Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my 32nd birthday. This is the first time I've worn this vintage dress, purchased last fall at the Renegade Craft Fair.

Where:
work, birthday drinks at The Gage

What:
Dress: vintage
Shoes: Lifestride
Bracelet: ???
Earrings: mine from the 1990's

Thanks to my boyfriend for assistance with pictures.

Runway Inspired

This outfit is my take on one of the L'Wren Scott Fall 2010 runway looks.

Inspiration (photo courtesy of style.com):


Where:
reading and coffee at Starbucks, work

What:
Jacket: Ann Taylor LOFT
Sweater: Gap
Skirt: H&M
Shoes: from Payless
Beads: Macy's
Earrings: World Market
Bracelet: ?? (I've had it a long time)
Josephine Baker brooch: Weener Ware

Palm Sunday

I got a new bike today! I woke up this morning and it was overcast and cold. Not exactly a day to inspire one to go biking. So I thought it would be the perfect day to bike shop. Once we get a really nice warm, sunny weekend, the bike shops in my neighborhood will be overflowing with people who want to take advantage of the weather. I thought I might beat the crowds by going today.

I got a mountain bike, with a more upright seat. Pretty grayish blue color with circle designs on it. I'll post pictures sometime soon. Hopefully, this bike will work out for me. I wasn't very lucky with my last 3 bikes.

I had a bike in high school that I liked. I didn't ride it much during college or after. When I went to law school, I started riding a bit more. I stored it in my garage in the back of the house. One Saturday, my (then-)husband was working in the yard. He left the garage door open and came into the house for less than a minute (literally, less than 60 seconds) to get an extension cord. When he got back outside, my bike had been stolen from the garage.

Then when I first moved to Chicago, I got another bike to replace my stolen one. I was nervous about riding in the city through traffic, so I didn't take it out much the first year or two here. When I was moving from my loft condo to my current studio, I went down to the bike storage room to get my bike, and it wasn't there. It had been stolen right out of the storage room, with my lock, comfy seat and handles, and all the other little goodies I'd had installed. It was also a gorgeous green color and very comfortable. I was not happy. The bike storage room had a camera, but there was a trick around that. The camera only recorded for 30 seconds after the door opened, so the camera showed the thief's hand pushing open the door, then nothing happened for 30 seconds. The camera would go off. The thief would then enter the storage room and take whatever he/she wanted, unobserved.

Last summer, I got another bike. One of my boyfriend's brothers was touring as a clown with the circus. He wanted to trick out a bike to use as a clown bike. He found one bike and started working on it, but then he found another one that he thought would work better. I got the first "clown bike" to use, but as I started fixing it up a bit, I realized it wasn't sized well for me and was a bit uncomfortable to ride, so I put it on Craig's List.

I'm excited to finally have a bike again. I'm looking forward to taking it out as soon as the weather warms up a bit!

Where:
bike shopping, my first (freezing) test ride on my new(!) bike, hanging out at my local tea house reading, laundry and cooking at home

What:
Sweater: thrifted
Graphic Tee: Forever XXI
Long-Sleeved Pale Pink Tee: H&M
Pin-Striped Navy Trousers: New York & Co.
Red High-Top Shoes: Converse All-Stars (thrifted)
Cross Necklace: from the Notre Dame Bookstore
Beaded "Gina" necklace: vintage, handmade to order by a vendor in the mall in the early 80's
Ice Cream Cone Earrings: mine from 1989 or the early 90's
Argyle Scarf: H&M (gift from my boyfriend)

Awards

A big "Thank you" to Sabrina for passing the Sunshine "What is Your Fantasy Bag?" Award to me!

If I had to pick just one style of bag to use for the rest of my life, it would be the classic Hermes Birkin. Great simple classic style, perfectly sized - not too big, not too small. Gorgeous colors! Check out a few:

Besides, if I do get tired of the bag, I can just sell it to finance a trip around the world. :-)

Thanks to Susan for passing the Sugar Doll Award along to me. For the Sugar Doll Award, I am supposed to tell 10 things about myself, then pass the award on to 10 other bloggers who in turn will tell 10 things about themselves!

Now, 10 things about me:

1. My favorite book is Gone with the Wind. I became interested in the Civil War and took several American History electives in college as a result of my fascination with the novel.

