WIW: For warm weather

It is unseasonably warm here right now, and believe me, I'm not complaining :)  

So I started today's outfit with my black knit pencil skirt - without tights - whoo hoo! I then added my black tank and on top of that, is a new wedge shaped, drapey snakeskin print cotton-silk blend blouse. I don't know if the pics show it, but the colours in the blouse are black, two shades of blue, grey and white. I did some shopping on the weekend (will provide details in a separate post later) which led to a few fab purchases and a HUGE "aha" moment. This blouse was one of those purchases. On colder days and during the winter, I'll be layering a blazer or leather jacket on top.

I then chose my purple-blue suede booties for footwear and my navy blue vintage Coach handbag. I finished off the outfit with silver wedding band, silver and abalone bracelet, purple/clear specs and a swipe of berry lipstick.

This outfit, for me, has the perfect combination of drape and structure - a key to happiness with an outfit. What do you think? Does it work? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Blouse: Danier Leather
Tank: Smart Set
Skirt: Cleo Petite
Booties: Aerosoles
Handbag: Vintage Coach
Bracelet: thrifted

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WIW: Drapey Blush

Good morning my beautiful Fabbers :) We're having beautiful weather right now which means being able to extend the wear of a few lighter pieces - YAY - I can wear my drapey blush blouse a bit more!

Today's outfit started with my blush/white/black drapey blouse. I popped a black cami underneath and then paired the top with my faux wrap black jersey tapered trousers. This is the first wearing of the trousers and OH MY…they are ridiculously comfy and once again, I wish pictures could show how they move when you stride. LOVE THESE!

To balance some of the softness of this outfit, I've added some structure with my pointy toe pumps and then when I head outside, I'll top it all with my blush leather jacket. Black handbag, black/white specs, gold watch and wedding band, and a swipe of bright pink lipstick finish it all off.

I tried to take a close up of the wrap part of the trousers but unfortunately it didn't turn out.

What do you think? Drapey blouse + drapey trousers too much? Does this work? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Blouse: BCBGMaxAzria
Trousers: Eileen Fisher (eBay)
Shoes: Calvin Klein
Jacket & handbag: Danier Leather

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WIW: Boots & Leather

I must have tried on 30 items last night when deciding what to wear this morning and when I put on this combination, I audibly sighed with relief. This is, in Angie's terms, a "quintessential Shannon outfit" - pencil skirt, topper, boots. More on what I discovered while trying on pretty much everything I own in a separate post. But now, on to today's outfit.

The outfit is centred around the Doc boots as it is going to be a very busy day with a fair bit of running around - happy feet are a must. 

To the boots I added black tights and my black knit pencil skirt (going on 4-5 years old). I then added a black camisole topped with my drapey black and white Victoria ballerina tee. This tee is showing some wear now and will probably be relegated to the "around the house" capsule after today. It has been an amazing workhorse. 

I then topped all of that with my bone coloured leather jacket, added my black leather handbag, red specs and silver wedding band. I actually would have liked to change the handbag to something colourful like my yellow clutch or dark red Carter shoulder bag but I'm afraid I was just too lazy.

What do you think? Is it all working together? Is this outfit ME? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Jacket & handbag: Danier Leather
Tee: Smart Set
Skirt: Cleo Petite
Boots: Doc Martens 

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23 comments

WIW: Inspired by Dianthus

I've been enjoying reading Dianthus' style musings lately and her ability and willingness to stay true to her style. Her love of wide legged pants in particular struck a chord in me. So today, I dug out a pair of wide legged pants I haven't worn in ages.

Today's outfit started with these micro check wide legged grey/black/navy trousers. I never felt great in these pants but I think it was partially due to the footwear. Today I paired the trousers with my black pointy heel pumps and suddenly felt much better. For me, I think refined footwear is needed with wide legs.

I then added my simple black knit pullover with 3/4 length sleeves, untucked for a change. When I head out the door, I'll add my navy leather jacket. Accessories include my black handbag, silver watch/bangle/wedding band and black/white specs.

