30X30 Day 30 - Strawberry Lemonade and Finally Done

Today, I made an effort to actually finish off my 30X30, if only 18 days late.

Scarf (Old Navy, similar); T-Shirt (GAP, similar here for $2!!); Shorts (J. Crew); Flats (J. Crew Factory); Flower Pin (H&M); Bracelets (Forever21)

I've been feeling a bit melancholy lately, and neon on neon seemed to be just the ticket to bring me out of my lackluster mood.

And just because my outfit wasn't happy or bright enough, I tucked a flower into my scarf.

More importantly, my 30X30 is done!  You can click on "What I Wore" above to see all my 30X30 outfits. Next time I do this, I have to remember to put in a few more neutrals.  I think a lot of the things I picked were very "memorable," making them harder to mix and match and more noticeable when I wore that bright yellow sweater.  I like having brights and statements, but every day of it made me self-conscious.  Even if noone else noticed, I certainly did.

So yay!  I liked the 30X30 and may try it again sometime.  Is anyone out there doing a 30X30?  How's it going??  Are you sick of your clothes yet?!

30X30 Day 29 - Mixing Prints

I have one more day left in my 30X30.  How excited am I?

I am linking up today with Marionberry Style as part of the "Trend of the Month Challenge".  This month's trend....Pattern mixing (my fave).  Here's what I wore yesterday:

Shirt (LOFT); Silk Scarf (Vintage? Stolen from my mom); Jeans (LOFT); Belt (Ann Taylor); Pumps (Ann Taylor Perfect Pumps in Porcini, similar in a slightly more brown. Ignore the bad reviews. These are among the best pair of pumps I own )

I think this is pretty bold. I see a lot of (and do a lot of) mixing dots and stripes. I decided to go out on a limb and mix florals and animal prints. Woah. Way to walk on the wild side.

I think the fairly neutral animal print (taupe and grey) almost gives this a plain background for the print scarf. It helps that the grey in the scarf matches the grey in the animal print.  Sometimes I wear this scarf with a grey and yellow wide stripe top I have from the LOFT. I may wear that next month sometime.

I brightened up the look a bit with some rose gold bracelets/watch:

Thin Bracelet (have no clue); bow bracelet (LOFT breast cancer awareness bracelet); Watch (Kohls)

Annnnd guess what I'm doing today?!  I'm at a NASCAR race (fun fact: I'm a huge NASCAR fan).

Driver Jimmie Johnson after his qualifying lap.  He's so hot

GUESS WHO'S HERE?!

Don't I look stylish?  This is typical NASCAR race wear -- ugly shirt of your favorite driver plus anything else you can find of his.  It's very matchy-matchy

HULK HOGAN!  Just kidding. This is just a guy who looks exactly like him.  His name's Pete.

30X30 Day 28 - Tres Parisian

I rarely wear black and white, but I was running out of options in my 30X30 closet.  I feel very Parisian.

Sweater (Forever 21); Skirt (J. Crew Factory); Belt (Ann Taylor); Pumps (Ann Taylor Perfect Platform Pumps)

Thought I would cap off the Parisian look with a Parisian necklace:

Necklace (American Eagle from ages ago)

I bought this cardigan because I wanted to see if I liked a black polka dot cardigan. Normally I don't really like black on white dots since it makes me feel like a dalmatian.  I think I'm okay with it now (it's growing on me), but this sweater is awful.  I got it at Forever21, so I know not to expect much, but I expected it to last longer than 2 wears.  It's pilled horribly and looks ancient.  I think I may replace it, and I've decided to go big or go home with this aptly named "dalmatian" print cardigan from Old Navy:

Button-Front Cardigan

I sorta like the irregular dots on this. It almost looks leopardy.  I know that Old Navy isn't known for its spectacular quality either, but I've had really good luck lately, and am thinking this may be a good option.  It's $25, so I may wait for a 20% off sale (I'm sure there will be one next week).  I also like the leopard print cardi, not that I really need it.

Get it here

There are also some adorable matching dalmatian flats:

Get them here

What do you think of the cardigan? Yay or nay?  Price?

30X30 Outfits 25 and 26 - Home Stretch!

I know that it's August, and I should be done with my 30 outfits by now, but what can I say? I suck.  There were days I didn't get out of my pajamas at all.  Diving was on, and nothing was going to make me miss Italians in Speedos.

Here's what I wore yesterday and today :)

Every time I wear this sweater from Old Navy, I get tons of compliments.  I don't think I paid more than $15 for it, but it's held up extremely well (no pilling) and the color is amazing. It is BRIGHT, but I love it.  This time, I wore it with my lace eyelet skirt from the LOFT and echoed the dots in the skirt with my Bubble necklace.

And this is what I wore today:

Scarf (Jason Wu for Target, similar here); Bracelets (Thrifted similar and Forever 21, similar or splurge); Bow Belt (um? some random online store)

I was inspired by Banana Republic's recent styling:

If I weren't in 30X30 land, I probably would have worn this outfit with my J. Crew Mona Graphite Pumps:

(on sale here; I got mine via eBay, I think??  Buy a half size up, they run small)

30X30 Outfits 24 and 25 - Weekend Wear

Mr. Matched and I had a date night on Saturday.  It's also MarionBerry's link-up challenge this week, which is pattern mixing.  I thought this would be a good excuse to mix it up!

