Fashion

We stayed in our pajamas until sometime after the crack of noon here yesterday and I didn’t even feel bad about it. Especially because Caroline was totally content to lie in bed and watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, which could be one of the worst movies ever. And I say that as someone who has sat through multiple viewings of assorted Care Bears movies.

Eventually we made it to the library to return some books and to HEB to buy some food. And then we came home, put our pajamas back on, ate dinner and watched the original Star Wars. Caroline had never seen it and I wasn’t really thrilled, but as it turns out I understood the plot line much better than I did the last time I saw it back in 1978.

I also found that I still wished for Princess Leia’s hair. And maybe even her white dress.

1. to have and to hold jersey dress

A reader named AngAK (I’m guessing that stands for Angie from Alaska, but I could be wrong.) left a comment on yesterday’s post that Tracy Porter is offering 50% off all clothing (even sale items) and free shipping. The bad news is the sale ends this morning at 8:00 a.m. central time. SO HURRY.

I am totally in love with the dress up above, but I also adore this modern english country skirt or the belle de jour dress or this apostle island dress.

Basically I adore it all.

2. traces of love tiered maxi

The maxi dress is big again this year. I love this one and it also comes in a lovely pale pink.

3. cole street flat top

I realize I feature some sort of white blouse every week but that’s because I see a new one that I like every week.

4. michael antonio gaelle

I’m on the search for the right pair of nude wedge heels for summer. These could be like Marlon Brando. That is to say, they could be a contender.

5. flutter sleeve crewneck tee

I haven’t seen this in person so I have a few questions about the volume of those sleeves and the actual fit of the shirt. However, it appears to have promise.

6. wash board trousers

I’m always looking for an alternative to a pair of shorts.

7. gathered posies sandals

Love these.

8. magic carpet stride sandals

And these come in an array of colors.

9. tropical tribe earrings

These are so bright and fun. Would add a good pop to any outfit.

10. striped drop-waist dress

Haven’t seen this in person because I’ve been busy traversing the state of Texas or at least the roads between San Antonio, College Station and Houston, but it appears to be cute.

That’s it for today.

Y’all have a good Friday.

I slept so good on Tuesday night. In fact, I slept so good that I spent most of the day on Wednesday feeling excited about going to sleep that night just so I could sleep as good as I slept the night before.

Yes. This is what my life has become.

But you know what happened instead? I hardly slept at all. I tossed and turned and when I did manage to fall asleep I just had a series of work dreams. You know what I’m talking about? Those weird dreams where you’re working so hard at something that you can’t relax. And I don’t even remember what I was trying to accomplish.

So I’m a little sleep-deprived. My eyes are burning and I have a general grumpy cat feeling.

And you may be wondering, WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH FASHION AND SPRING TRENDS?

Absolutely nothing. I just wanted to share my misery. And my insomnia.

Also, it means that I’m waiting until next week to talk about the final five trends for Spring. But, don’t fret, there are still good fashion times to be had today.

1. ivory tower tank

Well. This is just gorgeous.

All I need is a tan, a cami to wear under it, and toned arms. Which reminds me that I haven’t seen my 30 Day Shred DVD since sometime last fall.

2. patagonia kamala convertible skirt

I saw this last week and thought it would make the cutest coverup over a swimsuit. Or just a cute skirt with a tank or a tee. Or, according to them, even a dress.

I appreciate a garment that doesn’t get caught up in the legalism of just being skirt.

3. elements of elegance bracelet

I love these colors together. Now I just need an orange shirt to go with the bracelet that swallowed the fly and wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.

4. the gathering tank

Love the color. Would probably order a size up. See above reference to missing 30 Day Shred DVD.

5. vertical stripe skirt

I can’t take credit for this find. Kendi featured it on her blog the other day and I fell in love with the entire outfit. I think this is partly because she was also wearing a denim shirt tied at the waist which is look I’ve been longing to resurrect since the day I finally bid it adieu, after many internal struggles, back in 1994.

6. big buddha mission bag

I have long been a fan of the Big Buddha bag because they are cute and reasonably priced. This one is perfect for spring and summer and comes in an array of colors. AN ARRAY.

