Selling the Drama: What I Wore

My office tends to have a lot of trainings.

See, the thing is that every year, we hire many attorneys straight out of law school. Now if we were a law firm, those attorneys would have years and years to learn the law and prepare for their first day in court (poor Husband is still waiting for his!). We're not though and attorneys are given cases of their own the minute they are admitted to the bar.

So the initial hiring training is pretty intense to say the least. Then we're expected to attend several other trainings each year to keep on top of changes in the law and to our performance standards (what we're expected to do to properly represent a client.)

Recently, however, I've begun to have a bit more fun with trainings.

Last year, I was asked to do a presentation at a training! Although I was nervous (especially since nearly everyone in the room had a lot more experience than me), my presentation was a success and other attorneys still approach me to ask questions about the topic!

I've also volunteered to be a witness at new attorney trainings. That's terribly fun because it's basically acting: I get to sit there and pretend to be the rude social worker or the drug-addicted mother and give new attorneys a hard time while they try to cross-examine me. Because I'm a big dork, I get a kick out of it.

This year, however, I've upped the ante: I've volunteered to be a client.

So today, I woke up at 6am to drive two hours to be put on trial for armed assault & battery with intent to rob, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, and trespassing.

I didn't do it, man!

Seriously, my poor character is only guilty of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I've already decided that she's innocent (and I had decided that she was going to testify until somehow my attorney talked me out of it. I'm still not sure how she managed that because I was pretty determined to make it to the witness stand!)

This is all leading up to a point. On Tuesday afternoon, my attorney called to prep me for my trial. She explained that what I wear to the trial is very important and gave me some very specific instructions.

1) Wear something feminine. The District Attorney (DA) keeps referring to the Russell Street Boys Gang so she wants to play up that I am clearly not a boy.

2) Wear something conservative. I was kind of disappointed when she remembered to say this: I had really wanted to show up in some indecently short skirt or something. Bah!

3) Do not wear black or yellow. These are the gang's colors.

As an aside, I told a co-worker who is also playing a client tomorrow about not wearing black or yellow.

Her response?

Ooh my attorney didn't tell me that! I'm totally going to wear black and yellow.

So what does a 17 year old girl who is totally innocent, scared out of her mind, and likes eye makeup so much that she's been caught stealing it twice from the MAC counter at Macy's (that's in my character's dossier, not a real life admission!) wear for her trial when it has to be feminine, conservative and not yellow or black?

Ta da!

Cami, Ann Taylor Loft

Cardigan, Ann Taylor Loft

Ikat Blossom Skirt, Ann Taylor Loft

Hanes Pantyhose

Shoes, AK Anne Klein

Necklace, Handmade by my sister-in-law

Bracelets, Pandora and gift from Husband

Earrings, Kohls

Bring it on, Mr. DA. I'm dressed to kill.

...

Err strike that actually. I'm dressed to be found not guilty of all charges.

Happy Thursday!

Build Me Up Buttercup: What I Wore

So in accordance with my post yesterday, my first photo (and hence my picture preview photo) is of me, looking adorable.

Blouse, Ann Taylor

Pants, Ann Taylor

Calvin Klein Belt, Macy's

Necklace, Marshall's

Earrings, Kohls

Shoes, Bandolino

So...now what?

I think the reason why I tend to post my outfit pictures at the end is because I need some time to build up to it.

Usually the process of writing a post goes like this:

Oooh, look at this interesting news story about Queen or some other such nonsense about which I am the only person in the universe who cares in the slightest.

Here's some ramblings about that including references to meeting people I will never meet and doing things I will never do.

[Insert picture of a frog wearing a crown or some other equally ridiculous photograph.]

Picture courtesy of Mel Williams.

Oh and right, people like to see what I wear every day. Here you go.

Without that build-up of nonsense, I have nothing to say because truthfully, what am I if not ridiculous?

I'll work on it though, I promise!

Happy Wednesday!

Closer to Fine: What I Wore

Yesterday some more amazing news was brought to my attention. This time the messenger was my sister Suzanne of The Square Root of Style. It seems that she had discovered the new "stats" tab in blogger and had spent a fair amount of time analyzing her blog traffic.

I seriously had no idea that this tab existed.

So with great excitement, this morning I clicked on the "stats" tab for the first time and here's what I discovered.

1) Every week my blog is viewed about 100 times from the United Kingdom. Now, I assume that the lovely British Anthropologi(e)st is responsible for some of those views, but clearly the other views are attributable to RT and Dr. May,who incidentally, I'm convinced not only view, but discuss my blog:

Roger: Did you see what Kathleen wore to court today?

Brian: Adorable!

2) My second most viewed post ever is this fitting room review, which features not only my review of the famed Two-Wheeler Shirtdress, but also a link to Queen's music video for Bicycle Race. See, I knew you all really did like my Queen posts! (My most viewed post is this fitting room review which I see, to my horror, includes the Perilla Dress! Please, everyone, stop viewing this review! I beg you!)

3) Last, and most importantly, for some reason, today traffic is being directly to my blog as a result of people doing a Google search for "crazy squirrel." I can only assume that this links the searcher to this post where I've included a picture of a squirrel in clothing.

I imagine I will continue to waste hours viewing my new found "stats" tab!

