Under the Arch

I ran into my friend Jessica tonight, which is why it's midnight and I'm just now baking my desserts to take to Thanksgiving dinner. We spent a ridiculous amount of time talking at Noodles and catching up on what had been happening in each others' lives.

She's been dating too and I wish I wrote down how she phrased her relationship status, cuz it had something to do with Facebook. She did say that Facebook was going to be her downfall. (Sound familiar, MP? ;>)

At one point, we were comparing the size of our clothing collections....

Me: Did I tell you about the time when I did a bunch of laundry and had to buy more hangers? I didn't even FINISH my laundry.

Her: You win.

Me: Is it bad that the idea of getting serious with someone means that I'll have to share a closet?

Her: What if he complains about how many pairs of shoes I have?

Me: It's like my worst nightmare!

Her: We are so sad.

Me: Yeah. Probably.


(I hope I don't have to explain that we were joking. Mostly.)

I've spent the last few months barefoot or in sandals, but it's time for socks again and pretty, pretty boots.

I have a weakness.

A weakness for bright colored socks, especially knee highs.

A relatively innocent weakness, I know, but a costly one.

Now I've added brightly colored tights to the mix.

I'm totally enamored of these.

So what's a silly thing you buy compulsively? Magazines? Books? CDs? Postcards? Gum? Cheese? This list is only going to get more ridiculous....;)

I had this post planned, but didn't have time to write it before going to work and then realized at 1am, that oops! I still hadn't written it. I have two things for you today. A really awesome site for shoe searching and a fashion poll.

First up, shopstyle.com

Oh my shopping god! How did I not know about this?! And if you knew, why didn't you tell me?!

EASIEST WAY TO SEARCH FOR SHOES ON THE INTERNETS EVAH!!!!!

go to the site. Go on. Well, wait I have to tell you about it first. WAIT!! Whew!! Ok. The above link will take you to the main page. Now, if you are a boot junkie like I am, hover over shoes and scroll down to boots. Now click. You now have 441 some odd pages of boots. But, lets say you have a budget and you can only spend $150 or less on your next fabulous pair. On the left side you'll see refine by and several options. Click on price. Now click on 0-$25, $25-$50, AND, $50-$150. Click ok. Now you should have about 205 pages. This site gives you all the best items from all your favorite places; piperlime, target, zappos, dillard's, nordstroms, and many , many more! If you hover over a shoe you like, it will give you some details from the outside source, sizes available, and get this! It will even allow you to set a sale alert. The site will send you an email when the price goes down!! I am in love. Another thing I really like is how it scrolls between pages, you don't have to click through pages, just hit the right arrow on your keyboard and it scrolls across. Once you set the search parameters, you don't have to leave the page until you find that perfect item. If you click on an item, it takes you the original site. I've only looked so far, not ready to buy yet, and I haven't looked at anything besides shoes, but it was enough. shopstyle.com sits very prominently in my bookmarks. Go check it out!!

Next! I have a question. I don't know if you remember when I said that I lost a ton of weight over the past year and a half or so. Well , I did. And now I'm left with all the pants that haven't fit since last fall. I kept them in the top of my closet, thinking that I would gain most of the weight back, but I haven't. It's stayed off for more than 8 months now and I need to decide what to do with all of them. Do I pack them away in the basement storage room just in case or do I give them away? Opinions? Take the poll in the left sidebar, please. Thank you !!
(In case you are curious, I have 12's, 13's, and 14's in the pile.)

(updated below!)

If you've read this blog for any amount of time you know that I, uh, really like clothes. Since we talked about pieces for a Fall wardrobe, I've been thinking about pieces that stay in my closet season to season. These wardrobe staples are versatile and stylish, but not trendy, so they can hang around for a while without making you look like a fashion no-no. Let's do this in list form, shall we?

