When I was in high school I played basketball. (I played other sports too but this story relates to my brief and unimpressive basketball career.) We'd practice right after school so we'd have to bring our practice clothes with us to school each day. Occasionally, we'd forget an item which wasn't terribly a big deal: typically a teammate would have an extra shirt to loan us.
Rarely, however, did teammates have an extra pair of socks in their gym bag. Were we phased? Of course not! We'd pull our crew socks down giving the appearance of a short athletic style sock, wrap the excess sock material over our toes and along the bottom of our foot, and go to practice...
Yeah wrap your head around that. We'd go to two hours of basketball practice, which usually began with at least one mile of running, with an entire extra layer of sock bunched up in our shoes. Don't even get me started on the day my friend and I accidentally switched shoes and I did an entire practice in size 8s (as opposed to size 9.5).
Ah, youth - how resilient I was then...
Nowadays, I go to a specialty running store for shoes, wear special inserts, have a podiatrist - how old am I again? Geesh. And this isn't just me spending money because I like spending money (I do) - this is honest to goodness necessity. If my feet are going to cooperate and let me run as often as I do, they have certain demands and far be it for me to question these demands.
And before anyone gets feisty, I do not like these socks just because they are purple. In fact, I don't even own these socks in purple - I have green, but it's my blog and I want it to be pretty so I'm putting up a picture of purple socks.
These are SmartWool PhD Light Micro Socks and they are amazing. Click here to buy them. Yes, they are wool, but no, they are not hot. Their material wicks away sweat and keeps feet dry better than any other sock I've tried (and believe me, I get a horrible case of the hot feets when I run outdoors in the summer - these babies take care of that regardless of the temperature.) I have a certain spot on my foot that rubs and I am constantly dealing with blister. Now, I'm not going to claim that I don't still get blisters, because I do, but they are significantly smaller and less painful since I switched to these socks more than a year ago.
I bought 6 pairs of these socks last summer and wear/wash them approximately once per week. They've held up great and you'd never know they were more than a year old. They've also stood up to weekly battles with my terrier/chihuahua mix Izzy who wages war on laundry baskets in search of socks. Now, manufacturers of dry wicking clothing recommend machine washing and air drying. Meh - I don't have time for air drying. I throw these babies in the dryer (along with all my other dry wick running gear) and dry them on low temperature. All my gear has held up fine. Just be sure not to use a dryer sheet - that will mess with the dry wicking feature.
I slept in a bit too late today to get a long run in before the ridiculous heat starts (it's already 75 degrees outside at 9:30 a.m. - no thanks!) so I'll do my long run tomorrow. But you can guarantee that whenever I do get in that long run, I'll be wearing these socks with a smile on my face!
Here's the video of Neil Diamond and Barbara Streisand singing the awesome song You Don't Bring Me Flowers. Neil wrote the song and then both he and Barbara both recorded versions of it. A DJ got the idea to mash the two recordings together and it got such a response that Neil and Barbara went into the studio to record a real duet of the song.
Today I woke up early and got in my five miles. Yay! It's such a great feeling being done with your run for the day. Now I have the whole afternoon and evening to do whatever I want guilt-free! Love it!
I arrived at court today fully expecting to have a hearing so I dressed for the occasion. My hearing got continued, however, so now I'm sitting in my office dressed to the nines. I did get a bit of good news in that my office is closing an hour early for the holiday weekend.
Blouse, The Limited, size Large (spring 2008)
Cardigan, Ann Taylor Loft, size Medium (spring 2009)
Penciled Abronia Skirt, Anthropologie, size 14 (sold out online; check your stores!)
Shoes, Sofft Janey, size 10 (from DSW)
Belt, Kohls
Earrings, Kohls
Necklace, Joseph Esposito for QVC (available here)
Bracelets, Kohls
It might seem like I just wore this skirt, but it really has been two whole weeks! I was so excited to wear it again and to try to style it with some color this time. The pink of the blouse is randomly the same pink from the skirt and I added the cardigan thinking that it would tone down the colors of the rest of the outfit a bit. And because I thought I'd be standing and walking a lot today and my poor feet are still yelling at me about the shoes I wore on Wednesday, I got out my new Sofft Janeys which are proving to be more comfortable than I could have ever hoped! Yay for a successful shoe purchase!
I'm wearing my same old earrings and bracelets today, but I think this is the first time I've worn this necklace in a close-up picture. My mother-in-law ordered this necklace for me from QVC. Sadly, she passed away two years ago, but before that she was sick for a long time. She also suffered from insomnia so she ended up watching a lot of QVC. She saw this necklace one night and couldn't resist ordering one for both my sister-in-law and me. It's fair to say that she and I didn't really have similiar taste, but she really hit it out of the park with this one! I love it! And it's got this magnetic clasp so the pendant is removable so I can wear the chain either by itself or with another magnetic pendant from the same line. Too cute!
So May is winding down and June, my birthday month, is right around the corner. I've received birthday promo cards from Ann Taylor and Victoria's Secret, but so far nothing from Anthropologie. I'm hoping that's just an oversight and my coupon will arrive soon - I have so many lovelies that I want to buy when my shopping ban is lifted and 15% off would be just fine! I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed, I guess.
