a week

Apologies for my unintended absence on the little blog - it has been a week (really, two weeks), my friends. Thanks for understanding, and checking out my red & navy striped outfit. Hope you're having a great weekend :)

*all items are part of my Maternity Capsule Wardrobe

very delayed

You thought my post a few weeks ago was a flash-in-the-pan for me and that I'd disappear again, huh? Not the case! I'll spare you the details, but I've made the switch from my beloved MacBook (*tear*) back to a PC, and switching everything over has taken some...finesse (and help from a computer engineer friend), aaaaand, every evening at about 7 pm, our internet goes bad (we're told it's a volume thing and the equipment/infrastructure needs updating. I know, #firstworldproblem, but, when you pay for uber-fast internet, you'd like to be able to use it when you're at your home...) BUT! technological issues aside, we're back in business!

If you're at all observant, you'll notice that these pictures don't appear to have been taken recently, since it's still winter and the bottom of our driveway is still a sheet of solid ice and I'm not wearing 18 layers and tights. And, you would be right. These pictures (and this pink & navy outfit) happened this fall...in September...ages ago! The Mr. and I headed to the mountains for a quick weekend to celebrate our dating anniversary (5 internet gold stars if you can guess what milestone we were celebrating) and he suggested I bring some backlogged outfits to take photos of, because, you know, FALL IN COLORADO. ALL OF THE LEAVES AND ALL OF THE BOO-TIFUL COLORS. 

And, he was right. So smart, that one. Lots of beautiful colors, still some green grass, and you know, some blonde girl wearing a lacy dress & heeled booties out in nature. And also, this is before I knew I was pregnant, as are the next few looks I'll share with you. However, this dress is something I did wear a few times in my first trimester before it got too snug (and subsequently, short); it's currently boxed up until we can be reunited.

So, again, apologies for the delay and my absence, but I'm back! And I've got some maternity-esque looks to share with you (I'm not in FULL maternity gear yet, just lots of stretchy pants) - stay tuned!

navy lace overlay dress: Banana Republic outfit

pink ombre scarf: gift

taupe ankle booties: Old Navy

gold clutch: thrifted

"camouflage"

Stripes and leopard. A classic case of print mixing. I guess the only thing a bit different about this version than previous leopard and stripe adventures is that the leopard and stripes are navy blue and gold-ish, instead of black and gold-ish. Navy colored leopards exist in the wild, right? Of course they do.

And since this skirt is pretty loud, I paired it with nude flats, and jewelry in the same color family. Didn't want to distract from my navy colored leopard. I mean, "camouflage."

shirt: Target

skirt: thrifted (Target)

necklace: Target

flats: Old Navy

linking up:

A Touch of Tartan //  DC in Style

Why I Do DeClaire // Tasteful Style // The Mrs. and Co.

for the love of scarves

When it's warm outside, but your office/where you work/where you spend most of your day is freezing, what do you wear?

*not a trick question*

LAYERS.

Additionally, scarves, boots, and jackets. Extra points if you print mix, mix color palettes, try something monochromatic, and/or do something interesting.

Aaaand, that's what I did here. I've been getting some, *ahem* "feedback" on my wearing of scarves (how often, how many, how big they are, etc., etc.), and to that, I say:

"They help to keep me warm, transition my outfit for different events, and transition my outfit for different temperature extremes (from warm to freezing to hot and back again).

And, I like how they look and help to make my look 'complete'. For the love of scarves, people!"

;)

striped dress: WalMart

floral scarf: Target

navy cardigan: Banana Republic Outlet

teal faux leather jacket: local boutique

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

black & blue + sweater #29

The day I wore this, one of the girls I work with was also wearing a blue top with black pants and a black sweater. And you guys, this top isn't just blue. It's navy blue. With black.

Dun dun dun.

