Can I Rock A Party Frock For Day?

I have a co-worker who can rock a party dress like no other...she doesn't save them for parties, but instead wears them wherever and whenever it pleases her.  I've even seen her take out the trash in a party dress!  This girl is getting her money's worth for sure.
I, on the other hand, have only worn my party dresses for just that- parties.  Usually weddings and I'll wear it more than once, provided that it hasn't already been seen by the crowd that I'll be part of on any particular occasion, but really all they do is hang out in my closet.  So out of curiosity, could I wear a party dress for day?  Well, turns out I can...


 
It took a little more thought to style it down for a day at work.  I've had this Nicole Miller dress for years, and normally I wear it with a red sash belt, my favorite Christian LaCroix evening shoes, and more bold make up but clearly, that would not be a day look.  

 
Flats, instead of heels made a huge difference!  I bought these hand dipped dyed darlings a few weeks ago and love them!  Strangely enough they go with way more than I thought they would.  (But, I do admit that I miss the height.) 


Instead of the sash, and because of the fact that it's strapless, a little shrug/cropped cardi was necessary for work.  But, because it's a party dress, I couldn't resist a little sparkle around my neck.

It was fun to step out of my box for a day, and I got loads of compliments on this look, but it is very different than what I usually wear to work.  But, just thinking about cost per wear changes the way I think about those semi formal barely worn dresses that happen to be taking up valuable space in my wardrobe, because this is not only party dress that I own...so you may be seeing more of them soon.  It is after all holiday party season, and how much easier is it to go from work day to night party when you're already wearing the dress?

J.

I've Only Changed My Clothes-I'm Still Me

It's been a long weekend alone for me...well, me and the cat anyway.  The BF and family members were gone for the holiday which left me with enough free time on my hands to do all the girly things that should be to young for my age/enjoyment bracket, instead of doing the things that I should have been doing but since there was no one here to remind me to do those things, I just enjoyed myself.  You know, trying things like completely different makeup styles, spending hours making different outfits in my closet and braiding my hair...


I purchased this sequined tank at Old Navy about 7 years ago, and this is the first time I've ever worn it.  It really should have left my closet years ago, but sheesh, it was only $10 and full sequins, not just the front but the back as well!  Seriously a steal...and now I finally found a way to wear it without feeling like I'm wearing a dance costume! 

Anyway, playing with how I look started to get me thinking, what if you could change over a long weekend, become a completely different person?  Ok, maybe longer than a 3 day weekend, but I knew someone who did just that over a summer.  She left the 7th grade as Naomi, you know, typical shy but fun girl with a bad sort of pixie cut (NOT cute,)


 (photo via )
and returned to 8th grade as Madonna, I swear to you!  Eye liner, big hair, and slinky dress, (extremely slinky for 8th grade!)  The boys went crazy, and they were right, she was a knock out, with an attitude to match, and most certainly defined herself as an individual in my small town.  Her personality matched her new look.  No longer was she the mousy girl I remembered but much more outspoken and definitely not shy!  This was a whole new person!  Secretly I was part in awe, part jealous...she was brave! 

And while I admired her spirit, I was not that bold...although I did go through a neon puffy paint phase...(I was a crafty kid.)
But what about you?  Are you or have you been brave enough to do a complete body/mind change?  Does what you wear reflect in your personality?

J.

Super Easy Impossible Pumpkin Pie

Super Easy Impossible Pupmkin Pie

So here it is in picture/word form:


Top Row-
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Pumpkin
2 tablespoons Butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 cup Bisquick
3/4 cup Sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Eggs

Enjoy!
J.

Closet Trend-The Peplum

Yes, I too have fallen prey to this trend and must resist the urge to indulge in more.  The peplum is easier to wear than I thought...


I got this one, my first, in July and I think my BF might be tired of seeing it by now.  Normally I pair it with pencil skirts but love how it looks with this 90's cropped cardi, (Yeah, I've had it since the 90's...) with the addition of my Doc's, it sort of takes it back to that grunge place...sort of...

What trends are you falling for?
J.

Out And About In Austin

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES J. A DULL GIRL.

So, even though I had mountains of housework to do I decided to enjoy myself for just a little while before I dug into the cleaning.
And first things first, eating was in order...


The BF and I went Kome' a Japanese restaurant, which was  packed for a Saturday!  I had the Sushi Lunch and it was so good!  The unagi was perfectly crispy around the edges...mmmm....(He doesn't like sushi so I rarely get to eat it...he had Ramen.)

Afterwards I dropped him off at home and I headed out to get some coconut water (I can't get enough of it!) and hit the Goodwill next door to the market.  (Which was also packed!)  I tried on a few things but didn't really find too much except for these clutches...

I love how all the colors look together!
Well I couldn't/didn't buy all three but I sure did think about it. Anyway, I think I had envisioned having Goodwill to myself that day, (this particular location isn't very busy during the week,) and wasn't in the mood to share so I made my purchases and went home...so which did I buy?

 
I love the texture and weave!  I couldn't say no!
Ok, and I bought this one too...


It barely holds anything, so I can't drag too much around with me!

I was very productive after my jaunt around town.  I've always been the kind of person who thinks that if I don't go to or do some work, then I don't get to have fun. Perhaps that means I need to balance my life out a little bit better...Have fun first, then work!
J.

Closet Debate-This Shoe Or That Shoe

I posed this exact question to my boyfriend recently, as I often do, (usually before 7 am, which I know is really not fair.)  But anyway, sometimes it's a hard choice and often I give up on a "look" because I don't have the "right" shoe for it, (Will you ever be found perfect black flat?)  On this day it went something like this:


 After several pairs had already been tried and passed by...
Me:  How about this one?
He:  Yeah, that's probably the best one.


Me:  Wait...what about this one?
He:  Hmmm...it's ok, the other one might be better though
Me (looking in mirror): Nope, I'm going with this one.
He: But the other one is just...there's just a little more something too it...

Though usually I agree with him, I wore the boot.  I wasn't feeling all that well and I knew I had some running around to do that day, and the heel wasn't as high, blah blah blah.  So maybe I'm an emotional shoe wearer...which would you have chosen?
J. 

Closet Accessory Color-Blue

Blue.  It's not a color that I wear very much or even very often, and it's not that I don't like it, but other than denim, it's not a shade that I own very much of.  (I prefer green.)  But lately it seems as though the hue has sneaked its way into my heart by way of accessories...


I love the blue/black color combo of the belt and the shoes (I was reminded that I had them about a week ago thanks to Cafe Fashionista) turned out to be way more functional in my closet than I had originally thought. The navy snakeskin clutch I picked up from the Hunt.Gather.Style. pop up shop back in February.  It's a little delicate but I use it all the time.

The scarf was a DIY using fabric left over from a dress alteration I did a few years ago.  I had been wanting to really make it into a more finished scarf instead of just a hunk of fabric which never did have quite the effect that I wanted. Finally, I decided to do something about it and it turned into a really great piece.  (Upcoming post.)  But then I had the idea (thanks to H&K Style Journey,) to try to make an infinity scarf from fabric that I had in my fabric collection box.  (Much to the dismay of the BF, but hey, I recently got it down to just 1 box...it was 3!)  It turned out really great and then I had the BIG IDEA that I would try to make a DIY video of it.  It took me a long time to figure out the technology (aka my iPad,) so yeah, I'm proud of it.  And I sort of had fun...for a while...So see it below...here it is...
J.

Super Easy DIY Remnant Scarf