Playing it Safe

As you might recall, I recently spent the day with my Mom in Raleigh to celebrate her birthday.  We spent most of our time in Anthropologie and left the store with some really great finds!  We were both excited to cross Fall-colored skinnies off my wishlist (thanks, Mom!) and for my first time wearing colored pants, I'm playing it safe:

Anthropologie corduroy skinny pants - gift from Mom
Paul&Joe denim button-down - FC ($7.50)
Embroidered boots - Xmas gift from BF
Vintage belt - thrifted, BB ($2)
Anthropologie purse - Xmas gift from Mom
Scarf - (old); Multi friendship bracelets & cuff

About my outfit:  It can be daunting for a first-timer to create an outfit around bright (orange) pants.  I decided to play it safe this time by pairing these corduroy-skinny-legging-pants with my denim button down.  I added in some neutrals with my favorite comfy boots and kept some waist definition by belting the top.  To tie everything together, I finished the look off with a colorful earth-toned scarf, wrist candy, and another fabulous Anthro-find: my recycled-materials purse.

Since then, I've come up with some more great ideas about other ways to style these pants - can't wait to try them out and share with you all!  But until then...

How do you style brightly colored pants and/or jeans?

What are some other ideas of how you would wear this pair??

Oh, and if you were wondering what my Mom got (since it was her birthday, after all), 

this would be my favorite purchase of hers (from the SALE room!):

Currently Crushing: Sweaters

As the days get colder, the nights get darker sooner, and life gets busier, it can be harder and harder to find the time to get some good quality photos in.  I'll be incorporating more and more inspiration posts, including this new one called Currently Crushing which is basically just what I'm obsessed with at the moment:

photos via:

free people, wendy's lookbook, anthropologie, fashion toast, atlantic-pacific, refinery 29, neon blush, the glamourai
(even more on my pinterest board: sweater-obsessed)

Are you crushing on sweaters too?

Which style is your favorite?

Happy Thanksgiving from My Family to Yours

It's the day after Thanksgiving, I know...but who wasn't too tired and full-bellied to post last night?  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!  On this (and every Thanksgiving) I am thankful for family:

Sister, Cousin, Me, Cousin

I wore my favorite Fall-inspired outfit (details here)
but added some purple in my kazuri-bead necklace and nails

Chandler & me

my first attempt at jumping shots

Happy Holidays from My Family to Yours

A Casual Look for a Traveling Day

Thanks, everyone, for letting me rant a little bit in my last post.  I know that the holidays can bring stress to many and it's nice to know that I'm not the only one, and that I can vent a little bit to you guys!  So, thanks for listening and I promise to keep it short on words today :)  I'm heading home for Thanksgiving, so that calls for comfy, casual, travel-worthy clothes:

Acne jeans - FC ($45)
American Eagle button-down - FC ($6.50)
Vintage Dex boots - FC ($24)
Vintage Louis Vuitton - hand-me-down from Mom
necklaces (all FC from $3.50 to $8):
large chain-link choker, multi-strand short length, 3-strand long length

About my outfit:  I kept it casual today by pairing very basic pieces: skinny jeans, a button-down, and (my favorite) boots.  To up the "chic" I buttoned the blouse all the way up and added layers upon layers of gold chain necklaces.  My vintage speedy adds a little bit of class to take this look from comfy-casual to fashion-blog-worthy!

I hope everyone is as excited about Thanksgiving as I am!  I'm heading home tonight and then back again Friday morning (in time to work).  I packed thoughtfully for 2 days of work (today and Friday) and 2 days of play in between.  Hopefully I can get my sister to grab some quick photo shots because I'd love to show you how I packed for a trip again!  If I don't "see" you again until Saturday, Happy Turkey Day!!!

What do you wear on a casual day?

What do you wear when you're traveling??