I've got a long weekend coming up and I'm super excited. No real plans, but not having to work is enough for me! Poor Husband has been swamped at work and will probably have to work this weekend which stinks. Maybe I'll try to convince him to work on his new net book so we can sit outside in the sun together.
So this picture makes it look like Queen wants to beat me up (especially RT. It looks like he has red all around his mouth. Blood perhaps? Zoinks!) So in light of that, this week's Queen Song of the Week is Save Me (Oh I do amuse myself!)
Actually I think this is a photograph taken during RT's short lived "goatee phase" during the 1970s. As you can see, it was a bit of a disaster. Luckily, he canned the idea rather quickly and now looks much better with facial hair. See?
Save Me was written by Dr. May and appeared on the band's 1980 album The Game.The song was released as a single in the U.K. and peaked at #6 on the charts.
This song (along with Don't Stop Me Now) definitely reflects the end of an era for Queen - a move away from the harder rocking multi-tracked songs of the 1970s towards a more pop/radio friendly sound. The song itself is piano based, but then once the chorus starts, all the familiar elements of Queen's 1970s sound kick in and the song really starts to rock.
Personally I prefer the live version to the studio version. Check out Queen playing Save Me on the Queen: Rock Montreal Blu Ray here. In the concert, Dr. May starts off playing piano so Freddie can move around the stage. Freddie takes over midway through the song.
Save Me is the last of the songs that appear on Queen: Greatest Hits that I intend to feature as a song of the week. That means from here on out folks, we're into the real deep cuts only! I've been checking out songs that even I've never heard before and I've got to say, I'm pretty excited about some of them. That's the great thing about Queen: they recorded so many different genres of music, there's something for everyone and you'll never get bored!
I didn't mean to dress like a ballerina today. It just sort of happened.
I knew I wanted to wear my hair back. And I really wanted to wear my Tucked-Away Blooms Cardigan. It didn't go on sale this morning and I'm fine with that. As it's sat on my dresser these last two weeks, it's fate undetermined, I've come to realize that I really do love it and don't mind paying full price for it. Then all of a sudden I was putting on my Drifting by Dress and pearl earrings and we had this result:
Drifting by Dress, Anthropologie, size 12 (available here)
Tucked-Away Blooms Cardigan, Anthropologie, size Medium (available in blue here)
Belt, Kohls, size M/L
Sandals, Oka Bee Marion (Hot Chocolate with Leopard Crystal), size Large (available here)
Earrings, Honora for QVC
Bracelets, stretch pearls from my mom
I couldn't help striking a little bit of a pose this morning! The pretty part of this cardigan is the side and I wanted everyone to see it! I also finally located a slightly thicker belt to wear with my Drifting by Dress. The one I had been wearing was less than two inches wide and got a little lost in all the layers. This one is nearly three inches and stands out nicely. I'm pleased with my purchase! It was Tara over at Little Girl Big Closet who inspired me to pair a patterned cardigan with this dress (see her here). I love the pop of color that the pattern can bring juxtaposed against the creamy dreamy softness of the dress. Once my Neapolitan Cardigan finds its way home from the dry cleaners (*ahem* I'm looking at you, Husband), I look forward to wearing that over the Drifting by Dress as well!
I haven't worn these earrings in a while because I lost one of the backs. Today I decided to just substitute a different back and so far it's worked out just fine. Honora earrings are really lovely, but the backs tend to be a bit temperamental so I'm always afraid of losing the earring. With my hair up, however, I can feel them moving against my ears so I'll know immediately if something is awry! I couldn't decide what necklace to wear this morning and ultimately just decided to go without. I didn't want to over-accessorize, especially since I was already treading in dangerously cutesy territory! The bracelets were my mom's and then somehow found their way into my jewelry box when I moved out to start law school. I'm genuinely unsure of how that happened.
As I was standing at the clerk's office this morning, one of the clerks remarked that I wasn't wearing fun shoes today. He had seen my shoes yesterday and said how cute they were. I thanked him and said that I wore flats today to give my poor feet a break! It always strikes me as funny when other people, especially men, notice things liked that! I'm constantly noticing what people are wearing, but I always forget that while I'm looking at them, they might be looking at me back!
I woke up this morning to run, but saw that at 6:15am, it was already 70 degrees and 85% humidity so I went back to bed. Now I'm questioning the accuracy of my Weather Channel app because it seems like there's a rather nice breeze out there. A run this morning might have actually been pleasant and now I've gone and put it off!
My early rising did have an ulterior motive which was that I snuck downstairs to check Anthropologie's new markdowns. Several things on my wish list finally made the cut (the Fissured Shell, the Magnified Geranium Blouse, the Geometric Cluster Blouse, and the Anchors Aweigh Dress), but in retrospect, I don't really love any of those things so I'm staying strong and sticking to the shopping ban.
So did anyone catch American Idol? Husband and I really mailed it in last night - we didn't even fast forward through the show itself. We waited until 9:55, flipped to Fox, saw my boy DeWeezy take the title, and that was that. I was a bit miffed at Fox for cutting him off in the middle of his final song! I mean, geesh, it was already 10:06, would going another minute or two have killed them?