Beribboned Buds Cardi, Anthropologie

Lace Trimmed Tweed Skirt, Ann Taylor

Naturalizer Slingbacks

Clepsydra Hoops, Anthropologie

Bracelets, Pandora & Gift from Husband

I made a humorous discovery today as well. I realized that many bloggers include picture previews in their blog rolls. Unfortunately I have no control over what picture appears in my picture preview - blogger just uses the first picture in the post. So for the last few days, my picture preview has been:

and...

and, last but not least:

People must think I'm insane. (I'm not disputing that I might be, but at least read my blog to come to that conclusion - don't just look at picture previews randomly generated by my blog and think that!)

So from here on out, I'm going to try to remember to post a picture of my outfit first in each post. Or at the very least a non-RT-Alex Winter comparison/button extender for snug pants/potentially crazy lady in an ebay dress first in each post.

I imagine I'll make some missteps along the way, but bear with me folks! At least I've acknowledged that I need help and that's the first step to recovery!

Together we can beat this!

Happy Tuesday!

The Rock Show: What I Wore

So some super exciting news developed over the weekend: Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are in talks to film...

wait for it

a third Bill & Ted movie (click here).

So cool, right? In celebration I rewatched Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure on Friday before bed and then for good measure caught Back to Future as well just to make sure that I was up on all my awesome 80s time traveling trivia.

Sadly, this timing doesn't exactly bode well for my thought that Alex Winter should be cast as Roger in the forthcoming Queen/Freddie Mercury biopic.

Uncanny, isn't it?

Although I guess it's really Alex Winter circa 1991 that looks so much like RT. Darn it, where is Stephen Hawking and his time machine when I really need it?

Tom Felton also looks a bit like RT, but I don't know how I feel about that little rat Draco Malfoy as one of my favorite musicians ever.

I'll report back on any new casting decisions made (both actual and imaginary!)

Creative Outlet Top, Anthropologie

Tucked-Away Blooms Cardigan, Anthropologie

Brown Tweed Skirt, Ann Taylor

Circa Joan & David Heels, Macy's (?) (super old)

Necklace, Banana Republic

Bright Bulb Posts, Anthropologie (available here)

Inch of Gold Bracelets, Cruise ship purchases

I wish it were a few degrees colder already because I would totally be rocking tights and adorable brown boots with this outfit. Although I haven't actually purchased said adorable brown boots yet so I suppose it's a good thing that I still have a little bit of time.

I always freak out a bit when it comes to buying brown shoes. For some reason, I think I don't really need them and then I discover that I really do. Hopefully I can get over my brown shoe-phobia and find something cute!

Happy Monday!

All Apologies: What I Wore

Some of you may remember last week when I gave RT a hard time about an ill fitting jacket that he wore to a We Will Rock You press conference (click here). My amusement continued well beyond my post here and at one point, in regards to his ensemble, I remarked:

I can handle the goofy stuff [he wears]. I mean that's just a style thing and Roger and I can agree to disagree, but [COME ON] buy a jacket that fits. I swear his pants are probably unbuttoned or held together with a rubber band too. [T]his strikes me as an instance of, "oh crap, I've gained weight since I last wore this and didn't realize it and packed it anyway. How can I keep these pants closed for the press conference?

So imagine my surprise when on Friday afternoon I discovered this in my kitchen.

Husband has been working on a big case at work and last night the client was hosting an enormous charity event. At the last minute (Monday) Husband and I were invited and at the super last minute (Wednesday), we found out that the event was black tie.

Personally, I was delighted. I've not owned a long formal dress since my senior prom and saw this occasion as the perfect opportunity to go shopping (albeit with only three days, my options were relatively limited).

Fortunately, Husband already owns a tuxedo which he purchased for our wedding. He's worn it a few times since then so it's already paid for itself.

Unfortunately, Husband has gained a few pounds since he last wore the tuxedo on our Alaskan cruise last year. He tried it on and, while it did fit, it wasn't particularly comfortable. Three days wasn't enough time to have it altered so he went unaccompanied to Joann's Fabrics to buy a button extender.

As we walked from the parking lot to the banquet hall last evening. Husband began fiddling with his tuxedo jacket.

"Can you even button it?" I asked.

"Yeah, but it doesn't look very good," he responded, "I'm going to leave it unbuttoned."

No wonder I like RT so much. I'm already practically married to him (although RT's fashion violation is still worse: he had more than three days noticed that the press conference was happening and at least Husband knew enough to not try to button his jacket!)

For my dress, I went to two different Macy's. At the first store, I tried on four dresses and bought this one. At the second store, I tried on about ten more dresses, including this one a second time, and decided that I really did like it. Husband was also a fan and said it will be very versatile for future events.

Oh, silly Husband. I'll be buying new dresses for future events!

Alex Evenings Dress, Macy's

M by Marinelli Shoes, DSW

Opal Necklace, Gift from Husband

Earrings, Target

Bracelet, Target & Pandora

The evening itself was interesting. I'd never met any of the other three couples at our table and they were all a bit older than us. Husband works with them so a fair amount of the evening was spent discussing the host client's case. Whenever we attend events like this, I'm always thankful that I'm also a lawyer. Otherwise I'd just be staring blankly at everyone having no clue what they're talking about!

We danced a bit, which was unexpected. Usually Husband refuses to dance at work functions, but with 1300 other people in attendance, we were easily able to blend into the middle of the dance floor.

I will say that as much fun as I had dancing, I had even more fun watching the old men dancing. And when I say "old men" I don't mean men in their 50s or 60s. I'm talking about men who were easily 70 years old, out on the dance floor busting a move like nobody's business.

Hysterical! I told Husband that I can't wait until he's old!