The Best Form of Flattery: 5th edition: Gap

I'd like to preface this post by saying I've been really, really busy lately.  With the holidays approaching, I'm trying to work out time off with an under-staffed shop (in the process of expanding and moving), I've been working over-40-hour weeks and 10-hour days, while juggling a part-time job on-line, as well as this blog (and a boyfriend - that counts as another job too, right??).  With all this going on, I leave myself with one day to take all my pictures.  Well, this day just happened to be dreary, humid, and about-to-rain.  The point of this rant?  Excuse these photos please.

The Best Form of Flattery series is all about finding inspiration from a variety of sources.  Today's inspiration photo came from Gap.  Here is what I came up with:

Sweater-dress - FC@MJ ($10)
Express cardigan - FC ($7.50)
Vintage Dex boots - FC ($24)
Vintage belt - STA ($5)
Anthropologie purse - Xmas gift from Mom
Express tights; Target socks

I took the inspiration to layer-up by adding tights, knee-high socks, and a cardigan to a cozy sweater-dress from this inspiration photo featured on the Gap website.

About my outfit:  This is another BFF that I'm just not crazy about.  Don't get me wrong - I love the inspiration photo...it's just something about my rendition that I don't like.  Hopefully it's just the low-quality photos because I do love the sweater dress.  I paired it with gray tights and reddish socks to pull those speckled colors out.  I added my vintage belt to keep some waist definition and threw on my black boyfriend cardi to finish off this layered-look.

Did you guys come up with anything great???

Just follow the link below to add your own Gap-inspired look.  Remember, the link will be open for one full week (until Sunday) so you still have plenty of time if you'd like to participate!

And, continuing with how I prefaced this post...I have thoroughly enjoyed the Best Form of Flattery series.  It's been so fun to see the looks of all you have participated (thank you!) and it's stretched my thinking and inspired me to try out looks I normally wouldn't put together.  But as my days are so full, I don't know that I can continue to host this link-up (at least not every single week).  I also feel like I've gotten away from why I even started this link-up:  I've been so preoccupied with choosing inspiration photos that I think others will like, and that are unique and different from the week before, that I'm not coming up with anything that I like even nearly as much as when this series wasn't a link-up.  I think I'm going to have to give this series (in the form of a link-up) a break for now.  I'm going to go back to choosing inspiration photos for me and I think I will be much happier with what I can come up with.  Of course, you are still welcome to join in, or even let me know if you'd like to take turns hosting the link-up!  For now, I have to focus on my hectic schedule and dressing for me (because that's the whole reason I started this blog, right?).  Thank you so much to everyone who has made this link-up so much fun!  Possibly I will bring it back after the holidays :)

Speaking of the holidays, here are 2 coupon codes for any of your fashionable friends:

• elegantees:  OLDNEW15 gives you 15% off your entire order!
• perfect for the fashionista who cares about the cause
• eShakti:  SOMETHING0811 gives you $20 off your entire order!
• perfect for the fashionista who needs that perfect, custom fit

And the Winner is... & Inspiration: Autumn

And the winner is...Tinfoil Tiaras!!!  You will receive an email shortly with directions as to how to access your $20 off gift-card to elegantees.  Thank you so much to everyone who participated!  This was my very first giveaway, and it's such a great cause, so I'm very excited to have had the opportunity to host it!  Congratulations, Tinfoil Tiaras and to everyone else - you're all winners too because you can use this coupon code for 15% off your entire order from now until December 31, 2011!!!   OLDNEW15


And with Autumn finally settling in, I thought it was time for some Fall-colored inspiration:

all images via pinterest -
my Falling for Fall inspiration board links to original source

If these images don't get you in the mood for hot-cocoa-by-the-fire-side in your mountain log cabin watching the leaves change...then I don't know what does.  I tried to showcase all forms of Fall-colored inspiration, but I just can't help that I'm most attracted to fashion's Fall colors - I guess that's why this is a fashion and style blog, right?

What do you love most about Autumn???