Dog walks, dinner, and errands: OOTD

It was bright and warm today in the sun, but windy and brisk in the shade. I managed this confusing but springlike mix with comfortable layers. I purposely misbuttoned the jacket to give it some asymmetry.

Military button jacket from the juniors section at Burlington Coat Factory (similar here and here)
Boyfriend cardigan from Forever 21 layered underneath (similar here)
T-shirt from Old Navy  
Ann Taylor Loft Cords (similar here)
Chloe zipper flats (similar and reasonably priced here, here, and here) 
MBMJ Dinosaur tote bag (similar but fancy with cool Trompe L'oeil details here; similar but reasonable with cool Trompe L'oeil details here)

Wore this to dinner the other night. Now that I am seeing the photograph, I feel a lot less confident in the execution.

Black Marc by Marc Jacobs cardigan (similar here)
Old Navy long sleeve tshirt in purple underneath
Printed Target Ruffle Skirt (in purple here but it also comes in black, pink, and printed)
Jimmy Choo Morse flats in purple (here)
Vintage Coach satchel

And I realized after purchasing the tiered ruffle skirt from target that it is vaguely reminiscent of this cool DVF piece I didn't buy.

I guess they aren't that similar but I am sure my love for this skirt was what subconsciously influenced me to buy the Target one.

Night and Day

Cardigans by Elle
Pumps by Marc by Marc Jacobs

I am obsessed with the above Miu Miu dress. It reminds me vaguely of a sleeveless version of the Tibi Floating Feathers dress (I own... see below, left)

Which reminded me of the Hayden Harnett Hitchcock dress (I do not own... see above, right). But the Miu Miu one is astronomically priced so owning it is not going to happen. If I did have it, I would wear it for night and day. I think its sleevelessness makes it more versatile. Whereas in the above pictured Tibi number, the silhouette makes it hard to not feel buttoned up.

Honeycrisp Sweater Coat

The rain and returned chill in the air have me scrambling to wear some favorites before it is time to store them for spring/summer. As such, I broke out this sweatercoat from many seasons/years passed (fall 2006, to be exact). Anthropologie named it Honeycrisp and it does describe the warm mustard yellow color accurately. 

I was desperate to find this sweater coat when I saw it in the "Sunday Styles" section of the New York Times. They ran a photo of it and other jackets/sweaters during the holiday shopping season as gift options. I knew I wanted to gift it to myself asap but the Anthro retail price point was high for a sweater. I managed to score one on ebay for far less.

Tibi Honeycrisp sweatercoat. Somewhat similar jacket here and here. 

Baggu here.

Vintage leather satchel from Coach. Similar ones can be found on ebay.

Underneath, I wore:
Twinkle by Wenlan dress (also from Anthro-- maybe winter 2008? I don't know its name)
Similar spring/summer appropriate dresses, here and here.

Recent outfits: Weekend and Today

From left to right: 

1. Worn to Kelly's Bar (not technically the weekend but everyone except me drank like it was... I was driving).
See by Chloe floral print Jardin dress (similar See by Chloe dresses here and here. Cute and reasonably priced here)
Old Navy black long sleeve tshirt
Spanx tights(here)
Giuseppe Zanotti studded captoe flats (similar here, here, and reasonably priced ones here)

2. Worn to Round Corner Cantina for happy hour and dinner with Chris and Rich.
See by Chloe Landscape Print dress. (similar here, here, and here)
Marc by Marc Jacobs cashmere cardigan (similar here, here, and reasonably priced, here)
Steven by Steve Madden Director t-strap pumps. (similar here, here, and here).
Swatch Irony oversized automatic skeleton watch (similar here, here, and reasonably priced here)

3. Worn to Apple Store and Whole Foods.
Vince boyfriend cardigan (similar here, here, and here)
Long sleeved tshirt from LA Made. 
Skinny corduroy pants by Ann Taylor (similar here and here)
Burberry jeweled flats (similar here)

And lastly, worn to teach my classes and shop at Target and other stores at the Waterfront:

Marc by Marc Jacobs Peacock Paisley dress (on sale 70% off in navy/green here, top version here, summer appropriate version here, similar here).  
Hue tights in heather gray (here)
Seychelles At Last boots (similar here)
Linea Pelle belt (similar here and here)

Pittsburgh Area Shopping Rumors: Is Off Fifth Coming to Washington PA's Tanger Outlets?! Update: RUMOR IS TRUE!

