Oh yes she did

 

Guess who got to work from home today? Me!

So I wore my all-time favorite outfit (and the fact that this is my favorite outfit should clue you into why I keep track of what I wear to work).

The sweatshirt is a Christmas 08 gift from the parents, the sweatpants are a $5 find from Nordstrom Rack, and the slippers are J. Crew. They have little sparkles in them and match the color of the dust in our apartment, so they will always be glamorous but never dirty! 

As you can see, I even wore my hair in my favorite (albeit totally unprofessional) hairstyle: two dorky little French braids. 

French Sailor Fun

I found this shirt at Club Monaco for $30. I like anything that evokes French culture--and black-and-white horizontal stripes do just that.

You should see it when I wear my black beret (which, by the way, I wear every day unironically but only outdoors for cold-weather purposes). Berets are great for not mussing up hair.

Crew'd up again

 

Indeed. 

Saved Again by Boden

 

Early-morning indecision about what to wear struck again today. And yet again, this lovely blue Boden sweater dress was there to solve the problem! 

Worn here with black-and-gray mottled Banana Republic tights from the current season and black-and-white finely striped J. Crew cotton scarf (indispensable, matches everything!) from probably fall 2008. 

I must say, this first Boden purchase inspired me to get a blue linen jacket from them. Because nothing brings on warm weather like purchasing spring wardrobe items-or so I lately believe! I'll wear it as soon as it hits 60 degrees here. Keep in mind I do live in Chicago, so this could be awhile. But here's a pic:

For the Record

 

J. Crew Michelle cardigan from (I think) 08 ($30ish? $40ish?)

J. Crew Outlet suiting skirt from fall 09 ($forgot)

J. Crew dark gray wool ribbed tights from winter 08 ($7)

Tsubo Acrea ankle boots from summerish 09 ($70)

Banana Republic sailor-ties shirt from backintheday, maybe 04 ($forgot)

Ann Taylor gray tank top from fall 09 ($20)

Glam necklace

 

Happy Weekend! I'm a big fan of the fan-placket shirts J. Crew put out, and I'm sporting one here in wild blackberry, which is purple or navy blue, depending on your point of view. Either way, it looks splendid (if I do say so myself) with this J. Crew necklace, which ties together in back with a dusty-violet ribbon. It's from a recent sale and was $35.

Stealing My Show

 

See that little pointy-eared fluffer at the bottom of the photo? That's My Cat, and I think he's slowly trying to take over my blog because he's creeping into pictures lately.

Ditto Day

Here I am wearing the same thing I did Jan. 14, and I'm in EXACTLY the same pose.

No, actually I just re-posted the same picture, because I'm efficient (lazy?) like that.

I have more pressing matters at the moment, like watching this past Sunday's episode of Big Love.

Woman next to space heater

 

Keen and loyal observers of this blog will notice that I am beginning to repeat clothing items now. However, I am also trying to mix them up. 

Here I am standing next to a space heater. This handy object was purchased for $20 at Target by My Man, who hails from Fargo and has the sturdy constitution and aesthetic discernment stereotypical of Norwegians.

And now for something completely different

 

Gap sweater: $14

J. Crew perfect shirt: $20

Nordstrom Rack necklace: $15

Kitty Cat: Priceless, of course! 

Look at the Prettiness!

Hourglass Surplice shirt $48, Anthropologie

This is one heckuva GORGEOUS.

 

And here's a quick snapshot for pure documentation purposes.

Happy Valentine's Day Weekend. May the whole world match up right, right? 

We're off to see one of my favorite musicals--Funny Girl.
 

In true frugal fashion, My Man got the tickets for free (I just won't ask how... heh heh heh). 

I'm back again

 

The skirt and tights are charcoal gray, by the way.

Wanna know what else? The purple sweater is from fall 2007 Banana Republic for $13 dollars ($23 on sale with $10 coupon). And, yes, I tend to remember details of debatable use. 

Sick

Hello. I'm home sick with the spins and don't have a work outfit to post. No worries, though. Back soon.

Fancy pants

 

I completely forgot to post on Friday. And I have yet to get new camera batteries, so meanwhile I'll use Ye Olde Laptop Camera. 

Wanted to mention these tuxedo pants from Club Monaco. I'm going to brag about the deal I got on them, so turn away now if you are disgusted by frugality.

They were $29 down from $138. Then I had them tailored in-store for only $10! That's even cheaper than my neighborhood tailor. 

Full-priced purchases are tailored for free at Club Monaco. They're a Toronto-based chain with stores in major cities of North America and Asia. Most of their stuff is black and white. I have found the couple of items I've purchased from them to be very well-made, and if they had more stores across the United States I think they'd give J. Crew a run for its money, considering the decline in quality lots of JCAs report.

Also, they are not as heavy-handed on vanity sizing. I wear a 0 in pants from J. Crew but a 2 in pants from Club Monaco. 

Turquoise and silver, man

That necklace is (I think) made from abalone shell. My best friend gave it to me as a gift for being her bridesmaid several years ago. It is also silver and turquoise and is great for expressing my inner gray-haired California hippie.

CO1 fun

 

Here I am instructing My Man to not angle the camera down on me
--using the "stop" hand, making the bossy face. Poor guy.

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday!

We got a carbon monoxide detector today. Our heating system is on the fritz, and our landlord imagines himself as a real fix-it guy. So... yeah. I'm suspecting not everything is up to code, but I don't want to die in the name of neighborly relations. Hence the carbon monoxide detector.
 

Good ol' black and gray

Oh, black and gray. My love for you increases each day.

It must be a Chicago thing. An unscientific survey of the city I take each winter proves that the colder it gets, the greater the concentration of black-and-gray-clad people I am likely to see about.

That is an example of the wisdom of crowds.

As a side note, the necklace I am wearing here is a giant, bendable, shape-able loop made of titanium. I got it at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for about $28 including tax.

(Cue shameless plug for a cause close to my heart in one... two... three...)

Check out your local non-profit contemporary art museum's gift shop for jewelry. Not only will you find unique stuff, your money will go toward the gargantuan cost of running a museum. And this, in turn, will give living artists a place to exhibit their work, and happiness will rein! I guarantee this.

Another $10 find

Hello! Today we have another $10 find from Ann Taylor, purchased on a Wisconsin shopping trip with the Mom back in... oh... say... spring 08? Can't remember. But it's warm, and I do love the brassy buttons. That's the J. Crew perfect pencil skirt in cinnamon, and it's on sale in black online.

While downloading today's picture from my camera, I spotted this image of a small furry guy sporting an unusual hat. Either My Man took this, or Dexter the Cat did.

I think he is copying my fashion self-photography, which is fine with me seeing as I started this blog because I was inspired by the fashion self-photographers listed on the right side of this page (as well as the Sartorialist, the utmost important fashion blogger who has so many followers there is literally no room to join him).