This is a very simple outfit and I wish that still photos could give an idea of how an item moves with you when you stride. I really like how these trousers flow when walking.

So anyway, over to you…what are your thoughts on this easy-peasy outfit? Does it work? Are the pants flattering or should I put them back in the probation pile? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Pullover: Sears
Trousers: Express Editor
Shoes: Calvin Klein
Handbag and jacket: Danier Leather

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Booties Replacement Needed

Well as much as I love the look of my Ara black patent booties that I bought in September 2013, I can't continue to wear them. Even with my orthotics, the last two times I've worn them, my arches have just ached for hours afterwards. They no longer work for my feet :(

I have black knee high Blondo boots and my Doc Marten mid calf lace up boots but I now have an ankle bootie hole to fill. I will want something that works the same way the Ara booties did - with trousers, skirts and dresses alike. Although I liked the detail of the V cut out in the front of the Ara booties, I am not wanting that detail again. I found that when worn with trousers, when I would stand up from a sitting position, very often my pant hem would catch in the V and I would have to fix that before walking on. In the end, I found this annoying.

Below are some options I'm considering - they are available locally. The cost of shipping footwear makes it unreasonable for am looking for what I can find here. These brands work for my feet and have two inch or lower heels.

Do any of these look worthy of trying on? Any call out to you or any not working for you?

#1 - Clark Artisan bootie
#2 - Clark Malia bootie
#3 - Ecco bootie
#4 -  Franco Sarto Chelsea bootie

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WIW: Double Tulip

My smaller size EF Dark Tulip dress arrived in the mail yesterday and I ripped off the tags to wear it today. The fit is very similar to that of my EF front drape dresses and I can imagine all sorts of possibilities.

Today though I decided to go "double tulip" and am wearing the dress with its cardigan mate. I love this tonal layered look and the fabrics feel fab against the skin. 

I added dark tights and chose my gunmetal leather Naot Mary-Jane style shoes. I think I'm going to have to look for other black booties because my arches were killing me when I got home yesterday from my Ara booties :( Comfortable footwear was a must today.

For accessories I went with my rose gold/black watch and my oversized print clutch.

Would love your feedback on this outfit - layered dark red? fit of the dress? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Cardigan and dress: Eileen Fisher (eBay)
Tights: Hue
Clutch: XOXO (thrifted)
Shoes: Naot

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WIW: Crisp White Shirt

My husband bought me this white shirt for this past Christmas and I will be honest and say I haven't worn it - until today. I think I had some sort of mental block with white shirts in a crisper fabrication. But I put it on this morning and suddenly fell in love!

This white shirt is a cotton blend with just the right amount of stretch. It has a v-neck and this interesting twist front that is magical for hiding wobbly bits. I also like that the style means it's not tucked in. It has both a dressy and casual vibe at the same time, if that's possible.

So I decided to go "full on suit" today with the white shirt and chose my black bootcut dress pants and black blazer. Even though the blazer and pants are not from the same suit they are the exact same shade of black and similar fabrication so work well as a "faux" suit.

My black patent booties, black leather handbag and purple/clear specs finish off the outfit. Sorry I forgot to put lipstick on for the pics but it will be my berry shade I wear today.

So what do you think? Does this work for a day with an important Board meeting? I find as per Angie's former comments, I definitely dress for my audience. As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Blazer & blouse: Nygard
Trousers: Reitmans
Boots: Ara
Handbag: Danier Leather

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WIW: All Black & A Wildcard (eta: question added @ bottom)

It's an absolutely miserable day here in The 'Peg - windy, cold, rainy (with the possibility of that rain turning to snow….sign…). Good day to pull out some more autumn/winter items, including two new things - one of which is a complete wildcard.

My outfit started with my black skinnies which I paired with my new black v-neck merino wool slouchy pullover. The feel of this pullover against my skin is positively soothing…so soft and warm. I've semi tucked and added my simple black leather belt.

