OOTD Featuring The Heathered Playa Skirt (And More Fun at F21)

Well, I thought that I would have more time to blog with my husband being away, but my daughter is keeping me busy. This afternoon for example I had to take her to the doctor because this morning she wanted to take her shoes off at the playground and she cut her foot. I didn't even know that it had happened at all because she didn't complain until we were getting ready for school after lunch and I noticed the cut while putting her shoes back on. As soon as I uttered the words "Did you cut your foot at the playground?" she started to cry, more out of fear of me getting mad at her than out of pain, I think. In any case it is not clear if the has a splinter or not in her foot (reason why I took her to the doctor in the first place) but I have to monitor her. Did I mention that we leave for Italy at the end of the week and it's really bad timing to cut one's foot?

So because I don't have the time to post my fitting room pics, I will post my OOTD and a mini-review of the heahered playa skirt in indigo stripe. I am seriously in love with this skirt and would recommend it to anyone, this is one versatile and flattering skirt that you will wear for years to come.
I bought my regular size 0 but I also tried on the 2 and there wasn't much of a difference but the 0 sits a little bit higher because more fitted at the waist (there is no way that I can wear it on my hips or as they say on the website "Wear it hiked up and belted or slung low so it sweeps just above the knee". So in case you want to wear it "slung low", size up, but personally I find the 0 long enough and more flattering than one size bigger). When I bought it last week it rang up at the promo price of $69.50 but it seems a bit weird since it just came out and apparently is selling well, so if you had the same experience let me know (maybe it was a misticketing in my case).
It is a skirt that you can easily dress up (it can look very polished with a jacket) or down with a casual top and shoes. I wore it this morning with a white tank top from years ago that some of you will probably remember. This top always gave me the pregnant look and I wore it very little but it never crossed my mind that I could tuck it in, like I did with this morning. Genius, I know. In any case I really liked it with this skirt (the slub texture of the tank kind of matches the pattern on the skirt), even if pretty much anything will look good tucked in this skirt:

Above I was just trying on, but this is the outfit that I actually wore, with shoes:

The lovely Slastena recently posted a great Polyvore set with this skirt and a yellow cardigan and I would have happily copied it if I had a yellow top. It turns out I don't have anything yellow for summer, at least not in plein sight (closet cleaning is still overdue). Actually I don't have much to wear with this skirt, beside white and other neutral colors. And Slastena is right, this skirt deserves a bright top.
Well, I found the perfect little top at Forever21 this afternoon. I was in Times Square to buy some presents at the Disney Store and what do I see right next door? A brand new F21. At least it looked sparkling new and not that I go to TS every other day but I had never noticed it before (and, you know, I tend to notice stores). Anyway not only it was brand new, very civilized for a F21 with clothes orderly displayed and no messy racks, but it was the biggest F21 that I have been to, on 4 floors! Needless to say, I spent a lot of time there.
Have you heard? Stripes are out, ikat is in. At least at F21. And there is a lot of ikat at F21, or "tribal" as they say, more ikat that you though could possibly exist at a retailer.
The little top that I found is more of a geo-print actually. The colors are more vivid than in my pics and the blue is perfect with the skirt (I think that F21 does prints very well). This is a "barely there" top, with a double v-neck and horizontal straps across the back (nothing excessive):

I can't seem to find it on the website (but I am not very good at findng things on their website, it is hard to navigate, and slow) but at $13.80 it's a great alternative to wear with this skirt.
Of course I tried other stuff that I am not sure any of you would be interested in seeing (in particular I was looking for a maxi-dress, but sadly they were all too maxi for me. I think I will stick to mini, as a general rule), but I have to show you this (after all if you really want to adventure in romper territory, you should at least have some fun):

I know, it's very "Boogie Nights" (I forgot my rollers)! Don't worry, I didn't buy it, but I was seriously considering it in this other print as a cover-up:

OK, now I am going to go to sleep before you think that I have completely lost it ... But let me know if you have this skirt or if you have any question/suggestion.
Have a good night!