7. turquoise set stone ring

I’m a sucker for turquoise.

8. how I caught you top

I thought this had possibilities. And I hope it’s self-evident that it’s not meant to be worn alone.

9. femme trench jacket

I have nowhere to wear this. It doesn’t go with my life at all. But that doesn’t mean I can’t think it’s awfully pretty and smart.

There is no ten. That’s how much I realized I needed to shut ‘er down and go to bed. I’m sure I’ll wake up in the morning, see that there is no ten, feel that my world is out of order and start to itch.

But that’s a risk I’m willing to take right now.

Y’all have a good Friday.

I’m still not entirely sure where the time has gone since January. Honestly, how is it March? How are we just one week away from Spring Break? More importantly, what did I do during January and February?

But since my desk calendar and my iPhone have provided indisputable evidence that it’s March, I realized it was probably time to talk about trends for spring and summer. Even though I know it’s still -3 degrees where some of you live. This will just give you something to look forward to. I promise the sun will shine again one day.

So, I’ll highlight five trends this week and five next week. Or maybe a few less next week depending on how many trends I dig up.

1. bright colors

What says spring like bright colors? I mean besides the pollen, the allergies, the constant sneezing and the soccer games at the crack of dawn on Saturday mornings?

This is the number one item I’d like to add to my selection of bright colors. And trust me when I tell you that I could use a few bright colors to lighten up all the gray and dark gray and black that currently reside in my closet.

That yellow-so-cute coat is on sale for only $23.99 right now. TWENTY-THREE DOLLARS. That’s insane.

But maybe that coat isn’t for you. Maybe you have a heart of stone that can resist an adorable yellow coat for only $23.99. If so, I’ll suggest something like this central park west sleeveless dress or this bobbie tunic in magenta.

Or maybe you might like this glanz dress from Anthropologie which is the clothing equivalent of floating in a beautiful pool.

I also love this drawing parallels skirt in green.

Oh, and I DIE for this ruffle knit maxi in coral.

And Old Navy has these great gauze flutter-sleeve tops in lemon or fuschia that would be the perfect thing to throw on all summer long.

2. stripes

Stripes are everywhere. And they come in every size, shape and color.

Personally, I have fallen in love with the kingston road dress from Anthropologie.

Stop. It’s too much.

But there are so many other versions of the stripes to be had. Like maybe this mixed rugby stripe tunic or this rosette striped slub top.

Or maybe you only weigh 98 pounds and could get away with this striped cassidy maxi dress.

I love this striped boyfriend tee. It would be the perfect thing to throw on all summer long.

And this gondola romance ruffle top is perfection. I saw a similar top at Charming Charlies last week but I can’t link to it because Charming Charlies doesn’t put the majority of their stuff online which is a crying shame.

I also really like this striped dolman top.

3. 70’s chic (Please read this as “chick” because it will make me happy.)

This is my love language. Maybe it’s because I was born in 1971 and spent many years of my childhood wearing bell bottom jeans and patchwork tops and clogs that had to be resoled from all the wear, but this is my favorite genre of clothing. And I don’t even know if clothing has a genre.

All I know is this makes me want to put on my bell bottoms, flat iron my hair with a part straight down the middle and pull up to the television to watch an hour of Sonny and Cher. Or maybe to ride in my Nanny’s Cadillac while talking on her CB radio and pretending to be in Smokey and The Bandit. Those were good times.

Naturally, you can’t do 70’s chic without platform sandals like these Sadie by Rocket Dog or Taylor by Kensie Girl platforms. Love them both.

And the wide leg is back baby. It’s back. And it’s more groovy than ever. I adore these 7 for all Mankind bell bottoms.

But you can find great jeans anywhere. Check out your local TJ Maxx or Sam’s Club or JC Penneys or even Costco. Did you know Costco sells wedding dresses now? They do. They totally do. Which I think is brilliant except for the fact you might experience your wedding dress moment in between a stack of Hanes sweatshirts and an economy pack of animal crackers.

And then there are the tops.