The whole thing was rather anticlimactic and the emotion from DeWeezy and the glimpse of him as an actual person made me realize that he's a bit of a dork and not the hipster I had imagined he was. My one regret of the evening is that apparently Bret Michaels showed up to sing Every Rose Has Its Thorn with Casey James. I've recently come to the horrific conclusion that I'm a little in love with Bret Michaels (I mean he almost died and then a week later won Celebrity Apprentice!) so I'm sad that I missed him.
Everyone I work with is jumping ship on this week and taking tomorrow off. I felt bad and ended up not only agreeing to work, but agreed to take a new case too! At least it's still Friday!
Here's my last batch of fitting room reviews for the week. I have to say though, readers, you are all a confusing bunch. Last week I had virtually no comments on my fitting room reviews and tons of comments on my What I Wore posts. So I think, "Oh no one is interested in fitting room reviews." Then this week, I get tons of comments on my fitting room reviews and no comments on my What I Wore posts! At least one thing is consistent though: no one ever comments on my Queen posts (except my trusty sis Suzanne who used to write the adorable blog The Square Root of Style but has pretty much abandoned it, much to my chagrin!) At least I can count on some things!
Now where was I?
Mystery Sparrow Cardigan ($98), size Large
I saved this cardigan for my second batch of reviews because I assumed it would be online by the end of the week. Well, there are new cardigans online, but this ain't one of them. Hmm. I sized up to a Large because I thought I remembered that Sparrow cardigans run a bit small. That turned out to be the right thing to do - I needed the extra room provided by the Large so I could button the buttons. I saw this cardigan hanging in the store and actually gasped when I saw it - it is so adorable! And so exactly what I've been looking for in a patterned cardigan. I was also excited because it didn't appear to be cropped as so many of Anthro's cardigans have been recently. Well my excitement was dashed once I tried it on: the length is just hitting me in an awkward place. It's not short, but it's not long either and it makes me look rather boxy as a result. The material is soft and this cardigan wasn't thin at all. If it was just a bit longer or a bit shorter, it would be in my closet right now, but as it is it wasn't meant to be.
I grabbed an 8 in this top because: 1) it has a smocked back, 2) it's strapless and I need a strapless top to be fitted or else I worry that it's going to fall down and 3) this top was in a pile at my store and the first one I pulled out was an 8 and I was too lazy to try to fish out a 10. When I think about it, it's actually amazing how many of my fashion decisions are influenced by pure laziness! So I was so caught up in the smocked back and strapless nature of this top, that my arch nemesis snuck up on me completely undetected: a surplice style bottom! This was particularly upsetting because I have recently vowed to myself that I would never try on another surplice style hemmed top - they don't look good on me and there's no point in pretending that by trying them on I'm offering any type of service other than giving my readers a good laugh. And yet here I was in the fitting room on Day 1 of my surplice style hemmed top boycott trying on a surplice style hemmed top! Not cool! See how I'm smirking in the first picture? That is me saying, "Well played, surplice style hemmed top. Well played!" So needless to say, I like the top 6 inches of this top. Below that, all bets are off. The pattern is pretty and bright, but frankly I'm not quite sure where I'd wear this top (assuming it had a nice straight hem and I bought it, neither of which are the case in real life).
My store had the Ambrosial Cardigan paired with the Oratory Dress and since I am relatively incompetent when it comes to mixing and matching things that don't actively contain the same color, I figured I'd take their word for it. I'll admit, my hopes for this cardigan were relatively low. It's on the long side and traditionally cardigans this length look positively ridiculous on me because they emphasize my hips. This cardigan doesn't though! This cardigan is the perfect length! And I loved it with the Oratory Dress! Oooh I was so tempted to buy this entire ensemble over the weekend, but NO the shopping ban prevailed. I must be strong. But how cute would this look with a pencil skirt at work? Or with my skinny jeans? This one will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine. The cardigan is super soft and not sheer at all. There's no closure, but that didn't really bother me. I was too in love! Wish listed for immediate purchase once the shopping ban is lifted on June 12!
Again, an example of my shopping laziness. I saw this skirt online and thought it was pretty. I spotted it in my store, but the biggest size on the floor was an 8. Rather than asking a SA to check the back for me, I inspected the 8, decided that I could probably cram myself into it, and trotted off to the fitting room. Well, I got into the 8, but it was not comfortable. The waistband was pretty tight and breathing was sort of optional. However, the hip area of the skirt fit fine. In fact, it was potentially a bit full. So basically I need this skirt in a size 10 waist and a size 6 hips. That's messed up. Once I got home and looked at the pictures, the pattern struck me as a bit Laura Ashley meets Annie Oakley meets Little House on the Prairie. The length was nice and totally work appropriate, but the fit was just all wrong on me and I quickly got over the pattern.
So those are my reviews for the week. Stay tuned tomorrow for the Queen Song of the Week (which you'll all ignore, but fear not because it will be followed shortly thereafter by my What I Wore post!)
Today is another unbearably hot day. After court this morning, I walked maybe 100 yards to Probate Court to review a file. Just walking that extra little distance back to my office was absolutely miserable. I could barely breathe the air is so thick and heavy! Ugh!