2. My favorite wine is Reisling. I love the sweet taste!

3. I have 2 cats, and I'm able to care for them just fine, even though they can be extra finnicky, what with throwing up all over the apartment and peeing on my bed. Somehow though, I just can't manage to keep plants alive.

4. I've lived in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana and Illinois, with a brief study-abroad in London. London was probably my favorite place of any I've lived. I love Chicago though, and here is where I've made a home for myself.

5. My thumb looks exactly like my grandmother's thumb. Exactly.

6. I didn't really start using make-up regularly until my later 20's, but I fell madly in love with nail polish around age 6. In middle school, I loved wearing bright orange and school bus yellow and sky blue, which was a good 10-15 years before those colors became trendy.

7. I was a majorette in high school. So was my aunt. And a cousin. I twirled two batons, three batons, hoop batons and even fire batons.

8. I love watching tv on dvd (or streaming it on Netflix). I'd rather wait until there are several seasons of a show on dvd, and then watch them all at once.

9. Hand in hand with number 8, there are many many tv shows that I've enjoyed over the years and I've seen every episode of most of those shows. Usually, I started watching years after they air, either in syndication (back in the olden days) or on dvd. The only show that I've ever watched from pilot to series finale, AS IT AIRED, was Gilmore Girls.

10. Right now, I'm reading Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I am also very slowly working my way through Laura Esquivel's Como Agua para Chocolate, reading one "month" (and a recipe) at a time in between other novels. Next up: Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Memoria de mis Putas Tristes, Jen Lancaster's Such a Pretty Fat, and Beryl Markham's West with the Night.

I never know who to name for these, so anyone who wants to, please share 10 things about yourself! I'd love to read more about you. Thanks again to Susan and Sabrina!

Pink and Red

I don't think I've ever worn pink and red together before. I wore this skirt last Friday and this blouse on Monday. As I was putting my clothes away, I caught sight of this blouse next to this skirt and liked the way they looked together. So here I am wearing them together today.

Where:
work

What:
Blouse: Moda Int'l
Skirt: American Eagle Outfitters (thrifted)
Grey Cable Sweater Tights: from Filene's Basement
Shoes: thrifted
Earrings: World Market
Hair Pin: ??

Greek Independence Day

I joined a gym a few weeks ago. I signed up for a few of the personal training sessions that are offered at a discounted rate when you join. So far, I've really like the personal training and the yoga classes. I haven't ventured to scarier parts of the gym yet, like trying to use weight machines on my own.

So what made me think of the gym? Well, I've gained about 10-15 pounds in the last few months. I'm not happy with the weight gain, especially because it goes first to my stomach and second to my hips. I prefer pants to skirts, although I've been wearing significantly more skirts since I started this blog last summer. NONE of my pants fit anymore!!

Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I have a few pairs that still fit well, like these looser pleated pants from the boys section. Being cut for a boy, the waist isn't tapered in very much. Other pants still fit, but they're so tight that they're uncomfortable or unflattering or both. I like my clothes and I'm not happy that I can no longer wear more than 50% of them.

I know I've been almost completely inactive for the past few months, in addition to eating less healthily and more frequently, so I have a 4 point plan to make my wardrobe fit again:

(1) work out more and put on muscle in addition to doing some cardio, yoga and dance

(2) be more active in general, get off my ass, turn off the computer and walk or bike somewhere (warm weather that makes me want to be outside should help a bit with that)

(3) eat healthier foods, keep fresh fruits and vegetables and nuts easily accessible at my home and office so that I eat those when I'm hungry

(4) be more mindful of my eating and only eat when I'm hungry, refrain from eating out of habit or if I'm only doing so because others are eating

I put this plan into effect 3-4 weeks ago, and I've already been successful at working out more and eating healthier foods. Still need to work on being more active and eating more mindfully.

I've been naturally slim all my life. I've worked out in the past to gain muscle, to increase my stamina and/or to tone up (including getting a flat stomach back when Brittney's was all over the place), but I've never actively tried to lose weight before. Welcome to my 30's, I guess. Wish me luck!

