mossimo

Ensemble du Jour – June 20, 2013

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Oh my house…

It’s determined to not let me get any good outfit shots.   That’s what you get with an old house that isn’t well lit.   But you can sort of make out that I’m wearing a white JCrew button-down, white brown belt and khaki pencil skirt.

Right?  Right?

Paired with a pair from way back – Ralph Lauren wingtip cap-toe slingbacks.

I do love these.  I’ve always thought they were so classy.

It hasn’t been too horribly warm here yet, so I’m enjoying actually being comfortable outside.

We’ll see how long that lasts!

Ensemble du Jour: 6-4-11

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More outfit photos!  Can you believe it?

So, I spent a week miserable from sunburn and basically not wanting to go outside ever again.  When I did go out on Saturday I decided I was going to be as covered up as possible while still looking cute. Which means: dress, cardigan, espadrilles, parasol, hat and sunglasses. 

I bought this white dress a few months ago knowing I’d want something cool to walk around in and it really is perfect for a hot day.  The good thing is I have a ton of cute shoes I can pair this with, from espadrilles to oxfords.  

The dress is the “Who’s That Girl” dress from ModCloth and the adjustable tie and straps are great, plus it’s lined.

There are my shoes!

Wedge Espadrilles are the SUV of the shoe world.  These are Mossimo from Target.

I got to break out my Cambridge Satchel, finally.  It was going to go to New York but I didn’t have the room, plus I wouldn’t have wanted to take it out in the rain so I guess it’s a good think it stayed home.
We went to a town event held at our Park. It’s funny how stuck in a rut people get about clothes.  This may not be true in bigger cities but here in North Carolina, I am a fish out of water fashion-wise. I was just walking around on the sidewalks and then running some errands but, even though I was dressed very comfortably and simply with non-fancy or pricey clothes, people were gaping. If you don’t wear shorts/sneakers/jeans/flip-flops/t-shirts you are out of the comfort zone.
Not that I care.
The husband said I looked very clean and pretty and dressier then him but that’s most of the time anyways.  It doesn’t bother me how surprised other people are but I do find it funny.
Do you all get this kind of response when you “dress-up” a bit out of the “norm”?

Ensemble du Jour: 1-9-11

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We sort of had a date night today.  We went to see the Winston-Salem symphony play  Finlandia by Sibelius and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, so I got to wear one of my party dresses. 

I don’t believe in restricting clothes between work and play but some dresses I think are a mite too short for the office.  Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t but I play it safe.
But I love this little Neapolitan-colored dress from Lulu’s. I actually wore this same outfit to the IFB Blogger’s party, but we were running around so much I didn’t get any pictures. That time I wore it with black tights, a longer belted cardigan and patent heels.  Here I changed it up with a shorter cardigan, white tights and black velvet peep-toe slingbacks with sweet bows on the front.

Here’s a better look at the dress…

And the shoes…

First outfit post of the year, so we’re starting off on a fun note!  By the way, I can’t believe it’s only been one week since I’ve been back in the office.  I’m ready for another vacation already!


Giving Target Another Look

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I was at Target today and had also received a new promo email from them about the new Romantic collection in the Go International line. So the evil empire was doing its best to influence me.

So I’m trying to over expose myself to everything to keep me from indulging on the site. You know, really soak it all in. And they’re quite a few new options to tempt me. Click on any of the images to take you to the online page. I haven’t seen any of these in person (some are on Online Exclusives) so in-person quality is an unknown.

These cute t-straps come in black and grey and brown and creme. They’d be great with dark tights for winter and fall.

These would be fun with some dark slacks or jeans.

Red double-strap mary janes. Can’t go wrong with these, no matter who makes them. So now everyone can have a pair.

These tweed kitten heels are perfect for the office. I’d like to get a skirt with a large scale plaid that has this tone in it, a nubby brown sweater and some wool tights.

I’m not sure how good the gold on the heel of these looks but I like the cream and black combo and the big strap and buckle.

These seem very Queen Michelle to me. Tough, strappy, classic. I could see these on someone wearing really really skinny jeans.

Yellow and grey look so fresh together. Plus, the ruffles remind me of Loeffler Randall elements.


When did Target get all snazzy? Look at these funky snakeskin wedges? Where did those come from?

Miss Bubble? I think these would be fun for you to dress up. And dress down. And all around.