When we left the dance floor, we realized that our entire table had already gone home for the night. At that point the band was playing medley of 70s songs, which are fun for a while, but it had been more than an hour. My feet were also killing me so we left too.

So, RT, I'm sorry. Apparently it happens more often than I realized that men outgrow their formal clothing and don't realize it.

But, please, buy a new jacket for next time, hm? That only seems fair, especially since I'm making Husband get his tuxedo altered!

Happy Sunday!

Welcome to the Jungle: What I Wore

I attended a parochial school from grades 6-12. The school was divided into two sections: the lower school was Kindergarten through grade 7 and the upper school was grades 8-12.

This division meant that each year the lower school held a 7th grade graduation ceremony for the class preparing to enter the upper school. At the end of my 6th grade year, I volunteered to be an usher for the outgoing 7th grade class' ceremony.

Mostly because I was completely in love with one of the aforementioned 7th graders and imagined that he would spontaneously love me in return if I showed his parents to their seats prior to the ceremony. Sadly, that did not happen.

But I digress.

We typically wore uniforms, but for the ceremony were permitted to dress up. For the occasion my mother and I went shopping and purchased my first pair of heels. White matte heels. Truly dreadful. To go with said heels, I picked out a green dress.

Now, please remember that this was 1993 so fashion was a bit different. And also please remember that because I attended a parochial school, there were strict requirements on what style dress would be appropriate. This picture is not of me and it's not of my dress (it's from a current ebay listing by seller yardsaleandmore), but it's a shockingly close approximation of what my dress looked like for 7th grade graduation that year.

Proudly, I strutted into the church where the graduation would be held, donning my brand new dress and white matte heels.

My best friend took one look at me and dubbed my dress, "the tree dress," as it was bright green and I, at 12, was already at least 5'6".

She didn't mean any malice and it was just a joke, but I was mortified. Though I later saw the humor in the situation and for years afterwards we'd joke about my "tree dress" from 7th grade graduation. (And for the record, when my own 7th grade graduation arrived the following year, I selected a much more contemporary dress, which was a hit).

This morning as I got dressed, I thought back to my tree dress.

Secret Treasure Dress, Anthropologie

Swirling Villages, Surplice Belt, Anthropologie

Shoes, Merona for Target

Necklace, Kohls

Earrings, Kohls

Bracelet, Pandora

Either consciously or subconsciously, I avoided that bright green color for years. I've discovered recently, however, that I can't get enough of it! Suddenly after all those years of "tree dress" repression, my craving for foliage-colored garments is back with a vengeance!

Thankfully, I'm at a point in my life where I wouldn't care in the slightest if someone referred to my Secret Treasure Dress as a "tree dress". In fact, the first time I wore it, I got several remarks at the courthouse about how I would certainly be spotted in a crowd while wearing this dress. One attorney continues to point out how bright the dress is every time I wear it (though he also claims that I look like Anne Hathaway. Clearly he has some sort of vision issues!)

And just today at lunch, my boss said that my dress is the same color as the recyclable shopping bags at our local grocery store. Here's how the conversation played out: "Ooh those bright green shopping bags are so obnoxious. They remind me of your dress, Kathleen...I like your dress though." Geesh - it's a good thing I'm relatively thick skinned!

Along a similar vein (in my mind, at least), I've decided to run my next giveaway soon whether I reach 200 followers or not. I have several of the items already purchased and I'm really excited to feature them in a giveaway.

When I started this blog, I envisioned my sister, mother and maybe a few friends would read it. That anybody else in the universe cares at all about my daily ramblings is completely unexpected. As much as I'd love to become a blogger who has tens of thousands of adoring followers, I also realize that by remaining a smaller blog, I retain a fair amount of artistic license.

I like being able to write about whatever I want whenever I want. If I don't want to do a fitting room review for a month, I don't have to. I can write about running...or not. And if I want to rant and rave about RT's latest haircut or some other shenanigans that he's up to that I'm not happy about, I can.

It's nice, actually. As much as I love reading roxy's blog or Kim's blog, I always think about how much time is required for things that readers have come to expect. Roxy gets up at 2am every Tuesday morning to detail the sale selections for us. And every Monday night, Kim goes to her local store to check out what might be marked down in the morning.

Maybe, I'm wrong, and they love doing those things every single week. I hope I'm wrong!

But for me, the thought of doing something because x number of readers expect it doesn't interest me in the slightest (read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand - you'll understand where I'm coming from!)

So, to recap:

I like tree dresses and don't care who knows it.

I'm hosting my giveaway soon whether I hit 200 readers or not.

Oh and RT, don't worry, I like your latest haircut just fine!

Happy Friday!

Queen Song of the Week: Sweet Lady

We're still moving through the songs on Queen's 1975 release A Night at the Opera. I've skipped two songs which I already featured so click here to read my feature of '39, by Dr. May, and here to read about I'm in Love With My Car, RT's only contribution to the album.

Sweet Lady was written by Dr. May and is the 6th track on the album.

Video courtesy of spaccapassa

Around this time, Dr. May was writing many songs with a bit of a bluesy sound and Sweet Lady falls into this category. The guitar riff is very recognizable and a bit repetitive throughout.

This song contains some of Dr. May's oddest lyrics. In particular the line "You call me sweet like I'm some kind of cheese" tends to elicit a giggle out of most fans.

The drums in this song are particularly great, especially in the chorus. RT remarked in 2002 to Rhythm Magazine that in this song Dr. May would tell him, "'I want it to go like this,' and he wanted it to do three different things at once and that was a bit hard to understand." Somehow RT managed to give the Doctor what he wanted though!

Vocally, this is an interesting performance by Freddie Mercury in that it's more speaking than the powerful singing fans are used to. Rather reminiscent of Tie Your Mother Down, another one of Dr. May's guitar based songs from the 1970s.

Happy Listening!

Anthropologie Fitting Room Reviews (Scalloped Stripes Blouse, Mighty Adornment Tee, Navona Cardi)

A big reason for much of my backlogged fitting room reviews is stuff that was in my store but not online. That's been happening a lot more often lately and I find it annoying. How can I properly stalk something when Anthropologie's website claims that it doesn't exist? I finally spotted the Navona Cardi online and can post this review, which I fear is now relatively outdated.

Not cool, Anthropologie! Not cool!

Scalloped Stripes Blouse, size 10 ($78)

I put this top on and thought I had accidentally wandered into the Gap. Anthropologie, what is this? A button down striped shirt? That's it? Sure, there's some embroidery on the bottom, but I didn't find the hem finished enough for me to wear this blouse untucked. I go to Anthropologie to find special pieces and this is just not a special piece. For $30, I'd buy it at Target, but for $78 at Anthropologie? No way. The 10 fit fine, but I'd probably size up to a 12 to buy to give me a smidge extra room and to account for potential laundry shrinkage. That's all a moot point, however, since I won't be buying this shirt.

Mighty Adornment Tee, size Medium (now $39.95)

I liked the cap sleeves on this tee and the embellishment is interesting, but I think this tee would end up being more trouble than it's worth. For starters, it's pretty lightweight so I'd need to have a cami or something underneath to make it presenatble for work. Then there's the neckline. Yes, it's pretty, but it is also a recipe for giving me panic attacks over whate necklace, if any, I should wear with this top. The Medium fit fine at my bust, but was a bit snug around my hips. The Large would be just swimming on me. I'm sure this top works on many ladies, but unfortunately I'm not one of them!

Navona Cardi, size Medium ($88)

It took me forever to identify this cardigan online. First of all, the color online looks much darker than in my picture. It makes it rather difficult to make out the details on the cardigan. I liked this cardigan quite a bit. I'm a sucker for patchwork myself, but I tend to admire it from afar rather than actually owning it. This made patchwork seem slightly more accessible! The drape at the collar was nice and the ties were in just the right spot. The open neckline was also really nice and I could see a number of pretty colors poking out from underneath. I don't necessarily need this cardigan now, but I do like it and intend to stalk it to sale!

What's My Age Again?: What I Wore

I was thinking last night about how I should have been born twenty years earlier.

And shockingly this sentiment is not at all Queen-related!

Growing up, my sister and I watched Nick at Nite rather than network television. In my mind, that's because my parents had some gigantic issue with network television, but in retrospect that probably isn't the case.

It was probably just easier to turn on one channel and know that you liked every single show that was going to air that evening. In fact, you had already seen and enjoyed most of the episodes that were going to air!

So rather than watching Family Ties or The Wonder Years or even The Cosby Show as kids, my sister and I watched The Donna Reed Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (co-starring a pre-Gilligan's Island Bob Denver), and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

With the recent popularity of television shows being released on DVD and our subscription to Netflix, Husband and I have enjoyed watching television shows that we never watched when they first aired. We realized that we loved How I Met Your Mother (though it lagged a bit last season). Freaks and Geeks introduced us to younger incantations of current A-list actors like James Franco, Jason Segel, and Seth Rogan. And we marveled at how All in the Family (which never appeared on Nick at Nite in youth) could somehow still be ahead of its time in 2010.

Then Husband started adding television shows to our Netflix queue without consulting me. So together we watched The Dick Van Dyke Show, which I adored as a little girl. I actually insisted that we first watch my favorite episodes of the show because I wanted to see them again! (If anyone's interested, two of those favorites are It May Look Like a Walnut and That's My Boy?)

This past week The Bob Newhart Show showed up in our mailbox. I've always really liked Bob Newhart: he's a master of one-way telephone conversations. There's a PBS special about him that I think I've watched a dozen times. Click here for a funny clip of Newhart impersonating an air traffic controller.

After a few episodes, Husband declared, "That's a great show."

Gee, thanks, Husband.

Though Newhart never won an Emmy for his work on The Bob Newhart Show, he was nominated several times and just this year, the Emmy Awards honored him for his contributions to television (click here).

Husband never watched these older shows as a child so all this is new to him. He claims to have spent his childhood watching things like The Dukes of Hazzard and Knight Rider, but I know he really spent his youth watching Face the Nation and reading The Wall Street Journal.

I eventually did see most of those 1980s sitcoms that I missed the first time around...when Nick at Nite began to run them on a nightly basis (and can I just say that it absolutely drives me crazy that Nick at Nite is now passing things from the 1990s off as "classic television"? I like Tim Allen in Galaxy Quest and the Santa Clause movies, but classic television Home Improvement is not!)

Speaking of reruns, however, I'm pretty sure today's outfit is a rerun (did you see what I did there? Oh I do amuse myself!).

Buds & Bunches Tee, Anthropologie

Chiffon Trim Cardigan, Ann Taylor Loft

Skirt, Ann Taylor

Calvin Klein Lillian Flats, Nordstrom (available here)

Necklace, Kohls

Earrings, QVC (available here)

Bracelets, Inch of Gold cruise ship purchases

I know I've worn this sweater with this skirt. And I'm crazy about the way the buds and bunches look with the chiffon trim of the sweater so that's definitely a repeat. But I don't remember if I've done this exact outfit before. 