Where:
work, performance of Alvin Ailey

What:
Cardigan Sweater: Cynthia Steffe (thrifted)
White Tank: Tommy Hilfiger (from the men's dept at Marshall's)
Pants: Young Kings by Steve Harvey (from the boy's dept at Marshall's)
Shoes: Via Spiga
Silver Cuff: from MoJo Jewelry in Wicker Park
Flower Earrings: Macy's
Flower Ring: vintage
Key Necklace: gift from my parents

Post Title:
March 25th is Greek Independence Day (pretty self-explanatory, right?)

Theater Skirt

I wore this outfit to the ballet Saturday night, but didn't photograph it. I've found that when I don't photograph outfits I like, I tend to wear them again very shortly afterwards. I needed something that I could wear to court this morning, so here it is.

The skirt was part of my costume when I did a production of To Burn a Witch a few years ago. Another actor (also a lawyer!) lent me this skirt. When the run finished, she told me that she didn't wear the skirt anymore and it looked good on me, so I was welcome to keep it.

Where:
work (including court)

What:
Jacket: Express
Turtleneck: Wet Seal
Black Tank: Mossimo
Skirt: Ann Taylor LOFT (free from a theatre production)
Locket: thrifted
Earrings: vintage
Black Cable Sweater Tights: from Filene's Basement
Shoes: Ann Taylor LOFT (thrifted)

Tuesday

I am very happy not to have to layer so much for warmth anymore. One dress, without a bunch of shirts underneath. One pair of leggings, without other leggings or tights underneath. One light jacket; no heavy coat. Spring is nice.

Where:
work

What:
Dress/Tunic: Alyn Paige
Leggings: Newport News
Boots: Predictions
Necklace: vintage from my grandmother
Copper Hoop Earrings and Bracelet: gift from my parents
Jacket: Ralph Lauren (thrifted)
Scarf: ?? (came with a sweater)
Bag: Marc Jacobs (thrifted)

St. Joseph's Day

Lovely weather we're having!

Where:
work, St. Joseph's Day Dinner

What:
Sweater: NY & Co.
White Ribbed Tank: Tommy Hilfiger
Skirt: American Eagle Outfitters (thrifted)
Cable Sweater Tights: from Filene's Basement
Shoes: Ann Taylor LOFT (thrifted)
Key Necklace: gift from my parents
Peace Sign Earrings: World Market

Chicago Weekend Warrior

City Girl Chicago has been running a weekly series of Chicago Weekend Warriors, featuring bloggers from the Chicago area. I am the featured Weekend Warrior today.

Check it out:

City Girl Chicago's
Chicago Weekend Warriors

Vintage Dress

I purchased this dress from Christina's etsy shop late last fall. I love both the skirt and the drape of the top. I didn't want to wear it over the winter b/c I didn't want to cover the beautiful draping, but I finally caved in February, because I really just wanted to wear the dress.

Today is the first time I've worn it without a sweater over top and heavy tights and boots underneath. You can see the great pleated skirt AND the nice drape of the top and sleeves. What a great spring item!

Where:
work, opening of Hubbard Street's spring show

What:
Dress: vintage, from Christina's etsy store
Shoes: Aldo
Bangle Bracelets: a mix of gift from Sabrina and vintage from my mother
Necklace: vintage from my grandmother
Tie worn as Belt: Structure (thrifted)
Earrings: vintage from my mother
Clutch: H&M

Thanks for my boyfriend for the assistance with photos tonight.

Irish Catholic

The things you learn from reading blogs. I never knew about the St. Patrick's Day tradition of wear green or get pinched. So many of you have mentioned it though that it must be pretty widespread. I always wore green on St. Patrick's Day because . . . well . . . it was St. Patrick's Day.

To show my total Irish Pride, I threw on an orange scarf for my commute today.

Where:
work

What:
Plaid Wool Jumper: vintage from my mother
White Button Down: Moda Int'l
Brown Ribbed Sweater Tights: Ellen Tracy
Faux Suede Boots: Predictions
Shamrock Earrings!!: can't remember
Ring: my high school class ring
Suede Jacket: Blazing Saddles (from a vendor in Covent Garden, London)
Orange Scarf: ?? (came with a sweater)
Green Gloves: ??
Hat: Filippo Catarzi (thrifted)