Procrastinating...in sweatpants

I'm really putting off transcribing interviews, "chunking" interview data, and starting the process of my final paper. Can you blame me? This is not a fun process. It's very tough, and has single-handedly made me swear off getting my doctorate. I'm hoping to knock out a good portion of this paper over Thanksgiving though. Wish me luck!

Sooo...to put off the inevitable for a little while longer, I got into my new ATL goodies. But first up, I wanted to try out some looks with my new outlet snowflake tee. I really like it...so much fun. I tried it on with a perfect fit tee in the bright hydrangea color. Btw ladies, this color is straight up GORGEOUS irl. Beautiful. I think it spiffies up the tee a bit, don't you? Btw...in all of these pictures, you will see me wearing my sweatpants. I don't even care.

With the Eden blazer over it:

Buttoned up:

Me likey. I am planning on wearing this combo to a holiday party we have coming up where the attire is somewhat casual. I'll probably pair it with some nice dark wash jeans.

Now onto the ATL stuff...this one you've already seen on me in the dressing room, but I had to try it on again after getting it in the mail today:

Squee-diddly-dee!!! I love this top so much. I got it in my usual size 4, and it is a relaxed fit on me, but I think that's how it's supposed to fit. Beware ladies, this shirt is a tad sheer, as you can see slightly in this pic:

It's not so bad normally, but put a camera flash on it and BAM! Hello undies and belly! I took a pic of the shirt sans blazer, and it was too risque to put on here. I will definitely plan to wear a tank or cami underneath. Doesn't this look perty with the Eden? The shades of purple complement each other so well.

This is a cardi I threw into my cart as a ride-along. I didn't intend to keep it, and I probably won't, even though it is very pretty. It's the Corsage Crewneck Cardigan in the dark blue color, which isn't online anymore. I tried it in an xs, which fit fine. The color is gorgeous, the material amazingly soft (although somewhat thin) and the corsage detailing is nice, but what I didn't like is the blingy buttons. They were too annoying/difficult to button up, almost like they were too big for the holes. Pretty sweater, though.

(sorry you can't really see the corsage detail...)

Oh! I also got a pair of gray leggings and a beautiful teal/purple plaid scarf. I'll be taking back the leggings unfortunately. They run really small and the ankle is so tapered that I had a really hard time getting them off and on. The scarf, however, is gorgeous. Because you don't want to see me wearing it with my oversized sweatshirt (or maybe you do? hehe) I will have to show it to you later, with a proper outfit. 

And because I was bored and needed some entertainment, I decided to play up the fact that I was wearing sweatpants with my outfits. I thought to myself, "you know, Jenna and her crazy stylists would probably put this on some list as being the 'it' trend of the holiday season." You know, wear sweatpants to a party with a structured blazer and a graphic tee, along with crazy layers of jewelry and some heels. Well, I didn't feel like getting in heels and I don't have crazy jewelry, but what I DID have was my cozy slippers and knee-high yellow socks. Jenna, call me if you want styling advice, k? :)

:-)

Gobble, gobble!

Just a quick check-in...because I won't be very active in the blogosphere for the next month or so...Here's what's floating around in my head: 


*23 days left until I am DONE with grad school! I graduate on December 13. I remember when I first started grad school, I made the statement that I wouldn't want to "walk" for graduation; I would just skip the ceremony and receive my degree in the mail. Nuh uh, no ma'am, not anymore. I AM GETTING MY DANG DEGREE and I will walk across that stage and a small part of me has the urge to symbolically "flip off" the powers that be of grad school as I am walking across that stage. Nah, not really. It wasn't that bad; it's just really tough to work full-time, go to grad school in your "free time," and be the only salary earner in a relationship where the other person is a full-time student. I would like to flip off that situation! :) But I digress...my family, including my brother and my grandparents, are coming into town for that weekend. Fun times. 


*AppMan bought me some Christmas presents from J.Crew during the INSIDER 20% off sale. I made up a list of "wishlist" items, and he chose from that. I made the mistake of putting 2 colors of the perfect pencil skirt on that list (plum and gray) + a cord pencil skirt in the graphite color. Well, he ended up getting me TWO gray pencil skirts! AGH! Men and their color choices! Doesn't he know that he was supposed to get me the beautiful plum color in the PP skirt, and then a totally different color in another skirt? Why in the world did I put two colors of that skirt on there when I know I wanted the plum? I feel bad complaining since he never picks out clothes for me, but gah...two grays? really?!?