Casual Weekend Outfits (And A Bahia Hobo)

My modus vivendi the last two days has been taking my daughter to the closest playground early in the morning when it isn't crowded yet and before the heat hits, then coming back home, putting the A/C on and chilling out. Today in particular it doesn't feel like a holiday, it feels more like a lazy summer day, and I am all for lazy summer days. One of my favorite summer pleasures (besides reading magazines while my daughter plays in her room) is preparing (followed by eating) summer fruit salads. In particular I love apricots and peaches, and my daughter loves them too judging from the spot-clean plate that she left on the table.

So my outfits have been very casual, especially that first morning outfit to go to the playground. Yesterday I broke out a dress that I bought last year in early Fall, one of those super-cheap popbacks that have to wait an entire year before being worn. I think it was called "Slub cotton henley dress" or something like that. This is the soft sandalwood color, that, I admit, is a little bit too close to the color of my skin (I could have used a necklace but no accessorizing to go to the playground at 8.30 in the morning)! It is perfect for the playground but I don't think I would wear it anywhere else (OK, grocery store maybe, but only late in the evening when all the other stores around are closed):

In the afternoon I dressed up a little bit (so to speak) to go to the hairdresser. I have learned not to wear a light top when I have my hair done in case that the color mix drips on my shoulders (and obviously no silk). So this was my outfit, with a simple navy ribbed tank by Gap due to the circumstances (pics taken after cut):

The skirt is old JCrew from 2007 and the best part is in the back (it has a very cute white canvas ribbon that ties around two big, boat-style holes). I already worn this outfit last year and I remember that it was quite popular.

But I really like the outfit that I am wearing today too. It is very easy-breezy. The skirt is the JCrew cotton bell in faded black and the top is Calypso (I am wearing this little top quite a lot I must say). I wore this outfit because with my daughter we had decided to go to the zoo this morning (and the top with the skirt is a little bit safari), but then she changed her mind and only wanted to play at the playground with the sprinklers:

I still like this little BR cross-body bag from last year, it is perfect when I only want to carry my wallet and keys and have my hands free. If I had to carry more, I would wear my new black Bahia hobo. I immediately loved this bag when it came out (and I usually don't get carried away by bags) but I was bummed when I saw that it was unlined, as for the original price I was expecting something more sturdy. However at $19.99 (current price in store) it was a no-brainer and I got both colors (the brown one by the way is perfect with the Cecilia because of the color of the gros-grain ribbon).
In case you have never seen it IRL, this is how it looks when you carry it (it is empty in these pics so it lays flat against my body). Another thing that I found pretty annoying when I first saw it/tried it is the length of the handle, which is a little bit too short IMO:

I have a few fitting room pics to post, probably tomorrow. I hope that you all are having a great Memorial Day!

The Cecilia is Back and Goes Out for Drinks

OK, so you were right, the weekend is not as bad as I thought, so far. It had a very good start yesterday when my husband was still here and we really took advantage of the beautiful summer day. First we had a picnic in the park, the first of the season, then we met friends at the boathouse for drinks before heading all together to one of our favorite restaurants in the neighborhood, where they serve delicious French food and have one of the best terraces for the warm months. My daughter and their son were with us and they had a blast running on the sidewalk, they were really a joy to watch. I almost felt like we were in Italy and not in NYC!

I don't know if there is anyone out there who keeps track of my purchases and returns but if you remember I had returned the Cecilia dress to finance the Rebecca Taylor nouveau ballet dress. I thought that I would try to re-buy the Cecilia on sale but the last time that I checked my size was sold-out in the NYC stores. Well, for one of those serendipitous shopping moments, the other day I saw it in my size in a store. AND it was on sale. AND there was a 30% off, so it is now back in my closet for a third of its original price.