Another issue I'm having is that the heat is making my feet swell so now my shoes hurt (Does anybody know what that's from? I'll be seriously impressed if you do!) I am falling apart. I wore layers again today so when I returned from court, my cardigan came off. I briefly considered taking off my Forever Garden Tee also and just wearing my cami (because like I said yesterday, the only male who works in my office is on vacation this week!) I ultimately decided that I should probably not strip down completely and luckily the air conditioner kicked on a little while ago so I'm finally cooling down.
Cami, Marshalls, size Medium (summer 2009)
Forever Garden Tee, Anthropologie, size Large (winter 2009)
Cardigan, Banana Republic, size Medium (winter 2010)
Skirt, Banana Republic, size 14 (spring 2008)
Shoes, Franco Sarto, size 9 (Marshalls, spring 2008)
Necklace, Banana Republic
Earrings, Kohls
Bracelets, Inch of Gold cruise ship purchases
People have been going crazy over my necklace today. I initially spotted it on Chloe's blog when she listed it as one of her Banana Republic jewelery sale picks. Then yesterday I I spotted an article on InStyle's website listing the 10 Things Every Woman Must Own (click here). A statement necklace is listed as one of the 10 things and then my little ole cutout necklace from Banana Republic is pictured! How exciting! (And I'm completely ignoring the fact that I don't have like 6 of the 9 other things listed as essential, but the fact that I own that exact necklace should count for at least two or three matches!) Needless to say, I was pretty pleased with my accidental fashionableness so I decided to wear my little lovely today!
Did anyone watch the American Idol finale? I think my boy DeWeezy might have peaked last week. He was okay, but nothing terribly impressive. I was excited for a minute during Everybody Hurts when I thought he was going to mix it up and sing acoustically the entire song rather than his tired old formula of "acoustic verse - big drums at the chorus - band/choir enters for the end of the song". He saved the big drums for the bridge, but still busted out the choir. I actually yelled at the TV out of exasperation! We'll see what happens tonight when Husband and I fast forward through 1 hour and 57 minutes to complete nonsense to find out who the winner is!
I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow and the rumored Anthropologie markdowns. I plan on waking up early to get a few miles in, but I don't think I'll be able to resist peeking online first! I'm holding out hope for the Liquid Bouquet Tank, Tucked Away Blooms Cardigan, and Caballo Falls Dress! What is everyone else hoping gets marked down?
*Whew* today has been...exhausting! I woke up at 6:15am and got in my four miles (and it was already in the 60s with humidity at 90%. I can't even imagine the horror of attempting to run this afternoon!). Then I got to work and promptly realized that I have a filing deadline tomorrow! I spent all day frantically preparing my motion, but luckily managed to get it done in time. Somehow I also managed to fit in a trip to Probate Court and an office conference with a client (who has yet to arrive - hence the title of this post!).
Stick a fork in me - I'm done!
I always have a hard time dressing for Probate Court. I knew I'd only be in front of the judge for five minutes so I wanted something court appropriate that could also be comfortable for the rest of the day. The only male in my office is on vacation this week so I deemed my Buds & Bunches Tee acceptable without a cardigan/jacket despite the straps being far too loose!
Buds & Bunches Tee, Anthropologie, size Medium (available here)
Seersucker Blazer, Ann Taylor Loft, size 8 (spring 2008)
Modern Fit Trousers, Ann Taylor, size 14 (waist altered down) (fall 2009)
Perfect Exotic Pumps, Ann Taylor, size 9 (winter 2010)
Necklace, Ann Taylor Loft (winter 2010)
I don't really have anything to say about my necklace - everyone's seen it before, but look how plucky and happy I was at 8am this morning! I'm sure I look like I was hit by a bus after running around like a crazy person all day!
Yesterday, my closest co-worker friend brought me her old net book. Husband just bought a net book for his birthday present and has been totally monopolizing it! My co-worker just got an iPad and didn't need her net book anymore so she lent it to me so I'd have one too. Of course, five minutes after I pulled it out last night, Husband was all, "What's that? What brand is it? How much memory? Let me see!"
Geesh! He's like a child - he only wants the toy that the other kid is playing with! As he pawed at my borrowed net book, his brand spankin' new net book sat ignored on the coffee table.
*Hmph* Men!
I hope everyone's Tuesday was less crazy than mine was! Luckily I think the rest of the week is going to be a bit more calm - thank goodness!
So I hit up my local store this weekend. They had all the sale racks in the front, as predicted, but I still wasn't overwhelmed by any of the markdowns. I did spot the Ballet Notions Skirt, marked down to $9.95, in the regular sale room, but they didn't have my size! Boo! Thankfully there were some new arrivals so I dabbed away my tears from the underwhelming sale and started grabbing things!