If this screencap from Saks Fifth Avenue's career opportunities website is any indication, then the answer is YES! I heard a rumor that the Tanger Outlets in Washington, PA (about 40 minutes south of the city) would be opening an Off Fifth eventually. But without dates or press releases I was doubtful. I am thrilled to see this employee recruitment call, which provides strong evidence that the store is impending.

This is especially exciting after reading the less happy news that Saks would close under-performing stores. Although I've heard from the extremely friendly and helpful Pittsburgh store associates that they have some of the strongest numbers in the company, I was concerned it was no longer true post-recession. 

As far as outlet options go, Off Fifth is a great score for the area! For those of you not from Pittsburgh, the other nearby outlets in Grove City, (north of the city by an hour or so) used to house an Off Fifth.  It closed years ago, long before I had the interest or driver's license to take advantage of its semi-locality. Since then, the nearest Off Fifth was all the way in Cleveland. Although it isn't my favorite of the discount luxury outlets, it will be great to have more options. There was a noticeable gap in the discount-seekers' market after the closing of Filene's Basement at the Homestead Waterfront. An Off Fifth is even better!

Relatedly, my ranked preferences of luxury discount stores/outlets:

1. Neiman Marcus Last Call
2. Nordstrom Rack
3. Off Fifth
4. Barneys Coop Outlet
5. Loehmann's
6. Filene's Basement
7. TJ Maxx/Marshalls/etc.

Not my favorite, but I'll take it! If it performs well enough, maybe Nordstrom will decide to expand their local offerings to also include a Nordstrom Rack?

Between this new reason to go to the outlets (which are not far from where my parents' live) and Bakery Square's soon-to-open Anthropologie in East Liberty, it will be difficult to maintain my 2010 resolution to want less!

UPDATE: Customers have been emailed from their Pittsburgh Sales Associates to confirm the opening of the Off Fifth in May of 2010!!!!!!!!!

Fitting Room Reviews: Anthropologie

I loved the interior fabric lining of the Two Paths Trench by Idra and was thrilled to see that it came in dress form, called the Rainforest Morning Shirtdress. I tried it on in store and was not disappointed.

 

Although the skirt was not straight in the photo, the fit was true to size (I took an 8 which is what I typically wear in this style of dress). I really liked the pockets! The sleeves were a bit snug but I sometimes have that problem. 

The Blooming Sapphire Wrap dress was plentiful in my local Anthropologie's sale section and when I tried it on, the reason became clear to me.

It was not flattering on my curvy figure at all. They were out of my regular size so I took one down and that might have caused the problem. It was too shortwaisted and although I liked the look of the flowy fabric (it looked beautiful amid a dressing room twirl, for example), it just looked dumpy on me.

The Reed Shirtdress comes in solids and plaids. It has been a favorite among Anthropologie addicts but it was far less exciting on me. I think perhaps the length was the problem. I found it to be TTS but I have heard one should size up. This is an 8.

I think belting this dress makes a huge difference as shown by the lovely and stylish Rosa of Love at First Shop and Becca of Bea is for Beautiful. But I had no belt with me to see. The retail of $118 is just low enough (relatively speaking, for Anthropologie) that I wonder if it will last long enough to go on sale?

The New York New York dress looked so pretty when I saw it on Golden Means, that I just couldn't resist trying it on in person. 

I loved the neckline. I loved the saturated painterly colors of the print. But I wasn't impressed by the quality. I also don't often buy sleeveless dresses. Although I didn't buy anything I am glad to know the size I would need, should sales render some of these items more tempting! Thanks for reading!

Optical Inspirations

Edith Head, Gloria Steinem, and Grace Kelly

I've worn glasses since I was in second grade. Although I also had contacts by the time I was 13, I've always considered spectacles to be a large component of my visual identity. This aspect of personal style became significant to me as a young adult because I was involved in a subculture that valued bookish, studied, intellectualism. It wasn't afraid of being called nerdy.

 Michael Caine and Jean Luc Godard

I was listening to music from the riot grrl and punk scene and began reading feminist theories that taught me about objectification and the politics of looking. 

 

Glasses became a theoretical starting point from where to reject normative standards of beauty.

 Malcolm X and Kurt Cobain 

They allowed me to have more control over not only how I saw the world, but also how I was objectified by the gazes of others. I considered them to provide visual shorthand; a sign that signified my subcultural affiliations and intellectual interests to other likeminded young women and men.

Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Chisholm

Peter Sellers and Marcello Mastroianni

To this day, when I do wear my contacts, it is disorienting. Not only can I see peripherally with the help of the contacts, but I feel like something is missing from my face. I feel naked without my glasses.

 Anouk Aimee

And I continue to draw optical inspiration from the precious and rare bespectacled icons of visual cultural history.