I love this jalisco embroidered knit top.

And this pintucked gauze top or paloma embroidered smock top.

This swiss dots and lace blouse holds a special place in my heart.

And all of them have the added bonus of being flowy and loose shirts that don’t have to be tucked in. Hallelujah.

I think I actually had a shirt in 1978 that looked like this floral print peasant top. I would probably refrain from wearing it with green denim bell bottoms this time around.

The other big key to 70’s chic is a maxi skirt like this blu moon almost famous skirt. I can almost hear Kate Hudson singing in the background.

4. whites

How much do I love that ya-da white lace top?

SO. MUCH.

I would like to take it home and take care of it and never eat spaghetti sauce while wearing it.

I’d also love to own this joie suri blouse which is eight layers of gorgeous.

Oh, and this daniel rainn tie-waist blouse is everything I could ever want in a top.

But then there’s the maddox tunic top and the free people lace tunic. It’s just too much.

TOO MUCH.

And if you don’t like any of those white tops, then I have to question your sanity. I’ll also point you in the direction of this eyelet skirt from Old Navy. It is the perfect thing to wear all summer long.

5. neutral shoes

I love the neutral shoes because, well, they’re neutral. There is something so comforting about a pair of shoes that can be equal opportunity shoes for everything that’s in your closet.

I adore these blossoming in style wedges.

And these pierre dumas sandals are a great flat sandal.

And if you’re a ballet flat kind of girl, check out these cutout platforms in taupe or these tan ballet flats from Target.

Honestly, there are a ton of neutral shoes to be found. It’s just all a matter of your taste and your high arches and your ability to walk on a wooden platform for extended periods of time.

So that’s it for today. Next week I’ll wrap it up with the remaining unspecified number of trends.

Y’all have a great Friday.

You know what’s so weird? Jennifer Aniston and I both got our hair cut this week. However, she made the national news for getting a blonde bob while no one in my life even noticed I had my bangs trimmed. It’s like no one even cares that my hair is two inches shorter than it was two days ago. This is probably because no one even cares that my hair is two inches shorter than it was two days ago.

Anyway, guess what? The folks at Big Mama, Inc. have gotten together with the nice folks at Ruche again. And I’m so excited because the item potentially up for grabs is the adorable winter cabin sweater leggings I have coveted ever since I first saw them.

Aren’t they darling? The only thing I’d like to make clear is that I do not EVER advocate wearing leggings without a top that covers the entirety of your booty region. In fact, I think you need something that hits at a minimum of mid-thigh.

If you want a chance to win a pair of these leggings, click on over to my giveaway page for my information.

In the meantime, here are a few cute things I’ve seen this week. Or at least found while I furiously scoured the internet over the last ten minutes.

1. pintucked blouson tunics

While I do think this floral pattern is adorable and would look great paired with white jeans this spring, the Old Navy store also had these in solid colors. I don’t know why they aren’t online. But they’re not. I know this because I spent three seconds looking for them.

2. denim blazer

You may be thinking to yourself WHAT? A DENIM BLAZER? That’s madness. Pure madness.

And, honestly, the picture of this one (yes, the picture that I didn’t post because I forgot to upload it and was entirely to lazy to rectify my mistake once I noticed it) does not do it justice. I saw this denim blazer in my local Gap store and fell in love with it.

But everyone else must have loved it too because they only had one left in an XL.

3. big beach bag

If I had this beach bag I would go to the beach every day. Or maybe I would just carry a beach bag every day. Because that would be easier. And cheaper.

4. shirred ruffle henley

I love cute cotton shirts that you can just throw on in the spring and summer. This one fits the bill.

5. beyond vintage embroidered blouse

Okay, so the lace top that I told y’all about earlier in the week is now completely sold out. And I can’t really find another one exactly like it. But I do really like this top from Beyond Vintage. It’s a similar look and, best of all, it’s on sale.

6. smocked surplice dress

I saw this in Old Navy this week and thought it might make a cute swimsuit coverup. Or maybe just the perfect summer dress to throw on and head to the HEB.

7. camo surplus jacket

I realize a camo jacket might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But there was a day last fall when I looked out in our backyard and saw Shorty, who worked for P’s landscape business at the time, wearing a camo jacket and I thought to myself MAN, I WISH I HAD SHORTY’S JACKET.

I then said it out loud to P and after he quit laughing at me he told me I could probably find one just like it in any Army Surplus store in town. Which is true. But I bet none of those have “SHORTY” written in calligraphy across the back.

Neither does this one, but I like it anyway. I tried it on in the store last week and it even fits cute. Now I just need to work on my calligraphy.

8. paraiso dress

What’s not to like about this?

9. rainyday duffle

I’m always a sucker for a raincoat from Boden.

10. turquoise and pearl ring

Several of you mentioned your love of turquoise this week and how you’d like to add more of it to your wardrobe. I think this ring would be a good place to start.

That’s it for today.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for the winter cabin sweater leggings.

And don’t forget to have a lovely Friday.

I know y’all probably think you have problems, but you have no idea what I’ve been through this week. The temperatures have been in the high 70’s every single afternoon. To make matters worse, the mornings start off in the high 50’s with precipitation that won’t commit to being full on rain, but is instead somewhere between a drizzle and a mist.

I think it was Tuesday morning when I had the best of intentions to resume my Couch to 5K regimen (which has become the longest journey to a 5K of all time) when I looked out the window and remarked, “Oh, that is actually drizzle I can see. I can’t run in that.”

Clearly I am very committed to my fitness goals.

Anyway, the problem with the warm weather is it’s February. Which is technically still winter. And it’s hard to know how to dress in a seasonally appropriate fashion without wanting to die by noon when the sun comes out. Such is my plight as a Texan. I should be used to it by now considering I’ve lived here my entire life.

I’ve been meaning to share the links to a few of my favorite fashion bloggers and today seems like a good day to do it.

First up, is Kendi at Kendi Everyday. My friend, Amy, told me about Kendi a few months ago and I’ve been reading her blog ever since. She is a fellow Texan and posts daily photos of herself in various outfits. While I cannot totally replicate her cute, funky twenty-something style (mainly because I am not a cute, funky twenty-something but rather a late thirty-something) I love seeing the outfits she puts together and how she uses colors in ways I wouldn’t normally think about. She inspires me to think outside the box.

Secondly, is Lindsey’s style column, She’s Still Got It. I’ve followed Lindsey from the beginning and she always finds great deals on things and helps me keep up with the latest trends.

And, lastly, it was through She’s Still Got It that I discovered Rebel Attitude. I adore Edurne’s sense of style and her use of scarves and the way she layers things and puts the whole look together. She lives in Spain and is impossibly glamorous, but she puts clothes together in ways that I could totally imitate if I’ll take a shower and get out of my workout attire.

In other news, here are a few things I like right now.

1. Merona Striped Tote

I walked in Target earlier this week and this tote stopped me in my tracks. It comes in a pink or black stripe and both are equally adorable. There’s no way to choose.

It took everything in me not to buy one right then because it would make the best pool bag. I reminded myself it’s absurd to buy a pool bag in February. But now I’m worried they might sell like hotcakes and I probably need to make the long journey, with six extra stoplights, back to Target to get one.

2. tall full needle cardigan

There’s a girl in my Bible study who has a great sense of style and she had on an orange cardigan the other day. I don’t even remember what else she had on with it, but I saw that orange cardigan and felt like my life may not be complete if I don’t get one.

Banana is calling this one autumn sunset. Whatever. It looks orange to me.

3. linen-blend tunic

Oh, now this, this is my springtime love language. I can just envision this tunic with a pair of cuffed jeans and my silver flip-flops.

4. drifting sprigs tee

Floral prints are big right now. HUGE. Floral, floral, floral.

And I’ll be honest, I don’t know how I feel about floral. It can take a quick leap to Mamaw’s bedspread for me. But I love this shirt because it’s floral-y without being too precious.

5. sunny safari blouse

See how the springtime has just sucked me in? And I guarantee we still have at least one more freeze in front of us.

I think this top would be darling with white jeans. Or blue jeans. Or a skirt. I don’t know how I feel about that elastic at the waist, but it could be covered with a cute skinny belt.

6. teelicious roll sleeve hoodie

I’m all about orange right now. This looks deliciously soft and comfortable. Or teeliciously soft and comfortable.

7. working daze seersucker tunic

This would be so great with leggings. I love the collar and the sleeves.

8. milly antonia coat

Umm, so this coat is WAY out of my budget. WAY.

But if someone could find me the $50 version of it, I would be much obliged. Check out the buttons. ADORE.

9. kissing birds ring

So this is kind of funky and different, but it appeals to me.

10. navy striped polo

The other big trend for spring? Navy and white stripes. You know why I just wrote it that way with the question mark? Because I couldn’t decide if it should be “are navy and white stripes” or “is navy and white stripes”.

This polo shirt is a perfect way to incorporate the trend into your closet and, best of all, it’s on sale for $11.99.

That’s it for today.

Y’all have a great Friday.

I’ve recently designated Thursday as my day to stay at home all day long while Caroline is at school. I’ve discovered it’s a great way to make sure I get things done around the house, like cleaning or checking Twitter or sitting on the couch and catching up on my DVRed programs. It’s good to have goals.

The only problem is I pick up Gulley’s boys from school every Thursday. And every Thursday I show up in some version of sweatpants and a “vintage” sweatshirt because I’ve just been at home all day. I told Gulley yesterday that I’m afraid there are going to be some ugly rumors about why she allows a woman with limited hygiene goals to pick up her children once a week.

Then, last night, Caroline and I were waiting in the drive-thru line at Chick-Fil-A and we could see through the windows into the actual restaurant. Caroline said, “Mama, I can’t help but notice that one of the girls that works in there is having a bad hair day”.

I looked up and immediately knew who she talking about.

And then I caught my reflection in the rear view mirror and decided that those of us who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones through the windows at Chick-Fil-A. Or something like that.

I do make the effort to put on makeup and look presentable on the majority of the other days, but I need my Thursdays. So, if you ever see me on Thursday, please be kind.

1. avery washed leather moto jacket

This is a great time of year to find a really cute jacket on sale. Thus, I present a really cute jacket on sale.

2. big buddha empire bag

I seriously debated buying this bag in black back in the fall. It is so much better in person than in the picture. And I adore the mustard color. It’s the perfect accent for almost any outfit.

3. chenin grape scarf

Love, love, love this scarf. And it’s a great price.

4. calvin klein skirted wool blend coat

See? Another cute coat on sale.

I really need to buy myself a new coat.

5. silk taffeta blakely dress

I really like this dress and it comes in a variety of colors. In fact, it comes in so many colors that I would have a hard time making a choice.

6. jingo wrap

I love these Jingo wraps by Lucky. They’re made out of really soft cotton and are the perfect layer to throw on over jeans and a t-shirt.

7. kut from the kloth knit jacket

Another cute jacket on sale. Am I being repetitive?

8. wavy colorblock sweater top

I can just see this top with a great pair of wide-legged jeans and some wedge sandals.

9. sailor denim skirt

I’m always on the lookout for a denim skirt. And I have yet to find one I really like. However, the buttons on this one may be calling to me.

10. elevenses karelia coat

Okay, I’m going to let y’all on in a little secret. Ebay can be a great place to find jackets and coats from Anthropologie for less than you would pay in the store.

Unfortunately, Ebay lacks the ambience of the actual Anthropologie, but you can’t have everything.

And this coat is still expensive, but I love it so much that I wanted to share it with y’all. Maybe someone might buy it and I can live vicariously through them.

11. angel face top

Adore.

12. yantra tee

I am always on the search for a great t-shirt. But I think great t-shirts can be hard to find. They’re as elusive as a television show that P and I both enjoy.

(As he sits next to me watching The A-Team for the third time in four days. I pity the fool. And myself.)

This one is really cute and I’d love to wear it with jeans and a bright scarf.

That’s it for today.

Y’all have a great Friday.