For footwear, I chose my black patent booties. I've added my orthotics so we'll see if I can manage the heel height ok - it's the first wearing since I developed PF. 

When I head out the door, I'll add my faux fur vest (see lispa - another fur vest owner!). It's not a true black but actually a dark, espresso brown.

And then my wildcard…I did not think I would join in the backpack trend..AT ALL. But never say never. When I saw this lovely cognac (it photographs a bit more orange than it is IRL - it is a true cognac) faux leather backpack in the hospital gift shop - yep, the gift shop again - I promptly walked back to my office, got my wallet and went back and bought it. I bought it last week and have already used it a few times, including all last weekend. It is comfortable, luxurious feeling, easy to use and sporty. In other words, a fun and unexpected piece to add to my bag collection.

I finished off the outfit with my black/white specs, silver ring and necklace and swipe of burgundy lipstick.

So what do you think? Does this all work together or do I look like a hot mess? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Vest: Jeanne Bekker
Pullover: Lord & Taylor
Skinnies: Attitude by Jay Manuel
Boots: Ara
Backpack: gift shop

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29 comments

WIW: Drape & Dots

Have I mentioned how glad I am that I decided in the end to keep the Tildon skirt and have WW alter it? I still haven't taken it back to her to get the fabric lining removed and have a proper slip lining attached, but I'll get to that when it's a wee bit colder. 

Today we have some outside visitors attending the hospital for an event and I'll be leading two tours. Therefore I wanted to be somewhat "corporate" in my attire but I also wanted to be extremely comfortable and relaxed looking.

So I started my outfit with the Tildon broken dots skirt and paired it with a simple black tank. On top of that, I added my dark tulip EF drapey merino wool cardigan, with scrunched sleeves of course. 

For footwear I went with my uber comfortable CK kitten heels and other accessories include my patent black clutch, rose gold/black watch and red specs.

What do you think? Does this outfit give off the vibe I'm looking for? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

I also want to apologize for still not being back here as much as I'd like and not being able to post on everyone's wonderful threads. The workload is still intense and there's lots of overtime, meaning when I do finally get home I'm just too pooped to pop in :)

Cardigan: Eileen Fisher (eBay)
Tank: Smart Set
Skirt: Tildon (altered)
Shoes: Calvin Klein
Clutch: Danier Leather (thrifted)
Watch: Fossil (eBay)

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19 comments

WIW: Rolled White Jeans & Purple-Blue Booties

Gosh, I hope this outfit is JFE - it definitely isn't traditionally flattering. I'm only 5 feet tall and rolled white jeans with high contrast purple-blue suede booties is definitely stumpifying.

Today's outfit actually started with this three-year-old merino wool drapey hi-lo striped pullover. At one point, I had thought about purging this pullover but am soooooo glad I didn't. And the quality of this wool is stellar - three years and not a single pill. Still looks like new.

I've paired the pullover with my slimmer leg white BF jeans - I love how the white jeans play with the white stripe in the pullover. 

Then I rolled one cuff on the jean legs and popped on my purple-blue suede booties, also several years old. Like I mentioned, definitely not overly flattering in that my legs look quite short like this. But I've enjoyed seeing some high contrast pants and booties looks with ALL of the bootie showing, especially booties with a slightly higher shaft, and thought I'd give it a bash.

When I head out the door, everything will be topped with my navy leather jacket. Accessories include my navy vintage Coach bag, grey and silver bangle, silver wedding band and black/white specs.

So…have I pulled off this look enough to be JFE or does it look ridiculous? I've already headed out the door so can't do anything about it now but would definitely like to know for the next time. Wear again or wear my full length white BF jeans instead? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Pullover: Lord & Taylor
Jeans: Reitmans
Boots: Aerosoles
Handbag: Vintage Coach
Bangle: thrifted

Leather jacket: Danier Leather

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