Fashion

Well.

Here’s the deal. I wasn’t even sure that Fashion Friday was going to happen because I was very busy yesterday attending Christmas programs and running from heck to breakfast trying to get 13,532 things done before it was time to pick up Caroline from school.

And then I went to dinner with Gulley and AJ and ate some macaroni and cheese that has changed all my expectations of food and what it should do to a person’s soul. Plus, AJ was wearing a scarf that was so adorable I feel it should be the sole focus of Fashion Friday. However, after repeatedly grilling her about where it came from, it appears that it hails from a “boutique in Dallas”. Thanks for being specific.

Just know that it was red and kind of ruffled. ADORABLE.

On another beauty related note, I asked Caroline earlier this week what she thought we should get her teacher for Christmas and threw out a “maybe a gift card?”. She said, “OH MAMA! WE SHOULD GET HER A PEDICURE! SHE LOVES PEDICURES!”

“Really? Did she say that?”

“No, she didn’t say that. But who doesn’t love a pedicure?”

For the record, I didn’t even know what a pedicure was until I was twenty-five years old. Caroline is clearly an overachiever.

So here are some things I’ve found this week. Please note there are no pictures because it was enough of a struggle to come up with links because the mac and cheese has made me very sleepy and ready for bed. Also, this may or may not be the last Fashion Friday of the year. In fact, I think it’s safe to say YES. Last one of the year.

1. Horizontal Cable Turtleneck

It is a testament to how cute this sweater is that it’s almost sold out online. Get in the store and buy one. And make it pink because it is just dreamy in pink.

2. Cable Open Cardigan

I know. Another open cardigan.

But this one is cable knit which makes it totally different.

3. Ruched Collar Bell Sleeve Coat

Love this. But I don’t need another coat unless it decides to be lower than seventy degrees here for two consecutive days.

4. Always Skinny Black Jeans

I bought these earlier in the fall. And maybe I’ve already mentioned them here. I can’t remember.

Then I made Gulley buy a pair. And we are both in love with our skinny black jeans. They have magical qualities that make you feel instantly thinner. Even when you’ve eaten mac and cheese with a side of fried chicken and a fried egg sandwich for dinner.

Hypothetically speaking.

5. Craftsmanship Capelet

I really just want to be able to walk around in something called a capelet.

“Please make sure you don’t get cranberry sauce on my capelet.”

6. Ruffle Front Cardigan

Well, this is just adorable. And I need another open front cardigan.

7. Tinley Road Blanket Scarf

It’s not as cute as AJ’s scarf, but it also doesn’t come from “a boutique in Dallas”. Which means I can actually link to it.

8. Roll-up Flannel Pants

Because I am cold right now.

9. Iconic Lace Dress

So impractical, yet so beautiful. If I were a carefree hippie type, I’d totally buy this.

10. So Fine in the Alpines Scarf

Oh look! A red scarf! It’s cute. But not as cute as the one AJ had on last night.

That’s all for today.

Y’all have a great Friday.

Last night we went to eat dinner with some friends. Caroline wanted to change clothes because she believes strongly in the importance of dressing for each individual occasion. Probably because she doesn’t bear any responsibility for the laundry.

She came out in an array of clothing layers and said, “The only problem is I’m not sure how to wear my sequined beanie.”

Well. Isn’t that something we all struggle with?

I’m just glad that my little Rachel Zoe didn’t feel like a sequined beanie might be a little excessive for a night of eating chalupas with friends. In the words of Clairee Belcher, “the only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize”.

Which would be a great lead in if I were talking about accessories today. But I’m really not. Today’s focus seems to inadvertently be on sweaters and tunics.

1. The Hostess Tunic

Now I would not advocate wearing this as a dress. Unless you look like the model. And, even then, it’s questionable.

However, with some leggings or skinny jeans? Perfect.

2. Annie Grace linen tunic

I love this for several reasons, but the most important is that it is not bound by any season. Pair it with a long sleeve black shirt, leggings and boots and you have a winter outfit.