*Thanksgiving is so close! hooray! To be quite honest, I'm not really looking forward to T-giving this year other than having the break from school. This year, we're at hubby's parents' house. They're nice people and all, but kind of awkward and weird and annoying to be around. His mom is the worst. When we're at their house, hubby and his dad always go off together to do some "project" while I'm stuck at the house. His mom doesn't talk to me and usually just keeps to herself in her bedroom...meaning I'm stuck trying to entertain myself. Also, neither his mom nor dad cooks--like, at all, so for Thanksgiving meal, we always either eat out or get take out food. It's mega-lame, and I miss my family's home cookin'....splitting up holidays is TOUGH!!! It's the only bad thing about being married, imo...


But I AM very thankful for so many things in my life. I did a post on those things last year, and they haven't really changed much since then so I won't re-post it. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday! 


PS...I should be getting my ATL F&F order tomorrow. I'll be sure to post pics of those items soon! 

My picks for ATL's Friends & Family Event

I hope you all are stocking up with Ann Taylor and ATL's Friends and Family promo. I don't think I've been this excited for their F&F event...ever. I'm really impressed with their new stuff and their new "face lift" lately. I'm happy that I was able to visit (albeit briefly) a store before making my purchases. I definitely found some things I would have overlooked online. Here are my choices: 

Sweater dress with Petal trim, $79.50

Chunky Large Plaid Scarf w/Trim, $34.50

Simple Tartan Plaid Shirt, $49.50

Full-length legging in grey, $26.50

You cannot beat this deal: 30% off, free shipping over $100, AND you get a $25 savings card for every $50 you spend. It's a triple threat deal. Enter code FRIENDS online. If you didn't get an email, leave your address in the comments section and I will forward you one to use in-store! Happy shopping, everyone :) 

My hurried trip to the mall :(

After all the build-up for my fun-tastic trip to Southpark mall, the overall experience was a disappointment. Part of it had to do with the fact that I was a tad rushed. I was supposed to meet my parents at IKEA around 12:30, so my plan was to get to the mall beforehand to look around. Well, I got there a little late and then my parents called me early, plus I had to give myself plenty of time to get to IKEA, so my time to meander was limited.


However, I did get to stick my head in most of the stores I was interested in going into. I hit the main 3: Ann Taylor LOFT, J.Crew, and Anthropologie, in that order. At ATL, I returned my beautiful cable knit sweater dress (sob!) and looked around. I held off buying anything since the F&F event starts this week. Their store was very festively decorated and they had some really cute things out, but not as many as I hoped for. I did grab a few things to take back to the dressing room:

Textured Sequins tee, $36.50

I am wearing an xs here, so it looks like this top runs a tad big. I liked this. The neckline had a nice scoop to it, and if you look closely you can see that the material is slightly twisted. The sequined design wasn't heavy at all. I did notice that the washing instructions said to hand wash only. Overall, a very cute tee. I liked it a lot.

Simple Tartan Plaid shirt, $49.50

I am wearing a size 4 here, so this top is pretty tts. As you can tell, this shirt was kind of see-through, which I do not appreciate. Otherwise, this top is freakin' adorable. The ruffle at the neckline is not overdone (unlike many of j.crew's tops) and the color, which is called "twilight" is a beautiful navy/plum plaid. I really like this top other than the sheerness factor. I wonder, however, if this plaid/tartan/gingham trend is going to be gone pretty soon. Perhaps I was a lumberjack in another life, but I really like the trend and would wear it even if it were out of style. What do you all think? Methinks this would look really pretty under the Iris Eden jacket, no? 

Chiffon Rose cardigan, $89.50

I was happy to see this in the store so I could try it on and see it in person. This is a beautiful cardigan...the chiffon roses are so pretty irl and the material is lightweight and very soft to the touch. This cardigan looks like it would weigh you down, but it doesn't at all. I was drawn to the plum color out of all the available options, and it is a gorgeous, rich, saturated color. For comparison purposes, I was wearing a plum raisin tee from JC underneath...this color was slightly darker, as you can see. Here, I am wearing a size xs. I would have liked for this cardi to have long sleeves, especially for the nearly $90 price tag. I left this in the store for that reason...just too expensive for my tastes, but this will be a lovely addition to anyone's wardrobe! See it on Gigi here and Debye here.

