Dress your age

I know that our little blogspot has fallen by the wayside, but I've decided to jump back in as I am recently enamored of clothing again.
Sadly, I've come to realize that I need to update my wardobe to fit my age. At almost 33 (egad!), I have left mini-skirts, plunging cleavage and pigtails behind me. I need to be taken somewhat seriously (as I am now on a scholarly path) and feel that I can find some age-appropriate wearables that still scream "carefree bohemian."
Case in point: Cardigans. Oh cardigans, how did I live without thee before? Cardis are the perfect ultra-feminine accessory to every outfit. I love having different lengths, materials and colors to acentuate the season. You can find cardigans just about anywhere, but check out these deals: cardis My favorite styles are naturally the form-fitting V-necks with delicate buttons.  :)
But what's a girl to do about dresses? Sharing a closet with my totally wonderful boyfriend is ok, but it doesn't leave a lot of room for dresses. I had to rethink a lot of past purchases and relieved myself of many dresses before I moved to Germany and also many afterwards. So as to continue with age-appropriate dressing, most of the plunging necklines were tossed/donated/sold at a flea market, as were most of the too short hemlines. While it's fashionable to have the ridicuously short hemlines, I have found some dresses that look a but more suited to myself. For example: stones throw dress Naturally, I'll need to try it on first, but for now, my heart lusts over the internet. I imagine myself to float along in this dress like the fairy princess that I believe I am. And of course, I want it in all three colors!
And what of shoes? To be honest, I am not a fan of shoes. I would prefer to be barefoot most of the time. But living in Germany has taught me a couple of things: 1. You need comfortable shoes and 2. You need practical shoes. I'm a big fan of comfort, but not a huge fan of practical. I learned the hard way that my little canvas ballet flats won't hold up in the rain. But still, to sacrifice cuteness for usefulness? I can't! I'm hoping maybe these will do the trick: rainy day flats Again, I can only lust over cyberspace for now...

A little winter distraction

Just because the weather outside is frightful, there's no reason not to look cute indoors. Hosting a party or a romantic evening in? Why not look like a sexy barmaid stranded in fairy land? Or a cute boho girl scouting out some hot artsy students?

My ideal outfit for any of the above would most definitely include: dress

Pigtails and knee socks? A beanie and thermal tights? Upsweep and leggings? I think this outfit not only works but works it. ;)

More rags to wash dishes with

It's been a long time since any of us have posted (sadly) and I needed to break the monotony of work and share a little piece of consumer satisfaction.

I really believed that I was done with buying dresses. I mean, I have enough dresses and none of the new styles were all that becoming, but then I had to get notified of the sale. Damn! I was so easily sucked back in.
My latest infatuation is with the Billabong Lalla dress. Naturally, I had to purchase this little baby in black (another LBD), burgundy and olive. As with the Billabong Milena dress, it is super comfy and a respectable length, but also really flirtatious. Unlike the Milena, it is conservative enough to get away with at work.
And yes, I know you're probably thinking - summer dress for winter in Boston? Well, the other great thing about this dress is that it looks good with layers. So, I throw on some fun footless tights (I have them in every color too), a lightweight cardi, some legwarmers, a scarf, a sweater coat and my ballet flats and I'm good to go! Viva Bohemia!

First Date Dress

The funny thing about living in a city teeming with universities is that September is seen as a time of new beginnings (rather than Spring) because everyone is going back to school. But I kind of understand it. The Fall is a great time to turn over a new leaf!

That being said, I decided to try something completely new: a date! No, not the fruit, an actual date. As in, a boy calls me to make plans, we meet up and he pays for things in order to enjoy my company. It's quite old-fashioned, but I highly recommend it.