Lose the long sleeve tee and wear it with leggings and flats and you have a spring outfit.

No matter what, it’s very cute.

3. She’s A Classic sweater jacket

I’m a big fan of things you can just throw on with jeans and this falls squarely in that category. Plus it’s on sale.

4. Knitting Needle cardigan

Rinse and repeat everything I said in #3.

5. Free People Canopy cardigan

Oh, I do love this. Love, love, love. I’m adding this to my Christmas list. Or my list of things I’ll spend my Christmas money on if I don’t find it under the tree.

6. Fair Isle Cowl Tunic sweater

This is so versatile. It can be dressed up, dressed down, worn as a sweater dress with leggings, or worn as a tunic.

7. Sequined jersey scarf

Boden has so many cute things on sale for 50% off right now. I love this scarf because it’s functional and comfortable with a little bit of bling to keep it interesting.

I may have just described myself.

8. Jersey surplus tee

This falls under the category of something I need in every color because I’d wear one every single day. It’s a foundational piece that could be the workhorse of any closet.

I don’t even know what I’m saying.

9. Drape-front cardigan

Again with the cardigan. I sense a trend.

Or an obsession.

10. Rhinestone hinge cuff

And now we’re to #10. What happened to the pictures? Wow. I am the worst Fashion Friday poster ever.

Anyway, Forever 21 has a lot of bracelets and I love a good bracelet in theory. Although in reality they usually start to get on my nerves after about 10 minutes. But, still, they look good while they last.

Don’t forget to check out the gift guide I posted yesterday in case you missed it. It’s very comprehensive and thoroughly exhausting.

Now I’m off to spend my weekend Christmas shopping. And with the way my toe is feeling, I’ll be the one riding one of those scooters through the mall.

Y’all have a good Friday.

So I’m sitting in the San Antonio airport right now and decided I should probably get started on Fashion Friday because once I land in Birmingham I’m going to be very busy trying to act like I’m very busy. Plus I’m hoping that Sophie and I will get to go out and eat some Mexican food. Do y’all know that Birmingham has a Chuy’s now? It makes me so happy that the Tex-Mex love has spread to the Deep South.

I feel like before I begin that I need to confess that I walked Caroline into school this morning wearing a black fleece pullover backwards. Sure, it could happen to anyone. Except for the fact that the tag was visibly sticking up right under my chin.

This is why no one should expect anything of me before 8:00 a.m. It’s a wonder she doesn’t want me to just drop her off at the curb.

But all that being said, I did spend some time at the mall this week. I even wore my shirt the right way. I think. And here are a few cute things I found. Feel free to add them to your Christmas wish list.

1. Houndstooth belted coat

Listen. Do not judge me for my occasional love of A’gaci. It is a great place to find super cheap leggings and long sleeve t-shirts that have just enough spandex to keep them from getting all baggy around your elbows. Which is a major pet peeve of mine.

I walked in there the other day and saw this darling houndstooth coat. This is in no way an endorsement of the University of Alabama, although it would be a great addition to anyone who is a fan of the Crimson Tide. I just happen to adore this jacket and its kicky oversized buttons.

2. Animal print faux fur jacket

I have long believed that there is nothing like a little fur leopard coat to add some pizzazz to your wardrobe. I used to have this fab leopard fur coat. And then some social reprobates broke my car window in a parking garage in Austin, Texas and stole it. Along with my leather jacket from Harold’s. And all my makeup. And I had to drive all the way back to San Antonio with a piece of cardboard and duck tape on my window even though it was freezing cold and I had no leopard fur coat to keep me warm.

That happened about ten years ago. Really, I’m over it.

3. Sparta hoplite cocktail ring

I love a good statement ring.

4. Amanda sweater

This is really similar to a sweater I bought at Steinmart a while back. And I love it. It’s the perfect thing to throw on and immediately look pulled together. Especially if you don’t put it on backwards.

5. Tinley Road pleated top

This top is so versatile and I love the gray.

