April in Paris

Natch, that'd be a good reason for falling off the grid if I was on holiday the entire month but nope. I was merely overcome by life.

So let's just have a dress-up salute to one of our very favorite cities.

And I just realized it was about 4 years ago when I first met

dear Dani when she was off to Paris. :)



The sweatshirt is the color of sweet butter. It was in Paris where I fell in love with the stuff. Now I have bread as an excuse to eat butter.

 This is the French print popover. I had sworn off popovers ...

unless it's an irresistible print. Oh well.

The ballet flats are to keep the theme but I am definitely swearing off these J.Crew ballet flats, the horrible hurtful things

are all wrong for my feet. Never again.

If I said the color of these trousers was Paris pink would you believe me? It's really iced quartz but in keeping with the theme ...

The girls' tee (size 14) is too young for me but I had to have it.

Fun with these brogue shoes from yoox.

More love for Paris via a linen T-shirt and trying to be

oh so cool with the jacket. Ha.

Tomorrow is May Day and I will be asking an SOS to survive it.

Not only will it be HOT but the low humidity and strong winds make for unfortunate wildfire conditions.

 

Did you know the Mayday distress signal may be derived from the French expression "m'aidez" meaning "help me?"

 

As my friend Wendy (who also loves Paris) says: stay safe out there!





Sequin Saunter

This might be a meander. There are 3 things to talk about with this post but I have no clever ways to sew them together.

1. The anniversary of my blog

2. A little giveaway to say thank you

3. A few things to show if you're considering them at 50% off.

First thing, first. I wore full-on sequins to work.

Sorry if I'm offending your good senses, it's a tradition for my blog anniversary I suppose. Factory draped sequin tee. Factory skinny jean in black. Madewell heartdot boyshirt. Clifton booties also worn here.

Next, let's get to the fun stuff.

To celebrate 2 years with you and 100+1 followers (from what I can tell), I'm giving away a $25 J.Crew gift card.

Second prize is a bottle of lavender hydrosol, one of my most favorite things. Described as sweet and happy, a light spritz (OK even if wearing makeup) makes me calmed and refreshed.

Botanical Insights is the sister-in-law of a colleague and she lives by a field of lavender. Sigh. Sounds lovely.

Third prize is a Factory umbrella that I hope you don't mind me limiting to the U.S. and maybe Canada due to possible shipping challenges. I'll find a good substitute if you're an international winner. 

Here's how to enter ... please leave a comment for each of the following by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Nov. 10:

1. If you're a follower

2. If you add me to your blog roll

3. If you tell me why you should have another entry (1 per person).

Be sure to leave your email if I can't contact you through your profile.

I will generate a couple random numbers for the winners and announce with a post on Nov. 12. (I hope I haven't forgotten anything important that makes a mess of this.)

 Third stop: J.Crew's 50% off end-of-season styles.

Toothpick jean in garment-printed floral - thicker denim,

pattern is more subtle IRL. I like them.

Liberty toothpick jean in Matilda tulip floral- fits like the other Liberty printed jeans, the pattern has a tendency to add some width,

which could be why they are still around?

 Ruffled rhinestone top - I'm wearing petite 00 and with the Collection café capri in Ratti regatta print. I like the top with a jacket,

the Classic schoolboy blazer in navy in this case.

A close-up of the bedazzling. IRL the blue "jewels" are more like sapphires, they don't photograph true.

 

I've come to a dead end so I'll say bye for now. :)



October Onomatopoeia

Wearing black and orange as a nod to Oct. 31.

The fuzziness (unintentionally captured by my blog photographer) is a tip of the hat to phantoms, spectres and wraiths.

Collection jacket. Factory jeans.

Crewcuts boys' kaboom T-shirt from 2 years ago (I'm wearing size 14).

 

This is how I do high-low fashion, ha.

 

Boo, almost forgot the word of the day.

Factory Commendatory

Before I could say highly recommend, the Factory classic button-down shirt in jeweled oxford sold out oh well and the Factory skinny cord in polka dot is just about gone. The polka dot cords are part of the Fall Essentials Sale of 40% off selected items good through Sunday, Sept. 29. If you use the SEPTSAVE code (10% off $75+, 20% off $125+, 30% off $200+) at checkout, there are some gems of a good deal.

Close-up of the "jewels" on the button-down.

The thin wale corduroy jeans are skinny. No need to size down.

In fact, I'm afraid of what might happen when I wash and dry them. Wearing size 25 here and thinking I should grab the size 26.

The material is 99% cotton, 1% spandex.

They don't get baggy saggy during the day ... yay!

But you cannot get undressed in a hurry, I had a tough time getting the leg opening over each foot pulling them off. 

Did I say they are skinny?

The Factory skinny ankle jean in classic rinse are not as skinny.

They're what I'd consider a comfortable, favorite fit and could very well become my go-to jeans. I don't have to worry whether it's one of my skinny days. I know they won't ride up or droop down.

They won't cut and bind (you're supposed to hear Brett and Dale Jr. say this).

And they're not distressed to look too casual.

I even feel tall (ha) when I wear them.

They're rough and tumble, earthy, sturdy and substantial.

I won't even care if I spill on them or sit on a dusty park bench.

Heck yeah, I love, love, love them. Especially for $33.25.

The Factory skinny jean in black can also be had for the same price. They have the same fit, and just like the classic rinse, they're

98% cotton, 2% spandex, but feel just a tad thinner.

With black stitching instead of the usual contrasting thread used for

blue denim jeans, they don't read as obvious jeans.

I think they're quite versatile and make great traveling pants.

The above were on the travel days for my recent business trip.

(The giant sequined heart is to cheer up the grumpiness that can be the airport crowd.)

(Better pics of the black skinny jeans since they're not off a hotel mirror.)
The shirt is the Factory two-pocket chambray shirt that has been around for at least a couple years, now better for me because it comes in XXS. Though it's not the fine, silky chambray of the selvedge chambray shirt, the rough and tumble, earthy, sturdy and substantial shirt has earned some love in blogland. What some said.

I've reviewed a few more Factory shirts that are part of this double whammy SEPTSAVE on top of Fall Essentials Sale. Just click on the Chambray-Denim Shirts tab at the top to see.

Happy shopping and happy weekend!

Shoe-sketch and Sequins

They used to call me Imelda.

Someone put up a framed print of

racks of shoes right outside my office.

Of course I had to have the shoe-sketch scarf.

It's loosely woven of 62% wool and 38% silk.

Lovely and light. Good for all seasons.

A nice neutral to wear with just about anything.

Girly, girly and cute, cute, cute for shoe lovers.

(They must know there are a zillion of us because with it on promo price

and an extra percentage off, it's still not sold out yet.)

But prone to snags.

So as another bit of advice following this and that,

put it in a bag or wrap a T-shirt around it if packing.

Otherwise the suitcase zipper might catch it

as I did my navy polka-dot scarf. :(

I knew stuffing the scarf unprotected was dangerous.

But I was in a huge hurry.

In my hotel room packing at 3 when I had a 3:40 flight.

 

Eek!



Critter Transmitter

Beam me up, Scottie.

It's cold inside my office.