These little peep-toe pumps have a Betsey Johnson element to them. I think it is the adorable floral pattern.

Metallic snakeskin – very Nine West which are very Dior but for even less.

Target’s Skylar pump. Now in a cute cute cute black with white polka-dots. I have the patent version and they are very cute – plus you don’t have to worry about messing them up.

These azure chunky sandals will still be great for summer with the floaty and floral dresses. Plus could be fun with tights transitioning into fall.

Almost all of these come in different colors, so check them out. And if you see them in person, let me know.

Tea Cups and Tea Parties

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On Saturday I went to Target. I know, I know. I should never ever go in there ever again. I needed to get some sunscreen and it was right next door to where I was making a return. What harm would it do to just take a quick spin around the store.

Harmless, right???

Wrong. Gah! There were all things I needed there. And I put half of what I had picked up back on the rack. So that’s like saving money, right? Okay, let’s just go with that rationalization, shall we?

I got a nice little black rayon dress which will be great for traveling to New York. I also got these cropped jeans in a dark indigo wash. They fit awesome and were only $17. They have some stretch to them too. I was pleased with them. I also got three cropped carigans to wear with some of my dresses. Since it’s so hot out but the AC is always on, these should come in handy. They look short-sleeved on the model but they hit me as 3/4 sleeves. And the grey one was on sale for $10!

I liked the dress and grey cardigan so much I decided to wear it to a Ladies Tea tea party the next day. I, of course, had to pair it with my Miu Miu tea cup heels. I mean, come on! What else could I wear???

You don’t need to do much to play up these shoes. I opted to wear my vintage gold heart locket and my watch. Both help play up the gold accents in the heels.

To all the lovely ladies from all over the world, it was a pleasure to meet you!

Target Spring 2008 Preview

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Target isn’t wasting any time with getting you excited for Spring. They have a ton of new shoes in their Spring Preview. There is a pretty wide variety styles including flats, skimmers, heels, wedges, wellies, thongs and sneakers. You can find some dressy styles and casual ones too.

But on the whole, I wasn’t overly impressed, just as I wasn’t overly impressed with the Hollywould line that they did for the holidays.

The Bad

Loeffler Randall is their designer line for Spring. And I hate them. I saw some of them in stores today and they look really crummy.

They have these Rosette Ballet Flats in Rose, Gold, Black and Brown – $29.99

I really hate these Cinch Flats which come in Gold, Rose, Black and Brown – $29.99. I think they look like 1960’s old lady house slippers.

I also saw these Mossimo Danae Peep-Toe Pumps which come in giraffe, zebra, “natural” linen and black patent for $26.99. These are bad knock-offs of Steve Madden knock-offs. They look clunky and are not well done – they look better in the picture. If you see them in person, let me know what you think.

I don’t like these Xhilaration Tera Sandals in black and white floral either. Tacky. $17.99 is too much for them. They come in a multicolor print and a “natural” color as well.

In theory these Merona Amber Chop-Out Flats (nice name) are cute but in reality the material isn’t that good and they are kind of clunky. They are $22.99 and come in Pewter, Brown and Black.

I haven’t seen these Mossimo Deann Cut-out Flats in person so it’s hard to say but the odds are they aren’t great. But they’re only $19.99 and come in black, white and pewter.

These may be the worst. These Isaac Mizrahi Drew Open-Shank Ballet flats have a horrible shape to them. Ugh! They come in cream, red and black patent, as well as gold and silver “leaf” – each $29.99



These Xhilaration Sable Floral Ballet flats in the red pattern (also in a “ribbon tapestry” style, gold and black) aren’t bad, they just aren’t as cute as the ones I’m going to show below. They’re $14.99.

The Good

But there are a number of shoes on there that I feel are really cute and have a lot of potential. Here are a few of my favorites.

I think these Merona Alice Slingbacks are very sharp. The patent could be tacky but in the picture they have a much higher end look than their $22.99 cost.

They have some cute new moccasins for spring but for a white version I prefer the Isaac Mizrahi Alysia Driving Moccasins in winter white. They’re on clearance right now for $14.99 and also come in brown nubuck, black patent, silver, oxblood patent and broccoli patent (broccoli???). These are great to have in your car for driving instead of getting your nice shoes all dirty from the car pedals and mats.

I don’t know why I like these Mizrahi Beth Peep-Toe Pumps in cream but I just do. They look very icy and sparkly. They’re $29.99 and also come in black satin with black crystals.