I missed out completely on the Night Blooming Dress. I wasn't crazy about the color of the Zoya Dress (and my store never had larger than a size 10 in stock) so I was really excited to see the Doubly Dapper Dress at my local store this weekend. What didn't excite me? That someone roughly my size had already swooped in and purchased the 12 and the 10! So I was left to choose between a 8 or a 14. ARG! I went with the 14 which, of course, didn't fit me properly at all. The top of this dress is already very loose so 1-2 sizes too big makes it downright indecent! The pictures aren't too revealing, but trust me: it was bad! The bottom of the dress actually fit me fine. The a-line is very slight so the extra room that the 14 offered was much appreciated by my thighs. The waistband was positioned at someplace that's not my waist so I found that it ran tight. If I had pulled the entire dress up an inch or two to my real waist, it would have been much more comfortable (though indecently short!) As pretty as the pattern on this dress is, I'm going to have to pass. It just doesn't work on me.
This yellow color really intrigues me and I already have like five navy summer dresses so I figured I'd give this color a try. First thing to note: the straps of this dress were way too long. They kept sliding down my shoulder while I was trying to take the picture. I'd definitely have to have them tailored if I bought this dress. I liked the bottom of this dress - the waistband is at just the right spot, it has pockets, and the yellow is a nice cheery color. The top? Eh - not so much. It looks like the buttons are pulling when they are absolutely not. It's also a wee bit low cut for work so it would have to exclusively be a weekend dress. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I might consider it come sale time.
This dress claims to be lilac on the tag, but it is more of a putty color to me. Very bland. The alternative was an electric orange. I liked this dress. It's simple, but I could see wearing it for many years and accessorizing it in many different ways. It had pockets (score!) and it's pullover styling. Very vacation friendly. I worried about sizing on this one, but the skirt flares just enough for a Medium to work. This one is on my wish list.
Here's another dress that every blogger seems to own and/or look adorable in (see Roxy here, Rosa here, Sara here - you get the picture). I saw it at my store over the weekend and pounced! OMFG - it's horrible! So so horrible! I look so positively revolting in this dress. I flirted with the idea of not taking a picture, sneaking it back onto the rack, and pretending like the whole thing never happened! This dress not only hugged my curves, it selectively hugged my curves...and it selected only the bad curves! Ugh - the humanity! I can't even look at the picture to write the review! I don't think the horizontal stripes helped matters much either (though I won't blame them entirely because I've not disliked a few of Anthropologie's summer offerings that had horizontal stripes). This is a big huge enormous no for me - so much so that I intend to glare at this dress every time I see it from now on!
So that's it for my first batch of reviews this week. I also had the Gossamer Waves Dress in the fitting room with me and somehow forgot to try it on! Whoops! Hopefully it will still be there next week!
It looks like the Anonymous poster from this weekend may be onto something - rumor is that Anthropologie is planning more markdowns on Thursday so I'm really hoping for something amazing (to soften the blow of last week!)
I'll be back with my What I Wore post later today!
I'm actually surprised that I've never used this song title as a post title before since I'm always complaining that it's Monday again. Why do the two days of the weekend seem to go so much faster than two days of the weekdays? It's just not fair! Husband and I had another relatively low key weekend: I went to Anthropologie on Saturday and we sat outside on our new deck furniture and then yesterday, I got my 6 miles in and we caught up on some TV and cleaned. What uneventful lives we lead!
I did, however, provide myself with a bit of amusement when I changed the desktop wallpaper on our main computer. I initially tried to change the wallpaper on our new net book, but since it has Windows 7 Starter, it will only allow you to use the special Windows wallpaper. Boo! So I changed the desktop wallpaper instead to this rather humorous photo. I envisioned Husband coming downstairs, the screen saver being up, him moving the mouse and instantaneously being confronted with "Antler RT"! Unfortunately he came downstairs too soon and the screen saver hadn't started yet, but the photo still had the desired effect.
Husband asked, "What is he doing?" To which I responded, "Is there really any explanation that would make what he was doing not ridiculous?" Husband agreed and, to my complete surprise and delight, left the picture as wallpaper! Hurray for Antler RT (and for Husband!)
When I went to Anthropologie this weekend, I sadly returned my Circle the Globe Skirt, my Royal Poinciana Skirt, my Picture Frame Blouse, and my To the Sun Blouse. I held onto the Caballo Falls Dress in the hopes that it will be marked down in the next 6 days - I seriously intend to sale dance harder than I ever have before!
Speaking of sale dancing, I realized this weekend that I haven't worn my Field of Fancy Blouse in a while! Some of you may recall that the Field of Fancy Blouse was the first item that I seriously sale danced for and I was successful (see here and here)! This needed to be remedied immediately so I brought it out this morning...and since it is so warm outside, I didn't need a cardigan over it!
Field of Fancy Blouse, Anthropologie, size 8 (winter 2010)
Cami, Ann Taylor Loft, size Medium (spring 2009)
Skirt, Ann Taylor, size 10 (spring 2007)
Shoes, Naturalizer, size 9 (spring 2007)
Necklace, Kohls
Earrings, Kohls
So on Friday, I determined that my bangs were just long enough that they were driving me out of my mind. They kept settling in the crease of my eyelid which, believe it or not, isn't really a flattering look for me...or for anyone! I very bravely attempted to trim them and can finally say that today, for the first time since I did it, I'm pleased with the results.
The earrings and necklace are both staples - you've all seen them before. *snore* I need to get my act together and find some fresh new summer jewelry, but not until June 12. The shopping ban is in full effect - I'm really serious. And I've also somehow managed to convince myself that I'm not completely in love with any of Anthropologie's new arrivals so unless they pull out the real big guns come sale time, I think I'm going to be okay!