Chunky Large Plaid Scarf w/Fringe, $34.50 (the one in the middle)

This scarf was on a lot of the mannequins throughout the store, and the colors are so much more vibrant irl than online. I loved this scarf...and will most likely be getting it during the F&F promo. It has a nice weight to it and is a cashmere/merino blend, making it a fashionable addition to my winter coldness prevention attempts.

Next, I went on to J.Crew where I had to make some returns. I took back my Silk Brulee tank in size small, and to my surprise found one in-store in an xs! The sale price there was $29.99, but the nice SA I was working with honored the $9.99 price online. Hooray!

Otherwise.........well, J.Crew was such a huge disappointment. I don't think they'd gotten their new holiday items yet, or at least hadn't put them out on the floor yet. I wandered around for a while, desperately trying to find something to take back to the dressing room. But I found nothing, and this was probably the first time in the history of my world that I didn't try a thing on at J.Crew. How sad is that?! What they DID have on the floor was a lot of overpicked, drab-colored items.


Next, I went onto Anthro where I got the phone call from my parents that they were almost there, so I had to hurry on through the store. I walked around the entire time with a Snakebite belt in my hands, and almost got it but had some trouble justifying a $32 belt this time of year. It was gorgeous though, and fit like a glove.


I had to leave soon after, so I didn't even get to wander through Nordstrom, Clarks, Aveda, Sephora, or any of my other favorite stores. Thank goodness hubby's parents live in Charlotte, and when we're there for Thanksgiving soon, I will be able to go back :) Hopefully by then, the J.Crew will have shaped up! Shame on them!


Btw...I went to IKEA for the 2nd time in my life (the first time I was 16 and was mad at my parents for taking me to a furniture store on my vacation to LA)--and wow, what a COOL place! I guess I am more "domestic" now, haha. My favorite part was looking at all the model "houses" for the different square footages, and all the fun gadgets. Afterward we went to Trader Joe's where I got a week and a half's worth of groceries for $60...my gosh! I so wish we had one nearby. Healthy food shouldn't cost as much as it does...TJ's is such a breath of fresh air.


Hope you all had a lovely weekend...sorry I couldn't report back with more dressing room pictures!

Buckets and Boyfriends

Yes, I know I have already written about the wool herringbone bucket hat, but I have a confession to make: I sent that one back. Yes, cute as it may have been, I sent it back...and then bought another one when they went on sale for $19.99 (yaaay FB codes!)...theeennn sold that one to another lovely JCA because the color (butterscotch) and size (s/m) just weren't quite right for me....and theennn bought another one in another color and size. The m/l size was a better fit--the s/m size fit fine, but was a smidge tight enough that I knew it would give me headaches. So here, dear readers, is the final decision. I am sticking with this one, yes siree! And I definitely like this color better than the other 2 I've had: 

Yaaay! A perrty black bucket hat! 

This was the outfit I wore to school today, sans hat, of course. Oh how I wish they would let us wear hats to school. It would really save my coworkers and students from having to see my bad hair days, which happen weekly. I don't see what the big deal is. It's just a hat. It's not like I'm going to put gang symbols on it...it's just a life-saving device for a woman's emergency hair needs! 

 

I'm strikin' a pose for you all! Here I'm wearing my new Broken-In Boyfriend chinos that I found at my local Crewlet. I like 'em. Very comfy. Although I wonder what happened in the last few months to all of a sudden make me like them? I tried them on here and hated them! Maybe it was because I rolled them up before? These definitely fit better, although they're the same size I tried on before. I definitely haven't lost weight; in fact, I've probably gained a few pounds since. Oh well. Whatever the case may be, I like them now. 

