrifted target stock}

i feel pretty drab in my outfit today of olive greens & tans/browns.  it's true, even though i dress in a lot of color each week, the snow on the ground outside and the temps that can't seem to get out of the 30s and 40s often wear on me.  i have hope that spring is on its way soon after one more snowfall (!) tonight, and one of the easiest ways for me to get inspired about the change in seasons is pulling out fresh and bright colors from my closet! what better way to explore some new color combinations than looking to PANTONE?  most of us are probably familiar with PANTONE's color of the year, emerald, but did you know they also forecast hot colors for the spring season?  my friend marissa from the modern austen and i picked our favorites and are inviting you to join us in this PANTONE-inspired spring color challenge the week of april 29th!  pick a top, bottom, accessory, or pair of shoes in the color for the day and show off your spring colors with us! we will be linking up to my blog next monday & tuesday and at marissa's blog wednesday-friday.

we are so excited for this link party and encourage all of you to participate! don't have all of the colors? that's okay! just participate whatever day you can. don't have a blog? don't sweat it! we'd love to read your comments of how you wore each color and you could email us your photos, too. at the end of the week, marissa and i will pick our favorite looks from the week and feature them in a wrap-up post!

**this link-up challenge is in no way sponsored by or affiliated with pantone--we just love their colors.  for more information about pantone llc and PANTONE® products, visit www.pantone.com.**

february 27th {detour}

retro poplin dress {c/o eshakti}   ·   j crew riviera jacket

merona maye heels {thrifted target stock}

i figured i would jump right in and wear this dress that i reviewed from eshakti on monday with a look pretty similar to what i posted but with a different necklace and shoes.  there is time to be more creative but i like how the neutral jacket and shoes paired against the bright orange dress.  looking for a dress of your own at eshakti?  they are offering my readers 20% off with the code LTERTELYST valid through 03/10/13.  happy shopping!

today i was in my car nearly half the day, which is unusual for me... i have a lot of clients and a lot of visits each week {i'm a social worker and provide care coordination to seniors as a part of their health plan for anyone who might not know or may be new around here}, but i try to plan my visits the previous week so i can spread them out so i only have maybe one a day.  today i had to go to a care conference for one of my clients who lives 30 miles away from my office, so i decided to tack on some other visits as i worked my way back... unfortunately the care conference ran long and i had to cancel my second appointment.  then, as i was attempting to get back to the office, a major highway i needed to take was completely closed and i had no idea how to get to my third visit, much less back to my office!  i wanted to go east on this highway but was forced to go west and ended up going 20 miles out of my way before i finally recognized familiar exits and could maneuver back to my office.  so my original intention of combining trips backfired on me and i only got through 1 of the 3 visits i wanted to make and ended up needing to take a ridiculous detour. 

i blame this on minneapolis!  minnesotans are funny... i think those of us who live in st paul are more comfortable staying in st paul and the same goes for those who live in minneapolis.  we don't understand the layout of one another's cities and it seems like such an effort to cross over the mississippi river (the dividing line) to go into the other city.  i'm a st paul girl and the visits i had today were in minneapolis suburbs.  unfortunately i think i'll have to head back sooner than i'd prefer since i missed two of my visits today. does a similar feeling exist between your city and a neighboring city?  more importantly, how did we handle getting lost before smart phones existed?!

thanks for visiting!

monday {orange & tan}

 

merona ponte pocket dress {thrifted target stock}   ·   talbots blouse {thrifted}

old navy blazer {thrifted / here's one on ebay}   ·   merona mariela pumps {thrifted}

i love the way this outfit came together!  the orange dress was a $1.99 new target stock find from the goodwill yesterday; i hadn't been to the goodwill in forever and was glad to come away with a couple things i'm sure i won't be able to wait long to wear.  it was a fun shopping trip -- i even found some cheap zippers, but unfortunately i'm sure it will be a little longer before i fire up my sewing machine and actually construct something that would require a zipper.  i wanted the blue & white pinstripe blouse to peak out more from under the dress but the neckline isn't very scoopy.  i think it would have looked cute without the blazer though {check out that ebay link above if you're interested, i love this blazer and wear it a lot!}

my heart is so saddened when i think about what happened in connecticut on friday.  i read a breaking news story about what was happening on a coworker's phone as i was waiting for a delicious pizza to bake for my lunch on friday... how quickly my appetite soured.  like many other bloggers, i felt like this was too monumental of an event to dismiss and not acknowledge.  i specifically want to send love & strength today to so many blogger friends i've met who work in school settings.  i pray that you are able to continue to do the amazing work you are called to do with your students and maybe within this community we share we can find a way to push past the sadness together.

friday!

if there were ever day to wear your favorite skirt & casual denim... it should be on a friday. 

happy weekend to you all, thanks for all of the support you have shown to me this week!

tuesday (loser)

gap cardigan {thrifted}   j crew daphne blouse   target necklace

merona doubleweave pants {thrifted target stock}   mossimo odell flats

i was thinking that this outfit isn't much of a winner, and the opposite of a winner is a loser, right?  well, maybe i shouldn't be too hard on myself!  i was really dreading the progression of this day when i woke up this morning and that translated into the little energy i put into this outfit today.  i had an early morning meeting at 8am to present a case review of one of my clients that i didn't feel prepared for (it ended up being okay and i got great feedback of how to continue working with this individual).  then i had to teach a 2.5 hour long class on healthy eating (not really relevant to my field, but i've committed to doing it and it doesn't end for three more weeks).  next i had to sit in on a webinar and then go straight to a care conference at a nursing home.  despite how busy a career as a social worker can be, i don't often have days like this where i literally go from meeting to the next, so it was a little draining.  

i dropped by old navy on my way home (i haven't been to the mall in SO long) to look for this top, but it wasn't in the clearance section so i'll place an order online for it today while the 30% across all gap brands is still in effect.  i'm already putting a dent into my clothing budget for the month and it's only the first week of october! 

saturday (creative)

 

 merona scarf as skirt   gap v-neck tee   target necklace

merona "meadow" leopard flats   target belt {thrifted new}

i'm not sure how comfortable i'd feel wearing this out & about (it's only being held up by the belt so i would need to do some pinning), but i did like how easily this great olive colored scarf translated into a skirt.  it was fun to get creative with using this scarf in a different way, especially since we're still another couple months from the scarf-wearing season!

here's a picture of the original scarf: