Happy Holidays, from our family to yours!

More posts coming, I promise.  For now, everyone enjoy the holidays with those you love!

Heads up on Columbus Day Sale

So if you've been thinking about trying simplybe.com and haven't yet ... here's your chance.

Just go here and use promo code 9430!  It will get you 30% off everything (and if it doesn't work, let me know and I'll ask questions of them).  The offer is valid through 10/11 at midnight.

Here's one of my favorite simplybe.com outfits (which looks better both in person and with a better photographer). You can still find the mix-and-match blazer, but the skirt is now sold out. Lots of great stuff, though! Just be patient with the shipping, the items are imported from England. But they're so worth it!

Shameless (albeit unpaid) Product Plug

So, have y'all noticed I've been growning my hair out?




To me, this is long. I've basically had one form or another of a pixie cut for like, 8 of the last 10 years, so I'm still re-adjusting to the concept of hair. And I forgot about something that comes with long(ish) hair that always annoyed the crap out of me.

Post-shower tangles. This surely isn't just my problem? Am I washing my hair completely wrong? Is it because my hair is so fine in texture yet thick in abundance that washing it is like putting 45,000 nanofibres through a dishwasher with a hamster on speed? I dunno. Hopefully I don't just sound like a naive dumbass now ... although it wouldn't be the first time.

Seriously, this post-shower-head photo is devastatingly typical...




I tried to double-mirror the back of my head in there for full impact. You're welcome for the coming Cthulhu nightmares.

Anyhoo, I decided to try a detangling brush, and people, PEOPLE I AM IN LOVE! Sorry, John, you give me unconditional love and support, but this brush has given me something no one ever has before - consistently pain-free, quick post-shower hair brushing!

This little baby - this little baby is my forever friend now!

Because look at this!




In a matter of pain-free moments, my hair was tamed!!!!

So yeah, if you don't have this problem and it turns out I'm just a hair-washing simpleton, ignore this post.

Sometime I might veer even further off-track and extoll the virtues of Death Wish Coffee's Valhalla Java. Dammit, it's 11:30 pm? I gotta wait six hours before I can brew a cup.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Bargain Hunting

As I've probably made clear in earlier posts, I love a good bargain. Sometimes I happen upon them easily. Sometimes, though, I have to work for it.

For example, this this dress...





I saw this dress a couple of months back and fell in love with it. It's cute, it's dressed up, it's comfy, and it's semi-casual. A perfect Friday dress for a office with a "no jeans" policy. The only problem? The price. I've done my best to edit out the website info, but the place I first saw it was here:




I did not want to pay $130. I love the dress. Were I not trying hard to budget, I would have paid it. But I just couldn't in good conscious.

Before you pay full price for something like that, check google. I'm serious. I googled the designer and the name of the dress, and look what came up!




Factor in that Macys.com also typically has coupon codes on the front page, I got another 25% off on top of this lower $103 price. Not to mention there's usually a free shipping or similar deal. Macy's has got your back, man!

So a dress that cost $130, I got for $77.25. I felt much better about that. And I get compliments on the dress every time I wear it. I had to let the hem down a bit. But even the $5 investment in thread and hem tape didn't come anywhere near the price from the other seller. Which would also have to have been hemmed.*

I did the same thing when I got married ... 11 1/2 years ago? YIKES! My dear friend found the perfect shoes for me (wish I had a pic, but I'm geographically separated from them right now), but they cost over $200. At that time, there was no way I could afford a $200 pair of shoes period, let alone a pair I'd only wear once. But I googled! Took sifting through 8 pages of results before I found a good hit, and snagged them for $98 bucks. With search engine optimization, and people realizing you can virtually bargain hunt so lowering their prices more often, that kind of thing is way easier today, thank goodness. Still... If never hurts to take some time to really hunt for that deal, okay?

Now go forth and find great stuff at more acceptable prices!


*Google is also handy for those websites that don't list the hem length. If you can find the dress on another site, you might just find more about how the dress fits, hem length, etc. So the original website had the hem length, while Macy's didn't. I still knew what I was in for with that short of a hem, though, and that I'd need to add an inch. For that, though, be sure you know how that designer usually works. I know that Michael Kors includes a lot of leeway in its hems, so I knew I could add an inch without a problem so long as I added some hem tape. Had I been unsure of the designer, I wouldn't have chanced receiving a dress with a 1/2 hem that I couldn't extend.

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An Experiment - So Far, Good Chemistry

So you always see those "wardrobe rental" sites online, and there's a plus-size specific one, Gwynnie Bee. I finally decided to try it out, for several reasons:
- I like clothes
- I don't have time to shop anymore
- I like lots of clothes
- I don't like to spend a ton of money
- I like so many clothes
- It seemed like a good way to try various things I wouldn't usually try, with the option to just ship 'em back for free if I don't like 'em.
- I like ALL THE CLOTHES
- It's always in my newsfeed, appealing to my love of clothes

So I signed up for a month-like free trial. Once you sign up, you go through their closet and and pick out things that look interesting. You can prioritize stuff you really like and want to try. The first three things I got - which mind you, you pick yourself during sign-up - I didn't like. They weren't on my priority list, but that was okay, I wanted to try new things. So I tried three new brands and they didn't work. It reminded me of my soul sister once saying in a dressing room, "Wow, that's you, but in a good way!" The three rejects were admittedly me, but the "me" I tried to shove into storage years ago, because it should all be good now, dammit! Anyway, I digress - I sent those pieces right back, and got three new outfits.

Here is one of the new pieces I got, and crimeny, I love it!



* Sorry for the airport bathroom pic.
** Sorry for the shoes, not what I'd usually put with these, but I'm up for a lot of walking today.

So this one is a Sandra Darren, which I've never tried before, but I'm not adding to my "YAAAAASSSSSS!!!!!" list.

Really, I love this! I was a little worried. In the pictures, the skirt looked shorter. And given my height (I am finally beginning to stop claiming 5'10", because let's be real here, I'm older and I've shrunk, so that takes some serious rounding up now), it's still a reasonable length. Right at the knee. I can totally do right at the knee!

I got two other pieces that were brands I've never tried before. You'll get pics of those later on workdays. This baby came on vacation with me because it's comfy and cute and all the things. Not that the others weren't, but I only have so much room in my suitcase, and very specific looks in mind for this trip. I'll try to do more pics as the week goes on, but I am on vacation, folks!

I'm still going to wear this one some Friday, though. And I'm probably not sending this one back to Gwynnie Bee, I think they made a sale.

Oh yes - If you like what they send, you can buy it at a reduced price. So that's nice! Plus you have access to their "retired from circulation" pieces for a reduced price if you're a member. They do all the dry cleaning before you get it. So if the idea of wearing something someone else has worn before squicks you out, this is probably better, actually, that what 50 other people have tried on in a dressing room (I always wash those before wearing, because that does skeeve me out).

So, two successes - a new brand, and a new mode of shopping!

What a good day!

Wait, "good???" Hell, I'm on vacation now, what a GREAT DAY!!!!!!

(Did I mention I'm on vacation? Cause I am. WOO HOO!!!)

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Summer Special

You might get a couple of posts this morning because I have spare time, and I want to use it telling people about fabulous things! Because I'm that way.

First, I've been talking about dressing for hot weather. Well, here's another great hot weather find.





This cool little yellow shift dress is current on sale for under $17(!!!!!) from simplybe.com! And if you aren't a yellow fan, they also still have it in navy.

I totally think, though, that y'all should try yellow. It's a very underrated color, and works on more people than you'd think. Especially this nice bright yellow. Kind of like green - the pale greens don't work on everyone, but a nice, vibrant green usually does.

I just put it with a long necklace I've had for years (that's a PEAR! Isn't that cute?) and nude wedge Cole Haan's, and yay, I'm ready for the hot blazing day!

That said, I'm wearing this to work, so I'm also taking a white, pin-stripe jacket I bought 2-3 years ago.





This jacket is long-unavailable, but a nice, white and tailored jacket looks great with this dress (since the dress is less tailored, you definitely want the jacket to take up the slack for the more "I'm a business person!" moments). However, Simply Be has this crisp white jacket, which would look great with the dress, methinks.

Added bonus - I also wore this dress and jacket combo earlier this summer, but with a black belt instead of a necklace (not good to over-accessorize), and black pumps. I'll try to recapture that magic day sometime, because it gives the outfit just a slightly different, but more polished look. I just wasn't in a belt mood for outfit-trotting-out number 2.

Long story short? Summer's hot, but you can be cool.

I think I was too tired to really make that last sentence work. Dammit, come on coffee, help me write more goodsly!

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Semi-Sick Day

Like a lot of folks, I have migraines.  While I don’t have as many triggers as I used to, I still have several – dehydration, going too long without eating, lack of sleep, overheating, barometric pressure changes.

I have a point.  I promise.

Today it rained like crazy, after days of crappy and humid heat, followed by two sunny, mild days. So guess what happened.

Thankfully it was a weekday – if it’d happened on a weekend, I would have slept through the initial warning signs too far to recover.  As it was, I slept through the auras, but I woke up while it was still just “pain over the right eye.”  So with a migraine pill, a bottle of propel, plenty of caffeine, and some salt (I hate pickles for breakfast, don’t judge), I managed to head off the full-bore deal.

Why should you care?  Because it directly impacted my sartorial choices for today.  You see, like I’ve alluded to in previous posts, I use clothing for lots of reasons – as an armor, to reflect my mood, to gain respect … Today, it was a costume.  If I dressed crisp and bright and happy, I’d be more likely to act like I was crisp and bright and happy.

And hence, we get this:

As an added bonus, since it’s almost Independence Day, I look extra patriotic!  Woo hoo!

I started building around the pants.  Because whose mood isn’t brightened by red pants?  These are the Kady fit ankle pants from Eloquii.  They are comfy and fit quite nicely. Which again, is a helluva mood brightener.

With red pants, though, you want the rest of the colors to be low key.  So I went with a white, sleeveless, overlay blouse, also from Eloquii.

The jacket?  An out-of-circulation denim blazer I’ve had in the closet for years.

I like the blouse more than I hate my arms, so here's a jacket-less photo.

Anyway, put it with a pair of low-heeled blue wedges similar to the denim blazer color, and boom. Mic drop. Done.

Well, I guess not quite.  The collar of this blouse just screams for something fun, doesn’t it?

I can’t find this necklace online anymore either, but here is the gist- It’s a statement necklace without an overpowering statement.  The gold sparkly part with the subtle color of the “gems” still gives some substance without being overwhelming.

So I may not have felt well today, but I good ‘nuff costumed up to have a good, productive work day.

After all, as much as I want to feel crisp and bright and happy, I don't want to feel overwhelmed.  

Hot Weather Sucks

So, we're in blazing summer now.  Even though I'm a summer baby, summer and I do not completely get along.  I'm a wimp when it comes to heat.  But barring a move to the Antarctic, I'm gonna have to deal.

It's hard to look professional when you look like you're doing a riff on Ted Stryker landing in Airplane!  So when it hits triple degree heat, you want short sleeves, light cottons, etc.

So here's a sampling of how I've been coping.

The Whimsy Wrap Dress from Kiyonna.com. Paired with the Solar Orbit Necklace from Thinkgeek.com (because I'm a geek, in case you'd somehow missed the obvious signals, but it's subtle geek - I mean, it's a nice, colorful necklace, right?).  And Ardent pumps from Aerosoles.com.  Comfy, light material, professional.  Love it.

Here's I've got a long-sleeved, tie-neck shirt from Eloquii.com, but it's a comfy, light cotton.  Not hot at all. I paired it with a nice navy pencil skirt from Simplybe.com's career wear section. With once again, shoes from Aeorsoles. 

I didn't do a lot with jewelry on this one - with the tie neck, I didn't need a necklace, so I just did earrings.  Cute earrings!  Unfortunately, I can't link them because I don't remember when or where I got them.  Bah!

Anyway, shifting on - Black can be hot in the heat of the summer, but it can still look nice. Unfortunately, these specific pieces aren't available anymore - this is an old Joanna Hope peplum top from Simplybe.com, and an old Lord & Taylor printed pencil skirt.  The top is a light jersey and the skirt cotton, so it still stays relatively cool.

  Finally, let's shift one last time.

Both pieces are from Eloquii.com.  The white cotton tie-waist blouse is, naturally, light and airy and comfy.  The textured blue column skirt is just awesome.  Both pieces are simple, but just detailed enough to not be boring.    

Huh.  and I just realized, I did a LOT of blue in this post, so I'm going to throw one more in after all to mix it up a bit.  And this mixes it about as much as it can possibly mix it...

The dress is a Suzi Chin for Maggy Boutique I picked up on clearance a few years ago.  The asymmetrical cut waist, and all the bright colors - Yeah, it's loud, but it's summer!  And it's fun!  And I totally wore it on a Friday, because that's when you can be most fun at work in the summer, if you don't have any crazy meetings.  The shoes, by the way, are Uggs.  I swear.  Uggs.  Who knew they made sandals, and who knew they'd be cute?  They're the Char two-piece sandal, if you're interested.

One more thing?  My legs are typically just one shade off of chalk-white.  They're embarrassing.  I can even be sunburned horribly on my arms and back, and my legs will be all, "no thanks, we enjoy our ghostly pallor and creating uncomfortable complexion dichotomies, so yeah, go away sun."  And they throw up some kind of incredibly complex and heretofore unknown to man sun-blocker so effective scientists are still trying to reformulate it 44 years after its discovery.  (Did I take that joke too far?  Oh well.)  So this day, I tried out Sally Hansen leg makeup.  It works!  And it didn't rub off on anything, but still washed off with just soap and water later.  Good stuff.

I'll try to not let so much time pass before my next post.  I'm also going to try to find a better mirror (or at least clean this one), so bear with me.

Business Travel Part 4 – Time To Go Home

So you almost didn’t get a picture today, because I overslept by an hour, packed my hotel room in a flurry, hopped in a cab thinking I’d be 5 minutes late for my morning meeting and … Apparently the metro is closed in DC. Did y’all know that? I didn’t. You can imagine was the uptick in motor traffic was like then.

Thankfully, when I showed up at 9:25, everyone was understanding, and I wasn’t even the last person there. Doesn’t that automatically make it better? It should. Someone codify that.

And I kid. I’m a professional, but oversleeping and being late like that (I typically build in plenty of time for DC traffic, which would have saved me here) was pretty unprofessional. So I apologized (and meant it – that part’s important), and then got down to business so I could minimize my disruption as much as possible.

There, professional, non-sartorial advice today. You’re welcome.

Now back to this blog's intent … Here’s my travel-day, business meeting dress.




Not knowing I’d oversleep (which makes dresses handy), but knowing I’d have packing, cab ride, meeting, meeting, cab ride, airport sitting, airplane sitting, driving home … I wanted comfortable. In other words, it was not a suit-wearing day. Not that suits can’t be comfortable, but there’s just a natural uprightness I feel when I wear them, like I costumed to be a badass.. But these were informal meetings and there was a lot of “active” time. It was another comfy dress day. I don’t know why, but dresses can just be infinitely more comfortable than a suit on a plane. Of course, I still bring a jacket (not in the picture because I didn’t need it), because you never know what meeting rooms and planes are gonna do temperature wise. Doesn’t matter if it’s June, plan for layering.

If you went to the link, you already know that this is another Eloquii. I’m kind of in love with Eloquii right now. You can find career wear that’s got just enough edge to stand out (but not inappropriately so) in a fairly conservative industry. Remember this post? Also an Eloquii. Plus, they have a lot of great sales, which does not suck at all.

The cut of this dress is actually pretty simple, and very comfy. The tie waist gives it the right amount of shape. And I never tie tie-waists too tight, because then I not only get uncomfortable (which defeats the purpose), but I also look kinda ridiculous. It’s a relaxed professional look, don’t make it tight and stodgy!

So there ya have it! I’ll take a couple of days respite now to get my act back together (and see if I can seek out a new selfie stick so I don’t end up posting a ton of bathroom pics, because that just seems gross), and more posts next week!


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Business Travel Part 3 - Yeah, I Don't Blend In

Today was a very sociable day, and a picture day. Seriously, so many pictures, some expected and some not.  I may even end up in a very respected industry magazine, which for a geek like me, will rank up there just below the time I received a thank you credit in a book in the same line as my favorite economist. And ... yes, I should should stop with that line of geekdom now.

Anyway, knowing some of the pictures were coming, I wanted to be sleek, but still comfy. And of course, again, I needed something that packed well.

Today, I went with a nice gray wool.  A light wool, though, so I didn't look ridiculous in June.  I have an Eloquii suit that really, truly, did the trick today.

My picture (I really need to up my detailed selfie game) doesn't do the jacket justice, so here, go to this link and have a closer looksy.  Now on the website, the model didn't turn the collar down.  Of course, it looks awesome on her.  She's a model, so duh.  I did turn the collar and lapels down, because I wanted to bring some more attention to the blouse and my "I could be a 1950s housewife and rock it, but I choose not to" pearls.  Were I wearing a more staid blouse, I would have popped the collar like a good 1980s frat boy and worn it like on the website.  Damned if this jacket doesn't work really well both ways.  It's a great, tailored cut, and the almost peplum-like detailing where you'd expect pockets is visually interesting in a good way.  

The matching skirt for the jacket is here, by the way.  

And Eloquii is doing a 30% off sale with a promo code (on the website), so check stuff out, the work wear is solid enough to be professional, non-standard enough not to get stodgy, and very well tailored.  

The blouse, alas, is long gone from sale racks unless you find it on ebay.  Which is a pity.  It's just a simple chevron Jones New York tank I picked up on clearance a few years ago, but the thing is so comfortable and so well cut, it deserved a bit of highlighting in the ensemble.   Plus, because it's almost jersey-like but 95% polyester, I don't think it's possible to wrinkle it on the wrinkliest day of the year with an electrified wrinkling machine (to paraphrase Homer Simpson, which I probably do too often).  

Anyway, total effect, if I do say so myself, is professional, solid, sleek (especially with my still-kinda-new-but-already-beloved-bangs), and eye catching.  

I mean really.  With my height and stature, I ain't blending into any crowds.  I may as well make the most of it.  

Business Travel Part 2 - Conference Time!

Tonight will be short, because I did my "laser-focus to the exclusion of all my surroundings, including an appropriate bed time" in getting some work done, so tomorrow is already looking to be a day of coffee and Monster energy drinks without finely crafting a blog entry of perfect humor/savvy/sartorial importance.

Let's get to the pic and some practicality:




(And as you can likely tell, it took me all of one day to break my damn selfie stick. At least the hotel has a full-length mirror.)

So when you're out of town on a trip, you want stuff that packs well. Duh, of course you do. You know what packs really frickin' well? Denim.

So this, my friends, is a denim (okay, technically "chambray") suit. Be sure to check your dress code policies because you get something like this. Some businesses don't allow denim in any way, shape, or form. But I'm am not thus constrained, and even if I was, I'm conferencing, baby, so I have freeeeeeeeedom to denim the hell out of it. This little baby is another Tahari ASL you can pick up at Macy's for a reasonable price.

You know how Tahari usually runs on the big side? If you do go for this suit, go a size smaller than your usual Tahari even. I did, thinking I was buying a suit for 10 pounds from now, but it fit perfect.

I put it with comfy shoes, because you just never know when you're going to end up taking a walk to the CVS a few blocks from the hotel. Like I did. There's not always a lot of suitcase room on business trips - you want to conserve space for conference binders and any work you had to bring with you. So I made sure the shoes I packed were "I can go a few blocks" walkable.

These are Spring Steps, the Lorka style. And holy crap, they're awesome! My only advice? If you're like me and shoes with the zipper in the back rub your ankle a bit, these will hit the rub spot. It's an easy fix, though - cut some small patches of moleskin (you can find it in any CVS or Walgreen's or whoever there's a "stuff for your feet like insoles and wart medicine" isle), and put those on the sweet spot on the back of your ankle. With that quick fix, my feet in these shoes are invincible. Invincible, I tells ya! And no one is going to notice.

As an aside, as you may be able to tell, I recently cut my bangs. Hell, I wish I'd done this a while ago. I can now part my flat, stupid hair in the middle and not care if it just hangs there, because I no longer feel any pressure to make it puff it artfully around my face so my cheeks don't look Godfather-Brandoesque and my forehead doesn't look like a billboard. That shit took work, people. This is a "part it, flat-iron the ends, and I'm out" kinda haircut, and I'm enjoying it.




My stick straight hair finally has purpose and meaning! Huzzah!

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Business Travel

So now is when I unceremoniously announce that the interview series has concluded. For a week now, I have been in a new position at a great company with really amazing people, and I'm incredibly blessed and lucky. I'm not kidding. As I drove into town the night before my first day, there was a friggin' rainbow over the city. Just try to tell me that's not a good sign.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. After four post-Memorial Day days on the new job, I am out of town for a conference. So how about we talk travel/conference business wear? Travel needs to be comfy, conference (depending on the formality) can be very daunting. And traveling light can be a challenge. So why not?

Let's start with travel, especially when you know you have a meeting at the end of the taxi ride.

Since I've been up since 3 am (love early flights), I wanted some comfort today. But I also had a 3 pm meeting. Of course, I ended up calling into the meeting, but I didn't know that starting out the day.

The Igigi dress from this post is beautifully comfortable. I wore it with a denim blazer I bought from Lane Bryant several years ago and Cole Haan wedges (because again, comfort).

By the way, airlines are nuts right now. It doesn't matter what you're used, to, plan extra time. I was very close to getting booted on my flight for being late Even though I was only 10-15 minutes behind my typical schedule. There goes the $30 extra I paid for priority boarding. Blergh.

So, about six hours after getting up, I was still doing okay. I was relaxed and comfy and feelin' awesome about being in one of my favorite cities (I love DC, I just do). I may have been tired and slightly sick, but I still had my sass on.




The sunglasses? Why yes, the devil(ish attorney) wears Prada. Discounted Prada sunglasses because I can be cheap, but Prada nonetheless.