1. Jeans

Jeans are a very important part of every man's and woman's wardrobe. They can be trendy, but I think the most important thing is to buy jeans that make you look good and that fit comfortably, especially on the bum. :) I don't believe in spending a ton of money here because I still haven't found a $100 pair that fits any better on my bottom than a $20-$30 pair. I'm willing to be wrong here, but if I'm going to spend that kind of cash on one article of clothing, there had better be fairy dust included, that's all I'm saying. (or a pair of shoes)

2. T-Shirts

No cartoon characters or pithy sayings, just plain, fitted, and flattering in a variety of colors. This is one of the items that you should buy multiples of when you find one that works. (I do have plenty of "fun" t-shirts and concert t's, but a plain fitted shirt can be used a business casual environment over slacks, under a blazer or paired with a cute skirt for dinner.)

3. Camis/Tanks

Styles, shapes and colors abound in this little item. Under a jacket or sweater, layered over a skirt, or just paired with jeans to get your dance on, it's my philosophy that you can't have too many, and my closet reflects that. ;) They can be plain, ribbed, edged with lace or sheer. A cute little jacket, jeans, and a bright cami or tank peaking out is a no-fail outfit.

4. LBD

Last, but certainly not least is the little black dress. Being a little obsessive, I, ahem, have several that can be used for many occasions, but every woman should have one black dress in her closet that makes here feel like a million bucks. Finding that baby can be a chore, but when you do, special occasions are covered year round. ;)

5. Cardigans/Light jackets

(updated to add these, which Patrice reminded me about) Of course, how could I forget cardis?! I have tons that I wear year round, because I am one of those people who gets cold easily. I have tons of cardis, in various colors, styles and lengths. Thick, thin, argyle, loose knit, dressy, sporty, every day, bright colors, pastels, and of course lot and lots of black. As Ali mentioned in the comments, a cardigan can take a summer dress into a fall outfit. Or it can take a dress that is a little...ahem, racy and make it demure.

What do you have in your closet that doesn't get rotated when the seasons change? Have I forgotten any?

disclaimer: I in no way consider myself to be a fashion expert in any way, shape, or form. Please take this post as it was intended, sharing with the interwebs only. Thanks. ;)

Did a little online shopping tonight and I'm bringing you some of my favorites. Men's wear and vintage feel seem to influence what I'm seeing so far and I must say, I LIKE! I picked up these little lovelies at Payless last week, they look great with the shirt dress from last week's Naked Monday post. Green Mary Janes with a stacked heel. Makes me want to dance to big band music. :) LOVE them! I love clothing inspired by 40's and 50's style. Red lipstick, full skirts and tailored shoes.

American Eagle Latte Mary Janes

If heels scare the bejesus out of you, try these fun flats. I don't think you have to worry about horizontal stripes on your feet, do you?

One more from Payless, the Men's wear inspired ankle boots. I'm in love with the button detail.

Target has some great styles in too....

Xhilaration Sydney Mary Jane Pumps

I love these sweet turquoise pumps, which my neighborhood store was of course out of when I saw them. Well, they had 6's and 9's, but that doesn't do me any good. ;) If turquoise is a bit much for you, they come in a range of colors, including black and brown.

Mossimo Velda Patent Oxford Pumps (in Red!!)

One more, a pair of flats for you no heel wearing girls or guys, hell, what ever makes you happy.

Merona Micaela Moccasins

Cute, huh? Target and Payless are my go-to places for fashionable shoes that I can afford. I have a Carrie appetite on a Payless budget, which is how I've collected so many options in footwear. ;) So, which are your favorites? And what trend are you digging this fall?

Note: You can click on any of the pictures and it will take you to the site I found them on.

I was channel surfing a couple of days ago, and I saw a commercial for a new mascara. Now, usually, I snicker at the claims, (Curl activating! No clumps! Won't smudge! Lifts and Separates! Er, wait.) but I was intrigued by this idea. Mascara made with natural ingredients. Hmmm, ok, I'll give it a shot. So, I went to my neighborhood Target and picked one up.