I'll post my fitting room reviews sometime this week - I have two batches. I would have had three, but I totally forgot to try on two things that I brought with me into the fitting room! Don't you hate that? Ugh - I was so annoyed! There's always next weekend, I guess (which is a long weekend - hurray!) I also read a really interested article about Michelle Obama's style which if I really get my act together, I'll discuss at length. We shall see!
Hmm I'm not quite sure what took me so long to get my act together and post these reviews. It's already time to head back out and do some more and yet these are still hanging out on my hard drive! I decided to take some full body shots this week - it occurred to me that sometimes it's better to see a piece in context with the rest of the outfit and me just cropping everything but the piece out might not be much better than showing the item on a mannequin so here we go...
I suspected that I had lost my mind when I spotted the Raccoon Rumpus Blouse (nee Feline Fancy Blouse) online and kind of liked it. My suspicion was confirmed when I tried the blouse on. I really do like it! From any type of distance, you cannot tell that these are raccoons (or felines or whatever). They look like little colorful blobs. And the cut of this blouse is really divine: empire waist, slight poof of the sleeve, slight flare at the hem, and surplice style top. The blouse has a side zip and the 10 fit me perfectly. I can't really convince myself to pay full price for a raccoon top, but when this hits sale, it's mine!
I took a picture of the Lane Change Skirt even though it didn't zip up all the way. In reading the online reviews, I see that I didn't spontaneously gain twenty pounds, but rather this skirt runs 1-2 sizes small. My store didn't have a 14 to try on, but I did seriously question whether that would have even fit. I really like the color and the pattern of this skirt and the a-line cut was nice too. I'm kind of wishing that I had ordered this skirt in my recent online order because if the 14 fits, I'd definitely consider it.
I wanted to try this blouse on as soon as I saw it online because I imagined pairing it with my Penciled Abronia Skirt. In person, this blouse is as pretty as it is online with a subtle shadow stripe and ruffles on the collar. I did find that it ran a bit small - typically I can wear a 10 in a button down shirt, but the one button on the band of this blouse was snug. I'd probably try sizing up to a 12 if I bought it. As pretty as this is, I have a short sleeved lemon shadow striped blouse already so unless this goes on super sale, I'm probably passing.
I'd seen other bloggers try on the Parquet Party Cardigan and the biggest complaint was that the hole for the sash is obnoxiously big. I thought perhaps those bloggers had just stumbled upon defective sweaters, but mine had the really big hole too. How big? So big that I'd need to wear a cami underneath this sweater because of it (otherwise there is no need for one). I really like the colors and pattern of this and the wrap style is very flattering. I could totally see wearing this to work with a pencil skirt or trousers. I'm hoping it goes on super sale really soon due to the hole because I think I'd consider it!
My store has a policy that if there's only one of an item left in stock, they mark it down like $15 to get rid of it. I'd never seen this skirt in my store so this one must be a return. I spotted it in the sale room, saw that it was a 14 and figured I'd give it a try even though I'd never really considered it before. The skirt is really cute and I liked the little embroidered dots. The tiers aren't too poofy and I probably could have sized down to a 12. For a minute I considered buying this skirt and then changed my mind. I already own a white linen skirt (that I had actually worn shopping that day) and since I wasn't in love, I decided I didn't need it.
So those are my reviews for the week. My store has been seriously disappointing when it comes to new arrivals lately and frankly, with a few exceptions, I've not been too into many of Anthro's new arrivals either. I'll head out later today and see if my opinion changes. Perhaps my mind is assisting me in my shopping ban and ensuring that I don't fall in love with anything before my birthday arrives and the shopping ban is lifted. We shall see!
I successfully dragged myself out of bed this morning at 6am for a 5 mile tempo run. About 3 miles in, I was already pretty miserable due to the heat so I was really happy that I didn't try to put the run off until this afternoon. I'm even more pleased with my decision this afternoon because it's 84 degrees outside with absolutely no wind whatsoever. Now I won't feel guilty about sleeping in tomorrow morning and have waffles - yum!
I tried on all my Anthropologie sale hopeful purchases last night. It actually turned out to be a good idea because I fell out of love with a few. Sadly I didn't like either the Circle the Globe Skirt or the Royal Poinsiana Skirt so they're both going back. The color of the Circle the Globe Skirt is great, but the full elastic waist just looks funny on me. I prefer a skirt with a fitted waist that sits on my low hips. Anything that ventures too high up my waist ends up sliding upwards to my natural waist which is my smallest point, but also really high on my torso. With a full skirt like this, it just ends up poofing out even more than it's supposed to! Not cool.
I also might just be too in love with the Liquid Bouquet Tank and the Tucked Away Blooms Cardigan (which is now online in a pretty purple color - what!?!?) so I might just bite the bullet and keep them despite their being full price.
I think that I'm also ready to break up with the Caballo Falls Dress. I love the color. I love the cut. I love how I look in it. But as I try to convince myself to keep it, I can't figure out where I'd wear it. It's entirely too low cut for work. And it's a tad too fancy for an everyday summer dress. And I realized just yesterday that it doesn't have pockets. There are just too many negatives for me to justify paying full price.