Yesterday was an ideal day to wear this dress. Not only we had an occasion (yes, drinks with friends IS an occasion good enough to dress up) but the boathouse setting and the weather, sunny but breezy, conjured up to be the perfect backdrop for the dress. At some point it was really windy and the dress "took the wind" like a sailboat. It was a nice sensation to feel it blowing around but not to have to worry about people seeing my panties thanks to the incorporated slip.
The boathouse at 6 in the evening on a sunny summer day is just drop-dead gorgeous and I regret not taking pictures, the light was almost unreal like in an ipmressionist painting (not to mention that the subject, a group of people by a pond with rowboats and weeping trees is the most impressionist subject by itself). Well, I did take a picture but we were already leaving and this is all what I could catch:

I also took plenty of pictures of my daughter, that cutie pie, but I don't have a picture of me in the Cecilia, so you will have to do with the pics in the mirror:

This is a size 0 (like the first one that I had bought). I have to say that at the end of the evening the fabric of the bodice had stretched out a little bit so that it was a little bit looser around my cheast, but I think that that can be solved by taking the straps a little bit. I didn't remember that it had pockets and I found them very handy yesterday night as I wasn't carrying a bag!

My perfectly matching but imperfectly applied nail polish (I gave myself a quick pedicure just before leaving) is Nars Huster, that was very popular when it came out a few years ago (I remember that when I found one bottle at Barney I felt like I had found the Graal). This is from that same old bottle and I remembered it to be a little bit more orange-y; maybe with time the orange component evaporated, I don't know enough about polishes to say. In any case it is almost the same orange-red than the retro orange of the Cecilia:

And here is my cutie pie (wearing Gymboree):

This morning we went early to the playground and my daughter had fun splashing in the water and this afternoon I have a babysitter coming and I am going to chop off my hair and have a long overdue color, so I can say that I am surviving.

How is your Memorial Day weekend going so far?

Row, Row, Row The Boat ...

Sorry, lame title but I couldn't help it. You have probably caught my hint to the Rowboat dress. Apparently this dress is quite popular and sold out already in many B&Ms. I must admit that the first time that I saw it in store I thought nothing of it. No, actually I thought "Oh no, stripes, again!". Because let's be honest, at this point only zebras can carry stripes around and not be pointed at as fashion victims or feel overstriped.

But this one is different and I can understand why it is selling out. It is very simple and very Parisian chic, at least in the faded black colorway (which is actually more charcoal IRL). The wide stripes in this case won't make you feel like you stole the fabric from a beach chair (thanks to Tabitha for the hilarious comment to my post on the Maritime dress!). I actually had a very hard time to choose between the XS and XXS. I really liked the longer length in the XS but it was a little bit shapeless overall so in the end I got the XXS. There was quite a difference in length between the two sizes, you can call for measurements but the XXS was considerably shorter (although I have recently learned from a post on the JCA that I must be fairly long-legged for a petite, especially in the tighs, so it could actually look longer on some of you).

I didn't really "styled" it for the pictures, I think it is best worn like this, it is a throw-on-and-go kind of dress. I just wore it with my version of espadrilles, the fantastic Kelly Rib in natural by Stubbs and Wooton, which are simply the best espadrilles that you can buy (and they come in gingham this year!):

Even if the description doesn't mention it and the fabric tag says "100% cotton", the trim around the sleeves and at the neckline is silk (like a crepe de Chine). It is a nice detail but that could be tricky if you have perspiration problems, just something to take into consideration. However, it is machine washable (cold water, gentle cycle) so better than if it were dry-clean only (in that case I wouldn't have bought it).
I tried to belt it as someone suggested but there isn't enough fabric IMO:

It can be dressed up a bit with a jacket, in this case an old DVF bolero is exactly the same cream-y color of the lighter stripes:

I hope that these pics help if you are considering this dress.

I will be back for sure before Memorial Day. My husband is leaving for a business trip on Saturday night (literally, at 3 am) and I am left to spend Memorial day alone in the city with my daughter (long story). This is going to be be the worst Memorial Day ever. I can't believe last year I was here. Sigh!