I wouldn't be surprised if I have. And I won't be surprised if I wear it again!

Tonight Husband and I will watch brand new episodes of some of our favorite shows: The Office, 30 Rock, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I've come a long way from Nick at Nite, baby!

My parents will probably watch George Lopez...on Nick at Nite.

Some things never change!

Happy Thursday!

Another Day in Paradise: What I Wore

Today I had what I expected to be a tough day in court so I wanted to look totally smashing. Unfortunately, my adorable-ness ended up being so great that all my cases got continued (as such today's post title is meant to be a bit cheeky!)

I felt particularly bad because our new intern was shadowing me today and I had hoped that she'd get a chance to see something interesting. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. I did tell her that she got a chance to see what being a lawyer in my field is really all about: sitting around and waiting!

Cami, Ann Taylor

Silk Ruffle Dress, Ann Taylor Loft

Ambrosial Cardigan, Anthropologie

Sofft Fiorella Pumps, Nordstrom (available here)

Artist's Palette Necklace, Anthropologie (available here)

Bright Bulb Posts, Anthropologie (available here)

Bracelet, Pandora

My grandmother actually originally envisioned my outfit today. While she was visiting with my parents in July, we went shopping. I bought this dress at Ann Taylor Loft (thinking that it could be the perfect dress to wear to meet Dr. May...which it was!) At the time I was pining for the Oratory Dress which looked so nicely layered under my Ambrosial Cardigan (click here). My grandmother, however, remarked that she thought the cardigan would look just as nice topped over this dress and maybe I didn't need the Oratory Dress after all.

I initially scoffed at her suggestion. Of course I needed the Oratory Dress, grandma. But this morning I realized that she was right!

Well done, grandma! Now I know from where I got my fashion fabulousness!

I'm such a dork, but every time I look at this dress I think of Dr. May. While getting ready this morning the thought actually crossed my mind, "Dr. May has touched this dress." Then I cursed myself for getting it dry cleaned (darn 90 degree weather in NYC!).

This is the first time I've worn it since that glorious day in July and while I'm excited to finally wear it again (I do really love it), I'm sad that now it's just going to be relegated to an everyday dress as opposed to my super special I MET DR. MAY dress.

To any new readers, yes, I am insane. You've been warned.

I've finally managed to unpack most of my office, although I remain unconvinced that I'm happy with the furniture arrangement. Just when I was starting to settle into my old office (after four years), I have to decorate another one. Not cool!

Thank goodness the week is half over already and today has really flown by so far!

Happy Wednesday!

Running on Empty: What I Wore

Yesterday I got myself into quite a tizzy at work. It was a silly thing, but I took it really personally and ended up rather riled up. I arrived home, was going to run, then didn't want to run, then decided if I didn't run I'd go insane so I'd go run a quick two miles.

I ended up running 4.25 miles.

It's days like yesterday that I'm really glad that I have running as an outlet. Worrying about other annoyances is just impossible when you're just worried about trotting along at a respectable speed while avoiding getting hit by a bus.

Cami, NY & Co.

Blouse, Banana Republic

Modern Trousers, Ann Taylor

Shoes, AK Anne Klein

Necklace and Earrings, Honora for QVC

Bracelets, Kohls

Belt, Kohls

There really wasn't any reason for me to get so bent out of shape yesterday. I've just been taking some things a bit personal lately.  Suddenly my entire life seems to be focusing on things that I do wrong and that's terribly annoying.

Along a similar, albeit humorous, vein: I realized yesterday that Husband's video camera has a timer feature on it. "Hurray," I thought, "I'll just set the timer and then I'll have pictures of myself without the iPhone." I tried it a few times but everything came out blurry. Even discovering that they came out blurry was an ordeal as I couldn't figure out how to work the "review" function on his stupid camera. By the time I did, I had already pinned my bangs back for the evening so retaking the picture was out of the question.

Husband claims he'll teach me. We'll see about that.

In the meantime, I'm slowly settling into my new office. My biggest complaint is that it's awfully loud: we've gone from an office of seven to an office of more than twenty-five so someone is always talking or making some sort of racket. My current task has been writing letters to all my clients letting them know about the address change...but our printer isn't working so letter writing is proving to be quite difficult.

Hopefully they get all the glitches out soon. I have a feeling I'll be doing another stress-release run this afternoon!

Happy Tuesday!

Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There is a Season): What I Wore

I always get so sad at the end of a season when it's time to put all my clothes away. Last weekend, I moved all my summer skirts and capri pants to the back of my closet and brought out all my wool pieces. This past weekend was officially the last weekend of summer, but it was still pretty hot and I refuse to give up on my summer clothes just yet.

Graphical Dress, Anthropologie

Denim Jacket, NY & Co.

Oka Bee Sandals (available here)

Necklace, Banana Republic

Earrings, Kohls

Bracelets, Inch of Gold cruise ship purchases

Husband wanted to go to dinner on Saturday night. We don't go out to dinner often. Personally, I'd much rather order something to eat at home while in our jammies and watching a movie. Going out usually results in spending far more money which I think is better spent at Anthropologie. 

(And in a cruel twist of fate, the restaurant Husband selected was right near Anthropologie so I had to slink past the store at the end of the evening knowing that I had basically just eaten my Dagmar Dress, which would otherwise be mine. Oh the humanity!)

Does anyone notice anything different about me in this picture?

Husband claims he did so we'll see if he's just a dirty rotten liar.

I bought curlers!

Yes, I know. It's 2010. People have curling irons, not curlers. Ugh but curling irons are hot and scare me. And they require me to blow dry my hair before I can use them which adds an annoying step to my hair routine (especially since no matter what I do my hair is only ever going to look marginally better than it always does!). With curlers, I can put them in, put on my make-up and then give a quick blast with the drier and voila!

I think I have a bit more volume at the crown and the ends are certainly flipped up some. We'll see if I deem the extra effort in the morning worthwhile.

Happy Monday!

Anthropologie Fitting Room Reviews (Pick a Bunch Cardi, Palacio Blouse, Muted Lavender Top, Stucco Sequin Tank)

I have an enormous backlog of fitting room reviews. Since I finally had a chance to try on some of the new fall arrivals this weekend, I wanted to run these reviews before they all become totally outdated!


Today I'm off on a home visit two hours away. I'm hoping I don't get stuck in traffic and will be home at a reasonable hour to post my What I Wore post so fingers crossed!


In the meantime, some reviews!


Pick a Bunch Cardi, size Large ($128)

I think I like this cardigan in theory more than I do in practice. The Large fit me perfectly. It hit my hips at a nice spot and looked good buttoned and unbuttoned. I liked the added corsage detail too because it makes the cardigan more unique and unusual. That's where my love ends, however. The colors of this cardigan are just a bit off for me. It's sort of a mustard/dirty dishwater hybrid and it was just not doing it for me. Also the price is just insane. I'm really so sad about this one because the fit is the best I've found in a cardigan in a while. Moving on...

Palacio Blouse, size Medium ($88)

 

I really did cry a little inside when my sister Suzanne sent me her Guest Fitting Room Review Post and she called this shirt a full-on Monet (click here). First off, I think she looked adorable in it (and I was pleased to see that her husband and our mother agree), but secondly, I had tried on the Palacio Blouse myself and totally loved it so her mean words made me doubt myself! This blouse is a super soft fabric and reminds me of the Florid Facade Blouse which I foolishly did not purchase when it went on sale. The embellishments on this blouse, however, are even prettier and I just loved the eggplant color. My reservations about this top were that it seemed a smidge too casual for work, what with the rolled sleeves and relatively low neckline. And I'm really not one to to wear a top like this with jeans on the weekend so suddenly the $88 price tag seemed a little ridiculous. I still kind of love it though!

Muted Lavender Top, size Medium ($68)

Now this little lovely, on he other hand, will eventually be coming home with me. I loved everything about this pretty top: the color, the rouching at the sleeves, the boat neckline. So lovely (see in the second picture, I'm blinded by the beauty of this top!) I can totally see this one with a skirt, pants or under a jacket. Wish listed!
Stucco Sequin Tank, size Medium ($128)

I was first drawn to this tank because of the color: what a pretty blue! Then I noticed the embellishments and wahoo, we were in business! That's where the problem's started. The hem on this blouse has this semi-unfinished, deconstructed thing going on and ends up curling a bit. I suppose that looks fine on some girls, but for me, I like to not add extra emphasis to the old hips. The shirt itself is also rather sheer so I'd need to have something over it or under it at all times. Then finally I noticed the price tag - holy cow Anthropologie! Here's an example of why you shouldn't do a bunch of drugs and then price the fall collection. I may have started laughing in the fitting room at that point. What insanity!

I apologize if the spacing is all off in this review. Husband downloaded a new version of Internet Explorer without my permission and it wouldn't let me edit in blogger at all. So I had to resort to using Mozilla Firefox, which Husband uses and I hate, and it was being all annoying with the editing. It seemed to suggest that I should know HTML which is, of course, ridiculous. I struggled with it for a bit before giving up. Husband says he will uninstall the new IE tomorrow so hopefully at that point, everything will be back to normal. Arg - technology!

Guest Post: Anthropologie Fitting Room Reviews (Remaining Lilies Cardigan, Gifted Skirt, Graphite Pop Cardigan, Charmeuse Splice Cardigan, Molded and Melded Tee, Norweigian Woods Skirt, Easy Keeper Skirt, Rational Ruffles Tee, Pinochle Skirt, It's a Cinch Top)

I mentioned over the summer that my mother is a new Anthropologie convert. Last weekend, she accompanied my sister Suzanne on her first ever Anthropologie trip (after ages of only seeing the items online) and they both agreed to write up Guest Fitting Room Review posts for me! Click here to read Suzanne's post and here to visit her blog The Square Root of Style.
For reference my mother is 5 feet tall and typically wears a Medium or Large top and a 12 or 14 bottom. Most of the things she tried on here were size Large and 12. So without further ado, here's my mother's first guest post!


The Anthropologie trip was a success: I bought the Norwegian Woods Skirt, the Rational Ruffles Tee, the Headwaters Tee, and the Molded and Melded Tee in Black; obviously I LOVE all of these!


Remaining Lilies Cardigan (now $69.95)
Gifted Skirt ($78)

This cardigan has been on my wish-list forever and I truly love it in person! Kathleen's note: When this was marked down last Tuesday, my mother pounced and ordered it. Yay!