Breaking all the rules over here in sunny Colorado.

linking up over here

shirt: Eddie Bauer

cardigan: Ann Taylor

scarf: thrifted

velvet pants: J. Crew Factory

flats: Target

the sweater saga, part 1 + gray all over #9

Let's talk sweaters (this whole "Sweater Saga" will have several parts, let's call this Part 1 - we'll talk numbers today). I mentioned recently that my total count of sweater + sweater-esque items is about 31. And sometimes my interpretation of a sweater is pretty loose. I know to some people, 31 seems like A LOT. And to other people, 31 seems pretty small. And some people have no idea how many sweaters they own, so 31 doesn't really mean anything to them. And for me, that number does not include fleeces, jackets, hoodies from high school or college, ski gear, running gear, or pajamas (of which I have many).

Here's the breakdown of my sweater collection:

14 cardigans

9 pullovers

1 cardigan type sweater, with no sleeves, so it's more of a vest. kind of.

4 nicer sweatshirts

1 sweater dress

1 sweatshirt dres

1 sweater knit maxi skirt

31 sweaters + sweater-esque items in Annie's closet

At times, 31 sweaters feels to me to be a bit much. Other times, I long for more - more textures, more colors, more chunky knits or drapey cardigans or longer pullovers to wear with leggings. In the last few years, I have gotten rid of many sweaters. And I've added a few in, as well. Some are nicer sweaters from J. Crew, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and others came from a variety of places like Target, WalMart, or fast fashion chains. Consider me a high/low fashion mixologist...

The Sweater Saga is to be continued...

striped sweatshirt: Old Navy

scarf: c/o Aéropostale

pants: c/o Aéropostale

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

pea coat: Old Navy

dresses x3

I picked up this gray striped t-shirt dress recently, and I’m disappointed I didn’t find it sooner. It’s so simple, and I can play almost any color scheme off of it.

Brights? Sure.

Neon. Why not?

Neutrals (my new fave)? Absolutely.

Did I mention it’s comfortable? And soft? And striped? Oh, and it’s gray.

*swoon*

dress: WalMart

statement necklace: WalMart

shoes: Nordstrom

This navy blue dress is a favorite around here. Last time, I took a patriotic turn. This time a green and brown approach. Nothing TOO terribly exciting, but a little different. And a belt at the waist makes it feel a bit more put together than say, a plain blue dress with no accessories.

dress: thrifted

belt: reallyyyy old

shoes: Rocketdog via DSW

And here’s the blue striped peplum dress. Feels like I can wear any color belt with it and immediately look put together (it helps that I don’t have TOO many belts that would look funny with it). Oh, and this belt just happened to go with my bright red wedges. Funny how that happens…

dress: Target

belt: thrifted

wedges: thrifted (ELLE)

big day

Remember a few weeks ago when I told you it's cool to still be patriotic after the 4th of July? Well, it's true. And here's more proof. Call me crazy, but I'm excited to style this scarf into fall and winter. 

In other news, today is a BIG DAY. One of my best friends is moving! And not just moving anywhere - moving to where I live! Not the same house, or neighborhood, but a lot closer than we've lived since...high school? She moved some things into her new apartment the week before last, and we spent all afternoon & evening talking. I didn't make it home til after midnight...So, this time, I'm wondering if I should pack my pajamas and a sleeping bag, just like we used to do in middle school.

I've been waiting all spring and summer for her to get here and now that it's finally (almost) here, I can hardly contain my excitement. We always keep in touch, but there's nothing quite like being in the same place with your best friend. My two other best friends live on the East Coast, and the other in Hawaii, and then of course my sweet sis-in-law is out east, too, so phone calls & texts are our main way of keeping in touch. But nothing beats staying up late and catching up with a friend in her new apartment, am i right??

dress: thrifted

scarf: Aéropostale

shoes: thrifted (ELLE)

mild costume change

I wore this recently on a Friday. Nothing too fancy - just a button up and a chambray skirt.

And after work, I did a quick costume change to meet up with a friend for one of these.

Bright pink shorts in place of the skirt. A bit more appropriate for a casual Friday afternoon beer with an old friend. Thinking I need to do that again - and soon!

shirt: J. CREW (thrifted)

skirt: thrifted

shorts: Old Navy

sandals: DSW