6. Skinny cord

If you would have told me last year that I would even be considering a pair of skinny cords right now, I would have called you flat crazy. But here I am. Considering a pair of skinny cords.

I think they’d look cute tucked into some boots with a cozy sweater. And they’re on sale.

7. Big City Blues coat

I feel like I need to order this to celebrate Christmas. And then Valentine’s Day. It is so dang cute.

8. Fuzzy cowlneck pullover

Put this together with some flannel pajama pants and I believe we have found my happy place.

9. Empire car coat

I saw this earlier in the week and just thought it was darling.

10. Hunter wellingtons with striped cuff welly sock

These would make me so happy. Never mind that it hasn’t rained here in over two months and that it’s rarely cold, I’d still wear these every day just because FAB.

That’s it for today. Y’all have a great Friday.

As most of you probably know, yesterday was Veterans Day. But what you may not know, unless you have ESP or live in my neighborhood, is that Caroline’s school had a little patriotic program in honor of the occasion and we received a note home asking that our children wear red, white and blue to school.

I wasn’t really sure what she had in her closet that would be appropriate, mainly because I don’t tend to purchase a lot of red clothing for anyone in the family. I like the red clothing in theory. I like it on other people. But when it comes right down to it, I sometimes go to try on a red sweater or what have you and it just makes me feel like RED! HERE I AM IN MY RED CLOTHING! And then I project my red issues onto my family.

I’m sure P is just sick that he doesn’t have more red in his closet.

(I’m willing to bet a box of Hot Tamales that P couldn’t even tell you what color the shirts are that currently hang in his closet. However, he cleaned out the guest room closet that holds all his hunting clothes on Wednesday and I promise you he waxed eloquently over what he described as a “vintage pair of tiger-striped camo pants”.)

Anyway, I found the red shirt I bought for Caroline to wear last year on Veterans Day and laid it on her bed with a pair of jeans and a pair of jeggings. Then I looked through her closet again and found a red, white and blue patchwork outfit consisting of a tiered ruffled skirt and a halter top that Mimi and Bops brought her back from Italy this summer. I pulled out a long-sleeve white t-shirt and laid it out next to the ruffled skirt and then called her into her room to make a decision.

(This was all the night before, by the way. I knew the patriotic clothing choice would be fraught with way too much drama to save for the a.m.)

She walked in her room, perused the items on her bed and said, “Oh, I see what you’ve done here.”

“Yes, those are your choices for tomorrow.”

“Okay. I’ll wear the jeggings under this skirt with the white shirt under the halter-top and red bows in my hair.”

“That’s a lot to have going on. What about just the white shirt with the skirt?”

“No way. That would be so lame.”

Yes, lame.

And speaking of lame, the holiday season is upon us. Not that the holiday season is lame. Unless you’re me and have little to no social life to speak of and most of your holiday festivities will consist of a red plastic cup filled with eggnog that you drink while you sit on the couch in your fleece jammies and watch reality show marathons on Bravo.

Until you realize you don’t really even like eggnog.

My point is that you don’t want to wear a lame outfit to all of your holiday parties. Or maybe just your one holiday party. So today is all about things you can wear to add a little sparkle to your holiday season.

1. The little black dress

I think I’ve actually featured this dress before.  The difference is that it is now on sale.  And it remains extremely adorable.  I wish someone with a life that goes with this dress would purchase it and tell me if it’s as cute in person as it is in this picture.

You really can’t go wrong with a black dress and, while I don’t agree with some of the items the fashion gurus believe should be in every women’s closet, the black dress is a staple.  It can take you from a day at the office to a night on the town by just swapping out a few accessories.  It’s true.  I have a black dress I bought years ago from Banana Republic and I’ve worn it for just about any occasion you can imagine.  Funeral? Check.  Wedding?  Check.  Bar Mitzvah?  No.  But only because I haven’t been invited to a Bar Mitzvah in the last ten years.

If you need a dressy black dress, you may want to look for something like this strapless tulle/velvet dress or this French Connection dress with sequins.

