What I Want: Madewell

Madewell by desertgirls on Polyvore

Daywalk Shirtdress in Albion Plaid / Daywalk Shirtdress in Farmstand Plaid

I'm loving these two dresses from Madewell; don't they just scream fall? I can see pairing them with bare legs and booties now and leggings and boots when the weather finally cools down. I hope you are enjoying your Monday. Happy Labor Day to those of you who get to celebrate!

Check, Please.

I am so glad it's Friday! I have big plans for the weekend- I'm painting my guest bedroom and cleaning out my garage. (I know how to party!) Today I am linking up with Long Distance Loving for another rendition of Friday's Fancies. Today's theme is Mad for Plaid, which is fortuitous, because I wore plaid (well, buffalo check, which is technically a plaid, right?!) yesterday. We have been having really, really warm weather here in southern California lately, and I decided to take advantage of these last warm days and wear a skirt with no leggings. I didn't even need a coat!

Madewell black top / Gianni bini shoes / 5 POCKET DENIM SKIRT / Michael Kors Oversized Curb Chain Logo Necklace

On another note, I am so excited because I finally broke down and bought a DSLR camera! Woohoo, and thank you, Target Red card for the additional 5% off!  Pretty soon I will be subjecting you all to poorly lit amateur shots of my home and of some of my outfits.
In the meantime, hooray for the weekend.  Any plans?

More...Mad for Plaid

Happy Halloween everyone!  What a beautiful, crisp Autumn day it is!  Today I am off to see my kiddos and all the cute little school kids' costume parade at their school.  It will be so much fun.  

I was inspired by Lori's post yesterday; I loved that gorgeous outfit, so I thought I would piggy-back off of that with a plaid decor inspiration post.  Classic, cozy and stunning in a humble sort of way, plaid has taken center stage this season.  

mrkate.com

via

www.huntedinterior.com

peidesigncat.wordpress.com

www.examiner.com

bliss-athome.com

rusticweddingchic.com

lilluna.com

www.savvydesignwest.com

highstreetmarket.blogspot.com

Meet Mr. Chips aka "Chipper."  I got the name from the classic film Goodbye Mr. Chips.  We love him!!

Happy Halloween!

Mad for Plaid

Oh, Monday.  Why do you have to roll around so quickly?  Don't you know that I want to sleep in?  I didn't get to this weekend.  Not at all.  Saturday morning Alli ran in to my room at 6:47 and woke me up, warning me how late it was, and that we had better hurry or we would be late for school/work.  It took me a minute to convince her that there was no school, as it was Saturday.  And that was that.  Sunday I had to be up and out of the house early too.
So anyway.  New week.  New set of things to do and get done.  I recently ordered some stuff for Alli from Forever 21.  I had to make it up to a certain amount for free shipping (this makes buying more things totally justifiable, yes?), so I went ahead and bought something for myself: a cute little pair of plaid shoes.  I thought they would be a fun way to work the plaid trend into my wardrobe without going crazy.  I also want to add the necklace below; I almost bought it when I bought the shoes, but decided I could just go to the store and see it in person to make sure that I like it just as much as I liked it online.  I still haven't made it to the store yet, but there's still time!

Mad for Plaid 

Blouse / Hive & Honey military coat / Forever 21 flat / Forever 21 necklace / Forever 21 hair accessory / Joie Day Dreaming | Piperlime / FOREVER 21 GIRLS Rodeo Plaid Shirt (Kids) / Sperry Top-Sider Lola | Piperlime

Oh- the shoes I got are the bottom ones.  And how great is that jacket?!
I hope your week is off to a great start!

What I'm Loving: Plaid

The Cat and I were at the mall a little while ago when she came up to me with a plaid shirt straight out of my high school days and asked if she could try it on.  She then proceeded to tell me that she had this vision of an outfit in her head, and had been wanting to recreate it for some time now- it involves an edgy tank, torn jeans, and a plaid shirt tied at the waist.  When she tried it on and showed me, I mentioned that it looked cute; it was a little nineties-grunge.  She grinned and informed me that was exactly the look she was going for.

It always amazes me how even kids can be so up on fashion.  Had she seen this trend in the magazines or on tv?  No- she had been watching older episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix, among other nineties television gems, and had decided that was a look worth updating.  I know she hadn't seen it anywhere recently, because when I later showed her a new magazine touting the plaid nineties grunge look to be in for fall, she was ecstatic that she had put together an outfit, on her own, that was quite reminiscent of the spread that I showed her.