I know strappy mary janes have been done but I think the shape of these is so good. I like that the straps are really low on the bridge of your foot too. They are Isaac Mizrahi Chris Mary Jane Pumps for $29.99 and come in cream patent gray, red patent and black.

Didn’t I just say that I thought the Mizrahi Drew Print Ballet flats were hideous? Well, they are, but if you like the shape, I think you should get them in this pattern. It is graphic and interesting and hides the clunkiness. They’re $29.99 if you like them.

Here are the cute new moccasins for Spring. They are the Mizrahi Gail Leather moccasins and I just love them. Typically I would get the pink version but I already have a pair of pink moccasins from last year (they also come in a great preppy green, a black and navy) but I think I prefer the yellow. They will go really well with my new JCrew Postcard cardigan. They’re $29.99.

How designer-y and cute are these metallic Mossimo Daria Woven pumps? Perfect with jeans and sundresses and only $24.99.

I love espadrilles and wedges for Summer. These are so cute and cheap enough to be a seasonal item. They’re only $22.99, have a cute floral pattern and also come in a coffee brown with a patterned ribbon. Xhilaration Tiki wedges.

A little animal print can go a long way, as we all know. Wear these kitten heels under jeans or pair them with opaque black hose now for a little roawwwrrrr action. This Mossimo Dierdre style comes in the leopard, brown, black, black patent, silver, gold and zebra print. $24.99.

And last, but not least, my favorites – the Mossimo Deann flats. When I was in high school I had these adorable peachy pink floral fabric flats from Gap. They were so cute and I just loved them. I totally wore them out but kept them for years because I loved them so much. These remind me of my original pair. I have to, have to get them! I’ll wear them all summer with jeans and it will be like I’m back in my senior year of high school. Is that a good thing? Probably not, but the shoes were cute!

There you go, affordable but cute options from my favorite retailer. I know I tend to appear biased to higher end shoes but I do think Target (and Gap and Old Navy, etc.) can have some really inexpensive but very wearable styles.

So enjoy!

Time for Tea

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The weather here was particularly fabulous this weekend. Sunny but cool enough for a sweater. Perfect napping outside weather. And because it was a perfect Fall weekend there were a million things going on around town which is my big excuse for being lacking in the posting department.

I left work early on Friday and went to the grocery store to stock up for my weekend alone. The next morning I got up and got all the animals fed and walked then I went to our farmer’s market because they were having a craft fair as well. Last year I had met a lovely older gentleman who makes these amazing wood bowls by hand. I jumped on a beautiful piece and we’ve kept our apples or squashes, etc., in since then. So I was very hopeful that he would be there again this time. At first I didn’t see him, but there he was. And with amazing new pieces.

I got the best red cedar bowl that is carved so thin you can’t believe it’s possible. And the graining of the wood glows in the light. It’s big enough for 3 mini-pumpkins and is now on my dining room table. I also got a burled oak compote, the pattern of which is so unusual and striking. I filled that up with small gourds for the hallway. His prices are not cheap, but given that they are hand-turned and carved, I think they are worth it. They look like future Antiques Roadshow treasures.

On Sunday, I cleaned some and then let the chickens out to “free range” in our backyard. As I said, it was perfect napping weather and my chickens fell asleep in the sun. It is the funniest thing to see a chicken sprawled out like a co-ed snoozing in the sunshine. I need to get a picture of that to share.

Sunday afternoon, I was invited to a Ladies Tea by my friend Sonja, the founder.

Sonja is creating a new social networking idea and is working to spread the word. I love tea and have been going to tea all around the world for over ten years. Her idea is to bring women together to create connections and a forum for ideas and interaction. I wrote and article for one of her newsletters even. It’s a fun and interesting concept. Well worth checking out!

To the tea, I wanted to wear something comfy but warm since the day was cooling off, so I wore a new Mossimo sweater in a heathery brown and one of my brown skirts.

To add some visual length and pull in a lighter tone, I have these graduated bead necklace which is very long. It’s kind of heavy too.

And for the first time, I wore my new Miu Miu brogues. The theme of the tea was “Wellness” and what I brought was Dagoba chocolate with lavender and Lavender Sables (french shortbread cookies). I think that influenced me to wear this because of the lavender color in the shoes.

They have that great Miu Miu cushion in the sole, so even though they are high they are pretty comfy.