Shirt (Madewell); Skirt (J. Crew Factory, similar); Shoes (Cole Haan); Necklace (Francesca's Collection, similar); Bracelet (LOFT sent it to me last year for being a top client); Glitter belt (Ann Taylor -- just bought it. It's only $9.99 in stores)

I took these pictures before makeup.  Looking a bit rough.  Mr. Matched was monopolizing the bathroom though, and we were running late, so I had to take these when I could.  The trick with mixing patterns is keeping things in the same color palette and mixing the scale of the prints.  The narrow stripe balances out the much larger polka dots and the navy in both pulls everything together.  These are not hard and fast rules, but it helps to have a general guide when braving the pattern mixing world.

Sunday was another casual day. We had to run a bunch of errands, so I wanted to be comfortable. This is what I pulled together with the dregs of my 30X30 clothes. Not bad.

Chambray Shirt (Ann Taylor -- it's now $29.99 in stores); Shorts (J. Crew); Belt (LOFT); Bracelet (LOFT); Shoes

 No, that isn't a stain on my shirt. I'm not really sure what it is, to be honest.  It wasn't on my shirt later on. Maybe just water that splashed up when I was washing my hands. Unsure.  I love these sunshine shorts, don't you?

And here's what I wore today:

 Dress (Calvin Klein via Ross -- ridiculously cheap); Necklace (Target); Bracelet (LOFT); Shoes (Kate Spade via T.J. Maxx)

I had my performance review today, so I had to be more conservative than normal. That meant my 30X30 clothes were sort of out.  I don't know if you can tell, but this dress has more green in it that I think shows in the picture.  I love the faux wrap to this -- I think it makes me look so slim!  I also like the faux mandarin collar.  Despite my performance review, I still wanted to be stylish, so I added some red red beads and my fabulous Kate Spade pumps (scored for a song at T.J. Maxx):

Animal print = always a neutral.

30X30 Outfits 22 and 23 - YAY OLYMPICS

Every two years,  I watch more Olympics than any person alive. More than even those people on SportsCenter whose job it is to watch sports.  I love everything about it.

I was so caught up yesterday in soccer and tonight watching the Opening Ceremonies, that I totes forgot to post.  I mean, all I was doing was sitting on my couch and working, so I really don't know why I didn't just watch at the same time.  So, here we go:

Yesterday was another polka dot day:

Sweater (Old Navy); Skirt (J. Crew Factory); Pumps (Ann Taylor); Bracelet (Gift from my mom for passing the Bar :) )

Green Necklace (some small shop in TX); white necklace (LOFT)

I got this necklace at a tiny shop in a tiny town outside of Houston last year. I love the color and the style, but I have worn it maybe only one other time before this. I find it really hard to figure out what to wear with!  I decided just to go with it today.  I layered it wish another necklace from LOFT to try to blend it better.  I had on pearls too (which I loved), but decided it was a bit much for work, so I edited it out.

Anthropologie had this exact same necklace in store recently (after I bought mine) for about $38.  I think I paid $12.  Anthro buys some of its clothes and much of its jewelry and knick knacks from independent designers (many of whom they find on etsy), so you can often find the exact same item somewhere else without the Anthro mark-up. If you're crafty, there are also a ton of tutorials out there.  Search for "Akela Necklace."

And this is what I wore today:

Sweater (J. Crew Factory, similar); Tank (LOFT); Jeans (LOFT): Pumps (Ann Taylor); Scarf (LOFT, similar); Necklace (LOFT and one I made myself, similar)

This is actually a cardigan backwards:

Yes,I know, backwards.  I've seen a few bloggers turn their sweaters around so that it's a crew neck in the front with the buttons down the back. You can buy a lot of sweaters these days with the buttons up the back. So, why not?

But then I chickened out.

What can I say?  I'm a wimp.

30X30 Day 20 and 21 - Yellow and more Yellow

When I'm having a bad day (or in my case, really a bad month), I like to wear bright colors.  Colors are transformative, don't you think?  There's just something about neon yellow that just cheers you up.

Sweater (Old Navy; similar for super cheap, or splurge for a cashmere version); Seersucker skirt (Macy's); Pumps (Cole Haan; similar)

Necklace (J. Crew Factory, similar, similar); Braclets from left to right (H&M similar for only $22.99, J. Crew Factory similar, H&M)

Woooo, Nelly. My hair looks rough.  I'll let you in on a little secret if you promise not to tell.  That chambray shirt is my old H&M chambray shirt with the hold in it.  I cut the sleeves right off (yes, I'm wearing a cut-off shirt) so that I could wear it under sweaters and things.  I like wearing sleeveless shirts under sweaters and cardigans because I have massive arms from sports and fried chicken and don't like things bulking up my arms.  Noone's going to see the sleeves,  so it doesn't matter.  What do you think?