Check back soon for some store visit recaps! I'm heading to Charlotte tomorrow to have a fun day trip meet-up with my parents, including a trip to IKEA and Trader Joe's. I'll also be heading to the mall, of course. Southpark Mall in Charlotte is one of the most amazing malls ever in the history of the world. Everything I love and could ever dream of is under one roof. J.Crew, ATL, Anthro, Banana, Aveda, Teavana, Nordstroms, WHBM, AE, Sephora, American Apparel, L'Occitane, Madewell, Apple, Clarks, Urban Outfitters, Cheesecake Factory (what what!?) plus so many stores that I can't afford to even look inside their windows (Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Hermes, BCBG)...It should be fun. I'll be reporting back with plenty of pics and reviews as soon as I get a chance! Hope you ladies have a wonderful weekend :) 

My first foray into ruffled tank land

I have been looking for a ruffled tank to go under my Dark Iris Eden blazer:

When the silk brulee tank went on sale for $29.99 (now on sale for $9.99...grr!), I decided to try it in the slate/gray color. Well, the small I ordered was too big (c'mon vanity sizing! I am not extra small!) and besides, it wasn't "ruffly" enough for me. So I turned to the big players in J.Crew's ruffle world. (btw...if you just search for "ruffles" on jcrew.com, you get 90 results alone for women-haha...overkill much? Yet I don't own anything from J.Crew w/ruffles...) My two options right now are the Viscose Tango tank and the new Sequin tiered ruffle tissue tank.

VS.

I haven't tried either of these on, so I have no clue how the ruffles lay or if they would even look good under a blazer. With both of them being $39.50 right now with the knits/tees promo going on, it isn't an issue of price. I think the slate/gray would look best w/Dark Iris, but I'm open to other color choices as well.

I need your fashion advice and help, ladies! Which one of these tanks would you choose to wear under the Eden blazer? OR...would you choose neither of them? Would you choose something like this instead?

What are your thoughts? I am a ruffle "virgin"--help! :)

Crewlet trip!

Today is the first time in my teaching career that I've had Veteran's Day off from school--hooray! Today is also my grandfather's 84th birthday (which I always found cool bc he is a veteran of WWII!) I love days off...doesn't everyone? Gigi had a great post on everyday decadence the other day, and well...my idea of everyday decadence is days like today. I "slept in" (and by that I mean 7:30am...darn body clock!), made breakfast and coffee, then enjoyed it. Slowly. No eating my egg sandwich in the car on the way to school and slurping down my coffee during my planning period whilst running around the building. Oh no siree...I got to park myself down on my couch and enjoy the morning...slowly. 

And because hubby is a full-time grad student and had to haul himself off to class, and because Hurricane Ida rains have been plaguing us for the past few days, and because I'm such a good wife...I decided to drive hubby to class instead of making him ride his bike. I'm nice like that :) I think, when I go to pick him up, I may run by my favorite local bakery and pick up a pumpkin spice latte for me (duh) and a hot chocolate for him. 

Anyway, since I had the day to myself, I decided to make a trip to my local crewlet, which is about 20 minutes away from my house. I brought my camera, but when I whipped it out in the dressing room, found that the battery was completely dead and useless. So sorry I don't have more pics! But here are some of the highlights from my trip: 

*Sparkle tweed! Sparkle tweed! They have a blazer and a pencil skirt in the same print from last fall. It's gorgeous. I didn't look at the blazer price, but the skirt was $89.50. I would have bought it if it were a tad cheaper...

*Red/black checkered "boyfriend" shirt. Soft flannel. Loved. LOVED. I think it was $59.50.

*Black/white tweed skirt. Looks to be inspired by the Oona tweed skirt, but the tweed on this one was much more understated--I liked it a lot better than the Oona. 

*Golden Rose print everything! Victoria camis, cardigans, belts, pencil skirt...it was everywhere. 

*Graphic tees: They had a ton of them in lots of different prints, many that were eerily similar to ones that JUST came out in the latest roll-out. They also had Candy tee lookalikes and fun winter prints like an ice skate, skier, and snowflakes! 

I only got 2 items: a snowflake tee (that was 20% off) and a pair of the broken-in bf chinos that were a retail J.Crew find--NOT outlet (I love it when that happens!) They were $29.99 minus 20% off--woohoo!

Isn't it perty? I desperately wanted the snowflake tee from last year but it kept eluding my grasp. Someone on the JCA blog (can't remember who now) told me there was a look-alike at the crewlet, so THANK YOU to whoever that was! I love this. It's perfect for winter around here (although I do wish they had made it in long sleeves. How rational is a short-sleeved snowflake tee?)

Have you all found anything decent at the crewlet lately?