Two OOTD with the Casbah Paisley Perfect Shirt

I wore my Casbah paisley perfect shirt a few times in the past weeks. At first I was at a loss as I didn't know what to pair it with but it was still too cold to wear it alone or with the matching shorts. The following outfits are nothing extraordinary but I want to show you that grey is a very good match for the shirt and tones it down a bit while the contrast with navy make the bright colors in it even more vibrant.

I wore it the first time with my matchstick jeans, grey accessories (grey patent jeans belt and driving mocs) and the grey cadabra cardigan left open:

Last Friday I wore it with my Gap navy blazer and it looked very polished:

While I was out and about it started raining and I didn't have an umbrella with me. I waited in a store for the rain to stop (how convenient) but at some point I had to go because I had to pickup my daughter at school and my blazer was completely wet when I got home. So I swapped it for a Jackie in navy and I liked the outfit even better:

I am not a Jackie person (I only have three in basic colors), probably because I don't wear this kind of shirts that much but I am considering buying the organic green one to wear with this shirt and also with my Rebecca Taylor dress.

How do you wear the Casbah print perfect shirt?

Have a good one!

How to Dress for a Sample Sale (and Theory Sample Sale Finds)

This past Saturday I sneaked out while my husband and daughter where playing together and went to the Theory sample sale. Theory used to be one of my favorite brands and I used to have quite a lot of Theory clothes in my closet. Their prices are quite prohibitive but I was lucky to work really close to the place where they hold their sample sales twice a year and I tried to never miss one. When I had my daughter and a consequent change of lifestyle I stopped going because what was really worth it was their workplace wear, in particular their pants, that are impeccably cut. Of course I could still buy a pair of pants to wear in the evening or somewhere where I need to dress up but my body also changed a little bit and I found that they didn't fit me as well as before, for the price (I am in between sizes now). So why did I go last Saturday? Well, it happens that they have just opened a Theory store around my block (like I hadn't enough tempations on my way to the grocery store) and you know how it is, when you walk by something everyday you start to notice and to take mental note and all of a sudden Theory was on my radar again. In particular I saw in the window some very nice linen dresses, so I wanted to see if I could find the same at the sample sale.

After years of going to sample sales in the city I can declare myself as an authority on how to dress for a sample sale to make the experience all the more enjoyable. There are some basic and important rules that can save you a lot of time and hassle and I am going to share them with you as some sample sales (like the Theory one) can be total crazyness to start with and you don't want your clothes to worsten the situation.
The first and more important rule would be to leave at home your handbag (and any other bag) and take with you only a small purse (preferably cross-body so you can have your hands free) with your money and keys. At almost all the sample sales you have to check-in your bag and having no bag to check-in can really make a difference in terms of waiting time (not to mention that sometimes you don't want to leave your valuables at the wardrobe as mistakes happen).
The second rule is to wear something that is easy to take off, so forget blouses with plenty of buttons or skin-tight jeans and pants, especially if they need a belt (layering is also a bad idea and a popover is much better than the combo cardigan plus shirt or tee).
A popover dress is a good solution but there is a downside: if you are going to try a top you want to have a bottom and sometimes if you are not looking for a bottom to buy you may forget to take one to the fitting room, just for try-ons purposes.
So the following is the ideal outfit, put together after years of attending sample sales in the city. A tunic-dress over a pair of leggings, that work as a bottom if you want to try a top (and also have the very practical function to cover you up if you don't want to show your underwear and your not-waxed bikini to everybody in the common fitting room):

This outfit was a little bit Flashdance (fault of the sweatshirt-dress paired with the leggings) but very comfortable. The last important piece of the outfit are the shoes. You have to be able to take off your shoes very easily, and especially if you see something on your way out you don't want the idea of taking your shoes off to prevent you from going back to the fitting room one last time (no buckles or laces and no boots!). Ballet flats are the best (these are the silver city flats by the Gap and they are like slippers).
The last rule has nothing to do with the outfit but is a rule that I imposed myself not to overspend. It is easy to be overwhelmed with the feeling that you have to buy as much as possible when you are at a sample sale, because of the good prices and the fact the stuff will be gone once you leave. So I give myself a budget before going and only bring cash: it forces me to make choices and not to regret too many impulsive purchases.