I also adore this one-shoulder side tie dress and this matte jersey dress with a ruffle could be very versatile.

For something a little more low-key, I love the idea of a cowl-neck sweater dress or this A-line knit shift dress because they can be dressed up or down depending on how you accessorize them.

Or for some drama, there is always the  long black dress.  Charming Charlie’s actually has a version of this in their store right now and I think it would look so great with some gold bangles and big gold earrings.

Lastly, for a lot of flash for a little bit of cash, this Tinley Road sequin party dress is to die for.  It makes me want to go to Las Vegas even though the only time I’ve ever been to Las Vegas was for a Beth Moore conference and this dress would probably be a little over the top for that sort of thing.

2. The sequined tank

The sequin tank is everywhere in every price range right now.  There is this sequin splendor tank or a cashmere jersey sequin tank or this one from Express or this tank from Forever 21 is a total bargain.

You can also search the racks at places like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Kohls for one.  They have taken over the world and are so versatile and perfect for holiday parties.  You can wear it with skinny jeans and boots with a pretty, drapey cardigan thrown over it.  Or with black pants paired with a cropped military-style jacket or a denim jacket or a leather jacket.   Or with a pretty shrunken cardigan.

It would also look great with a velvet blazer worn over it or even by itself if you feel daring.  Or if you live in Australia or South Texas where it might be 85 degrees on Christmas day.

3. The dressy top or jacket

I’m sorry but I will dream about this gold top.  It is beyond beautiful and I feel like it’s disappointed in me because I only require velour sweatpants on the weekends.  This would be so perfect with jeans or some black pants or  basically anything because it stands alone.  Like the walrus.

***Edited to add that apparently the gold top is now sold out.  The brand is Aryn K.  You might want to try this top instead.

I also like  this beaded sweater tunic or this embellished chiffon tunic.

Or something along the lines of this bohemian lace top or great ruffled top.

And how cute would the crushed velvet tunic be with a pair of leggings and a long-sleeve shirt layered under it?  Think of all the party food you could inhale wearing something this loose and flowy.

4. The sequin jacket

Ability to moonwalk and white glove sold separately.

5. The sparkly accessories

Pretty jewelry can transform anything.  In fact, it’s the best way to create a party outfit without spending a lot of money.  You can get a tonal flower necklace or something like this rhinestone pearl necklace and immediately make a plain top or dress look ready for Christmas cheer.

I also love these sparkly studs and  this high shine bracelet or chunky faux gem bracelet are perfect pieces to add to an outfit to make it pop.

Or you could always add  a scarf with a little bit of shiny.

That’s it for today.  I feel like I need to come clean and confess that as I write this I’m wearing black yoga pants with a big bleach stain down the front and an old shirt of P’s that has “ALLIGATOR FARM” written across the front.

I’m just trying to keep it real.

And classy.

Y’all have a great Friday.

I spent a few hours shopping yesterday. Technically, I said that I was on a shopping sabbatical, but that was before I realized I still haven’t found a pair of black booties. So I went on a search yesterday and I have absolutely nothing to show for it.

Here’s the issue. The booties I like best in person are the open-toed booties. I just haven’t found a pair of closed toe booties that look like I want them to look when I picture them in my mind. But, yet, the reality of owning a pair of open-toed booties perplexes me for a few reasons.

Reason #1: I assume I can’t wear them with any sort of tights. That would be wrong on several levels and might cause me to have flashbacks to third grade and an unfortunate fashion decision involving Yo-Yo sandals and pantyhose. There may have also been a red dress made out of terry cloth. But I’ve blocked out that part.

Reason #2: The winter pedicure. I can’t deal.

Reason #3: My feet are cold even in the dead of summer. I enjoy wearing socks when the temperatures drop.

All of which have led to my dreadful inability to find the right bootie.

(Clearly this is what is known as a first world problem.)

Okay, so today’s Fashion Friday is filled with some really cute things and, BEST OF ALL, everything is under $100.