Something you should understand up front is that I wear mascara every day. Other than some concealer and the occasional lip gloss, it's the only thing I put on my face. My requirements for a good mascara: stays put when my allergy eyes act up, doesn't irritate my contacts, will stay put all day, yet come off when I ask nicely, and inexpensive. (I spend my money on books and clothes, not makeup.) I can usually get one or two of those, but never all of them. So, I'm willing to give a new product a try, but I'm pretty skeptical to their claims, especially if there are "sciency" words involved that make little to no sense.

Intrigued? I bought Loreal Bare Naturale Mascara.

The verdict? Awesome! I expected it to be a nice color and I even thought it would leave my lashes soft and natural feeling, but I was sure I would be wearing it on my cheekbones by the end of the day, if it didn't rub off altogether. I was wrong.

I put it on this morning at 9:30am when I got to work. (I slept late and didn't have time for much of anything this morning.) What sort of test did it pass? My allergies were acting up something fierce, I had itchy eyes and throat all day. I had 2 hormone-induced crying jags, and it was so hot, at one point I was afraid my shoes would melt. Let's just say that there was a lot of sweating and leave it at that, shall we? When I finally got home at 8pm, (yes, 12 hours after I left), it was still there and where I left it. Touching my lashes, I can hardly tell it's there, and it only cost me $7.99. All requirements met, can't beat that. So, here's what I say....if you like the natural makeup look, this one is for you. It's my new favorite for every day wear. No kidding.

This is my first attempt at Fashion Friday, what do you think? I'm also cross posting this at BlogHer's BeautyHacks. Every day women, talking about their favorite products and tips, the brain child of the lovely Susan, who I had the delight to meet at Blogher '08.

Saturday, it suddenly occurred to me that the Fall semester is only 2 weeks away and I don't have any pants that fit. Well, I didn't have any. I went on a little shopping spree at work. I've been gathering a few things here and there when something not to be missed was heavily discounted, but I needed some things that were student teacher appropriate and still me. And then, I took pictures, so I could share it all with you all. Yeah, I know, you're thrilled, aren't ya? But, here's the thing...at Blogher, everyone asks you what your blog is about, and other than saying it was about me, I didn't really have an answer. So. I'm going to try a few things here and there to see what sticks. I have tons of interests, but I have no idea if I want to talk about anything in particular or just flounder about as usual. I hope you will bear with me. ;) I'm going to try fashion first, so we'll talk about clothes today, cool?

First up is not teacher appropriate, but I fell in love with the design on what I thought was a shirt til I put it on. Holy cow! Need some leggings for when it gets cooler, but it will make a fun outfit for karaoke.

Next up is a shirt dress with a cute ruffled bottom, it needs a slip, but I know it will look adorable under a jacket, I have the perfect one....around here somewhere. ;)

Then, my cat decided to get in on the act. She just couldn't understand why I was standing by the door, but not going outside. Can I tell you how much I love this top? Comfortable, flattering, and $6.50! I bought two, but I think I'll probably buy all the other colors, too. Hmm, need some heels here, too.

I don't know what's up with that look on my face, but it probably had something to do with the cat. Damn crazy cat. She's staring at the door again.

Same shirt, in an olive green and a brown coat I quietly spirited off the clearance rack before a customer saw it.

The olive shirt again with skinny black cords and the cutest gray flannel vest. I love corderoy. It's unhealthy. I may have squealed when I opened the box with these babies in it. Please don't tell anyone. (I bought gray ones, too.)

Switched the vest out for a gray jacket
On special for $13.50. I was talking to one of the supervisors, and he was catching me up on all the special buys, in case a customer asks and when he said $13.50 jackets, I said, Where?! And why didn't you tell me sooner?!
So, there you go, not so much Naked this time as clothed, but you're still seeing more of the contents of my closet than you probably want or is healthy for any of us. ;)