Here's how my version of a date (and everything leading up to it) went down:
First, I met a boy. At the Pill. I mosied up to him on the dancefloor, after seducing him with my eyes for a good couple of hours, and we began moving in unison.
Second, he gallantly asks me to take a break from the dancefloor with him and join him at the bar.
Third, we danced some more (without being groped - a novelty) and the night drew to a close and he asked for my phone number and gave me a hug. (Again no groping)
Fourth, he texts me less than 48 hours later to ask me to "hang out" on Monday night. I leave the activity part of the date up to him.
Fifth, this is where the shopping skills really come in handy. As we all know, I have a collection of clothes. And I've been obsessed with dresses lately. I think they've replaced skirts and tank tops as my favorite article of clothing. But what do I wear on a date with a nice boy? I need to look flirtatious, yet not easy and be comfortable but not too casual. It just so happens that I have dress that does all that. It's flirty and delicate and comfy and feisty. It is the O'Neill C'est La Vie Dress. I feel confident and cute and up for anything when I wear this dress. It shows the right amount of cleavage, accentuates a small waist and hides the damn winter bulges that I haven't been able to lose. It hits at the knee so I'm able to sit comfortably in it and cross my legs like a true lady. I've paired it with some flip flops and messy hair for cruising around Cambridge and some ankle strap sandals and body glitter for my date. I also throw a navy-colored hoodie on and a red purse and I'm good to go. I felt casual enough to hang at a bar but elegant enough to be served dinner at a restaurant.
Sixth, as to that turning over a new leaf (I was actually anticipating the kiss at the end of the night!)...well...it didn't so much happen. The kiss didn't happen until we were in my bedroom and didn't end until this morning when I had to go to work. However, I've got another date tonight and tomorrow with the same 22 year old German boy. What am I going to wear?

P.S. There are two minor things that require the slightest attention: 1. I believe I may single-handedly keeping Swell.com in business as I buy up all their dresses. 2. I'm going to beat you to the punch Laura - "Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson" is probably ringing in your head right now. :)

School Daze

Surprisingly, this post is not about something I have bought, but something I'd like to buy. And probably will buy. Soon.

Let me preface this post with a quick tale: A few years ago I was rifling through photo albums at my grandparents' house and came across a picture of my grandfather (who was a bonafide hunk) in his high school days. He was at the beach with his basketball team and the lot of them were wearing Speedoes and their letterman sweaters. I've been secretly wanting a letterman's sweater ever since that day.
So...with Autumn on the horizon, I've already started looking at sweaters. These are some of the beauties I have my eye on to lend that demure, scholarly look to my flirty wardrobe.

Georgia and Revolver

I'm also on the hunt for some new shoes. Since I basically live in ballet flats for the fall/winter (and flip flops for the spring/summer) I really should be all set, but a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes, right? ;)

The LBD Files, Part 4

Oh, Billabong Milena Dress, how I love thee. I don't think I need to insert anymore pics of this dress that I own in four different colors!!!

Let this be a brief tale too...I own this dress in charcoal (which I argue falls into the "black" family). I wore this dress a week ago and captured the attention of another quartet of Englishmen. :) Sadly, the night was not quite as exciting as some of my previous summer escapades, but it did result in a new friend who happens to be in a band. Not a famous band (like the boy that I met the week before) but he still has artistic sensibility. And he has a nice body. And he has my phone number.

Once again, the best purchase I've made in a long while is the Billabong Milena dress.

An Inconvenient Tag

Okay, I know you're probably sick to death of hearing about my little summer dresses, but I haven't quite got my fix yet.
Anyways, this tale will be short and sweet. Well...not so sweet.

I was invited to celebrate a friend's birthday with her and her parents this Sunday. This entails going to a fancy steakhouse and namely having to "dress up" a bit. Now, my friend, who is not entirely a fashionista herself, posed a minor skepticism that I would be able to find attire to wear. I consider my wardrobe to be pretty set, having a little number to wear for everything (except maybe a walk down the red carpet). However, I did not want to disappoint my friend or offend her parents, so I went in search of a dress that would satisfy the occasion. These are some of the dresses I would like to have purchased: Anna Sui or Navy dress. However, they were both totally out of my price range. I decided on a brown and blue version of this dress: Oneill dreamy dress. The good news? This dress was on sale at surfride.com for a mere $22.98 + $4.95 shipping! Fantastic! But there's always a catch, right? Well, the dress took the full 6 business days to arrive and when it did arrive (there's always the moment where I fear I will not fit into anything) it still had a security tag on it! I informed customer service and their brilliant plan to remove the security tag involved needlenose pliers and a flathead screwdriver. How does an urban princess compromise? By making a small tear around the security tag (it was on the hem of the slip) and sewing up the mistake. The only satisfaction I have now is that I have a "conservative" dress to wear to dinner and I think I can get away with it at work too. :)