Outfits Not Just Clothes

I like to call these my fake Tory Burch Shoes So my sunglasses broke while I was at work.  Paper clip served as a quick fix. Stooping low to hide out under our pine tree. Skirt-MikkatMarket(similar here and I also really like this one ), sweater- H&M , shirt-Anthropologie(similar here ), shoes-Payless from forever ago(similar here ), necklace-gifted, sunglasses-broken :( I really love the mixed materials of this outfit. I'm always a sucker for plaid and lace. This shirt is actually a PJ top, but with the sweater I totally pulled it off at the office. Other than that, there's nothing really radical going on here.  Just black and white and a bit of fun in the details. The tree beyond our house is amazing: Of course every time there's high winds or heavy snows I fear it will fall over and crush the house, but fingers crossed we've been safe thus far.  I like the idea of hiding out under its branches, kind of taki...

FrockCandy I know I said that I wasn't going to do anymore shopping till my NYC trip next month, but alas I am a liar.  I picked up this dress from a newly discovered retailer Frock Candy via Fash Boulevard .  The picture is a bit fuzzy, but I think you can see that this dress has ANTELOPES on it! Holy Buckets! How could I pass up the opportunity to "put a deer on it" to such a level of awesome?  Well, I can't, so there you go. Also I may have to pick this up: Anthropologie It's a fashion coloring book!  The question is how MANY coloring books do I get? I mean, this would be an awesome gift for several of my girlfriends.

Such elegant details in this blouse. blazer-MikkatMarket(similar here ), blouse-Gap(kind of similar here ), pants- H&M , shoes-???(sort of similar here ), necklaces- Cookie Lee c/o Debra Reed , bracelet/ring- JewelMint For a mid-week pick up I decided to bust out some bright yellow pumps.  I had already planned to pair these pants and blazer together when the blazer's lining pattern confirmed the need for yellow heels. I felt there was more than enough going on with bright heels and plaid pants so I chose a neutral blouse.  But not so neutral, eh?  The ruffle along the collar and the two ties gave this "neutral" top a bit of elegance.  I love pieces that can act both as grounding basics, but also bring a bit of texture and detail to an outfit.  

Jcrew JewelMint There are times I buy clothes for an occasion or purpose, like parties, work, vacations.  But there are other times when the price is right and the item is just too awesome not to get.  The dress above is a prime example.  Jcrew Factory had 50% off and the gown, originally $78 was going for $38! The necklace is just too interesting to pass up and together I think they will create a stunning outfit.  But where to wear?  There are some outfits that call for an occasions and there are others that are an occasion within themselves.  For this potential outfit the latter might just be the case.  There's nothing wrong with looking fabulous on your back porch having a cocktail. Speaking of occasions, I have signed up for a workshop on thrift shopping at the Green Tree Libary, Saturday April 28th, you can register here if you're interested.  Now it may come as a shock to some of you, but I'm actually not that great of a shopper......

After I got up on the ledge I had to brush some jaggers off my trouser leg shirt/trousers-Jcrew(similar here  capri style here ), sweater vest- Asos , shoes-Target(similar here ), jewelry- JewelMint The idea for this outfit originated with a slide show from Refinery 29's 7 Ways to Wear an Oxford Shirt.  The first slide suggests layering a button-down under a sporty sweat shirt.  Instead I paired mine with this quirky sweater vest.  I will admit this sweater vest does add some bulk, and it may have been more flattering to just tuck in the shirt and belt this sh*t up, but would that be an outfit?  Who knows...  Either way, I enjoy how this look is a bit "old man golfing" and when you're wearing plaid trousers sometimes you just have to go for it. 

coat- H&M , blouse/bag/booties-Forever21(similar here   and here and  here , skirt-BCBG(similar here ), belt-UrbanOutfitters(kind of similar here ) My husband, Mr. Keller had a work party at BRGR last week so I got a bit dressed up to attend.  But, when don't I get dressed up... Anyway, you may remember this blouse from this post .  I've been trying to find other items to pair with it besides black when I happened on this skirt in my closet.  I got this skirt several years ago and am always finding new ways to wear it. Even though the silhouette and pattern make it a statement piece the neutral colors of said pattern allow it to seamlessly fit in with a variety of outfits.  But it IS a bit short and you know I'm a lady so I make sure to keep my business closed, even when getting out of the car whilst powdering my nose. Action Shot! You can see Mr. Keller reflected in the window.

These buttons inspired the rest of my jewelry selections for this outfit. sweater /necklaces-BananaRepublic(similar here and here ), trousers /bracelet-Jcrew(similar here ), shoes-DSW(similar here ), watch-UrbanOutfitters(similar here ), ring- JewelMint Picked up this sweater on super sale at Banana Republic, it's very bright and well structured for a pretty ladylike look.  I paired equally ladylike trousers and some fun loafers.  The gold buttons on the back of the sweater lead me to pick out gold jewelry, since the sweater and trousers were fairly subtle I wanted to go with more statement pieces in the accessories, that's how outfits are made. And of course whenever a redhead wears pink she's bound to run into a Molly Ringwald reference : Great, now The Psychedelic Furs are stuck in my head.  Have a good Friday!