I didn't like the fullness of this skirt at first but when I tried it on with a couple of tops it started to grow on me. Even Suzanne liked it, but we both agreed that as Kathleen had said in her review- it's still just a khaki skirt. It will have to be considerably discounted (like the Pinochle Skirt ($19.95)- see below) for me to consider buying it. Kathleen's note: Click here to read my review of this skirt.
Graphite Pop Cardigan ($98)

I definitely must have this cardigan. It looks really nice with the Rational Ruffles Tee and black pants, but I just couldn't spend any more money!
Charmeuse Splice Cardigan (now $59.95)

I like it but not in love with it. I had been hoping it would work with the gifted skirt but the color at the bottom of the sweater is completely different from the color of the skirt. Kathleen's Note: See my review of this cardigan here.
Molded and Melded Tee ($58)
Norwegian Woods Skirt ($88)

The Norwegian Woods Skirt had been in my wish list since it first came out so I was anxious to try it on in the store. To my great surprise the fabric is much heavier than the picture online looked. It is a fabulous fall/winter skirt. The Molded and Melded Tee has been in my wish list as well, ever since I went to Anthropologie with Kathleen this summer. I was in love with all the colors and could never decide which, if any, to order. I tried on the skirt with the wine Molded and Melded Tee first and I loved the colors together; unfortunately the tee was an XL and the only other size they had was a Small. Of all the fabulous colors I had pined over in the tee, black was never one of them, but I really liked the way it looked with the skirt. I debated whether or not to have them order the wine tee for me, but I really didn't want two of the same shirt. The wine/red Headwaters Tee satisfied the craving for the color. I also felt that the black top can dress down the outfit while the wine top dresses it up. I took the photo of the black tee tucked in so you can see the lacing (hence the name "Norwegian") on the top of the skirt.


Confession- I still have the wine Molded and Melded Tee in my wish list- I just love that color!

It's a Cinch Top ($48)

I absolutely despised this top!!!!! This is the only thing I tried on that I really truly hated! I mean I really look ridiculous in it! It was in the window with the Rational Ruffles tee and I grabbed it not realizing just how long it is. You can see in the picture that below the pretty neckline it accentuates all of my worst features.

Easy Keeper Skirt ($138)
Rational Ruffles Tee (now $29.95)

As you can see the skirt just covers my knees and is above Suzanne's knees so I liked it and she did not. I had on a 12 though and it didn't zip all the way up- no 14 is listed online yet. The very small and very large sizes are are scheduled to arrive on Oct. 27 but no mention of size 14. I had brought in the Rational Ruffles Tee in M and L to try on me- so we were able to also have matching tops!

I love the Rational Ruffles Tee! I needed a tee to wear with all of the cardigans I have purchased lately. It also looks nice alone. I enjoy the way the ruffles cascade down the front (to hide my tummy) I wore it to school already with the Tucked-Away Blooms Cardigan in blue/purple.

Suzanne Here: I thought the skirt seemed uncomfortably high-waisted (my regular 6) and it seemed really constrictive (but, hey most pencil skirts are, right?). I also would have preferred it to be a tad longer. I really liked the colors in the plaid though. As for the tee, I am wearing the Medium, and it fit, though it was a little loose in the chest. To buy I would probably size down to a Small. Strangely enough, the millions of ruffles in this shirt seemed to cancel each other out, so I didn't feel like a big ruffle-uphagus.

Pinochle Skirt (now $19.95 in stores only)

I thought this was really cute but probably not too practical. I couldn't believe it when I went online last Tuesday to check my wishlist and the skirt was out of stock! It must have been because it had been majorly cut to $19.95! Suzanne suggested I call the store where I tried it on, but they didn't have it. I called customer service and they gave me two store numbers to check it out. The first one I called had it.They are shipping it on Monday. Hurray!

Goodness - once again my mom went a little crazy at a trip to Anthropologie. My dad should be very thankful that the closest store is several hours away!
Thanks to my mom and sister, Suzanne, for their awesome guest posts! I'll run some reviews of my own this week!
 
Happy Saturday!

The Story of My Life: What I Wore

My office is officially moved.

I'm exhausted.

Here's what I wore.

Cami, Kohl's

Crimpled Cardigan, Anthropologie

Curvy Boot Cut Jeans, Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes, Dr. Scholl's

Bright Bulb Posts, Anthropologie (available here)

Necklace, Ann Taylor Loft

In Queen-related news, there is all sorts of buzz today about a Queen/Freddie Mercury movie. Writer Peter Morgan (of Frost/Nixon) is rumored to be working on a script, earlier in the week news broke that the filmmakers had secured the rights to the music, and the big news is that Sacha Baron Cohen (of Borat, Bruno, and my personal favorite Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) could be tackling the role of Mr. Mercury himself!

The reception of this news amongst serious Queen-fans has been split. Some think a biopic is a bad idea regardless of who is affiliated with the film. Others have a specific problem with Cohen.

Personally, I'm not concerned about Cohen. One thing that can be said about him is that he throws himself into his roles completely so even though he's not done a terrible amount of dramatic work, I don't think that's necessarily a problem.

I do worry, however, about the script. The same old tired rags to riches or sex, drugs and rock and roll storyline would be unfortunate. One rumor I've heard is that the movie will chronicle the week leading up to Live Aid. This idea sounds pretty neat to me. I hope there's some truth there.

Husband has to work all weekend so I'm planning on finishing up the last bit of trim that still needs to be painted then doing some shopping! I haven't been to Anthropologie in a few weeks so I'm excited to see all the new fall arrivals at my store!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Happy Friday!

(Oh and if anyone is interested in today's song title, it's a Neil Diamond song that you can listen to here. It's the first Neil Diamond song other than Sweet Caroline that I ever heard. Brian Orser, the Canadian figure skater and 1988 Olympic Silver Medalist, did a program to this song and I thought it was just lovely! Click here to see Mr. Orser's performance. Enjoy!)

