colour block dress & red blazer

11 Saturday May 2013

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I had an excellent shopping trip earlier this week where I picked up a ton of stuff mostly for hubs, and some for the girls.  It might make me selfish, but I’m always on the lookout for clearance-type deals on stuff for myself.  I had great luck at Mexx for hubs, and as I said on Thursday, all of the reduced items were an additional 40% off.  That made this dress, which had an initial price of $110, ring in at $36.  I really liked the colour blocking, and it fits well too (disclosure – I had to get hose on the way to work, so this pic is hose-free.  High-rise control top hose always smoothes things out a bit.

I totally look weird here. I swear this dress is not as wrinkly in real life.

colour block mexx dress

I decided to go bold with a red blazer and chunky gold jewellery and my leopard cap-toe pumps (was debating between these ones and my black ones).

colour block mexx dress red blazer

Dress – Mexx (Size 8, same – 40% off this price in store), Blazer – Dynamite (Size L, same in different colours, similar, similar), Necklace – Forever21 (similar), Bracelet – Forever21 (same), Shoes – Payless (Size 7, similar).

teeny tiny touch of neon

09 Thursday May 2013

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You know the adage that if you were around for and can remember the first iteration of a trend, then you’re probably too old to partake in its next appearance?  I can’t help but feel that with neon.

I remember being about 10 years old, and we went to a family wedding in the States.  We visited Washington DC, and while I have a vague recollection of Lincoln Memorial, driving by the White House and the Washington monument, the thing that excited me more than ANYTHING was that I got a whole bunch of super bright neon clothing.

Political education?  Whatever!  I was all about the neon (for the record, I actually am not a complete political ignoramus and even served as a tour guide at Parliament Hill and I’m a total news junkie).  hehe

So that being said, you can imagine my wariness vis-à-vis the current neon trend.  I just can’t get behind even the smaller touches (like the ubiquitous j crew yellow shoes) because it’s SO not me.  So when I spotted this shirt on clearance at Mexx (bonus: 40% off reduced items in-store), with its subtle pops of chartreuse, I thought it would be the perfect gentle appearance of neon for me.  I also love all the colours in the shirt that I can pull from, so I think I’ll be able to wear this in a wide variety of ways.  And versatility makes me happy.

navy skirt neon print top black shoes

I don’t normally take too many photos of an outfit, because as I’ve mentioned quite a few times before, I’m REALLY not a model.  But I like the back of this shirt, so even though you can see my back fat (ugh…time for more workouts and less wine?), I’m sharing.  I like how the silk stops (with a nice button detail) and then it’s just plain gray.  Also, this clearly shows that it would have been prudent for me to iron my skirt.  Note to self for next time.

navy skirt, neon print top black shoes

Shirt – Mexx (Size 8, same – 40% off this price in stores), Skirt – Mexx (Size 12, similar), Belt – Dynamite (Size L, similar), Necklace – Tiffanys (same), Bracelet – Forever21 (same), Shoes – Vince Camuto (Size 8, similar).

Thanks for reading!  Are you trepidatious of neon?

colour of the year

08 Wednesday May 2013

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For a long time, I didn’t think I could wear green. Over the years, however, I’ve come to realize that green isn’t bad for me at all, depending on the shade. I personally love emerald and mint, and lucky for me, the former was named Pantone’s colour of the year, and the latter is popping up everywhere.

I last wore this green dress for a date night with hubs, and I really wanted to see if I could make it appropriate for work (it being strapless and hence not at all appropriate for work). This is one of those rare times where I’m thankful for being relatively small-busted, because that means I can generally pull off slightly lower necklines than a busty woman because I really have no cleavage to speak of. I was also careful to keep the blazer on and closed all day, because I didn’t think it would be appropriate to be sitting at my desk in a strapless dress.

I love how fresh the green looks with the taupe blazer. Totally different than the first time I wore it!

green dress khaki blazer nude pumps

Dress – Jacob (Size 12, similar, similar, similar, similar), Blazer – Ricki’s (Size 8, similar), Shoes – Spring (Size 8, similar), Necklace – Etsy (same seller), Bracelet – ASOS (same).

black and white again

07 Tuesday May 2013

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I love that black and white is a thing.  Is it not the easiest trend to incorporate?  As I’ve said before, I’m not one to dive willy-nilly into every single trend out there (I often need convincing!), but when I see something I like, that works with my style and my wardrobe…I’m game.

I’ve posted about the white eyelet dress I picked up from Old Navy before, and I was looking forward to figuring out how I could wear it to work, so I checked out Outfit Posts (one of my favourite blogs for nice, classy work looks) and came across this white dress post, and decided it would make the perfect inspiration.  So I added my black short-sleeved blazer, my favourite black peep toes (you’ll see a lot of these this summer), a black belt and I was in business.

It was maaaybe not the best morning to give the girls a mixture of strawberries and blueberries at breakfast, but with some quick evasive maneuvers  my outfit made it to work intact (those tiny little hands are quick!).  And I even avoided spilling on myself all day.

A bonus is that the nice white and black flats I picked up at Payless a couple of months ago look SUPER cute with the dress, so that was great when I was commuting home on the bus (a ride made MUCH longer with a transitway road closure from a suspicious package AND an NHL playoff game).  This is why I ALWAYS have flats for commuting. You just never know…  I love the flats so much I’m tempted to pick up a pair of the nude ones, because the price is right and again, they are cute with outfits and also practical for making it home without a broken ankle.

white lace dress black blazer black peep toe

Dress – Old Navy (Size 8, similar, similar, similar), Blazer – Guess (Size L, similar), Belt – old (similar), Necklace – Babysteals (almost-same), Shoes – Vince Camuto (Size 8, similar-ish).

full turquoise skirt…take 2

06 Monday May 2013

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So, you might be able to stick me in a corner (like in my new pod), but good luck ignoring me when I decide to wear this fun, bright blue skirt.  :)

Last time I wore this skirt, I paired it with a black polka dot shirt, and I thought I’d stick with the polka dots again, but this time with a white blouse with tiny little navy polka dots.  Finished off the outfit with a navy blazer and my fun peacock-themed heels.  Not bad for a Monday.

turquoise skirt white blouse navy blazer peacock shoes

White blouse – Old Navy (size M, similar, similar), Blazer – Dynamite (same – it’s only $20 right now!), Skirt – Eshakti (size 10, same), Necklace – Le Chateau (similar), Shoes – Modcloth (size 8, same).

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