Just a little pop of color

A colleague recently asked me if red is my favorite color. Confused, I asked her why she would think that and she responded that I'm always wearing something red. For the record, red is not my favorite color. Purple is. How many purple items do I own? Two. How's that for ironic?

Looking through my outfits lately though, it's clear that I've got an affinity for red. Maybe it's because red is my POWER color. I feel good in red. It's such a "look at me" color. But far be it from me to wear all red and really scream look at me! No, for me, red is more of an accent. A little POP of color to an otherwise neutral palate. 


Take today's outfit. A simple black and white dress. Nothing extraordinary about it. A simple bow at the neckline. All business in the front. But in the back?

Dress - Shabby Apple

Fishnet stockings - Target

Suede pumps - Urban Outfitters

necklace (used as a bracelet) - Forever XXI

Sunnies - Kate Spade

Lipstick - "Truly Red" Laura Mercier  

In the back - BAM. All party. Just a little accent to an otherwise neutral palate.

Black and White and Red

This was the week for black and white. First Kristen pulled together a super cute black and white combo, then Lissy showcased her version with a Lanvin look alike, and Noelani kept it sweet and simple.Now it's my turn. I'm wearing a Shabby Apple dress - it's seriously the most comfortable dress I own, and the high waist on it makes me look ultra thin. The heels are from Urban Outfitters, and are also ultra comfortable.

I messed with the settings on my camera last weekend in Michigan, and didn't realize it until I posted these photos. Instead, I got frustrated with how these shots were turning out, gave up and went home. I guess that was my blonde moment. You'll quickly learn those are frequent occurrences. 

What are your plans for the weekend? We're off to Maine for another wedding. I'm excited about this one - the bride and groom are such a fun couple and they throw great parties. I'm also excited that after this weekend, we'll be down to one more wedding to attend during this season. Enjoy your weekends lovelies, and we'll see you on Monday!

Birthday Blitz

I don't know about you, but I'm a HUGE fan of my birthday month. It's not that I like getting older (believe me, that's not the case) but rather because there are some major discounts and goodies that are bestowed upon me by my favorite retailers. I did a little pre b-day shopping over the weekend, and not only stuck to my shopping diet (hello, difficult during a b-day month!) but picked up some really great pieces that I can't wait to mix with my current wardrobe. Here's what I picked up: 

Annabella via Alloy

Brandi Blouse via Alloy

The "Kendi Everday" red pumps - looking for a year for these - Urban Outfitters

Scalloped shorts - ON SALE - Urban Outfitters

Sparkle jacket by Wren - ON SALE for 70% off at Tra Tutti's site

 I can't believe how much I scored! Each piece was under $50, and I'm most impressed with the Wren sparkle jacket. I can't believe the deal I got it for, and I'm sad ashamed to say I'm looking forward to fall when I can rock this jacket. 

So do you enjoy your birthday month for the same reason? 

Fashion Skinny

There are a few things that need some skinnying up in my life. My work schedule. My candy habit. And probably most importantly, my shopping habit (or more precisely, the spending that comes with supporting my habit.) The thought dawned on me as I was talking to a colleague. As we discussed some of our favorite brands (Kate Spade for me, Marc by Marc Jacobs for her) she also threw out a comment that her mom made about "expensive brands" and this colleague mentioned that she had to spend to fit in at the office.  

The comment bothered me for multiple reasons, but the biggest is that you don't have to spend a lot to look good. I quickly learned that by reading multiple fashion blogs (FFUF, Frugal Fashionistas, The Look For Less, etc.), so it got me thinking. About change. About going on a diet.

So, I'm making a pledge. For the next 60 days I'm going on a fashion diet. I'm imposing a strict limit of what I'm spending on clothing, accessories, shoes... you name it. I will not be purchasing any article of clothing over $50, shoes included (yikes!). And to make it even better, I'm cutting my monthly budget in half. I'll spare myself the embarrassment you the knowledge of what that is. I'll highlight the purchases I make with the goal of showing that you can be fashionable and savvy without spending a ton of money. To kick it off, here are few pieces I'm eyeing: 

Kimchi Blue Paperbag Skirt - via Urban Outfitters - $49

Deena & Ozzy Summer Skimmer via Urban Outfitters - $30

Striped Jersey Dress via Zara - $40

How rad are those blue skimmers? And that striped jersey dress from Zara is perfect for summer. It also reminds me of another dress, don't ya think?

I've got to say, I'm actually looking forward to this challenge. It should be really interesting, especially as my birthday is the end of July and I'm notorious for purchasing myself some wonderful gifts (we all deserve it, don't we?)

So, dear readers, are there any sites you love for reasonable fashion? I'm open to your recommendations. 

Half Said Fred

Every so often at work, we have really important clients who come visit. I expect this trend to grow when our office moves from the burbs into the city. But I digress.

When these VIP clients visit, we get notifications about how to dress. Apparently jeans and flip flops aren't acceptable VIP attire. The extent of fanciness gets designated by Fred. As in Fred Astaire. Full Fred is super fancy attire and Half Fred is business casual.

I'm typically dressed Half Fred four days out of the week, but today I REALLY wanted to wear yoga pants and sneakers. For the record, I've never worn my yoga pants to work unless I was going to or coming from the gym.

I'd like to call today's outfit my conservative attempt at color blocking. I stood in front of the mirror for about 5 minutes going back and forth about which shoes to wear, and ultimately decided on the ones I'm wearing. For the record, I have severe shoe guilt - I should have worn the other pair. Oh well, next time, right?

Laughing at Stephen's expressions here.

Top, Skirt, Cardigan, Shoes, Necklace

And this, ladies, is why the boyfriend rocks my socks. He may have laughed at me a few times and shook his head with disbelief, but when it was said and done, he grabbed the camera, kneeled on the sidewalk and took outfit photos. I think he did a great job, but I have a question for you other fashion bloggers: how did your hubby react the first time you asked him to take outfit photos of you? Stephen isn't a photographer, so it may have been a strange request for him, but I'm curious if anyone else got the strange look the first time. 

At any rate, I think he'll come around. Before you know it, this routine will become the norm.

Mellow Yellow

I have a case of yellow fever. I blame my need for the gorgeous jewel tones on the gray skies that have plagued Boston for most of the past week. But the thing is, I've only started coming around to yellow-toned hues within the past year because I've never had the right coloring for yellow - the yellow undertones in my skin have always made me look like I have jaundice whenever I try to don the shade. However, with the darker shades popping up, I think I have a chance to wear one of my favorite colors this fall. Here are a few items that I'm checking out.

More BDG...