Queen Song of the Week: You're My Best Friend

I debated for a bit whether to feature You're My Best Friend as this week's Queen Song of the Week or move on to the next song on Queen's 1975 release: A Night at the Opera.

My reservations?

Well, I kind of already featured You're My Best Friend here when I wrote about my favorite Queen memories during my last giveaway.

Finally I decided that post was really more of a featurette than a feature and since I'm really trying hard to show poor Deaky some love on my blog, I'd go ahead and do a full feature on this song.

You're My Best Friend is the fourth track on A Night at the Opera. It was released as a single in 1976 where it peaked at #7 on the U.K. charts and at #16 in the U.S. It was released in 1984 as a Double-A side with Killer Queen in 1984, but did not chart.

Video courtesy of queenofficial.

Deaky wrote this song about his wife Veronica. They've been married for more than thirty years and have six children so the sentiment was clearly true! When Deaky first told the band that he envisioned using the Wurlitzer piano, Freddie expressed his unhappiness with playing that particular instrument so Deaky went home and taught himself! When played live, Freddie played his traditional piano.

RT hits some great high notes in the backing track and as for the drums, Deaky had his own ideas about them as well.

According to RT (Absolute Greatest audio commentary, 2009): It was a nice big, fat drum sound and a sort of reverse round the drums starting on the lowest tuned drums first and ending on the snare, which is not… it’s sort of the reverse of the way things are normally done – so quite interesting from that drum aspect.

This song is particularly special to Husband and me because we hired a string trio to play it as a musical interlude during our wedding ceremony. I wasn't able to rip the performance from our wedding DVD, but here's a link to the Vitamin String Quartet playing the song. And upon further inspection, they seem to have recorded a number of Queen songs - totally awesome!

You're My Best Friend is the first of many hits that Deaky wrote for the band and demonstrates his traditional pop style. The song was particularly popular in the U.S., where Queen had slowly begun to make a never for itself.

Regarding the tremendous popularity of the song, RT, never one to mince words, remarks: I was absolutely devastated one day when I happened to catch the Donny and Marie Osmond show, or was it the Osmonds? And there they were singing it and I thought it’s all gone terribly wrong.

Yikes - I wonder what he'd have to say about my string trio!

Happy Listening!

Bust a Move: What I Wore

Moving day is finally upon us and it seriously could not have come soon enough.

Our office is in total shambles. I can barely squeeze down the hallway to my office because boxes are stacked everywhere. We're not receiving our mail anymore because our agency already made the mail-forwarding request. And every time I pack my stapler or Sharpie marker, I realize I need it one more time and have to go digging through a thousand boxes looking for it!

To make matters worse, my boss lifted her "no jeans policy" for the week, but not if we have court.

Guess what sucker had court today?

This one.

Dress, Ann Taylor Loft

Cami, Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes, Banana Republic

Necklace, Handmade by a friend

Mathilde Drops, Anthropologie

Bracelet, Pandora

Not cool!

I did bring my denim jacket which I wore to court in protest, but then removed out of fear before daring to enter the courtroom.

Now, I know that I promised my second Guest Fitting Room Review Post at some point this week, but that's seeming less and less likely given the nonsense I've been dealing with all week. I assure you that I will get my act together this weekend and you'll all get an amazing Guest Post on Monday morning!

Today has been better than karma kicked my butt yesterday. I called Husband on my way home from work and insisted that he bring home dinner from my favorite restaurant, which he did.

And I also seized the opportunity to spend some money last evening and purchased a second item for my next giveaway: Princess of Taylor's Favorite Things. My hope is to run the giveaway when I hit 200 follows, but I seem to have hit a bit of a standstill.

Come on, people, follow me so I can run my next giveaway!

I have no idea what tomorrow will bring by way of posting. I'll run my Queen Song of the Week post in the morning, but then I'm pretty sure that I'll be computer-less for the rest of the day, but I'll figure something out!

Happy Thursday!

Karma Police: What I Wore

Every once in a while we all get a little too big for our britches.

I mean figuratively, not literally. If I literally get too big for my britches, I just stop eating so much pie.

Actually that's a lie. I keep eating the pie. I just also run until I die.

I've heard that bad rhyming also can help with tight britches.

When we figuratively get too big for our britches, the universe always has a way to knocking us down a few pegs.

I'll admit, I was pretty pleased with myself yesterday afternoon.

I'd written what I thought was a rather witty post which to my delight had yielded a number of comments.

I was thrilled with the revelation that I would soon be traveling through time in either a phone booth or a Delorean.  Or a Chevy Cavalier. Whatever. I'm flexible.

And I was imagining clothes shopping with RT: "No, RT, not the sequined pants! And get that shirt in a bigger size."

The universe was not going to stand for my excitement so today it took action.

First, it pushed me down. Then while I was writhing on the ground in pain, it kicked me in the stomach. Finally, for good measure, it took my wallet (and on pay day too!)

Unfortunately I'm afraid that my come-upons aren't totally finished either because, despite the universe's interference, I'm feeling rather adorable today.

Reverie Blouse, Anthropologie

Cardigan, Banana Republic

Tulip Pencil Skirt, Banana Republic

Sofft Fiorella Pumps, Nordstrom (available here)

Artist's Palette Necklace, Anthropologie (available here)

Bracelets, Inch of Gold cruise ship purchases

And three people said they liked my shoes.

I am so going to get it tomorrow.

I might not leave the house.

Happy Wednesday!