A tribute to my bronze flats

If you’re a Facebook follower, then you know that I have some sad news to share. I stubbed my toe (twice) earlier this week and scraped a big gash along my beloved bronze flats. These flats served me well for almost a decade.

My bronze flats were there with at the beginning of this blog, and there with me when we bought our first home:

They were amazingly versatile, quietly supporting all the colors of my closet’s rainbow, including black, brown, navy, green, red, white, orange, purple, olive, and teal.

And they walked with ease between casual and work outfits.

These flats were also world travellers, going with me to the UAE and back:

Here’s to you, bronze flats, here’s to you.

Related articles:

• Just me and my shoes (librarianforlifestyle.wordpress.com)
• For the Love of Shoes: Part One (lapetitemodeblog.wordpress.com)
• let’s talk flats (dieanners.wordpress.com)
• Must love shoes. (inizioedge.wordpress.com)

Easter style, then and now

Today is an extra-special, super-sized, Easter-themed fashion flashback post! I had a lot of fun with this one — hope y’all enjoy it, too!

Below is one of my favorite childhood photos, circa Easter 1983. I love this photo for several reasons:

• My fabulous egg-shaped Easter basket 
• My oh-so-serious, girl-on-a-mission facial expression and purposeful walk (everyone else looks lackadaisical, don’t they? But not me!)
• Stripes! ♥

And I thought it would be fun to recreate the look, for a then-and-now style perspective. I borrowed my husband’s striped polo shirt to echo the striped shirt from my childhood. I kept things very simple, with my new khaki ankle pants, my beloved bronze flats, and of course, my childhood Easter basket! ♥

Details:  New khaki ankle pants:  Macy’s, gift-carded  /  Striped polo shirt:  My husband’s  /  Bronze flats:  Kmart, old  /  Red striped flats:  Target, new

Sam loves catching a shot of my hair in a breeze. I seem unimpressed by this.

I kind of love how awkward my limbs look in the shot above.

Ditto, below:

Also, just for a quick change at the end, I donned my new red-and-white striped flats (loafers?), which are irresistibly adorable. (Target was having a buy 1, get 1 1/2 off sale, which Sam said counted under my shopping limitations. Who am I to argue with such logic?! )

Here’s a close-up:

For the final touch, here’s a close-up of the fun stripe detail on the shirt collar:

And yes, this outfit is what I’m wearing this Easter Sunday afternoon (I slipped on this outfit yesterday for a quick photo shoot in order to save time today). This very simple, casual ensemble feels just right for a Southern-style Easter luncheon with friends.

Happy Easter, y’all! And be sure to tune back in tomorrow, as I have exciting news about my first giveaway + first-year blogiversary countdown!

Link ups:  OTI Easter Linkup  /  Sunday Style   /  Watch What I’m Wearing

Related articles:

• Fashion flashback (feathersfreckles.blogspot.com)
• HAPPY EASTER Mood Board (bluemountain.com)
• Easter Nails: Bunnies, Baby Chicks and More Manicure Ideas (myfashioncents.com)

Polka dots and rainbows

Today’s sartorial challenge is ”winterizing a summer item,” from the Third Thursday Threads series. So I took a summer/spring polka-dotted dress — which I’ve worn a few different ways  here, here and here – and winterized it with a cardigan and tights.

But the dress is so light that I kept looking down to make sure I had something on the bottom! When I shared this with a friend and colleague, she countered with, “Oh, if everyone were similarly concerned with having their bottoms covered.” Ha ha!

Details:  Polka-dotted dress:  H&M, Abu Dhabi, 2011  /  Cardigan:  Gap, old  /  Patent leather skinny belt:  Fall fashion swap  /  Grey tights:  American Apparel, last winter  /  Bronze flats:  Kmart, old

Today — the first day of spring — brought some really strange weather with it up here in Portland, Oregon. This day has included heavy rain, light rain, hail, sunshine, and rainbows.

Behold:

Link ups:  Third Thursday Threads  /  What I Wore to Work

Related articles:

• I’ll polka your dot!! (caitlinameany.wordpress.com)
• Two for one (librarianforlifestyle.wordpress.com)
• Spring Fling (Part Three) (freeurcloset.wordpress.com)

In the shade

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This morning, I decided to pair a couple of different shades of green, mint and a teal green, as well as a dark floral top to pull everything together.

Details:  Cardigan:  August Silk via Macy’s, on sale this winter  /  Floral top:  Fall fashion swap  /  Jeans:  Gap, curvy style, 2011  /  Flats:  K-mart, old  /  Mint skinny belt:  Target, this winter  /  Jade earrings and ring:  My grandmother’s mother’s

My mom reminded me of these jade earrings that she gave to me from my grandmother. So I gladly wore them again today to add to the mint accents.

Update from my mom (via email):

Your grandmother had the earrings and ring made for me when they were still in Okinawa.

Thanks, Mom, for the update! ♥

Link ups:  My Style, Your Style Sunday Link-Up  /  Sunday Style  /  Watch What I’m Wearing  /  Monday Bloom

Related articles:

• Mint Green (stylevocab.wordpress.com)
• St Patrick’s Day Green with Envy (disguisedstyle.wordpress.com)
• Emerald Isle Inspired Photo Shoot from Love by Serena (stylemepretty.com)
• Green colored sweets always a treat, no matter which shade you choose (courierpress.com)
• Makeup O’the Day & Nails O’the Day: Happy St. Patty’s Day! #NOTD #MOTD (yourbestfacefirst.com)

Colorblocked inspiration

For a special “high tea” last Sunday with friends, I culled inspiration from Cori @ La Vie Petite for a casual, colorblocked look – and got to practice my alliteration skills at the same time.  I also plan to recycle this look for work this week, but might switch out the vintage white dress (masquerading once again as a skirt) for my tan pencil skirt (seen here).

And on this sunny day in Portland, I had the idea to stop by this tiny park in our neighborhood. This is a photo-heavy post, because I had lots of fun with the playground equipment!

This vintage dress was my mom’s, and I love the waffle-cone texture of the fabric.

Details:  Vintage dress:  My mom’s from the ’60s  /  Purple long-sleeved t-shirt:  Gap?, old  /  Denim jacket:  Kohl’s, old  /  Tights:  American Apparel, last winter  /  Bronze flats:  K-mart, eons ago  /  Jane Austen pendant:  JASNA event, last spring  /  Pearl cluster earrings:  Old Navy, gift-carded this past winter

And Sam did catch me channeling my childlike joy at being in a park on a gloriously sunny day!

First up, leaning off the monkey bars ladder…

… and jumping off the stairs to the slide…

… and then leaping like a(n awkward) ballerina…

and finally, skipping (to my own tune, naturally).

You’re welcome.

Link ups:  WIWW  /   Wardrobe Wednesday  /  Random Wednesday  /  What We Wore, Read, and Made Wednesdays  /  Whatever Whenever Wednesday  /  Copy Cat Closet  /  Diaries of a Bargainista  /  Hello Spring Link-Up Party  /  Fresh Fashionista Style Linkup  /  Copycat Linkup

Related articles:

• Get The Look: Regina Hall’s Colorblock Mini Dress (styleblazer.com)
• How To Color Block With Whites (madamenoire.com)
• Your Nail Art Project For The Weekend: These Colorblock Nails (shefinds.com)
• A dress for all seasons (librarianforlifestyle.wordpress.com)
• Polka dot mixer (librarianforlifestyle.wordpress.com)