Today, I went for yellow again:

 

Shirt (Old Navy, similar); Skirt (Target; this version from LOFT looks even better than mine and it's on sale for $20); Pumps (Cole Haan; similar)

Maybe I should have compared yesterday and today. I'm essentially wearing the same outfit :)  Whoops!

Necklace (Forever21); Belt (LOFT, similar); Bracelets (Forever21 similar; Kohls??)

I just bought this necklace at Forever21 for $6.80.  I thought it would be great for layering!

What do you do when you've been having a bad day?

30X30 Day 19 - PINK

This is my Victoria Beckham pose:

Blouse (Alexa Chung for Madewell, similar); skirt (Limited; similar, similar); Bow Belt (LOFT; similar; super cheap one for $4.80); pumps (Ann Taylor Perfect Platform Pumps, spend, splurge, steal)

See?  Just like her! (Minus the fact that I'm not 5'10," a size 00, don't own a single pair of Louboutins let alone an entire closetful, and I'm not married to David Beckham (damn)).  Note to self: reverse position of hands.

This outfit was inspired by Pink Peonies:

The Pink Peonies

She wore hers with the white version of the ubiquitous J. Crew bubble necklace (not all white, but similar and the bits of pink is cute, bright white).  I really want a white one, but (a) I already have 3 bubble necklaces; and (b) I have this white necklace:

Necklace (Francesca's Collection, similar; this is pretty fierce; this one is my fave and I'm sad I have no excuse to get it)

Don't need it, do I?  I also have a pair of pink shoes that I may wear with this outfit on date night to really match Rachel's outfit:

From Macys awhile ago (similar here; these glitter ones are fabulous; Ivanka Trump is one of my fave brands)

Last night, instead of working, I did my nails. I'm feeling a lot bummed at work, and this is my method of being subversive.

I used a combo of these three colors:

I like it! It sorta feels very Hunger Games, girl on fire :)

30X30 Day 18 - Overcast Saturdays

It's overcast today. Not really raining (spitting every now and again).  It's kinda sucky because you don't get the benefit of a sunny day or a fun rainy day where you can just cuddle up on the couch.  I went to Starbucks today to get some work done. I always forget how slooooow the internet there is. That's probably a good thing, because it really prevents me from surfing.  Starbucks also doesn't have television, so I get some more stuff done.  My Starbucks was packed today. The bar exam is this week, so there were a lot of folks studying. I also think the rain sent a few people inside to wait things out.

Top (LOFT); Shorts (J. Crew); Scarf (LOFT); Belt (Old Navy); Purse (Kate Spade); Shoes (OKA b Priscilla)

Goofy me before I left the house.  I was hoping that if I wore sunglasses, it would get sunny. No such luck.  I was there for about 5 hours, but only had 3.5 hours on my timer. Where did the time go?

30X30 Day 16 and 17 - Whoops

Sorry, folks. Things got busy yesterday and I got tired and didn't feel like jumping on and posting.  Here's what I wore yesterday and today.

Cardigan (J. Crew Factory); Striped Shirt (H&M); Polka Dot Lace Skirt (LOFT); Pumps (Ann Taylor Perfect Platform Pump)

I'm trying some new poses, so work with me here.  I felt very fun in this outfit and liked mixing my striped shirt with these polka dots.  Tip for mixing prints: the prints should be different scales and stick with the same color palette.  Obvi, you can branch out from this, but it makes mixing prints less daunting.

MRS Necklace (Kate Spade); triple charm necklace (American Eagle); Hang in There Glasses Necklace (Kate Spade via T.J. Maxx)

Aren't these glasses cheeky and cute?  Mr. Matched spotted them in T.J. Maxx and pointed them out, knowing I would love them.  I think they're cheeky!  Since they were at T.J. Maxx, I got them for a great price.

Black Square Bracelet (Plato's Closet); Crystal Chain Bracelet (Forever21, recent); Polka Dot Bracelet (J. Crew via eBay)

And for today:

Shirt (LOFT); Scarf (LOFT); Jeans (LOFT): Shoes (Ann Taylor Perfect Platform Pumps)

Earlier today, I had on some bracelets, but I forgot to put them back on for this picture.  Just pretend my wrists were bedazzled.

Hoo Boy.  This was taken at the end of the day so I don't look quite so fresh. I don't think I would ordinarily wear this to work, even on Fridays, but I didn't have many options in my 30X30 closet. Next time I do this, I'm going to need to do a bit more planning.

This is the second time I've layered a scarf over this necklace and the third time I've layered a scarf and a necklace. I really like the look and will probs do it with my other statement necklaces, particularly when the weather gets a bit cooler.

Scarf (LOFT); Smaller necklace (J. Crew via eBay); Bubble Necklace (ILY Couture; I'm tempted to get the white)

I feel a little bit like sunshine on a cloudy day (sorta like the day today, actually. It was overcast alll day, but towards the end, the sun desperately tried to make an appearance).  Yellow and gray is one of my fave color combinations.  I've worn it several times already on this blog.  You can check the post out here.

What's your favorite unexpected fashion statement?