Shades of blue

Blue striped sleeveless shirt: Target
Khaki skirt: Ann Taylor
White cami: Target
Blue peep toe wedges: Steve Madden Luxe via DSW
Silver cuff: American Eagle (remixed)
Blue and green beaded earrings: New York & Co. (remixed)
Angry eyes: genetic, courtesy of my father

Let's be honest: the shoes are the star of this outfit. They are a fabulous shade of blue, have that adorable ruffle along the peep toe, and are lined with a pastiche of animal prints. It makes me happy to know there are leopards and tigers under my feet.

How hot are these shoes?! I found them on the clearance rack at DSW in the fall and thanked God for my tiny feet. I swear that's the reason I find such great shoes on clearance. Anyway, the wedge heel is divinely comfortable for teaching and I love the way the fabric uppers stretch. Plus, don't these shoes just scream summer? Swoon.


I feel like I was really playing with proportions in this outfit - lengthening my torso, shortening my legs, accentuating my straightish figure - which is not what I usually do. I'm still not totally sure if I like this look or not, but I think it worked pretty well for today. I did get some compliments from the kiddos: "Miss, you look nice today", "Miss, you look young!", "Miss, you look different". It couldn't have been that bad, right?


I've had that little shirt in my closet for a couple years now. I got it for $4 at Target (can y'all tell that Target is my happy place?) and this is the first time I've worn it. I don't know how it's survived multiple closet purges, but it has.

The thing is, I have a love/hate relationships with button down shirts mostly because I have a relatively large bust and what I call "the world's widest ribcage". I am not narrow on top by any stretch of the imagination and I spend way too much time tugging at the shirt to make sure it's not gaping. And gaping is a problem with this top. It wasn't too bad today, but I was ultra aware of the possibility all day long.
But the stripes look so fresh, and the ruffles at the "sleeves" are so sweet, and there's a touch of green at the exposed part of the collar - all those details won me over this morning.


Besides, it all just feels like summer.

The most uncomfortable shoes known to man

Ivory cardigan: Gap
Brown tank: Target
Brown woven belt: Target (remixed)
Blue and orange full skirt: Target
Dangly earrings: Kohl's
Beaded bracelet: made by me
Funky wooden hair stick: Buenos Aires street market
Yellow peep toe flats: Banana Republic

I own four pairs of yellow shoes. Four. Is that excessive?
Of those four pairs, these are hands down the most uncomfortable. "Uncomfortable?" you ask, "But they're flats!"

Oh, my friends, don't let their lack of heel fool you. These shoes are like that kid in the class who looks like he's all of ten years old but turns out to have the innocence of a twenty-one-year-old frat boy from Jersey who wears too much Axe.
Basically, they cut into my toes and heels and have so little support that I couldn't wait to get home to take them off. Seriously, my three most uncomfortable pairs of shoes are flats, and my heels are insanely comfortable. Maybe it's because I only buy cheap-o flats, but I make sure that my heels are flexible and have some padding.

It's a shame, though, because those little yellow shoes are adorbs.


I made that bracelet years ago, when I lived in Atlanta. Two of my housemates volunteered at a thrift store that had received tons of broken jewelry. They brought the beads home and we made a night of jewelry making. Does that count as upcycling?


I love the funky print on this full skirt, but I often have a hard time styling it because of the elastic waistband and the fullness of the garment. This outfit turned out quite well, though. I tucked in a basic tank and threw a belt on over the elastic waistband to give the whole thing a bit more structure. The cardigan serves to cover up my tattoo and hide my "exposed seams", making the whole thing look like a dress. At least, that was my intention, and one of my students was fooled. He raised his hand, and when I called on him, he said, "Miss, I like your dress".
Mission accomplished.


My hair is kinda crazy today, but look at the funky hair stick! It's wooden - with little notches cut into it which I swear gives it the ability to actually hold my hair. It's also got what I can only describe as a glob of metal stuck to one end. I got it at a street market that summer (their winter) in Buenos Aires, which means it's been in my repertoire for eight years. Wow. I'm old.



And now, I'm wearing my flip flops, relishing the fact that no shoes are digging into the back of my heels.

Out of my comfort zone

Navy short-sleeved swing jacket: Banana Republic
Red drapey-neck tee: Ann Taylor
Brown paper bag waist skirt: Ann Taylor (remixed)
Red patent wedges: ? gift from parents (remixed)
Gold tone chandelier earrings: Kohl's (remixed)
Puerto Rico necklace: Artisan's market in PR - gift from parents (remixed)
Plastic bangle: H&M

I don't usually wear red. It's not that I don't like it as a color - I think it's fine and it actually looks great with my skin tone - it's just that I feel all kinds of self conscious with such a bright color up by my face. It's just so attention grabbing, and I'm a shy girl.


So I toned it down with the swing jacket in a nice navy: heeey. Look at all that sass. And the duckface. Oh, yeah. That's my students' influence on me.


I loved my accessories today, though. The earrings, the necklace, the bracelet, the headband.

I guess I don't really have a whole lot to say about this, so I'll close out with my specialty: looking away from the camera.

Weekend dresses

Let's start with my least favorite weekend look, today's maxi dress.


Maxi dress: Valija Gitana in Puerto Rico
Black tank: Target
Black flip flops: Rainbow
Medallion earrings: Target
Silver cuff: American Eagle

I love the print on this dress, and I fell in love with it when I tried it on at the store and when I wore it as my traje de desposada after getting married, but I am not loving it in these pictures. Maybe I should shorten it so I don't look like I'm being swallowed up by yards and yards of fabric? *sigh* Long skirts and I don't get along. This one was even longer when I bought it and my grandmother had to lop off about four inches and hem it by hand the day of the wedding so I could wear it that night. (For those who don't know, in PR women choose a dress that they'll wear to leave the reception, because, seriously, you need help to get out of your wedding dress and all the pieces that go along with it.) Anyway, it may need additional shortening; we'll see what happens.


I've had that cuff for ages, as evidenced by its scratched surface, and those earrings just happened to be easily accessible this morning as I was getting ready for church.

On Saturday night, B. and I went salsa dancing for his birthday.

Black vintage dress: ? thrifted
Black belt: came with a blazer (Kohl's)
Fuschia snakeskin sandals: Nine West
Silver cuff: Kohl's
Black and silver hoops: Liz Claiborne (gift from parents)
Big hair: pin curls and flat iron used as a curling iron

I took few pictures of this outfit last night, but my GOSH, do I love it. I mean, I LOVE this dress.
I know, it's so 1985 with that big hair, but I felt so sassy and sexy in it.
The original plan was to sell this on etsy, but I put it on to take pictures, and I fell in love, and so did B. Now it's in my closet.
I love the details at the sweetheart neckline:

Cut outs AND embroidery! I'm in heaven.

I love the sleeves:

Shoulder pads and ruching! Eeee!

I love the flattering silhouette:

Love!
It's safe to say that this dress is a winner.

And while I don't have any really good pics of my outfit for Saturday morning, I do have this:

Brown and black embroidered dress: Target
Orange sunnies: Target ($3.24!)
Medallion earrings: Target
Plastic bangle: H&M (remixed)

On B:
Black T: Zoo York

That's us on the mural tour where we saw Philly's most expensive mural:

Stunning.