Unfortunately, whether it was due to dehydration or lack of sleep, the sass dissipated and was replaced by migraine/queasy city Before lunchtime hit. I managed to avert a full-blown migraine, but it still kind of shot the day as far as being anywhere near other people. I ended up calling into my first meeting and sitting in my room with a cooling pack and a Diet Coke (sweet, caffeinated elixir of the gods), and getting some work done.

So my apologies - by the time I got to outfit picture-taking ... Well, this is what you're getting.




I may be worse for the wear, but my dress and jacket still look great. I wish I wasn't slouching though, so you could better tell how great. My mom was right, as she usually is. Standing up straight makes a huge difference.

Anyway, the rest of the week? I've got two conference days, then another travel day. So the next two days will be suits, and the day after that, another dress for travel. More to come.

In the meantime, please forgive the obvious "blergh" of today's posting.

In case you are unsure of the definition of "blergh," it's this:




PS - With the new job, I will not have regular access to my photographers (i.e., whichever family member I can shake down for pics before they go to work/school), so you'll be seeing a lot of the selfie stick. I'll do the best I can to get shoes and everything in the outfits as I can.


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Interview Series - Part 4 - An Old Favorite

Okay, so like I said in an earlier post, I'm actually losing weight.  Figures, don't it?  So, while I started this blog wearing a 26/28, I'm now in a 22 (plus the occasional 20 and 24, depending on the brand and cut).  So while I've gotten a few new pieces for interviews, I decided to grab an older one I had in storage for the last few years.

This interview was with a rather large corporation, and I wanted to look professional and pulled together, but not too traditional (hence the deep purple rather than a typical navy or black).

Damn, I love, and missed, this suit!

It's a size 22 Tahari, which I put with a Swarovski necklace and earring set, and my faux croc Aerosoles.  

And believe it or not, the suit was just slightly loose.  

I love the detailing on this suit.  Here's a slightly better closeup so you can see the cool pleat and side sweep of the jacket.  

Just another example of, just because you want to look completely professional and crisp, you can still play with tradition a bit.  

Completely unrelated, but Simply Be is doing a workwear sale today!  Lots of choices for under $50!  Check it out here!  

Simply Be is also doing a sale on Joe Brown brand apparel.  It's a fun weekend brand if you're interested.  If you go down that line, I recommend ordering a size up from usual, I find they run a little on the small side.  

Date Day!

Last Wednesday, in honor of our 11th anniversary, John and I went on a day-long date. It was nearly a week late, but we got there. :-)

And I just wanted to dress up. I don't get an opportunity often to dress up in a non-business-related context. We went antiquing in the morning, had a nice lunch, then went to see Batman v. Superman.*

So this is what I did.




Michael Kors dress from Nordstom Rack. (Because why pay full price? Seriously unnecessary.) Plus a clearance silver/gold knot necklace, and my 3-year-old (and still perfect) neutral Cole Haan wedges! I felt awesome.

Here's a milestone for me, too. The dress was shorter than I would usually go. I generally like hitting at or slightly below the knee. This was close to 2 inches above the knee. And the world didn't crumble to the tears from glimpsing a slight bit of my thigh. It was incredibly affirming to someone who has always hated her legs.

Now, as promised in my last post, the hair. I didn't just perm in the 80s because everyone did. I permed because my hair doesn't typically do a damned thing without 9 pounds of product Otherwise. I have extremely fine (and completely straight) hair, but a crap-ton of it. Guess what that ultimate effect that has! I used to be grateful for static because it at least gave my hair some lift!

But it ain't the 80s anymore, and I now know that I personally look ridiculous with big-ass pageant hair, so that's no longer an option. It works fine many people, but I ain't one.

I found a gadget online, though, that actually gives my hair, I repeat my hair, a nice, long-lasting curl. I present to you, the Miracurl! There are some similar items that don't get reviews as positive (based on my internet research), but this is the one I ordered, and it worked well for me. Because look at it! (And while you're looking at it, please ignore all of the white hair in my eyebrows, and we'll pretend the ones at my temples are just the sunlight coming in through the window.)




It ended up lasting three full freaking days, and may have lasted longer, but I couldn't stand not washing it anymore.

Anyway, that's all for now, and thanks for your patience between posts.