1. Trickle down top

There are so many great things on sale at Anthropologie right now. I think that Trickle Down top is adorable. But I also love this First light tank and think it would be great with a jacket thrown over it.

But wait! There’s more! This Mottisfront top is so great and I’m also loving this Setting Sun tank.

Dear Anthropologie,

I have a love/hate relationship with you. I hate that you never acknowledge my existence or send me any sort of coupons. But I love the way your stores smell. I adore most of your clothing. I have long desired a few of your kitchen towels. And you do have some good sales. Call me!

Love,
Melanie

2. Can’t Chain Me Down boots

I don’t know what it is about these boots, but I saw them online yesterday and couldn’t quit thinking about them. I think it may be the chains.

But if chains aren’t your thing, you might want to check out these Rocket Dog cozy knit clogs. They look like winter in a shoe.

And I’m also a big fan of these Tall Whiskey fold rugged boots. They’re cute and versatile. It’s like a Transformer in a shoe. Or a boot. Or whatever.

3. Wanigan coat

And we’re back to Anthropologie. But this time it’s about coats.

I think I featured this coat a while back. The difference is now it’s on sale for $99.99. And I’ve also realized that the fur collar is detachable which just makes me love it more.

I also really like this Kirklees sweater coat and can vouch for the fact that it’s prettier in person.

And then I saw this Dollhouse jacket and thought it would be great paired with jeans or pants or a skirt for holiday parties. It’s very festive.

Oh, and I’m intrigued by this Pattern Maker’s coat. I’d have to see it in person to know for sure, but I think it has real potential.

4. Mad for Plaid long tunic

This is the kind of thing that draws me in like good reality television. It’s casual and comfortable and I could throw it on with leggings three times a week.

On a totally different note, I also adore this Cute as a button ivory wool peacoat. It’s the buttons. They make me want to be a better person. A person who could wear an ivory wool peacoat.

5. Felt Buckle coat

I went in our new Forever 21 yesterday, which used to be a Mervyn’s, and was totally overwhelmed. It’s enormous. And I didn’t see this coat in person. But that could be because I couldn’t quit looking at the racks and racks of bargain-priced jewelry and flowered headbands and crocheted beanie-type hats that make me want to be a person who can wear crocheted beanie-type hats.

6. Tinley Road Sergeant jacket

Piperlime has a whole section of items right now that are all less than $75 and there are many, many cute things on featured. But I chose this jacket. Because I like it.

7. The Soloist dress

I don’t know where the picture of this dress is located. Somewhere in cyberspace.

But I really like it.

8. Royal Treatment tunic

I’m never sure how I feel about purple, but I can just picture this tunic with some charcoal gray leggings and some gray boots or black tights and black booties. And maybe some big, chunky silver bracelets? Is anyone else seeing that or is it just me?

9. Lettuce-edge v-neck sweater

I tried this on in the store the other day and really liked it. But I didn’t buy it because I am in the midst of a spending hiatus. It comes in several colors and is on sale for $49.50. However, when I was in the store the other day it was an additional 30% off.

Dang my spending hiatus. I should have bought this sweater.

10. Flyaway Tiered cardigan

It’s one of the best times of the year. Yes, it’s Fall and the leaves are turning and the weather is chilly and I had to put an extra blanket on the bed last night. But, more importantly, it’s time for Nordstrom’s half-yearly sale and there are so many good deals to be had. Like the flyaway cardigan. And several great coats.

It would also be a good time to buy a new pair of jeans if you’re in the market for such a thing. There are some really good prices right now.

And that is it for today.

I wish I could say I was heading back out to continue my bootie search, but I’m not. I have to clean my house. Because I can’t stand it any longer.

The dust. The dust is out of control.

And the toothpaste on Caroline’s bathroom counter. There is perpetually toothpaste on the bathroom counter. Someone help me understand why it’s so hard to put the toothpaste directly on the toothbrush.

Y’all have a great Friday.

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Don’t forget to check out the LG TextEd posts over at BlogHer. There are some great posts about monitoring your teen’s cell phone usage. I don’t really want to think about that yet.