I had snuck the Picture Frame Blouse, size 12, into my bag thinking that sizing up would address the gaping issues, but it didn't! This blouse is so cute, but it just doesn't work on my frame, regardless of size!
The Royal Poinsiana Skirt is so cute and I love the print on it. It also has pockets which I didn't realize until it arrived. However, it also has an elastic waist so even though I tug it down, it ends up sliding up to my natural waist and being entirely too short.
Finally I came to my senses regarding the To the Sun Blouse. As cute as it is and as much as I liked it with my white skirt, I think it would be really hard to figure out how to wear it. It's really low cut so I'd need a cami or something underneath it for work and I really can't see myself wearing it around town on the weekend. And I absolutely hated it belted! I might consider it again if it ever went on sale, but for full price, it's definitely going back!
I'm holding off on returning the To the Sun Blouse and the Caballo Falls Dress on the off chance that they are marked down next week (and I can get a PA), but the two skirts are definitely going back and unless someone can provide empirical proof that I look like absolute crap in the Liquid Bouquet Tank and the Tucked Away Blooms Cardigan then I'm probably keeping those!
Today I had court this morning and then a client meeting this afternoon. The client stood me up...again. Such is life when you are an attorney in my field. Frankly I'm always surprised when a client actually shows up (like on Wednesday when my client arrived early!)
Cardigan, Ann Taylor Loft, size Medium (available here)
Shoes, Merona for Target, size 10
Earrings, Kohls
Necklace, Kohls
Bracelets, Cruise Ship Purchases
Grand Slam Bracelet, Anthropologie (winter 2009)
I've just about had it with my Grand Slam Bracelet. It keeps getting snagged on the fabric of super delicate things (like this cardigan and even worse my Drifting by Dress!) I like the way it looks with my two Inch of Gold bracelets though. I guess I just need to wear it on days when I'm wearing sturdier articles of clothing!
Another attorney complimented my necklace today. I was like, "Um yeah it was like $8 at Kohls!" I really can't justify spending any more than that on accessories since I constantly have the feeling that I really don't know what I'm doing anyway!
I think I'm going to take a nap now! I really am pooped from my early morning!
Everyone have a good weekend! I'll post some fitting room reviews tomorrow!
Last week, I discussed the songs in the Rock Band Track Pack. This week I'm highlighting the 25 songs contained on SingStar: Queen.
SingStar: Queen contains the 10 Rock Band Track Pack songs. I discussed playing that game last week, click here to read it. The songs available on both SingStar and Rock Band will be highlighted in yellow.
Part of the fun of SingStar: Queen is that while you play the game, you can watch the song's music video. Of course, Queen can boast creating one of the first music videos in 1975 for Bohemian Rhapsody (see here for more information). Their videos only got more awesome from there so watching them is ton of fun!
The four catagories are as follows: Save For Your Mix Tapes (these songs are best listened to and not sung - skip 'em!), Play with a Crowd (self-explanatory - these are the favorites of non-Queen fans everywhere), Play Alone (or go ahead and play with a crowd, but you'll likely be embarassed at how into it you get!), and Give These a Chance (lesser known songs that are nonetheless fun to try with a group).
Save For Your Mix Tapes: Tie Your Mother Down (I'm just not a fan of this song and in particular dislike the spoken vocals. Play it on RockBand and enjoy the guitar riff.) You're My Best Friend (Husband and I hired a string trio to play this song at our wedding, but it's a slow tempo without being a powerful ballad so it falls a little flat in this game.) These Are the Days of Our Lives (This song is really lovely, but the music video is the last one that Freddie shot so it's really tough to watch (especially given the sentiment of the song).) Play the Game (I'm not really sure why this song was even included, other than Dr. May/RT trying to be funny (aka "punny"). It's a decent song, but like You're My Best Friend, not the greatest tempo for this game.)
Play with a Crowd: One Vision (This could also be in Give These a Chance - I may be overestimating its popularity. In any event, it's fun (albeit difficult) to sing and the music video is fun to watch. Queen allowed cameras in the studio during the recording process and this video is the end result.) I Want It All (Great song - even more so since you don't have to worry about the drum or guitar solos in this game! Just sit back, enjoy the theatrical video, and sing along! Pay particular attention to RT's kit at the end of the song - he's got water on the snare so it splashes up everytime he hits it! Awesome!) Another One Bites the Dust (It really is fun to sing and dance to. Word on the street is that it was originally about cowboys and Freddie toughened it up a bit. This is one of the first Queen songs that I loved so even though I now realize there are better songs out there, I still have a soft spot for this one!) We Will Rock You (Who didn't sing this song when they were little and who doesn't sing it now at sporting events? This song is lots of fun and the video is great too - the band filmed it in RT's backyard. Unfortunately he had just bought the house and the old owners hadn't left yet so they couldn't go inside. Freddie stole some ratty gloves from a roadie and poor RT is shivering throughout the entire video!) I Want to Break Free - (In the video, the boys dressed up in drag and Freddie brought in the Royal Ballet Company - really over-the-top stuff. The song is fun to sing and relatively easy as far as Queen songs go.) Killer Queen (This song is actually pretty tricky to sing, but everyone knows and loves it!) Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen goes rockabilly on this one with both the song and the music video. This is another party favorite because everyone really does love this song.) Under Pressure (This song has the duet option so two people can sing at once - one as Freddie and one as David. That makes it lots of fun, but be warned, SingStar rates the singing much harder than RockBand does (particularly in this song!))