So what did I buy? I did pretty good, actually. I found THE perfect little black dress for the summer and one other item that I had tried to add to my closet for quite some time.
As I grow older I developped a love-hate relationship with black, especially black in the summer. I find more and more difficult to wear total black or black on top (close to my face) as I have the feeling that it makes me look old(er). As a matter of fact I own only one black summer dress but I reserve it for vacation as it is quite short. I was waiting for something like this to come along.
It's a woven cotton sleeveless dress, with a drawstring and a big tiered ruffled on the bottom. The cotton as always with Theory is luxurious and makes all the difference with another cheaper brand (which translates in higher prices, I guess). I really feel like I am wearing Prada:

I can go everywhere in this dress, from the playground to a restaurant to a party with a quick change of shoes (as you can see I can wear it with flats but I picture wearing it with a pair of black platform shoes in the evening or to stroll around without my daughter). It is really one of the best day black dresses that I have ever seen or tried on. I also love that the top is cut like a sheat dres, so I don't have to worry about the neckline being too low.

The other thing that I bought are a pair of navy pants. You know that I love navy, in fact I can easily say that I am obsessed with navy and I wanted a pair of navy pants for spring to pair with my (many) navy tops and jackets. Specifically, I wanted a pair of Minnies (I love the weight of the Minnies for spring) but the wild backberry color is long gone and never popped back in my size.
These Theory are in a similar material (that holds everything in) and have the advantage over the Minnies of having a zipper in the center and not a side zipper (that sometimes I find a little bit annoying in the Minnies, if you want to tuck your shirt in). Size-wise in this style the 0 was perfect (they are cropped with zippers at the ankle, but not exposed).
I wore them yesterday already, to a birthday party with an old TB shirt and a navy sweater:

If you live in the city, the sale has been extended until today EOB. The prices are now 25% off, so there are some great deals even if the selection was quite picked over on Saturday already, especially in small sizes (go to www.clothingline.com for more information).

Do you have a sample sale outfit?

Have a great week!

Free Shipping Order: Wave Tank in Tan and Les Petites Victoires Tee

Last week I took advantage of the (amazing) free shipping no minimum promo to order the Wave tank and the Les petites victoires tee. I had already tried the wave tank in store in the black colorway and I thought it was an occasion to try the tan color since it is online only. I took the same size that I had tried, a 0.
The tan color isn't really a tan, it's more of a gold with green undertones, which I hadn't realized when ordering, it thought it would be more of a warm camel:

In this color it appears even boxier than in the black and a little bit low-cut. Sizing down wouldn't work as there isn't much room left in the armholes:

It looks better with pants in the same tone (these are JBrand in the Vintage Sahara color) and with the metallic beach cardigan from last year, that is a parfect match:

I have to say, I am not in love, especially for the current price (maybe for $19.99 or $29.99) and I think that I am going to return it. The black is more striking IMO but I would have less occasions to wear it.

I bought the "Les petites victoires" tee out of curiosity, as the stores don't carry it. Of course the fact that it says "Small victories" in French is enough of a reason for me to buy it but let's be honest, I really don't need another tee.
When it arrived my first impression (besides the the fact that the color is cream-ier than expected) was that is was a little bit nerd-y, like something that Napoleon Dynamite would wear. It's partly because of the font that they used and the fact that the letters are raised instead of simply printed on the tee (wearing my usual XS and the fit is perfect, it doesn't stretch out):

I don't have any interest in looking nerd-y, let alone look like I am the sister of Napoleon Dynamite, so I thought it would be a return as well. But after a good night's sleep, I changedmy mind. I tried it with the gingham scout chinos and the outfit is adorable IMO, very BB circa 1960 (incidentally it's the same blue, I think it's a dragonfly blue):

By the way the gingham scouts run big IMO. This is a 0 but I reordered them in a 00.

What do you think of the tee? Have you taken/are you taking advantage of the free shipping promo?