*Because we're geeks, in case no one had noticed yet, and indiscriminate between Marvel and DC. Our last date was to Deadpool, I've thoroughly enjoyed all Avengers-related properties, and I am deciding whether I'm going to Wonder Woman opening night or waiting until the crowds die down so I can enjoy it in relative peace. I grew up on comics, okay? Tons and tons of comics. Probably literally. We had bushel-boxes full of them everywhere. I grew up with the best parents.

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Interview Series - Part 3 - the Phone Screen

So as you know, I'm pretty diligent on virtual interviews (see part 2). Well, I even get dressed up for phone screens. Not as much, but I do. I still want to feel awesome. I am doing a psychological trick on myself here. If I dress up, I feel good, and if I feel good, I sound better on the phone.

So this is what I did.





I really, really enjoy this blouse from Eloquii. You can find it (on sale!) here.

For the type of job I applied for, I wanted to sound polished, yet personable and approachable. So I costumed up.

By the way, the hair? I finally found something that actually curls my uncurlable hair! That's DAY 2 CURLE, PEOPLE! That's unheard of for my stick-straight, "9 pounds of product just to get it not to stick straight to my face" hair! I'll post about it in my next post, so you can see Day 1.


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Interview Series - Part 2 - Giant Floating Head

*Quick Note - So, when I'm doing this interview series, I'm only hitting fashion prep. Obviously, there's a helluva lot more prep you need to do. For example, know your company, know the culture, know the job expectations, and if possible, know about the folks on the interview team. If you feel the company is worth working for, then you should feel the company is worth researching. Otherwise, what are you even doing applying?

Now, back to the fun stuff.

Today's interview was pretty cool. It was a virtual interview done via webcam!

"Awesome!" you might think. "I only have to nice nice from the waist up, sweatpants, here I come!" you might think.

Yeah, don't do that. You'll just feel more confident and professional (in my opinion) if you treat it like you're right there in person, and do you really want to feel like you're doing an interview in stained pants and bunny slippers? Didn't think so.

I wanted to feel like a badass today. But a socially acceptable badass. So I went with a navy pantsuit with some cool detailing, a soft yellow tank, and some subtle, but still distinctive, jewelry. The suit, by the way, is from Eloquii, and I link to the pieces below. Currently, these pieces are even on sale with a discount code. The tank is very old and unsinkable, but pretty easy to replicate because of its simplicity.




I wish the detail on these pants showed up better. But they're basically sailor pants! Wide legged, cool buttons on the hips. I swear, I never ever tuck shirts into pants (round protruding belly fears), but these trousers make it look good!

And the cool double breasted jacket? It's tailored just perfectly to go with the more wide-legs on the pants. It may be double breasted, but it doesn't button shut, and that's okay. I don't want to look stuffy today.

They're not in the picture, but I even wore heels. They're an integral part of my "badass warrior" costume, after all.

So that's a lot of detail, considering that with the small square webcam screen, I don't know that the interview panel even saw this much:




I think I was just a giant floating head. But I have a huge bobble head anyway, so maybe this will best prepare them for the overwhelming cranial presence I'd bring to the job. (Seriously - I have to special order hats.)

And by the way, I did not cock my head that way during the interview. That's just for the purposes of "look at my earrings!" For jewelry, I went with a simply Y necklace, which latches by actually passing the bar through the circle. I paired it with small drop earrings, with a silver circle on the top and gold on the bottom. Just close enough without being obsessively "matchy." While not pictured, I had my wedding and anniversary bands on, as well as my kids' birthstone rings stacked with a posey ring with an inspirational saying.

I also wore more makeup than usual. I don't typically wear eyeliner, and I've got far more mascara on than usual, as well as more foundation and a darker lipstick. But It doesn't look severe, does it? Since the camera tones it all down, I ended up doing much more makeup for this than I ever would in person. Although I just realized, I should have covered the rash on my neck better. Dammit. Ah well.

Now do I care that the interview panel saw, at most, a headshot, even though I got all dressed up? No, I don't care. I dressed the way I needed in order to feel (and therefore, more likely perform) like my best and most confident self, which meant going full armor. And that's the point.

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Interview Series - Part 1

So let's start this bluntly. Interviewing always makes me nervous because I worry that the first thing people will see when they meet me is my size. I won't belabor that, though. If you want to see what feeds that nervousness and why I respond through fashion, read this older post. My point is, when I'm meeting people for the first - or very important - time, I want them to notice not my size, but my presence.

Most of the time, folks will pick a standard "uniform" for an interview - dark colored suit, neutral top, small earrings, small pendant. And there is nothing in the world wrong with that. It's just not what I personally am every day (Neutral? Me? Hahahahaha!); I feel dishonest being that low-key.