Bohemian Rhapsody (I'm of the generation that head banged in my car singing this song a la Wayne's World - in fact, I sang BoRhap at karaoke after my senior prom in high school! It's fun to actually see how many of the notes I'm hitting. The backing track is a bitch and filled with harmonies that I will never be able to figure out - I guess that's why I'm not actually in Queen...yet! One annoyance is that some of the notes attributed to Freddie are actually RT in the backing track (I mean you can actually see RT singing the notes in the video! Geesh!) You can't go wrong playing this song with a group though! Fat Bottomed Girls (The day that the Rock Band Queen Track Pack was finally released, I came home from work, downloaded the songs, and then sang this one three times in a row! The melody is great and the lyrics are pretty funny too! This is also a fun one to sing when playing with a group of people because everyone knows this song (even if they don't realize it's Queen). Don't move around too much while you sing though - the notes are high and the lyrics are quick so you'll soon find yourself out of breath!)
Play Alone: A Kind of Magic (Husband hates the video (Freddie, a magical man, turns the rest of the group from bums into musicians), but I think it's sweet. This was written by RT so I imagine doing duets with him while he's drumming (a la Queen + Paul Rodgers, see here)). Somebody to Love (This song is known for its absolutely beautiful layered vocals that have a gospel choir feel to them, but sadly there is no duet mode for this song! The reason why I got the game was so that I could sing: "At the end of the day...goes home...goes home on his own" and the rest of RT and Dr. May's amazing background vocals. I still really love singing it by myself though!) We Are the Champions (Here's an example of a Queen song that I don't particularly like listening to, but I love singing on this game (*gasps* I know guys, but it really is over-played and a bit sappy). Freddie really does have an amazing voice and this one really showcases that. If you think you can control yourself, play it with a crowd. Personally I get too into the song and prefer to sing it by myself!) Who Wants To Live Forever (Not my favorite song to listen to, but man is this a powerful song to sing, especially in the final chorus. The video is really beautiful too with the band dressed to the nines, John Deacon playing a stand up bass, and the boys singing amidst a gospel choir! Be sure to keep your eyes on RT during the video - he showed up for the shoot so hung over, he couldn't even stand up let alone play the drums properly.)
Give These a Chance: Hammer to Fall (This is an 80s song with a great guitar riff. The vocals are fun, but a bit tricky to keep up with.) Breakthru (After the beginning (which is actually another song that was unfinished) which has some difficult harmonies, this song is lots of fun to sing and even more fun to watch the video. Don't get too complacent though - Freddie mixes up the vocals a bit towards the end!) Don't Stop Me Now (Husband's favorite song to sing. It's a catchy song, but the lyrics are quick so make sure you know all the words before you move up in difficulty level! This song can be frustrating because it combines background vocals with Freddie's vocals so you'll probably finish the song gasping for air!) Innuendo (Queen's last single before Freddie died - it's got some really powerful vocals and a cool Spanish guitar solo in the middle. The song switches styles a few times making it difficult to keep up with if you don't know it really well.) Save Me (I love this song, but I love the live version better. It showcases Freddie's powerful voice (this song is not included in the U.K. version, but rather Bicycle Race is - I think we lucked out, U.S.)) Radio Ga Ga (I love the video. I love the song. I love the story behind the song (see here). I sing this song, I imagine I'm really on stage with Queen and inevitably I have a blast! Now that I think about it, this one might be a Play Alone too!)
So that's 24 out of the 25 Queen: SingStar songs. The 25th song is my absolute favorite song in the game and this week's Queen Song of the Week: The Show Must Go On.
The Show Must Go On appeared on Queen's 1991 album Innuendo. It is credited to the entire band, but Dr. May is believed to have written the majority of the song. The Show Must Go On was released as a single in the U.K. in 1991 and peaked at #16 spending 10 weeks on the chart.
This is one of the last songs Freddie recorded before he died. It took playing this game for me to realize how awesome it is. Now it's one of my favorite songs (not just Queen songs) ever. The vocals are strong and powerful and the song is amazing! Many fans feel that the Innuendo album was closer in feel to the band’s music from the 1970s which is considered a really good thing.
The Show Must Go On is definitely a Play Alone song for me. I get really into it and enjoy trying to emulate Freddie's freestyle vocals, particularly at the end of the song. The music video is also really interesting to watch - it's a compilation of many of the band's past music videos (including I Want to Break Free, Princes of the Universe, and A Kind of Magic).
So even if you don't want to invest in SingStar: Queen, take a listen to The Show Must Go On and you won't be disappointed!
And before anyone gets feisty, I do not like these socks just because they are purple. In fact, I don't even own these socks in purple - I have green, but it's my blog and I want it to be pretty so I'm putting up a picture of purple socks. 