My kid is awesome.

So is plaid, and I'm glad it's back in for fall.  I love a good plaid in the classic style, as it just screams fall, but I also like that this fall's plaids are a little more edgy and fun.

image via

See?!  Such a classic!

image via

In the past, I've belted white shirts, blue shirts, and chambray shirts over dresses; I love the idea of belting an over-sized plaid shirt over a simple dress.  I think this would be an easy way to play up the plaid trend.

Buy it here- Revolve Clothing

I love the gold studs on the pockets- such a fun update!  Plus, I love pairing plaid shirts with more structured pencil skirts (my Banana Republic one is still MIA, but will hopefully get here soon).  

Ralph Lauren jacket- view it here

I love this look.  I love the jacket, which is Ralph Lauren, I love the shoes, I love the scarf... Oh, how I love that scarf!

Ralph Lauren

I am pretty sure I need this oil cloth jacket in my closet. It would go with everything, and the plaid lining is perfect.

Ralph Lauren Plaid Poncho

There was a time when I didn't like this type of poncho. I just wasn't really a fan. It's kind of odd, since I have always loved swing coats, capes, and capelets, and they are really similar to this style, but I was just never really on board with the whole poncho thing. But I recently purchased one (it just looked so comfy!) and now apparently I am totally on board, because I would love to add this to my wardrobe as well.
I hope you are enjoying your weekend!  Happy Sunday.

Plaid Shirtdress

 After posting about the Hilfigers and their awesome Christmas party a little while back, I was inspired to use a piece of clothing that has been hanging in my closet for months with the tags still attached.  I had bought the piece, a sleeveless sweater vest, after having seen similar pieces styled with various outfits.  I remember back to when I tried it on- me, standing in the dressing room of Marshall's (I am a bargain shopper!), looking in the mirror and imagining all the fabulous outfits this would be part of.  It was so versatile, and it was neutral enough that I could pair it with so many things!  Maybe this would become a wardrobe staple, fitting in with the clothes I already had hanging in my closet, an instant update to my fall and winter wardrobe.  Cozy, comfortable, and chic- the three C's I look for in my winter clothes.  Once I got it home, though, I decided I didn't like it after all.  What had I been thinking?  This thing made me look frumpy, it looked stupid with all my stuff... it just didn't work and it needed to be taken back to the store.  Cut to months later and this sweater vest is still hanging in my closet, with the tags still attached and the receipt nowhere to be found.  I would pass by this thing in my closet every morning, thinking today is the day that I will take that back; I'd better hurry before it's too late and I don't get all my money back.  But it never happened.  I got busy, and it stayed hanging in my closet, mocking me.  Not very bargain shopper-esque to leave it there, I admit, and it was looking like it was going to be a total waste of money (which I am not proud of).  Thanks to the Hilfiger commercial, though, I was inspired to pair it with stuff that I already had and to wear it out.  In the spirit of the commercial, I put it with a plaid shirt dress, gray leggings, cream socks, and brown boots.  I think the mix is a little quirky, but sometimes I like my outfits to be a little quirky.  Or ugly, as my family might sometimes say, but I prefer the word quirky to ugly.  In my opinion, if you really like something, you should wear it, even if others don't always get it.  I think that can be a hard thing to do sometimes, but it's good to remember to wear your clothes and not let them wear you.  Wear your clothes with confidence and you can make just about anything look good.  Except for M.C. Hammer pants.  If you decide to sport those, you're on your own.

paired with a leather bracelet and a chunky gold chain

plaid dress- Forever 21; sweater vest-Marshall's; leggings- Forever 21;
bracelets-Dillard's; boots-Newport News, about ten or twelve years ago

I'm loving the look of boots with creamy socks sticking out.

 I found these at Kohl's.

~Lori

Plaid Dress

This was taken not too long ago, before it got too cold.  If I want to keep wearing this dress through the colder winter months, I'll need to experiment with layering.  Any ideas?

dress- Dillard's
jacket- Dillard's
shoes- Ann Taylor Loft



The dress is sleeveless and has a cowl neck,
so the shrunken jean jacket
 tones the seriousness of the outfit down a bit.



Big fan of belts- adds structure and in this case, a little bit of sparkle. 
The neckline of the dress is enough that I don't think it needs a necklace to
detract from it, so the gold on the belt adds a jewelry effect without the actual jewelry.

Fun little pleat detail on the skirt