So when I interview, I do my best to play to the tenor of the potential employer, but still put my own spin on it. Last week's interview was with a wonderful, established law firm with a solid reputation. Now was not the time for "funky" or "quirky." Now was the time for upstanding and traditional. Still, I wanted my spin on it.

Now, please forgive the photography. I was out of town and taking this picture in the hotel mirror. I did not have access to my normal photographer (a/k/a my teenaged daughter).




I think it hit the blend pretty well on the head here.

What's solid and traditional? It's a black 3-button black suit (my lovely Tahari brand again!), neutral nails, and low-heeled, un-fussy Aerosoles.

What's my spin on it? First, it's 3/4 sleeves with shiny gold buttons (I think I'm part magpie). And hopefully you can see this, the very end of the pencil skirt is lined with about 4-inches of pleating. It's subtle but distinctive. I also didn't do a white or cream top. Instead, I went with something that, in person, is actually more the color tone of the necklace I'm wearing. As for that statement necklace, I obviously chose not to do a simple, quiet pendant. But so it wouldn't be overwhelming, I wore one that wouldn't be thicker than a double-strand of pearls, and I matched it to the top (I swear, the photo is skewing the color).

I think it was an overall nice balance of playing to the audience but letting my personality out. I'm happy with the effect.

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About to Get Back in the Swing

I promise, more will be coming later, but I have to point out a couple of sales going on right now! 

First, Aerosole's! Their pumps and heels are on sale! I own Domino, Head Role, Starring Role, and Marine Corps, and they're awesome. I'm considering Ardent next.

Also, Igigi is currently doing 50% off the sale rack and last chance sections. I own the Gianna blouse in houndstooth, the Erika blouse in floral print, and the Eden pants in white. I can personally vouch for all of them. I also have a friend who bought the Madelyn dress in teal blue rose, and it looks fabulous on her!

Finally, Kiyonna is doing 20% off, with no minimum order. I can vouch for the flirty flounce wrap dress (oh, who's that in the customer pic section? That's ME from this summer!), the essential wrap dress (travels very well and looks very polished), the Ciara cinch dress, the Mademoiselle lace dress, the Feminine Frills lace top, the Femme Fatale faux wrap, and the Caycee twist top (one of my favorites for weekends and casual days). And if you have something formal, the friend I referenced in the last paragraph also bought the Screen Siren lace gown, and holy cow, it's stunning on her!

More to come! I'm going to hit y'all with some thoughts I've had with the election, with technology, and with stereotyping. Because I occasionally soap box.

I'm also going to do an "interview" series. Hopefully lots of posts on that one. :-)

Later, folks! Possibly even later today, but had to point out the sales first!

Brief hiatus

So yes, I've been on a brief hiatus, and will be spotty for a bit, but I will be back on a regular schedule soon.

In the meantime, enjoy this faux suede jacket from Ashley Stewart. Ashely Stewart is usually a bit more casual or "let's go out!" than I choose to go, but I do enjoy the cut of their jackets. They sell pretty much as far from the spectrum from a boxy jacket as you can get, which I love. This one in particular, I really enjoy the cut of this jacket. It's the second faux suede jacket I've picked up there. They're a nice little break from the polyester blend norm.




Since the suede was a nice neutral color, I put it with black straight cut pants, a black tank, and some nice neutral suede wedge ankle boots. And a neutral necklace, of course. I felt like with the black and tan, adding a color would have been too much.

I'll be back with more regular programming later. I didn't want you all to think I'd disappeared, I'm just making some adjustments! I'll post as I can in the meantime.

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Back in Action!

I've talked about the company before, but yeah, here's another reason why I love igigi.com...




I saw this dress on igigi ... oh crud, I can't even remember how long ago it was. But I couldn't snag it before it went out of stock.

But igigi, bless 'em- It has a back in action section! This is the second time that I've missed something the first time around but was able to pick it up later.

So now I have my Antonia dress!

I love this color, too. It's nice and versatile. I didn't have to go with neutral shoes and a coral necklace. I almost went with neutral jewelry and red shoes. Or I have a cute pair of orange wedges. Maybe next time. I'm just tickled I got another shot at the dress.

And as a total aside, you got a nice view of an entirely different part of our house, one of our family photo walls! I'd like to say I'm specifically trying to shake things up, but honestly, I switched locations because Monday was our son's birthday and there's a giant Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage in my typical photo spot. (My son turned 8 on his 2nd birthday hahaha Leap Day joke.)

And...that's it today! Nothing deep, all fluffy fun!

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